Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Correct. Mildly rechanneled.

 

Wow, that front cover Aloha photo was gorgeous. A shame they could not have used that one on the original cover of this live album in 1973. I had this album as well, which was one of my very first Elvis albums, and I remember playing Fever, Kentucky Rain, In The Ghetto and It's Impossible over and over again. The sound was fantastic on those songs and they were very hard to find anywhere else at the time, at least for me, until I got more acquainted with Elvis's greater album catalogue.

 

I remember buying the "Pure Gold" album only to get KENTUCKY RAIN as it was missing in my collection.
I discovered IT'S IMPOSSIBLE there but I was not too impressed.

 

Yep. The first appearance of Kentucky Rain in stereo was the 1982 remix on Gold Records 5. It was remixed again in 1987 for The Memphis Record album. The original vintage 1969 stereo mix was not released until the 60s box set in 1993.

 

Sorry to be pedantic but wasn't that Kentucky Rain stereo remix Gold Records 5 1984?

 

You are correct. I relied on memory, and it let me down...

 

We're a little ahead of ourselves here, but I was doing some research in preparing to comment on the upcoming Elvis Today, and I came across something I did not know. Charlie Rich was the first person to release this song, but he was not the only one to release it before Elvis. Johnny Darrell also recorded a version which he released as a single in March 1975. His version did not chart, but I'm willing to bet Elvis was familiar with it, because Elvis' arrangement bears a much greater similarity to this than to Charlie's version (particularly the drumming... there are times when Tutt seems to copy exactly what Jerry Carrigan did on the Darrell version). And Darrell does sing those lines you noted above which are not in the Charlie Rich version. So I think it's safe to say this version was the one that inspired Elvis to do the song rather than Charlie's.

 

Thanks for sharing that version by Johnny Darrell, Jason. I really like it as well. I am still of the mind that both Elvis and Johnny were following Rich's original version somewhat in their arrangement, since the Silver Fox album actually came out in 1974. Elvis recorded his version of Pieces Of My Life on March 12, 1975, and Johnny's single version first came out that same month and I do not think it even charted, if I am remembering correctly. We know from George Klein's book that Elvis loved Charlie's Behind Closed Doors album and even sang a line from The Most Beautifully Girl on stage in Las Vegas as well, IIRC. The first side of Charlie Rich's album, The Silver Fox, features Rich telling a story about following Elvis at Sun and includes some humor about how he left the Sun Records label because "They told me that I can't sing near as good as Elvis, but I'm a lot better looking." I would guess that Elvis heard about the Silver Fox album one way or another. I guess the song could have been brought to him by Felton or someone else, but we do know he was very aware of Charlie's music over the years, so I just assumed it was his version that got Elvis intrigued enough about it to record it himself. I just don't know how he would have heard Johnny Darrell's brand new released version right before Elvis happened to record his cover in the same month, unless someone brought it in as a sort of demo version for Elvis to listen to. Oh well, it sure is fun to speculate about it as I do not think there is any way that you or I can actually pin it down for sure one way or the other.

 

I hope that didn't come across as bragging. I was in a hurry and didn't get to finish my post. I was going to continue about how it was priced about the same as the Camdens. This was especially true around 1980 when they had the "Best Buy" series of albums. Since people knew that I liked Elvis, I tended to rack up on the budget LPs. Not that I'm complaining. I also notice the "Elvis" logo is once again in a 3D style that seems to be coming at the viewer. I'm curious if this was a coordinated thing or just coincidence? The quality of the budget compilation seems much better since the royalty sale of pre 1973 recordings(as compared to the Camdens). I'm guessing that has something to do with it being out of Parker's control.

 

I'm embarrassed to admit I got my dates confused and was misremembering that Elvis recorded his version in May, rather than releasing it that month. Still... I got the March 1975 release date for Johnny Darrell's version from 45cat.com, but I just found this ad for his single in the February 15, 1975 issue of Billboard. So I wonder if it's possible the single was actually released in February? At minimum, the ad suggests an early March release date, since it seems unlikely they'd be advertising a single too far ahead of its actual release. Elvis cut his version on March 13, so that does leave create a window for Darrell's record to be available for at least a couple weeks before Elvis did his version.

