Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

IF I WERE YOU
I really don't like that song. Elvis' vocals are good but that straight Country stuff has no appeal to me.

GOT MY MOJO WORKIN' / HANDS OFF
Here is the real standout from that lackluster album. Elvis is on fire, just like the rhythm band, and the energy is infectious. Still this is not my favorite edit of this R&B performance. The one on "LLFE" has some copy/paste parts (2:45) and the overdubs are way too Vegasy. To avoid that, there is the unedited / undubbed master take on FTD's "LLFE" but it includes some profane language, something that does not distract me whatsoever but I can understand some people may not like that. Finally, there is also a very interesting "restored" edition that includes a nice intro, takes the profanities off and combines the undubbed version and the master take as heard on the original album. A real labour of love.
Here is the youtube link:

 

If I Were You is a lovely (if rather depressing) song, and Elvis sings it beautifully. The orchestral overdubs shine nicely, but the backing vocals during the chorus are intrusive and slightly spoil the moment(s) for me. My ideal version of the song would be the master take sans the extra vocals, but since we don't have that, my go-to version is take 5, as heard on Essential Elvis Vol. 4. I'm fairly certain that it's the track from the Nashville Marathon that I've listened to the most; there's something magical about this take/mix that makes me want to keep playing it over and over again whenever it comes up.

I can't find a decent-sounding YouTube video of this particular version (they're either lacking the "Yellow Rose Of Texas" splice, suggesting they were sourced from boots or the LLFE FTD, or they feature what I can only assume is some homemade brickwalling), but every Elvis fan who likes the Nashville Marathon needs a copy of this CD anyway, imo. Even if you have the FTDs, the sequencing/sound/mixes on Essential Elvis Vol. 4 are unique and provide a great listening experience.

Got My Mojo Working is a stunner. I actually prefer the album version to the undubbed/unedited master, which tends to meander a bit in parts. I think they did a killer job at cutting it down to a solid rave-up with no filler or dull moments. The abrupt intro doesn't bother me; if anything, it makes the song more exciting.

I've occasionally flirted with the idea of an "Elvis studio jams" mixtape. The main thing holding me back is that nothing else would live up to this masterpiece.

 

See, I can't agree with that. Regardless of Elvis' physical/mental condition, he could still deliver the goods in the studio (or the Jungle Room, as the case may be). Live, it's another story entirely...but even then, there were occasional highlights, and I actually think that he delivered some of his most moving vocals at or near the end. I'm not saying that the 1977 versions of Unchained Melody, My Way, How Great Thou Art, or Where No One Stands Alone are technically great. But they move me in ways that other versions don't.

As far as the material goes, there were a few howlers yet to come, but on the whole, I actually think that Elvis was more consistent later on. I can rattle off quite a few songs from 1969/1970 that I absolutely can't stand; it takes me a bit more effort to come up with post-1970 songs that get the instant skip-button treatment (I'm sure there are more, but Woman Without Love and Shake A Hand are the only ones that come to mind at the moment).

What I will say is that some of his 70s songs leave me feeling indifferent. I tend to have an emotional reaction to most Elvis songs, good or bad, but there are some 70s tracks - mostly from Stax - that aren't interesting enough to make me care about them one way or another.

 

Nice find! I love hearing these sorts of fan-made edits.

As for the profanity, I *believe* that it's edited out on Essential Elvis Vol. 4. So, despite the labeling, the FTD is the only official place to get the true unedited master.

 

Now that you mention it, I remember thinking the same thing - they had this LP and Gold Records Vol 4 at my local library. I remember checking out Vol 4 a bunch of times (until I saved enough allowance money to buy it) but passed on Love Letters as it did look like an album for girls. Saying that from a mind of a 7 year old.

 

Like most of the other spontaneous, off-the-cuff recordings from Nashville, this is an inspired track, but along with Cindy Cindy, it is somewhat out of place on Love Letters. Elvis Country would have been the more appropriate placement for this recording, but at the end of the day, Love Letters is a grab-bag, leftovers album, so Got My Mojo Working ultimately fits. This is a track I rarely reach for, perhaps because I rarely spin Love Letters and 70's box set.

 

I really like If I Were You as well. We do not have a lot of recordings where Elvis sings what I would call straight country in the traditional sense as he seemed to put his own gospel, soul or rockabilly spin on most of the country songs he tackled in his career, but I love it when he or Charlie Rich take on a seriously traditional sounding country song and sing it so effortlessly. It was in their musical DNA from the start, but so were many other genres of music. It would have been a perfect addition on Elvis Country as you so well point out. I really do think the June material, with the additional studio singles, yielded enough quality material for at least two great albums, ETTWII and Elvis Country, but pushing a third out of the June recordings was probably a bridge too far, but nonetheless, I really like a few of these songs on this album.

