Reviews

Review: A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW CD [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 21 when I wrote this review back in 1996 for The Elvis Beat #15, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

A Hundred Years From Now (RCA), recorded by Elvis Presley, 1970 and 1971, RCA Studios (Nashville). Released: July 1996 (CD).

A Hundred Years From Now is volume 4 of the Essential Elvis series. It contains 22 tracks recorded in 1970 and 1971, including 17 previously unreleased performances.

1970 is one of my favorite Elvis years, but A Hundred Years From Now is rather disappointing. Quite often alternate takes of Elvis songs are as good or better than the master releases. Or at least they are notable for the variations from the released versions. Unfortunately, most of the alternates on this album either are not significantly different from the originals or are surpassed by the originals.

“I Didn’t Make It On Playing Guitar” is an informal instrumental jam and a song never released before in any form. Although Elvis and the band sound great, unfortunately the track itself is boring and hard to listen to more than once or twice.

The other song never released before by Elvis on A Hundred Years From Now is “The Lord’s Prayer,” which is also disappointing and an informal recording.

The title song, “A Hundred Years From Now,” is great and was first released last year in the ELVIS: Walk A Mile In My Shoes – The Essential 70s Masters boxed set, though it sounds a bit different here.

The alternates of “I’ve Lost You” and “Just Pretend,” two of my favorite songs, are disappointing. The original master releases of these two incredible songs are far superior. The same could be said for nearly all the other songs presented here.

Two highlights are a beautiful performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and an extended version of “The Fool.” It should also be noted that this album, like most RCA releases in the last six or seven years, is beautifully packaged despite the poor quality cover art.

For collectors of Elvis’ 1970s songs, this album is a requirement in order to be complete. Others would be better advised to purchase the original source material, such as the album That’s The Way It Is.

Songs:

  1. I Didn’t Make It On Playing Guitar
  2. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
  3. Little Cabin On The Hill
  4. A Hundred Years From Now
  5. I’ve Lost You
  6. Got My Mojo Working/Keep Your Hands Off Of It
  7. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
  8. It Ain’t No Big Thing
  9. Cindy, Cindy
  10. Faded Love
  11. The Fool
  12. Rags To Riches
  13. Just Pretend
  14. If I Were You
  15. Faded Love
  16. Where Did They Go, Lord
  17. It’s Only Love
  18. Until It’s Time For You To Go
  19. Patch It Up
  20. Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
  21. Bridge Over Troubled Water
  22. The Lord’s Prayer

Rating: 7 out of 10

Review of ELVIS: WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES – THE ESSENTIAL 70s MASTERS [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 20 when I wrote this review back in 1995 for The Elvis Beat #13, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Compiling a 5-CD 1970s boxed set apparently presented quite a challenge to RCA. Elvis released over 200 songs in the 1970s, including many live concert recordings.

Let’s take a step back. The predecessor set, the 5-CD ELVIS: From Nashville To Memphis – The Essential 60s Masters I, compiled all of his secular, non-soundtrack studio masters from that decade. His gospel music, movie tunes, television special, and live recordings were saved for future projects. This approach even allowed room for 19 previously unreleased tracks. A 2-CD “best of 1960s movie tunes” set, ELVIS: Command Performances – The Essential 60s Masters II, came out earlier this year.

Could an approach like this have worked for The Essential 70s Masters? The set could probably have compiled all of his secular studio masters from the 1970s onto 5 CDs. The gospel masters, after all, have already been released on last year’s 2-CD Elvis Presley: Peace In The Valley – His Greatest Sacred Performances. The live masters, already released as individual albums as part of the “Elvis In The 90s” series, could have been saved for future projects, such as a Command Performances-style 2-CD “best of 1970s live” sequel to The Essential 70s Masters – which, tellingly does not include a volume “I” indicator in its subtitle as the 1960s set did.

The problem? There would have been little to no room for previously unreleased tracks on such a set. What incentive would Elvis fans who were keeping up with the individual album re-releases of the “Elvis In The 90s” set have to buy such a boxed set? The liner notes and page of album cover stamps?

