What really makes the "Elvis sings Guitar Man" FTD special is the Jerry Reed session, that's a joy to listen to. He added a lot of energy to that session, it's a shame politics brought the "collaboration" to a grinding halt. A whole album with Jerry on guitar might have been quite something at the time.
I'm not 100% positive, but it sounds like a new mix that's either very close to the Double Features one, or it is the same mix in much better remastered sound. The Change of Habit tracks sound like subtle remixes from the ones that were on the Complete Masters. If you're thinking about buying this, I'd say just go for it, it's beautifully done.
Basically, it was all about music publishing (heh, where have we heard THAT kind of story before re Elvis). From what I have read, Reed was approached in the middle of the session to clear musical publishing rights to his own "Guitar Man" for the session, since for some reason the negotiations had yet to have taken place. Greed set in and the musical publisher (Freddy Bienstock) apparently wanted Reed to hand over a share of the publishing rights to them. Understandably, Jerry Reed refused to cede over the rights to a song that was his, and with Elvis helplessly watching, grabbed his things and left. The sessions continued without Jerry Reed, and the next night Elvis performed his sublime renditions of "We Call On Him" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". Reed of course returned to the Stay Away, Joe sessions to play on "Too Much Monkey Business", "Goin' Home", "Stay Away" and his own "U.S. Male" but the heights the '67 sessions might have risen to were now out of reach.
From the versions I've read, it appeared that Reed was done after recording two songs... since the rest of the material planned for the session didn't really call for his playing. His presence at the session was very much last minute, as he was called in from a fishing trip to play guitar on "Guitar Man" since nobody else could really do it properly. He hadn't even had time to change clothes before coming to the studio. It was as Reed was preparing to leave that he was approached about handing over a share of the publishing. Since Reed knew that the recording they cut was really good, he wasn't willing to budge.
Cool! It goes without saying that Stay Away Joe is also one of my all-time favorite FTDs as well! Here's a bit of the Reed-session story lifted from WikiPedia
Elvis was not "helpless" of course. Sometimes it feels like people give Elvis too much of a pass on the whole publishing thing. He knew what was going on, and it was entirely within his power to put a stop to it, but he generally chose not to. As Trashman says also, Reed was planning on leaving the session at that point anyway, so it's not like the publishing issue prevent them from doing more material with him.
In theory it was entirely in Elvis' power to take a stand on his publishing restrictions. However, it was likely much more complicated. Elvis was not business-savvy, and not overly sophisticated when it came to career management. He deferred to Tom Parker to look after and manage those interests. And while Elvis may have questioned Parker's decisions and expressed his displeasure at various points in time, he also truly felt he had to go along with Parker's directives. It seems irrational, but Elvis felt that he owed Parker for his career and financial windfall, and was unwilling to fight Parker on Parker's business decisions (and that is a factor that ultimately lead to Elvis' spiral into depression). If Parker told Elvis that it was in his best interest to maintain their publishing operation for certain financial benefits, Elvis believed that he needed to stay committed to the business model. There was not as much rational, informed decision making on Elvis' part as some believe; his unwillingness to put a stop to his publishing restrictions was based on management's manipulation and his own insecurities. Elvis was also insulated from people who he could consult with -- his father was an uneducated, fearful man who felt beholden to Parker perhaps more than Elvis; most of his Memphis Mafia cohorts were self-serving yes-men on his payroll and were unwilling to rock the boat; Parker controlled many of Elvis' Memphis Mafia associates such as Joe Esposito; and Elvis kept a distance from fellow entertainers and was kept away from their representatives. Even when Elvis briefly fired Tom Parker during the fall of 1973, he did not consult with his attorney Ed Hookstratten for advice, instead he relied on the advice of from his unsophisticated and corrupted inner-circle. A valid argument can be made that Elvis simply did not have the sophistication and informed ability to make serious business changes on his own.
