Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Ah, but which TTWII version of Suspicious Minds are we speaking of? The one from the original film or that used in the 2001 re-edit?

 

Original film. It is also in "This Is Elvis".

 

That should be 'so' ... damn phones ....

 

I love the re-edited version, but the original one is pretty good as well.

 

The a/v quality of the bluray, make the original slightly less appealing for me... but mainly the audio... the bluray sounds great ... to me

 

The sound and re-edit of ETTWII on the blu-ray version is fantastic and far superior to the original theater version with all the talking heads. The Special Edition version wisely concentrates on Elvis and the concert itself rather than the fan comments and background footage of stuff being loaded onto trucks.

 

I mostly agree. My only complaint about the Special Edition is that it cuts some of the best ballads from the original ("I Can't Help Believing" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water") and inserts more oldies, which even at this early date were starting to feel perfunctory.

 

I agree and those are two of my favorite songs, along with his stellar version of I've Lost You. I love it when Elvis purposely stumbles when he sings the line about "And you will stumble sleepy to the door." You really need both versions of ETTWII because of those great songs being edited out on the Special Edition re-edited version. I love the remastered edit and sound on the Blu-ray though. I wish they had included those songs as well on the remastered Blu-ray edition.

 

I was surprised that the tracklists were different.
That's the only reason i watched both....
I didn't understand why all the songs weren't included... oh well

 

The re-edit of "That's the Way it is" is spot on and the sound is great BUT 1) SUSPICIOUS MINDS is not as electrifying as in the original and 2) I JUST CAN'T HELP BELIEVIN' and I'VE LOST YOU are missing (I don't care about SWEET CAROLINE.)

 

From Memphis To Vegas - From Vegas To Memphis


Released October 14, 1969
Recorded January 13–August 26, 1969
Venue International Hotel (Las Vegas)
Studio American Sound Studio (Memphis)
Genre Rock, soul, country, pop
Length 68:44
Label RCA
Producer Felton Jarvis. Chips Moman

From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis is the first live album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley. It was released on October 14, 1969, by RCA Records. It is a double album, the first album, titled In Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, contains the live recordings of Presley's hits at the International Hotel in Paradise, Nevada, while the second album, titled Back in Memphis, contains entirely new material recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis. The album peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, and was certified Gold on December 13, 1969, by the Recording Industry Association of America.[8]

Issued to capitalize upon the response to From Elvis in Memphis and its hit singles, and his newfound success as a headliner in Las Vegas, Vegas/Memphis is Presley's first double album and his first official live album.[9] Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, secured a month-long engagement at the International Hotel, and in keeping with the "clear-the-decks" philosophy of the previous album, Presley jettisoned his long-serving 1960s sidemen in favor of musicians who would become his Taking Care of Business band.[10] The musicians used on the second LP were assembled by Chips Moman dating back from early 1969 at the American Sound Studios sessions in Memphis.

The first album consisted of recordings from those shows, Elvis' first live performances since his March 1961 benefit concert in Hawaii.[11] Signature hits from his 1950s and early 1960s repertoire appeared alongside a cover of "Words" by The Bee Gees, his recent hit single "In The Ghetto" and an extended version of "Suspicious Minds", the single of which had only just been released during the engagement.

The second album consisted of ten recordings from the winter of 1969 sessions at American Sound not used for From Elvis in Memphis.[12] Although drawn from what were basically leftovers, still "Stranger in My Hometown" equaled the intensity of the already issued songs.[13] Of these remainders, "The Fair's Moving On" and "You'll Think of Me" had previously appeared as b-sides respectively to "Clean Up Your Own Backyard" and "Suspicious Minds" earlier in the year.[14]

Elvis in Person at the International Hotel

• Elvis Presley – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
• James Burton – lead guitar
• John Wilkinson − rhythm guitar
• Charlie Hodge − acoustic rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Larry Muhoberac − keyboards
• Jerry Scheff – bass
• Ronnie Tutt − drums
• Millie Kirkham − backing vocals
• The Imperials − backing vocals
• The Sweet Inspirations − backing vocals
• Bobby Morris and his Orchestra - orchestra

