ELVIS ARTICLES - UPDATED

I have been a fan of Elvis Presley since 1970, when I first saw Elvis - That's The Way It Is at my local cinema in Worthing. In the years that followed my collection of vinyl singles, extended play and albums expanded and it was not long before I had a complete collection of his recorded output including several bootleg albums and tapes.

 

Over the years I have replaced all my vinyl with CDs and added all his films on DVD or Blu-Ray and built up a comprehensive library of books and magazines which I refer to regularly, especially during my work here on my blog.

I continue to collect most of the latest releases, especially those on the Follow That Dream collectors label, although I have passed on the constant stream of live recordings and the vinyl re-issues. My most recent addition is the The Making Of G. I. Blues set which I am currently working through.

I have been fortunate to have had articles on Elvis published in magazines and also worked on a live compilation CD, writing the liner notes.

In 1998 I was fortunate to visit Memphis with my wife Carole and we visited both Graceland and Sun Studios which were just two of the highlights of our holiday which also included time in Nashville.

I recently visited the Direct From Graceland exhibition at the Arches London Bridge and it was interesting to see all the memorabilia and artifacts.

I have updated this article to promote the various Elvis Presley articles I have featured on this blog over the past few years. They are listed below with the title, date first published, an image from the article, a short excerpt and the link to the full article.

Enjoy!

FROM ELVIS IN NASHVILLE

First published 20 November 2020

By June 1970 Elvis was riding high and achieving the critical acclaim he had not received since the early 1960s. Following the 1968 Elvis TV Special he had returned to Memphis in 1969 and for the first time recorded at the famous American Sound Studios under the guidance of Chips Moman and backed by the legendary 827 Thomas Street Band. August of that year saw him back in front of a live audience for the first time in almost nine years during a month long, sold-out engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. He returned for another run of sold-out shows in February 1970 and contracts had been agreed for him to return in August, and it would be filmed and recorded for a new documentary and album.

The material he had recorded in Memphis turned his career around. The album From Elvis In Memphis was a major success as were the singles released at the time... In The Ghetto, Suspicious Minds, Don't Cry Daddy and Kentucky Rain. Everyone expected him to return to Memphis for his next planned sessions but unfortunately it wasn't to be. Several reasons have been given, among them issues over publishing rights.

 

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2020/11/from-elvis-in-nashville.html

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ELVIS - BACK IN NASHVILLE

First published 14 November 2021

For Elvis Presley the start of 1971 saw him accepting an award which must have meant so much to him. He was named one of the 'Ten Outstanding Men' by the Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) and accepted his award at a special banquet held in Memphis. The award recognised young men who had made great achievements in their particular field and over the years recipients had included John F. Kennedy, Orson Welles and Howard Hughes, so he was in good company. During his acceptance speech Elvis said, "I learned very early in life that, 'Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain't got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend, without a song', So I keep singing a song."

The previous two years had seen his career take a dramatic turn with sessions in Memphis in 1969 and Nashville in 1970 producing hit singles, including In The Ghetto, Suspicious Minds, Don't Cry Daddy, Patch It Up, I've Lost You along with a run of successful albums, From Elvis In Memphis, Back In Memphis, Elvis Country and That's The Way It Is.

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2021/11/elvis-back-in-nashville.html

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STANDING ROOM ONLY

First published 12 April 2022

Back in January and February Elvis had played a month-long engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, his sixth season in the city since his comeback shows in August 1969. During the season a number of new songs were recorded live for possible inclusion on a future album including The Impossible Dream, Never Been To Spain, You Gave Me A Mountain, It's Over and the show-stopper An American Trilogy.

Released as a single in early-April, An American Trilogy, failed to achieve the kind of success they had hoped for when it stalled at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100. The sleeve advertised the Standing Room Only album stating it was a summer release and would be a live album. This, as we shall see later, never materialised and the live material along with those recorded at the March session would end up spread out over several singles and albums. There wouldn't be another single release until August, four months after the tour ended.

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2022/04/standing-room-only.html

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PRINCE FROM ANOTHER PLANET

First published 9 June 2022

Mid-1972 and despite his popularity and following across the entire United States Elvis had never played an actual concert in New York City, although he had made television appearances back in the 1950s. However, that would change on 9 June when he undertook his second tour of the year. On this, the fiftieth anniversary, we look back at the concerts and the albums that have been released over the years.

The tour, promoted by Jerry Weintraub in association with RCA Record Tours, would open in New York at the famous Madison Square Garden. Originally only three concerts were scheduled, an evening show on Friday 9 June and afternoon and evening shows on Saturday 10 June.

Tickets went on sale on 8 May and even before the box office opened there were 2,000 people lined up ready to purchase their tickets.

