Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, Oct 7, 2018.

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  1. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    The September 1973 firing was a very interesting development. Elvis had reached his breaking point. His career was in a bit of a mess, and certainly Elvis' health was deteriorating due to his drug addiction, but his career could have been resuscitated. It was very unfortunate that Elvis did not have anyone in his inner-circle that he could confer with to discuss the complexities of the firing. Parker presented an alleged report of commissions owed worth a couple million dollars, and essentially scared Elvis and his father into rehiring him. Had Elvis called his bluff, consulted with Ed Hookstraten, demanded an accounting and threatened legal action, one suspects Parker would have backed down, and at the very least entered into some sort of settlement or even a walk-away. There is no way Tom Parker would have opened his books for a legal accounting, which would have exposed self-dealing and other improprieties.

    No question about it. She was skeptical of Parker from the very beginning.
     
  2. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I wonder to what degree Parker actually created the insecurity, or at least nursed it .... we need to remember this insecure guy had the guts to go to a recording studio and tell them he was worth recording,
     
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  3. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    To be clear, he wasn’t that direct with Phillips/SUN — he sought out his opportunity with SUN for several months. While he certainly had the courage to walk in the door, one could argue his insecurity dragged out the possibility of actually getting in front of Phillips.
     
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  4. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Fair comment
     
  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Riding The Rainbow
    Written By :
    Ben Weisman & Fred Wise

    Recorded :
    Radio Recorders, Hollywood, October 26-27, 1961 : October 26, 1961. splice take 7 and 9

    A short little song. It's pretty decent, not the best, not the worst. Nothing special. Nice arrangement.

     
  6. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Home Is Where The Heart Is
    Written By :
    Hal David & Sherman Edwards

    Recorded :
    Radio Recorders, Hollywood, October 26-27, 1961 : October 26, 1961. take 21 (edited)

    This is a nice little song, full of whimsy. It's peaceful and sweet. The backing vocals definitely seem a bit forward in the mix here.

     
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  7. DirkM

    DirkM Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA, USA
    Riding The Rainbow has pretty much the same feel as This Is Living, imo. Overall, I'm not a big fan of side 1 of the Kid Galahad EP.

    Side 2 is another matter entirely. Home Is Where The Heart Is is a beautiful song, wonderfully performed. I prefer the edited version (clocking in at ~1:52) to the full-length version (~2:33), which sounds a bit awkward during the part that they cut out (nothing technically wrong with the high note Elvis hits on the word "touch," but it doesn't fit the dreamy mood of the song).

    Does anyone know if the mono mix was a fold-down? Because I find it interesting that the Kid Galahad FTD has both the mono master (the edited 1:52 version) and the stereo master (the full-length 2:33 version), but there's a stereo version on the CD version of I Got Lucky that uses the mono edit (or at least a similar edit).
     
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  8. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    Colonel Parker was exactly what Elvis needed in his early years. It's no secret that show business is a racket and the Colonel could out con the most seasoned con men. Parker played the game well and got Elvis top dollar for anything he did and grudging respect from detractors. Keep in mind that early Rock & Roll was viewed as a raunchy kids' music fad and definitely not an art form. If you had told most adults back then that these recordings would be highly regarded over 50 years later, they probably would have laughed at you. This is the world that Parker managed Elvis in. The Colonel also did well at keeping Elvis' career going during his army years. Finally, Parker did a great job as management when Elvis rebuilt his career after his army discharge. Of course it was Elvis' tremendous talent that makes him the great revered artist that we discuss today but Colonel Parker during this time was certainly an asset on the business side of things.
    Keep in mind that The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, was great at the polishing/showmanship tasks of show business but made some very bad business deals for the band members early on. Those publishing deals were terrible even though they were just starting out. I'd bet the Colonel would have cleaned up in negotiations considering that he and Elvis had a publishing empire with Elvis hardly writing a single note of the music they controlled.
    In later years, (mid 1960's) I think Elvis should have parted with Parker because the professional relationship was no longer beneficial to Elvis' career. Elvis and The Beatles were loyal to their management but it costed them. The Beatles lost monetarily and Elvis lost artistically.
     
  9. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    nice appraisal
     
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  10. ClausH

    ClausH Senior Member

    Location:
    Denmark
    No stereo mixes were released during Elvis' lifetime. The soundtrack appeared in stereo on the Double Features cd from the early 90s.

    The complete version of King of the Whole Wide World was released for the first time on Return of the Rocker in 1986.
     
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  11. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Elvis lost monetarily too, with the Colonel's inept deals with the Hilton (which were compromised by his own gambling debts there) and his rejection of overseas touring opportunities. Not to mention his ridiculous 50% commission, which was far above industry standard and far above what he was worth.

    I'd question the value of his management in the early years also in some ways. You noted the Colonel kept Elvis' career going while he was in the army. But it's notable that the Colonel was behind the decision to prevent Elvis from doing any recording while in the service, because he didn't want Elvis recording without him present. Things worked out okay, but there's no reason Elvis couldn't have done some recording during that time, which might have sustained his momentum and reduced his anxiety when he got out.
     
  12. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    I definitely agree about Parker's management in later years. He wasn't doing what an agent should by putting his client's interests first and foremost in business dealings.
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2018
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  13. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    I think we can agree with all of these statements at the same time. I really appreciate Dave pointing out that Tom Parker did do a fairly remarkable job in the early part of Elvis's career. Now, everyone knows the distain I have for Parker's role in Elvis's later career, if they have seen any of my previous posts on Elvis, and personally I find his lust for the almighty dollar despicable, but we cannot be too revisionist in our thinking here as Parker was largely considered a genius manager for the first decade or so of Elvis's career. Look at the way the definitive biography of the time by Jerry Hopkin's treats Parker as a brilliant and eccentric figure to be admired and respected. Oh, we know Hopkins got a lot wrong on Elvis and in particular, Tom Parker, but I know my father, who I have spoken of before on this thread as he was a major PD of an important top 40 radio station in the late 1950' and 1960's, thought Parker was a fantastic manager during those times. I do think he would have been appalled at the 50% commission rate that @czeskleba refers to above and many other things that have come out since my father's passing, but again hindsight is 20/so as they say.
     
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  14. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I'd say from a monetary standpoint, Parker was a competent manage for the first decade. I'd question the notion he was anything exceptional, certainly not genius. Parker employed his carny sensationalism to attract attention to Elvis, but I don't know that that was really necessary. Elvis' revolutionary music and controversial performance style would have drawn attention regardless... I don't think stunts like the "waist up" shooting on Ed Sullivan were pivotal to his success. Parker did negotiate some very good deals from a financial standpoint, but again that was offset by the excessive (and nonstandard) commission he was taking from Elvis. The notion that Parker was anything other than average as a manager in the beginning seems to me to be more hype than reality. And certainly after about 1966 or so, his management became detrimental both financially and artistically.
     
  15. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    and after 69 he essentially was killing his golden goose ....
     
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  16. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    It happened prior to '69. By 1963, Parker's management philosophy had become detrimental. Yes, he secured high six-figure film contracts, but the quality of the projects were harmful, and he had all but abandoned Elvis' recording career.
     
  17. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    i meant more in a literal way ie vegas feeding a gambling habit
     
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  18. Revelator

    Revelator Disputatious cartoon animal.

    Location:
    San Francisco
    True, but his vocals in the other doormat songs had more vitality and dramatic moments than in "Jim," where he sounds completely cowed.

    I think it's a very good EP--six tunes ranging from great to above-average and no dogs. I've never seen the film to be honest. The Kid Galahad FTD is worth purchasing, by the way, because it has several alternative versions of "King of the Whole Wide World" that sound just as great as the released take. I'm still not sure if Elvis chose the version with the best arrangement!

    We should also remember that Elvis regularly had nightmares about losing everything he had and becoming poor again. Because Parker was instrumental in helping him make the big time, and because he was deeply frightened of poverty, Elvis didn't want to rock the boat.
     
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  19. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    I think what you have to keep in mind is that Parker's management style of staging huge media events on television and not overexposing his client to the public in the early days was copied by many superstar managers even to this day. Parker and Elvis were paving their own path and as much as I have grown to dislike many decisions he made for Elvis during his career, I just have to acknowledge his early role in securing that RCA recording contract and the television and movie appearances, something that Elvis really wanted at first.

    Now do not misunderstand me, I argue vehemently when people try to suggest that Elvis would not have been as big a star without Parker or maybe even foolishly suggest he could not have made it all. Elvis had already established a recording contract with Sun Records and was stealing shows as an opening act to some of the biggest stars in country music. Just ask Hank Snow fans about this later fact. Elvis was well on his way to future stardom and Parker was smart enough to spot Elvis's unique talent and try to bottle the genie as quickly as possible. Give him credit for that if nothing else.
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2018
  20. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I overlooked commenting on this earlier, but I agree with your thoughts here. Elvis generally chose songs that expressed a consistent point of view and had a consistent narrative persona. Even though he didn't write songs, the songs he chose usually "sounded like" Elvis. But I agree that "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" does not. I think it's the fact that the protagonist is so timid that he's afraid to even speak to the object of his affections. In the other so-called "doormat" songs cited, Elvis is speaking directly to the person he's willing to be a doormat for, and that's notably different than what's going on in "Jim." Lyrically, it just does not feel like an Elvis song to me. Whereas "She's Not You" really does. I can really believe the latter was written specifically for Elvis, whereas the former was not.
     
  21. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I Got Lucky
    Written By :
    Ben Weisman, Dolores Fuller & Fred Wise

    Recorded :

    Radio Recorders, Hollywood, October 26-27, 1961 : October 27, 1961. take 2 (edited)


    "I Got Lucky" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley as part of the soundtrack for his 1962 motion picture Kid Galahad.[1][2]He performs it in the movie.[3][4][5][6]

    Its first release on record was on the soundtrack EP Kid Galahad[1] in August 1962.[3]

    In 1963 it was also released on a single in Europe, with "Girls! Girls! Girls!" on the reverse side.

