Elvis: The Man & His Music – December 2017 Issue – Out Now!

[emjel]

Hi there!! .

Regarding the three-CD 'complete session' box set idea. In the magazine article being discussed, Ernst says ‘it’s just an idea at this stage, but it would be interesting to know how fans feel about such releases’.

Well, seeing as he’s a member here, (and may well have made it this far into the thread even after wading through the back-biting), I’d like to add my opinion, as an FTD customer from the first release, (buying every release up till the infamous 'Tickle Me', then cherry-picking since then).

I think it’s a mistake to issue complete session three CD sets, featuring master takes and already available out-takes. FTD customers will be re-buying audio they’ve already paid for once on the FTD label, and that’s simply not fair on customers.

There are quite a few movie out-takes from Kid Galahad, Girl Happy and other movies not released on FTD. The place for these is on releases like Silver Screen Stereo and Out in Hollywood. Remember those? They were released when FTD operated as a label that only released previously legally un-available Elvis audio, (and in my opinion, should have stayed that way).

There’s always been a lot of talk of how lucky we are to have the FTD label. And it’s true, (I’ve gone in print in Elvis magazines in the both the US and the UK praising the early releases). I would also like to see some acknowledgement, though, of the fact that FTD are lucky also. They have a hard-core set of enthusiasts that are happy to buy up these remaining scraps of out-takes, which, let’s face it, the general public wouldn’t want at all, (they want the RPO-type releases, obviously). FTD might well be a ‘gift to fans’, but the fans are also a gift to FTD. It’s a symbiotic relationship.
So, my plea is simple, please don’t make us re-buy old scraps and masters to get the remaining new scraps. Which is what ‘complete session’ boxes would be, (no matter how fancy the ‘session reel’ artwork).

The FTD CDs are already expensive in comparison to other artists’ releases, so please FTD, do the right and decent thing for your customers and release the remaining new Elvis audio on the FTD label without including duplicated audio previously released on the label, and ramping up the cost accordingly. That would just be so unfair on the fans.

There, I've said my bit.

O.K fair enought. I respect your wants but you should respect our wants too.... . The great majority on here like the idea on having complete session, so lets say all together: Ernst go for it! . Bye for now .

With many thousands of members on this forum, how have you identified that "the great majority on here" like the idea of having the complete sessions released. Anyone who voted in your poll has no idea of the price these sets are likely to be, and may bulk at the idea if the price is not reasonable. Maybe you should have included a price gauge in your poll. What is the maximum you would pay? I’m not necessarily against the idea, but for me, price is the main consideration.

Many thousands????

Well somewhere Ive read that there are 9000 or so users, but cannot remember where I spotted it. Now I suspect that a lot of those are inactive, but the point i was trying to make was how can it be ascertained that based on a poll and a few other random postngs, that the great majority on here want these releases. Where is the evidence. Perhaps you know the exact numbers.

If you look at how many people post here on a daily basis, the total is probably nearer 50-100.

Maybe, maybe not. But that is not what is really implied. "The great majority on here" suggests more than those who post on this thread or the other one on daily basis hence my question about how "the great majority" has been established. But whatever the interpretation is, 50 or 100 daily posters would not be the deciding factor if I were tasked with deciding on whether to go forward with these releases. And as not every Elvis fan buys into ETMAHM I suspect at the moment that there are many who are not even aware that FTD are considering such releases so it will be interesting to know what FTD will base their market research on before they to come to any conclusion.

[drjohncarpenter]

...and if you're wondering why I haven't posted on here for a couple of years....

I smell a rat.

That sort of stuff, basically.

I sympathize. It's unfortunate some would rather post crap like that, wasting everyone's time, instead of engaging in an adult discussion.

In the article, Ernst describes how the initial FTD releases were designed to give the best listening experience. Which I assume to mean the most complete out-takes, and the most interesting variations on the master take. This would leave us with a lot of unreleased false-starts, and I suppose, to make the CD listenable, they'd be duty bound to include some full out-takes, which may have been previously released. They'll never please everyone, and they have my sympathies. It's hard to know what to do with the remaining 'scraps' of audio, (which, let's face it, that's what they are).

It looks like, if we did get a CD of just unreleased out-takes, there might not be many full songs on there at all! Perhaps they could call it 'Elvis Sings for OCD Sufferers and Anoraks Too'.

Again, your thoughts mirror mine. I do hope you are not tarred and feathered by the usual suspects for posting them.