Got My Mojo Working/Keep Your Hands Off Of It is really a fantastic jam is it not? I love the naughty version with the horns still included on it that @PepiJean mentions in his post. Is that one on the FTD and does it still include the horns on it? It says un-dubbed version, but the one on YouTube has the horns still on it as well. Elvis is having the time of his life here as that last laugh at the very end of the performance says it all. It looks like the very talented arranger Cam Mullins did the perky horn arrangement and played on it as well, if I am reading it correctly on Keith Flynn's site. We are now back to one of the very best of the Nashville based arrangers for these Elvis sessions in June.

 

"If I Were You," "This Is Our Dance," and "I'll Never Know" are all forgettable songs. Literally forgettable, because I can barely remember anything about them! That's despite having heard them more than twice or thrice. That's always a bad sign on an Elvis album (or any album). They're pleasant, but even as filler they're underwhelming. "If I Were You" is very slightly memorable for having some dopey lines: "The great snowman I've been called by all/But it looks like this time I'm gonna fall." (I had to look those up because I couldn't remember them.) Elvis sounds polite rather than interested.

"Got My Mojo Working/Keep Your Hands Off Of It" is a thousand times better and deserved better than exile on a leftovers album. I always think of this as the sister recording of "Washed My Hands in Muddy Water." In both you can tell Elvis and the band are delighted to cut loose. Elvis's profanity in this case shows how amped up he is. Jorgensen writes:

...during rehearsals for “It’s Your Baby, You Rock It” the band jumped serendipitously, and for no apparent reason, into "Got My Mojo Working." Felton was quick to make sure Al Pachucki got the tape rolling before the band lost its groove, and the jam went on for more than six minutes—but not before Elvis interpolated "Keep Your Hands Off Of It"; another half-remembered song from adolescence, into the middle of the mix. "We grew up on this mediocre s**t, man," Elvis declared enthusiastically. "It’s the type of material that’s not good or bad—it’s just mediocre s**t, you know." But it was "mediocre s**t" with which he was totally comfortable, for which he had great respect, and that he would always love.

 

I think we need more photos of members of this thread listening to Elvis in their Elvis rooms!

 

Cool idea.
I'll give it a try net time I'm able

 

I agree! BTW, I used to have my own Elvis Room but after two kids and 17 years of happilly-married situation, all that remains is a bookshelf with most of my musical treasures tenderly stored inside. Family guy, I guess.

 

I just love this quote that you cited by Jorgensen in his splendid Elvis sessions's book. It just just demonstrates in spades Elvis's unreserved enthusiasm for such a brand range of music that so many music critics could just not identify with. Elvis knew some of the stuff he really liked might be considered "mediocre" or completely "unhip" to many critics or even other musicians, but it did not stop him from singing these songs he liked just enough to sink his chops into with total abandon. Elvis just could not discriminate on the music he liked or even loved, and sometimes that could drive people nuts, and he might have even made some poor choices along the way, but other times it is what made him so unique and magnificent as a vocalist and musician.

 

Seems like opinion is mixed on If I Were You. I really like the song because of the fact that (as mentioned by some) it's straight, traditional country. As Sreve noted, Elvis did a lot of country song but he rarely did straight country arrangements like this... Just Call Me Lonesome is one of the few others that comes to mind. This has a classic country beat and Cramer-style piano and i really like it. The song comes from an interesting source, also. Gerald Nelson's only previous Elvis credits were for cowriting three songs on the Easy Come, Easy Go soundtrack. This song is quite different from those.

 

The fate of Mojo illustrates the problem with compiling genre albums from this session rather than just good albums. Mojo wasn't pop/easy listening, nor was it country, so it didn't really fit stylistically on either of the previous albums, even though it was a standout track from the sessions.

 

This is inspired by those that actually have Elvis rooms in their homes:
Since we are getting well into the 1970's recordings, I propose that we refer to this thread unofficially as "The Jungle Room".

 

Heart Of Rome
Written By :
Geoff Stephens, Alan Blaikley & Ken Howard

Recorded :
RCA's Studio B, Nashville, June 4-9, 1970: June 6, 1970. Take 3 splice with work part 1

I'm guessing it will be an unpopular opinion, but I love this. I find this song really quite invigorating. To some degree it has some flashback to the soundtrack songs, due to parts of its styling, but I find the melodic structure really uplifting and engaging, and for me Elvis vocal here is excellent.

 

Only Believe
Written By :
Paul Rader

Recorded :
RCA's Studio B, Nashville, June 4-9, 1970: June 8, 1970. take 4

At first the organ sounds like I will hate it, but just as that thought crosses my mind, it gets a little slick and slide and instantly becomes a beautiful piece of country blues.
I really like that song, and Elvis conviction sells it to me.

