Long Lonely Highway - Nashville 1960-1968 (CD - FTD, 2000)

Title:

Long Lonely Highway - Nashville 1960-1968

Label:

FTD [FTD 005] [74321 76749 2]

Format:

CD

Number of tracks:

22

Running time:

56:00

Type of album:

Recording session

Vinculado a:

FTD discography

Year:

2000

Recording date:

March 20, 1960 - January 17, 1968

Release date:

July 2000

Singles:

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Long Lonely Highway - Nashville 1960-1968 was the fifth CD released by the FTD label. It contains 18 never-before-released alternate takes, two songs made available for the first time in stereo and two with remastered audio, of songs recorded at RCA studios in Nashville, Tennessee, between 1960 and 1968. The album is currently out of print.

Nashville has always been the stage for Elvis' best recordings and it was there, in the capital of Tennessee, that the King of Rock created most of the songs and records that became immediate hits and broke sales records. His first LP as a nationally recognized artist, "Elvis Presley", from 1956, and the singles "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" and "Hound Dog" were the main samples of what Elvis could create in the city.

But it was on his return from Germany, in 1960, that Elvis chose Nashville to give fans the "Elvis is Back!" and "His Hand in Mine" LPs, in addition to the singles "Stuck On You", "Fame and Fortune", "It's Now or Never" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight". This turned the capital into something of a sanctuary for the creation of pure magic that would bring to our ears classics like "Kiss Me Quick" and "Little Sister", as well as the famous session for the "lost album" of 1963.

1966 would see the creation of the award-winning "How Great Thou Art" album in Nashville, along with some of the most successful singles of the 1963-67 period such as "Come What May", "Fools Fall in Love" and "If Every Day Was Like Christmas".

From 1967 to 1968, arguably the least appreciated works that came out of Nashville were the soundtracks, but the hits "Guitar Man", "Big Boss Man" and "Hi-Heel Sneakers" still came out of sessions for them. And all this success brought by the air of the city, combined with the talent of Elvis and the musicians behind the recordings, would still be repeated in the 1970s.

Below is a review of the material available on this CD.

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- 1 . It's Now or Never (Alternate Take 1): In 1959, while having fun with friends during his breaks, Elvis used to sing the most famous English version of the Italian classic "O Sole Mio", titled "There's No Tomorrow", a hit by Tony Martin in 1949, without suspecting that only a year later he would be doing his own version with new lyrics written by Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold. The single released in 1960 featured the final Master (Take 4), which sounds quite different than on this slower, more melodious first attempt.

- 2. A Mess of Blues (Alternate Take 1): After two false starts, Elvis starts a take of the song and almost completes it before breaking out laughing at the end. It is quite interesting to note that this version is also slower than the Master (Take 5) released as the B-side of the "It's Now or Never" single.

- 3. It Feels So Right (Alternate Take 3): Another one that also had its Master obtained in Take 5, doesn't differ much from it, which is heard in the LP "Elvis is Back!".

- 4. I'm Yours (Alternate Take 2): One of the greatest gems of this CD comes from the 1961 sessions in Nashville and is totally different from the Master (composed of Take 6 + Work Part Take 1) for not having the spoken part in the middle of the song.

- 5. Anything That's Part of You (Alternate Take 2): As with the previous songs, this take also contains a much slower version than the Master's (Take 10). Although both are very beautiful, the very rare take 9 could have been added.

- 6. Just For Old Time Sake (Alternate Take 1): Returning to RCA Studio B in March 1962, Elvis starts work with a standard take that doesn't differ much from the Master (Take 5) except for the guitar right at the beginning of the song.

- 7. You'll Be Gone (Alternate Take 4): Written by Elvis, Red West and Charlie Hodge, it has a more Latin feel due to the use of guitar in a way that is far removed from the one heard on the Master (Take 3).

- 8. I Feel That I've Known You Forever (Alternate Take 3): It has backing vocals that sound a little more listless than on Master (take 5).

- 9. Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello (Alternate Take 5): Although the Master was perfectly achieved in the next take, here Elvis' voice still doesn't sound confident with the song, but nothing else is blown out of proportion.

- 10. She's Not You (Splice Take 2 + Work Part Take 4 - Alternate Master): Much slower than the Master (composed of Take 3 + Work Part Take 5), it's even nicer to hear.

- 11. (You're the) Devil In Disguise (Alternate Takes 2 & 3): It's May 1963 and sessions for the "lost album" are underway. Elvis misses the lyrics and restarts the song, which would have its first complete take. The King of Rock laughs at the end and The Jordanaires still don't seem comfortable with the music, but there aren't many differences to the Master (Take 6).

- 12. Never Ending (Alternate Take 1): Among the most notable things about this first attempt at recording the song are the fact that there is no annoying echo from the Master (Take 3) and also the feel is quite different. The tempo used in the take is much faster than in the Master.

- 13. Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers (Alternate Take 1): A little slower than the Master (Take 3), but standard.

- 14. (It's a) Long Lonely Highway (Take 1 - Single Master): Recorded in May 1963 but not released until 1965, this take is slightly different from the Record Master (Take 2) used in the opening of the movie "Tickle Me" and on its soundtrack EP.

- 15. Slowly But Surely (Alternate Take 1): Aside from the more pronounced guitar, the take is almost identical to the Master (Take 5).

- 16. By and By (Alternate Take 4): Three years later, on May 27, 1966, Elvis would again be in the RCA studio in Nashville to record the tracks for the award-winning LP "How Great Thou Art". Unlike the Master (Take 10), here Elvis seems to be more relaxed with the slower version.

- 17. Fools Fall in Love (Alternate Take 4): A very different take from the Master (Take 5), the guitar only plays lightly in the first verse and the trumpet is only introduced in the second verse.

- 18. Come What May (Take 8 - Master): Well known, it appears for the first time in a stereo version here.

- 19. Guitar Man (Alternate Take 10): We enter September 1967 and this is a version that has been quite well known for some years now. Not totally different from its Master (Take 12), it also features a snippet of "What'd I Say" at the end and is released remastered for the first time here. The country song that Elvis loved was used, in a new orchestrated version, in several parts, including the opening, of the "'68 Comeback Special" the following year.

- 20. Singing Tree (Take 13 - Unused Master): This version is very different from the Master (composed of Take 12 + Take 13) because Elvis is singing solo and not in an "induced duet" (by overlapping two audios) as in the one that was released.

- 21. Too Much Monkey Business (Alternate Take 9): As we reach January 1968 we have two rare gems for any fan. This version of Chuck Berry's 1956 classic has very different instrumentals, backing vocals and Elvis vocalization than what is heard on the Master (Take 14) and is played a little slower.

- 22. Stay Away (Alternate Take 2 - Slow Tempo): The animation in the studio shows that at that point Elvis' attitude about what he wanted to record and what he didn't wanted to record was already speaking volumes. He is happy and jokes with his friends and colleagues during take 1 (omitted here), where the song is called as "Evergreen" and causes him to have a fit of laughter (heard at the very beginning of this track).