Elvis - 30 years after

[Rocker]

As you probably know, this august marks the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's passing.  I know, there's already a Elvis-thread here, but I thought I should start a new one, where we can "celebrate" Elvis the artist and not just, like everyone does, Elvis the myth. I hope some of you like this idea and maybe some others will learn new things about the great work of Elvis.


Anyway, I just found this on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=cristiotopeanu&p=r (gotta scroll down a little)

To understand what this is, I should tell you that this year an independent label called Memphis Recording Service released for the first time a professionelly filmed and recorded Elvis-concert from the 50s on DVD. The concert is the legendary '56 homecoming-concert in Tupelo (his birthplace).  All in all the DVD features around 15 min. of complete footage. For some songs only partial footage was found. Of course there's alot of other stuff on the DVD (both concerts, two were held that day, as audio, interviews, footage from the Tupelo-concert in '57, etc.)


I think this might become a great thread, hope that some people are even interested.

[MBE]

Yes this is a good idea, why don't we start with his best live shows. I think as a whole my favorites are the February 1970 gigs in Vegas. He was in great shape, still doing the oldies well, and had a strong batch of new material. Let's here from anyone else who likes a particular tour, engagement, or show

[Sheriff John Stone]

I also liked the early 70's period, right through to the 1973 Aloha From Hawaii concerts.

I especially liked Elvis' band from this period, featuring the great James Burton, Ronnie Tutt, and Jerry Scheff. Being a Doors' fan, I get a kick out of watching Jerry Scheff perform with Elvis. How lucky was he, getting to play with Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison! And his son is bassist/singer Jason Scheff from Chicago.

[pixletwin]

That video of him singing I Was The One is fabulous. I could listen to that all day long. He was such a beautiful guy. I love how he changes the lyrics and the delivery with every damn performance. Just classic.

[MBE]

Both really good choices guys. You know even as late as December 1976 he could still do a stunning show, but I think I have to say that 85 percent of the time through the 2000 shows he held over the years he was the best.

[peerke]

I also liked the early 70's period, right through to the 1973 Aloha From Hawaii concerts.

I especially liked Elvis' band from this period, featuring the great James Burton, Ronnie Tutt, and Jerry Scheff. Being a Doors' fan, I get a kick out of watching Jerry Scheff perform with Elvis. How lucky was he, getting to play with Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison! And his son is bassist/singer Jason Scheff from Chicago.

Don't forget that Jerry Scheff also played with Dylan, during his alimony tour in 1978. That tour was a tribute to Elvis Presley - hence the white costumes.

On topic: I agree with you about Elvis best period being the early Seventies. But I would expand the period to the last years of the Sixties - some great singles, albums and shows in 1968 and 1969.

[Rocker]

For live-shows my favorite time would be 1969. Being a rock'n'roll and blues-fan, this is probably the best you can get. The "In person"-album stands out for me as the best live album ever and certainly among the best ten albums ever. I love also the 1970-era, because he brought in new material, which by then wasn't of course much rock anymore. His "You've lost that loving feeling" is unbeliavable. Better than any version of that song that I've heard, including the original and Brian Wilson's cover. Over the years he still gave great shows (one of my favorites being from March '75) but imo nothing comes close to '69. I have a feeling that even the rock-songs didn't rock as hard in '70 as they did in '69. Anyway, he probably had the best band in the world back then and I think that's only fitting for Elvis.
Anyone here heard the "In person"-album? I think that one and "On stage" are the only livealbums by Elvis you ever need. Of course the others are nice and have some great moments, but these two are essential.


Not to forget his two concerts from 1961 in Hawaii and Memphis. The Memphis-one hasn't been recorded afaIk, but the Hawaii-show and it makes clear that he had a great band and was hot. I wish he'd gone on touring during the 60s, this (unfortunately poor) recording promises so much.
And I've gotta say that I love his early live-TV-appearances. Especially the "Hound dog"-version on Milton Berle. That's kinda the performance that started it all, and at the same time ended everything else if you know what I mean...


EDIT: If anyone's interested, here you can listen to an almost 1-hour longe best-of liev of Elvis from a dutch radio-station. You'll hear stuff from the 50s 'til '73 (iirc). You even hear something from the '61 Hawaii-concert

http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/radio2/nos/zomerfestival/20050816.rm

[MBE]

Very insightful Rocker.

[I. Spaceman]

