That's the Way it is - 50th Anniv. Collector's Edition
Label:
FTD [FTD 223] [506020 975146 7]
Format:
8x CD + 2x book
Number of tracks:
127
Running time:
450:00
Type of album:
Rehearsal
Linked to:
FTD discography
Year:
2020
Recording date:
July 14 - August 10, 1970
Release date:
August 16, 2020
Singles:
---
That's the Way it is was Elvis' 69th LP, his first to mix studio and live tracks on the same album, and his 167th release (including singles and EPs). It contained tracks recorded during the Nashville Marathon, from June 4 to 9, 1970, and at performances in August of the same year in Las Vegas, serving as promotion and accompaniment to the film of the same name, which would be released in November 1970.
The album's content included only four live songs, seen and heard in the film, namely: "I Just Can't Help Believin'", opening the album, "Patch it Up", "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and "I've Lost You". The remaining eight tracks were studio versions, although "Twenty Days and Twenty Nights", "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me", "Just Pretend", "Stranger In the Crowd", "The Next Step is Love" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" could have easily been replaced by their live versions; the latter even received an unnecessary overdub of handclaps. "How the Web Was Woven" and "Mary in the Morning" are the only songs not performed live.
The LP with the production soundtrack reached the public on November 11, 1970, together with the film's theatrical release. Despite using the film's title, the album isn't considered its soundtrack because it contains songs Elvis didn't perform in the film (although he rehearsed and even performed them without MGM or RCA including them in their final releases). More successful than its singles, the LP reached #21 on the Billboard 200 and #8 on the Country charts. It was certified Gold on June 28, 1973, and Platinum on March 8, 2018.
Because of its historical importance, the album continued to be re-released over the years. Its first CD reissue occurred in 1992, featuring only the original remastered tracks. On July 11, 2000, RCA reissued the work and brought out a special triple-CD edition, reworked by FTD and re-released as a double album in 2008. The definitive version came to the market on August 5, 2014, featuring 8 CDs and 2 DVDs.
The album's content included only four live songs, seen and heard in the film, namely: "I Just Can't Help Believin'", opening the album, "Patch it Up", "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and "I've Lost You". The remaining eight tracks were studio versions, although "Twenty Days and Twenty Nights", "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me", "Just Pretend", "Stranger In the Crowd", "The Next Step is Love" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" could have easily been replaced by their live versions; the latter even received an unnecessary overdub of handclaps. "How the Web Was Woven" and "Mary in the Morning" are the only songs not performed live.
The LP with the production soundtrack reached the public on November 11, 1970, together with the film's theatrical release. Despite using the film's title, the album isn't considered its soundtrack because it contains songs Elvis didn't perform in the film (although he rehearsed and even performed them without MGM or RCA including them in their final releases). More successful than its singles, the LP reached #21 on the Billboard 200 and #8 on the Country charts. It was certified Gold on June 28, 1973, and Platinum on March 8, 2018.
Because of its historical importance, the album continued to be re-released over the years. Its first CD reissue occurred in 1992, featuring only the original remastered tracks. On July 11, 2000, RCA reissued the work and brought out a special triple-CD edition, reworked by FTD and re-released as a double album in 2008. The definitive version came to the market on August 5, 2014, featuring 8 CDs and 2 DVDs.
Keeping within the promise of bringing unreleased remastered materials, FTD created its own version of the classic album in 2008. Besides making the original LP sound crystal clear, the label made a point of including takes that until recently were considered rare or only available on bootlegs. Follow That Dream also provides a 20-page booklet with photos and facts from the sessions, shows, and albums.
But, as much as this work was extremely important in Elvis' career, little has been released outside the scope of the studio recordings and concerts over the years. The extensive rehearsals, which took place between July 14 and August 10, 1970, for example, have always received little visibility. Even the large box set released in 2014 was lacking in this regard, featuring only a CD with highlights from the rehearsals. These moments, although briefly shown in the 1970 documentary, revealed a completely different nuance than what was seen on stage and in the studio, with an Elvis more focused on revamping the songs that brought him worldwide success.
