I agree. I would have loved to have disc 1 and 2 on vinyl. Each could have been a double album. I’m kind of surprised they didn’t do this.
After so many disappointing releases this year this set comes as a true revelation. Definitely my pick for record of the year. Outstanding!
My set arrived today. I was pleasantly surprised to see a larger package than I was expecting. It’s packaged similar to A Boy From Tupelo.
That is well-done. After hearing snippets of isolated instrumentation from the session work, perhaps it would have been nice to have had some of that music included in the box set in that configuration as some bonus material.
this set is awesome, marred only by the omission of the "piss in every fountain" take of "Heart of Rome" That should have been included. The music otherwise is flawless of course. I actually don't mind the original releases with overdubs etc but Elvis never needed that much help.
I have a GRIPE folks. Why can't the record company put the CD's on spindles like the FTD?. End of GRIPE. (Dam this set is is great)
I haven't understood "stripping". The first generation multitrack reels did not have overdubs. Usually IIRCR, they were transferred to another reel with overdubs for final mixing. So you cannot strip away something not there in time yet. I gather it is all about "stripping" being synonymous with undubbed. And for marketing and general public that does not know about dubbing etc. . I could be wrong.
Yes. Just remembered. Stripping would be "Our Memories of Elvis" series. Terrible with bleed through of the channels.
They could at least have used similar packaging to that of the just released 4CD Something For Everybody set. The way these discs are stored is moronic.
Yeah, the moment I heard it I knew it was an unreleased fragment, not the Mystery Train jam from the FTD release. Pretty cool addition to the Nashville 1970 recordings, albeit a short one. I haven't had a chance to closely examine the music because I am splitting time with the new Hendrix release (along with a couple of other titles), but so far, the first two discs are really enjoyable. In addition to the fact that the material from these Nashville sessions was uneven, one of the biggest issues with the recordings was too much schmaltz and syrupy orchestration from the post-production phase. Hearing this music undubbed and clean is a superior way to listen to it. For years, fans wanted the 1976 Jungle Room recordings issued sans the post-production overdubs, but I would argue these recordings benefit far more from their "stripped" presentation.
The concept wasn't necessarily a bad one, but the final product wasn't clean. I am still aggravated that my FTD edition won't rip "Don't Think Twice" to my computer.
As someone that really appreciates most of the post-production overdubs on both recording sessions, especially the ones done by the very gifted Nashville maestro Bergen White, I still think you make a very astute point here. The Nashville 70's session clearly can stand on their own with that great Muscle Shoals rhythm section, particularly on the more upbeat material. Elvis's last two recording sessions at Graceland featured much more somber and ornate material, and I think they benefited substantially from the overdubs by Bergen White. I recognize that I am probably an outlier among Elvis fans on the last statement, but nevertheless, I think your analysis above still stands.
I agree that the 1976 recordings benefit from the post-production overdubbing because, 1) as you stated the material is often strengthened by it, and 2) some of Elvis' vocal deterioration is masked with the reverb and lush backdrop of the post-production. Granted, I would argue some of it is too much at times, but in general I think the 1976 needs it more, while the 1970 recordings do not. Clearly Elvis liked the bombast and lush production, so he was supportive of that direction in 1970, but quite a bit of the 1970 recordings stand well on their own without the added layers of instrumentation and orchestration. Elvis conceivably could have had a compelling organic album of Nashville 1970 recordings had the creative vision around him been different.
I think this is the most enjoyable Elvis release since the American Sound FTD trilogy. The first two discs are much better than I expected. Even the lesser material from Love Letters From Elvis doesn't stand out as much as before.
What's lovely is we now have high quality versions of these tracks with and without the overdubs. When playing the undubbed recordings on this new set, does anyone else still "hear" the strings, horns and backing vocals in their head?
I got the vinyl and while it’s nice, I wish it was the first 2 CD discs. Those are what I’m streaming a lot. Haven’t played the vinyl but I can see it’s not the undubbed masters.
I think the 2 cds would fit on 4 records. But the vinyl releases of this and some of the previous titles are a let down compared to the cds and the download options.
I can confirm that one. Haha I own the American Studios 2 LP, Way Down, and this one. I should’ve learned my lesson, but nope. I’ll grab the high res files of these one day.
The rehearsal version of Bridge Over Troubled Water is phononemal. The breakdown fragment before it is even better.
I was thinking along those same lines. Best Elvis release in a long time. Especially for the general public. We Elvis fans really need to be grateful. We are a blessed fanbase. Yep! All of it.