It's January 28, 1956. Hmmm, what to watch on the tube after dinner. How about Your Hit Parade, that staple where Perry Como and his mild bunch sing the latest hits. Aww man, they're just singing How Much Is That Doggie In The Window for the umpteenth time.
The local station's playing another old Western, what a surprise.
Hmm, Stage Show on CBS, don't remember that show...oh I remember, that's the one Jackie Gleason produces starring those moldy hasbeen Dorsey Brothers. Every week some new version of last year's teen idol, mixed in with your parents' faves from 13 years ago. What the hell, might as well tune in for a laugh.
Hmmm, looks like they got that new guy on, Elvis Presley, the one who they have that big display on at the record store, supposed to be the next big thing. They were playing one of his records in there the other day, but it just sounded cowpoke country hayseed music, square.
Well, nothing else is on, might as well check him out. Dorseys go home! You guys are World War II and you remind me of my old man telling me to mow the lawn every day when I get home from school. If only some new sounds could come out to blast away this world of school, chores, dinner sleep, repeat. I mean, Les Paul is cool but he's so OLD!
Elvis on next, commercial for Lucky Strike on, hmm, maybe I should go check out The Searchers tomorrow, friends say it was cool, not as cool as Rebel Without A Cause was, but what could be man, ain't never be another like James Dean, the patron saint of real rebellion, telling like it is to your parents and the world, gone man, gone.
Tommy introducing some boring DJ, Bill Randle who are you, who cares, big orchestral fanfare, this should be a real drag. Man, look at that Elvis guy's outfit, I could swear in color it'd be the shade of my sister's dresses, who IS this cat? Shake, Rattle And Roll, man that's Bill Haley's tune, he's just gonna sing some other guy's tune? Hell, this guy's voice sounds better than old Haley's though. Hah, look at this guy's faces he's makin', all bug-eyed and crazy. And he's jumpin' all around the stage like he was standin' on electrical wires! The beat is loud, the beat, the beat, THE BEAT! Can't help but pound on my leg to it. Now that guy on guitar is gonna take a solo, man that Elvis guy's goin' crazy! Shakin' his legs and his hips like a movie I saw one time peekin' through the curtains at one of my dad's parties. He had a projector set up and he was playin' a movie of some old gal with big you-know-whats shakin' and gyratin' all around. And this Elvis guy reminds me of that gal, and I don't know if I like that. But the damn BEAT of that music, him singin' some lyric I don't remember from Haley, somethin' about bein' like a "One-eyed cat peepin' in a seafood store". I don't know what that means, but it sure sounds nasty. And this stuff he's singin' at the end sounds like some other song entirely, somethin' like "flip, flop and fly, don't care if I die". Wild, how'd they let this weird hick on the tube?
And he's gonna do another, man I though they'd pull him off by now. His voice is real Southern, like a farmer or somethin, funny guy, like some weird comedian. Oh yeah, I Got A Woman, this isn't his tune either, I heard this on my transistor radio late at night when I had it under the covers, I gotta make sure I don't play it too loud or my father'll come in and beat the hell out of me if he catches me. The song was by some colored guy, and I dug it real cool, it sounded dirty and like the radio was stuck between stations it was so noisy. The disc jockey was comin' in from far off in New York, some guy named Moondog or Freed or somethin'. I remember he said the tune was by some guy named Ray Charles, I think. I looked for it at the record store but they don't sell records by colored artists who ain't The Ink Spots or Mills Brothers. And if I got it home I'd have to hide it from my folks anyway, they don't like me listenin' to that stuff. Someday I'll be older too and I'll do what I want and I'll let my kids do what they want to, by God.
Man, this guy is goin' crazy again, and this tune sounds different by him but just as good, just a lot different. Now he's off, and ol' Dorsey man says he'll be back next week. I'll tune in for that, hell, that surpised me, he was good, even if he sung other guys' songs.
I wonder when his record's comin' out, I think the display at the store said it came out yeaterday or the day before. Something about a motel of broken hearts or something, I wish it was these tunes tonight that were on it. I'll stop by the store after school and buy it. That girl at school, Loretta, she was looking at a picture of Elvis in a magazine the other day and telling her friend how dreamy she thought he was. Man, I am gonna grow my hair out like that Elvis guy and look cool, no matter what my folks say. They can kick me out of the house, I don't care, I'll make my own way, I don't care about school any way.
That guitar I been lookin' at in the window of the music shop is only 15 dollars, if I saved a whole month, I could buy it. If I looked as cool as Elvis, and played a guitar, I'll bet Loretta would think I as dreamy too. Maybe I'll ask her if she wants to come home with me and study and have a soda and listen to the record, and she'll let me kiss her. Then we can go see The Searchers. Yeah, that'll be the day, she doesn't know I even exist. But I'll buy that guitar and I'll show her what I'm made of. Elvis Presley won't have nothin' on me. But, man, he was sure cool. Almost as cool as Dean. Maybe he is the next big sound, that beat really got inside me, wanted to pick everything up and break it, grab a switchblade, fight like hell, grab some girl, hell man, go crazy.
***
Loretta left me last week, after 23 years of marriage. Kids grown and gone, she says I don't pay attention to her like I used to, she wants to go off and be herself, she never had a chance to, she went from mom and dad to me, never had a life of her own.
I was good to her too, I gave her a nice living, raised our kids right. Worked hard day and night to put food on the table. And she just leaves, for some damn selfish reasons.
Ah hell, some free life will do me good. No one to answer to, do what I want, go to the bar, pick up some woman, hang out with my friends, on my own time. Free man.
Free man. Think I'll have a beer right now, that's right, 2 in the damn afternoon, you got a problem with that? Didn't think so. Call up some buddies, watch some football, think I'll call em now.
All busy on a Saturday afternoon with their wives, Freddie on vacation, Jimmy got remarried, just had another kid, hell Tom wants to just stay in with his wife, damn sap. What should I do, watch the TV, fall asleep, what the hell. Man, I like that Carol Burnett, she's damn funny, just like my wife was before she got so bitter and unhappy, what made her that way, I never cheated on her, never hit her. I mean, I know I didn't treat her quite as good as I could have, but she was always my woman, till death do us part, when did that lose meaning to that damn woman?
Another beer, another, another, hell, what's the damn point of any of this? Just watch the damn movie of the week. Aww man, it's that movie about Elvis that they played at the movie theater a couple years back, I was supposed to take my wife to that but I was away on a fishing trip. Damn, my wife loved that guy, she was so broken up when he died, I thought she'd go to the hospital. I mean, he was just a damn singer, my God. But I sure liked his music too, he went all soft after he got out of the Army, made some damn stupid movies, but he got it back rockin', I remember hearin' that Burning Love in my truck on the radio and beatin' hell out of the steering wheel like I was 15 years old again. Shame about his wife leavin' him. Know how you feel, buddy, now I do. And he ends up dead on the toilet brokenhearted.
Damn, that's gonna be me, I guess. I miss her, damnit. But hell with her if she don't want me. Just watch the damn movie and forget it. man, they have some damn punk kid playing him when he's young, it don't even look like him, don't sound like him. Better see some real King soon or I'm switchin' the channel.
Aww, there he is, the young King! Hey, I remember this, this may have been the first time I saw him, right before I got his record. yeah, man, he did Shake Rattle And Roll, the Haley tune. My God, I remember just what I was wearing, what I was feeling, this takes me back. Still in school, still at my parents, just about to get my learners permit. And I remember thinking that girl Loretta would sure be nice to hold, and maybe I'd asked her out...
Damnit, I ain't gonna cry, no woman will do that to me, I am a man, damnit, good riddance woman, I don't need you, where's the damn phone, what's the damn number, it's ringing, I won't cry, answer it please Loretta honey, I love you, I gotta tell you I want you to come back, be how you want, it'll be different, answer the phone, click she picked up!
"Hello?"
"Loretta honey?"

[Rocker]

Nicely written story Ian ! I guess many people felt that way back then, although the impact it had on many probably can't be described...

To make it, here are the two videos of Elvis' very first TV-appearance:

Shake, rattle & roll

(unfortunately it's a little edited)


I got a woman



These early TV-appearances always make me realize that Elvis was a very good rythm-guitar player (of course the sit-down-shows do the rest). He's banging wild on that thing just like an old blues man. The whole band (Scotty Moore, Bill Black and DJ Fontana) have a great sound playing together.