Back in Memphis

• Elvis Presley − vocals, guitar, piano
• Ed Kollis − harmonica
• Reggie Young − electric guitar
• Bobby Wood − piano
• Bobby Emmons − organ
• Tommy Cogbill, Mike Leech − bass
• Gene Chrisman − drums
• Glen Spreen − string and horn arrangements

Overdubbed:

• Wayne Jackson, Dick Steff, R. F. Taylor − trumpets
• Ed Logan, Jack Hale, Gerald Richardson − trombones
• Tony Cason, Joe D'Gerolamo − French horns
• Andrew Love, Jackie Thomas, Glen Spreen, J.P. Luper − saxophones
• Joe Babcock, Dolores Edgin, Mary Greene, Charlie Hodge, Ginger Holladay, Mary Holladay
  Millie Kirkham, Ronnie Milsap, Sonja Montgomery, June Page, Susan Pilkington, Sandy Posey
  Donna Thatcher, Hurschel Wiginton − backing vocals

Side one
1. "Blue Suede Shoes" Carl Perkins August 25, 1969 2:06
2. "Johnny B. Goode" Chuck Berry August 24, 1969 2:12
3. "All Shook Up" Otis Blackwell, Elvis Presley August 25, 1969 2:15
4. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" Lou Handman, Roy Turk August 24, 1969 3:16
5. "Hound Dog" Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller August 25, 1969 1:53
6. "I Can't Stop Loving You" Don Gibson August 25, 1969 3:19
7. "My Babe" Willie Dixon August 25, 1969 2:12

Side two
1. "Mystery Train" / "Tiger Man" Junior Parker, Sam Phillips / Joe Hill Louis, Sam Burns August 25, 1969 3:46
2. "Words" Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb August 25, 1969 2:46
3. "In the Ghetto" Mac Davis August 24, 1969 2:56
4. "Suspicious Minds" Mark James August 26, 1969 7:46
5. "Can't Help Falling In Love" George Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore August 26, 1969 2:12

Side three
1. "Inherit the Wind" Eddie Rabbitt January 15, 1969 2:56
2. "This Is the Story" Chris Arnold, David Martin, Geoff Morrow January 13, 1969 2:28
3. "Stranger In My Own Home Town" Percy Mayfield February 17, 1969 4:23
4. "A Little Bit of Green" Chris Arnold, David Martin, Geoff Morrow January 14, 1969 3:21
5. "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind" Neil Diamond February 17, 1969 3:08

Side four
1. "Do You Know Who I Am?" Bobby Russell February 18, 1969 2:49
2. "From a Jack to a King" Ned Miller January 21, 1969 2:23
3. "The Fair's Moving On" Guy Fletcher, Doug Flett February 21, 1969 3:09
4. "You'll Think of Me" Mort Shuman January 14, 1969 4:01
5. "Without Love (There is Nothing)" Danny Small January 22, 1969 2:51
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This album may well have been a surprise for the fans back in 69. We have Elvis' first legit live album, although of course the album from the tv special had live tracks on it, I'm not sure if it really qualifies as a straight up live album. It also contained Elvis' second real album in the same year, after years of soundtracks and dribs and drabs of proper studio albums.
The live album can be considered one of Elvis' most defining live albums, because we catch him in the post tv special/come back zone. He is into it, focused, working on winning back the fans after years of disappointment. There are some truly great performances, and with any luck we'll get the live set we have been promised from this era this year. Elvis is in good voice and good spirits and he is into the music he is doing. To me it is a shame that more of the newer material isn't played or recorded, but not much about Elvis' live choices over the years makes much sense to me. That isn't really a criticism of what he did, just an observation of the fact that a lot of these tunes seem to point towards nostalgia act, as they are mainly reworked fifties songs.
To my way of thinking he had done the tip of the hat to the past in the tv special, and although it certainly wouldn't hurt to play a few old songs in the concerts, perhaps more logically one of the medleys that we will hear over the coming months. It seems like with so much recently recorded successful material, someone focused on moving forward would have played more of that. Anyway, we have what we have.
Then we have essentially what is considered to be a leftovers album. I think that is a bit of a harsh judgement of the material really, because to me at least, it is as strong as the material we had just received on From Elvis In Memphis. As someone else pointed out earlier in the thread, perhaps opening the album with two big ballads set things off on the wrong course, but again, to me, they are still excellent songs.
Interestingly enough, the Back in Memphis album seems to point towards Elvis' future recordings more than the From Elvis in Memphis album .... I'm not sure if that is coincidental or if the fact that Back in Memphis was more instantly successful than From Elvis In Memphis, and a formula was decided on. We can ponder these things til the cows come home, but at the end of the day it will all be speculation.

