Too Much Monkey Business (CD/LP - FTD, 2000/2017)

Title:

Too Much Monkey Business

Label:

FTD [FTD 007] [74321 81233 2]

Format:

CD

Number of tracks:

20

Running time:

62:00

Type of album:

Studio

Linked to:

FTD discography

Year:

2000

Recording date:

January 15 - November 11, 1980 (remixes)

Release date:

December 2000

Singles:

---

Too Much Monkey Business is the seventh album released by Follow That Dream (FTD) label. It features 20 of the 35 recordings remixed in 1980 for the "Guitar Man" LP, released the following year, and other compilations. The work was personally supervised by Felton Jarvis, who ran the remix sessions, and featured Carl Perkins and members of the TCB band in recreating the songs.

When Elvis died unexpectedly on August 16, 1977, the world was in shock. The "Moody Blue" LP on blue vinyl, released a month earlier, sold like crazy and RCA even put out another version on black vinyl, which became a collector's item. Until the middle of 1979, the King of Rock's fame remained stable, but new rhythms, such as Punk Rock and Pop, were already beginning to take more space among young people as Elvis fans reached advanced ages.

To bring the singer into the modernity of the 1980s, RCA gave Felton Jarvis, producer of Elvis' records since the 1960s, the mission to create remixes of the King's most famous songs. In his work Jarvis would have access to the resident musicians of the Young 'un Sound Studio in Nashville and total control over the recordings, being able to choose to call members of the band TCB and one or another celebrity.

In possession of 35 Masters produced between 1967 and 1976, Felton created modern remixes by remastering the recordings, brightening up and highlighting Elvis' voice, and adding instrumental tracks. The process lasted nearly a year, from January 15 to November 11, 1980, and used TCB band members Larrie Londin and David Briggs, as well as RCA resident musicians who had worked on sessions with Elvis like Chip Young, Mike Leech, Terry McMillan and Tony Joe White. Jarvis's chosen celebrity was Carl Perkins, who had also become a national star at the Sun Studio in 1954.

Ten of the 35 remixes were released on the 1981 "Guitar Man" LP, which scored an unexpected #6 on the US Country chart and #5 on the same Canadian chart. On the Billboard 200 overall chart, the album reached #49 in the US and #33 in the UK.

The remaining 25 tracks were released in different works over the years, but some still remain unreleased because they were saved or released only as bootlegs, namely:

- And I Love You So (still unreleased)
- Funny How Time Slips Away (still unreleased)
- Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain (still unreleased)
- Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall (Lançada em "Unedited Masters - Hollywood to Nashville 1972-1980" e "Unedited Masters - The Next Generation")
- Shake a Hand (still unreleased)
- For Ol' Times Sake (Lançada em "Unedited Masters - Hollywood to Nashville 1972-1980" e "Unedited Masters - The Next Generation")
- Susan When She Tried (still unreleased)
- Help Me (still unreleased)
- The Fool (still unreleased)
- You Don't Know Me  (still unreleased, lost or never worked on)
- I Really Don't Want to Know (still unreleased, lost or never worked on)
- Help Me Make it Through the Night (still unreleased, lost or never worked on)

In late 2000, Follow That Dream released their own version of the 1981 album along with 10 bonus tracks, nine of which had never been released before.

Below is a review of the content available on the CD.

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- 1. Burning Love (Master - March 29,1972; Remix - October 15, 1980 [previously unreleased]): The Golden classic of 1972, released as a single and later as the flagship of the budget LP "Burning Love and Hits From His Movies, Volume 2", is the first track of this work and you can already hear a very welcome difference in the instrumentation. Chip Young's guitar and Larrie Londin's drums are pronounced in the mix, letting the song sound like the most heard songs of the late 1970s.

- 2. I'll Be There (Master - January 23, 1969; Remix - October 15, 1980 [previously unreleased]): Recorded in 1969, it had its instrumentals completely modified to sound more modern. Billy Puett's saxophone solo sounds odd at first, but it's an alteration that doesn't tarnish the brilliance of this track never released in its original form.