[MBE]

I think he stayed a pretty good guitar player. That's All Right from 76-77 is really rockin.

[Rocker]

Now time for a little discussion. What do you think about it? Hope my english is good enough.


1966, as you all know, was a revolutionary year of great albums that showed that pop-music was something you could actually call art. Albums like "Pet Sounds" (Beach Boys), "Revolver" (Beatles) and "Blonde on Blonde" (Bob Dylan) came out, as well as great singles like "Good Vibrations" (Beach Boys), "River deep, mountain high" (Ike&Tina Turner, produced by Phil Spector), "Sounds of silence" (Simon&Garfunkel), "Paint it black" (Rolling Stones) were released, changed the music scene and opened the door for a generation of people looking for nothing but love and peace. That an album by Elvis Presley, whose days of putting out great music seemed to have ended at this point, is one of the most impressive records of that period is unthinkable to most people. After all 1966 was the year of "Paradise Hawaiian Style", probably the worst movie with one of the worst soundtracks Elvis ever did. He wasn't relevant anymore, something that got the Beach Boys into trouble in 1967. But let's go back for a few months...
The last year, 1965, showed some hope. "Crying in the chapel", a song Elvis recorded in 1960 for his gospel-album "His hand in mine", was released as a single and became a big hit. No. 3 in the US, even no. 1 in the UK. The world wanted to hear new material from Elvis, this would be the last chance for a while for him to define himself as a great contemporary artist, whose music responds with the people and the times.But nothing else happened in 1965 (except for the Beatles visiting Elvis).
When the concept of another gospel-album was done, Elvis, getting more and more bored by all those soundtracks, was on fire and was ready to work off his ass. This would be the first projet with his new producer, Felton Jarvis ("Sheila"), who actually helped Elvis and brought in a few ideas, not like all those guys before (Steve Sholes, Chet Atkins), who were just watching Elvis produce the sessions.
The sessions began and all of a sudden Elvis was the great artist he was before he stopped to care about the material he had to cut.
Along with his usual A-quality-Nashville-band plus the Jordanaires were several new faces, including Chip Young, who was brought in by Scotty Moore, and Peter Drake. Elvis wanted the voices to sound big, almost like a choir, but instead of doubling, another gospel-group was brought in, The Imperials (featuring the great Jake Hess as bass-voice), plus three female voices, featuring Elvis-sessions-veteran Millie Kirkhma, who first sang for Elvis in '58.


As always, Elvis warmed up playing gospel-songs, and fittingly the first song they worked on was called "Run on". Starting with a beautiful acapella "hmmmm", that I could listen to for hours, the song becomes a big rocking tune, that, as some of the other uptempo numbers, reminds me a little of Spector's and Wilson's "Wall-of-sound".
BTW this song was also recorded by Johnny Cash as "God's gonna cut you down" and Brian Wilson appears in the video to that recording.


The next song they worked on was the eventually title-cut "How great thou art". Elvis instructed the singers and after rehearsing for 15 minutes, they were ready to start recording. This is one of the most impressive recordings Elvis ever did. The sheer emotion pouring out of this song is unbelievable. In '74 a live-version of this song, slightly re-arranged, won Elvis his third grammy award.


The moody "Stand by me" was recorded in total darkness, because Elvis wanted to bring up a certain feeling and "Where no one stands alone" features some great and powerful backing vocals. There's a cool unrehearsed live-version on bootleg of Elvis singing the last song in '77.

He and the musicians worked all through the night and now at 4 a.m. he couldn't stop and recorded some more contemporary material, non-gospel. The roadhouse blues "Down in the alley" and his version of Dylan's "Tomorrow is a long time". Dylan went on record saying that this is his favorite cover of any of his songs.

The first session ended.



The next day saw the next session, starting out with an old pop-song called "Love letters", which imo is the best and most emotional performance by Elvis of a melancholy ballad. You can't listen to this and not get tears in your eyes. After that, the gospel-album was focused on again. Again they started with an uptempo-song, "So high". Elvis sang in a little lower voice and played "call-and-response" with the background vocalists in the chorus.

Another soft and slow tune, "Farther along" was one of the songs Elvis played at the legendary jam-session at Sun Records in '56 with Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. His arrangement here is a little different though.

Now it was back to rock a little. "By and by", starting with a nice piano-intro and featuring an untypical (remember this is a gospel-session !) fuzz-guitar, an expression Elvis wasn't that familiar with, so Felton explained him what it is.

The next song, "In the garden" was another soft tune with beautiful singing.
After this, Elvis and his buddies Red West and Charlie Hodge recorded a song they had often played together at home. "Beyond the reef" features Elvis playing piano and all three of them singing.

Second session ended here.



The first song recorded at the third session was "Somebody bigger than you and I" which still gives me chills when Elvis goes into the bass at the end of the song.

"Without him" features Elvis inging in a higher voice, which is quite a contrast compared to "Somebody bigger...".

Now it was back to uptempo-gospel. "If the Lord wasn't walking by my side" is probably one of the best songs Elvis recorded at these sessions. Rocking with, again, a kinda "Wall of sound" and featuring great singing by Elvis and a cool bass-part from Jake Hess. This one just makes you move.

The last gospel-song recorded was "Where could I go but to the Lord", a personal favorite of mine. Exquisitely sung and featuring vocals in the chorus that just swirl around you. He recorded a new, and some say even better, version for the '68 comeback-special.

Third session ended.



The next night saw him record "Come what may" and the Leiber&Stoller-penned "Fools fall in love", very cool performances but not the best out of these sessions.


So there it is, a total brilliant work, recorded in three nights. The "How great thou art"-album won Elvis his first grammy but didn't help him very much to get out of the corner he was already in. Still, this is one of the best albums of that time imo. The pure love that is in this record is comparable to "Pet Sounds". The sounds were and are very entertaining and fresh and the message is even of the times, because after all and in the end, christianity is about peace, love and mercy, no matter what certain powers try to make out of the actual device.