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2022/06/prince-from-another-planet.html

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ELVIS - A LEGENDARY PERFORMER

First published 21 October 2022

Throughout Elvis Presley's long career his record company had never, intentionally, released any previously unreleased material. However, an alternate version of Old Shep had been issued in error on some early import pressings of his second album, Elvis, released in October 1956. A second mistake occurred in 1973 when, after releasing the studio recording of Stay Away, Joe in 1970 on the budget release Let's Be Friends, the movie version was included in error on the budget album Almost In Love. This was soon corrected on later pressings.

All this would change in 1974, long before the advent of the Follow That Dream label which has given fans a wealth of unreleased material over the past twenty-plus years.

In the mid-1970s RCA Records created a new series of albums with the generic title A Legendary Performer. Artists that were featured in the series included Jim Reeves, Perry Como, Glenn Miller, Henry Mancini, Bing Crosby, Jimmie Rodgers and Elvis Presley.

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2022/10/elvis-legendary-performer.html

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CHRISTMAS WITH ELVIS

First published 12 December 2022

Christmas was a special time for Elvis and every year he decorated Graceland, inside and out, with an impressive display of lights and decorations to celebrate the festive season. With his love of the season it seemed an obvious move for him to record a selection of Christmas songs for release on an album, or at least The Colonel and RCA thought so.

In the 1950s artists including Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Perry Como and even Gene Autry had all recorded and released Christmas albums. However, Elvis wasn't that excited about the thought of recording a selection of festive material.

At this time his priority was to attempt the song Treat Me Nice again, in an effort to produce a better version than the one he'd recorded a few months earlier for Jailhouse Rock, and also make a further attempt at One Night. There was also My Wish Came True and another song, the ballad Don't, from the song-writing team of Leiber & Stoller who had already provided several hits for him.

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2022/12/christmas-with-elvis.html

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ELVIS ON TOUR

First published 8 February 2023

Written, produced and directed by Pierre Adidge and Robert Abel, Elvis On Tour, Elvis' 33rd movie, was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on 1 November 1972.

Colonel Parker had already planned the next major event in Elvis' career, the televised Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite special, which had been scheduled for mid-November. To avoid clashing with the release of Elvis On Tour, MGM executive James T. Aubrey, requested that the special be delayed. Fortunately Parker agreed and the special was postponed until January the following year.

Unlike his previous concert film, That's The Way It Is, which concentrated on his August 1970 Las Vegas appearances, the new concert documentary followed him on his fifteen city spring 1972 tour.

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2023/02/elvis-on-tour.html

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TAKE ME TO THE FAIR

First published 6 April 2023

Released in April 1963, It Happened At The World's Fair was Elvis' twelfth motion picture and to celebrate sixty years since its release we look back at the movie and the soundtrack.

Elvis travelled to Hollywood on 28 August for pre-production work on It Happened At The World's Fair. It was the first film in a four-picture deal with MGM. The film's producer, Ted Richmond, wanted to follow the success of previous Hal Wallis produced Elvis movies, choosing colourful locations in which to set the story. He also called on the services of Norman Taurog, Elvis' favourite director. The screenplay was written by Si Rose and Seaman Jacobs.

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2023/04/take-me-to-fair.html

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MEMPHIS HOMECOMING

First published 19 March 2024

On 1st March 1974 Elvis Presley hit the road for his longest concert tour since the mid-1950s. The tour, which ran from the 1st to the 20th of March, would see Elvis play twenty-one concerts across the southern states with sold-out shows in Tulsa (Oklahoma), Houston (Texas), Monroe (Louisiana), Auburn (Alabama), Montgomery (Alabama), Charlotte (North Carolina), Roanoke (Virginia), Hampton Roads (Virginia), Richmond (Virginia), Greensboro (North Carolina), Murfreesboro (Tennessee), Knoxville (Tennessee) and Memphis (Tennessee).

At Houston, Charlotte and Knoxville, Elvis would play afternoon and evening shows while in Tulsa, at the opening of the tour, he played shows on two consecutive days. The first concert in Monroe sold out so fast that two additional shows, a few days later, were added. It was a similar story in Richmond and Murfreesboro where a second date was scheduled.

This brings us to Memphis and Elvis' first appearances in his hometown since the charity show held at the Ellis Auditorium back in 1961.

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2024/03/memphis-homecoming.html

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ELVIS UK EXTENDED

First published 17 April 2024

ust published is a new book on the various Elvis Presley Extended Play albums released in the UK. In this article I will be reviewing the book but first a look back at the authors previous work. 

As far back as 1980 friends and co-writers John Townson and Gordon Minto had been writing about Elvis Presley, although it would be a few years before they would publish their first book in, what would become, the ELVIS UK series.

Published by Blandford Press in 1987, ELVIS UK - The Ultimate Guide To Elvis Presley's British Record Releases 1956-1986 was greeted with critical acclaim by not only Elvis fans but also music journalists and rightly deserved being referred to as 'the Bible' when it came to Elvis releases. Despite its retail price of £45 it soon became highly collectable and sought after.

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2024/04/elvis-uk-extended.html

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ELVIS - TODAY @50

First published 13 March 2025

Elvis Presley's last visit to a recording studio was in March 1975 where he recorded tracks that would find a release on the Elvis Today album. It is fifty years since these sessions and in this article I will be looking back at the recording sessions, the original album and single releases, chart success and the subsequent releases that have featured outtakes.

His last studio sessions were back in December 1973 at Stax in Memphis and the only recordings made during 1974 were the live recordings in Memphis and RCA were pressuring him for material for a new album and singles.

The RCA Studios on 6363 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood were booked from 10 March through to the 12 March. Elvis had previously worked there back in 1972 when he recorded material including Burning Love, Always On My Mind, Separate Ways, Fool and It's A Matter Of Time. It seemed the ideal choice to record there as he would also be rehearsing for his upcoming Las Vegas appearances.

Read the full article here...

https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2025/03/elvis-today-50.html

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Look out for more Elvis related articles in the future.

THE JIVE ACES - GOOD ROCKIN' TONIGHT

I have followed the career of The Jive Aces for many years, been fortunate to see them in concert and had the opportunity to spend time with them backstage. They have always taken time to chat and made me feel welcome whenever we have met.

For more than three decades they have been the UK’s Number One Jive and Swing band with a worldwide following, touring all across the United Kingdom, throughout Europe and America.

The line-up consists of Ian Clarkson (lead vocals & ukulele), Alex Douglas (trombone, washboard & blues harp), John Fordham (tenor saxophone), Vince Hurley (piano), Ken Smith (double bass), Peter Howell (drums) and Grazia Bevilacqua (accordion).

I have been a guest at their Big Jive All Dayers held in Worthing, my hometown, where I have photograhed the event and my photos have appeared, along with my reviews, in various magazines including Vintage Rock and Vintage World.

I covered the 2024 event on this blog a few years ago and it can be read here Big Jive All Dayer. I also reviewed their last album, Keeping The Show On The Road. In this article I will be reviewing their latest album, Good Rockin' Tonight - The Roots Of The King.

Due for release on 31 July the album finds them celebrating the music that influenced and inspired Elvis Presley. It is not a 'covers' album but one filled with new and original interpretations of music from the 1940s and 1950s.

This article and review will look back at the history of each song along with a look at the Jive Aces performance of each track.

The album was recorded and mixed at Mad Hatter Studios in Los Angeles and mastered by Bernie Grundman, the highly regarded audio engineer whose work has included albums by Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Prince and many more.

The artwork was designed by the band with a cover photograph taken by Noelle Vaughn. As with their previous albums I love the retro feel to their album artwork and it captures perfectly the content of the album.

Noelle Vaughn, who also took the other photos featured in this article. is a vocalist who combines rock 'n' roll, rhythm & blues and the sultry torch style in a mix she describes on her website as 'Vintage with Voltage.' I was fortunate to meet and spend some time with her, including capturing some photos, during a recent Big Jive All Dayer event.

In the liner notes The Jive Aces recall how they were drawn to each other through a love of American roots music. As teenagers they had discovered blues, bluegrass, rockabilly and many other styles. It was through the door that had been smashed open by Elvis Presley in the 1950s that they all made this discovery.

The album opens with Mystery Train, a song written and recorded by Junior Parker and released, under the name Little Junior's Blue Flames, on the Sun Records Label in November 1953. One mystery is the fact that the title is not mentioned at all in the lyrics. The song was the b-side of Elvis Presley's fifth Sun Records single, released in August 1955, with I Forgot To Remember To Forget as the a-side. When re-issued by HMV in the United KIngdom Mystery Train became the a-side and a subsequent hit. With a great vocal from Ian Clarkson, harmonica playing from Alex Douglas and a saxophone solo from John Fordham this moves along like a steam train coming down the line and is the perfect opener to the album.

From 1972 until his final concert in June 1977 Elvis opened his live shows with See See Rider. Credited to Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey and Lena Arant it was Rainey who was the first to record the song in 1924. A popular 12-bar blues it is often known as C. C. Rider and See See Rider Blues. Once again John Fordham provides some great saxophone work along with another fine vocal from Clarkson with support from the rest of the band. It features an excellent bluesy ending.

Blue Moon Of Kentucky was a slow waltz written by bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, recorded with his band The Bluegrass Boys and issued as a single in 1947. In 2002 his version was one of 50 recordings chosen by The Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. When looking for a song to release as a b-side to their version of Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup's That's All Right, Elvis, Scotty (Moore) and Bill (Black) turned to this classic giving it a rockabilly treatment. Opening with some ukulele this song gives all the members of the band the opportunity to shine musically with some great slap bass, washboard, drums, piano and brass. The song is taken at the same pace as Elvis' version and is one of the highlights on the album.

The Lloyd Price classic Lawdy Miss Clawdy had been a hit in 1952 and became one of the biggest selling R&B records of the year. Recorded in New Orleans it is notable for the inclusion of Fats Domino on piano who stood in for the original pianist, Salvador Doucette. Producer Dave Bartholomew was unhappy with Doucette's playing and on Domino's arrival at the studio persuaded him to sit in on the recording. A regular inclusion in Elvis' 1970s live operformances he originally recorded it back in February 1956 at the RCA Studios in New York and it appeared on his debut album Elvis Presley. A fine bluesy interpretation of this classic features another strong vocal from Clarkson with Vince Hurley providing some Jerry Lee Lewis style piano playing, John Fordham displays why he is one of the countries best saxophone players.

Hound Dog was written by songwriting partnership Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and will always be remembered for Elvis' 1956 recording and hit record. However, it was first recorded by Big Mama Thornton in 1952 and became her only hit record, selling more than 500,000 copies. Recorded by many artists it was vocal group Freddie Bell and The Bell Boys version that Elvis most likely based his version on. They had mnodified the lyrics and after seeing them in concert in Las Vegas he decided to record his own version. In concert he would often slow down the tempo and perform a bluesy, burlesque version which, at the time, following a TV performance caused uproar from adults, but not from his millions of fans. Starting off in a similar vein to Elvis' version it then turns into a slow, bluesy style reminiscent of Freddie Bell's version, and Elvis' TV performance, before ending with a fast tempo. Once again support from everybody is first class.

Doo-wop group The Platters recorded and had a hit with Only You in 1955. Written by the groups manager and producer Buck Ram it became a number one hit on the R&B Charts, spending seven weeks on the top spot. In 1999 their recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Although Elvis never recorded the song I am sure it was one he enjoyed and influenced much of his style. Ian Clarkson turns in a stunning reading of the song supported by great work from the whole band, especially the saxophone solo by John Fordham. I never thought this song could be performed better than The Platters original but this comes very close. Another standout track and one of my favourites on the album. 

Corine, Corrina is only the second song on the album that wasn't recorded by Elvis, although there is no doubt he would have known the song. Another 12-bar blues first recorded back in 1928 by Bo Carter although it wasn't copyrighted until 1932 when composer credits were Carter (under his real name Armenter Chatmon) along with his publishers Miotchell Parish and J. Mayo Williams. Recorded in many styles including blues, country, jazz and western swing it has been recorded by many different artists. A jazzy/swing feel to this track makes it an enjoyable listen. A song that wouldn't have been out of place on many of the bands earlier albums.

That's All Right was the song that turned a nineteen year old truck driver from Memphis into an overnight sensation. Originally recorded by Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup in 1946 it was less successful than some of his previous recordings. Elvis' version  would become his first single, although the song wasn't planned for the session. During a break they fooled around with the song giving it an up-tempo rhythm. Producer Sam Phillips was impressed and asked them to do the song again while he hit the record button. He had been looking for a white artist who sounded black and on that July 1954 day he found it. Another great vocal but what I really like is the accompaniment... ukulele, washboard, harmonica, saxophone which drives the song along at a fast pace. Another highlight on an album full of highlights! 

It's Now Or Never was a number one for Elvis in 1960 selling more than 20 million copies worldwide. It was based on the Italian song O Sole Mio and There's No Tomorrow recorded by Tony Martin in 1949. He loved Mario Lanza's version and asked for English lyrics to be written. Songwriters Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold wrote the English lyrics in around 30 minutes. Grazia Bevilacqua opens the song with her excellent accordion skills before Ian joins in with the Italian lyrics of O Sole Mio before turning in a passionate vocal on the track. I enjoyed the way that half way through it changes tempo to swing. I like the way the two songs are combined and even though it is not my favourite song on the album it is still an enjoyable listen, especially Grazia's accordion work which I could listen to all day.

Written by Robert Blackwell and John Marascalo and recorded by Little Richard in 1956 Rip It Up became a number one hit on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues Chart and was a top twenty hit on the Hot 100. It was one of three songs recorded by Little Richard that Elvis covered in 1956. The other two songs were Long Tall Sally and Ready Teddy. Elvis stuck to the original on his recording which was the opening track on his second RCA album Elvis, released in 1956. They really rip it up on this version that features another strong vocal, hand clapping and more of Vince's impressive keyboard skills.

Gospel music was a major influence on Elvis and throughout his career he recorded many gospel songs and released three religious albums, His Hand In Mine, How Great Thou Art and He Touched Me. Although he never recorded a studio version of Up Above My Head he did include it as part of a gospel medley in his 1968 Comeback Special, along with Where Could I Go But To The Lord and Saved. It is not known who wrote the song which was originally recorded and released by the Southern Sons in 1941. However, it is the 1947 recording by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight that is best known and likely the version heard by Elvis. Listening to their version of this gospel standard makes me wish they would turn their hand to an album of hand-clapping gospel material. With vocal support from all the band and more Vince Hurley piano you can imagine a Sunday 'going to church meeting' with the crowd on their feet singing and clapping along. 

Closing the album is Good Rockin' Tonight, the song that gives the album its title. A jump blues song written by Roy Brown and released by him as a single in 1947 it has been covered by many artists including Jerry Lee Lewis, The Doors and, of course, Elvis. Also recorded by Wynonie Harris in 1948, who at first turned the song down, it became Elvis' second single released on the Sun Records label in September 1954 backed with I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine. Elvis followed Harris' version but added extra drive to the song. The fourth song on the album from Elvis' time at Sun Records brings the album to a fitting close. Once again it features a trong vocal and instrumental support on this classic track.

Ian Clarkson spoke about the album, "We have always been huge fans of Elvis and his music. He was a pioneer who brought rock 'n' roll to the masses and influenced generations of musicians." He went on to say, "We wanted to pay tribute to him and his music roots by playing some of his songs and the songs that he loved. We hope that our audience will enjoy this album as much as we did recording it!"

I certainly did enjoy this new album which gives the listener the opportunity to drift back to the 1950s and the music that inspired Elvis Presley. I have no hesitation in recommending this excellent new release... there certainly is Good Rockin' Tonight!

Don't miss out, order your copy today. It can be purchased, along with their other releases and merchandise, from their on-line store - https://jiveaces.org/store

Thanks to Grazia Bevilacqua for providing a review copy of the CD for my collection.

ELVIS - TODAY @50

Elvis Presley's last visit to a recording studio was in March 1975 where he recorded tracks that would find a release on the Elvis Today album. It is fifty years since these sessions and in this article I will be looking back at the recording sessions, the original album and single releases, chart success and the subsequent releases that have featured outtakes.

His last studio sessions were back in December 1973 at Stax in Memphis and the only recordings made during 1974 were the live recordings in Memphis and RCA were pressuring him for material for a new album and singles.

The RCA Studios on 6363 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood were booked from 10 March through to the 12 March. Elvis had previously worked there back in 1972 when he recorded material including Burning Love, Always On My Mind, Separate Ways, Fool and It's A Matter Of Time. It seemed the ideal choice to record there as he would also be rehearsing for his upcoming Las Vegas appearances.

At the 1972 sessions Elvis worked with his road band... James Burton (lead guitar), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar), Emory Gordy (bass), Ronnie Tutt (drums) and Glen Hardin (piano), Charlie Hodge (guitar) and backing vocalists J. D. Sumner & The Stamps Quartet.

Backing him on the 1975 sessions were the same musicians except for Duke Bardwell who replaced Emory Gordy on bass. Bardwell joined Elvis in January 1974 and remained until April 1975 when Jerry Scheff returned. He can be heard on the Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis, but there seemed to be a personality clash between Elvis and Bardwell and, as we shall see, his playing can only be heard on one of the tracks on the Today album.

J. D. Sumner & The Stamps Quartet were also missing for these sessions and in their place were the vocal group that Elvis had put together, Voice, whose members were Donnie Sumner, Sherrill Nielsen, Tim Baty and Tommy Hensley.

The first day of recording, which were overseen by Felton Jarvis, started at 9pm on the 10 March and ran through to 7am the following morning and the first song recorded was Fairytale. Over the next few hours they worked on three more songs, Green, Green, Grass Of Home, I Can Help and And I Love You So.

The next night a 9pm start resulted in four more masters completed by the the following morning, Susan When She Tried, T-R-O-U-B-L-E, Woman Without Love and Shake A Hand. A break in the planned recordings saw the band kick off one of their warm-up routines on Tiger Man. Elvis immediately joined in, and fortunately engineer Rick Ruggieri hit the record button.

During this second day Elvis, on a whim, announced he wanted to record Country Bumpkin, a current number one hit for Cal Smith. It was a song which Jarvis couldn't understand Elvis wanting to record but sent out for a copy of the record so they could transcribe the lyrics. Fortunately, by the time Jarvis suggested they try the song Elvis was no longer interested and said, "Fuck the 'Country Bumkin'. I'm no country bumkin."

The final day of recording, once again starting at 9pm, produced only two masters, Bringing It Back and Pieces Of My Life. Notes on the session show that Greg Gordon, who had recently resigned as piano player with Voice, and his replacement Tony Brown both played on Bringing It Back.