- 3. Guitar Man (Master - September 10, 1967; Remix - October 15, 1980 ["Guitar Man" LP]): The first track on the 1981 record, which also opened the soundtrack to "Clambake" in 1967, is very vibrant and clear. Jarvis used the unedited Master to create his remix and managed to do a good job, although Jerry Reed could have been called upon to reproduce his classic touch on the original recording.

- 4. After Loving You (Master - February 18, 1969; Remix - October 17, 1980 ["Guitar Man" LP]): Part of the iconic 1969 "From Elvis in Memphis" LP, it takes on a Blues major tone with Larry Byrom's electric guitar and Jerry Carrigan's drums.

- 5. Too Much Monkey Business (Master - January 15, 1968; Remix - October 14, 1980 ["Guitar Man" LP]): Originally released on the budget LP "Elvis Sings Flaming Star" in 1969, the song that names the FTD album takes on a totally modern feel and different from the country beat of the original 1968 recording. Larrie Londin's drums stand out and Larry Byrom's guitar solo at the end is chilling.

- 6. Just Call Me Lonesome (Master - September 11, 1967; Remix - October 14, 1980 ["Guitar Man" LP]): Featured as a bonus song on the "Clambake" soundtrack LP, this is one of the cases where the Master was not used for the remix. Utilizing take 6 of the song, Jarvis turned it into a more uptempo country that resembled the feel of the style at the time.

- 7. Loving Arms (Master December 13, 1973; Remix - January 25, 1980 ["Guitar Man" LP]): One of the most beautiful tracks on the 1974 "Good Times" LP, it gets even more magical in this remix that utilized the Undubbed Master to add new backing vocals and a stinging guitar.

- 8. You Asked Me to (Master - December 11, 1973; Remix - October 20, 1980 ["Guitar Man" LP]): Opening the B-side of the 1981 album, the song that ended the LP "Promised Land", from 1975, received a more modern touch with the duel of electric guitars by Sonny Garrison and Dale Sellers, in addition to the more present drums by Larrie Londin.

- 9. Clean Up Your Own Back Yard (Master - October 23, 1968; Remix - October 17, 1980 ["Guitar Man" LP]): Unlike the version heard in the 1969 film "The Trouble With Girls", which prioritized acoustic guitar, the focus in this remix is placed on Chip Young's guitar, Jerry Carrigan's drums and David Briggs' piano.

- 10. She Thinks I Still Care (Master - February 3, 1976; Remix - February 2, 1980 ["Guitar Man" LP]): The romantic classic from the 1977 LP "Moody Blue" gets a whole new look. As the 1976 Master (take 17) already had enough good and irreplaceable qualities, Jarvis decided to work with take 2b to put a funky beat on a classic R&B.

- 11. Faded Love (Master - June 8, 1970; Remix - October 15, 1980 ["Guitar Man" LP]): Here, Jarvis recreates the country version that Elvis intended to record in 1970, but which for some unknown reason had only a rehearsed section (take 2). The most remembered version is the R&B present on the 1971 "Elvis Country" LP.

- 12. I'm Movin' On (Master - January 14, 1969; Remix - January 25, 1980 ["Guitar Man" LP]): The last track on the 1981 album, from "From Elvis In Memphis", is also the last officially released by RCA. The remix gave this roots country a more uptempo feel and Larrie Londin's drums shine - as does David Briggs' piano. In addition to the Master, Jarvis used the alternate vocal from January 22, 1969 to create this track.

- 13. I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms) (Master - January 23, 1969; Remix - October 14, 1980 [previously unreleased]): Recorded in just one take, Elvis' version, with two false starts, was added to his 1969 comeback record, "From Elvis in Memphis". In this remix the false starts were cut and Larrier Londin was in evidence with his drums, followed by Larry Byrom's guitar.