Considering what we know about this problem we are lucky to have as much quality material as we have. Maybe it's time to accept that we've had more than we expected to ever receive and sit back and enjoy what we have.

Well said. A very reasoned post, R2D2. I think a lot of fans have been doing this lately, anyway. There can't be many that still buy every FTD. I didn't buy a single one in 2017, and perhaps only one or two in 2016. It really is okay to enjoy what we have. And it's only been a few years since FTD were putting out amazing releases (the Jailhouse Rock doubles spring to mind immediately). We've been well served. It's okay to say, "well, that's it".

Indeed, there is nothing wrong with being rational about the realities of an artist who left us 40 years ago.

I will say that these FTDs from the past two years are both enjoyable and worth adding to a collection:

2016
NBC TV Special
Taking Care Of Business - In a Flash
Elvis' Golden Records Volume 4


2017
A Date With Elvis
The Last Movies

[Galileo]

I will say that these FTDs from the past two years are both enjoyable and worth adding to a collection:

2016
NBC TV Special
Elvis' Golden Records Volume 4


2017
A Date With Elvis
The Last Movies

All very nice sets. I've taken the book out the list, because I wonder how many never before officially un-released studio out-takes are those above CDs? I'm betting the whole lot could fit on one CD. A CD I'd have bought, rather than four releases I'd have not bought. I do wonder how many fans are in the same boat as me, and can't get excited about spending nearly £100 on less than an hour of new Elvis audio? (if there's more than an hour of new audio over those four, please someone put me right, but I'm guessing there isn't).

[drjohncarpenter]

All very nice sets. I've taken the book out the list, because I wonder how many never before officially un-released studio out-takes are those above CDs? I'm betting the whole lot could fit on one CD. A CD I'd have bought, rather than four releases I'd have not bought. I do wonder how many fans are in the same boat as me, and can't get excited about spending nearly £100 on less than an hour of new Elvis audio? (if there's more than an hour of new audio over those four, please someone put me right, but I'm guessing there isn't).

It is what it is. But there is actually more than an hour of new Elvis audio.

From a numbers perspective, these are rough timings of what collectors might call "new" material on those four titles:

2016
NBC TV Special --> 14 minutes
Elvis' Golden Records Volume 4 --> 12 minutes

2017
A Date With Elvis --> 2 minutes (audio upgrade on demos)
The Last Movies --> 36 minutes

They do collectively exceed an hour of "new" material, coming in at ~64 minutes total.

[Galileo]

Thanks for that. I'm surprised there's 36 minutes on the Last Movies. That's mostly 'Almost' out-takes, right?

How many minutes does a CD hold? 70?

I think everyone can see my point. I'm in the UK, and those four releases would have cost me £91.96. For 64 minutes of out-takes of songs I've already got out-takes of. It's little wonder so many fans have stopped collecting each release. How I wish that 64 minutes would have been released on one CD. They could have called it 'In-and-Out takes volume One', or 'Elvis at Work', or 'Studio Time with the King' or any stupid title they wanted. But it would have been smashing value for the Elvis fetishist.

But ninety quid? There's still a lot else you can do with £90. Even in this day and age.

[drjohncarpenter]

Thanks for that. I'm surprised there's 36 minutes on the Last Movies. That's mostly 'Almost' out-takes, right?

How many minutes does a CD hold? 70?

I think everyone can see my point. I'm in the UK, and those four releases would have cost me £91.96. For 64 minutes of out-takes of songs I've already got out-takes of. It's little wonder so many fans have stopped collecting each release. How I wish that 64 minutes would have been released on one CD. They could have called it 'In-and-Out takes volume One', or 'Elvis at Work', or 'Studio Time with the King' or any stupid title they wanted. But it would have been smashing value for the Elvis fetishist.

But ninety quid? There's still a lot else you can do with £90. Even in this day and age.

All fair points. But Elvis is dead four decades running, and unless more tapes are found, it's the best we can hope for.

FTD is trying to a) keep as much of his music in print as possible and b) release classy, attractive packages that provide listening enjoyment and crucial historical context. That's not too shabby.

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there!! .

FTD is trying to a) keep as much of his music in print as possible and b) release classy, attractive packages that provide listening enjoyment and crucial historical context. That's not too shabby.

That includes FTD Roustabout & Kissin´Cousins too, your words..... . Bye for now .

