Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

What could EJ do for MSG what Prince FAP hasn't already got?
Bundle the shows in a hardback book with lotsa pix?

 

That's The Way It Is

The Next Step Is Love - "we've yet to taste the icing on the cake that we've been baking with the past" is the stuff of lyric legend... Wonderful track, it makes me miss the '70s.

Bridge Over Troubled Water - a beautiful studio version (with added applause), yet I love the 1972 Elvis On Tour performance even more.

 

No doubt about it. And other than the promo sticker on the RSD vinyl release, there has been no confirmation from any outlet confirming the box set is actually happening. I suspect it will, but you never know. The problem with Elvis On Tour is that it appears multiple parties need to be involved with the project for it to get the green light, and there has been no indication that there are any plans to produce a deluxe set. The last time Ernst was publicly asked about it (at the end of 2017), not only did he allude to the complications of multiple parties being involved, he also said no project was on the horizon. So, you are correct, by the time all the parties conceivably come to an agreement to produce an expansive set (and that is a big if), it may be too late with respect to physical product.

 

I worry a bit about that too as Sony Legacy is sure taking their sweet time about an official announcement concerning the actual release date for the upcoming 69 Live In Vegas box set. On the positive side, I see that Sony Legacy waited until April 30th to make the official announcement about their new Bob Dylan live box set for a pending release on June 7th. Wow, what is that some five weeks notice? Now, I am sure that unofficial word leaked before the official post came out in some way as I did not follow this release news closely, but Sony Music has sure decided to narrow their official announcement window quite a bit these days.

The whole CD business is changing so rapidly that it has even surprised me, and count me in as a big fan of the format. I am currently waiting on a proposed project with Universal Music through an independent label and I am not optimistic about its chances right now. Universal Music tends to be one of the hardest to work with, even when the CD market was strong. It took me about two years to get Sony Music's cooperation for an RCA Living Stereo CD twofer from the Golden Age of Christmas last year. Real Gone Music sold out of it before Christmas and they had to order an additional supply, and this was for an artist that very few people even know about it these days, so I still think the CD market is being dismissed too quickly by the major labels.

 

As for Elvis On Tour. I would be happy just for the four (I think it was four) concerts to be remastered and released as a package, in lieu of ever getting the footage released on DVD or Bluray. I am not one to watch a concert on video more than once or twice anyway. But I listen to music many times. In fact as for the TTWII deluxe package, I have yet to even watch the DVDs.

 

And why they did not include the far superior Blu-ray version of the concert was a shame. I never get tired of watching that one.

 

And at some future date (after they remaster the four On Tour concerts for CD) they can release the video footage as a separate package on BluRay. That way it would not take as much coordination to get this done.

 

And then they could make a NEW package that includes both the CD and the BluRay. They can milk it like they did the 68 Comeback. I did not buy the latest package for the 68 Comeback because I already have The Complete Special box on CD and Deluxe DVD box. Enough is enough already. Heck the very first FTD was the 68 Special. And Tiger Man CD and Memories CD has hardly been topped anyway.

 

I too always felt like "Mama Liked The Roses" was an odd inclusion just because it mentions the Christmas season in passing (I mean, why not also add "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears" or, later, "Snowbird" if any tenuous connection will do?).
That said, I've heard people say that this is their favorite Elvis Christmas song, no doubt having discovered it on the Camden release or the budget It's Christmas Time CD which sells like hot cakes every year.

And IMO this is the greatest thread on the board. Carry on.

 

"Almost in Love", a joke of an album ?

Maybe the title and artwork, but I highly suggest you give it a strong listen to tracks 3 to 9 over again.

A cohesive strong selection of songs, poorly executed on a second-rate budget album. A pity.

 

It's an odd choice, but at the same time I cannot think of anything available that would have been better either. I guess their thinking was that musically it has a vaguely Christmassy-sounding arrangement with bells, and the lyrics are floridly sentimental so that's close enough. I admit that if I didn't speak English it would be easy to mistakenly think it was a Christmas song based on how it sounds. I guess they really felt like they needed to have ten songs on there, which is odd since a few months later they had no problem making You'll Never Walk Alone a nine-song album. I think that's what they should have done here, but no one was asking me.

