Country music has always borrowed from mainstream pop music. I can even remember when it went disco for about five minutes and had hits (Double S by Bill Anderson????). With that said, even when country music was borrowing heavily from a popular sound of the times, there was still plenty of homage to the traditional and vintage artists and music. I have to agree that something has been lost in modern mainstream country music. It's too safe and formulaic for my tastes and that's saying something since I can usually find something good on any album from any genre. I'm not saying that great new country music isn't happening today, it's just not to be readily found on the radio and on the charts. Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton are a couple of my favorites right now. On another note, I was turned into these guys from Sweeden a couple of years ago by a member of this forum and I've followed them ever since. I love the twang and the rockabilly fusion and these guys have it in abundance. The Country Side Of Harmonica Sam!
IMO its its "southerness". Over the years they have aimed at a more northern and urbane audience. And worked at losing the accents.
Lonely Man take 1 This is a really cool little solo track, that has just the guitar and vocal, and it creates an intimacy that sells the song for me. As much as I like the seventies material, on occasion Elvis could have used a pointer from tracks like this that were just simple and direct.
In My Way take 1 Here we have another solo take, and it is really cool hearing these solo takes for me.
Wild In The Country take 1 It's interesting listening to these tracks, as they are sort of intimate and direct and the songs seem to work very well.
Forget Me Never take 1 It seems I need to get disc three and four of this set on the player, this solo little cowboy folk songs are really very cool.
I Slipped I Stumbled I Fell take 1-18 It's strange, I really like this track, but it seems odd next to these solo cowboy tracks from the movie. There are a few little bits of jiggering with this track, and then toward the end we get a drop in pitch. A fun track with a cool little groove.
Like all of the Sessions sets, it is hard to say this is something that a fan actually needs, because it is such a specific kind of listen to the music, but more the process, and for many folks the process isn't really that interesting. Most people would like a car, but don't necessarily want to watch one being assembled ... or perhaps ladies and their shoes, they want the new shoes, but more than likely don't want to watch someone sit and draw them in hindsight, and then slowly assemble them.... I don't know.... Anyway, I like hearing the studio atmosphere, and the thought process being the songs, which is what the best type of session releases are going to give you. If you just want to hear the song, then the album is the best way to go, but if takes and nuances and studio chat and atmosphere appeal to you, then the sessions sets are a good way to go.
Garth has a legitimate Oklahoma drawl that is very noticeable. However he DID bring in arena rock to his shows.
Exaggerated , in my opinion while singing. He sang neutral with his "Chris Gaines" album. Proves to me he can choose the way he sings.
I'll lay you odds that that took a lot of work, punch ins, and editing. He was even recording in a different range. IMO it did NOT come naturally. As an aside I have problems with Garth but as a singer myself I will give him proper due. Go back to early interviews and its an Okie accent. Over the years it has mellowed out some but its still there speaking and singing. Chris Gains was an aberration not really a new direction. It was for a movie that never got made. One last thing. I was one of the last at a party and the hostess put on something mellow and it was Chris Gains. She was shocked to find out WHO it really was. That was fun. She was a deep folkie.
I have to be honest that was the only album I liked of his back then. The extra twangness not palatable at all for me.
The critics were just merciless back when Garth Brooks released his Chris Gaines album and character. I actually found the album pretty interesting and to me it remains one of his best albums. He actually worked without his regular studio lineup for the first time in a recording session ( Memphis Boy and one of Elvis's favorites piano players, Bobby Wood, was on every other album Garth ever made). I think it challenged Garth in a good way musically, but there was a huge backlash from the critics. As I recall, the Chris Gaines album eventually went 2x platinum, so not exactly a flop commercially speaking, and Lost In You was the only top 40 hit Garth ever earned on the Billboard Hot 100. The single actually peaked at #5.
We just got Bing Crosby in my Johnny Cash thread and now we have Garth Brooks in this Elvis thread. I love this place.
* Not Elvis Related-Please Act Accordingly* I liked the Chris Gaines/Garth Brooks album. It had a few songs that I enjoy. I heard the word "edgy" being thrown around for Garth Brooks' alter ego so the album was a bit of a letdown because it was no more edgy than a Kenny Loggins album. I like Kenny Loggins but I've never used edgy to describe the music. The movie plot sounded interesting but it seemed that the project lost steam and left Garth Brooks hanging out there to try and explain the whole situation. Sometimes a very bold move pays off like The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper and sometimes it doesn't like with Chris Gaines. The album does hold up musically but the concept failed to close the deal with the public. The music would have probably been more accepted had Garth just cut some non-country albums sort of like what Taylor Swift did later.
