Guitar Man - The Sessions 1967-68 New FTD Set. Summer 2024

[Dan_T]

I got mine Saturday but only sat down to listen to Disc 4 and 5 today... love it so far, apart from the obvious censorship on a few tracks. Track 16 Disc 5, "Suppose" is so pristine it's like having Elvis physically in the room..beautiful.

I'll listen to the other 3 Discs sometime this week !

[RKSNASHVILLE]

I got mine Saturday but only sat down to listen to Disc 4 and 5 today... love it so far, apart from the obvious censorship on a few tracks. Track 16 Disc 5, "Suppose" is so pristine it's like having Elvis physically in the room..beautiful.

Are you in the U.S.?

Who did you order from?


Thanks,
RKS

[Dan_T]

No from the UK and I ordered from NDT !

[elvisfan51]

Graceland now shipping this out.

[bajo]

No "All I Needed Was The Rain"...

Love the tune, but all the relevant takes from this soundtrack session appeared in 2013 on Stay Away, Joe (FTD).

The new set is about the studio sessions.

I was a bit puzzled, since Goin' Home and Stay Away was in there! Suppose on the other hand wasn't really a Nashville Studio B recording?

[drjohncarpenter]

No "All I Needed Was The Rain"...

Love the tune, but all the relevant takes from this soundtrack session appeared in 2013 on Stay Away, Joe (FTD).

The new set is about the studio sessions.

I was a bit puzzled, since Goin' Home and Stay Away was in there! Suppose on the other hand wasn't really a Nashville Studio B recording?

The version of "Suppose" on the Speedway soundtrack LP was taped on the MGM soundstage in June 1967.

[drjohncarpenter]

I got mine Saturday but only sat down to listen to Disc 4 and 5 today... love it so far, apart from the obvious censorship on a few tracks. Track 16 Disc 5, "Suppose" is so pristine it's like having Elvis physically in the room..beautiful.

I'll listen to the other 3 Discs sometime this week !

It's not "censorship."

[bajo]

No "All I Needed Was The Rain"...

Love the tune, but all the relevant takes from this soundtrack session appeared in 2013 on Stay Away, Joe (FTD).

The new set is about the studio sessions.

I was a bit puzzled, since Goin' Home and Stay Away was in there! Suppose on the other hand wasn't really a Nashville Studio B recording?

The version of "Suppose" on the Speedway soundtrack LP was taped on the MGM soundstage in June 1967.

I know that John! But, the version of Suppose included in this set?

[frus75]

No "All I Needed Was The Rain"...

Love the tune, but all the relevant takes from this soundtrack session appeared in 2013 on Stay Away, Joe (FTD).

The new set is about the studio sessions.

I was a bit puzzled, since Goin' Home and Stay Away was in there! Suppose on the other hand wasn't really a Nashville Studio B recording?

The version of "Suppose" on the Speedway soundtrack LP was taped on the MGM soundstage in June 1967.

I know that John! But, the version of Suppose included in this set?

Yes, all music recorded in Nashville , while Elvis voice was done at home with Charlie at piano, as the marvelous liner notes explain.

[Dan_T]

I got mine Saturday but only sat down to listen to Disc 4 and 5 today... love it so far, apart from the obvious censorship on a few tracks. Track 16 Disc 5, "Suppose" is so pristine it's like having Elvis physically in the room..beautiful.

I'll listen to the other 3 Discs sometime this week !

It's not "censorship."

It's exactly that.

If Ernst edited it out because he thinks it's obscene then it's "censorship".

[RKSNASHVILLE]

I received an email today that mine has been shipped from shop Graceland.


RKS

[drjohncarpenter]

I know that John! But, the version of Suppose included in this set?

Home demo overdubbed in Nashville in early 1967. Not a soundtrack session.

[drjohncarpenter]

It's exactly that.

If Ernst edited it out because he thinks it's obscene then it's "censorship".

Nah.

Censorship blocks something from being read, heard, or seen. As collectors. we've read, heard and seen it all.

What Ernst is doing is ensuring that Elvis' artistic legacy is treated with care and respect.

We are lucky.

[mrbthebarber]

Just started listening and reading the booklet ' Am I right to assume that on page 4, the comment CLYDE McPHATTER'S "WITHOUT YOU" should read as CLYDE McPHATTER'S "WITHOUT LOVE"?

[bajo]

I know that John! But, the version of Suppose included in this set?

Home demo overdubbed in Nashville in early 1967. Not a soundtrack session.

So, Goin' Home was a studio session, and not a soundtrack session? Oh, well!?

[frus75]

I guess I’m in a minority here, but I welcome the editing. This was Elvis in a private environment, doing records. It went wild, and I welcome it gets edited out. Yes, I o now it’s not big deal, in 2024, with so many people going wild etc. But I always make myself this question: would you like it if it was you, or your father, or your son? And… once you don’t have parents or children , are you destined to be unprotected? Do we really need that? Really?

[frus75]

I know that John! But, the version of Suppose included in this set?

Home demo overdubbed in Nashville in early 1967. Not a soundtrack session.

So, Goin' Home was a studio session, and not a soundtrack session? Oh, well!?