Elvis arrived at RCA Studio B on June 4, 1970, for what became known as "The Nashville Marathon". Over the course of five days, the King of Rock would record 35 Masters and dozens of alternate takes of songs that would be released in later years, elevating him to the position of artist who recorded the most in the shortest amount of time in music history. During the recording sessions, Elvis also took the opportunity to rehearse the songs he would perform during the August season of that year, when "That's the Way it is" would be filmed.
Under the careful production of Felton Jarvis and sound engineering by Al Pachucki, Elvis teamed up with his stage guitarist, James Burton, and other talented members of the RCA studio team for the recordings. In addition to Burton on lead guitar, Chip Young handled the rhythm section; Elvis and Charlie Hodge were in charge of acoustic guitars; on drums, the talented Jerry Carrigan brought a fresh feel to the recordings. Bass was played by Norbert Putnam, whom Elvis even considered bringing on stage. On piano, David Briggs did an excellent job, earning him a spot in Elvis' stage band in 1976. Completing the team was multi-instrumentalist Charlie McCoy.
To kick off production on "That's the Way it is", MGM began filming Elvis' rehearsals at its studios in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, on July 14, 1970. The singer was accompanied by all the members of his stage band and made adjustments to several songs he had just recorded the previous month, as well as trying to create arrangements for hits of the time and some of his favorite songs sung by other artists. Among those chosen were The Bee Gees, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, and others, scattered throughout the rehearsals from then until the 29th.
Under the careful production of Felton Jarvis and sound engineering by Al Pachucki, Elvis teamed up with his stage guitarist, James Burton, and other talented members of the RCA studio team for the recordings. In addition to Burton on lead guitar, Chip Young handled the rhythm section; Elvis and Charlie Hodge were in charge of acoustic guitars; on drums, the talented Jerry Carrigan brought a fresh feel to the recordings. Bass was played by Norbert Putnam, whom Elvis even considered bringing on stage. On piano, David Briggs did an excellent job, earning him a spot in Elvis' stage band in 1976. Completing the team was multi-instrumentalist Charlie McCoy.
To kick off production on "That's the Way it is", MGM began filming Elvis' rehearsals at its studios in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, on July 14, 1970. The singer was accompanied by all the members of his stage band and made adjustments to several songs he had just recorded the previous month, as well as trying to create arrangements for hits of the time and some of his favorite songs sung by other artists. Among those chosen were The Bee Gees, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, and others, scattered throughout the rehearsals from then until the 29th.
On August 4, 1970, Elvis began rehearsing at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. This was standard practice, as the singer always finished rehearsing songs with his entire band and backing vocalists onstage to make final adjustments to his show. It was at this point that the concert took shape, with the placement of songs in the setlist and the overall flow of the performance determined.
By 2020, it was obvious that FTD knew there wasn't much left of That's the Way it is to be released, but fans were still hoping for a surprise for the album's 50th anniversary. In terms of new, remastered tracks or some priceless rarity, the label disappointed the public, as there's nothing here from the 1970 LP. For the title "That's the Way it is – 50th Anniversary" to work properly, it would have needed at least one or two tracks from the original album, or at least one of the promotional singles, as they received different mixes from the LP Masters or were studio versions rather than live recordings.
Rather than offering anything directly related to the official release, FTD opted to make all the rehearsals recorded between July and August 1970 completely and officially available for the first time in a single box set. It wasn't exactly what the most devoted fans of the originals were hoping for—and the audio quality didn't even help spark their greater adoration. But it was what every fan who values complete collections has always prayed for. Now, all the work related to That's the Way it is was available. And, if there's a real merit here, it's the fact that the box set is accompanied by two books, totaling 600 pages, with details and interesting facts about the rehearsals and shows.
