Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, May 26, 2019.

  1. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    It amazes me how often you and I hear things the same way. I love the fact that you seem to have such a broad range of musical tastes within your sonic scope, and you seem to take every song and performance and judge them on their own merit and quality. What a pleasure it is to have you as our leader on this fine thread.
     
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  2. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    I think it is another example of people blurring two different events decades removed. Sumner likely pitched the second song at the second Stax session, hoping to get another original recorded by Elvis -- or perhaps the song was originally submitted alongside I Miss You, but not recorded in Palm Springs, and resurrected for the December Stax sessions (and a viable candidate because Sumner complied with Parker's publishing demands). Why Elvis simply did not record vocals for the four July backing tracks is unclear.

    Another thing to remember with respect to Sumner is that Elvis had real affinity for Voice (and he obviously thought highly of JD). Voice is a somewhat embattled topic, particularly because some view Elvis' commitment to the vocal group as another example of him losing his way during the mid-1970's by paying them an annual six figure salary (which was a sizable figure in the mid-1970's) to sing with him at his beck and call, as well as making plans to produce and promote the group.
     
  3. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Catching up... I've talked before about how Elvis picked songs with a consistent persona and viewpoint. Occasionally he deviated from that and sang songs that didn't "fit" his persona, and usually for me it didn't work. But this song to me is a rare instance where Elvis is "cast against type" and it does work. Elvis is usually the guy who gets his heart broken, not the "other man" but in this case he does all right in the role. I really like the horns on here also. It's one of the few Stax tracks that really feels like a Stax song, and a standout on this album.
    After slagging Elvis for nepotism for using Donnie Sumner's song, well here is a Voice submission that I actually like. I agree with @SKATTERBRANE that there's something different about Elvis' vocal on this song. It's an interesting change of pace.
    This is a great song, but I wish Elvis had not imitated Waylon so much in his arrangement and delivery. It's weird to hear him doing essentially a Waylon impression. Still one of the better tracks on the album, but I wish he'd brought a little more creativity to it.
     
  4. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    I've never been a big fan of this song although I don't hate it. It seems like a melodic ripoff of Danny's Song by Loggins & Messina in large part. I would have much preferred him to try Danny's Song. I think he would have nailed it.


    "Danny's Song" Loggins and Messina
     
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  5. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Agreed. Elvis' rendition is not particularly creative. It is certainly a commendable cover, but as great as Elvis was, it seemed somewhat odd that he would simply emulate Waylon Jennings, and in doing so, he was never going to top Waylon's rendition. Part of Elvis' brilliance was interpreting and rearranging songs, often making them his own. He did no such thing with You Asked Me To. A relatively enjoyable recording nonetheless, but not really memorable.
     
  6. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Another commendable Red West co-penned song, and arguably one of stronger pieces of material from the Stax period. There were a number of pedestrian productions on the Stax albums, but this wasn't one of them.
     
  7. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    A low-grade piece of material. One cannot help think, "This is the kind of song Elvis was resigned to recording?" The Stax sessions were uneven, and this is an example of a song that symbolized the inconsistency so often associated with Elvis' mid-1970's work.
     
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  8. DirkM

    DirkM Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA, USA
    Your Love's Been A Long Time Coming is a song that I usually end up skipping. It doesn't give Elvis much to work with.

    If You Talk In Your Sleep is a cool little number. The master works much better than the outtakes, with those sleazy horns adding punctuation in all the right spots.

    The transitions between the verses and choruses of Thinking About You are a bit awkward, but the individual sections are strong enough that I don't mind the roughness of the joins.

    You Asked Me To may well be my favourite song on the album. I've loved it ever since I heard it on the 70s box, with Elvis delivering a more convincing vocal than Waylon (and I do like the Waylon version, for the record; I just think that Elvis does it even better). Plus, the Elvis arrangement is beefier, and the backing vocals are a nice touch.

    On a side note, I'd love it if the missing tape for We Had It All would show up, even if it's nothing more than a rough rehearsal.
     
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  9. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    That is a phenomenal mix and one after all these years I've never heard !!!

    Would I have ever thought after all these years, in 2019, that I'm still hearing new Elvis Presley mixes and versions !? Just unbelievable ...

    Without a doubt, my absolute favorite Elvis Presley song from the 1970's.
     
