Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

A Little Bit Of Green
Written By :
Chris Arnold, David Martin & Geoff Morrow

Recorded :
American Studios, Memphis, January 13-16 and 20-23, 1969: January 15, 1969. take 3

This is probably one of the weaker songs on here to me, don't misread that as me thinking that it is bad. It is very good, the arrangement is well done, the vocal is excellent, but I think I have a problem with the chorus being slightly corny. In its performance I enjoy it, but the "Just a little bit of green" bit seems like something a teenage girl would say, and takes a little away from the song for me.
The piano is leading the song and has a nice melody. Elvis' singing in the verse is very good and he has a smoothness that carries the song, for me. The key modulation is nice and works well, but each time we get to the little bit of green, it has a taste of something a little cringeworthy.
So again, this is a good song, I'm happy for it to be on the album, but lyrically it is a little bit flawed to me.

 

I really like this performance. It may not be one of his all time classic songs, but for me it has some really understated magic moments. The simple piano part, and again he inhabits the lyric. A real sadness in his voice.

 

The Fifties Easy Reference guide
Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread *

1959 - Feb 10 1964 - Reference guide -
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

April 1964 - Sept 1967
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

 

Oct 10 1967
Clambake - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 1 Guitar Man Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
full take with What's I Say Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 2 Clambake Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 3 Who Needs Money Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 4 House That Has Everything Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 5 Confidence Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 6 Hey Hey Hey Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 7 You Don'tKnow Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 8 Girl I Never Loved Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 9 How Can You Lose What You Never Had Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 10 Big Boss Man Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 11 Singing Tree Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 12 Just Call Me Lonesome Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Jan 3 1968
Guitar Man/ Hi Heeled Sneakers Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Jan 22 1968
Elvis Golden Records Vol 4 Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Feb 27 1968
U.S. Male/Stay Away Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Mar 26 1968
You'll Never Walk Alone/ We Call On Him Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

May 21 1968
Your Time Hasn't Come Yet Baby/ Let Yourself Go Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

May 26 1968
Speedway Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 1 Speedway Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 2 There Ain't Nothing Like A Song Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 3 Your Time Hasn't Come Yet Baby Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 4 Who Are you Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 5 He's Your Uncle Not Your Dad Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 6 Let Yourself Go Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 7 Your Groovy Self Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 8 Five Sleepy heads Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 9 Western union Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 10 Mine Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 11 Goin' Home Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 12 Suppose Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Sept 3 1968
Almost In Love/A Little Less Conversation Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Oct 29 1968 (two days before my actual birth )
If I Can Dream/ Edge Of Reality Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Oct 1968
SINGER PRESENTS ELVIS SINGING FLAMING STAR AND OTHERS - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 1 Flaming Star Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 2 Wonderful World Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 3 Night Life Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 4 All I Needed Was The Rain Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 5 Too Much Monkey Business Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 6 Yellow Rose Of Texas/ Eyes Of Texas Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 7 She's A Machine Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 8 Do The Vega Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 9 Tiger Man Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Nov 22 1968
Elvis - NBC TV special - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
part 1 Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
part 2 Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
part 3 Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
part 4 Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
part 5 Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Feb 26 1969 Memories/Charro
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Mar 25 1969 His Hand In Mine/ How Great Thou Art
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Mar 28 1969 (rerelease) Flaming Star
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Apr 15 1969 In The Ghetto/Any Day Now
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

June 1969
From Elvis In Memphis Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 1 Wearin' That Loved On Look Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 2 Only The Strong Survive Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 3 I'll Hold You In My Heart Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 4 Long Black Limousine Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 5 It Keeps Right On a Hurtin' Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 6 I'm Movin' On Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 7 Power Of My Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 8 Gentle On My Mind Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 9 After Loving You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 10 True Love Travels On a Gravel Road Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 11 Any Day Now Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 12 In The Ghetto Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

June 17 1969
Clean Up your Own Backyard/The Fair's Moving On Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Aug 26 1969
Suspicious Minds/ You'll Think Of Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Oct 14 1969
From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
In Person
track 1 Blue Suede Shoes Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 2 Johnny B Goode Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 3 All Shook Up Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 4 Are You Lonesome Tonight Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 5 Hound Dog Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 6 I Can't Stop Loving You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 7 My Babe Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 8 Mystery Train/ Tiger Man Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 9 Words Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 10 In The Ghetto Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 11 Suspicious Minds Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 12 Can't Help Falling In Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Back to Memphis
track 1 Inherit The Wind Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 2 This Is The Story Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 3 Stranger In My Own Hometown Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
track 4 A Little Bit Of Green Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties



Misc reference
Press conference Mar 7 1960 Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Interview Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Interview Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Interview August 1962 Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
interview 72 Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Rare Footage Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

The missing album "For The Asking" Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties thanks @czeskleba

Ginny Tui Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

news clipping Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

 

I said this in the big FTD thread when "Back In Memphis" got its release and I will say it here as well; no other FTD classic album title made me change my opinion of an album as much as the "Back In Memphis" release. Hearing those songs in their stripped down form brought forth a tremendous amount of respect for what is going on with that core band. Such cool and funky playing. Those guys were more than just A+ session men. They played with emotion and soul. The stripped down alternate takes reveal all the wonderful nuance in Elvis' vocals that unfortunately get veiled quite a bit in the final master. That being said, I like the final masters more than I did before I heard these stripped down alternate takes.

 

It wasn't released originally as a stand-alone album in 1969, it was part of a double live/studio album. So IMO, it works better after listening to side 2 live...it starts out softer with "Inherit The Wind". Otherwise I agree it should have opened with "Stranger In My Own Home Town". I never saw "Back In Memphis" as an independent album, or the live one for that matter.
BTW, the albums discs were separated into two album reissues a little over a year later in November 1970.

 

What is amazing both the double LP and each of the single LPs were in print together through the 70s.

 

It may have been a strategic improvement to rearrange the tracklisting and add two of the singles to the stand alone version.

Add "Kentucky Rain" to one side and "Suspicious Minds" to the other.

 

I struggle a bit with A Little Bit of Green as there are points where Elvis seems to be struggling to hit the 'right' notes during the chorus and at various points in the verses (like 1:52 'I turn my eyes awaaayayay')/. To my ears, this is almost the same song as Heart of Rome but I feel his performance there is more spot on.

 

"A Little Bit of Green" and "This is the Story" are my picks for the weakest tracks on Back in Memphis. Neither is at all bad, but compared to the titanic highlights of the Memphis sessions they shrink in stature, whereas before the comeback each would have been the highlight of a soundtrack album. They're filler, but very well-made filler. Back in Memphis probably suffers from having too many of these soft, pleasant songs, and not enough harder stuff like "Stranger in My Own Home Town." The same problem will arise next year with the album of That's the Way It Is.

 

This is a good "Sunday" album, BTW.

Me and my darling wife are on the patio drinking beer and spinning this on a sunny, but pleasant, Texas afternoon. It is quite nice.

 

Plus RUBBERNECKIN' too:

SIDE A
1- Stranger in my own home town
2- This is the story
3- Rubberneckin'
4- And the grass won't pay no mind
5- Kentucky rain

SIDE B
1- Suspicious minds
2- Do you know who I am
3- From a jack to a king
4- Without Love
5- Inherit the wind

 

Yeah, as I said earlier, I don't think the two records work well together at all as a double album. Too much incongruity between the musicians, musical styles, and performances. It's like if they had packaged How Great Thou Art and Clambake as a double album.

 

I think the difference is that the material on That's the Way It Is is stronger overall than the material on Back in Memphis. But yeah, I agree that the lack of stylistic diversity on this record is a flaw. And it's one that could have been avoided, since there was better material they could have used.

 

I don't agree with the tracks you kept and dumped, but this is definitely stronger than what they released.

 

The picture on the right is included in the booklet from "A Boy From Tupelo" and is from 1954 or 1955.

 

Hm, I never thought he was especially good in "Follow That Dream"- to me he just played - as you said- "simpledon"- without any intensity. I also don't like the story a lot and the whole movie to me is too long and a bit boring. I think his acting was much better in Wild In The Country/ Flaming Star/ King Creole/ J. Rock/ Love Me Tender or in the serious scenes in Change Of Habit. Usually he did a great job and it seemed to come to him total naturally.

 

And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind
Written By :
Neil Diamond

Recorded :
American Studios, Memphis, February 17-22, 1969 : February 18, 1969. take 6

For me this is a very strong song. Neil Diamond was writing some of his very best songs around this time, and here Elvis picked one that suited him very well.
We start with some gentle strings sitting on top of a delicate backing. Elvis comes in with the beautiful melody and in the first section there is a nice call and response between the vocal and the bass. As each section progresses this little call and response section builds in density and intensity.
For the most part in this song the strings, horns and backing vocals are used with subtlety, but grow along with the song.
For me, Elvis vocal is great, and this subtlety of the instruments is reflecting Elvis delicate delivery of this track.
This is another track I enjoy a lot, and any kind of reshuffle would have to include this song.

 

I don't agree about "TTWII" material being stronger than "BIM". For a couple of nice and original studio cuts (STRANGER IN THE CROWD and JUST PRETEND) you also have some Country fillers (TWENTY DAYS & TWENTY NIGHTS, MARY IN THE MORNING, HOW THE WEB WAS WOVEN), a so-so Pop number (NEXT STEP IS LOVE) and two covers that do not match the original (BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER - take 1 by the way is so much better - and YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME.) From the live selections, you've got again two good originals WHOSE STUDIO VERSIONS WERE SO MUCH BETTER compared to the rather repetitive live counterparts (I'VE LOST YOU and PATCH IT UP) plus two covers, a nice one (I JUST CAN'T HELP BELIEVIN') and a way too bombastic one (YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELIN'). And finally, on the top of all that, there is that odd stuff on BRIDGE: fake applauses added at the very end for some strange reasons.

"Back in Memphis" is too short but pretty cohesive with its Country Soul / R&B atmosphere.
"That's the Way it is" is a failed soundtrack with a mixture of Country and "clean" Pop sound, plus some Live performances: it is to my point of view a real musical backstep on every aspects compared to "Back in Memphis".

 

I agree that this is a brilliant track, and, as you note, Elvis’s delicate delivery of the opening verses shows a whole different side of his talent than the big belt-it-out numbers from these sessions such as Suspicious Minds and Kentucky Rain.

 

Now you did it, I can just see a label rep seeing this and considering it for the next umpteenth Elvis comp!

 

Here is the unrepaired undubbed master. A new vocal was recorded a few days later and used for the released version.

 

I never liked this track at all until I heard the undubbed version on an FTD. I still only listen to the stripped version. It's better in it's natural, simple form.

 

I think his acting in Follow That Dream is the least self conscious performance he ever gave. While most of the movies you listed are better movies, they each have Elvis' real character peep through here and there. And in some scenes he is overtly just being Elvis and not the character at all.