PLEASE PLEASE ME

On 22 March 1963 The Beatles released their debut album Please Please Me and to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary we look back at the recording, release and reception of this classic album.

Photo (c) Unknown

The Beatles had audition for Decca Records in January 1962 but were turned down. Their loss was EMI Records gain as, in May, they signed a contract with EMI who offered them a contract with their Parlophone label. The label was run by George Martin who had previous success with comedy records by artists including Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Bernard Cribbins. Martin would become known as the 'fifth' Beatle due to his involvement in the groups recorded output. At his first session with them on 6 June 1962 he was, at first, unimpressed with their songs and playing. In the control room he asked them individually if there was anything they didn't like... George Harrison replied, "I don't like your tie." This broke the ice and set up a working relationship that would produce a series of classic albums and hit singles, the like of which had never been seen before.

The Beatles released their first single, Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You (Parlophone 45R-4949), on 5 October 1962 and it reached a respectable #17 in the UK. Three versions of Love Me Do had been recorded during sessions on 6 June, 4 September and 11 September with three different drummers playing on the track. Pete Best played on the first recording but was dismissed from the group soon after. On the recordings made a few weeks later it was Ringo Starr who was behind the drum kit, although Paul McCartney wasn't happy with his drumming, feeling it could be better. For the third attempt session drummer Andy White played the drums while Ringo Starr had to settle for playing the tambourine.

Photo (c) Dezo Hoffman

P.S. I Love You had been attempted at the first session in June but it was the version recorded on 11 September that became the B-Side to their first single. Once again Ringo had to step aside and only played maracas.

Interestingly two versions of Love Me Do were issued. Early copies of the single featured Ringo Starr but from 1963 all future copies of the song featured Andy White, including the version that would appear on their debut album. To avoid any future issues the tape featuring Ringo was apparently destroyed. You can tell which version you are listening to as the one without the tambourine features Ringo on drums and is from the 4 September session while the one with the tambourine features Andy White and dates from 11 September.

The first recording, featuring Pete Best on drums, finally found a release on Anthology I, released in 1995 and one of three 2-CD sets released to coincide with the The Beatles Anthology TV series.

A second single was released on 11 January 1963, Please Please Me/Ask Me Why (Parlophone 45-R 4983). Chart success depends on which 'hit parade' you choose to follow as each pop newspaper had its own. Melody Maker, Disc and New Musical Express all placed Please Please Me at #1 while it only registered at #2 on Record Retailer's listing.

Ask Me Why had been attempted at the 6 June session while Please Please Me was first recorded on 11 September towards the end of the session. Written in a style more akin to Roy Orbison, it was considered 'dreary' by George Martin who suggested it would work better in a faster tempo with tighter harmonies and wanted them to go away, work on the song and bring it back for the next session. Unfortunately none of the earlier versions exist as the tapes were erased/destroyed... fortunately in future this would not be the case and most, if not all, of the The Beatles session tapes were kept.

They returned to Please Please Me and Ask Me Why at a session held on 26 November 1962. The session saw the return of Ringo Starr and the talk of using a session musician was never raised again. Satisfactory masters were taped with Martin telling them, "You've just made your first number one." He was proved right.

All four tracks from their first two singles were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and would be included on their debut album. A minor dispute between the two composers meant these early singles and their debut album saw all their songs credited to McCartney/Lennon, although this would change in late-1963 and the classic song-writing credit of Lennon/McCartney would appear on all future songs written by them.

Following on from the success of both singles, George Martin wanted them to record an album. His first idea was a live album to be recorded at The Cavern in Liverpool but having visited the venue and realising the acoustics were unsuitable the idea was dropped.

They already had four songs so plans were made to record a further ten tracks to complete the album. Martin recalled, "I asked them what they had which we could record quickly, and the answer was their stage act."

Morning and afternoon sessions were booked at the EMI Studios in St. John's Wood (later renamed Abbey Road Studios) where the previous sessions had taken place. The date was set for 11 February during a break in their first national tour.

George Martin produced the session with Norman Smith and Richard Langham sharing the role of engineer.