When I first listened to this album, I sort of wasn't looking forward to the live album, but ended up enjoying it a lot, and being very familiar with the Essential Sixties Masters, I already knew what to expect from Back In Memphis.
This is a great package, although I would have probably handled the whole of 1969 very differently than it was handled, we get some great music, delivered in a physical package in the way Elvis' management liked to do these things.

What are your feelings about this set?
How do you feel about 1969 from the perspective of musical releases?
Let us know everything going on in your heart and mind about all these things and we'll hit the live album in the morning.

Cheers
Mark

 

In Person was the first Elvis recording I owned. It was a cassette that my brother bought for me and I played it and played it until the tape didn't sound good anymore. So yeah, it's a favorite. Eventually, I replaced it with a CD. The only thing about the album that I don't like now are the applause overdubs that I didn't notice back when.

When I saw the Collector's Gold set in a catalog in 1991, I was thrilled that more '69 live recordings were being released and bought that right away.

If Back in Memphis points toward future Elvis recordings, how about In Person, with Elvis releasing live albums in four of the next five years.

Mostly over the years when I have listened to the BIM material, it has been on the '60s CD box set. The material, of course, is excellent and never having had either half of this double LP on vinyl, I will be buying the double LP when I find a nice example.

 

Fair Comment. I guess in that case the double package becomes more of a mission statement

 

The tracks from the live album are taken from three shows:

August 24, 1969 Midnight show (complete show not released officially, only on bootlegs)
August 25, 1969 Midnight show (Hot August Night FTD)
August 26, 1969 Dinner show (Live In Las Vegas FTD)

 

I bought the double LP many moons ago and it was the beautiful 1968 pic that first caught my eyes immediately. That 1st disc with the sellection of live performances electrified me from the opening chord. By the way, that first guitar riff always reminds me of BABY I DON'T CARE, which has always been a favorite. Even if I never listen to that disc in its entirety anymore, there are some tracks in there that keep playing in my all times Presley playlist, I mean those particular versions: JOHNNY B., I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU, MY BABE and the medley MYSTERY TRAIN / TIGER MAN.
Back in those happier days, I would tend to avoid the second LP but time always helps and at the end, it became the one I would listen to the most. Favorite tunes: INHERIT THE WIND, YOU'LL THINK OF ME and my all time #1 American Studio recording: STRANGER IN MY OWN HOME TOWN. At the end, a fantastic double album coupled with some beautiful memories.

 

From Memphis To Vegas-From Vegas To Memphis really is a splendid double album by Elvis. Although a lot of us might have put the American Sound recordings together in a completely different way, if we had anything to do with it, and we no doubt would have made a fuller and more complete release of the live Las Vegas recordings, we really have to appreciate that for its day back in 1969 this was a rather stellar collection of studio and live recordings. The live band Elvis put together is simply phenomenal, and if there was ever a more dynamic, versatile and cohesive group of touring musicians for an artist during these times, I do think I have ever heard of them. Essentially the TCB band was largely made up of some very talented studio musicians like James Burton, who were not necessarily easy to entice to take on the road for an extended period of time.