Nov 2020 From Elvis In Nashville - 4cd - 19439 75941 2 Label: RCA – 19439759412, Sony Music – 19439759412, Legacy – 19439759412 Format: 4 × CD, Compilation, Deluxe Edition Box Set Country: Europe Released: 20 Nov 2020 Genre: Pop, Folk, World, & Country Style: Ballad, Country 1-1 Opening Jam (Mystery Train) 1:51 1-2 Twenty Days And Twenty Nights 3:35 1-3 I've Lost You 4:00 1-4 I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago 3:31 1-5 The Sound Of Your Cry 4:29 1-6 The Fool 2:30 1-7 A Hundred Years From Now 1:33 1-8 Little Cabin On The Hill 1:50 1-9 Cindy, Cindy 3:12 1-10 Bridge Over Troubl ed Water 4:30 1-11 How The Web Was Woven 3:29 1-12a Got My Mojo Working 5:27 1-12b Keep Your Hands Off Of It 1-13 It's Your Baby, You Rock It 1:08 1-14 Stranger In The Crowd 4:29 1-15 I'll Never Know 2:23 1-16 Mary In The Morning 4:15 1-17 It Ain't No Big Thing (But It's Growing) 2:50 1-18 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 2:36 1-19 Just Pretend 4:05 1-20 This Is Our Dance 3:13 1-21 Life 3:11 1-22 Heart Of Rome 2:56 2-1 When I'm Over You 3:34 2-2 I Really Don't Want To Know 2:46 2-3 Faded Love 4:07 2-4 Tomorrow Never Comes 3:55 2-5 The Next Step Is Love 3:47 2-6 Make The World Go Away 3:36 2-7 Funny How Time Slips Away 4:20 2-8 I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water 5:19 2-9 Love Letters 2:54 2-10 There Goes My Everything 3:01 2-11 If I Were You 3:00 2-12 Only Believe 2:58 2-13 Sylvia 3:17 2-14 Patch It Up 3:28 2-15 Snowbird 2:04 2-16 Where Did They Go, Lord 2:28 2-17 Whole Lot-ta Shakin' Goin On 4:37 2-18 Rags To Riches 1:58 3-1 Jam 2 (Tiger Man) 2:50 3-2 I've Lost You (Take 1) 5:23 3-3 The Next Step Is Love (Takes 3-6) 5:18 3-4 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me (Rehearsal) 2:26 3-5 Patch It Up (Take 1) 2:44 3-6 Twenty Days And Twenty Nights (Takes 5,6, & 8) 5:54 3-7 How The Web Was Woven (Take 1) 5:27 3-8 Mary In The Morning (Takes 3-4) 6:04 3-9 Just Pretend (Takes 1-2) 4:50 3-10 Stranger In The Crowd (Takes 1-5) 4:52 3-11 Bridge Over Troubled Water (Rehearsal Take 1) 5:36 3-12 Patch It Up (Take 9) 4:39 3-13 The Sound Of Your Cry (Take 3) 5:11 3-14 Where Did They Go Lord (Takes 2-3) 2:55 3-15 Rags To Riches (Take 2) 3:18 4-1 Jam 3 (I Didn't Make It Playing Guitar) 4:13 4-2 Faded Love ( Rehearsal (County Version)) 0:43 4-3 The Fool (Take 1) 2:30 4-4 A Hundred Years From Now (Take 1) 2:19 4-5 Little Cabin On The Hill (Take 1) 2:29 4-6 Tomorrow Never Comes (Takes 10-11) 6:32 4-7 Snowbird (Take 1) 2:35 4-8 Faded Love (Take 3) 4:22 4-9 It's Your Baby, You Rock It (Take 3) 3:12 4-10 There Goes My Everything (Take 1) 3:03 4-11 Love Letters (Take 1) 2:12 4-12 If I Were You (Take 5) 3:35 4-13 Heart Of Rome (Take 1) 3:23 4-14 Cindy, Cindy (Take 1) 4:07 4-15 I'll Never Know (Take 3) 4:07 4-16 Sylvia (Take 9) 3:18 4-17 It Ain't No Big Thing (But It's Growing) (Takes 1-2) 4:33 4-18 Only Believe (Take 3) 2:45 4-19 Life (Take 2) 3:50 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thi si s a really interesting release to me. Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but the band and Elvis assembled in June of 1970, and there was some extra tracking in September, but essentially in what is justifiably called the Marathon, they belted out all these tracks in pretty short time. I believe they clocked in at about 6pm, had lunch about midnight, and rolled along til the dawn. That may seem unusual to some folks, but I have always found that the best work recording seems to be in the wee small hours.... Sure it isn't always possible to do that, and certainly many great recordings have happened during the day, but there is something about the rest of the world being asleep around you that helps you focus, and the quiet of the night just seems to be more conducive to recording and playing ... so long as you have sound proofing and the police don't come knocking So this set is one that I did get, and I think early on in the thread I may have said something about this being a set