Since it appears RCA was committed to the 5-CD format, and we know Elvis fans wanted previously unreleased material, RCA decided to risk the wrath of the fans and do a 5-CD “best of 1970s” set.

The first two CDs of ELVIS: Walk A Mile In My Shoes – The Essential 70s Masters compile the A and B sides of his secular singles from the period. Elvis’ singles often had high-quality songs on both sides. In fact, it is nearly impossible to determine which song is the “A” or “B” side on many Elvis records without a reference.

Disc one opens with the moving “The Wonder Of You.” Not necessarily a perfect set-opener, though. “I’ve Lost You” is next, a rousing studio performance of one of his best songs. In fact, there is rarely any let up in the power of the first two CDs. Some of these singles are released on CD for the first time.

Elvis always resisted being labeled as a certain type of singer, and these singles demonstrate why. Elvis was not a rock singer. Elvis was not a country singer. Nor was he a pop or a gospel singer. Elvis was a singer. He simply sang everything that interested him. From rockers like “Burning Love” to country classics like “I Really Don’t Want To Know,” discs one and two seem to have it all. [. . . .]

For the most part, RCA’s selection of songs for the studio highlights of discs three and four was sound. Certainly no fan is going to agree with every song that was chosen, and every fan is going to think of a few they would have included instead. For me, the biggest omission is “Early Morning Rain.” As another example, I would have chosen “And I Love You So” from the Elvis Today album instead of “Susan When She Tried.”

Among the many standouts of discs three and four are “Just Pretend” and “Tomorrow Never Comes.” I should note that all of the songs from the excellent Elvis Country album are represented in this set, and without the “I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago” interludes.

On disc five, RCA provides an overview of some of Elvis’ concert recordings and rehearsals. Of special note is the brief poem “Men With Broken Hearts,” first seen in the fantastic 1992 video Elvis: The Lost Performances, and a short rendition of his 1950s classic “I Was The One,” both released by RCA for the first time in this set. However, I still think the set should have focused on studio recordings.

There are seven “new” songs included in this set that have not been released by Elvis before in any form. Although it should be noted that all of them are rehearsals or brief jams, many are nonetheless fun to hear. A couple, however, might leave you wondering what RCA was thinking.

The studio version of “My Way” is, by far, the best of the 26 previously unreleased tracks.

The Elvis portions of this set more than deliver, and then some. However, less care and attention seems to have been paid by RCA to this set than the previous ones. For instance, if you stack them side-by-side, the cover art for The Essential 70s Masters is lacking compared to the 1960s and, especially, 1950s volumes.

Why was this fuzzy, uninspired live shot chosen for The Essential 70s Masters set when there are tons of incredible photos of Elvis from that period that could have been used instead? Reportedly, one of the reasons this set was delayed was because the cover shot had to be retouched at the last minute. It should have been replaced.

Even the main title of the set, Walk A Mile In My Shoes, is an uninspired choice, but the 1960s set suffered from the same lack of creativity. The near-pointless “Heart & Soul” CD from February actually offered up a title that better sums up the 1970s than “Walk A Mile In My Shoes.” A set called ELVIS: Heart & Soul – The Essential 70s Masters would have been the better way to go.

But, hey, the public voted for the 1950s Elvis stamp, so who cares about the 1970s, right?

My criticisms aside, if you can only buy one Elvis boxed set, make it The Essential 70s Masters.

RCA’s song selection: 7 out of 10
RCA’s art: 3 out of 10
Liner notes: 9 out of 10
Elvis’ music: 11 out of 10

ELVIS: Walk A Mile In My Shoes – The Essential 70s Masters

DISC 1
THE SINGLES
1. THE WONDER OF YOU
2. I’VE LOST YOU
3. THE NEXT STEP IS LOVE
4. YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME
5. PATCH IT UP
6. I REALLY DON’T WANT TO KNOW
7. THERE GOES MY EVERYTHING
8. RAGS TO RICHES
9. WHERE DID THEY GO, LORD
10. LIFE
11. I’M LEAVIN’
12. HEART OF ROME
13. IT’S ONLY LOVE
14. THE SOUND OF YOUR CRY
15. I JUST CAN’T HELP BELIEVIN’
16. HOW THE WEB WAS WOVEN
17. UNTIL IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO GO
18. WE CAN MAKE THE MORNING
19. AN AMERICAN TRILOGY
20. THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE
21. BURNING LOVE
22. IT’S A MATTER OF TIME
23. SEPARATE WAYS

