March 10-13, 1975: The Last Studio Session

RCA Studio C; Hollywood, 1975

By early 1975, Elvis's career had reached a stagnation point: The 1974 shows, although of good quality, showed a singer tired of his routine and his personal problems, which often led to episodes of angry outbursts on stage. Disappointed by the betrayal of the Colonel, who had sold all the rights to the songs from 1956-73 to RCA, and with the songs offered by Hill & Range, he had less and less desire to go into the studio and, in fact, at that point, he had not done so for over a year.

"Aloha from Hawaii" had been a big hit, but that had already happened two years ago. The only LP of new songs in 1974, "Good Times", had been released 10 months earlier, and "Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis" had been produced so hastily and so poorly edited that it failed to be the great live album of that year when it hit stores in July. Apart from these, all the other releases of 1974 were just compilations of past hits without realizing that Elvis' name was losing ground in the new market while the record company was making money.

It was the release of "Promised Land", exactly on Elvis' 40th birthday, that set off alarm bells at RCA. The record company celebrated the album's good performance compared to the previous year's, but it couldn't help but realize that, in order to continue with positive results, it would need new releases with new material. The problem then was how to do this, since "Promised Land" featured the last unreleased studio tracks, recorded in 1973.

There were, however, bigger problems: How to get Elvis into a studio was the main one. The King of Rock had proclaimed in December 1973, after the last recording sessions at Stax Studio in Memphis, that he would do everything possible to avoid going into the studio again if the quality of the songs did not improve and if his demands were not met. The simple fact that he had spent 1974 without getting close to a recording session proved how serious this statement was.

Another problem was Elvis's health. After the episodes of angry outbursts on stage in 1974, it was clear that the singer was experiencing problems in several areas. Some said that the combination of medications used to avoid the terrible pain he felt caused the mood swings; others claimed that it was the excessive consumption of these medications, without need, that made him that way. There were still those who said that it had nothing to do with the medications, but rather with dissatisfaction with the way his life and career were going. Whatever it was, it was all getting in the way of things.

As usual, Elvis was scheduled to begin his first Las Vegas season of 1975 on January 26. Despite this, he had been complaining of pain and other problems since the beginning of the month and openly expressed his unwillingness to perform. More serious medical issues eventually landed Elvis in the hospital on January 29, 1975, due to liver problems and overuse of prescription drugs. Years later, we would learn that the singer had undergone emergency detox after nearly overdosing on prescription drugs.

With the start of the Las Vegas season postponed to March 18, 1975, Elvis was laid up at Baptist Memorial Hospital. To make matters worse, Vernon was admitted to the same hospital on February 5 after suffering a heart attack. According to reports, he was very stressed about his son's situation (his uncontrolled use of medication) and this aggravated the family's heart problems (also inherited by Elvis). They both recovered together in the same room, but not before Vernon had the most frank conversation of his life with Elvis, stating that Gladys had died of worry about her son's behavior.

Family problems aside, RCA waited until Elvis was released from the hospital on February 14 to inquire about new recordings. The singer was not at all enthusiastic about the possibility of entering a studio, but he had a contractual obligation to do so and the Colonel's hot breath on the back of his neck. He even tried to hide in his Malibu home, but the record company had an ace up its sleeve: RCA Studio C in Hollywood.

Located an hour's drive from his Malibu home, Studio C was nothing new to Elvis, who had been recording tracks there since 1960. From the soundtrack to "G.I. Blues" to overdubs for such acclaimed albums as "From Elvis in Memphis," "Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas," "Raised On Rock," "Good Times" and "Promised Land," the studio had long been a part of his career.

Although reluctant, Elvis ended up accepting RCA's proposal after realizing that this would be a good time to make his demands. Among them was that he would only select songs that were to his personal taste, with musicians he trusted and at a time that suited him best. With little room to bargain, the record company ended up giving in.

Elvis arrived at Studio C around 9pm on March 10, 1975. As usual, he made sure to greet and chat with everyone who would be helping him with the work before starting to record tracks. Laughter, drinks and snacks were the focus until around 11pm, when the singer decided to try a few takes of "Fairytale". The Pointer Sisters' hit was one of Elvis' favorite songs at the time, which was evident in this quick session that reached the Master in just three takes.

As always, it was already dawn on March 11 when Elvis finally got going and started mass production. The second song of the session was Tom Jones' 1966 hit, "Green Green Grass of Home", another song often performed by the singer during his downtime at Graceland. After five takes, the Master had been achieved and it was time to move on to Billy Swan's classic "I Can Help". This one suffered a bit because it wasn't among Elvis's most beloved songs, but he did a great job on the two takes he recorded.

It was after four in the morning when Elvis decided he would try to record "And I Love You So." Don McLean's 1970 hit, covered by Perry Como in 1973, was the most intimate song of the day, and Elvis needed all his heart to do a good job. To do so, he called Sheila Ryan, his girlfriend while Linda Thompson was "grounded," and sang the first take directly to her. The Master, however, would only be recorded on the fifth take, around seven in the morning, which would also end the session.

At 9:00 p.m. on March 11, 1975, Elvis and his musicians were back in Studio C for another session. Written by Don Reid of the gospel group The Statler Brothers, "Susan When She Tried" was the first selection of the night and was extensively worked on in six takes. The early hours of the morning came with Elvis doing four takes of "T.R.O.U.B.L.E." and enjoying a jam session to the tune of "Tiger Man."

After a brief break for food and drinks, the session resumed at 4:00 a.m. on the 12th. Refreshed, Elvis did an excellent take of "Woman Without Love" that became the Master immediately. The end of the session was devoted entirely to Faye Adams' 1953 hit, "Shake a Hand," in three very well-worked takes.

The last studio session of Elvis' career took place between the night of March 12 and the early morning of March 13, 1975. Written by Gregg Gordon especially for the King of Rock, "Bringin' it Back" almost completely reflected the moment in the singer's life, which he performed masterfully in four magnificent takes. At around 3 a.m., Elvis added his voice to four more phenomenal takes of "Pieces of My Life," a hit by Charlie Rich the previous year.

The results of the March 1975 sessions at RCA's Studio C in Hollywood would all be released on the "Today" LP on May 7 of that year. For the first time in Elvis' career, the label found itself with no room for error or partial releases, since there were no leftovers from previous sessions for such ventures. Only "T.R.O.U.B.L.E.", the album's only rock song, was released as a promotional single in April 1975, with "Mr. Songman" from the "Promised Land" LP on the B-side, but the single was not as successful as expected.

With absolutely no new material available and no chance of Elvis agreeing to participate in new recording sessions, RCA was forced to get through 1975 releasing compilations of past hits and singles of material from that year's albums. Elvis, unhappy with the direction his life and career were taking, would only agree to record new tracks in February 1976, in the comfort of his Jungle Room at Graceland, making the three days in March 1975 the last to see the King of Rock in the studio.