Maybe the concept of the Camdens is objectionable, but as Camdens go Almost In Love, a collection of "lost singles" is killer.
While I totally agree that the Camden's were a bad idea, and flooded the market even more. I think that particular album works well. I reckon it would work even better if Almost In Love was moved from being the lead track. Rubberneckin' Edge Of Reality Charro Long Legged Girl Stay Away A Little Less Conversation Almost In Love Clean Up Your Own Backyard My Little Friend US Male Something like that works better for me, as an album. It is kind of an up album for latter day Elvis and leading with Almost In Love sets the wrong tone... to me anyway.
Those Camdens helped at the time with unavailable before stereo mixes, and mono as well. A good way to get recordings. Not looking at it from a proper album point of view. Just collections of songs.
Lost singles. Well Long Legged Girl is from one of the LPs that went off the catalog in 1969, so I guess that is why then included it. With that criteria Clambake also went OOP and Guitar Man or Big Boss Man would have been a better choice than Long Legged Girl. BUT! If we go with songs that NEVER were on LP by then, I would suggest Come What May, Fools Fall In Love or High Heel Sneakers instead of Long Legged Girl. I have made a CD-R of my version of Almost In Love that includes all three of those songs and the proper master of A Little Less Conversation. It makes a fantastic 12 song album. They could have charged full price for it and called it Elvis: For Lost Singles Fans Only.
Ooh, I like this idea! I'd add in Charro! as well, to bring it up to ten songs (and about 13 minutes per side): Side A: Change Of Habit Rubberneckin' Let's Be Friends Have A Happy Let Us Pray Side B: Let's Forget About The Stars Charro! Almost I'll Be There If I'm A Fool That's a fine album, right there!
Nice! Yeah, I never liked AIL as the lead track either. Your sequence is much better than the official album, imo.
Cheers mate. I don't think rca or Elvis' management ever really got their head around putting together an album.
In some ways I regret they ever released the Camden LPs, but then I remember I was probably their target market and it worked as I bought quite a few of the Camden’s in the 70’s and enjoyed the heck out of them at the time.
I wish I had started a playlist to coincide with these threads so that I have everything in the true order of release.
Sure! I tried to keep the same running order for the songs I kept: Almost In Love (With full intro as on the single) High Heel Sneakers Edge Of Reality My Little Friend A Little Less Conversation (Single take 16) Come What May Rubberneckin' Clean Up Your Own Back Yard U.S. Male Charro! Fools Fall In Love Stay Away
Not to beat a dead horse or continue to derail this thread (although that seems to be exactly what I'm doing, lol). Regarding Kentucky Rain... Lets not forget the Preacher man. Surely if a man of the cloth thought anything was amiss about the guy in question, or his story, surely he would have told him to go home rather than leaving him with a prayer that he finds the woman.
On this page alone there are three better sequenced albums than the original sequencing of Let's Be Friends. What was the thought process when this was put together? Did they put pieces of paper in a hat that had new to LP songs on them and have someone draw them out? I'm not only picking on this album but all of the Camden albums with the exception of the Christmas album and You'll Never Walk Alone. Those are the only two that I can understand the sequencing layout.
Lets Forget About The Stars Written By : Arthur L. Owens Recorded : Samuel Goldwyn Studio, Hollywood, October 15, 1968 & November 25, 1968: October 15, 1968 & November 25, 1968. take 5 This track starts off with some really nice tuned percussion, and it is a really nice variation. We have a moderate tempo ballad with a really nice vocal from Elvis. There is a nice melancholy that gives the track a real sweetness. Some of the piano flourishes are really nice too. In the chorus there is some pretty cool percussion too. This has a really nice melody also. The fade probably comes in a little quick though.
Mama Written By : Charles O'Curran & Dudley Brooks Recorded : Radio Recorders, Hollywood, March 26-29, 1962 : March 28, 1962. Composite of Master Take 10 & Amigos Version As soon as this track starts, you can hear that it is completely different. It isn't too much to bear or anything, it is just slightly unusual. This song was originally from girls girls girls, but has appeared on many different albums over the years. This song is quite dramatic and has a bit of that Spanish flavour that Elvis was very fond of in the early sixties. We have a bouncy three beat waltz type thing going on with some nice, somewhat flamenco guitar in here. The song has a fake early ending type feel that then gives us a nice lead break and then we move into a big ending. Pretty good song, but seems slightly out of place.
“Unusual” is spot on. Even though I know it’s coming, the change from minor to major on “Mama’s so sweet, Mama’s so nice” always takes me by surprise.
It’s ironic that, as Elvis made his comeback from the rut that his movie career had become, the quality of the songs from his late movies began to climb quite a bit, even if almost no one heard them at the time. It’s too bad there wasn’t some kind of contemporary release on the model of FTD’s The Last Movies to showcase this material in its proper context, but, even buried on a scattershot budget album, this is a pretty ballad.
Here is the stereo mix of the master with the piano overdub. It is only available on The Complete Masters and The Last Movies FTD. The version on the Let's Be Friends album is mono and It's available in The Album Collection. When the song first was released on cd in the Double Features series, the undubbed stereo version was used. That version was used when Sony reissued the Let's Be Friends album in 2006.
My tin-foil hat side says that the sequencing on Sings Hits From The Movies was deliberately perverse. Even pure randomness would have to result in a more coherent, logical tracklisting! (Side note: I enjoy listening to it for that very reason. There's no other album I own that's so bafflingly sequenced. It's almost like someone presented it to RCA as a joke, and they released it anyway.)
I don't care for Mama at all. Even at under a minute, it's tough to sit through. Conversely, Let's Forget About The Stars is an absolute gem. It's the sort of effortlessly beautiful song that Elvis might have recorded in the early 60s. The original mix (with that gorgeous piano) has such a different feel compared to the undubbed version (the one on most CDs) that they're almost two separate songs. I love both of them, though Elvis' sublime vocal comes through better on the undubbed version. On another note, I'm 100% convinced that LFATS was originally written for Live A Little, Love A Little. It's a perfect fit for the poolside scene (where Elvis sings A Little Less Conversation).