  10. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Yeah, that is a really great song that Elvis could have done a fantastic version of. Marty Lacker was the one who pitched it to Elvis, and according to him the reason Elvis abandoned it was that he was worried people might think he was directing the song to Priscilla... a weird objection given that he sang so many other songs about failed relationships, but Elvis was could be capricious. Apparently it's unclear if he only rehearsed the track or actually attempted takes, but as you say if it's the latter then the tapes are lost.
     
  11. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    We Had It All could have been an absolutely gorgeous and compelling song for Elvis as I think he really would have connected with the lyrics in a very passionate way. Another great Troy Seals co-write and Elvis would go on to record his other fantastic song, Pieces Of My Life, for his Today album in 1975, right after it had appeared on Charlie Rich's Silver Fox album. I think this version by Conway Twitty in 1980 can give you a good idea of just how great Elvis might have sounded on this beautiful, but melancholy song. It also features Reggie Young on guitar and Jerry Carrigan on drums. The stellar string arrangement is done by Elvis's favorite Nashville conductor, Bergen White. After Conway finished the song in the studio, all the musicians gave him a standing ovation.

    https://www.youtube.com › watch
    ▶ 3:01
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2019
  12. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    Elvis actually sounds real good here and I like James's guitar solo better than the "Memphis" version.
     
  13. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    We are probably jumping the gun a bit, but with respect to Pieces of My Life, I think Elvis' rendition suffers from the same results as You Asked Me To. The arrangement and execution of the song is not much of a deviation from Rich's recording, as such, as good as Elvis' master is, it doesn't equal or surpass Charlie Rich's master. Again, it is a nice cover performance and admirable attempt at emulating Charlie Rich, but Elvis doesn't add anything unique to the song, nor does he add his own personal interpretation. Elvis could have done more with both songs had he had the proper direction and been in a better frame of mind.
     
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  14. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    Yes indeed, I think you and I had a great discussion about Pieces Of My Life on a Charlie Rich thread awhile ago, and I can say that you do make an interesting point here, but although I agree with you about Charlie Rich having perhaps made the definitive version of the song, I really do think Elvis gives it his own great interpretation. It took me a little while to warm to Elvis's version as Charlie Rich was my very favorite singer at the time, so it took me a little longer to appreciate Elvis's version with the added percussion and what I had always thought were Elvis's great ad libs, which really show you that Elvis's version was more focused on one particular loss of a romantic nature, and Charlie Rich may have been singing about losses not just of the romantic kind. Notice the very personal words that Elvis adds at the very ending of his version of the song as I think it says a lot about his emotional focus for the song. I still agree with your greater point, which to me is that Charlie actually sang the song a little better, but it was a very close call for me, and I am a little bias, since I heard Rich's album version first, before Elvis ever sang it. It looks like the added words that Elvis sings were actually included in the original lyrics of the song as the writer, Troy Seals, notes that he was was trying to focus on a particular romantic loss when writing the song. He said that Conway Twitty taught him to focus on the woman in any song, so he tried to do that with Pieces Of My Life. Here are the additional lines that Elvis sings to emphasize that point, which Charlie Rich left off of his stellar version of the song.

    Lord, the pieces of my life,
    They're everywhere, they're everywhere
    And the one I think I miss most of all
    Is you and you know who
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2019
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  15. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    My Boy
    Thinking About You

    (US) RCA PB 10191
    Released: January 1975

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    Single by Elvis Presley
    from the album Good Times
    B-side

    Released 1974
    Format 7" (45 rpm)
    Recorded December 13, 1973[1]
    Genre Soft rock
    Length 3:19
    Label RCA Records
    Songwriter(s) Phil Coulter and Bill Martin(words, English); Jean-Pierre Bourtayre and Claude François(music)

    Elvis Presley recorded a cover version of "My Boy" in late 1973 that was included on his 1974 album Good Times. Presley's version of the song reached #20 on the Billboard pop chart[2] and #17 on Cash Box.[3] It was a bigger adult contemporary hit, spending one week atop the U.S.[1] and Canadian[4] charts in April 1975. "My Boy also peaked at #14 on the Billboard country chart.[5]
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    We have been through these songs, but I find it interesting that My Boy was number one on the Adult Contemporary market in Canada and the US.
    I still really like My Boy, and it is pleasing to me that it did well as a single.
     
