Raised On Rock / For Ol' Times Sake (1973)

[frus75]

Raised On Rock / For Ol' Times Sake (1973)

Tracklisting:

SIDE A

1. Raised On Rock (Mark James) 2:42
2. Are You Sincere (Wayne Walker) 2:03
3. Find Out What's Happening (Jerry Crutchfield) 2:33
4. I Miss You (Donnie Sumner) 2:16
5. Girl Of Mine (Les Reed/Barry Mason) 3:41

SIDE B

1. For Ol'Times Sake (Tony Joe White) 3:39
2. If You Don't Come Back (Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller) 2:33
3. Just A Little Bit (Thornton / Brown / Bass / Washington) 2:34
4. Sweet Angeline (Arnold/Martin/Morrow) 3:05
5. Three Corn Patches (Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller) 2:49

Tracks

Released: October 1st, 1973
Reached number 50 on the billboard album charts
Sales: 200.000 copies in the US.
Deleted from the catalogue after first pressings
Released as cd in 1994, and again in 2007 by FTD as an expanded 2 cd version

[frus75]

Sessions for Raised On Rock / For Ol'Times Sake

The body for this 1973 album was recorded in Memphis, on the Stax studio, on the next dates:

STAX STUDIO, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

July 21st:

CPA5 - 4761 - 09 If You Don't Come Back
CPA5 - 4762 - 15 Three Corn Patches.

One aditional song was recorded, CPA5 - 4763 Take Good Care Of Her, but saved for later projects. The song It's Diff'rent Now was rehearsed.

July 22nd:

CPA5 - 4764 - 09 Find Out What's Happenning
CPA5 - 4766 - 02 Just A Little Bit

Another song, CPA5 - 4765 I've Got A Thing About You Baby was recorded but saved for later projects

July 23rd:

CPA5 - 4767 - 10 Raised On Rock
CPA5 - 4768 - 08 For Ol'Times Sake

July 24rth:

CPA5 - 4769 - 11 Girl Of Mine

PERSONNEL:

Vocals: Elvis Presley, JD Sumner & The Stamps, Kathy Westmoreland, Mary "Jeannie" Green, The Holladays
Guitars: James Burton (July 21-23), Reggie Young (July 21-23), Bobby Manuel (July 24-25), Johnny Christopher (July 24-25) and Charlie Hodge
Bass: Tommy Cogbill (July 21-23) and Donald Dunn (July 24-25)
Drums: Jerry Carrigan, Ronnie Tutt (July 21-23) and Al Jackson (July 24-25)
Piano: Bobby Wood
Organ: Bobby Emmons


Rythm Tracks were laid down on July the 24rth and 25th for songs CPA5 - 4770 Good, Bad But Beautiful, CPA5 - 4771 Color My Rainbow CPA5 - 4772 Sweet Angeline and CPA5 - 4773 The Wonders You Perform

With just 9 songs recorded, and two of them filed for later releases, RCA was short of three songs, so a session was arrenged at Elvis's Palm Springs home, on September 1973

ELVIS HOME, PALM SPRINGS, SEPTEMBER 1973

September 22nd

CPA5 - 4772 - 15 Sweet Angeline (vocal overdub of the July master)

September 23rd

CPA5 - 4774 - 15 I Miss You
CPA5 - 4775 - 04 Are You Sincere

Personnel: Vocals, Elvis Presley, Voice
Guitar: James Burton, Charlie Hodge
Bass: Thomas Hensley
Piano: Donnie Sumner

[frus75]

Raised On Rock / For Ol' Time Sake was preceeded by the single Raised On Rock / For Ol' Times Sake, released on September, 1973. The single reached number #41 on the Hot 100 and sold 250.000 copies

[frus75]

Just to give a brief review, Raised On Rock was a fine album as a project. Returning to Memphis, using a band that comprised musicians from his 1969 great American Studio sessions with his road band and some Nashville Prayers and using the Stax Studio in Memphis were enough elements to give hopes of a great album.

But it wasn't meant to be. The material submitted was sub-par, from some of the worst jobs of Leiber and Stoller, to second hand material (Girl Of Mine was rejected by Gordon Mills, manager of both Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck). There were technical problems as well, the final blow being that Elvis's own mic was stolen.

Besides, Elvis was depressed and in no mood for recording.

The concept was a mistake too. An Elvis Presley single and album titled after a song called Raised On Rock was a great mistake. You can like the song or dislike it, you can find it good or bad. In 2009 it may seem good or bad. But in 1973, Elvis singing a song about being raised on rock wasn't too cool, to say the least. A failure from everybody involved.

