Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

On Stage is a really well put together album. I like the way the talking between the songs is almost inaudible. But TTWII is a better album. It's like On Stage would be if every track was The Wonder of You or Let it Be Me.

 

Those are some very astute points all around, and I have never heard anyone else make those connections before. And funny enough, I was just staring at my FTD version of this album today and thinking it was one of his best covers ever. Well, our guy was really in his prime in those years and the early Vegas outfits were some of the finest ones Elvis ever wore. My goodness, even the whole surrounding artwork on the front and back cover made sense and looked great. A very nice tie in to the movie. Wow, and they actually credit the marvelous arrangers on the back cover of the album as well.

 

I'm totally obsessed with TTWII. When they announced the box with 8 CDs and 2 DVDs I said 'Is that all?"

 

I like it when folks boldly proclaim opinions they know are in the minority. Especially considering the subjective medium we are discussing.

 

Yeah, I wanted all six shows and the original theatrical cut on Bluray.

 

When I was a kid I saw the theatrical trailer and the audience all went crazy for it. Everyone was in the theatre to see The Dirty Dozen but were rolling on the floor when Elvis' microphone sagged while he was singing.

 

That trailer is amazing.

I was born in 1973 and first heard of him the day he died, so I love hearing accounts of people that witnessed this in real time.

 

Patch It Up
Written By :
Eddie Rabbitt & Rory Burke

Recorded :
International Hotel, Las Vegas, August 12, 1970 Dinner Show

Forgive me, through my blinkered morning eyes, I missed this yesterday, and of course this should have come after How The Web Was Woven.
This song has some real spunk. Sure lyrically it is a little on the repetitive side, but it is just a pumping. thumping aural assault of a song. It has that Country/Rock/Soul hybrid thing going on, and most Soul music has somewhat of a repetitive nature.
We start out at a very quick speed. and Elvis is committed and focused on getting this song done with some soul. We have the band really pumping and thumping. It seems like Ronnie Tutt is just smashing his kit to pieces, and I often wonder how Tutt is regarded amongst the drumming community, because prior to getting into these seventies recordings I had never heard of him to be honest. I love his style of drumming, and think he's a big part of the Elvis live sound.

 

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
Written By :
Pino Donaggio, Simon Napier-Bell, Vicki Wickham & Vito Pallavicini

Recorded :
RCA's Studio B, Nashville, June 4-9, 1970: June 6, 1970. take 3

This is a great song, whether Elvis or Dusty. I enjoy both versions and won't be drawn on favourites here.
The interesting thing about this song here to me is that it has somewhat of an urgent live sound anyway. So in spite of it being the studio cut, it still has a sound that is in line with the live recordings on this album.

 

Tomorrow I won't be posting any songs.
I want to try something a little new on Sunday mornings. I am going to try a thread "Surrounded on Sunday" where I look at some surround sound albums.
I suppose it's a little selfish, but I rarely get time to sit and listen to my 5.1 albums, and Sunday morning is my spare couple of hours to do so.
I figure that it would be nice to try and communicate what any given 5.1/Quad album's mix is like for those apprehensive of what they may be getting with these types of albums.
I'm not sure if it will be at all successful, nor if there will be any interest, but I like to take a punt every now and again.

If there ends up being any interest, I'll keep doing that on Sunday mornings. In a lot of ways that will probably be good for some folks who have gotten behind on the thread, giving them a chance to catch up without more stuff being compounded.

Anyhow, I hope that isn't going to annoy anybody. I certainly haven't lost interest in the thread. Like I say, I just want to try something to add a little variety to my schedule.

Cheers guys

 

I have a vague recollection of seeing That's The Way It Is on TV for the first time I'm thinking 1976, as the network was showing it as a double bill with some Beach Boys special. I was blown away by Elvis and tried to sit through whatever Beach Boys show it was, but it just seemed a let-down after TTWII. It took me a good 7-8 more years to come to appreciate The Beach Boys.

 

It's weird how that happens. Even when not in comparison to something else, I have heard or watched something very underwhelming, and whoever the band/artist was, would disappear from the sites for a few years and then suddenly you hear something and it tweaks an interest, and all is forgiven lol

 

I am pretty sure the mixes are different than either the original or the 70s box. But I cannot guarantee it. Yes, it does have the linking. I think all of the expanded CDs that came out in the 1999-2000 time are worth having. A few were even reissued with different running orders in 2005 with DSD technology. The original running orders were with bonus track intermixed. The 2005 DSD running orders had the bonus track tagged on the end. But Elvis Country did not get reissued this way.

Of the tope of my head here are the expanded titles:
Elvis Presley
Elvis
Loving You (the above 3 remastered in 2005 in DSD by Kevan Budd and sound fantastic)
Jailhouse Rock
King Creole
All 4 of the Golden Records albums
Elvis Is Back
GI Blues
Something For Everybody
Blue Hawaii
Pot Luck
Viva Las Vegas
TV Special
FEIM
Elvis Country
Promised Land
Moody Blue

 

Ronnie Tutt is very well respected as a drummer amongst musicians. I love his style, and is one of the drummers with a big kit who actually knows how to use it. The list of people he’s performed with is A-list, including Elvis (of course), The Jerry Garcia Band, Neil Diamond, Roy Orbison, The Carpenters, Emmylou Harris, Billy Joel and many others.

While he’s a powerhouse drummer, I admire his use of dynamics.

 

This song is a real fire burner and gives Elvis a great showcase for him and the TCB band to rock out a little bit. What is surprising to me is how much I enjoy both the live and studio versions of this song with Elvis. Even though I give a slight edge to the studio cut, depending on my mood, the live version is just about as riveting and of course seeing him perform it with all his moves on the video is stupendous. There is an outtake video version where Elvis slowly lowers himself all the way to the ground and drops the microphone at the end, and it is just a fantastic performance.

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me features a gorgeous and muscular vocal performance by Elvis, and once again he gets to show off his great vocal range and power. I agree with Mark that I find it almost impossible to compare Dusty and Elvis's superlative performances of this standard, but Dusty's vocal is just riveting to me. There is a vulnerability and passion to her vocal performance that makes her version almost impossible to top, but Elvis sure gives it his best shot.

Also of note is the fact that this is one of four songs that producer Felton Jarvis assigned to Nashville arranger Bergen White for this album. This is noteworthy as he was given the task of arranging the strings and horns on arguably the four most important songs on the album; He arranged both sides of the studio single for the double sided hit I've Lost You/The Next Step Is Love, Bridge Over Troubled Water, and the follow-up A side of the single from the album, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me. Felton must have observed Elvis's appreciation for Bergen White's stellar arrangements for two of Elvis's favorite songs from his On Stage album,, Polk Salad Annie and Walk A Mile In My Shoes, so it should come as no great surprise when Bergen White was assigned the enviable task of arranging Elvis's next two A side singles and one of its flip sides for Elvis's follow-up album. We also know that Elvis felt very strongly about Bridge Over Troubled Water as I believe it is one of the only cuts from these Nashville sessions in June that he recorded an additional vocal overdub. Elvis really loved BOTW and it remained a part of his live repertoire until the very end of his career.

 

Yes indeed, I was just coming to a similar conclusion myself about just how magnificent Elvis was in 1970. We all pretty much knew how his performing skills were at an absolute peak from 1968-1970, but when you stop and think about how successful his hit singles and albums were from 1970, it is pretty staggering.

1970 Gold Singles:
Kentucky Rain/My Little Friend
The Wonder Of You/Mama Liked The Roses
I've Lost You/The Next Step Is Love
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me/Patch It Up

1970 Albums:
Elvis On Stage - Platinum
Almost In Love - Platinum
Worldwide Gold Award Hits - 2x Platinum
Elvis Christmas Album 1970 version - Diamond Award (Ten Million in US shipments)
Elvis That's The Way It Is - platinum

I know Elvis was often credited as the greatest selling male vocalist in the world in 1970, but did any music artist in the world produce this number of best selling singles and albums in 1970? I know many of these RIAA certifications came later over time, but the quality and sheer amount of hit singles and albums from 1970 is just staggering.

 

The Fifties Easy Reference guide
Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread *

1959 - Feb 10 1964 - Reference guide -
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

April 1964 - Sept 1967
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

October 1967 - December 1969
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

 

Better than 1956, 1957 or 1960?

 

Reference Guide

Jan 27 1970
Kentucky Rain/ My Little Friend Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Apr 1970
Lets Be Friends - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 Stay Away Joe Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 If I'm A Fool For Loving you Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Lets Be Friends Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Lets Forget About The Stars Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 Mama Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 I'll Be There Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 Almost Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 Change Of Habit Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 Have A Happy Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Apr 20 1970
The Wonder Of You/ Mama Liked the Roses Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

June 1970
On Stage - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 See See Rider Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 Release Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Sweet Caroline Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Runaway Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 The Wonder Of You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 Polk Salad Annie Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 Yesterday Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 Proud Mary Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 Walk A Mile In My Shoes Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 10 Let It Be Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

July 1970
I've Lost You/ The Next Step Is Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

August 1970
Worldwide Fifty Gold Award Hits vol 1 - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

August 1970
Elvis Christmas Album (Camden) - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

October 1970
Almost In Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

October 6 1970
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me/Patch It Up Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

October 1970
Elvis in Person Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

October 1970
Back In Memphis Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

November 11 1970
That's The Way It Is Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 I Just Can't Help Believin' Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 Twenty Days And Twenty Nights Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 How The Web Was Woven Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Patch It Up Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 Mary In The Morning Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

 

This is one of my favorite songs on the album. I only wish they had either toned down the lush strings or left them off altogether. Elvis' moving vocals in this song is what sets the mood and the heavy use of the strings are redundant IMO. Some guitar riffs in place of the string section would have been an improvement. It is what it is but I enjoy it all the same.

 

I think someone at RCA actually screwed up and did some great artwork for the cover and reverse side. They were most likely fired for this and this "accident" was rectified by the total butchering of the Aloha album's artwork.

 

Yeah, I think I said something similar where the person who did the I’ve Lost You picture sleeve tried to tie it in with the tour artwork, and was no doubt promoted due to forward thinking or fired for showing independent though. The TTWII sleeve was probably the last straw by the same person.

Don’t worry, there are plenty of other artistic screw-ups before Aloha

 

Those were all great for sure. I find myself spending more time listening to the music from 1969 and 1970.

 

Oh, your just killing me here, Dave. Okay, I know there are probably times when a string or horn arrangement does not really add anything to a song or can actually take away from the a great rhythm section, and I am thinking of the live version of Burning Love on Aloha From Hawaii, which is totally inferior to the great studio version in my opinion, but still quite enjoyable. I guess the thinking there was by Elvis is that I have a great 30 piece orchestra sitting behind me and I might as well show off the 12 piece brass section, but in this case it really did take away something from the great thundering bass and drum mix of the original studio recording to my ears. Burning Love was meant to be a pure rock 'n' roll record to me and not as well suited for an orchestral accompaniment as was the case with the Aloha version.

I truly think the whole arrangement on Mary In The Morning was an absolute masterpiece. We have some gorgeous acoustic guitar and piano playing that flow into a lush bed of strings that occasional swell at the beginning of the chorus each time. I absolutely love the harmonica as well, and I am quite picky about when I want to hear that instrument on a record, and the answer to when is usually quite rarely for me personally. The whole glowing atmospherics and lushness of Elvis's voice is enhanced by the string and flamenco horn arrangements to my ears. I know we can respectfully disagree on these things and it is a pleasure to joust with you on occasion as you always bring much insight and great taste when it comes to critiquing Elvis.