If you are interested, you can listen to some of the sessions to this great album, and some stuff also recorded around the same time, as streams here:


How great thou art sessions vol.1

How great thou art sessions vol.2

How great thou art sessions vol.3

[I. Spaceman]

Written by Jeff Mason:


When Elvis returned to the studio in Nashville in May 1966, it had been two years since his last appearance in a studio for any reason besides music for a movie soundtrack. As a result, it would not have been a tremendous surprise if there had been some changes in the program to some extent. However, these sessions in some ways were a complete break with the past. First of all, for the first time in Elvis' career at RCA, he would have a hands-on producer in the studio. Steven Sholes was no longer in day-to-day handling of the artists, and Chet Atkins was not inclined to spend all night in a studio after hours. So a decision was made to pair Elvis up with someone new. Chet's new engineer, Jim Malloy, recommended a friend from ABC Records named Felton Jarvis. Felton had gotten started in the business as a result of his love for Elvis (which had started in the Sun period when Felton saw a live show where Elvis as opening blew the main act Hank Snow off the stage). He went so far as to produce a copy of "Such a Night" with a an Elvis impersonator Felton dubbed "Vince Everett", a name familiar to those following this thread (see the Jailhouse Rock section). Felton's main claim to fame to this point had been producing "Sheila" by Tommy Roe, which had been a million seller. Felton was hired despite the fear from some that Felton was a bit of a "good old boy", loose with the pranks and the women. However, that is part of why he and Elvis were such a fit, and Elvis would rarely if ever be found in the studio without Felton around for the rest of his career. Felton was hired to RCA and amazed beyond belief to find out his first assignment was to produce Elvis -- he could see no better job in life. When he went into the studio to see Elvis on May 25th, there was some bervousness on his part to be sure. But Elvis went out of his way to meet and get to know the newcomer, and once the initial awkwardness was overcome, Elvis saw someone very different from his previous A&R people -- he found a friend, a musical peer who had the same vision for how records should sound. Both of them wanted to harvest the same force that the Beatles and the beat groups were getting. Felton assured him it was a matter of correct recording and engineering -- and Elvis could get that too.

Felton was not the only new feature to this session -- first off, there were music executives all over trying to get their respective agendas met. Freddy Bienstock and Lamar Fike represented the music publishers, Tom Diskin the Colonel, and Harry Jenkins the label. Enough power there to intimidate any producer trying to do something new. Jim Malloy, the engineer that got Felton the gig, was also doing his first Elvis session. Scotty Moore brought in one of his friends, Chip Young, to play rhythm guitar. Elvis would have a pedal steel for the first time on a Nashville track from Pete Drake. There would a tremendous number of singers as well -- not just the Jordanaires this time. Millie Kirkham would be joined by June Page and Dolores Edgin, and a second gospel quartet would join in with band -- the Imperials Quartet. Elvis had wanted the bass voice of Jimmy Jones for the session but he could not be found, and Chet Atkins' secretary suggested the Imperials as an alternative. Since Jake Hess was the leader, and Hess had led Elvis' very favorite quartet (the Statesmen), it was an easy decision. This meant that, for the first time on an Elvis session, there would be a very thick vocal backing sound, and this was to become the rule not only on tape but also live (where Elvis would often have over 10 people on vocals behind him).

The session was supposed to last at least three nights, and the goal of the session was to produce another gospel album, a new pop single (by "new" it is meant a new song, not a new recording), and a Christmas single. The gospel material was the easiest to get to, as by now the pattern of Elvis loosening up with gospel music was clearly established. All that was needed for a transition was to turn on the tape and start with the first gospel number -- "Run On", a track they copied from the Golden Gate Quartet (and also a traditional number. This track is a current highlight from the latest Johnny Cash album that just came out). No Elvis gospel track had been this hard, this dense before. Even at take 1, the power was obvious. The drums were in your face, the guitars and organ full of energy.the vocals darting in and out with palpable joy. This could already have been the master had Elvis not missed a cue. Take 2 was even better, a definite candidate for release, but the band continued on. There were some instructive breakdowns on takes 3 through 5 -- for the first time, we can hear Felton and Elvis interacting in the studio. One of the most important features that Felton brought to the sessions was an encouraging nature, someone with enough genuine empathy for the feel that Elvis was trying to pull from his soul that he could patiently draw it from Elvis, even when Elvis might think he was losing his way. Take 6 again could have been a master, but they went to the even more aggressive take 7 -- a keeper of a master. This was southern Gospel with a bite, a kick it had lacked (and needed) for years. Elvis had enough vision for where the music needed to go and the clout to get the number of personnel needed to implement that vision.

This was driven home by the next song to be cut, "How Great Thou Art," the most famous cut from these sessions and one of the most important songs in Elvis' career. At the end of his career, once he was reduced to performing in cruise control and numbed by a medicine cabinet in his veins, this song never failed to grab a spine-tingling performance from Elvis, as the last live album he ever did would attest. He would perform this song with such authority that it would be lifted from a generic live album in 1974 to win a Grammy for best Gospel performance. Here, much of its live power would only be hinted at, though the majesty and beauty would be fully present. The choice of song attests to the influence of Charlie Hodge on Elvis, as he played Elvis the Sons of the Pioneers' version and worked with him at home to sculpt a vocalization (with a version by the post-Hess Statesmen used to flesh it out). Here, Elvis went through the song without any great need for retakes -- he knew the song inside and out, and only needed the vocalists behind him to get their parts down (which Elvis was hands on involved in). There were only four takes, with two being false starts, so quick was the track laid. Both Take 2 and 4 could have been masters, but take 4 is so obviously the keeper. The instrumentation is minimal, mostly piano and an emotional tympani for emphasis, and the vocals do all of the work. The tremendous force of the assembled singers completely fulfills Elvis' vision, and if you don't get chills on the ending, even if you aren't a believer, you may want to check your pulse to see if you are still alive.

The next cut toned down the intensity without sacrificing the feel. Elvis chose to do "Stand By Me", a standard of black Gospel by Charles Tindley, wanting to bring to it a gentle intimacy. To achieve this, Elvis had the studio lights lowered (which had the consequence of making it difficult to read the lyrics!). Elvis clearly is not happy with his first run-throughs, as the first 6 takes almost all break down or at least have confidence flaws. Take 7 is complete at last but Elvis is starting to struggle with his feel. Felton swoops in and keeps Elvis on task, knowing that something great will come with patience. Take 8 has a breakdown due to the lighting issue, take 9 also has lyric issues, and again Felton keeps Elvis focused. Take 10 points the way to the beautiful master on take 11, a delicate gem that is mostly held together by Elvis' voice.