The second part of this album is highly underrated as others have well noted on this fine thread. Again, if the Elvis Is Back part of this double album had included one of the huge hit singles like Suspicious Minds or Kentucky Rain, the latter song of course would be released in short order in 1970, the commercial and critical success of this album would have been exponentially greater than it already was at the time.

 

I bought FMTV/FVTM when it was first released back in Oct '69, and was probably the few fans who played and talked about the Back In Memphis LP more than the In Person LP. Although I thought it was great and really enjoyed what was happening at the time with Elvis, I didn't care to see pretty much everything moving forward with Elvis and his live performances. Unfortunately, Elvis' work at American Sound was left behind for Elvis in Vegas.

 

Not sure why you would say FMTV/FVTM was initially more successful than FEIM. Sure it charted one place higher, but the chart is based on both unit sales (the double album counted as two units) and retail price, which if I recall was $11.98. The initial sales of FEIM was 500K. FMTV/FVTM was 300K. When they split the two LPs into single discs, each of them sold 100K initially. But amazingly the International Hotel half went on to sell over 1MIL. Simultaneously the double LP set (which amazingly remained in print concurrently with the two individual titles) did not quite make it to 500K.

Much like the movie soundtracks the live albums typically sold much better than the studio albums. Go figure. Even though the live half and the double LP stayed in print and was reissued with the new AFL prefix in 1977. Back In Memphis was not reissued after 1977 for some reason. But it may have stayed in the catalog due to back stock of the original LSP prefix.

 

Although not nearly the same impact as Wearin' That Loved On Look, Inherit The Wind was still very cool and refreshing to me when I dropped the needle for the first time. I was elated that Elvis was continuing the more modern sound. I totally expected it to last forever. (but it barely lasted another year). I have mentioned I probably played BIM more than FEIM back in the day.

I am not as impressed with the live stuff that many seem to be. It sounds like he is swallowing his voice on some songs. Not flat in the pitch sense, but flat in the delivery or using some technique to save his voice from strain. (?) But for me the standouts are the new songs, My Babe, I Can't Stop Loving You, Words. And the best of his own songs is Mystery Train/Tiger Man. I heard briefly the soundboard of his Aug 3rd appearance from the FTD The Return To Vegas. And being the beginning of this engagement his voice is closer to the TV Special in its ferociousness. But I just do not like the arrangements on All Shook Up, Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog etc. All Shook Up needs that laid back ease of the 57 recording. Hound Dog at the very LEAST needs all the lyric employed back in 56. Blue Suede Shoes needs the start and stop coyness it certainly lacks in the Vegas arrangement, and so on. Oh if only Elvis was able and willing to use the same band he had at the 1961 Hawaii Benefit concert (with someone replacing Hank Garland of course). And maybe added a 4 piece horn section featuring Boots, that would have been COOL and hip rather than Vegas. (Man I cannot express enough how I hated the Vegas arrangements which he also took on the road).

But in retrospect, it BLOWS AWAY later live albums such as MSG, Aloha and Live On Stage In Memphis.

 

I think it was a mistake to put these two albums together on one release. They feature two completely different sets of backing musicians, and for the most part feature very different types of material. The result is two albums that aren't really complementary being shoehorned together for no strong purpose.

And the worst thing about it is that (probably) the only reason the studio version of Suspicious Minds was left off Back in Memphis is because it's on the live album, and they didn't want the same track to appear twice. If these had been separate releases I'm almost certain they would have put Suspicious Minds on Back in Memphis. They put its b-side on there, and there certainly is enough room as the album only has ten songs (whereas FEIM had twelve).

Overall I'm not a fan of how they chose to compile and sequence Back in Memphis. They didn't (in my opinion) chose the strongest songs that were remaining, and they chose too many songs that are similar. The result is an album that really lacks the musical diversity of From Elvis in Memphis, and also feels more like leftovers than it needed to feel. The album has only one blues song and one country song, and no songs with any soul feeling at all. Too much of the material is MOR/easy listening kinda midtempo ballads with bombastic choruses, and too many of those songs are just average songs.

