I have just received the This is Elvis FTD release from www.elvisshop.com. Excellent service (I live in the UK) and this title seems to be deleted elsewhere. I have been filling holes in my FTD collection before they are all gone for good.
He is! He even did some restoration work for me for a handful of demo singles my Dad's band cut in the 60s, he didn't have to, but it shows his passion to sound and willingness to help. It is a shame things didn't work out with FTD.
At least one other person has it - me. It arrived today courtesy of ETMAHM and I think already it could be my favourite FTD to date - and that's just based on the packaging! This is the first Elvis album I ever bought back in '69 and this version is a real beauty which I'll be playing over the weekend.
My all time favourite Elvis album, the only puzzle is why it took 17 years for it to get the FTD treatment. It'll be interesting to see where the "classics" go from here though, personally I want all the remaining ones in 7" irrespective of content, although this is not a view shared by everyone.
I dream of a home, with a shelf I can keep my 7" ers on. Right now, they're on the carpeted floor, leaning back against one of my apothecary cabinets, that hold DVDs and Blu rays. No pets, no children, hopefully safe and sound as they've been for years. They really are works of art. .
Good news! Your dream has come true. I have a new bookcase. The two top shelves are 10 inches high, 8 inches deep and 33 inches across. Perfect to line up rows of 7" FTD's. Just box them up and send them over and I will provide a nice clean smoke-free home for your FTD's.
What's one of your very first lessons here at Hoffman University ? That's right. If you can turn up the volume without grimacing, it's been mastered correctly. All this FTD talk had me pull out my Back In Memphis 7" er, to bask in all 8 takes of Suspicious Minds. First thing I had to do as it began to play ? Why turn it up of course. So much quieter than the last disc that was in there. .
I have a "Elvis at American" playlist in my iTunes and I absolutely love hearing Elvis build up that track. It is one of the best highlights from any FTD. He gets so pissed at himself whenever he gets that timing wrong on the verse. Then he finally nails it and then the next take the song goes up another level.
I was in the Graceland shop yesterday and yes, they do charge $29.98 per FTD. I picked up Hot August Night, Live A Little, Love A Little and the new NBC TV Special soundtrack which I was VERY happy to see! I'm heading home to Vancouver (Canada) after a roadtrip to Key West, Florida. As much as I want to listen to these discs in the car, I just can't bring myself to opening them while on the road: I need my home headphones to fully do justice to these puppies. And I have to say, it's a very cool experience being in the Graceland shop, totally immersed by all the FTD titles. To say I felt like a kid in a candy store at Christmas is a major understatement!
Just got notice 68 Special and the 1975 disc just shipped...it's only a matter of days now for us folks here in the colonies
I have played through disc one of the FTD 68 Special. The package itself is well put together but I now have a quite confusing array of official 68 stuff. My fave is still the old Tiger Man cd.
Amen. For those of us that never took Elvis '68 101, let alone passed with honors, my head's about to explode. Without retrieving it ( yet), I have the 2 disc DVD...which I believe is complete ? Now I'm comparing the details on this FTD set to Tiger Man, which I've never heard btw, on another tab. EDIT : I count 7 tracks that appear on both, leaving 2 from that second show + 7 previously unreleased ( per Wiki ) that aren't on the FTD. I've done more studying lately, than I did 40 years ago, in school.
Kings College London used to name their courses 101, 102 etc when I was there in late 70s. You are absolutely right. I can handle the 2 sitdown shows 6pm and 8pm on 27th June but the rest well how do you get your head round it? Tiger Man was one of the sit down shows. I'll say 8pm without checking my cd(50%chance of being right).
Now I'm discovering how much digital Elvis there is, as part of my Amazon Prime membership ?!?!? Why have I never looked into that before ?
BOOM ! Even more than his "waist up" appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the "sit down" segment of Elvis's 1968 comeback special was by far his most powerful appearance on television. Proof that Elvis could still rock, it was also only his third live performance since 1957. This seminal rock & roll moment, with Elvis surrounded by Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana, was actually two separate sessions taped two hours apart. The first session, along with rehearsals, appears on Memories: The `68 Comeback Special. However, it's always been the second session, the 8 p.m. show, unreleased in its entirety until the appearance now of Tiger Man, that's lived in popular legend as one of the great undiscovered treasures of his oeuvre. An again confident Elvis really cuts loose here, launching into scorching versions of early classics. "That's All Right," "Heartbreak Hotel" (where he has to stop to catch his breath and remember the lyrics), and "Blue Suede Shoes" have all the fire that first made him such an arresting phenomenon. But it's the title cut, which was spliced into the TV special's second showing in August 1969, that is the showstopper. This disc instantly becomes one of the cornerstones of any Elvis collection. --Robert Baird
A pretty good review. I have always loved these performances which show you don't need 24 tracks and several years to make a good record.
I was just playing Elvis on vinyl this morning, something I haven't done in a long time. I got a copy of "The Elvis Presley Story" box set. It's from Candlelight Music, but the sound is quite-enjoyable. I have certain CD Elvis stuff, but none of the FTD reissues shown here. Hell, I didn't even know Elvis was INTO flowers... (SEQUINS, maybe). Must have been part of his hippie/civil rights phase. ;D
Watching the DVD right now...thanks ! It's coming back to me now...this DVD is SO complete, it's held me until now. I'll skip the Tiger Man CD. And of course, look forward to my FTD arriving. .
He's quite annoying during those shows and Baby What You Want Me To Do is performanced so many times. Other than that, it's brilliant stuff.