Yes, maybe Elvis wasn't in the mood for recording, and maybe he chose some really ill-conceived material.
But Felton and the rest submitted it to him
And the Colonel could have let RCA release A Legendary Performer Vol 1 instead of Raised On Rock
And the company could have waited some more (after alL, Elvis had given to them a worldwide number one double album the previous february, selling millions of copies everywhere...)

The results were a letdown. But there were highlights. The Tony Joe White songs were extremely good performed and they certainly had quality. The very same writer saw Elvis record them and was delighted. The 2 songs recorded in September (I Miss You and Are You Sincere) were very charming and featured Elvis in a great voice. And the funkiness of Find Out What's Happening is enjoyable.

The 2007 FTD release finally put the album into perspective. With plenty of alternate takes, new mixes for some masters (courtesy of new tapes found) and STELLAR sound, we all can enjoy the album for what it is. Some will like it, some won't, and some will only like bits and pieces. Hey, but at least most of us were really RAISED ON ROCK!

[ColinB]

Nice going, frus75 !

Well done !

But what made you pick such a lackluster album ?

[Rob]

SIDE A

1. Raised On Rock (Mark James) 2:42
2. Are You Sincere (Wayne Walker) 2:03
3. Find Out What's Happening (Jerry Crutchfield) 2:33
4. I Miss You (Donnie Sumner) 2:16
5. Girl Of Mine (Les Reed/Barry Mason) 3:41

SIDE B

1. For Ol'Times Sake (Tony Joe White) 3:39
2. If You Don't Come Back (Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller) 2:33
3. Just A Little Bit (Thornton / Brown / Bass / Washington) 2:34
4. Sweet Angeline (Arnold/Martin/Morrow) 3:05
5. Three Corn Patches (Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller) 2:49

The songs highlighted in blue are songs that I personally have no problem listening to.
#1 and #4 on side B are songs that I especially like.

*Insert "Three Corn Patches" criticism here*

[frus75]

I had to pick one, and all Elvis albums will have its place here....So no particular reason!

[Shawn1968]

It would have been a stronger album had there been 12 tracks IMO. As it stands, this is a very short album at about 28 minutes. Was this full-priced (compared to other LPs in 1973) when it came out?

Just compare its length to, say, Led Zeppelin's HOUSES OF THE HOLY (released about six months prior to RAISED ON ROCK) at around 41 minutes.

[frus75]

On what it seems like a phone call from Felton Jarvis made on september 27th, 1973, someone at RCA (Joan?) was informed that the tracklisting for the album would be:

SIDE A

1. Take Good Care Of Her
2. Find Out What's Happening
3. For Ol' Times Sake
4. If You Don't Come Back
5. Sweet Angeline

SIDE B

1. I've Got A Thing About You Baby
2. Just A Little Bit
3. Raised On Rock
4. Girl Of Mine
5. Three Corn Patches

Then there is a conversation where Colonel Parker informs RCA that Elvis wants to save Take Good Care Of Her and I've Got A Thing About You Baby for the next "possible single"

[Hav-A-Tampa]

That is interesting and it shows us that Elvis himself probably didn't give a damn about the album, taking out what he might have felt were the two best and/or most commerical tracks for future single release. Elvis singles in the 70's (apart from some strange choices in 1971) were for the most part very good, IMO, with well-chosen A- and B-sides.

I've always felt that if there had been two Stax albums instead of three, this time period would be regarded much higher. All three albums were uneven, "Raised On Rock" more so than the others.

(And well done, frus75!)

[Hav-A-Tampa]

Recently Elvis Collectors Brazil published an interview with Donnie Sumner who wrote "I Miss You" and was present at the October Palm Springs session. I can't say that I trust this guy 100%, but I thought the following quote should be included in this thread:

The reason it was recorded was that we were in Palm Springs and the Colonel called Elvis and said "You´re going to have to make a record or we will be in a breach of contract". Elvis said "I aint no making no recording" and the Colonel said " Yes You are". Elvis said: " Well, tell RCA that they will have to come down here if they want, cause I´m not coming to Los Angeles". The next week there was two semi trucks in front at Elvis´s house and they brought microphones and all kinds of stuff and got all set up. Elvis said "what we are going to record? We don't have any songs!"(Laughs). Charlie said:" Well, Donnie has written songs. Tim Baty has written songs." Elvis said: "Well, lets do it". So, the first thing we did was two of my songs, Mr. Songman an I Miss You. Then he got crazy and started doing rockabilly tunes that other people had done, just because he knew´em . He didn't care who had recorded it, he was just trying to get a record for RCA!
The night before, Sherril Nielsen has had a hair transplant and he had two hundred plugs from the back of his head put on the top of his head. The next morning his was on pain pills and when we got in the "Are You Sincere" song, there was no musicians. It was just me playing the electric piano and Tim Baty playing classic acoustic guitar. Then they would take everything back to Los Angeles, keep Elvis´s voice and overdub everything else. When we did Are You Sincere, we wanted Katy to do the high (singing) "are you sincere" ending. Sherril Nielsen just put on as scratch vocal and when Elvis sang the last note, Sherril sung the final part and it was a quarter of a step flat. Sherril said " Boy, I'm glad they will not going to use this and that they will put someone else to that ending! Elvis answered: This is the first time I ever heard you flat and the world aint goin to hear it! Well, RCA put the record out with Sherrill singing that on the end just as flat as it can be.( laughs)