- 14. In the Ghetto (Master - January 20, 1969; Remix - February 1, 1980 [previously unreleased]): The closing track for "From Elvis in Memphis" is one of those that had been kept until FTD put it on this release. The new arrangement made the song even more beautiful than it already was.

- 15. Long Black Limousine (Master - January 13, 1969 ;  Remix - October 17, 1980 [previously unreleased]): Written in 1958, this country song only gained due notoriety when Elvis made his own version, in 1969, for the album "From Elvis in Memphis". If the King of Rock turned it into deep R&B, Jarvis did his part to revamp it with a funk beat that worked.

- 16. Only the Strong Survive (Master - February 20, 1969; Remix - January 24, 1980 [previously unreleased]): A classic in itself, it has not changed much from what was already heard in "From Elvis in Memphis". Elvis' producer just wanted to modernize it by putting a little more guitar and a different beat on the drums, bringing it to the 1980s.

- 17. Hey Jude (Master - January 21, 1969; Remix - January 28, 1980 [previously unreleased]): A hit by The Beatles, it was never officially recorded by Elvis, who only rehearsed it on January 21, 1969. The idea to overdub it and put it on the 1972 "Elvis Now" record came from RCA later. Here, it gains more modern tones and resembles the Fab Four version.

- 18. Kentucky Rain (Master - February 19, 1969; Remix - October 16, 1980 ["The Other Side of Memphis" CD]): Released as the B-side to the "My Little Friend" single in January 1970, it did not gain much attention in its day. In this remix, first released in 1990 on the CD "The Other Side of Memphis", David Briggs' piano and electric clavinet are the focus, creating a modern sound.

- 19. If You Talk in Your Sleep (Master - December 12, 1973; Remix - October 16, 1980 - previously unreleased): Written by Red West, the song was the lead single in 1974 and appeared on the album "Promised Land" the following year. The recreation of this R&B has Billy Puett's flute, David Briggs' piano and Jerry Byrom's electric guitar to gain a more modern air and a touch of funk.

- 20. Blue Suede Shoes (Master - August 25, 1969 MS; Remix - February 5, 1980 - previously unreleased): Closing FTD's work, the version of the hit released in a single and in the opening of the LP "Elvis Presley" in March 1956, was used to open the shows of the season in Las Vegas in 1969. Here, it gains new complete instrumentals and has the participation of Carl Perkins as guitarist and backing vocals.

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Title:

Too Much Monkey Business

Label:

FTD [FTD 316] [506020 975112 1]

Format:

Double LP

Number of tracks:

23

Running time:

72:15

Type of album:

Studio

Linked to:

FTD discography

Year:

2017

Recording date:

January 15, 1980 - June 22, 1982 (remixes)

Release date:

August 2017

Singles:

---

In 2017 FTD re-released the 2000 album on a double LP. The main work contains the same tracks as the previous release, plus extra remixes recorded in 1982 for the LPs "The Elvis Medley" (1982) and "I Was the One" (1983).

The work contains the following tracks:

LP 1

SIDE A

1. If You Talk in Your Sleep

2. Just Call Me Lonesome

3. I'll Be There

4. Too Much Monkey Business

5. After Loving You

6. You Asked Me to

SIDE B

7. Faded Love

8. Clean Up Your Own Backyard

9. Lovin' Arms

10. Guitar Man

11. Kentucky Rain

12. In the Ghetto

LP 2

SIDE A

1. Burning Love

2. I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)

3. Only the Strong Survive

4. She Thinks I Still Care

5. Long Black Limousine

SIDE B

6. I'm Movin' On

7. Hey Jude

8. Blue Suede Shoes

BONUS

9. Paralyzed ("I Was the One" LP)

10. The Elvis Medley ("The Elvis Medley" LP)

11. Wear My Ring Around Your Neck ("I Was the One" LP)

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