 

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

 

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
track 7 You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 I've Lost You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 Just Pretend Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 10 Stranger In The Crowd Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 11 The Next Step Is Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 12 Bridge Over Troubled Water Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

December 8 1970
I Don't Really Want To Know/ There Goes My Everything Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

January 7 1971
Elvis Country (I Was Born 10,000 Years Ago) - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 Snowbird Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 Tomorrow Never Comes Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Little Cabin On the Hill Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Whole Lotta Shakin Going On Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 Funny How Time Slips Away Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 I Really Don't Want To Know Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 7 There Goes My Everything Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 8 It's Your Baby, You Rock It Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 9 The Fool Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 10 Faded Love Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 11 I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 12 Make The World Go Away Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

February 23 1971
Rags To Riches/Where Did They Go Lord Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

March 22 1971
You'll Never Walk Alone - Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 Who Am I Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 Let Us Pray Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

March 1971
Life/Only Believe Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

June 16 1971
Love Letters From Elvis Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 1 Love Letters Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 2 When I'm Over You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 3 If I Were You Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 4 Got My Mojo Working/Keep Your Hands Off It Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 5 Heart Of Rome Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies
track 6 Only Believe Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

 

I really love Heart Of Rome as well. I'm a sucker for those big choruses, and the song as a whole just soars. This is another one where the overdubs are critical; the early takes (sans strings) don't have the same urgency as the master. Unfortunately, the album mix is a bit lacking for me. The mix on the 70x box is subtly different and really lets the song shine. In this form, it's one of my very favourite Elvis performances.

I'm also a fan of Keith Lynn's take on the song, although it can't top the Elvis version, imo:



Only Believe is another favourite of mine. It's uplifting, hopeful, comforting, and passionate, and what more can you ask out of an Elvis "gospel" song?

 

I love Heart of Roam. Elvis’ voice just soars in the chorus. The whole track just works for me as a song, and Elvis and band give it their all.

 

Excuse the auto-correct typo in the song title!

 

Glad to see this song get some love. I know a lot of fans hate this song, but I have never understood why. Elvis sounds great here and you can hear in his voice that he is having fun singing the song. A real winner in my book.

 

Heart Of Rome really is a strange piece of ear candy is it not? I mean the lyrics are rather forgettable to a large degree, and yet there is something in the melody and Elvis's turbocharged vocal delivery that makes it a really enjoyable listen. I'm always surprised by how much I like this song, once I give it a good listen. I really think David Briggs and Norbert Putman did a pretty great job on the string and horn arrangement too, regardless of my previous suggestion about how it would have sounded had Bergen White done the job.

Norbert Putman does not get enough credit for his fine bass playing over the years on Elvis records and many other recordings from Muscle Shoals and Nashville. He produced Joan Baez's The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down as well as Margaritaville for Jimmy Buffet. Putman owned more recording studios in Nashville during the course of his career than either Chet Atkins or Owen Bradley no less, but he ultimately learned that while recording equipment and technology were important in the process, it was even more important to make the recording environment right for each individual artist he worked for. Here is a direct quote from a splendid article on how Putman put it himself:

"We recorded Elvis with an RE15 — a dynamic microphone, not a condenser. And it had foam padding all around it so that he could move around and not have it pick up noise. We used a U87 on Jimmy Buffett on all the songs and every studio had one, and every studio had an LA2A. It wasn't in the gear. And that's what it's all really about in terms of being a producer: you make the environment right so that the artist can give you an emotionally genuine performance. That's really all there is to it. Felton Jarvis and Fred Foster and the rest of those guys got it right all along: if you could get a great performance out of Elvis or Roy Orbison, then the bass and drums could be a little loose in the track, couldn't they?"

And to punch home that point, so central to his way of thinking, Putnam has one more anecdote that underscored the balance between equipment and talent. "I was on a session with Chet Atkins and some guy comes up to him and says, 'That's the best-sounding guitar I've ever heard.' Chet puts the guitar down on a stand and says back to him 'How's it sound now?' It's all in how you use it."

 

I think "Heart of Rome" is a great piece of camp. It tries very hard to be exotic (LA LA LA LA LA!!!) and romantic (even if it sounds more Spanish than Italian) and would indeed have been a fitting choice for a soundtrack (Elvis teams up with the Pope to fight crime in Paradise, Vatican Style). Elvis gives the song even more energy than it needs, and the side of him that loved Mario Lanza was obviously intrigued by "Heart of Rome." In my experience people tend to have two reactions to this song--either they find the ersatz cosmopolitanism super-corny or enjoy the over-the-top ride. I played it on a road trip for a friend who wasn't familiar with Elvis's back catalog and he actually praised Elvis's vocals, which was a nice surprise.

All that said, the all-time-best version of "Heart of Rome" is NOT the master but the 1970 rehearsal version, which just might be the funniest Elvis recording period: