Frankie and Johnny (CD - FTD, 2003)

Title:

Frankie and Johnny

Label:

FTD [FTD 030] [82876 53370 2]

Format:

CD

Number of tracks:

27

Running time:

72:00

Type of album:

Soundtrack / Recording session

Linked to:

FTD discography

Year:

1966

Recording date:

May 12-14, 1965

Release date:

November 2003

Singles:

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Frankie and Johnny is FTD's thirtieth CD. It contains the original 1966 album remastered and 15 alternate takes recorded May 12–14, 1965 at Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood. The CD is currently out of print on the label.

Frankie and Johnny was originally Elvis' twentieth film and soundtrack album, and his 32nd LP for RCA. Excluding the 1963 singles compilation "Elvis' Golden Records, Volume 3" and 1965's "Elvis For Everyone!", it was his ninth consecutive soundtrack album. Thirteen songs were recorded and all were used in the production, but only 12 made it onto the LP (the 13th song was a long reprise of "Frankie and Johnny").

To match the film's 19th century setting, extensive traditional song material was used for the soundtrack. For example, "When the Saints Go Marching in", an old Gospel hymn that became a standard associated with traditional New Orleans hot jazz, was paired with "Down By the Riverside", another song that dates back to the relevant period. Both are in the public domain, and the Giant/Baum/Kaye team obtained all necessary licenses through Freddy Bienstock and Colonel Tom Parker. The title song, "Frankie and Johnny", is a variant of the American folk song first published in 1904 and credited to Hughie Cannon. With changed lyrics, it is another publication secured by Elvis's publishing company, Gladys Music.

The title song was issued as a single, with "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" on the B-side, on March 1, 1966, reaching #25 and #45, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100. The LP, released on April 2 of that year, charted at #20, the lowest since his return from Germany. The album was re-released in December 1976 on the budget label Pickwood, with new cover art and the omission of three songs.

In 2003, FTD released their own version, which featured the original album with the tracks intact for the first time since 1975 and several outtakes. The album was not re-released in its original format by RCA until 2010. The complete recording sessions exist only in bootlegs, such as 1997's "The Complete Frankie and Johnny Sessions" by The Famous Groove label.

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

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- TRACKS 1-12. ORIGINAL ALBUM: For more info, click here.

• "What Every Woman Lives For" has no alternate takes due to the fact that only one take was finished and, consequently, became the Master (Take 8).

- 13. Frankie and Johnny (Take 1): The title track of the album also has a more than welcome air of novelty. The beat is definitely jazzier than the one heard on Master (Take 6), the tempo is slower and the mix is ​​different.

- 14. Please Don't Stop Loving Me (Take 10):The first few takes are quite slow and performed in a different key than what we hear on the Master (Take 19), which doesn't really suit the song. Fortunately, the tempo has been corrected in this take, which has infinitely better vocal and instrumental harmony than the boring LP version.

- 15. Everybody Come Aboard (Takes 1 & 2): Amazingly, we once again have more lively first takes than the released versions. There's a lot more funk and rock 'n' roll in this mix, which features DJ Fontana's delicious drumming, than in the Master (Take 15). Elvis gets the lyrics wrong in the first take and the second one goes normally, until he gets lost right at the end.

- 16. Chesay (Take 1): Despite being a legitimate movie track, the song still has a bit of charm. Elvis is worried and misses his entrances and exits a bit, but we have something better than the Master (Take 7).

- 17. Petunia, the Gardener's Daughter (Take 2): If someone had told Elvis in 1954 that a mere 11 years later he would be singing songs like this, he would have certainly knocked them out with a punch. But here we are and the song is an insult to Elvis' talent. As for the take, again we have a significant difference from the Master (Take 6), but everything falls apart in the following last few takes.

- 18. Look Out, Broadway (Takes 3, 4 & 5): The interesting thing about having alternative takes is hearing the construction of the Master and the nuances that lead to it, and here we have exactly that. The takes presented are good, with rhythm, sound and mix totally different from what we would hear on the Master (Take 12), which even drowns out the voice of bass Ray Walker.

- 19. Please Don't Stop Loving Me (Takes 1, 2 & 3): Unlike take 10, these first few are still rough work. Elvis is apprehensive about the song and his voice doesn't cooperate, cracking a few times. Take 3 is complete.

- 20. Shout it Out (Takes 1, 2 & 3): Since the LP Master (Take 7) is so terribly bad in terms of sound, it's a relief to be able to hear that the error was in RCA's final overdubs and not in the original recording. Elvis doesn't sound confident with the lyrics on Take 1 and his voice cracks delightfully on Takes 2 and 3.

- 21. Everybody Come Aboard (Takes 9 & 10): As work continues on take 9, the team decides that the tempo is getting too fast and makes some changes. In the next take, the arrangement is already what we hear in the final version, but infinitely clearer and not at all boring.

- 22. Chesay (Takes 3 & 6): The fast-paced, back-and-forth lyrics make Elvis lose his cool at first, but it doesn't dampen his mood. As take 6 begins, Elvis sings part of "With a Song in My Heart", from the famous 1952 musical film.

- 23. Look Out, Broadway (Takes 6, 7 & 8): Continuing the work, take 8 is complete. There is still a much higher quality than the Master in the interpretation and audio.

- 24. Petunia, the Gardener's Daughter (Take 5): Elvis certainly wasn't in such a state of decline that he needed to sing lines like "I'm as daffy as a daffodil". As for the take, nothing new.

- 25. Please Don't Stop Loving Me (Take 7): Although it is not suitable for the song, as already mentioned, the slower rhythm creates a more intimate atmosphere and brings a more comprehensive feeling to the song.

- 26. Frankie and Johnny (Takes 3 & 4 -  Record Version): This is the LP version, which has some differences from the one in the film. For example, the instruments are clearer in the mix and the overall feel is excellent.

- 27. Frankie and Johnny (Movie Version): This is the full version we hear near the end of the film, with different lyrics and tempo. There is no information on the Master number as it is a splice of different recordings from the three days of sessions.