Photo (c) Unknown

At the morning session, 10am to 1pm, they recorded two tracks, There's A Place and Seventeen (working title of I Saw Her Standing There). Both tracks were written by McCartney/Lennon. The group worked through the break and at the second session, 2.30pm to 6pm, finished masters of A Taste Of Honey, Do You Want To Know A Secret and Misery were completed. Further attempts at There's A Place and Seventeen (I Saw Her Standing There) were also completed. With the exception of A Taste Of Honey, which was written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow and featured in the film of the same name in 1961, all the songs recorded during the second session were McCartney/Lennon compositions.

An evening session had been added during which the remaining five songs, all cover versions, needed for the album were recorded. First up was Anna (Go To Him) written by Arthur Alexander and a minor hit for him in 1962. Recorded in just one take and featuring a lead vocal by Ringo Starr was a cover of The Shirelles Boys followed by the Gerry Goffin and Carole King composition Chains, a hit for the girl group The Cookies. Another Shirelles hit, Baby It's You, written by Burt Bacharach, Mark David and Barney Williams was the penultimate song recorded on this day.

With time moving by fast and the studio gearing up to close down for the night they needed one more song. Discussing various options over a coffee in the canteen it was decided to wind up the days work with the old Isley Brothers hit Twist And Shout, written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. John Lennon had been suffering from a cold and sore throat throughout the session but sang a blistering version of the song which must have almost shredded his vocal chords. Often wrongly credited as being recorded in one take there were actually two takes recorded. However, Lennon couldn't better his first attempt. After the session George Martin was quoted as saying, "I don't know how they do it. We've been recording all day but the longer we go on the better they get." Lennon later remarked, "The last song nearly killed me!."

They also recorded Hold Me Tight, the first number and only McCartney/Lennon song recorded during the third session, which was surplus to requirements, ended up unreleased and would suffer the same fate as the early takes from their first two singles... erased or destroyed. They would return to the song for their second album, With The Beatles, released in November 1963.

As Mark Lewisohn wrote, "There can scarcely have been 585 more productive minutes in the history of recorded music. For in that small space of time, The Beatles recorded all ten new songs for their first long-player."

On 11 January George Martin added piano to the song Misery and a few days later mono and stereo masters of the album were produced by Martin. The Beatles weren't present for either of these sessions.

Please Please Me was released in the UK on 22 March 1963 and, as was normal record company practice at the time, was issued in mono only. It would be a month before a stereo version was released. Back in the 1950s and early-1960s 45rpm singles were the most popular format for pop music and long playing albums were often reserved for other musical genres like classical and jazz. 

The albums title, despite being an obvious choice considering the success of the single, was not George Martin's first choice. He originally suggested giving the album the title Off The Beatle Track but good sense prevailed. However, his suggestion would find a use as it became the title of his own album of orchestral versions of Beatles songs. As an honorary fellow of the Zoological Society of London he also had the idea of photographing the group outside the insect house for the albums cover, the request was declined.

The image used on the cover was taken by theatrical photographer Angus McBean on the stairwell at the Manchester Square offices of EMI Records. The photograph was taken in December 1962 and was one of several taken that day. Wearing burgundy suits, pink shirts and black ties various poses were captured. Three of the shots were used on future releases, the most important being the cover of Please Please Me. Six years later he would create the same images for use on the ill-fated Get Back album. It was never used and a different photo appeared on Let It Be. However, the photo was eventually used along with the 1962 shot on the greatest hits packages, The Beatles 1962-66 and 1967-70.

Angus McBean's stairwell photo wasn't the first choice though. Dezo Hoffman was present at the 11 February session and captured several images of the group. As a cover image was required he captured the group posing 'chorus line' style on the steps of the studio. As Hoffman stated, the photo did not work although he would have many more published over the next few months.

Photo (c) Dezo Hoffman

Liner notes were written by publicist Tony Barrow. and in part read... 'The Beatles had been voted Merseyside's favourite outfit and it was inevitable that their first Parlophone record, Love Me Do, would go straight into the top of Liverpool's local hit parade. The group's chances of national chart entry seemed much more remote. No other team had joined the best-sellers via a debut disc. But The Beatles were history-makers from the start and Love Me Do sold enough copies during it's first 48 hours in the shops to send it soaring into the national charts. In all the busy years since pop singles first shrank from ten to seven inches I have never seen a British group leap to the forefront of the scene with such speed and energy.'

