Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, May 26, 2019.

  1. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I tend to agree with this view. Who Am I strikes me as an average song that is elevated by the strength of Elvis' performance. But beyond the great, heartfelt vocal, there is not a lot to it. Let Us Pray is also not a great song, but it's catchy and fun. The arrangement and backing musicians are top notch, and Elvis is still obviously cruising on the momentum he got from American Studios. I've always been fond of the Change of Habit material. My preference for the latter song probably also reflects my bias toward uptempo gospel, which I've discussed previously.
     
  2. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I've never seen anything like this mentioned anywhere, and there's no discussion of this in Keith Flynn's book. So absent a source, I'm skeptical. It doesn't seem likely they would have been planning an album that far ahead, based on songs Elvis might be recording for the TV special. And more to the point, if the intent had been to release a Camden Christmas album in 1968, they still could have done that, using the tracks that appeared on the 1970 Camden Christmas album. They even could have thrown in the 68 Comeback Blue Christmas.
     
    Dave112 and mark winstanley like this.
  3. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    I am skeptical too and that's why I noted the absence of sources. I've tried a few times to find this again without success (but I do recall reading such an article). I was thinking that there might be something to it since the Flaming Star album did contain a live track from the special and there are some noted sound quality issues during some of the live parts on the soundtrack album. I have to say that I enjoy the Camden Christmas Album, You'll Never Walk Alone, and Let's Be Friends the best. They each work well as an album to have been compiled from so many different sources.
     
    D.B. and mark winstanley like this.
  4. Mark87

    Mark87 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, England
    Yes I think you’re right, it’s the Trouble With Girls version
     
    D.B. and mark winstanley like this.
  5. londonflash

    londonflash Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent
    Big Elvis fan here. Used to be a huge "jumpsuit junkie" but less so these days, although I still think he made a lot of great music in this period.

    Top 5 Elvis albums*

    • Elvis Golden Records Vol 2 - go-to has to be the FTD, which has the entire June '58 session that has to be one of his best
    • Elvis Is Back - an amazing album recorded beautifully
    • That's The Way It Is - great adult LP, the mix of studio and live tracks actually works
    • From Elvis In Memphis - Elvis unleashed and reclaiming his crown
    • An Afternoon In The Garden - his concerts in 1969 and 1970 are certainly better but this recording is so exciting and Elvis is still in great form, such an exciting recording
    Honourable mentions to Elvis (1956 LP), King Creole, His Hand In Mine, Something For Everybody, How Great Thou Art, On Stage - Feb 1970 and Elvis Country.

    And, errr, ummm, well y'know it's fun, errrrrr Fun In Acapulco.
     
    D.B., Dave112, thxphotog and 3 others like this.
  6. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Swing Down Sweet Chariot is on the UK, South African, French, Canadian and Italian version (according to Discogs)
    All say with the Jordanaires, but who knows.
    I can't find anything to tell me the version. It isn't listed as technically being on the album, so I guess I'm at a loss to provide any info.
    Sorry guys
     
    D.B., Dave112 and RSteven like this.
  7. No worries Mark - this one has stumped us all!
     
    Dave112, RSteven and mark winstanley like this.
  8. ClausH

    ClausH Senior Member

    Location:
    Denmark
    Here is a poor sounding vinyl rip. Swing Down Sweet Chariot is the 1960 recording.
     
    Iceman08, Shawn, SKATTERBRANE and 7 others like this.
  9. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Nice one :righton:
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2019
    Dave112, Mark87 and RSteven like this.
  10. Mark87

    Mark87 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, England
    It’s good that’s cleared up! :righton:
     
    mark winstanley likes this.
  11. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Besides LSP-1951e remained in print through 1970. It was not put OOP in 1968. LPM-1951 went OOP in 1968 however.
     
  12. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    I totally believe you may have read such an article. Just because something did not get transposed to the internet does not mean it never happened.
     
    D.B., NumberEight, DirkM and 3 others like this.
  13. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    I am still looking for it. Until then, I will put it on the shelf so to speak. It falls under "certainly possible" but as much as has been written about or quoted from the people that were actually there working on the '68 special, it seems like a good factoid tidbit not to have been more widely published. I was hoping that one of the Elvis experts here could point me in the direction of that article or some references.
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2019
    mark winstanley and RSteven like this.
  14. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Life *
    Only Believe **


    (US) RCA 47-9985
    Released: April 27, 1971
    * Recorded: RCA Studio B, Nashville, June 6, 1970
    ** Recorded: RCA Studio B, Nashville, June 8, 1970

    from the album Love Letters from Elvis
    A-side

    Released March 1971
    Recorded June 6, 1970
    Length 3:22
    Label RCA
    Songwriter(s) Shirl Milete
    Producer(s) Felton Jarvis


    [​IMG][​IMG]


    "Life" is a 1971 song by Elvis Presley. It was written by Shirl Milete. Elvis recorded it June 6, 1970. The single release had a seven-week stay on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, peaking at #53. It reached #8 on the Easy Listening chart and #34 on the Country Chart. It was a double A-side with "Only Believe". It was included on Elvis' Love Letters from Elvis album.
    ------------------------------------------------------------
    The record company had started to get a routine by now. Release a lead a single, and follow it with the album. It is a shame they hadn't found this rhythm earlier, because I can't help feeling that some earlier albums would have been much more successful with a lead single.
    I actually like both these songs, but we will go through them properly on the album.
     