The sessions were going well and Felton Jarvis had already contacted New York for more master numbers as he felt they could get more songs recorded. Unfortunately this was not to be. Brian Wilson was in another studio next door and he forced his way into the studio insisting on meeting Elvis. Never needing much of a distraction to stop recording this meeting of two music greats bought an abrupt end to the sessions.

Elvis and the band were really on fire during the sessions and not a single song took more than six takes to complete a satisfactory master. It is just a shame that the sessions fell apart as I am sure we would have had a few more great performances to enjoy.

Overdub sessions were held between 8-14 April at Quadrofonic Sound Studio in Nashville where additional guitar, fiddle, steel guitar, horns and strings were overdubbed. Female backing vocals were also added by Ginger Holladay, Mary Holladay, Lea Jane Berinati and Millie Kirkham.

It was also at these overdub sessions that Duke Bardwell's contribution to the recordings were erased, except for one track. Both Mike Leech and Norbert Putnam re-recorded all the bass parts after Elvis heard the first mix of the album and requested that Bardwell's bass parts be removed. The only song on which his bass can be heard is T-R-O-U-B-L-E which was released as a single before Elvis' request could be actioned. It is hard to comprehend why this happened, as when listening to the single there is nothing wrong with the bass playing and, as we shall see later, his original bass parts can be heard on all the original session mixes and outtakes that were released. At the time Bardwell had nothing but praise for Elvis' version commenting that, "...he was so good at that syncopated funky stuff."

Elvis Today (APL1-1039) was released on vinyl in May 1975 and was also available on cassette (APK1-1039), quadradisc (APD1-1039), Q8 (APT1-1039) and Stereo 8 (APS1-1039) formats.

Side One opens with the great rocker, T-R-O-U-B-L-E, a song written by Jerry Chesnut who took inspiration for the song from country music singer and pianist Little David Wilkins. While writing the song he thought of a woman walking through the door and causing trouble. The songs lyrics standout, not least for the idea to spell out some of the words, trouble, alone and looking which Chesnut realised actually rhymed when spelled out. A great opener on the album, a blistering performance from Elvis and, along with Burning Love and Promised Land, one of his best rock songs from the 1970s. 

Following the fast-tempo of the opening track Elvis slows things down with a beautiful and sincere cover of And I Love You So. Written by Don McLean, of American Pie and Vincent fame, it was first released on his 1970 debut album Tapestry. Three years later, in 1973, Perry Como took the song to number 3 in the UK charts where it remained for 35 weeks. Elvis would perform the song many times in his concerts from 1975 through to his final tour in June 1977.

Don Reid, original member and lead singer of country vocal group The Statler Brothers, wrote Susan When She Tried and they had recorded the song in May 1973 releasing it the following year as a single and on their album, Sons Of The Motherland. The identity of Susan has remained a mystery although it may have been someone that Reid knew. The song is similar in style to Jeannie C. Riley's Harper Valley P.T.A. with its name-checking of fictitious characters. A catchy song, with some great guitar playing by James Burton, that Elvis handles well resulting in an outstanding performance.

Woman Without Love follows and is the second song on the album written by Jerry Chesnut, it was first recorded back in 1968 by Bob Luman, best known for his 1960 novelty hit, Let's Talk About Living, and subsequently covered by Johnny Darrel and Brook Benton. Elvis turns in a reasonable performance but the lyrics haven't stood the test of time with the chauvinistic line, 'A man without love's only half of a man, but a woman is nothing at all.' Talking about this, Chesnut has commented, "This song is either loved or hated by women. Those that hate it do so because they resent hearing a man say a woman is nothing at all, under any circumstances." Fortunately he also stated that since writing the song he had changed the lyrics.

In 1953 gospel and rhythm & blues singer Faye Adams released the Joe Morris composition Shake A Hand which reached number one on the R&B chart and stayed there for ten weeks selling over a million copies. Morris was a bandleader who signed her to Herald Records and Shake A Hand was her first release on her new label. With its gospel feel it was an ideal choice for Elvis and he gives an outstanding performance which, for me, is one of the highlights on Today. The song closes side one of the album.

Opening side two is Pieces Of My Life, a poignant ballad written by Troy Seals in the mid-1960s and recorded in 1974 by Charlie Rich. It appeared on his 1974 album The Silver Fox and it is likely that this is where Elvis first heard the song. With it's lyrics telling of past choices, missed opportunities and remorse it was a song that appears to fit Elvis life at a time when he was facing personal and professional challenges. He turns in a heartfelt and emotionally charged performance and, of all the ballads featured on the album, this is the one that stands out.

Fairytale was a hit for The Pointer Sisters in 1974 and featured on their album That's A Plenty. Written by band members Anita and Bonnie Pointer and featuring a lead vocal by Anita, it is a break-up song that was written from her own personal experience. Another song well suited to Elvis and given a strong performance by him although at times he seems to struggle with the high notes and maybe should have taken it in a lower key. Like And I Love You So, it was a song that would feature regularly in Elvis' concerts and he would often introduce the song as being, "The story of my life."

Singer-songwriter Billy Swan is best known for his 1974 song I Can Help which became a crossover hit reaching the top spot on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Country Singles Charts. It was an ideal choice for Elvis to record and he stays faithful to the original, even including the slowed down, false ending. You can tell he is enjoying the song and you can here a laugh in his voice when singing the line, "If your child needs a daddy." Talking about Elvis' version Swan said, "I thought it was great." 

Bringin' It Back is the penultimate song on the album and was written by gospel and country singer, Greg Gordon. Both Brenda Lee and The Oakridge Boys had released the song in 1975 and it is possible Elvis had heard their version. He does his best with a song that can best be described as pedestrian.

Bringing the album to a close is a song that will always be associated with Tom Jones, and a song Elvis is reported to have really loved, Green, Green Grass Of Home. Written by Claude 'Curly' Putman Jr., it was first recorded by Johnny Darrell in 1965 and other artists who recorded the song included Porter Wagoner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Bare and most famously, Tom Jones, who had a worldwide number one hit with the song in 1966. It told the story of a man who returns to his childhood home and sweetheart and remembers all the good times. However, he wakes up surrounded by 'four grey walls' and realises it was just a dream and he is being accompanied by a guard and padre who are leading him to his execution. I prefer Tom Jones version but Elvis certainly comes close with his rendition.

The cover, which again showed little effort in the design, featured yet another live shot, this time from a concert on 3 July 1973 in Atlanta, Georgia and taken by Ed Bonja, with just the wording 'Elvis' and 'Today' superimposed on the cover.

The back cover included adverts for Elvis four previous albums, Promised Land (APL1-0873), Having Fun With Elvis On Stage (CPM1-0818), Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis (CPL1-0606) and Good Times (CPL1-06475).

Song titles were listed, minus any songwriter credits, along with credits for the vocal accompaniment and recording engineers. Elvis Presley was listed as 

'Executive Producer For This Recording Project'. As with previous releases no musicians are credited on the sleeve.

When you compare the Elvis album cover designs from this period with other artists on the RCA label it is further proof that The Colonel, Elvis and RCA were happy to just throw out cover after cover with just another live photo and little or no information. A complete lack of respect for the fans and the musicians who worked on the albums. Just check out albums by other RCA artists like Waylon Jennings or Jerry Reed and you will see the difference. It wouldn't have taken much effort for Elvis to have undertaken some photoshoots to produce portrait style images for his album and single covers. Problem was, nobody else in the business seemed to care either and their thoughts were... it's only Elvis and the fans will buy anything!

Despite being a very strong album, with some great songs and performances from Elvis, the album failed to achieve much chart success. On the Billboard Album Chart it peaked at #57 and spent just 9 weeks in the chart although it fared much better on the Country Charts reaching #4 and selling almost 400,000 copies.

In his review in the 3 July edition of Rolling Stone, Dave Marsh had this to say... "Elvis Presley is the greatest singer in the history of rock & roll. As each of his frustratingly mediocre albums appears, we are forcibly reminded of the fact. There is almost nothing on any of them to keep us listening. But I have never heard an Elvis record which didn't reveal something about the man and his capacities and therefore, somehow, about everyone's. Instinctively and accidentally, Presley teaches us what charisma means." He went on to say, "Today catalogues perfectly the undeniable stylistic and creative decline of every Sun artist, makes us realise how much more than a match Elvis was for them and how canny he has been in avoiding the burnout."

Two singles were released, T-R-O-U-B-L-E backed with Mr Songman (PB-10278), a track lifted from the Promised Land album and written by Voice member Donnie Sumner, and Bringing It Back coupled with Pieces Of My Life (PB-10401). The former was released in April just before the album while the latter was issued in September. 

The artwork for the covers showed as much effort as the album with a different shot from the same concert on the first single and the same image as the album on the second. Oh yes, and let's use the same 3-D 'ELVIS' wording, the fans won't mind.

Like the album, neither single fared well on the charts. In the United States T-R-O-U-B-L-E could only reach #35, spending 9 weeks in the Top 100 and selling just 200,000 copies. Bringing It Back was even more of a disappointment with it's highest placing of #65 and just 5 weeks in the chart.

In the United Kingdom things weren't that much better. Released in June, Today (RCA RS 1011) spent one week on the chart at #48 and re-entered the chart two weeks later also peaking at #48 with just two more weeks in the chart.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E backed with Mr Songman (RCA 2562) was released in May 1975 and during a chart run of just 4 weeks it climbed to #31. A second single was issued, with a different selection to the second US single. Green, Green Grass Of Home backed with another previously released song, Thinking About You (RCA 2635), written by Tim Baty, a member of the vocal group Voice. Released in November 1975 it managed to rise two places higher than the previous single peaking at #29 and spending 7 weeks in the chart.

