Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

You're right; I just checked, and the liner notes don't have any remixing credits, but I'm listening to the two versions of Spinout that I own (the DF CD, and the one that's included in the 20 CD Movie Soundtracks box), and at the very least, there are some significant mastering/EQing differences. Everything sounds harsher on the boxset version - particularly Elvis' voice, which may be why it seems to be higher in the mix than on DF - but there are some other aspects of the DF soundscape that sound far better to me as well. The most prominent is the bass on the "I'll be heading straight for heartache" part of Adam & Evil; it's toned down and sounds rough on the standalone CD, but it sounds rich and full on the DF CD.

 

According to wiki, it was also because John Lennon found doubling his vocals tedious, and requested they find a way to automate the process to save him time.

 

I just compared the two versions of Stop, Look, & Listen from the aforementioned CDs, and the bass difference is even more pronounced there. The DF version has a nice little bassline bubbling along and grounding the whole song, whereas it's severely toned down in the boxset version. It doesn't make Elvis' vocal any better to my ears, but at least the arrangement doesn't sound like it has a huge gaping hole in it.

 

For example The Beatles And I Love Her. It is not ADT. And Paul did not record a second vocal. They took his original vocal and then bounced to another tape. Then they ran his original vocal track and the bounced vocal track together one slightly lagging the other. That is double tracking a vocal. Paul did not have to sing again. This can be done an infinite amount of times with a single vocal track/performance.

If you simply have an artist sing along in unison to his (or her) previous lead vocal track, that is NOT double tracking a vocal. That is no different than laying down a harmony. I cannot explain it any clearer. I do not know how.

 

For an artist to create a new vocal whether it be harmony or unison, it is the same dubbing process, neither of which is double tracking.

A double track is the same performance, twice. To create a double track vocal from the same performance is a different process and that is what double tracking was before ADT, one performance double tracked and then put back on the master slightly lagging the original track.

 

I watched Spinout last night, and it’s the best Elvis movie as a movie since the last time he played a race car driver, in Viva Las Vegas. Shelley Fabares and Deborah Walley are adorable, and, while the film isn’t high art, at least it’s actually fun to watch, which is more than can be said for Harum Scarum and Frankie and Johnny. The music production numbers are more interesting and lively than they have been in a while, with some cool prop guitars - including Jimmy Page’s doubleneck! - for Elvis and his band to mime along on, as well as lots of go-go girls and bright primary colors reminiscent of a Batman or Monkees episode - the Elvis movie finally starts to catch up to the British Invasion 60s just a little bit here. In hindsight, the plot, with Elvis not wanting to give up the bachelor life and settle down with any one woman, perhaps hits a little too close to home, but it’s fun on its own terms, and Elvis picking none of the three contenders to marry is, in its own small way, is a clever twist.

The title track isn’t bad at all, and I also like the demo version by Glen Campbell, which is featured on the recent Campbell album “Sings for the King” which features demo recordings that Campbell made for quite a few Presley movie songs from this era.

 

Elvis had a heck of a time getting the words out on the line " But you're the devil I don't want to live without " as these outtakes show

ELVIS PRESLEY - OUTTAKES ADAM AND EVIL

 

We're simply going to have to agree to disagree. The Wiki definition is pretty good:

Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or "bigger" sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument.

Here's an article on double tracking guitars, which echoes the above definition:

In The Studio: Techniques For Double Tracking Guitars - ProSoundWeb

I'll leave it at that as I don't want to bore the other participants in this thread!

 

I think more DF CDs are remixed than what is divulged on the liner notes. That is: Just because some of them do not specifically say they were remixed, that does not mean they weren't.

 

Bonus tracks are not included in any of the DF CDs (unless they are bonus tracks recorded for, but not featured in the movies). Back then you had to buy the 60s box set to get all the "bonus" track material in one package.

 

That may well be the case; honestly, I assumed they were all remixed until I read online that only a few of them were. I don't know very much about engineering/mixing, so I'd be curious to know if the differences between the DF CD of Spinout and the Movie Soundtracks CD can be explained away purely by EQing/mastering choices.

 

If it was eq and mastering you would probably here colouring to the sound across the board.