[poormadpeter2]

Thanks for that. I'm surprised there's 36 minutes on the Last Movies. That's mostly 'Almost' out-takes, right?

How many minutes does a CD hold? 70?

I think everyone can see my point. I'm in the UK, and those four releases would have cost me £91.96. For 64 minutes of out-takes of songs I've already got out-takes of. It's little wonder so many fans have stopped collecting each release. How I wish that 64 minutes would have been released on one CD. They could have called it 'In-and-Out takes volume One', or 'Elvis at Work', or 'Studio Time with the King' or any stupid title they wanted. But it would have been smashing value for the Elvis fetishist.

But ninety quid? There's still a lot else you can do with £90. Even in this day and age.

All fair points. But Elvis is dead four decades running, and unless more tapes are found, it's the best we can hope for.

FTD is trying to a) keep as much of his music in print as possible and b) release classy, attractive packages that provide listening enjoyment and crucial historical context. That's not too shabby.

I don't see why it's the best anyone can hope for. Basically FTD are holding buyers to ransom. You want those twelve minutes of unreleased takes on the Gold Records 4 classic album? Well, then you need to pay twenty-three quid for them. That is not the best we can hope for. There are other ways of releasing such material that does not require a whole classic album. And we're going to see more of this as the 3CD sets start appearing.

[Galileo]

I can answer that. It's very unusual for somebody to make first posts like yours, usually new posters will post rubbish for a while and then slowly get a bit more daring. You've got the hang of it a bit too quickly for their liking. Plus, you've come down on the side of the "wrong" camp. I can guarantee that had you fallen in with them you'd already be getting 'likes'. You've already explained why this has happened, and that you've been a member before, but of course they've chosen to ignore that because it doesn't make for a good story. I've had it happen to me on more than one occasion. You just have to learn to live with it, I'm afraid.

I see. Thanks for that, I can understand things a bit better now.

For the record, (because everyone is so worried, it seems), my last posts here were in 2015 when posted as Bill Tanner. Before that, sometime in the 2000's, I was Swithin StCleeve. I came back because it looked like Ernst was after feedback from fans, and I thought this was the best place to put forward my views. Okay? Nothing 'weird', no 'rat'. Just a UK fan who's been here before.
Ironically, the last time I was here, I had DJC filtered. We didn't get on if I remember right. Yet now, it seems I've fallen foul of a different team, who are suggesting espionage and have me as some kind of undercover secret agent. If only my life were that interesting!

[emjel]

I can answer that. It's very unusual for somebody to make first posts like yours, usually new posters will post rubbish for a while and then slowly get a bit more daring. You've got the hang of it a bit too quickly for their liking. Plus, you've come down on the side of the "wrong" camp. I can guarantee that had you fallen in with them you'd already be getting 'likes'. You've already explained why this has happened, and that you've been a member before, but of course they've chosen to ignore that because it doesn't make for a good story. I've had it happen to me on more than one occasion. You just have to learn to live with it, I'm afraid.

I see. Thanks for that, I can understand things a bit better now.

For the record, (because everyone is so worried, it seems), my last posts here were in 2015 when posted as Bill Tanner. Before that, sometime in the 2000's, I was Swithin StCleeve. I came back because it looked like Ernst was after feedback from fans, and I thought this was the best place to put forward my views. Okay? Nothing 'weird', no 'rat'. Just a UK fan who's been here before.
Ironically, the last time I was here, I had DJC filtered. We didn't get on if I remember right. Yet now, it seems I've fallen foul of a different team, who are suggesting espionage and have me as some kind of undercover secret agent. If only my life were that interesting!

As The Pirate said, you have fallen into the wrong camp by receiving a welcome, a compliment or a "like. from DJC from the outset of your first post. Your thoughts basically mirrored those of DJC regarding this subject of FTD Releases and the bottom line is that some members here have a problem with DJC or anyone who criticises elements of Elvis' career or certain parties connected to him - you are not perceived as a true fan unless you offer praise for everything. So the rule is praise everything, or if you cannot do that, keep quiet or where possible, elevate achievements and never ever comment that other artists were doing better than Elvis at certain times in his career. Stick to those guidelines and you won’t have a problem.

[Galileo]

Whatever the forum politics, I still think the FTD label shouldn't duplicate audio already released on that label. That was my point, if anyone cares to scroll back and find the bit where we were talking about Elvis Presley CDs.

Thanks everyone, and happy Christmas to all you FECC funsters!

And I'll just add....

*sniff*.