DISC 2
THE SINGLES
1. ALWAYS ON MY MIND
2. FOOL
3. STEAMROLLER BLUES
4. RAISED ON ROCK
5. FOR OL’ TIMES SAKE
6. I’VE GOT A THING ABOUT YOU BABY
7. TAKE GOOD CARE OF HER
8. IF YOU TALK IN YOUR SLEEP
9. PROMISED LAND
10. IT’S MIDNIGHT
11. MY BOY
12. LOVING ARMS
13. T-R-O-U-B-L-E
14. MR. SONGMAN
15. BRINGING IT BACK
16. PIECES OF MY LIFE
17. GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME
18. THINKING ABOUT YOU
19. HURT
20. FOR THE HEART
21. MOODY BLUE
22. SHE THINKS I STILL CARE
23. WAY DOWN
24. PLEDGING MY LOVE

DISC 3
STUDIO HIGHLIGHTS 1970-71
1. TWENTY DAYS AND TWENTY NIGHTS
2. I WAS BORN ABOUT TEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO
3. THE FOOL
4. A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW* (Informal)
5. LITTLE CABIN ON THE HILL
6. CINDY, CINDY
7. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
8. GOT MY MOJO WORKING/KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF IT
9. IT’S YOUR BABY, YOU ROCK IT
10. STRANGER IN THE CROWD
11. MARY IN THE MORNING
12. IT AIN’T NO BIG THING (BUT IT’S GROWING)
13. JUST PRETEND
14. FADED LOVE* (Original Unedited Version)
15. TOMORROW NEVER COMES* (Includes False Start)
16. MAKE THE WORLD GO AWAY
17. FUNNY HOW TIME SLIPS AWAY
18. I WASHED MY HANDS IN MUDDY WATER* (Long Version)
19. SNOWBIRD
20. WHOLE LOT-TA SHAKIN’ GOIN’ ON
21. AMAZING GRACE* (Alternate Take 2)
22. (THAT’S WHAT YOU GET) FOR LOVIN’ ME
23. LADY MADONNA* (Informal)

DISC 4
STUDIO HIGHLIGHTS 1971-76
1. MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY
2. I SHALL BE RELEASED* (Informal Recording)
3. DON’T THINK TWICE, IT’S ALL RIGHT* (Jam)
4. IT’S STILL HERE (Unedited Version)
5. I’LL TAKE YOU HOME AGAIN KATHLEEN (Undubbed Version)
6. I WILL BE TRUE
7. MY WAY* (Master)
8. FOR THE GOOD TIMES* (Master)
9. JUST A LITTLE BIT
10. IT’S DIFF’RENT NOW* (Rehearsal)
11. ARE YOU SINCERE
12. I GOT A FEELIN’ IN MY BODY
13. YOU ASKED ME TO
14. GOOD TIME CHARLIE’S GOT THE BLUES
15. TALK ABOUT THE GOOD TIMES
16. TIGER MAN* (Jam)
17. I CAN HELP
18. SUSAN WHEN SHE TRIED
19. SHAKE A HAND
20. SHE THINKS I STILL CARE* (Alternate Take 2B)
21. DANNY BOY
22. LOVE COMING DOWN
23. HE’LL HAVE TO GO

