It began with a superb LP called Elvis Country: I'm 10,000 Years Old. Perhaps the best collection of his 1970 studio work, mostly masterminded by the singer spontaneously moving from a pedestrian series of pop sessions in Nashville to a fresh look at country influences that shaped his greatest work. It remains his finest 1970s studio LP today.
Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) (RCA LSP-4460, January 9, 1971)
But the momentum of Presley's stunning 1969 Memphis recordings, and fiery return to the concert stage the same year, suddenly went south in 1971.
He'd accept another booking into Las Vegas, his fourth month-long residency in just 17 months, and there would not be a single concert given outside of Nevada, let alone the United States, that year, save a dozen-city tour booked in November.
And, most importantly, nearly all of his singles would bomb on the charts, with just a couple scraping into the top ten. This was a terrible fall from the powerful, Memphis-recorded single A-sides delivered to retail and radio in 1969 and 1970.
MEMPHIS-ERA
Two #1 hits, five in the top 10, February 1969 to March 1970:
"If I Can Dream" #9, February 1, 1969
"Memories" #24, April 26, 1969
"In The Ghetto" #1, June 28, 1969
"Clean Up Your Own Backyard" #25, August 2, 1969
"Suspicious Minds" #1, October 18, 1969
"Don't Cry Daddy" #6, January 24, 1970
"Kentucky Rain" #10, March 14, 1970
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POST-MEMPHIS
Zero #1 hits, two in the top 10, July 1970 to November 1971:
"The Wonder of You" (live) #10, July 4, 1970
"I've Lost You" #18, September 12, 1970
"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" #10, November 28, 1970
"I Really Don't Want to Know" #13, February 6, 1971
"Where Did They Go, Lord" #34, April 10, 1971
"Life" #40, June 10, 1971
"I'm Leavin'" #36, August 21, 1971
"It's Only Love" #51, November 6, 1971
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So it was very interesting to discover, via a recent Graceland auction, that someone at RCA knew there was a singles problem, and tried to fix the downward trend.
The idea? Release Elvis' studio jam of "Got My Mojo Working" and "Hands Off" as an A-side!
The Auction at Graceland•Elvis Week • August 13, 2016
Lot #179:
1971 Original Concept Art Mock-Up for Never-Released Single of Elvis Presley’s “Got My Mojo Working” from Love Letters from Elvis
Offered is incredible never-seen, unpublished artwork for a single that was never released by Elvis Presley for the recordings of “Got My Mojo Working” and “I Was Born Ten Thousand Years Ago.” “Mojo” was included on Elvis’ June 1971 release Love Letters from Elvis, and parts of the other tune were used as a bridge between songs on the January 1971 album Elvis Country. The year saw a torrent of Presley releases, with seven LPs and as many singles, and perhaps this pairing was suggested (indeed, taken far enough that the artwork was ordered) and then shelved.
An interesting addition to the artboard, attached with black tape to the lower right, is a 35mm color slide of the photograph used for the 45 sleeve. Further adding to the mix of albums involved here, writing on the slide holder indicates that the photo was originally slotted for another use: the top and bottom of the slide holder read, respectively, “CAMDEN” and “I GOT LUCK.”
It’s not clear why the single was never released, and it could be as simple as another offering being released instead. Possibly, though, ongoing litigation between several parties concerning the publishing rights to the song may have made it less than desirable as a single, although it had already appeared on the LP Love Letters. The mystery endures, regardless, and leaves us with a phenomenal relic of Elvis’ recording career. The artwork measures approximately 20 by 13 inches (50.8 x 33.02 cm) and is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Graceland Authenticated.
https://auction.graceland.com/1971_Original_Concept_Art_Mock_Up_for_Never_Releas-LOT752.aspx
Such were the desperate times at this point that someone believed that a high-energy, albeit off-the-cuff, Nashville studio jam was superior to available, planned studio masters done at the same time.
And the sad thing is, RCA was right.
Elvis Presley "Got My Mojo Working"' / "Hands Off" (RCA Studio B, Nashville, June 5, 1970)
Released on Love Letters From Elvis in 1971.
Jam of early 1957 Chess single by Muddy Waters with Jay McShann's Orchestra's "Hands Off," sung by Priscilla Bowman, a #1 r&b hit in 1955.
Even the projected B-side, another rollicking r&b off-the-cuff cover, this time the wonderful 1953 Brownie McGhee and his Jook Block Busters single "I'm 10,000 Years Old," would have been a nice surprise. It had previously been heard in bits and pieces, as a bridge between songs on January's Elvis Country album
Elvis Presley "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago" (RCA Studio B, Nashville - June 4, 1970)
Complete jam issued on Elvis Now in 1972.
It's also curious that RCA tried to get "Mojo" on a 45 just as news of the death of Jim Morrison hit the music world. Had someone been digging L.A. Woman, the fabulous new Doors album issued in April? It was notable for being a stripped-down return to their blues rock roots.
We may never know. But for whatever reason, the 45 never came out.
Instead the next release would be "It's Only Love," which sunk like a stone despite being a decent cover of a 1969 B.J. Thomas single on Scepter Records. Thomas' recording had been cut in Memphis at American Sound, too. Too little, too late.
So went 1971, a pivotal year in the comeback era.