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  16. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    PURE GOLD (LP)
    (US) RCA ANL1 0971
    Released: March 1975

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    Pure Gold is a compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, issued in 1975 by RCA Records as part of their budget Pure Gold series of albums. Though at this point in his career, Presley was focused more on the country music market, where he had a string of chart-topping records in recent years, this rather jumbled collection focuses more on earlier material than recent hits. Although considered a mediocre compilation at best, Pure Gold became an extremely popular seller in the wake of Elvis' death in August 1977.

    "Kentucky Rain", "Fever", "It's Impossible", and "In The Ghetto" are true stereo mixes; the other six tracks on the album are original monophonic recordings with "stereo effect reprocessed from monophonic", or "fake stereo". When RCA reissued the album on compact disc in 1992, the six "fake stereo" tracks were restored to their original mono sound. The album was certified Gold on September 12, 1977, Platinum on March 20, 1988 and 2x Platinum on March 27, 1992 by the RIAA.

    The front cover photo features Elvis from his Aloha from Hawaii concert in January, 1973. The original back cover featured a list of other albums available in the RCA Pure Gold series.

    Side A
    1. "Kentucky Rain" Eddie Rabbitt and Dick Heard February 19, 1969 3:14
    2. "Fever" (from Elvis Is Back!) Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell April 3, 1960 3:31
    3. "It's Impossible" (from Elvis) Armando Manzanero, Sid Wayne February 16, 1972 2:51
    4. "Jailhouse Rock" (from Jailhouse rock) Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller April 30, 1957 2:23
    5. "Don't Be Cruel" Otis Blackwell July 2, 1956 2:04

    Side B

    1. "I Got a Woman" (from Elvis Presley) Ray Charles and Renald Richard January 10, 1956 2:25
    2. "All Shook Up" Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley January 12, 1957 1:57
    3. "Loving You" (from Loving You) Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller February 24, 1957 2:12
    4. "In the Ghetto" (from From Elvis in Memphis) Mac Davis January 20, 1969 2:20
    5. "Love Me Tender" (from Love Me Tender) Vera Matson and Elvis Presley August 24, 1956 2:41
    ---------------------------------------------------------
    This is a Camden release, and again, is a bizarre mixture of songs.
    I guess for the most part it is somewhat of a greatest hits, but twenty years it covers are so very different to each other and It's Impossible and Jailhouse
    Rock sitting next to each other is one of the most bizarre selections of songs sitting next to each other that I have ever seen.

    Not really sure what else to say about this one, but I know you guys will have stuff to let us know about, so fire away.
    What are your thoughts, remembrances etc about this album.
    Cheers
    Mark
     
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  17. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    It's an odd compilation album but I liked it at the time. I have several of these that were given to me as gifts over the years.
     
  18. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    Of course looking back now, I can look at things in a much clearer, broader perspective and as a young child and this LP being a budget release, it was easy access for me to have Elvis Presley music and this album has sentimental value for me.

    I had an original Lp pressing, but I let my friend down the block borrow it and never got it back, but that was ok cuz not long there after, I got a copy on cassette, so it was all good.

    Damn RCA for that electronically reprocessed stereo !!! LOL
     
  19. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    You want to send one to me ? j/k
     
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  20. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    If I recall I think Kentucky Rain was in ERS as well on the LP. It seemed that back in the day after Elvis death, if someone bought only one Elvis LP, this was the one they bought!

    It was not a Camden, but a "Mid Line" RCA release. It was priced higher than a Camden would be, but not as much as a full priced regular RCA release.
     
  21. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    No, "Kentucky Rain" is a true stereo mix.

    The track sounds wonderful, just like the 45rpm and it's very close to the mix they created for the "Second To None" CD back in '03.
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2019
  22. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    According to Ernst this LP sold 2.5 million copies.

    Now as I understand, this LP could never have had any chart success because the Billboard charts did not include this mid-line budget on their survey simply because of it's pricing.

    Ironically, all the Camden LP'S charted. TF !?
     
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  23. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    On the CD Kentucky Rain is in true stereo, but I am pretty sure it was ERS on the LP. And if I am correct, it would be the single master reprocessed. The closest thing to a stereo version of the single master would be on the original LP and CD of Gold Records Volume 5. This was also used on the CD version of Pure Gold.
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2019
  24. minkahed

    minkahed Forum Resident

    It is not.
     
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  25. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Well maybe we will be lucky enough that someone could do a needle drop and post it here. I am going to hold my ground until proof surfaces.
     
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