 

Just fyi, the pics show fine on my phone.

 

This has got to be the biggest selling album in history. I have six copies of the Camden/Pickwick album personally (gifts). I think every U.S. southerner that celebrated Christmas had a copy in one of its various forms in the home back in the day. It is surprising to me that the original Victor album was out of print by the late 1960s while many of the soundtracks were available. Although there was a glut of Elvis material at this time (1970), this Camden Christmas album actually makes sense. A low price point and Christmas music makes for a big impulse seller. I agree with the opinion that the sequencing on this album is far superior to the original sequence. I think that the original album was sequenced with secular holiday songs on one side and traditional Christian music on the other side to avoid controversy (It didn't work, Elvis critics pounced on it anyway back in the 50s). By 1970, Elvis was good people and the controversy had moved on to new rockers and things like their sneaky backwards masking techniques to destroy the minds of the youth unawares.

 

Almost In Love
(US) RCA Camden CAS 2440
Released: October 1970



Almost in Love is a compilation album by American singer Elvis Presley, released in November 1970 by RCA Recordson their budget label, RCA Camden. It was the first of several albums on the low-priced RCA Camden label (others including C'Mon Everybody and I Got Lucky) to make available in LP format tracks that had previously been available only on 45 rpm singles or EPs.

It was certified Gold and Platinum on January 6, 2004 by the Recording Industry Association of America.[3]

Side one
1. "Almost in Love" (from Live a Little, Love a Little) Luiz Bonfá, Randy Starr March 7, 1968 2:54
2. "Long Legged Girl (With the Short Dress On)" (from Double Trouble) John Leslie McFarland, Winfield Scott June 29, 1966 1:27
3. "Edge of Reality" (from Live a Little, Love a Little) Bill Giant, Bernie Baum, Florence Kaye March 7, 1968 3:14
4. "My Little Friend" Shirl Milete January 16, 1969 2:50
5. "A Little Less Conversation" (from Live a Little, Love a Little) Billy Strange, Mac Davis March 7, 1968 2:00

Side two
1. "Rubberneckin'" (from Change Of Habit) Dory Jones, Bunny Warren January 20, 1969 2:12
2. "Clean Up Your Own Back Yard" (from The Trouble With Girls) Billy Strange, Mac Davis October 23, 1968 3:10
3. "U.S. Male" Jerry Reed January 16, 1968 2:42
4. "Charro" (from Charro!) Billy Strange, Mac Davis October 15, 1968 2:45
5. "Stay Away, Joe" (from Stay Away, Joe) Ben Weisman, Sid Wayne October 1, 1967 2:07
The final track was replaced by the following on the 1973 LP re-release and the 2006 compact disc release:


5. "Stay Away" Sid Tepper, Roy C. Bennett October 4, 1967 3:43

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I think this was a great compilation. Yet again RCA messed it up. One has to seriously question RCA;s ability to do their job. It seems Elvis was surrounded by incompetence and thieves, but I guess that is the music industry.
Personally I think with a slight order rearrangement this could and probably should have been a regular release. Almost in Love the song, is a fantastic song, I just think it is the wrong track to open this album. We have an album that is essentially up tempo numbers, starting with the most gentle, smoky jazz ballad on the album, and this further reinforces to me that whoever was putting these albums together, just didn't have a clue.
Again, we have been through all the songs here, but these are such good songs
Edge Of Reality
A Little Less Conversation'
Rubberneckin'
Clean Up Your Own Back Yard
US Male
are all great uptempo tracks, and I personally love My Little Friend, Almost In Love and Charro as exotic big ballads.
Long Legged Girl has that great harsh guitar
I reckon this should have been presented more like

side one
A Little Less Conversation
Edge Of Reality
Almost In Love
Clean Up Your Own Backyard
Long Legged Girl

side two
Rubberneckin'
My Little Friend
Charro
US Male
Stay Away
and I would sit that next to most of Elvis' great albums.

Let us know what you guys reckon on this top class Camden release!

 

I know I'm in the minority here but I really do not like that (kind of) album: it's a great example how a (mostly) nice bunch of songs make a terrible concept. The tracklist is eneven (the opening number is the least interesting one), the last track is a mistake and had to be replaced later, the cover art is uninspired and do not reflect at all the content. And the content do not reflect what Elvis was recording at the time. Still, many of the songs included were pretty good but, for example, to use two American session tracks - including RUBBERNECKIN' - in a Candem album is IMO a joke (specially when "Back in Memphis" was only 10 tracks long).
I know "Almost in love" is not as horrible and painful as 1972 "Elvis sings Burning love and hits from his movies" but I do believe that the man diserved something better than quick-bucks-releases.

 

Almost In Love is a collection of singles not on an album before (because Stay Away was the originally intended track). The only reason I can think of as to why Long Legged Girl was included is it is from a by then a recent yet out of print LP. But to me it would have made more sense to use High Heel Sneaker, Come What May or Fools Fall In Love instead. But since the following all went out of print at the same time:
It Happened At The World's Fair
Harum Scarum
Frankie And Johnny
Spinout
Double Trouble
Clambake
Why Long Legged Girl? If they were content on repeating a single from an OOP LP, then wouldn't Guitar Man or Big Boss Man been a more interesting choice?

And, one of RCA's favorite mistakes occurs here as well, alternate take 10 of ALLC is used instead of master take 16. This mistake had already occurred with Doncha Think It's Time on Gold V2, and with Old Shep on a something like 3 stampers of Elvis. I do not know if it was a mistake or not, but only early issues of GI Blues had the unspliced version of Didja' Ever, soon to be replaced by the master with a sliced intro we have heard ever since.

But it is by far the best Camden album of them all. And it could have easily been a regular release if they avoided the mistakes and made it a 12 track album deleting Long Legged Girl and including High Heel Sneakers, Come What May and Fools Fall In Love. And considering the song criteria and status of the songs used on Gold Records Vol 4. It could have easily passed as Gold Records Vol 5.

As we know it took 1Mil sales for a single to become gold back then. And the ONLY song on Gold V4 that was on a million selling single was A Mess Of Blues.

 

Elvis and Charlie at a Tom Jones show Oct 1970

 

Elvis in Memphis Oct 17 1970

 

As someone who use to avoid these Camden releases like the plague, I have to admit that Almost In Love really does stand up well on its own as a rather fine album. It really has the feel of a traditional studio album, although one with a lot of singles on it. The only Camden release I recall buying as a young fan was the Separate Ways album. I loved the double sided hit single, but was not thrilled with the artwork or concept of these Camden releases. I am sure I was not even aware that they were a budget line release at the time, but I do recall that they seemed cheap to buy.

I understand exactly where @PepiJean is coming from regarding his criticism of the nature and wisdom of these Camden releases, and I actually agree with him on the merits of the whole concept at the time by Parker and RCA, but at the same time, I understand that this is a part of the legacy of Elvis's album catalogue, and long time fans identify with the some of the better Camden releases, and to my ears, Almost In Love is a definite highlight of the Camden releases. In fact, I would dare say it is one of Elvis's better compilation albums that almost doubles as a very fine studio album.

 

He never looked better than he did in 1969 and 1970.

 

I agree, but I might add 1968 with the Comeback Special as well.

 

Is he trying to get Tom Jones' autograph?

 

It would be interesting to find out what a typical Tom Jones setlist was during this time. I wonder if there were any tunes that inspired Elvis or left an impression considering there was a mutual respect...?

 

It seems somewhat of a double bind with the Camden's .... I don't really like the idea, although there are some good albums, but the thing is, they sold better, by a long way it would seem, than the regular albums.
I'm not sure if the Camden's inhibited standard release sales, due to the price. If people just happened to like what was on the Camden's. If it was the being available in unusual stores .....
I guess from a business point of view, they were a huge success. From an artistic point of view, they aren't so much a failure, as just plain weird.

If I had been Elvis, and the sales information was available at the time, I reckon I would have reissued From Elvis In Memphis on Camden, and asked that all my releases get the Camden distribution. I mean you make albums, because you want people to hear them, and hopefully like them .... but have to get them for that to happen.

It is beyond my comprehension, so far as what sold how much, and the why's? are befuddling to me. I won't spend ten cents on something I don't want, but I will, if even begrudgingly, spend twenty bucks on something I do want.