http://www.elvisbrasil.com/epbrasil/DonnieSumnerenglish.htm

Of course, he is wrong about "Mr Songman" being recorded in October, but the part about the rockabilly tunes is intriguing. Probably not true, and probably not recorded if true...

[KiwiAlan]

It would have been a stronger album had there been 12 tracks IMO. As it stands, this is a very short album at about 28 minutes. Was this full-priced (compared to other LPs in 1973) when it came out?

Just compare its length to, say, Led Zeppelin's HOUSES OF THE HOLY (released about six months prior to RAISED ON ROCK) at around 41 minutes.

10 track albums for new material was the industry norm by 1973.

Ringo
Band On The Run
Piano man
There goes Rhymin' Simon
All the above were ten trackers and all first issued in 1973.

The reason was to disguise an effective price rise from 12 tracks.

Compilations of older material tended to remain at 12 or more tracks.

[Matthew]

A more accurate yardstick for the era would be album length vs. how many songs were featured. "Bad Company", a classic album of the same year was 34 minutes with only 8 tracks.

[KiwiAlan]

A more accurate yardstick for the era would be album length vs. how many songs were featured. "Bad Company", a classic album of the same year was 34 minutes with only 8 tracks.

Length was NOT a criteria as far as record companies were concerned

The number of tracks determined how much had to be paid in royalties - the drop from 12 to 10 tracks reduced payments by 20%.

[Pete Dube]

Ivan, what about Color My Rainbow?

[frus75]

Ivan, what about Color My Rainbow?

thanks! edited to add color my rainbow

[LP_Quagmire]

RAISED ON ROCK is the worst of Elvis' 70's output and maybe even the worst studio album of his career.

[minkahed]

SIDE A

1. Raised On Rock (Mark James) 2:42
2. Are You Sincere (Wayne Walker) 2:03
3. Find Out What's Happening (Jerry Crutchfield) 2:33
4. I Miss You (Donnie Sumner) 2:16
5. Girl Of Mine (Les Reed/Barry Mason) 3:41

SIDE B

1. For Ol'Times Sake (Tony Joe White) 3:39
2. If You Don't Come Back (Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller) 2:33
3. Just A Little Bit (Thornton / Brown / Bass / Washington) 2:34
4. Sweet Angeline (Arnold/Martin/Morrow) 3:05
5. Three Corn Patches (Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller) 2:49

The songs highlighted in blue are songs that I personally have no problem listening to.
#1 and #4 on side B are songs that I especially like.

*Insert "Three Corn Patches" criticism here*

Wow, you didn't highlight one of the doc's most notable cuts, "Are You Sincere", that he has often regarded as a really good track.

[minkahed]

RAISED ON ROCK is the worst of Elvis' 70's output and maybe even the worst studio album of his career.

Is this opinion stated Fact or Opinion ?

[karlos]

Brilliant Thread frus 75 - Ty buddy - Elvis at this time was searching I guess for greats songs to record - He was tired from touring during this year and needed some well earnt rest . This was not so - He ventured into Stax Studios and recorded some good songs portraying his virtuoso - At Stax Recording Studio, Memphis July 21 - 25, 1973.
Some Musicians Present Were
Guitar: James Burton

Guitar: Reggie Young

Bass: Tommy Cogbill

Drums: Ronnie Tutt

[Julian Grant]

This single "Raised On Rock" reached number 36 on the UK top 40 chart in November 1973

[A. C. van Kuijk]

To me the album is not that bad. Especially "For Ol' Times Sake" is great, just like "Sweet Angeline" or "If You Don't Come Back". There are many soundtracks that are worse than this album.

[minkahed]

I may be in the minority, but I like some tracks on this record.

"If you Don't Come Back" is kool, especially James wha wha guitar sound. Funky.

[drjohncarpenter]

Thank goodness that Rob is no longer a member, or I'd really give him grief over his throwing shade on "Are You Sincere?"

[Rob]

I just woke up and this is the first thing I see. That was seven years ago. I like it a little better now. Since I'm not a member, it won't let me color the former post blue.

2. Are You Sincere (Wayne Walker) 2:03

How's that?