Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

I only know of three songs she sang. Your Groovy Self, Boots, and You Only Live Twice. I can barely stand any of them.

 

Then you need to listen to 'Sugar Town' by Nancy Sinatra. All your preconceptions of her ability to deliver a song will be quashed and I defy you not to look at her outstanding vocal attributes in a new and more appreciative light once you've heard that classic performance...



Yeah... I'm kidding!
Fair dues, my friend!

 

I don't hate her song, it is just a bit vocally wobbly, you know?

 

Rather like current TV, it wasn't unusual for stars to switch back and forth between film and TV. Many TV stars of the day had been major film stars, and some TV stars were trying out movie careers. No different to what is happening today.

But I would agree that, for the majority of the time, they were not co-stars who were huge names, but they didn't need to be. If you weren't going to see an Elvis film at the cinema because of Elvis during this period, then you weren't going to be persuaded by a big-name co-star. Studios knew that, and so there is little point in wasting time and talent on the movies.

But if the films felt like TV shows, it had less to do with the actors and actresses in them, and far more to do with the fact that a number of the directors were from TV. John Rich (Roustabout and Easy Come Easy Go) had worked almost exclusively in TV; Gene Nelson was then starting his directing career and most of his direction before Kissin Cousins and Harum Scarum had been on TV; Prior to Frankie and Johnny, the director had only done TV for the previous decade; Paradise Hawaiian Style was Michael Moore's first directing assignment of any kind. And that only really leaves Norman Taurog who generally managed to inject at least some spark of life into Elvis's movies even during this lacklustre phase of his career.

 

I'm no fan of Nancy's singing for the most part, but sometimes she did just get it right such as with Sugar Town, Boots, and the wonderful It's Such a Lonely Time of Year. And also much later, too - her version of The Hungry Years (from 2005, I think) is lovely. Great song, of course - a shame Elvis didn't go for this during the Today sessions!

 

As someone who really likes Your Groovy Self, I have to admit her vocal is very "wobbly" on the song, especially on the second line with the word "dangerous." I do not know what exactly was going on here, but I have never heard her voice sound so wobbly, and funny enough that is exactly the same word I was going to use before I read your post. I still like the darn song though. I like the drums, horns and the whole vibe of the production, but man, surely they could have gotten a better vocal on that performance. Were they rushed or something? Maybe she had a date with Elvis that day.

 

The Hungry Years is one of my all time favorite songs. Neil Sedaka did a pretty great version of his own song as well. Shane, do you know if Elvis actually ever considered recording The Hungry Years during that session for the Today album?

 

Not that I know of, sadly. Unfortunately, most of Sedaka's best songs from the period were only released in America several years after they had appeared in the UK, so Elvis didn't really get much of a chance to tackle them. A song such as Standing on the Inside would have been a great fit for the Stax sessions in 1973, for example.

 

Well, I think it would have been a great cut. Elvis could have really sunk his teeth into that awesome melody and I think the lyrics might have really registered with him as well. At least we did get Elvis's great take on Sedaka's Solitaire on From Elvis Presley Boulevard, although I know not everybody feels the same way about his performance, but I think it is one of the better cuts on that album.

 

She is not without talent, but it's pretty clear that it wouldn't have been enough talent to achieve the level of success she had if her last name had been McGillicuddy.

 

Back then, actors really didn't go back and forth between TV and films on a regular basis, as far as I can recall. There were some actors who switched from film to TV because their film careers were on the decline (eg Barbara Stanwyck). There were some actors who got their start in TV and eventually made their way to film (eg Clint Eastwood). But I don't recall many actors who appeared in big-budget major motion pictures while simultaneously appearing regularly on TV. If you were known as a TV actor, you generally only got roles in b-movies (such as Elvis films). If you were starring in major motion pictures you didn't take roles on TV. I can't really think of any exceptions to those general rules. That's what I was trying to say... Elvis' known co-stars in the mid-60s were known as TV stars at the time: Barbara Stanwyck, Shelley Fabares, Bill Bixby, Donna Douglas, Harry Morgan, Gale Gordon, etc.

 

Western Union
Written By :
Roy C. Bennett & Sid Tepper

Recorded :
RCA's Studio B, Nashville, May 26-28, 1963: May 27, 1963. take 4

I like this song, yet it does bear a strong resemblance to Return To Sender. It is a fun song, with a good feel. I had only realised that this was recorded in 63 when someone mentioned it yesterday.

 

Mine
Written By :
Roy C. Bennett & Sid Tepper

Recorded :
RCA's Studio B, Nashville, September 10-12, 1967 : September 11, 1967. take 22

My first exposure to this song was on the 60's Masters box set, and we have Elvis with the plaintive ballad, and delivering the goods.

 

I am going to post this song, and perhaps someone can elaborate on what it is and where it is from. I couldn't find this on a listing of Elvis songs ....

I Want Us Back (?)
It sure sounds like Elvis, but I can't seem to track it down .... I am guessing it is a seventies song

 

Nancy Sinatra’s 1967 recording of the theme song for the James Bond movie You Only Give Twice took 30 takes, 25 of which were used to create the final master.

I think that says it all.

You Only Live Twice (song) - Wikipedia

 

Not Elvis

 

The first utterance of the voice tells me it is NOT Elvis.

 

Both Suppose and Mine are very good ballads and elevate the Speedway album with their inclusion. Western Union is a bit of a Return To Sender ripoff, but I like it anyway. Goin' Home is probably my favorite song on the album (A Stay Away Joe reject).

 

yea that's fair. Sorry about posting it. It had me somewhat confused. Hundreds of people saying what a great Elvis track it is and I had never heard it. It sounded like it may be some seventies out-take due to that not quite on it vocal.... I would say it is a good fake .... but more so I would ask.... does anybody know why there are so many fake Elvis songs around?
It is one thing to imitate someone but it is something entirely different to pretend to be someone... I find it bewildering.

 

Actually, it is a pretty good fake. It got my attention for a few seconds as well, but I do not believe it is Elvis either. Well, we know a lot of real recording artists spent years trying to imitate Elvis on record, so the fact that rank amateurs should try to fool the public with this stuff, I guess should not be a huge surprise.

 

I like Western Union well enough, despite its closeness to Return To Sender, which is funny enough in itself, since I think Return To Sender is one of Elvis's most overrated hit songs. It's good mind you, jut not great to my ears. I think I like Western Union a tad better.

Elvis's voice was golden on Mine. I still cannot believe that someone did not speak up during these later soundstage recordings and say, "Boy, Elvis really sounds great in Nashville or at Radio Recorders, but he sounds like **** on the soundstage, so lets record everything in the future in a real recording studio."

 

Yeah, that is the way I remember it and my dad talked about that fact too, when I was growing up in the 60's and the 70's. As a former television director, he payed attention to those things. I remember my mom being quite surprised when their friend, the actor David Janssen (The original Fugitive on the hit television series), stared in a big movie in the 70's as he had really concentrated only on television for the greater part of the decade.

 

These days, I prefer Western Union to Return to Sender. Probably because I’ve heard the latter too much, so the former is a bit fresher to my ears.

 

Her last name definitely helped. Like a lot of modern pop divas, it didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes as well. I'm not totally dismissive of her music. I have a greatest hits compilation but I've never had the desire to check out the full albums. Has anyone found musical gems of hers that are not on most compilations?