The box set features the following tracks:
CD 1
JULY 14, 1970
1. Words **
2. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me *
3. Polk Salad Annie *
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water *
5. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me *
6. The Next Step Is Love *
7. I’ve Lost You *
8. The Next Step Is Love
JULY 15, 1970
09. Stagger Lee *
10. Got My Mojo Working *
11. I’ve Lost You *
12. Stranger In The Crowd *
13. The Next Step Is Love *
14. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me *
15. Sweet Caroline *
16. Yesterday
17. Hey Jude *
18. I Can’t Stop Loving You
19. It’s Your Baby, You Rock It *
20. Cryin’ Time *
CD 2
JULY 15, 1970 (CONTINUED)
1. Ghost Riders In The Sky
2. Runaway *
3. It’s Now Or Never *
4. Peter Gunn Theme
5. Love Me
6. One Night *
7. Alla En El Rancho Grande
8. That’s All Right *
9. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights *
10. That’s All Right
11. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights *
12. Instrumental *
13. Patch It Up *
14. Cotton Fields
15. Sylvia *
16. Stranger In The Crowd *
17. How The Web Was Woven *
18. I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen *
CD 3
JULY 24, 1970
1. That’s All Right
2. I Got A Woman
3. The Wonder Of You
4. I’ve Lost You
5. The Next Step Is Love *
6. Stranger In The Crowd *
7. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ *
8. Something *
9. Don’t Cry Daddy *
10. Don’t Cry Daddy (faster version) *
11. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me *
12. Polk Salad Annie *
13. Bridge Over Troubled Water *
14. I Can’t Stop Loving You
15. Just Pretend
16. Sweet Caroline *
17. Words *
18. Suspicious Minds *
CD 4
JULY 24, 1970 (CONTINUED)
1. I Just Can’t Help Believin’ *
2. Tomorrow Never Comes *
3. Mary In The Morning
4. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights *
5. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ *
6. I Just Can’t Help Believin’ *
7. Heart of Rome *
8. Memories *
9. Johnny B. Goode
10. Make The World Go Away *
11. Stranger In My Own Hometown
12. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
CD 5
JULY 29, 1970
1. Elvis Talking
2. Something *
3. Words
4. I Just Can’t Help Believin’
5. Little Sister/Get Back **
6. Get Back (ending) *
7. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
8. I Was The One
9. Cattle Call
10. Baby Let’s Play House
11. Don’t
12. Money Honey
13. A Fool Such As I
14. Froggy Went A-Courtin’
15. Such A Night
16. It’s Now Or Never
17. What’d I Say
18. The Lords Prayer *
19. My Country ‘Tis Of Thee *
20. Hava Nagila *
21. My Baby Left Me *
22. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me *
23. Stranger In The Crowd *
24. Ending talk *
CD 6
AUGUST 4, 1970
1. Talk *
2. I’ve Lost You *
3. The Next Is Love *
4. Words
5. Cattle Call / Yodel
6. Twenty Days and Twenty Nights
7. Farther Along
8. Something
9. Santa Claus Is Back In Town
10. Don’t Cry Daddy *
11. In The Ghetto *
12. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
13. Bridge Over Troubled Water **
CD 7
AUGUST 7, 1970
1. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ *
2. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me *
3. The Next Step Is Love *
4. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights *
5. Polk Salad Annie
6. Oh Happy Day
7. I’ve Lost You *
8. Mary In The Morning **
9. Sweet Caroline *
10. Words *
11. Patch It Up *
CD 8
AUGUST 10, 1970
1.You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (version 1)
2. I Just Can’t Help Believin’
3. Something
4. Sweet Caroline
5. Polk Salad Annie
6. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (version 1)
7. I’ve Lost You
8. Bridge Over Troubled Water
9. Patch It Up
10. Can’t Help Falling In Love
11. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (version 2)
12. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (version 2)
* officially unreleased
** previously released incomplete
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