Reviews were good with Norman Jopling, writing in the 30 March 1963 issue of Record Mirror, that for a debut LP the album is "surprisingly good and up to standard." He went on to say the album contained many tracks that could have been released as singles, such as I Saw Her Standing There and Misery. He also praised the packaging, writing that the cover image and sleeve notes provided extra value.

Author Jonathan Gould would echo Jopling's comments about the packaging stating that the albums packaging contributed to its success, promising fans 'glossy cover art' and a greater companion to the music than the plain paper packaging then offered by singles.

In a 5 April 1963 review headed 'Please Please Me - 14 Thrillers', Allen Evans wrote, "Fourteen exciting tracks, with the vocal-instrument drive that has put this Liverpool group way up on top in a very short time. The title tune and Love Me Do are well known, but there are twelve other thrillers, including John Lennon's singing of a torrid Twist And Shout, and The Shirelles Baby It's You, Boys, with drummer Ringo Starr shining; and a pippin of a duet of Misery by John and Paul ; and lead guitarist George Harrison is powerfully evident throughout."

The album reached the top of the UK album charts in May 1963 where it stayed for 30 weeks before being knocked off the summit by the groups second album With The Beatles. An incredible achievement when you consider the charts were dominated by soundtracks and easy-listening vocalists at the time.

In America, where EMI's subsidiary Capitol Records had been offered the chance to release Beatles material but turned it down, it was the small Vee-Jay Records who took up the opportunity to bring The Beatles to an American audience.

They released the single Please Please Me/Ask Me Why (Vee-Jay VJ 498) in February 1963 but it failed to chart. They originally planned to release the Please Please Me album as per the UK release with fourteen tracks but ended up trimming it down to the standard twelve track album, as popular in America at the time, and left off the two tracks that had been issued as a single. It was also given a new title, Introducing The Beatles (Vee-Jay VJLP 1062) and was released in July 1963.

Capitol soon realised they had missed out and with Vee-Jay losing interest future Beatles material would be issued on the Capitol Records label.

Some songs from the album also made it onto three extended play releases. A popular format in the 1950s and 1960s, these offered four or five tracks in a laminated sleeve looking a lot like miniature albums. They were often seen as a showcase for the best tracks from an album although some artists, not The Beatles, released all the tracks from their current album on three or four separate extended play releases. Priced midway between the cost of a single and an album they offered good value.

The first three Beatles extended play releases on Parlophone all featured material from the album.

Released on 12 July 1963 Twist And Shout (Parlophone GEP 8882) bought together four album tracks, Twist And Shout, A Taste Of Honey, Do You Want To Know A Secret and There's A Place. The cover photo, taken and designed by Dezo Hoffman, showed the four members of the group jumping off a wall.

The Beatle's Hits (Parlophone GEP 8880), released in September 1963, featured both Please Please Me and Love Me Do on side two and two other hits, From Me To You and Thank You Girl on side one, neither of which were taken from the album. The cover showed the group against a white background and was taken by Angus McBean in his studio.

The third expended play to feature material from the album was released in November 1963. The Beatles No. 1 (Parlophone GEP 8883) opened with I Saw Her Standing There and also included Misery, Anna (Go To Him) and Chains. The cover was an alternate shot from the Angus McBean album cover photo session at Manchester Square.

All three hit the top spot on the UK EP Chart and also managed to enter the UK Singles Chart with Twist And Shout reaching #4 and selling over 800,000 copies, The Beatles Hits peaked at #17 and The Beatles No. 1 stalled just outside the top twenty at #24.

In the UK Please Please Me was released in numerous incarnations giving collectors a wide choice, and headache, when collecting the various versions... mono, stereo, re-issues etc. To give details of all the various releases is way beyond the scope of this article and I would point anyone interested in finding out more to the many books and magazines that are available.

While the album may never be a candidate for the deluxe treatment given to other albums like Revolver, The White Album, Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band I do feel Please Please Me is worthy of a deluxe release. I hope one day that a release featuring both the mono and stereo versions of the album with outtakes, of which there are enough for a couple of discs, along with a booklet of comprehensive liner notes, photos and memorabilia can be considered.