I think the Darrell and Elvis versions are similar enough in arrangement (and different enough from the Charlie Rich version) that Elvis either must have heard Darrell's version, or else there was a demo that both Elvis and Darrell followed very closely. I think it's quite possible someone brought in the Darrell record to use as a demo, or that Elvis heard the song on the radio and liked it (even if it wasn't a chart hit, it probably got some airplay). As far as I know, we don't know whether Elvis got the idea to do the song himself or it was pitched to him by someone else, but if it was pitched they certainly would need a demo or record to play for him. I think the one thing we can say for certain is that even if Elvis first heard the song on Charlie's record, he had to have subsequently either heard a demo or Darrell's version, because there's no way he'd come up with such a similar arrangement as Darrell off of just hearing the Charlie version.

 

I think this is a logical conclusion given what we now know. It also seems likely that Darrell took Rich's version and tweaked it a bit, and then Elvis heard that version or another demo that sounded like his version and tweaked it again. You may have found the missing link between Charlie Rich's version and Elvis's version of Pieces Of My Life. Well done, my friend.

 

Thank you for the help. Some sources say Fever is rechanneled as well. But I am not as sure on that track.

 

That's sounded real "wet" over my JBL headphones, but on my copy of the "Pure Gold" Lp, "Kentucky Rain" sounds a bit drier than that mix. hmmmmmm ....

I'm looking at the dateo the Lp jacket and it states 1975.

 

I'm still pushing for a proper release of his Electronic Reprocessed Stereo mixes on CD. I know that lots of people hate them but I bet it would sell well just like a release of his mono mixes of his 1970s singles (any completist would definitely want a set). I can sense the hissing and booing by some right about now.

 

If you can find any of those that got away back in '84, you got a real collectors item.

 

Well they accidently released a few titles in ERS in 1984.
Elvis Presley
Elvis
Elvis Golden Records
Elvis Gold Records volume 2
They were swiftly withdrawn and reissued in mono.

Ironically these were the first 4 titles also "restored to mono" on LP in 1984 as well.

And yes, you get a resounding boo and hiss from me.

 

And it is easy to find his 1950s LPs in ERS as they were all issued between 1962 and 1965 and remained in print through the 70s and early 80s. They can be had "for a song".

 

You know, to get the ERS effect all you have to do is reverse the wiring on one speaker and drive an icepick through one ear.

 

I tried that and it didn't have enough cowbell. Lol

 

I don't mind the boos and hissing because I'll just crank up the ERS to drown it out.

 

ERS is like strobe lighting... it can induce seizures in some folks.

 

A compilation of 1970s mono mixes sounds worthwhile.

 

I'm with you! My late eighties LP pressings of 'Elvis' and 'King Creole' are in ERS as is an early CD pressing of 'Loving You'. I'm talking full on 'Elvis twins, treble-o-phonic, louder than bombs' ERS too! Hated it at the time, I perversely don't mind it now I have the lovely mono remastered versions. I also have the echo-laden, bass to one side, treble to the other ERS versions of 'For LP Fans Only' and 'A Date with Elvis' on CD too.
I would like both mono versions of his stereo albums and ERS versions of his mono albums on CD too. Bring it on!
(Apologies to @SKATTERBRANE )

 

I've never heard of that. Has there been a case of that or are you pulling my chain? I used to crank ERS up growing up but it never bothered me or anyone else that I've ever encountered. I had a friend that was epileptic and it never bothered him (he was a BIG Jim Morrison fan and when he read that Morrison liked Elvis, he asked me to make him a mix tape. We cranked up the tape in his car (some of it was ERS) without any problems. Once someone ran some old film through the film projector that was quickly alternating dark and light frames and that set him off but never sounds. It would be something if there were cases of that. I have the mono and I agree that it is the "proper" way to hear most 1950's Elvis recordings. It's a nostalgia thing with me. Like Duophonic for the old Beatles albums. Audiophiles shutter but it's a nice change of pace every now and then.

 

When In Rome, thanks for the second on ERS Elvis LPs! I bet an ERS box set would sell very well and more than a few purists would buy it on the down low just like the Capitol albums by The Beatles CD box sets sold well.