DISC 5
THE ELVIS PRESLEY SHOW
1. SEE SEE RIDER
2. MEN WITH BROKEN HEARTS* (Short Poem)
3. WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES
4. POLK SALAD ANNIE
5. LET IT BE ME (Je T’ Appartiens)
6. PROUD MARY
7. SOMETHING* (MASTER)
8. YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’
9. HEARTBREAK HOTEL*
10. I WAS THE ONE*
11. ONE NIGHT*
12. NEVER BEEN TO SPAIN* (Master)
13. YOU GAVE ME A MOUNTAIN* (Master)
14. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE
15. A BIG HUNK O’ LOVE* (Master)
16. IT’S OVER* (Master)
17. THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM (The Quest)
18. RECONSIDER BABY
19. I’LL REMEMBER YOU
20. I’M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY
21. SUSPICIOUS MINDS (Caught In A Trap)
22. UNCHAINED MELODY
23. THE TWELFTH OF NEVER* (Rehearsal)
24. SOFTLY AS I LEAVE YOU* (Rehearsal)
25. ALLA’ EN EL “RANCHO GRANDE”* (Informal)
26. FROGGY WENT A COURTIN’* (Informal)
27. STRANGER IN MY OWN HOME TOWN* (Jam)

*Previously Unreleased

Review: ELVIS RECORDED LIVE ON STAGE IN MEMPHIS CD [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 19 when I wrote this review back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #8, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis (RCA), recorded by Elvis Presley, produced by Felton Jarvis. Recorded March 20, 1974, Mid-South Coliseum (Memphis). Released: July 1974. Re-released: 1994 (CD).

With the release of Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis, all of Elvis’ original live albums are finally available on compact disc. The album sounds great and the electricity of the audience as well as Elvis can truly be felt.

The great love between the performer and his audience can be heard just before the closing song when Elvis says, “It’s always been said that a person cannot return to their home town, but you have disproven that theory completely. You’ve really made it worthwhile.” The audience begins to chant, “We love you” as the band breaks into “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”

In addition to some of the mainstays of his concert repertoire, Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis also features some new songs, such as “Why Me Lord,” which is excellent, and “Let Me Be There.” Live versions of two 1950s songs, “Blueberry Hill” and “My Baby Left Me,” have never been released on any other album.

Elvis also introduces a song that he had recently recorded, “Help Me,” which would later be released on the Promised Land album.

Songs:

  1. See See Rider
  2. I Got A Woman/Amen
  3. Love Me
  4. Trying To Get To You
  5. Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On/Mama Don’t Dance/Flip, Flop & Fly/Jailhouse Rock/Hound Dog
  6. Why Me Lord
  7. How Great Thou Art
  8. Blueberry Hill/I Can’t Stop Loving You
  9. Help Me
  10. An American Trilogy
  11. Let Me Be There
  12. My Baby Left Me
  13. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
  14. Can’t Help Falling In Love
  15. Closing Vamp

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review: GOOD TIMES CD [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 19 when I wrote this review back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #8, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Good Times (RCA), recorded by Elvis Presley, produced by Felton Jarvis. Recorded July 21-22 and December 10-16, 1973, Stax Studios (Memphis). Released: March 1974. Re-released: 1994 (CD).

Good Times contains some of the greatest songs of all of the new CDs reviewed in this issue: “Lovin’ Arms,” “I’ve Got A Thing About You, Baby,” “My Boy,” “Spanish Eyes,” and “Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues.”

“Take Good Care Of Her” and “Talk About The Good Times” are average songs, which Good Times also contains three weak songs: “I Got A Feelin’ In My Body,” “If That Isn’t Love,” and “She Wears My Ring.”

Once again, unless you are waiting for The 70s Masters boxed set, this one is definitely a must.

Songs:

  1. Take Good Care Of Her
  2. Lovin’ Arms
  3. I Got A Feelin’ In My Body
  4. If That Isn’t Love
  5. She Wears My Ring
  6. I’ve Got A Thing About You, Baby
  7. My Boy
  8. Spanish Eyes
  9. Talk About The Good Times
  10. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review: RAISED ON ROCK CD [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 19 when I wrote this review back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #8, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Raised On Rock (RCA), recorded by Elvis Presley, produced by Felton Jarvis and Elvis Presley. Recorded July 21-23, 1973, Stax Studios (Memphis) and September 22-24, 1973, Elvis’ home (Palm Springs). Released: November 1973. Re-released: 1994 (CD).

