Quite often, when an artist is asked what their favorite album is, or what their favorite book is, they say "The next one, the one I haven't started yet" I don't think that is a cop-out. My favorite Bear Family box is the one that hasn't been released yet.
I just got a single of 'My Rifle My Pony and Me' by Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson, the Rio Bravo classic. It's a mighty pretty tune! Thank God for Bear Family...
Calm down, I didn't call you a troll, read it again, I was suggesting to you to not feed the troll. The posts that were running down Bear Family were the trolls. You were trying to explain things to them, I suggested you don't feed the troll, ignore him. Geez..........
My understanding is that there is a company in UK releasing CDs with overdubs and there is also a company here in the U.S. who is releasing overdub CDs by Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline. These CDs cater toward Reeves completists and newly converted fans who might prefer to hear a modern sound as opposed to the original/classic recordings. The American company is operated by Larry Jordan, who wrote the Reeves biography. Jordan is a talented writer and has published newer editions as well, although his work has been scrutinized heavily by fans and living relatives of Reeves. It would warm my heart if Jordan and Rex Reeves could join forces and write an ultimate edition of the Reeves biography, but I fear they may not reach a point of agreement. Regarding Jordan's suspicion of the Bear Family Box 16 CD box set having the tracks sped up, I doubt that his comments would adversely affect sales of the Bear Family box set. Whether previously released or unreleased, listeners such as myself prefer to buy an artist's original recordings which were made before they passed away. I believe that everything Reeves did when he was living should fall under that category, although not everything he recorded was officially released at that time. After his passing, Reeves left behind numerous demos and unreleased recordings. Much in the same way that Natalie Cole created a duets album with her late father, Jordan used modern technology and his own unique vision to achieve such results. The ongoing debate would be whether the final product became Reeves' vision or that of Jordan. As a purist, I don't enjoy the concept of overdubs, however there are some exceptions. A contemporary project which comes to mind is "The Return Of Wayne Douglas" was Doug Sahm's last and posthumous album. It was a stripped-down country album in the purest sense. I'm grateful that the project was finished and the people involved shared the same vision and were part of the project from the beginning. Overdubs were still in progress when Sahm passed, but his son and longtime friend Augie Meyers did a nice job of making the vision a reality.
Definitely! Actually, they still have a large number of the box sets and some single-disc titles as well.
All of these titles you guys mentioned are excellent. I get mentally stimulated just thinking about Bear Family Records, they are my favorite reissue label in the world. I noticed that at the record shows, the Bear Family Records booth is probably the busiest and most visited by people from all over the world. I'm quite excited to purchase the upcoming amended Lefty Frizzell comprehensive box set, which will include everything on the previous out of print version in addition to newly discovered tracks and info. Sadly, my ex wife kept the original lone copy of "Life's Like Poetry" I owned. From here on, I always buy 2 copies of each title.
I used to order various single CDs from a private dealer who had also been a Bear Family collector. When he shipped them, he would take a Bear Family outer case, tape it up, slap on shipping labels and postage. I received completely defaced Lefty Frizzell and Ernest Tubb box cases holding my various non-Bear Family CDs. That is how we end up with some dealers saying "missing outer carton". But in my case, I loaned a Bear Family set to a friend who had the book on his coffee table. His wife threw the book out in the trash with the Sunday newspaper! That is how we see sets for sale that say "missing book".
What a shame! The books are essential, although I believe some of the sets utilized the same information in the book. I believe the first 2 Johnny Horton sets contained identical information. Of course, that has been rectified with the recent definitive box set edition!
Guys are like that, they always need to have a "back-up". Two each of everything, just in case. It makes storage hard, especially when you gotta feed and clothe the back-up.
That is the only case I know of. The two books from two boxes were exactly identical except the cover photo. No other identifier. But I got them mixed up and don't know which book goes to which box. Seems OK, unless I ever sell to a picky collector. Does anyone know which book goes to which box? I was once sitting on a bench on a footbridge across an industrial canal looking at a Bear family box that I had just bought, when the book slipped away and went into the canal. I completely freaked out, until I noticed that the book was floating in the water. I instantly climbed down into the structure of the bridge, below the deck, held on for my life (that water was bad!), and managed to snag the book. Someone had called the police and they came running, thinking I was a suicide. When I climbed up with my Bear Family book, they just shrugged like I was some idiot. That was a Marty Robbins book. I still have it, a little wrinkled up (that glossy paper does not absorb water). If I ever sell it, I guess I have to say "some water damage", but I won't mention the toxic residue. (This is true!)
Having once owned a few dozen of their boxes, I have gradually thinned out the collection and have made my own comps based on the boxes. The only BF boxes that survived are: Charlie Rich Lonely Weekends Johnny Cash Man In Black 1954-58 Rose Maddox The One Rose Roy Orbison Orbison
According to my Doctor, that was the wrong thing to do. He wrote me up a prescription for one Bear Family item per week, but Amazon would not do it for a $5 co-pay. Even though I live in a state where medicinal Bear Family is legal, the insurance just will not cover it.
All three EVERLY BROTHERS box sets... Both NAT KING COLE box sets... And the Outtakes Series: Johnny Cash Everly Brothers
All four of these artists are top candidates for further volumes by Bear Family. I have been especially surprised that no volume 2 (and 3) of Kitty Wells has been issued, given her tag as the Queen of Country Music, and the fact that her box (on vinyl, later replicated on CD) was among the very first ever issued by Bear Family. Jimmie at least had a second box, which Webb Pierce and Jean Shepard certainly deserve. None of these artists middle or later period work is adequately represented on CD
Different strokes. That map is one of the things that has made the LP's great format - the ability to add novelty, features or outstanding design.
Of course that is what is best about Bear Family's CD Boxes, outstanding design. Sometimes 300 full LP-sized pages of outstanding design and features. "Novelty", however - like punch-outs, furry feathers, or other stuff - usually disintegrates and adds no value in my opinion. I dislike novelty in CD boxsets, like the silly cardboard radio in the Hank Williams Mother's Best CD set or phony little cardboard suitcases (Woody Guthrie), or cardboard record players (Ray Charles). Absolutely not a bit of artistic value, and just take up volume. Pop-up art is fun, and a real craft, but they damage easily and are best for fantasy fairy tales. I'm not sure I need pop-up images of Ernest Tubb or Roy Orbison.