Please Please Me is in my top three favourite Beatles albums and one I return to often. I think the sequencing of the tracks was perfect and whenever I play the album I realise those opening couple of lines are some of my favourite opening lyrics of any album in my collection - 

THE WHO

Formed in 1964 in London the The Who consisted of Roger Daltrey (lead vocalist), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums).

One of the most influential bands of the 20^th century they introduced many styles including using large PA systems and guitar techniques. They were part of the mod movement and the first to develop the idea of the rock opera.

Their first single was I Can’t Explain, released in 1965, and a top ten in the United Kingdom. They followed with a string of hits during the 1960s including My Generation (1965), Substitute (1966), Happy Jack (1966), Pictures of Lily (1966), I Can See For Miles (1967), Magic Bus (1968), Pinball Wizard (1969) and I’m Free (1969).

More hits followed in the 1970s and 1980s with Won’t Get Fooled Again (1970), 5.15 (1973), Squeeze Box (1975) and You Better You Bet (1981).

Success in the UK didn’t follow in the USA where I Can See For Miles was the bands only top-ten single.

Surprisingly they never achieved a number one in the UK, and their best chart position was with My Generation and I'm A Boy, both of which reached number two in 1965 and 1966.

Released in 1965, My Generation was the bands first album. Reaching number five in the UK, it failed to chart in the USA where it was issued with the title The Who Sings My Generation. More albums followed, A Quick One (1967), The Who Sell Out (1967), Who’s Next (1971) their only number one album, The Who By Numbers (1975) and Who Are You (1978).

Critical and commercial success came their way with the two concept albums released in 1969 and 1973 with Tommy and Quadrophenia, both reaching number two in the UK and number four and two respectively in the USA. Both albums were adapted into successful movies.

Released in 1975, Tommy is a satirical, fantasy, drama film written and produced by Ken Russell. Based on the rock opera album it told the story of a deaf, dumb and blind kid who becomes a pinball champion. The film featured the band members along with Oliver Reed, Ann Margret, Eric Clapton, Elton John and Jack Nicholson. Awards came Ann Margret's way when she received a Golden Globe for her performance. She was also nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. Pete Townshend received an Oscar nomination for adapting the music for the film. The film won Rock Movie Of The Year at the First Annual Rock Music Awards in 1975.

Directed by Franc Roddam and released in 1979, Quadrophenia, differed from Tommy in that it wasn't a musical and none of the band appeared in the film. Starring Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Sting, Toyah Wilcox and Mark Wingett it was set in London in 1964, when youths were either mods or rockers. The Mods dressed in sharp suits, rode scooters and were into current pop music while the Rockers rode powerful Triumph and BSA motorcycles, wore black leather and listened to rock 'n' roll. The two factions end up in a violent brawl in Brighton. 

The Who were also a major draw on the concert circuit. In 1967 they played the Monterey Pop Festival and other festival appearances included Woodstock and The Isle of Wight. Several live albums were issued starting in 1970 with Live At Leeds, a number three UK hit, followed by Who’s Last (1984), Join Together (1990), Blues In The Bush (2000) and View From A Backstage Pass (2007).

Some of their earlier concerts were also issued on record with appearances at the Isle Of Wight Festival in both 1970 and 1984 along with a 1970 concert recorded in Hull. Some of the bands BBC Sessions also found a release as did a live performance of Quadrophenia, recorded live in London.

In 1978 drummer Keith Moon tragically died and his place in the band was taken by Kenney Jones. With Townsend’s departure the band split in 1983 although they would reform for occasional appearances including Live Aid in 1985 and a 25^th Anniversary Tour. A full reunion in 1999 found Zak Starkey, son of Beatles drummer Ringo, replace Kenney Jones on drums. Former band member John Entwistle died in 2002 delaying plans for their new album.

The Who continued to tour with a new line up of Roger Daltrey, Zak Starkey, Pino Palladino on bass and Simon Townsend, Pete’s brother, on guitar.

The Who live on stage is where a new book fits into our story. The Who - Concert Memories from the Classic Years 1964 to 1976 is written/compiled by Edoardo Genzolini and published by Schiffer Publishing.

The books format traces the concerts given by The Who during the years 1964 through to 1976 with interviews with and stories from fans who attended the shows along with hundreds of previously unpublished photos from the time. However, it is not only the fans memories as there are stories from promoters, roadies, film-makers, journalists and photographers.