The biggest challenge vocally of the day still lay ahead. Elvis senses this and asks for more power from the backing vocals before take one of "Where No One Stands Alone". Take 1 has a tape cut out, but shows the potential for greatness. Take 2 was a quick breakdown, while take 3 makes it almost to the end. The passion is apparent, but Elvis is pushing for everything he has and lost it at the climax. Take 4 was perfect save for the ending, so it was chopped for the master. What we have in this set as "take 4" is the ending as cut off. The remainder of the takes are work parts to come up with the ending, trying to minimize the strain on Elvis' voice to get as much work done as possible. The final master is take 4 with work take 7 spliced to the end. Another spine-tingling song that can lift you into the presence of God, and again proving the power of the massed vocals.

Genre distinctions can be highly artifical and useful for analysis, but can also stifle creativity that comes from blending of disparate sources. In addition, some of what we think of as indepedent genres aren't really that much different. Elvis' career is a testimony of these facts, as he constantly resists being pigeonholed into genre music and finds the similarities of what most people would think as vastly different music. Every book I have read sees the next song as a major shift in style and showing the flexibility of Elvis -- and Ian echoes that as well (in our private discussion, he called this "the second greatest musical changeup of his career." But I don't hear it that way -- the genius of Elvis is that he hears the same source producing a song like "Run On" and "Down in the Alley." If you take away the lyrics, is there THAT much difference between the two songs? I don't think so -- but only Elvis could see this in 1967 and do the two in the same session. Even Felton was more interested in the traditional "rock" of the latter than the gospel work. However, Elvis makes it all sound of one piece, a glorious exploration of pure homegrown American music.

"Funksville, take one" is how Felton announces the transition. And while I hear the sound as being in the same vein 40 years later, in that time, it was a stretch for the singers as massed. So Charlie Hodge again makes his presence felt on these sessions, this time vocally as he leads the backing groups into the proper feel. Here we have the great Charlie McCoy wailing on harp, TWO saxes (Boots and Rufus Long) grunting out a sleazy rhythm, and drums like Elvis has been dreaming about. THIS is the type of music that could keep Elvis current in the coming psychedelic blitz, if he were free to wholly commit to this type of music (but more on that in the final analysis). I am going to resist the breakdown of individual takes (though I will point out the infectious fun seen in Elvis and Charlie breaking down in joyous laughter) -- just sit back and listen to the toughest music Elvis has done since "Reconsider Baby" six years before, music that comes from starting a song at 4 AM, having played all night, and reaching down into your deepest recesses to make it happen, to revel in the process of making a record track.

The vocalist left at this point, and it was after 5 AM, but again Elvis went on for another end-of-the-night classic. And again, he demonstrates the core futility of classifying music by genre. Officially, "TOmorrow Is A Long Time" is folk music, a song written by Bob Dylan at the height of his pure folkie period. But Elvis' take on it is light years beyond the folk traditions, and frankly sounds like no other source of music I have heard. It could only come from a man whose genius consisted of amalgamating every form of music he encountered and making it all fit together in one beautiful, in this case otherworldly, package. Elvis resorts to three acoustic guitars, an electric bass, and tambourine to flesh this out. But Charlie McCoy adds his slide acoustic for the first time to an Elvis track, a style that Elvis will return to frequently in years to come, and folk blends with modern country and pop in ways no one had tried before (and which unfortunately Elvis would never repeat). It was a total break for him -- no Elvis track had ever gone over 4 minutes before, yet this one broke the five minute barrier. Elvis had to come up with a singing style he had never tried before, as he had little native feel with the classic folk styles. DYlan himself was no influence on the singing, as Elvis found this on the Odetta Sings Dylan album. What he provides is an intimate, rich, expressive voice that hypnotizes the listener as the groove settles slowly over his mind. In later years, Dylan, himself an Elvis fanatic, will claim this track as his all time favorite cover of his material, and it's hard to disagree with that assessment. Three takes, all of the same feel, produced the results Elvis wanted.

Thus ended the first night. Though the strongest tracks of the whole sessions were already in the can at this point, tomorrow night would offer some more veins of greatness to mine at length.

Run On: Take 2 was released on the Easter Special FTD release. Takes 1 and 3-5 were issued on bootleg. Take 6 was released on the So High FTD release. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP.
How Great Thou Art: Take 2 was released on the Platinum box set. Takes 1 and 3 were issued on bootleg. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP.
Stand By Me: Take 2 was released on the So High FTD release. Takes 6 and 7 were released on the Easter Special FTD release. Takes 1, 3-5, 8 and 9 were issued on bootleg. Take 10 was released on the Close Up box set. Take 11 was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP.
Where No One Stands Alone: Takes 1-3, the unused section of Take 4 and Work Part Takes 1-3 were issued on bootleg. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP.
Down In The Alley: Take 1 was released on the From Nashville To Memphis box set. Take 6 was released on the So High FTD release. Takes 2-4, 7 and 8 were issued on bootleg. The master was originally issued on the Spinout LP.
Tomorrow Is A Long Time: Take 1 was issued on bootleg. Take 2 was released on the So High FTD release. The master was originally issued on the Spinout LP.

 

[I. Spaceman]

080 - RCA - Nashville - 5-26-66

The second evening of these sessions opened with one of the most familiar studio stories of Elvis' career. Floyd Cramer was normally the pianist for Elvis in Nashville, but was going to be late that night by three hours. Substituting for him was David Briggs, a new and young studio musician starting out in Nashville. His nerves were high for so high profile a session, but he took comfort from the fact that Elvis always came in late and he probably wouldn't do much other than cover for a few minutes and play some organ when Floyd came. Yeah, right. Elvis showed up on time and ready to start immediately and the first thing he wanted to work on was Love Letters, a piano-based ballad. So Briggs is immediately on the firing line. Engineer Jim Mallory noticed the splotches forming on Briggs' neck but both he and Felton were totally impressed with Briggs' playing. Once they were getting into it, Floyd showed up. Briggs, relieved to have the pressure removed, moved over to the organ. Elvis wouldn't have it -- "Where's that boy? I kind of got used to the way he played." And so now Briggs is on the firing line with both Elvis AND Cramer, who was the most famous pop pianist in the country at that point. Nine takes got the song down, with several attempts to fine-tune the tempo. Briggs was off the piano after the master was taken, but he was invited to remain on organ all night. He noted that Elvis played the master multiple times before moving on, something that Elvis would do in the future when he felt he had made an all time classic.