These chart positions are a surprise considering the quality of the material and it is a shame that these recordings have never achieved the critical acclaim and chart success they deserved.

The first outtakes to appear from the 1975 sessions were Fairytale (take 2) and Green, Green Grass Of Home (take 1) which were included on the 1996 compilation, Great Country Songs.

The following year And I Love You So (take 1) was released on the Platinum: A Life In Music box set while Pieces Of My Life (take 1) featured on the Today, Tomorrow And Forever box set in 2002.

With the advent of the Follow That Dream (FTD) collectors label in 1999 it was the ideal opportunity for even more outtakes to appear and in 2001 they released 6363 Sunset. The CD featured studio outtakes and rehearsals from March 1972 along with six tracks from the 1975 sessions... Green, Green Grass Of Home (takes 2-false start and take 3), And I Love You So (take 2), Susan When She Tried (take 1-false start and take 2), T-R-O-U-B-L-E (take 1), Shake A Hand (take 2) and Bringing It Back (take 2-false start and take 3).

The early releases on the FTD label were single discs housed in 5-inch gatefold digi-packs with no booklets and little or no information other than the track listings. In 2003 they released the first in what would become the 'Classic Album' series. Mostly two-CDs they were housed in a 7-inch sleeve that opened out into three panels housing the CDs and a booklet containing liner notes, session details, images and rare memorabilia. The first releases in this format were the soundtracks, It Happened At The Worlds Fair, Fun In Acapulco and Girl Happy, definitely not classics but as time moved on the label would turn their attention to albums that were more deserving of the title 'Classic'. Among the first were Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis, Elvis Is Back and in 2005, Elvis Today, released to celebrate the albums thirtieth anniversary.

CD 1 contained the original album, the unreleased Tiger Man jam and a selection of previously unavailable outtakes/false starts including And I Love You So (take 1), Bringing It Back (take 1), Susan When She Tried (take 3), Shake A Hand (take 1) and several more.

The highlights on CD 2 were the original session mixes, which were minus many of the overdubs, which make for interesting listening and in some cases are as good if not better than the originals. The set was bought to a close with the material previously made available on the 6363 Sunset release.

The 12-page booklet gave details about the tracks, recording information a brief time line covering the period from December 1974 to September 1975 and illustrated throughout with photos, mainly live as there were none taken at the sessions, memorabilia and record company paperwork.

There are some great moments to enjoy. Both Lisa Marie and his current girlfriend Sheila Ryan had also attended the recording sessions and before the first take of And I Love You So Elvis says, "Step up here Sheila, let me sing to you baby." Take 1 of Fairytale is preceded by Elvis, in a high-pitched voice, joking, "Good luck everybody", and after the keyboard player makes a mistake at the start of Bringing It Back Elvis laughs and says, "Next piano player!" There are many more to enjoy and it shows how much fun Elvis was having during the recordings.

This release leaves just a handful of outtakes in the vaults, more than likely just false starts, which may see a release one day.

The set received some criticism on its release due to the sound quality of the original album tracks that open the set. The audio has been mastered too low and this is noticeable when, after Green, Green Grass Of Home, the volume increases on Tiger Man. One other mistake which should have been spotted before the packaging was printed is the spelling mistake on Susan When She Tried on the reproduced back cover... which changed the title to Susan When She Said! However, it was a welcome release bringing everything together in one place.

To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the albums release Sony Music released it as part of their 'Legacy Edition' series in 2015. With the idea to appeal to a wider audience than the FTD releases, which are aimed at the collector, there are no outtakes although the original session mixes were included. 

A second disc featured the 1975 live recording that had first appeared on the Silver box set back in 1980. For this release it has been remastered and reassembled from the original tapes and the audio is a vast improvement. Recorded during the May and June tour it includes a live version of the recently recorded T-R-O-U-B-L-E along with other concert favourites.

The 24-page booklet features an in-depth liner note written by musician, producer and broadcaster Stuart Colman along with track details and a wealth of live photos and paperwork.

FTD turned their attention to releasing vinyl albums alongside the regular CD releases and in 2016 they turned their attention to Today. Released as a double album, Elvis Today - The Original Session Mixes bought together all the original mixes and a selection of outtakes.

I have read several comments that the album should be issued as part of the FTD 'Sessions' releases but with so few outtakes left available I can't see this being a viable project for the label.

Despite my comments about the album cover and chart success, I do rate Today and it is among my favourite studio albums from the 1970s and, in my opinion, his last great album released in his lifetime.