To be fair though... I would imagine many, probably most stars (rock, movie or otherwise) lack sophistication in managing their career. Business meetings, contracts, lawyers, negotiations, mundane details of planning, touring, logistics. It requires a team of no-talents to manage all that. Stars shouldn't focus on that too much -- assuming their talents are being served, of course. Obviously, Elvis' talents often weren't being served. As a result, he has since become somewhat of a trailblazer or poster child of career-mismanagement. Likely because he was so big and many of the career moves were so comparatively bad. Yes, moves he should have stopped. Nevertheless, pioneers take the arrows, as they say. Even if they're pioneering up the wrong way down a steep cliff! I feel like by 73/74, it was a different story. It was less about his abilities or sophistication with business decisions, and more a matter of him tuning out. I always felt the divorce hit him hard, which probably added fuel to his other personality quirks and dizzying addictions.
True, but the pendulum swings too far when it's suggested Elvis was helpless, or when he is absolved of all responsibility for the situation. We know of at least one situation where Elvis stepped in and directly interceded in a publishing situation: Suspicious Minds, wherein he told Bienstock and Dishkin to back off and insisted on recording the song without a publishing cut. That tells us that it was not beyond him to do something about the problem. I'm not saying it would have been realistic to expect he should have fired the Colonel or insisted the publishing practices be abolished immediately. But he was aware it was a problem, and I think he could have done more about it than he did.
I concede that "helpless" might have been too strong a word on my part, but my point was that Elvis often did not wish to intervene in arguments, that simply wasn't in his character in most (though certainly not all) situations. Arguably, this character trait is why he was so hesitant to eliminate the Colonel from his life, among other things.
All those predicting the imminent demise of FTD might like to read the new edition of ETM&HM in which Ernst states categorically there is no intention to shut the label down.
That's good news! That also increases the chances of perhaps an FTD version of Having Fun With Elvis On Stage.
^^^Yes indeed - more details would be greatly appreciated. Many of us here in the USA do not subscribe to that magazine.
There is definitely a buzz about the Ernst Jorgensen interview because it was announced that he addresses the future of FTD. Interestingly, some fans are campaigning for ETM&HM subscribers not to share the contents of the interview. It is understandable that people want fans to support the magazine (and historically it has been a good one), but not everyone subscribes to it, and sharing some important information about FTD's future directly from Ernst Jorgensen would benefit all fans -- it is not the sort of thing that should remain exclusive to a smaller faction, almost like a rare, underground recording.
Well firstly, anyone not subscribing to ETM&HM should do so immediately! It really is a superb read. As to the article in question, I know that Trevor does not take kindly to having content rehashed in other publications and I respect that. That said, Ernst is very positive about the future of the label and confirms there no plans to wind it down. One thing I will say, anyone hoping to see Elvis In Concert anytime soon on FTD shouldn't hold their breath.
There's a reason why I've never owned anything related to Elvis in Concert (outside of the famous "Unchained Melody") as I can't even finish watching the TV special, however I've always considered that I would have given in to an FTD release if the contents and packaging looked interesting enough for a fresh look. Regardless, thank you for the heads up. Maybe one day I'll add the old CD to my basket on Amazon when I need to spend an extra $7 for free shipping.
Understandably so. However, it isn't as if he had a private conversation with Ernst and the parties involved signed non-disclosure agreements. It is an interview! Not everyone has access to the magazine for a variety of reasons. There is nothing wrong with fans sharing some information from the interview on a music forum -- no one has suggested taking Trevor's interview and reposting it across the internet.
The current issue can be purchased here and subscriptions should be further down: Now Dig This | Elvis The Man And His Music No. 118-2017/12
You can subscribe on line here - www.nowdigthis.co.uk Subscription for one year (4 issues) is - U.K £17, Europe £27, Rest of the world £31. ETM&HM is a spin off from Now Dig This, a Rock and Roll magazine published in the U.K.
When magazine shipping costs are great than the magazine subscription the publisher should really look in to electronic distribution (in this case it's 14 GBP for an annual subscription of four issues, and shipping to the US is 17 GBP).