 

Just did some comparisons between the DF and the Complete Masters versions. Sure sounds like the same mixes to me. I hear no differences in instrumental placement or overall clarity. Pretty sure what you're hearing are mastering differences.

 

All That I Am
Written By :
Roy C. Bennett & Sid Tepper

Recorded :
Radio Recorders, Hollywood, February 16-17, 1966 : February 17, 1966. take 5


A-side "Spinout" (released as B-side in many editions and/or countries)
Released September 13, 1966
Format 7" single
Length 2:15
Songwriter(s) Sid Tepper, Roy C. Bennett

I like this song also. I think the instrumentation works well here, and I especially like the opening guitar section.
Elvis puts across a beautiful smooth vocal and I think this song somewhat steps out from being just a soundtrack song.
All in all this is a pretty solid start to the album that makes this album sit above the terrible trio .... I guess we see what's to come.
Sure this isn't in Elvis' top five albums, but it isn't awful by any stretch of the imagination to my ears.

 

Never Say Yes
Written By :
Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman

Recorded :
Radio Recorders, Hollywood, February 16-17, 1966 : February 17, 1966. splice take 6 and drum ending take 5

This song is borderline for me. It has a nice uptempo musical bed .... there is something about the vocal or lyric that really does define it as a movie song ...
I still like it well enough, but no, not top shelf.

 

I agree, I was always under the impression that Double Tracking is where the singer lays down a vocal then sings a further vocal along side it; be it harmonising or not.
ADT is where the singer lays down a vocal and the mixing desk or whatever automatically generates the same vocal with an ever so slight delay to give that double tracked feel. Probably not a million miles away from Sam Phillips slapback technique just less delay...

 

As for the 9 soundtrack songs, I like All That I Am the best. Never Say Yes has a Bo Diddley beat going for it (which is always welcomed by me). And the lyrics are perfect for the Elvis' character in this movie.

 

Also All That I Am as the distinction of being the first Elvis recording that has dubbed strings. (not including "movie" versions of songs since the 50s).

 

"All That I Am" is a really nice ballad with a bossa nova feel. Not bad at all. To my ears, this album is a doughnut. The first three songs are decent, but after that it is mostly downhill as far as the remainder of the soundtrack material goes. Then obviously there's a big upswing at the end with the three bonus tracks.

And the downswing begins with "Never Say Yes." Musically uncreative and lyrically inane, a typical bad movie song. This one is doubly disappointing because of the songwriter's byline. Pomus and Shuman were easily among the top three songwriters/teams Elvis had in the early 60s, so it's disenheartening to see them phone in such hackwork. I read an interview with Shuman (can't find it now to link) in which he said that around this time he was getting heavily into the rock and roll lifestyle (alcohol, sex and drugs) and his work and attitude suffered notably. The team broke up shortly after this and Shuman went to England to get himself together. We have one more P&S song coming next album and unfortunately it's not any better, then their association with Elvis comes to an end.

 

I appreciate the expertise and knowledge that both you and @SKATTERBRANE have brought to this thread on this subject. And neither of you are ever boring when making your great posts! I enjoy getting better informed on some of these recording techniques that I am only causally familiar with myself.

 

I feel exactly as you do regarding the highlight of the soundtrack songs being All That I Am. It seems to have a really intimate vocal by Elvis that reminds me of his great lounge version of I Need Somebody To Lean On on the Viva Las Vegas album. Terriffic. I like Never Say Yes for the same reason you do as well. Although the lyrics are rather pedestrian as Jason so well points out in his post above, I will still take an average lyric with a great beat from Pomus and Shuman as opposed to an average to good song from another songwriter.

 

I was wondering about that myself. It was one of the first things that got my attention, besides the great guitar intro that Mark pointed out as well as Elvis's delicate vocals of course.

 

All That I Am is probably my least favorite track on the album. Just too smarmy for my tastes. Never Say Yes is certainly functional, and I tend to like more upbeat soundtrack songs so I give this one a pass. But nothing noteworthy.

 

Mort Shuman's "You'll Think Of Me", from the '69 American Sound sessions.

 

Shuman's final composition for EP was an awesome one. It would become the b-side of another 1969 natural standout: "Suspicious minds".