The FTD of something for everybody made me a fan of the album. Elvis is back is my all time favorite but this is up there for me. Especially I think the first take of Give me the Right (going by memory here)
One of the biggest surprises and most enjoyable listens of Jorgensen's remastered discs in 1990s with the bonus tracks was the quality of Elvis' non-soundtrack studio sessions in the early 1960s. Elvis is a serious and disciplined vocalist on Elvis Is Back, Something For Everybody, Elvis For Everyone and even Pot Luck which deserved a better title. The influence of Charlie Hodge's tutoring is obvious. The FTD editions take the curated discs one step further and reaffirm Elvis' dedication to his craft on these records.
I wish THIS IS ELVIS soundtrack (FTD # 141 March 2015) had stayed in print long enough for me to catch up with it. The supply ran out real fast. If anyone knows where it can be picked up send me a pm, please.
Any ideas on why This Is Elvis went away so fast? It was fairly well anticipated before release and I would have thought that this one would be ripe for a reprint.
Not to my knowledge. The audience tape isn't bad. I'm not clamoring for the multi-track 1977 shows at all, I just think it's inevitable that we'll see them released in time.
No idea. Some FTD's were published in less quantity than others, so maybe this was one with a low print-run. Who knows. I just wish I could get my hands on a copy.
It contained errors in the content and packaging, and the sound quality was criticised. Presumably due to minimal demand for such a peripheral album, it was deemed better to let it go out of print than correct it for a repressing.
Yeah, it's frustrating if you're collecting the set, as FTDs hardly ever turn up in the "normal" used market. I suspect you'll have to pay a packet for it from a specialist Elvis dealer when they buy up a collection from a fan who has died. I'm told this is usually, albeit not always, how FTDs get on to the used market.
Have you heard the set? Is the content and quality that bad? I mean, I've seen the film, both when it played in theaters and later on home video, and I should think a soundtrack CD would be as good as the film.
No, I haven't. Personally I'd say get the DVD reissue of the This Is Elvis instead, which features the theatrical version and a lengthy and heavily extended cut. This was everywhere for not much money a few years back, shouldn't be too hard to find. The LP was only a cash in afterthought anyway, it was a movie, in the main. I'm not as hardcore with the vintage stuff as many, but am an avid FTD collector, yet FWIW have no desire to have This Is Elvis on FTD even when it was readily available.
Oh I thought you just had the VHS or something. Well, good luck finding it anyway. Amazon marketplace is your best bet from the US, I think.
The "This Is Elvis" soundtrack always had its issues, but also had an enthusiastic following because of rare and unique edits and versions of songs. The fact that the FTD edition sold out so quickly attests to that point. FTD's expansion of the soundtrack was appropriate in its design, but fell a bit short in its execution. Still, even with a couple of errors, it is a fine representation of the project and worth seeking out.
I read some complaints that the This Is Elvis FTD was just a straight transfer of Joan Deary and Dick Bogert's original LP master, with no attempt to go back and replace some of the songs with newer remasters. I personally didn't expect anything different.
It can't have been a straight transfer or they wouldn't have got the track listing / content wrong, surely? I agree that it would have been surprising if they'd given it much mastering attention though, even if they hadn't cocked up a bit of the content.
The first CD is correct, and is a straight transfer. It matches my original 2-LP set. The second disc is a new compilation. I don't have it in front of me at the moment to recall what was wrong with it. There were errors in the liner notes of the original LP (i.e. the Aloha version of "Suspicious Minds" being listed as a 1970 International Hotel recording).
I would have been more irritated if FTD had replaced the old LP masters with new remasters. Anyone who was interested in the FTD This Is Elvis release likely already had newer remasters of most of this material. IMO, to insert newer remasters into this reissue would have totally defeated the purpose of putting it out on FTD in the first place. Remember the outcry over the Hits of the 70s FTD?
You have a point but some of the album masters sound terrible. His Latest Flame has many dropouts. I have never heard it sound worse on any release.
The main error on disc two was that "Hound Dog" was supposed to be from the Steve Allen Show, but the undubbed Milton Berle version from disc one is what was used by FTD. The Aloha/TTWII "Suspicious Minds" debacle was not corrected -- the original LP should have remained intact, which it did, however, the producers could have included the TTWII "Suspicious Minds" edit from the film on disc two to stay faithful to the disc two concept of including additional songs from the film that were not included on the original soundtrack. I suspect that the error in the original liner note was purposeful manipulation. It is very unlikely that the album producers accidentally and inadvertently pulled a 1973 live performance of "Suspicious Minds" from the Aloha multitracks instead of working with the August 1970 live multipacks from TTWII. For whatever reason, it was easier or preferable for RCA to use the Aloha performance back in 1981.
All this talk of This Is Elvis is going to have me putting that on the playlist later! And with pleasure....it's a fun release!
Love Something For Everybody. It strikes me as the true "deep" fan album. Kind of "under the radar" but just absolutely top-notch in every way. One of my first FTDs and one of the FTDs that totally hooked me and made me devout follower of the FTD-bankruptcy program.
Speaking of In Concert -- I was purusing Wikipedia today and reading "TV Guide's List of the Greatest Shows" which naturally led to me clicking on the "Worst TV shows" link. Lol. And under "Special Events" -- you guessed it -- was listed Elvis' 1977 special "In Concert."
The main point about using same masters with old compilations is to have in digital form the original/unique mixes, overdubs, and or edits of said compilation ( This Is Elvis). Otherwise they can just issue the cover and we can compile with the new mastered versions.