VLV definitely needed a sound quality upgrade, so the Sessions release was a welcomed addition. The sequencing format for VLV followed the previous classic album series format, which generally makes for a more accessible and enjoyable listening experience — the subsequent chronological approach likely had to do with the outcry from a faction of the FTD fan base.
There needs to be either a good chunk of previously unreleased material or a significant upgrade in sound for me to consider a sessions set. The way FTD sequenced VLV certainly makes for a better / easier listening experience, although I certainly understand why people prefer the chronological approach for these releases.
Well, with regards to the books, this just makes me hope that Sony plans for a mammoth project for On Tour so that the audio material is more likely to feature a Ross-Spang/Anesini audio chain, vs. a FTD book, where it's likely to use the same person who's done all the recent book audio. Last year's FTD book on That's The Way It Is, containing all the rehearsals was also mastered by Jan Eliasson and was also loud. It was one of those unfortunate situations where your hands are tied if you want that material; take it loud or not at all! My understanding is there will be a FTD book covering On Tour somehow so my only hope is that majority of the audio features on Sony where it's less likely to have that issue, and then whatever is left features on FTD, and fingers crossed Mr. Eliasson takes a different approach to mastering that!
Count me among those who prefers the chronological session approach. I can’t stand the way the Viva Las Vegas sessions box is sequenced, and, for that reason, have listened to it less than the other sessions boxes I own. If I’m going to do this deep a dive into an Elvis session, I prefer to be a fly on the wall and listen to the session unfold as it happened, not to jump from two takes of one song to three takes of another to take 7B of another … then back to the first song.
My pet grieve in the 'old' approach was the combination type ones that went something like 'Takes 3 and 2'. No, No, No! It's just wrong, even though it may be aesthetically pleasing on the ear. That's just meddling with the laws of time and could potentially have dire consequences for the entire universe... Or something.
This is correct. If you're just going to put Elvis songs on to hear Elvis songs, you're going to listen to the masters.
Certainly understand why you prefer it that way. Unfortunately, my terrible attention span doesn't let me enjoy consecutive takes of the same song. Because of that, I like to dip in and out. I'm not so much a fly on the wall, I'm a fly that buzzes around all over the place. Merry Christmas fellow Elvis fans!
And my pet peeve is FTD cutting slates/pre-song chatter from one take and editing them on to a completely different take. It’s one thing to put songs out of order (which is definitely bad enough) but it’s a whole other level of strangeness to effectively re-write the history that’s on those tapes by implying pre-song chatter is prior to a given take/song when it actually didn’t happen that way.
I prefer the compilation aesthetic of the Classic Albums, a more enjoyable listening experience. I can tolerate chronological sessions for specific songs, such as Suspicious Minds, but generally speaking it becomes quite dull to listen to endless takes of something back to back.
A h……ADHD!!!! I know it well! Sometimes I can listen to consecutive takes and get into the evolving song, then other times it’s just boring. Lol! Your not alone on this. The cool thing about the old classic bootlegs of the 70’s was for the most part, they were, because this material was just starting to filter out from the clutches of those who had them, a hodgepodge. So they jumped around and it was fascinating just hearing something unreleased on vinyl for $1.99 an album! Now, we’re into a whole different era where the labels are putting this stuff out. But it’s a totally different experience. It’s the difference between meeting a girl at the party and getting “lucky” and going to a whore house and getting a “pro”. Two completely different things. Both good, but different. And me, personally, I prefer the more innocent version, it’s just more fun for me. BeaVe
Indeed. I'd have gone for the bootlegs being akin to a road side greasy spoon cafe, fills a gap right here and now but you know you really ought to do better and the official label session sets as being the all you can buffet, everythings there, well cooked and prepared but honestly, even though you paid for it, you can only really eat so much. Obviously, I think with my stomach...
Totally agree. And overall I look it like this, my collection is like a library. If I want it, it’s there to enjoy. But while their making these things available I’m going to procure them. If I never get to hear them all, that’s ok. It’s so cool that we gotten so many things over the past 20 years from not only Elvis, but heck, The Beatles, Stones, Monkees on and on. A good era to be a music collector. Ho Ho Ho! BeaVe
I was gonna wait until January, but I went ahead and pulled the trigger on The Pot Luck Sessions this week from Shop Graceland. It's supposed to arrive Tuesday. I'll be sure to post my thoughts. I probably enjoy this material more than most. There's something about the sound they got at Studio B from '60-'62 that draws me in.
I ordered both Pot Luck and Something for Everybody sessions Tuesday from Shop Graceland, chose the UPS ground option and got the sets on Christmas eve. I've just started to go thru the Pot Luck box, but so far I like what I hear. The liner notes are a bit strange though. They try to make the case that these were his most commercially successful sessions, but use a bunch of what ifs to make the case, lol
Hang on a second--I preordered the Pot Luck set on October 31st from ShopElvis.com, and the order now states that it is shipping on January 31, 2022. (I'm fairly certain that I ordered from ShopElvis because it wasn't available for preorder from the Graceland store.) If nothing else, I'm certainly not going to go broke if this rate of release is the new normal for FTD releases.
Yeah I ordered mine from them on Oct. 15 and it still shows ‘in progress.’ When will I learn not to order from them!
Do these two sets have crossover of tracks? I thought the "Little Sister" takes were on Pot Luck Sessions, yet I see them on my older 2CD Something For Everybody FTD.
Those singles are now in their proper context since Pot Luck tracks were recorded at the same session. @Spencer R I agree, I'm just not sure why the need to "hype" a release aimed at hardcore fans, and do it on a series of hypotheticals. The Pot Luck sessions, and album, for my taste in Elvis music is just about an equal to Elvis Is Back (my favorite Elvis Album).
I have not yet ordered the Pot Luck set, but have to raise my hand as a supporter of the Sessions series. I may be biased because the majority that they have released so far are sessions that I missed during the Classic Album series. And then there are favorites like Kid Galahad that feature vastly superior sound quality. I certainly don’t think of them as “rip-offs”. And I love hearing the takes in chronological order because it’s fascinating to hear the songs unfold. But maybe that is because I’m a musician apart from just being an Elvis freak.
Shop Graceland is superior to Shop Elvis in every conceivable way. Vastly superior. Packaging, shipping, customer service, you name it. Same here. I especially love it when the early takes have a recognizable "issue" and you hear them figure it out and come up with the corrections. It's that fly on the wall thing. I love it.
Bear Family has a nice page for this release with complete tracklisting, audio samples, front/back artwork, and a glimpse of the booklet. Elvis Presley CD: The Pot Luck Sessions (5-CD) - Bear Family Records