I'm willing to bet there's going to be a lot of discussion about alternate tracklistings for Back in Memphis. Here's mine: I would first of all delete some of those songs that I think aren't so strong and also contribute to a lack of musical variety on the album: This is The Story and The Fair's Moving On would go, and I'd also lose And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind. To replace those, I'd first add in a couple of very good tracks that inexplicably were burned off on a Camden album: If I'm A Fool and I'll Be There. If I'm a Fool is a fine country song from old friend Stan Kesler, and it features some nice guitar by Elvis. I'll Be There isn't a soul song in its original recording, but Elvis' arrangement is definitely soulful, and has a similar feel to what he did with Any Day Now. And it's also got a really exceptional vocal from Elvis. Both of these tracks are better than about half the stuff they put on Back in Memphis. And then I'd also add Rubberneckin'... it isn't an exceptionally great song but it's a fine arrangement/performance, and it would add a much needed uptempo track to the mix as well as some R&B feel. And since the album only started with ten songs, there's still plenty of room for Suspicious Minds at the end. So my revised tracklist would be:

Stranger In My Own Home Town 4:23
Inherit The Wind 2:56
If I'm a Fool 2:43
You'll Think Of Me 4:01
Rubberneckin' 2:12

I'll Be There 2:21
Do You Know Who I Am 2:49
From A Jack To A King 2:23
Little Bit Of Green 3:21
Without Love (There Is Nothing) 2:51
Suspicious Minds 3:28

 

My friend in High School was a Mark Lindsay fan. We both liked Neal Diamond. We had an ongoing comparison discussion about whose And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind was better. We both liked all three but we each had our rankings. I think Elvis' version is sublime. I would not delete any song from EIM, but I would have added a couple. Suspicious Minds would have been one of them.

 

As to the live album... I've never been a fan of compilation live albums. To me the appeal of a live album is to get a sense of the spontaneity, rawness, and excitement of a live performance, warts and all. When you start cherry picking songs from different shows, some of that is lost and a layer of artifice is created. This record has some great performances, but now that we have so many genuine complete shows from that engagement available it's not something I choose to listen to much, for that reason.

 

Well back in 1969 most of us thought it WAS from a single live show. In fact some of the DJs played the promo copy and marketed it as such. Some even led us to believe it was a live broadcast of the show when they played it for the first time!!! Lying bastards!

 

I don't like these post Comeback Special live recordings at all. The whole thing just sounds like a corny cabaret show for me, unfortunately.

 

As I previously mentioned, I have mixed feelings about the Back In Memphis/In Person double LP. For many years, I thought they should have been separated from the start (like they eventually were), however, over time I have begun to think that the double LP was perhaps the right direction. One wonders if Jarvis/RCA had Cream's Wheels of Fire in mind, or if that format was strictly coincidental. Not that RCA was against releasing inconsistent albums, but Moman was not completely off-base with his view that some of the remaining session tracks were not standout performances, and coupling the remaining studio tracks with a disc of high quality live work arguably enhanced the project.

That said, it is unclear what the actual motivation was. Was it to simply produce an expansive project with variety that displayed the contrast as Elvis the recording artist and Elvis the live performer? Did RCA try to take advantage of the excitement and success of Elvis' return to live work by coupling it with the remaining American Sound recordings, to perhaps bolster sales. Was RCA concerned that a live album might not perform we'll on its own, and therefore tied it to a studio album? Was it a directive from Tom Parker? On the surface, there certainly is a connection with the American Sound sessions and subsequent live shows in Las Vegas, but was that connection as obvious in 1969?

I do agree with @czeskleba that had RCA not coupled the remaining American Sound recordings with a live album, that Suspicious Minds may very well have been included on the studio album, which clearly would have boosted its performance and reputation at retail.