It was a strange session. Strange in the sense that it wasn’t properly a soundtrack session. Jorgensen beautifully describes in his book how MGM needed a strong song so a studio session was booked . As it was also a regular session , MGM paid half or whatever. So I guess this leaves that session in mid way , territorially speaking. Not a proper soundtrack session. It’s not, we book a studio and record 5-10-15 songs for a movie, it’s a regular studio session where MGM participates financially because they need an extra song for the opening credits. Same musicians, same date, same studio as the regular recordings. So they fit with this release. But believe me , if they had been left off some people would bitch about it too. For me, it make perfect sense. That could have included the proper stay away October 67 sessions, but 293729 takes or stay away joe would have added nothing and would have broken flow and mood, and we already have them covered on an special 7” release.

[drjohncarpenter]

So, Goin' Home was a studio session, and not a soundtrack session? Oh, well!?

That's a different question.

I was kind enough to answer two queries you specifically asked of me.

The concept of this set was to collect Elvis' Nashville sessions from September 1967 to January 1968.

The January 1968 visit just happened to be an even split between songs for retail and the film project.

To debate semantics fifty-six years later is a fool's errand.

[ORION]

Absolutely stellar set!!! I can't say that I'm missing anything by the cuts / edits that were made although I've only listened to the first three discs. The sound is perfect - kudos to Sebastian and Vic on their efforts on the digital files. It does make one wonder how long ago their work was done on this material since both worked on the original FTD of the "Guitar Man" material. I've also go to give a shout out to Ernst for his liners and the Doc for his chart research and my old friend from Norway Kenneth.

This may well turn out to be my favorite "Sessions" release.. well, it is up to this point.


Oh, I saw where there was a discussion about the photo choices for this set. I'm OK with that as well. It's not nearly as jarring as what RCA did by using a still from the "Viva Las Vegas" shoot for the back cover of "From Elvis in Memphis." Did anyone really think Elvis looked like that in 1969 ?

[drjohncarpenter]

Just started listening and reading the booklet ' Am I right to assume that on page 4, the comment CLYDE McPHATTER'S "WITHOUT YOU" should read as CLYDE McPHATTER'S "WITHOUT LOVE"?

Yup, just a typo.

Ernst correctly referenced Clyde's wonderful recording in his essential 1998's Elvis Presley: A Life In Music.

Presley would eventually wax a titanic cover at American Sound in 1969.

He follows the 1956 original quite a bit. He loved McPhatter.






Clyde McPhatter "Without Love (There Is Nothing)" (Atlantic 1117, December 1, 1956)
Cash Box "Best Selling Singles" #48, January 12, 1957, "Most Played R&B in Juke Boxes" #4, January 26, 1957
Billboard "Hot 100" #51, February 16, 1957. "Most Played by Jockeys" #19, February 23, 1957


Apparently, this original 45 has NEVER seen reissue on LP or CD. It was an amalgam of two takes, with the splice made at the :48 mark, before the first chorus. All subsequent releases use the entire alternate take which begins at :48 on the original single. Pretty crazy!

https://www.45cat.com/record/451117





'

[drjohncarpenter]

Absolutely stellar set!!! I can't say that I'm missing anything by the cuts / edits that were made although I've only listened to the first three discs. The sound is perfect - kudos to Sebastian and Vic on their efforts on the digital files. It does make one wonder how long ago their work was done on this material since both worked on the original FTD of the "Guitar Man" material.

The new work was done this year.

[minkahed]

Just started listening and reading the booklet ' Am I right to assume that on page 4, the comment CLYDE McPHATTER'S "WITHOUT YOU" should read as CLYDE McPHATTER'S "WITHOUT LOVE"?

Yup, just a typo.

Ernst correctly referenced Clyde's wonderful recording in his essential 1998's Elvis Presley: A Life In Music.

Presley would eventually wax a titanic cover at American Sound in 1969.

He follows the 1956 original quite a bit. He loved McPhatter.






Clyde McPhatter "Without Love (There Is Nothing)" (Atlantic 1117, December 1, 1956)
Cash Box "Best Selling Singles" #48, January 12, 1957, "Most Played R&B in Juke Boxes" #4, January 26, 1957
Billboard "Hot 100" #51, February 16, 1957. "Most Played by Jockeys" #19, February 23, 1957


Apparently, this original 45 has NEVER seen reissue on LP or CD. It was an amalgam of two takes, with the splice made at the :48 mark, before the first chorus. All subsequent releases use the entire alternate take which begins at :48 on the original single. Pretty crazy!

https://www.45cat.com/record/451117





'

One of my absolute favorites from the ‘69 American sessions. Should’ve been on From Elvis In Memphis If you ask me.

Thanks Doc.

[RKSNASHVILLE]

It appears that Keith Flynn has updated portions - January 1968 - of these sessions to reflect the "Guitar Man 67/68" sessions - including the notes pages on his Elvis Sessions site.


RKS

[RKSNASHVILLE]

Funny moment during the first "Singing Tree" session before take 9 - Of course Priscilla is pregnant at the time and Millie says something that Elvis didn't quite catch and he asks "what'd she say?"

Millie says: "It's going to be the only kid in the world with a solid gold stroller."

Elvis laughs - loud! And then he says: "with a t.v. set on his stroller. I'm gonna get a custom made stroller for my baby...with a little portable t.v. on it."

Hilarious!


RKS

[Keith]

It appears that Keith Flynn has updated portions - January 1968 - of these sessions to reflect the "Guitar Man 67/68" sessions - including the notes pages on his Elvis Sessions site.


RKS

Yes i have. But I'm in no hurry to update the rest of the sessions on the FTD or the Memphis set yet.

Sorry, but I'm just taking things at my own pace at present. Nothing else I can do!!!

Keith