    In 1971 the song was included at the title track on the low price LP I Got Lucky.[7][8]
    -----------------------------------------
    This is a cool little song. I don't think it is among his best tracks or anything, but it bounces along nicely.

     
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  22. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    A Whistling Tune
    Written By :
    Hal David & Sherman Edwards

    Recorded :

    Radio Recorders, Hollywood, October 26-27, 1961 : October 26, 1961. take 1 & 8 splice

    As one would expect this track starts with some whistling. It has a nice stripped back arrangement and comes over nicely.
    None of the tracks on this soundtrack EP are bad songs at all, I think they just sound like soundtrack songs. I can't really explain that any better than to say they seem like their purpose is merely to put into a movie. They don't seem inspired in terms of making or gaining any musical ground.
    Certainly not bad, but second string Elvis ... obviously merely in my opinion.

     
  23. DirkM

    DirkM Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA, USA
    I'm not saying that it's a masterpiece or anything, but I Got Lucky is one of my favourite Elvis songs. It's breezy, and fun, and extremely catchy. Later on, it made a particularly effective opener for the Camden album of the same name. As with Home Is Where The Heart Is, I think they made a good decision to edit it down; the intro is much snappier on the final master, making Elvis' entrance more effective.

    A Whistling Tune is nothing special, but it's a pleasant enough listen. I prefer the Follow That Dream version, in part because it doesn't have the whistling! As with I Got Lucky, the song is more effective when the instrumental intro is shorter.
     
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  24. Revelator

    Revelator Disputatious cartoon animal.

    Location:
    San Francisco
    I'm very fond of this one. I've never seen the film it's featured in, so I tend to hear "A Whistling Tune" as a sort of late-night song, something you sing when walking home alone in the dark. The spareness of the arrangement, delicacy of the vocals, and late-night feel remind me of Elvis's version of "Blue Moon," though I wouldn't say it was as great.
     
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  25. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Return To Sender

    [​IMG]

    Written By :
    Otis Blackwell & Winfield Scott

    Recorded :

    Radio Recorders, Hollywood, March 26-29, 1962 : March 27, 1962. take 2

    B-side "Where Do You Come from"
    Released September 5, 1962
    Recorded March 27, 1962, Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California
    Genre Rhythm and blues[1]
    Length 2:09
    Label RCA Victor[2]
    Songwriter(s)

    Producer(s) Steve Sholes and Chet Atkins[2]
    "Return to Sender" is a 1962 hit single recorded by American singer Elvis Presley and performed in the film Girls! Girls! Girls! The song was written by Winfield Scott and Otis Blackwell and published by Elvis Presley Music.[2]

    The song peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart,[3] and was the UK Christmas number one of 1962. It also reached #2 on the American Billboard singles chart, (Big Girls Don't Cry by The Four Seasons kept it from the #1 spot.) [4] However, the song reached number 1 on the rival Cash Box and Music Vendor singles charts. "Return to Sender" also went to #5 on the R&B charts.[5] It was the first Christmas number one in Ireland, as the Irish Charts had been founded in October 1962. The single was certified "Platinum" by the RIAA for sales in excess of one million units in the US.

    Return to Sender is about a man sending a letter by post to his girlfriend after an argument. She continually writes "return to sender" and he keeps receiving the letter with various reasons for returning to sender, including "address unknown" and "no such person". He keeps mailing letters, refusing to believe the relationship is over. The phrase "no such zone" in the song refers to U.S. postal zones, a predecessor of the current U.S. ZIP Code. A postal zone was a one- or two-digit number written between the city and state ("New York 1, NY"), whereas a ZIP Code is a five- or nine-digit number written after the state ("New York, NY 10001").

    Return to Sender was recorded on March 27, 1962, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood and featured Presley's longtime cohorts Scotty Moore on guitar and D.J. Fontana on drums, Barney Kessel on electric guitar, Tiny Timbrell on acoustic guitar, Ray Siegal on double bass, Dudley Brooks on piano, Boots Randolph on baritone saxophone and the Jordanaires on backing vocals. The group was augmented by various session musicians including drummer Hal Blaine.

    Another saxophonist, Bobby Keys, claimed he performed the solo at the instigation of pianist Glen D. Hardin, in his 2012 memoir Every Night's A Saturday Night. However, Hardin did not meet Presley until February 1970, when he joined his touring band. In addition, his claim is not supported by RCA, Ernst Jorgensen (the official archivist for Presley's recordings), or session logs.[6][7]

    Gerri Granger later recorded an answer song: "Don't Want Your Letters". The song was arranged and conducted by Bert Keyes. It was released on the single Big Top 45-3128.[8]

    On January 8, 1993, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring Presley. Many stamp collectors mailed envelopes, franked with this stamp, to fictitious addresses in the hopes that they would receive their letters not only postmarked with the first day of issue, but also with a "return to sender" postal marking.
    -------------------------------------
    Although probably not one of Elvis' best songs, this has always been one of my favourites. This is a playful song that is really kind of funny (well except for the poor guy sending the letter). There are probably very few people that are unfamiliar with this song.


     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2018
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