Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

I had exactly the same reaction as you when I first heard After Lovin' You. Up until very recently, I really thought he had borrowed his unique vocal stylings and overall arrangement from Della Reese as everybody always mentions her great hit single, and although Elvis may have picked up some subtle phrasing ideas from her stellar version, he really takes it in a completely different direction. I also listened to gospel singer Joe Henderson's original version from 1962 and figured maybe that is where Elvis borrowed his arrangement from as Joe was originally born in Mississippi as well. Nope, Elvis's take on After Lovin' You seems far more inspired by Della's version than Joe's, but in reality, it is quite distinct from either version. It sure is not drawn from Eddy Arnold or Jim Reeves interpretations either as much as Elvis seemed to admire some of their better songs.

 

I am going to travel back in time and after killing Stalin, I am going to prevent the birth of the guy who invented reverb.

 

I have been known to appreciate a tad bit of reverb on some records over the years (RCA Studio B with Bill Porter and some of the stuff at Capitol Studios Tower in Hollywood), but man that Della version of After Lovin' You is really drenched in it, isn't it? Oh, I am 100% behind you, with no reservations whatsoever, on the first part of your post.

 

lol... when used with discernment it is good, that bathroom thing from the fifties and sixties was a little much though lol

 

I agree with you on this one. To me, Power Of My Love and Gentle On My Mind are the two weak links in an otherwise stellar album. I can get down with Elvis singing other period MOR such as Sweet Caroline, but I’ve never cared for this song, and, while, as always, Elvis does his best to elevate even the most mediocre material, and the American house band gets into a good groove, this one doesn’t work for me.

 

Well it isn't much better with modern pop. They seem to add reverb to every layer and then add reverb in the final mix on top of all that. Just more layers of distortion and noise on top of more distortion and noise. Don't forget the 80s with all that reverb on the drums too. I would rather have NONE if it were the only way to prevent abuse.

 

That's fair.
For me it's like anything else, does it suit what you're doing.
I think gated reverb worked well on some drum tracks, but like everything else, folks started saying "oooo we need that".
For me reverb was worth it just for Dave Gilmour's lead breaks

 

I disagree about Glen Campbell's version of GOMM and think it's wonderful. The Elvis version is wonderful too. This song is just like I'm Movin On on this album. Elvis and the musicians take these songs to new places as far as the arrangements. They sound very different from previously recorded versions in a good way. I love the fusion of musical styles that are presented in both songs.

 

Where can I get this great version on CD Shawn?

 

Personally, I think Gentle On My Mind is a great track and fits in perfectly. For me, the weakest track is the song that precedes it, POML and I would have substituted it with Stranger In My Own Home Town which I think would have been a great opener to Side 2. Not sure GOMM was the most covered song that Elvis did at American....I think Hey Jude may have the honours there, and Elvis’ version is terrible. I was so looking forward to hearing that song when I was told Elvis had recorded it, thinking it was coming out on the forthcoming album as a pen pal of mine had heard it being played whilst she was standing outside the grounds of Graceland. When it finally appeared on Elvis Now, I was so glad it was not included on FEIM and it was obvious why it was left on the shelf.

 

Ah, I forgot about Hey Jude (or rather, perhaps I blotted it out of my mind). A lyric sheet and a little work would have gone a long ways there. It's amazing that thing was designated a finished master.

 

True Love Travels On a Gravel Road
Written By :
Arthur L. Owens & Dallas Frazier

Recorded :
American Studios, Memphis, February 17-22, 1969 : February 17, 1969. take 11

This is a beautiful song. The lyric written here is so well done that the performance would almost become secondary, if not sung by Elvis in the prime of his recording powers. The double hit of great lyrics and a committed, enthusiastic vocal make this track pretty stellar of its own.
We start with another really nice guitar intro, and then a stripped back opening vocal section works for emphasis, and then the strings come in and we have a gradually building piece that comes together well.
In a lot of ways this isn't the stand out track of the album, but it could be a stand out on several of the albums that came before this one. If anything, the track is just a little short for its style and for this album. nonetheless this is an excellent song.

 

True Love Travels On A Gravel Road is my favourite song from FEIM. I'm not saying it's the "best," but it's the one that I love the most. Master take (dubbed or undubbed), outtakes (fast or slow), even the live version...it's all fantastic. I never get tired of listening to it.

 

TLTOAGR is another fine example of the Country Soul genre. It is well sung and tastefully arranged. Nothing truely amazing but still a nice addition.

Bring Any Day Now NOW!

 

LOL ... but then I will be accused of rushing everyone

 

Only in 1971 when Jarvis was desperate to fill out Elvis Now. In 1969, the recording was deemed unfinished (which it was) and relegated to the vaults.

 

As with Long Black Limousine, True Love Travels On A Gravel shows what happens when you give Elvis a good lyric to sink his teeth into. A low-key masterpiece that begins the final three song run that elevates this already great album to new heights.

 

It should have stayed there, next to the "Love letters from Elvis" tracks.

 

True Love Travels On A Gravel Road is one of the top five most underrated songs in the entire Elvis cannon, and there are many days when I feel like it is perhaps the most overlooked gem of a song of his that could have been a substantial country and/or pop hit that was mistakenly never released as a single. You start with the fine bone fides of the great songwriters themselves, who together wrote two of the very best songs on this truly iconic album; Wearin' That Loved On Look, as well as this splendid gem we are now discussing, and Dallas Frazier himself wrote the twice recorded by Elvis, There Goes My Everything as well as its gospel re-write, He Is My Everything. I believe that songwriter Dallas Frazier explains his and fellow songwriter Al "Doodle" Owens' belief in the potential for Elvis's version quite effectively in the following quote from Ken Sharp's fine book, Writing For The King:

The Lyrics and the melody were soulmates for each other. "Doodle" and I both actually believed that it would be the monster song for us. But it just did not happen. I remember vividly drawing a green circle around the song title in our notebook after we had written it. And the green stood for money. (laughs) I remember that well because I thought this was going to be the big big song.

Dallas Frazier would not have to wait a lot longer to score a pretty good size hit with the legendary singer, when Elvis released the the double-sided hit single I Really Don't Want To Know/There Goes My Everything in 1971. The flip side of Elvis's single become the singer's first top ten country hit in about 12 years and earned a gold record award for the singer, probably more based on the stellar A side pop hit of the single, but still some consolation to the songwriter no doubt, after the disappointment of watching his best original song written for Elvis remain unreleased as a single.

 

Take 4.

 

A very good song, that ranks in the upper half of the album for me personally. A song where I like the verses better than the chorus.

 

The message of True Love Travels On A Gravel Road - that a simple life is preferable to a life of glamour and glitz - takes on an added resonance when sung by Elvis, when we know what lay around the corner for him in the 70s. The infatuation with the Circle G Ranch in 1968 didn’t last, but it represented Elvis’s last best attempt to try to live a normal life.

 

Offhand I'm not sure, but as they only recorded two takes (with take 1 being a false start, and take 2 being deemed the master but with a vocal overdub done later, as well as some editing and backing vocals/horns added too) I'm guessing it's on the From Elvis In Memphis FTD. I don't have it handy at the moment so hopefully someone else can chime in and confirm.

 

On your way back would you mind calling in at Capitol H/Q & prevent Dave Dexter Jr from getting his filthy paws on The Beatles tapes. You'd be doing the world a BIG favour!

 

Yeah, you're right. The backing track was apparently considered a finished master in 1969 though... it was designated as such and received overdubs. The intent was to have Elvis redo the vocal, which of course never happened. I think that recording needed more than just a new vocal though.