that would interest me.... Lo and Behold, at the end of our journey (nearly) it appears and it is a very good set. A couple of things - This type of release seemed to be the domain of Ftd, and it came out on the regular label - I didn't like the way the cd's were set in the set Aside from that though, I think this is a solid collection of work, and when I get a chance to have a proper listen, I am sure it will be quite a rewarding listen. I'm running a little late this morning, so I will start rolling out some songs tomorrow, but for now, please give us your thoughts regarding this set. Any information you feel like sharing about the sessions and the material. Whatever else crosses your mind. As we are really near the end of the thread, I'm not going to rush this, so just feel free to pipe in where you feel, and we'll look at this set over the next few days. Cheers guys Mark Opening Jam (Mystery Train) A nice way to open up, just the band getting into the groove and I would say having a bit of fun doing it. I assume this is a a warm up and a level check, while they were getting it all together. Not really sure how Mystery Train ties into the title, but it's there.
A great set. Overall, I prefer the undubbed masters on discs 1-2 than the outtakes on discs 3-4, but there's still some great outtakes. I also like the sequencing, and the lack of multiple takes of the same song in a row. I also don't like the way that the discs are housed, but it's the same as the Viva Las Vegas Sessions FTD.
I had bought the legacy version of Elvis Country last year and fell in love with the album. No idea why I had put it off so long. Love Letters from Elvis was a bit of a dud in comparison. But then this Nashville set came out and given the mixes and first takes available I didn’t feel like I was buying the same material twice. I’m so pleased with the purchase. Most of the songs on discs 1 and 2 are now my preferred versions of these songs. Patch it Up rocks heavy. Got My Mojo Working has the edgy swearing. It’s brilliant to hear James Burton’s guitar work that now stands out. The sequencing of the tracks (I believe in order they were recorded) makes you reevaluate the songs that were relegated to the Love Letters album. Hearing Elvis tear through this list of contemporary songs as well as old favourites in a marathon recording session is just a better way of presenting it rather than spread out across three albums, some of which get little-to-no attention these days. That said, songs such as Bridge Over Troubled Water and You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me actually benefit from the added instruments and backup vocals edited in later. But it’s still nice to hear the raw, stripped down versions. I was pleased to see the reviews for this set were good, I wonder what the sales were like. Also this is why it’s so rewarding being an Elvis fan for me: ‘Discover’ Elvis Country and fall in love with deep track Little Cabin on the Hill. Sony releases From Elvis in Nashville collection with rocking undubbed master and first take. Also find there’s a version recorded in 1956 with the Million Dollar Quartet! This guy’s catalogue... amazing
The tracks on these songs that have the Sweet Inspirations removed are so much better than than the masters. No disrespect to the Sweets, they were great, but Elvis has always been a raw performer and my lord It's Your Baby You Rock It is sooooo much better without them, as is Suspicious Minds and Just Pretend. Snowbird also feels like a different and better take although the Sweets aren't on that one at all anyway.
It seems bizarre on so many levels lol I never expected to go this far, but frankly it has been really fun, and I learned an awful lot.
The Sweets were not used for studio work with exception of Myrna Smith during the 1976 sessions at Graceland. The soulful backup was by the Holladay sisters dating back to the Memphis 69 sessions when Felton Jarvis first hired them. And Jeanie Greene.