    Iceman08, Dave112 and D.B. like this.
  15. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Love Letters from Elvis

    [​IMG][​IMG]
    Studio album by
    Elvis Presley
    Released
    June 16, 1971
    Recorded June 4–9, 1970
    Genre Soft rock, country
    Length 32:40
    Label RCA Records
    Producer Felton Jarvis

    Love Letters from Elvis is the fourteenth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released in 1971. The album was critically panned upon release, and failed to crack the top 20 of the Billboard album charts but did reach #12 on the US Top Country Albums chart and #7 on the UK best-selling albums chart.

    The album was made up of leftovers from Elvis' marathon June 1970 recording sessions in Nashville. Most of the other 35 songs recorded during those sessions had been used in Elvis' 1970 albums That's the Way It Is and Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old). Wanting to squeeze out a third album from the sessions, RCA records had producer Felton Jarvis mix, overdub and compile the remaining songs.

    The song's title track was a rare instance of Presley re-recording a past hit in the studio, his original version of "Love Letters" having been released as a single in 1966. "Got My Mojo Working" is edited down from an impromptu jam session; Presley's version incorporates lyrics from "Hands Off", a 1955 song by Frankie Castro released on the Wing record label (RCA often mislabelled this song "Keep Your Hands Off of It" when the complete jam was issued on CD years later).

    Three songs from this album were released on singles. The single "Life / Only Believe" was released in March 1971 and reached only #53 on the US Billboard Singles chart. It was Elvis's lowest chart position for a single since "Almost in Love" had reached #95 in late 1968. "Heart Of Rome" was placed on the B-side of the non-album track "I'm Leavin'" released as a single in August 1971 it reached #23 in the UK and #83 in Australia.


    1. "Love Letters" Edward Heyman, Victor Young June 7, 1970 2:53
    2. "When I'm Over You" Shirl Milete June 7, 1970 2:28
    3. "If I Were You" Gerald Nelson June 8, 1970 3:01
    4. "Got My Mojo Working" Preston Foster June 5, 1970 4:36
    5. "Heart of Rome" Alan Blaikley, Ken Howard, Geoff Stephens June 6, 1970 2:56

    1. "Only Believe" D. Paul Rader June 8, 1970 2:49
    2. "This Is Our Dance" Les Reed, Geoff Stephens June 6, 1970 3:16
    3. "Cindy, Cindy" Dolores Fuller, Buddy Kaye, Ben Weisman June 4, 1970 2:33
    4. "I'll Never Know" Frederick Karger, Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman June 5, 1970 2:25
    5. "It Ain't No Big Thing (But It's Growing)" Shorty Hall, Alice Joy Merritt, Neal Merritt June 6, 1970 2:49
    6. "Life" Shirl Milete June 6, 1970 3:10

    FTD reissue -extra tracks
    12. "The Sound of Your Cry"
    13. "Sylvia"
    14. "Rags To Riches"
    15. "Something"
    16. "The Sound Of Your Cry" (takes 1, 2, 3)
    17. "Cindy, Cindy" (take 1)
    18. "I’ll Never Know" (take 1)
    19. "It Ain’t No Big Thing (But It’s Growing)" (takes 1, 2)
    20. "Life" (take 1, 2)
    21. "Heart Of Rome" (take 1)
    22. "If I Were You" (take 1)
    23. "Rags To Riches" (rehearsal, take 2)
    Disc 2
    Session outtakes and undubbed masters
    No.
    Title Length
    1. "Radio Commercial"
    2. "The Sound Of Your Cry" (takes 4, 5, 6)
    3. "Cindy, Cindy" (takes 2, 3; undubbed master)
    4. "Got My Mojo Working" / "Keep Your Hands Off Of It" (take 1; undubbed master)
    5. "I’ll Never Know" (takes 2, 3)
    6. "It Ain’t No Big Thing (But It’s Growing)" (takes 3, 4, 5, 6)
    7. "This Is Our Dance" (takes 6, 7, 9,11; undubbed master)
    8. "Life" (take10)
    9. "Heart of Rome" (take 2; undubbed master)
    10. "Love Letters" (takes 3, 1)
    11. "If I Were You" (takes 2, 3, 4, 5)
    12. "Only Believe" (takes 1, 2, 3, 4; undubbed master)
    13. "Sylvia" (takes 1, 2, 3, 4, 9)
    14. "Rags To Riches" (take 3)
    -------------------------------------
    This album seems to be universally scorned as a terrible album ... I don't really see it that way. This is a decent album, but understandably slightly less than the two album prior, mainly due to the fact that these songs are leftovers from the Nashville Marathon. Leftovers are never going to taste as good as a fresh cooked meal, but I don't really get that from these.
    For the most part this album feels a little more mellow and to some degree also, it seems hard to imagine that some of these were even recorded at the same sessions, not from a quality perspective, more from a feel/direction perspective.
    In the end, everyone will always have their own ideas about this album, but to me it is not terrible, just a bit different.

    So...
    What do you think of this album?
    If you were around when it came out, were you greatly disappointed?
    Has your opinion on the album changed over the years?

    Let us know your heart and mind on this album, and we'll hit the first two songs tomorrow.

    Cheers,
    Mark
     
  16. ClausH

    ClausH Senior Member

    Location:
    Denmark
    Basically a bunch of rejects. The only good songs are Mojo and Cindy Cindy, imo. The re-recording of Love Letters can't even begin to touch the 1966 master and I find it strange that it was re-recorded in the first place.

    It was the beginning of the end.
     
  17. PepiJean

    PepiJean Forum Resident

    In my case, it was a huge letdown. Most of the tracks were clearly leftovers, leaning towards Mor/Country territory. Even the real standout (GOT MY MOJO WORKIN' / HANDS OFF) was terribly edited. "Essential Elvis volume 4" and, later, the FTD version of "LLFE" repaired it with an undubbed / uncut version. It's still amazing that nobody was able to do a proper intro for such a joyous R&B medley. Anyway, the rest of the LP was nothing special: even CINDY CINDY crumbles under tones and tones of overdubs. And the cover "art" was nothing but shockingly appalling. In 1971, Elvis should have been focusing on real projects instead of picking up discarded stuff. In a perfect world, after the "Elvis Country" success, there would have been hope for a Folk or a - long awaited - Blues album. Even a 5th Golden Records volume could have been a better option than "LLFE", an album that marked the end of the comeback era (succesful singles included.)

    Jon Landau: "It is amazing how even in the middle of these incredibly schlocky arrangements Elvis can still burn some fire into “Got My Mojo Workin'” and “Cindy, Cindy.” What is even more amazing is how any producer could take that fire and even think to submerge it in the kind of Vegas bar lounge rock context they are given here. The chorus line singing in the background must have surely been paid overtime for this album: they work so hard without getting anywhere."
     
    Iceman08, Revelator, RSteven and 3 others like this.
  18. BeatleJWOL

    BeatleJWOL Senior Member

    "Life" is a fascinating song. I wonder if Larry Geller had anything to do with Elvis picking it out.
     
  19. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    This album seems to be the same idea as Back In Memphis, but less successful ... I probably need to have a closer listen. I find it slightly dull in comparison to what had been coming out up until this point, but I didn't hate it.
     
    RSteven, PepiJean and Dave112 like this.
  20. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    I do agree with ClausH about the title track being weak compared to his previous cover which left little for him to improve on (I thought the 1966 version was spot on). The rest of the album has always been enjoyable for me. Compared to some giants that we've been listening to like TTWII and Elvis Country, this album is a wall flower. Once I get past the title track, the rest is a nice album that would get more attention if not paled in comparison to the mega albums that came before.
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2019
    RSteven and mark winstanley like this.
  21. Spencer R

    Spencer R Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oxford, MS
    It does seem to tie into Elvis’s spiritual interests. As far away from Heartbreak Hotel and Hound Dog as you can get.
     
    Iceman08, RSteven, PepiJean and 2 others like this.
  22. BeatleJWOL

    BeatleJWOL Senior Member

    Found this version by the songwriter:


    As usual, Elvis knocks it out of the park.
     
    Dave112 likes this.
  23. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    After the great job of Elvis Country, it would have been an awesome album series for Elvis to have tackled other genres like folk,blues,and an album of standards. He could do it all and each album would have been a showcase. If only..........
     
    Tord, SKATTERBRANE, RSteven and 2 others like this.
  24. DirkM

    DirkM Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA, USA
    I quite like Love Letters From Elvis, albeit with a few qualifications. Several songs are better served via alternate takes/mixes, and the second half of the album is pretty dire, with only Cindy, Cindy salvaging things. Also, even though I enjoy the 1970 version of the title track, I'll concede that it's inferior to the 60s master. Nevertheless, I love seven of the tracks so much that I would give the album a slight edge over Elvis Country (I prefer it to TTWII by a large margin).
     
    mark winstanley, Shawn and Spencer R like this.
  25. I too feel this album has been misaligned over the years, with what I'd consider two fantastic tracks (Got My Mojo Workin' and Cindy, Cindy), and a bunch of really good tracks (Heart of Rome, If I Were You, It Ain't No Big Thing, Only Believe). Admittedly a couple clunkers, and Life has to be the most bizarre song Elvis recorded, hands down.

    Problems I have with the RCA art/marketing department are - why name the album after the one song that's a remake (an inferior one, at that, compared to Elvis' original)? Good way to annoy fans thinking they were getting the version recorded by Elvis a few years prior. Also, the title implies it's all romantic love songs, which it clearly isn't. Maybe they were trying to make a move on that ever-elusive Valentine's Day LP-buying crowd.

    For the collectors out there, there's two variations of the LP cover, one - as posted in Mark's post above - has the title on two lines of text, while the other has it broken over three lines of text:

    [​IMG]
     
    PepiJean, mark winstanley and RSteven like this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine