New FTD releases: Source: Flaming Star and FECC Forum Las Vegas `71 Released as a 3-CD 5” digi-pak, this set features three 1971concerts recorded at the International Hotel on January 27 / 28 (Midnight shows) and January 29 (Dinner show). Recorded by Bill Porter, The tapes unfortunately have imperfections, but we have prioritized the historic importance and rarity of these recordings. DISC 1 - January 27, 1971 - Midnight show 1) Also Sprach Zarathustra 2) Thats All Right 3) You Dont Have To Say You Love Me 4) Love Me Tender 5) There Goes My Everything 6) Sweet Caroline 7) Youve Lost That Loving Feelin’ 8.) Polk Salad Annie 9) Only Believe 10) How Great Thou Art 11) Introductions 12) Johnny B.Goode 13) The Wonder Of You 14) Something 15) Make The World Go Away 16) Love Me 17) One Night 18) Blue Suede Shoes 19) Hound Dog (The original recording tape ran out at this spot in the show). DISC 2 - January 28, 1971 – Midnight Show 1) Also Sprach Zarathustra 2) Thats All Right 3) I Got A Woman 4) Love Me Tender 5) You Dont Have To Say You Love Me 6) Sweet Caroline 7) Youve Lost That Loving Feelin’ 8.) Polk Salad Annie 9) Introductions 10) Johnny B. Goode 11) Introductions 12) Something 13) Introductions 14) The Wonder Of You 15) Heartbreak Hotel 16) Blue Suede Shoes 17) Hound Dog 18) One Night 19) (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear 20) Suspicious Minds 21) The Impossible Dream 22) Closing Vamp DISC 3 - January 29, 1971 - Dinner Show 1) Also Sprach Zarathustra 2) Thats All Right 3) I Got A Woman 4) Love Me Tender 5) You Dont Have To Say You Love Me 6) Sweet Caroline 7) Youve Lost That Loving Feelin’ 8.) Polk Salad Annie 9) Introductions 10) Johnny B.Goode 11) Introductions 12) Something 13) Heartbreak Hotel 14) Blue Suede Shoes 15) (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear 16). Hound Dog 17) Snowbird 18) The Impossible Dream 19) Closing Vamp Also: IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD’S FAIR 2-LP LIMITED EDITION. Taking inspiration from RCA Victor’s originally planned but subsequently aborted deluxe soundtrack release (LOC/LSO 1080), this 180 GRAM double vinyl soundtrack companion features original soundtrack masters and excellent alternative outtakes. Bonus tracks include “Witchcraft (takes 3/M)”, “Love Me Tonight (takes 6-8/M)” and “Slowly But Surely (take 5/M)”. Disc 1 - Side 1 1) One Broken Heart For Sale (master) 2) They Remind Me Too Much Of You (master) 3) Take Me To The Fair (master) 4) I’m Falling In Love Tonight- takes 2-4 5) Beyond The Bend – take 1, 2 6) How Would You Like To Be – take 1 Side 2 1) A World Of Our Own (master) 2) Relax (master) 3) Cotton Candy Land-takes 1,2,4 4) They Remind Me Too Much Of You – take 4 5) One Broken Heart For Sale – takes 2,3,1 I’m Falling In Love Tonight (master) 6) Happy Ending take 9 Disc 2 Side 3 1) Beyond The Bend (master) 2) How Would You Like To Be – take 2 3) Take Me To The Fair – takes 4-7 4) I’m Falling In Love Tonight – take 5 5) Happy Ending 2:11 6) They Remind Me Too Much Of You – take 1 Side 4 1) Relax – take 5,6,7 2) Cotton Candy Land (master) 3) Beyond The Bend – take 3 4) They Remind Me Too Much Of You – takes 6,7 5) How Would You Like To Be (master) 6) I’m Falling In Love Tonight – takes 6, 7 7) Happy Ending 4,5,6
Hmm well 71 tapes would generally be a buy for me, little uptight the actually mention tape issues on the sales blurb though.
I'll certainly grab the live release as, although all previously booted, one show is new to me (and I've lost another one). Plus, hopefully there'll be an improvement in SQ using the original tapes. Nice to see FTD finally turning their attention back to this season, even though Elvis wasn't at his best. I notice they've kept the closing show back for a future release (fingers crossed). Don't collect vinyl but IHATWF looks nice. I was expecting a sessions set of that one.
It's always been perplexing to me the special attention FTD has paid to Elvis' soundtrack recordings. Considering the backlog with vinyl manufacturing I was expecting something a little more... on point for 2022, something a little more special. The Vegas release could be interesting, though if you already have FTD's The Impossible Dream you already have all the key rarities from these shows as bonus tracks. Still, it's 1971 and though the evidence is the season wasn't quite as on fire as before, he's still in miles better voice than in subsequent years. So little has come to light from this year.
To be fair if FTD wasn’t doing anything with the soundtrack material they would probably sit ignored in general. I can hardly see Sony/Legacy doing any type of mainstream release to open them up for re-evaluation.
They’ve done so much vinyl already, and they’re really just retreads of FTD CDs so what would be more on point?
A pretty big focus in the 90s with the Double Features series, Ernst seems to have a soft spot for them. I've never felt they needed re-evaluation, though I'm not surprised there's another soundtrack LP from FTD, considering the piles of them that have been released to date. But I yawn every time one is announced. I do have some: Jailhouse Rock Vol. 2 King Creole GI Blues Vol. 1 Blue Hawaii The Last Movies Otherwise, they've not been of any interest to me. I'd welcome a Loving You release, and anything else 50s-related, to be honest. And there's some live attention FTD could easily do on vinyl, such as "The Return To Vegas", which was a planned vinyl release decades ago. The "An American Trilogy" FTD would make for an interesting vinyl release, that would have been neat for 2022.
These newly announced '71 boards just reenforce once again, how out of touch FTD is with the folks they are actually targeting to buy these things. Collectors are no doubt aware that these shows have been out already via Public Domain releases, so many of us have them/heard them already. Wouldn't it have made more sense for FTD to release these shows prior to becoming fodder for PD labels, instead of doling out countless mediocre '76 boards?
I have the boots so I will wait for reports on sound improvement before taking my wallet out. Also, there are chances FTD is mastering from boots.
There's also a percentage of us, like moi for instance, who whilst may now be aware of such other releases, are welcoming FTD's decision to release them because they stay away from bootlegs in general and aren't keen on spectra-stereo-phonic-surround-o' sonic (or whatever) sound and MRS in general. Here's my cash, FTD etc. On the other hand, you can keep the vinyl FTD, my wallet is now closed! PS. Whats the deal with 'Witchcraft' et al the bonus tracks are mentioned in the press release thingy but not in the tracklisting. Not that they really fit anyway. Shoddy copy and paste job perhaps?
I imagine they'll be using the original tapes and not sourcing from bootlegs. Previous releases, both official and underground, suggest they aren't the greatest quality tapes sound-wise (quite a bit of overload / distortion in places).
There's no reason to presume FTD is sourcing the audio from bootlegs. Remember, audio from the first and third shows here has previously been released by FTD on The Impossible Dream. Only the second show is completely unreleased by FTD.
I wish they were doing "It Happened at the World's Fair" as a 2 disc set. Sound quality has always been a bit thin on these sessions for the most part, with the exception of the handful of tracks on the "Elvis for Everyone!" FTD. There they sounded much clearer and warmer. Would love to have the whole session in that quality. "They Remind Me Too Much of You" has always been one of my favorites.
I have always liked the album"It Happened at the World's Fair" although at 21 minutes you do not get much bang for your buck. There is a nice 24/96 flac file on HD Tracks at $21 - a dollar a minute which does sound like a good deal! Re the album I assume it was issued back in April 1963 on mono and stereo. It was recorded at RCA Hollywood Studio B. Keith Flynn's excellent site lists an unreleased version of the album with a different catalogue number with the song "One Broken Heart for Sale" being take 1 not take 5 as per the released album. Not sure why the sound would be poor on the sessions. Oh Happy Ending is take 8 on the released album and the unis-sued one uses take 9. Elvis Presley Discography
The "World's Fair" sessions were done at Radio Recorders in Hollywood with Dave Weichman engineering. The reason for the flat sound is the MGM requirements of recording with almost no reverb, instrumentation on one channel, the backing vocals on the second, and Elvis on the third channel. Weichman was an excellent engineer, but when forced to record this way, the sound suffered.
Excellent! Thanks ( I got the wrong studio!) I think it was MGM who decided it might be cheaper to record in an old disused barn (ok soundstage I think). No doubt if they had them around they could have done it on cassette to save money.
I wouldn’t mind a two-fer Complete Session set of It Happened At The World’s Fair and Girls! Girls! Girls! if for nothing else than to upgrade the mastering on the original FTDs. I’ve read that much of the Girls! Girls! Girls! session tapes are missing so probably (?) not much new to add to it but there are a few odds/ends for IHATWF that haven’t been released.
I don't think the sound on the GGG FTD can be improved so hopefully there will be no 2 fer as all they had was included anyway.
Looking at Keith Flynn’s site there’s a few minor things on boot that aren’t on the GGG FTD. Do you know who the source is that says the session reels for this album are mostly missing? Guessing it was Ernst but I’ve never found the source.
This 1971 live compilation is long overdue. Nice to see FTD issuing some early 1970s live recordings in recent months, and deviating a bit from the 1974/1976 onslaught of mediocrity.
Just playing the cd It Happened at the World's Fair from the albums box. Yes the sound is no sonic festival. As for the song Relax (good vocal, good band) a very very poor person's Fever. Did Tepper/Bennett ever write anything good? The cd is in that sort of wide stereo to my ears on my system. Is there a shorter Elvis album?