This re-issue of Raised On Rock, which interestingly drops the original “For Ol’ Times Sake” subtitle, contains a page of poorly written liner notes, as do the other three albums reviewed in this issue, of which this is the last paragraph:

This album was recorded at a very difficult time during Elvis’ life. It could never be considered a classic. In October, his petition for divorce from Priscilla would be finalized and it must have weighed heavily on his mind. The poignancy of “For Ol’ Time Sake” [sic] puts this into perspective and makes this re-issue still a must for any real Elvis fan.

I had never heard the Raised On Rock album before, and I read the liner notes before playing it. I fully expected to be disappointed by this album since even Elvis’ own record company seems to feel that Raised On Rock was generally a worthless album with only one good song.

After listening to the album, I found that I totally disagreed with the liner notes and, in retrospect, found them insulting both to Elvis and his fans.

Does an album have to hit number one to be a “classic”? What is a classic anyway? Why is it assumed that Elvis’ personal life would have a negative impact on his music? Can’t Elvis’ own record company get the title of his song right? What is a “real Elvis fan,” anyway?

The liner notes suggest that only obsessed fans would even consider buying Raised On Rock, and, even then, they would probably only play it once.

Despite the liner notes, Raised On Rock is an excellent album that contains a wide variety of musical styles. All ten of the songs are strong and prove Elvis’ voice to be in good form. It makes one wonder if the unidentified author of the liner notes even bothered to listen to the album.

Songs:

  1. Raised On Rock
  2. Are You Sincere
  3. Find Out What’s Happening
  4. I Miss You
  5. Girl Of Mine
  6. For Ol’ Times Sake
  7. If You Don’t Come Back
  8. Just A Little Bit
  9. Sweet Angeline
  10. Three Corn Patches

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review: ELVIS (1973) CD [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 19 when I wrote this review back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #8, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Elvis (RCA), recorded by Elvis Presley, produced by Felton Jarvis. Recorded 1971 & 1972, Nashville, Las Vegas, and Hollywood. Released: July 1973. Re-released: 1994 (CD).

Elvis is the first of four albums reviewed in this issue that were finally re-released by RCA as CDs after being unavailable for years. Until the “Elvis In The 90s” series, many of Elvis’ 1970s albums had been deleted from RCA’s catalog, depriving younger fans of the opportunity to hear some of his best work.

Elvis contains many excellent songs: “Fool,” “Where Do I Go From Here,” “Love Me, Love The Life I Lead,” “It’s Impossible,” “It’s Still Here,” “For Lovin’ Me,” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”

The album also contains three weaker songs: “Padre,” “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen,” and “I Will Be True.”

Unless you are patient enough to wait around for The 70s Masters boxed set, which I wasn’t, this album is a must for any fan’s collection.

Songs:

  1. Fool
  2. Where Do I Go From Here
  3. Love Me, Love The Life I Lead
  4. It’s Still Here
  5. It’s Impossible
  6. For Lovin’ Me
  7. Padre
  8. I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen
  9. I Will Be True
  10. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review: FROM NASHVILLE TO MEMPHIS rates high [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this review back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #6, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

ELVIS: From Nashville To Memphis – The Essential 60s Masters I, has managed to exceed the quality of its excellent predecessor, ELVIS: The King Of Rock ‘n’ Roll – The Complete 50s Masters.

The outstanding 5-CD boxed set contains all of Elvis’ 1960s studio recordings, excluding the movie soundtracks, which are being released in the Elvis Double Features series, the gospel albums, and the ELVIS (’68 Comeback) special recordings, which are to be released in future sets, in addition to the 1970s material.

All of the CDs contain wonderful songs, including some that have not been available for a long time. By far, the best discs are four and five, which contain the complete 1969 Memphis recordings, assembled together for the first time, as well as outtakes from those and other 1960s sessions. Most notably among the new tracks are a studio jam version of “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and alternate versions of “In The Ghetto” and “Kentucky Rain.”

Rating: 10 out of 10