And that is a fair assessment, because in this reviewer's opinion, "Love Letters" joins "It Hurts Me" as the two best ballads Elvis ever recorded. Briggs would later reject his playing on this record, but frankly, he is insane. The piano feel is simply perfect, he outdoes Cramer for that slip style of playing, and Elvis simply quivers with feel that oozes all over the master. The female-only backing vocals also gently push the song along, and the recording sound is the best of the whole session.

At midnight, back to the gospel album, and the most overtly black gospel feel song he has done yet on these sessions. As mentioned above, Elvis had wanted Jimmy Jones from the Harmonizing Four for this album, but if they coudln't find him, they could at least cover their songs. "So High" was one of these songs, in a pure gospel jubliee arrangement that would have felt at home in Elvis' Pentocostal churches growing up save for the drums that were up in your face. And while it would have been interesting to hear Elvis interacting with a black bass vocalist, the end results are still great, with Elvis and his singers in classic call-and-response mode. There are four takes, three complete, and all great.

Next up was "Farther Along". This song is familiar to all Byrds/Burritos fans, as both bands did their takes on the song in years to come. In this case, Elvis does the same race/genre bending for gospel that he did with country and blues at Sun. Only this time, black and southern Gospel get blended with pure country into a new hybrid, one that would get repeated often by subsequent gospel artists (in fact, this whole album would have a huge impact on religious music, but more on that on the final analysis). Take 3 was the first complete take and the master, a subsequent take being unnecessary.

For the next track, "By and By", they found that a traditional song took more work to arrange than one would expect. Listen to Felton suggest that Pete Drake add some fuzz to his pedal steel, followed by a slightly confused Elvis ("Fuzz?" "Fuzz tone, that he has on his steel") as they searched for just the right sound. And that fuzz would make the final cut, predating the sound that "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow would make famous on the first Flying Burrito Brothers album. Though it was pure gospel, it also was far more "in your face" than most "rock" songs being offered in 1966, especially in drum sound. Elvis was turning up the fire for Christian music, and the eventual impact would be far reaching (even if most Christian musicians are unaware of that impact). There are 10 takes, most false starts, with 10 being the master take. A short but sweet track.

The next song, "In the Garden," is a traditional hymn that (along with the album title track) is familiar to all good Southern Baptist children as they grew up. Unlike most of the other sacred tracks thus far, Elvis plays this straight, adding nothig out of the ordinary to the track. That doesn't mean it is weak, it is just more conventional than most of the genre-bending Elvis has been engaged in throughout the sessions. A few inital breakdowns led to a full master on take 3. Elvis mines beauty in a straightforward traditional performance.

Once again, it is almost morning, 6 AM to be precise, and most everyone has gone home. Elvis wants to unwind a bit first, though, so he gets Red West (his bodyguard who also writes songs and helps Elvis with his music at home) and Charlie Hodge to sing with him for one last track that night. Elvis is on piano, Pete Drake on pedal steel and Bob Moore on bass are still there as well for "Beyond the Reef." Elvis, Charlie and Red have been rehearsing this at home for weeks, so for them it only takes two tries to get an initial master. A gentle easy ballad with a strong Hawaiian soudn courtesy of Drake's steel guitar, it is pretty but unusable in its current form. Mostly a personal experiment, Felton would come back later to do more with it.

7 AM again, and the session breaks up. One more night is scheduled, though there would be an occasion for a fourth night. Coming soon.


Love Letters: Take 2 was released on the Today Tomorrow And Forever box set. Takes 1, 5 and 6 were issued on bootleg. Takes 3, 4 and 7 were released on the Collectors Gold CD. Take 8 was released on the So High FTD release. The master was originally issued on the A-side of a 45.
So High: Take 1 was released on the So High FTD release. Takes 2 and 3 were released on the Easter Special FTD release. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP.
Farther Along: Takes 1 and 2 were issued on bootleg. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP.
By And By: Take 4 was released on the Long Lonely Highway FTD release. Takes 1-3 and 5-8 were issued on bootleg. Take 9 was released on the So High FTD release. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP.
In The Garden: Takes 1 and 2 were issued on bootleg. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP.
Beyond The Reef: Take 1 was issued on bootleg. The undubbed master was released on the From Nashville To Memphis box set.


 080 - RCA - Nashville - 5-27/8-66

As the third (and last of the pre-scheduled) nights opened, the end of the gospel album was in sight. Four final songs would close it all off. The evening opened with yet another track by Jimmy Jones, "Somebody Bigger Than You and I". While Elvis always was known for his love for bass singers, this time he began by trying to emulate the key -- and while Elvis could sing a low baritone, he couldn't get THAT low. So by take 4, he requested that the key be raised up. This led to multiple false starts and breakdowns as they feel their way through the altered arrangement. Several of the flubs led to some humor ("Yeah, DJ, lighten up just a hair...") allowing the spirits of the session to continue along the same productive path as the previous night. By take 12, it was coming together, but Elvis' positive attitude at its best led to perfectionism, so they pushed on through 16 takes. Save the ending, 16 was perfect, so they decided to tape the ending separate and splice them together. Six more takes were done to achieve the section that they needed for the splice. All of the work yielded a quietly intense track, simple and delicate, with Elvis quavering with conviction. The backing vocals, especially by the ladies, are a highlight as well.

By this time Elvis was out of ideas, and the publishing companies didn't have anything else to contribute that Elvis liked, so the floor was thrown open for suggestions for the remaining tracks. Jake Hess responded with a fairly new gospel song, "Without Him," by a young new talent named Mylon LeFevre. A brief note is in order, as this is an important connection for these gospel sessions to the direction that Christian music would take in the future. Though only his songs would be known in 1966, LeFevre would eventually become a well-known figure in Contemporary Christian Music, but only after a stint in secular music leading to his backsliding from the faith into a typical early 70's haze of drugs and the like. Participating on a Phil Keaggy album as a background vocalist in 1976 would turn him around. But this choice would be an early indicator for the influence of newer music on Elvis as well as the influence that the new album would exert in the other direction.

As they began work on the song, Elvis was pretty much learning it from scratch. That sound you hear is NOT a rubber duck, though it sure sounds that way. Elvis had squeaky shoes, and the sound was clearly being caught on the tape. Elvis didn't catch this until after take 4, commenting that it was "the wrong kind of soul!" He caught a complete version on take 8, but he was still unsure, and his comments prove that he was suffering from this lack of confidence. More takes and practice would let him nail it on takes 12 and 14 both, but 12 was chosen as the master. Though LeFevre was Caucasian, the song is clearly a slow burner in the black tradition (though I can tell you from experience that it wasn't hard for white congregations to adapt it for their use). One other thing to note from this song is the more literal and obvious "gospel" message, in that more so than the other gospel songs throughout the sessions, it would make stronger reference to modern evangelical concepts of devotion and salvation, again making clear its modern origins.

After two slow songs, it was time to pick up the pace. The Imperials provided one of their own songs, "If the Lord Wasn't Walking By My Side," written by their piano player Henry Slaughter. Again, a modern song with modern themes and lyrics, and another new song for Elvis to learn from scratch. Keeping in mind the song's origins and Elvis' admiration for Jake Hess, Elvis began to back into the ensemble as one of the bunch, and moving Jake up (to his embarrassment) into the lead position. Each successive take (of six, with five taken as master) showed Elvis moving further back into the background, proving his humility for credit.

Finally, at 4 AM, with one last track needed, Elvis remembered "Where Could I Go But To the Lord", a song he and his dad sang a lot together. Their performance is a joy here, nailed in two takes. A swinging piano and finger snaps sound almost jazzy, a mix between jazzy and gospel (which isn't as far fetched as that might sound). The soul quotient was high, but it wasn't even in my opinion Elvis' best version. I am much more partial to the take he would bring to it for the 1968 Comeback Special, even if it is abridged there. Nice to have either way. This brought the sessions to 5 AM, and Elvis' energy was gone -- so the sessions ended without one of the gospel songs that Bienstock had brought to the table, "My Special Prayer", being touched. Needless to say, this would hurt the bottom line for Elvis, but with a full twelve tracks in the can, I doubt he was too concerned.

That was the end of the pre-scheduled sessions, and many of the principals involved had to do other things, but a fourth night was hastily arranged. While a full gospel album was done and several wonderful pop covers were now available, no new pop tunes nor any Christmas songs were yet recorded, so one more night was optimistically arranged. There would be several personnel shifts due to the hasty nature. First off, Jim Malloy couldn't engineer, and so Al Pachucki, Felton's favorite engineer, took over on his first Elvis session (of dozens, clear through until 1973). The Imperials had a tour beginning, and Bob Moore was replaced on bass by Henry Strzelecki.

The first song to be attempted this night was "Come What May", another cover (this time of a Clyde McPhatter song to be used as a B side for "Love Letters"). Jerry Lee Lewis had also done the song, and Elvis had jammed on it with him at Graceland. Elvis was clearly in a good mood, but not in a focused mood, and eight takes were required to get a good master. It would lead to a nice track, upbeat with some great sax from Boots, but still a bit of a comedown from the previous three nights.

Finally, a cover of a Lieber/Stoller song from the Drifters, "Fools Fall in Love", would be the final track of the week. It is a fairly upbeat little number, mostly notable for the unusual steel guitar that Pete Drake would add to the track -- sounds like he got an early wah-wah or something and made it "talk" away. Five takes were done, but only 4 and 5 (the master) have been heard outside of RCA. There was still work intended to be done, but more people were coming and going -- specifically, Charlie McCoy and Boots Randolph had to go. While there were replacements in line, the whole arrangement of the evening killed the momentum that had been built, and Elvis called a halt early. Asking Pachucki to make an acetate of "Love Letters" and "Come What May" for his next single, he went back to the hotel.

Somebody Bigger Than You And I: Take 11 was released on the So High FTD release. Take 12 was released on the Easter Special FTD release. Take 15 was released on the Close Up box set. Takes 1-10, 13, 14, the unused section of Take 16, Work Part Takes 1-5 and the unused section of Work Part Take 6 were issued on bootleg. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP.
Without Him: Take 1 was released on the So High FTD release. Take 8 was released on the Close Up box set. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP. Takes 2-7, 9-11, 13 and 14 were issued on bootleg.
If The Lord Wasn't Walking By My Side: Take 1 was released on the Today Tomorrow And Forever box set. Takes 2-4 were issued on bootleg. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP. Take 6 was released on the So High FTD release.
Where Could I Go But To The Lord: Take 1 was issued on bootleg. The master was originally issued on the How Great Thou Art LP.
Come What May: Take 2 was released on the So High FTD release. Takes 3 and 4 were released on the Today Tomorrow And Forever box set. Takes 1 and 5 were issued on bootleg. Take 6 was released on the Collectors Gold CD. Take 7 was originally issued on the From Nashville To Memphis box set. The master was originally issued on the B-side of the Love Letters 45.
Fools Fall In Love: Take 4 was released on the Long Lonely Highway FTD release. The master was originally issued on the B-side of the Indescribably Blue 45.

 These sessions were at once a complete triumph and high point for Elvis' career and also a complete disaster.

First, the triumph -- this would be in this reviewer's opinion the best collection of gospel music Elvis would release in his lifetime, an assessment shared by his peers. Elvis won his very first Grammy for How Great Thou Art, for Best Sacred Album. And it would be as strong a catalog item as the Golden Records albums, not burning up the charts on release but ultimately being one of Elvis' best sellers of all. Nevertheless, a Top 20 chart placement for a gospel album was still in the big picture astonishing.

More important than this, though, was its impact on the gospel world, an impact that is clear if not commonly noticed among the modern "Contemporary Christian Music" critics who tend to ignore Elvis since he was never in the Jesus music sphere. However, Jesus music was not the only stream that flowed into modern CCM -- established artists like Ralph Carmichael, Andrae Crouch, Jimmy Owens, and others all had to have heard this album. Its clear steps toward combining gospel with rock would be heard more easily by these artists rather than the pure rock and folk done by artists like Larry Norman or Randy Stonehill. And these established performers would help make CCM palatable by the church at large, through Crouch's modern gospel or through Carmichael or Owens' youth choir shows. Elvis helped open a whole new world for sacred music (though obviously not alone), even if he himself never really went down that path whole-heartedly. I have always wondered what He Touched Me would have sounded like had he just cut loose and did gospel rock.

However, the sessions were a total failure at two of the stated goals, and this would be the first overt sign of a severe problem that would hinder Elvis' recording career throughout the rest of his life. While the six pop songs are all good to astonishingly perfect, none of them were brand new songs, nor were any of them Christmas songs. While many songs in these sessions were either H&R songs or Public Domain (thus giving Elvis an "arranged by" credit), not one of the songs that Freddy Bienstock brought to the table were adequate for Elvis to sing and do as a new single. While in years past they could provide a "Little Sister" or "Devil in Disguise", the writers in the stall fell far short this time, and most of the newer writers were either singing their own songs or else unwilling to part with any of the publishing to Elvis, especially in light of his commercial slide. It would be one thing to give some money away on a song destined to sell multiple millions of copies, but Elvis singles were now selling between one and five hundred thousand at most now -- not as great a reward as before. This cost Elvis dearly over the years, as Felton would be unable to bring in songs that he had from his contacts, and as Elvis would be subjected to music increasingly out of step with his own tastes.

[MBE]

Spinout and How Great Thou Art are both very good albums. Spinout is a little uneven but it's the first soundtrack for three years that has some real rock and roll on it. Of course I don't need to defend the bonus cuts. How Great is one of Elvis' most special albums, and he went out of his way to choose songs that meant a lot to him. He was very involved with the sequencing, and promotion too. It was the first album that featured a new richness in his voice. It was also the first album that gave a clue as to how Elvis would mature in the 70's. All in all a real classic. 

[Rocker]

Cool stuff !

Jerry Lee Lewis had also done the song, and Elvis had jammed on it with him at Graceland.

Anybody got more infos on that? I've never heard of Jerry Lee visiting Elvis at Graceland (except of course for the Nov. '76-thing)


I think it would be cool if we talk about some of Elvis' best albums here from time to time. Maybe someone else got other stories about concerts, etc. Could become a very interesting thread....

[MBE]

Jerry Lee came up a number of times, they were friends. Don't have any specific dates but members of the Memphis Mafia and JLL have both talked about it.

[Rocker]

Jerry Lee came up a number of times, they were friends. Don't have any specific dates but members of the Memphis Mafia and JLL have both talked about it.

That's very interesting. I've often heard about people saying they were friends, but never heard about actual meetings. JLL talked about how he would buy some drugs for Elvis, but you never know if he puts you on or tells the truth. 
But I remember Linda Gail having a check from Elvis, dunno what for though, and that Elvis invited JLL to his '69 opening night. But not much more, so this is really interesting for me....

[MBE]

I think he was joking about the drugs, because Elvis was not very open about them with people he wasn't extreemly tight with. I am sure you know the story about them naked on motorcycles getting chased by a cop on a horse.

[Rocker]

I think he was joking about the drugs, because Elvis was not very open about them with people he wasn't extreemly tight with. I am sure you know the story about them naked on motorcycles getting chased by a cop on a horse.

Not in that detail.... 

But anyway, let's get back to the music...
I wonder what people who don't think about Elvis as the artist he was, think about this great stuff he released. Not only the "How great thou art"-album but alot of other recordings. That must be mindblowing for them...

[NC]

The Chips Moman sessions in '69 get a lot of attention, and rightfully so - but it's the Nashville June 1970 sessions that really do it for me. I think Elvis was more relaxed and in command. This resulted in less commercial material, but more opportunity to hear his unique blending of styles. The band cooked as well, with Burton on lead guitar and David Briggs on keys, who was/is an incredible player. Probably my all time favorite EP studio band.

My take on the most dynamic show he ever gave would be the Bloch Arena show in Hawaii '61 from the Elvis Aron Presley box. Maybe the best stage band he ever put together, including Hank Garland, Cramer and Boots Randolph (RIP), and bar none the best set-list he ever had. If I could be at one Elvis show - this would be it. Even on the poor recording that survived, the crowd reaction is near hysterical. If he had continued performing like this throughout the early sixties, we might be saying "Beatles who?"

As far as other specific groups of shows go, I really like the Jan-Feb 1972 stand. There was more Vegas balladry kicking in, like "You Gave Me A Mountain", and "It's Over", which I personally don't mind. But also some tremendously funky stuff like the resurrected "Big Hunk Of Love" and that slow version of "Hound Dog".

   

[MBE]

I agree with you about the 69 stuff not being as good as the 70. Elvis' voice is richer and their is less Neil Diamondy stuff like A Little Bit Of Green. I like the 69 sessions but it's just doesn't tower over the catalog to me. The 61 show is good, as is the 72 Vegas. From 1954-72 almost every concert was terrific. The only ones I would say that weren't during that time are the Aug 71 Vegas engagement where he seems bored. From 73-77 it's more hit and miss but there continued to be good shows. I like the tour shows from 73, the Aug 74 Vegas, pretty much every 75 show, and the last three tours of 76 the best. As far as the tours I didn't mention there were always good shows on each of them, but they just weren't as uniformly good.

[Mahalo]

30 years after what? I just saw Elvis a couple weeks ago playing horseshoes with Jim Morrison and Billy the Kid outside  my local bowling alley...



.................................................LONG LIVE THE KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rocker]

I like the 1970 the best too and I agree that the '69-sessions aren't the best of his live, although I think they are great. But imo it's not that easy to compare both sessions because the '69 stuff has mor soul stuff (I of course mean soul-music, not singing with soul as that was always the case with Elvis) and the '70-recordings are more about country and rock, something that probably was easier for Elvis to get into as it was the music he grew up on and the music he helped define. That's also why he cut such an amzing amount of tracks in just a few nights (MBE what was the number? I forgot how many tracks he recorded in how many nights, but it's pretty unbelievable).
I think the Memphis-sessions were the absolute right thing for his comeback-period. If he'd released the "Elvis Country"-album (which is a great one) in '69 instead of "From Elvis in Memphis", I don't think that it would've been such a success.

[MBE]

Around35 complete songs plus 1 or 2 jams over I think four nights.