Hundreds of concerts are covered including those in London (1965), Monterey Pop Festival, California (1967), Sydney (1968), Winterland, San Fransisco (1968), Marquee Club, London (1968), Woodstock (1969), New York (1971), Zurich (1972) and many more.

Most of the photos, a mix of colour and black & white, are amateur and in some cases blurry or dark but this just adds to the charm and appeal of the book. 

It is not only the live photos that are interesting. There are many back-stage photos and the occasional tape box or cassette image showing concerts recorded professionally or illegally by fans.

The anecdotes from fans about the concerts they attended are the main part of the book but there are also events from the bands career covered including their early beginnings, the recordings, the impact that both Tommy and Quadrophenia had on the public and what is considered by fans and critics alike to be their greatest album, Who's Next.

Author Edoardo Genzolini has amassed an incredible amount of details from all over the world and his dedication and enthusiasm shows in every page.

In an email to the books editor and contributor Jerry Goodwin, Pete Townshend wrote, "Edoardo's book looks wonderful. The photos are very special. His take on The Who, and on me, is intriguing and extremely insightful. I wasn't always a pleasant person to be around in the early days. It's good to see that sometimes I managed to do some decent things for fans."

This coffee-table book, about which Pete Townshend described as, "extremely insightful", is beautifully produced and printed on high-quality gloss paper which shows of the photos at their best.

Reading the text and looking at the photos makes you wish that you had been in the audience at one of these gigs... or maybe you were. The book will be well received by fans of the group and anyone interested in 1960s/1970s rock music.

With thanks to Victoria Hansen at Schiffer Publishing Ltd for providing a review copy of the book. 

ELVIS ON TOUR

Earlier last year I looked back at Elvis Presley's April 1972 tour, the proposed album and film and the article can be read here... Standing Room Only.

In this latest article I will be looking at the release and success of the movie Elvis On Tour and reviewing the new Sony/Legacy release.

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.

As well as the concert footage, filmed in four different cities during the tour, the film also included backstage footage, rehearsals, meeting fans at airports and hotels (some of which is embarrassing) along with some some cringeworthy scenes including meeting a local mayor and a discussion with an unknown gentlemen discussing the lift and door he would use to enter the auditorium!

A short black & white sequence covering Elvis' career, while an instrumental version of Don't Be Cruel was heard, was also included. This led into footage from one of his appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show with part of Don't Be Cruel and then a complete performance of Ready Teddy.

Elvis was persuaded to allow the filmmakers to interview him and parts of the interview were used throughout the movie, linking many of the performances and scenes. As always, Colonel Parker intervened and asked MGM to not use the singer's negative comments about his music. However, his films were covered with short clips of him kissing his co-stars while a live version of Love Me Tender played in the background.

The film opened with the photo of a young Elvis with his mother and father, Gladys and Vernon, the same image that had appeared on his 1970 album Elvis Country. As the photo enlarges on the screen, Elvis can be heard saying, "My dad had seen a lot of people who played guitar and stuff who didn't work. So he said, make up your mind, he said, about either being an electrician or playing a guitar. He said, I never saw a guitar player that was worth a damn." This led into the opening titles/sequence which is accompanied by a rehearsal version of Johnny B. Goode which fitted perfectly with the images and is something we will discuss in more detail later.

The film made good use of split-screen, something that had worked well on the 1969 film Woodstock. Edited by Martin Scorsese, the split-screen allowed the viewer to focus on Elvis as well as individual members of the band.

The film cost $600,000 but would recoup that money over the months following the films release. It covered most of the expenses in the first three days when it was shown in more than 180 theatres grossing almost $500,000. In January 1973 the film grossed a further $131,000 when it was shown in Japan, to an audience of more than 52,000 movie-goers. In Variety's National Box Office Survey the film was placed at number 13.

Several different posters were produced to promote the film, along with a set of lobby cards that would feature 'front of house' at the cinema. A press book was also available with images, adverts, synopsis, cast and credits which was aimed at the press for use in the various movie papers and magazines.

Taglines included, 'MGM presents a very different motion picture that captures all the excitement of ELVIS LIVE!' and 'MGM presents the magic & excitement of Elvis live in concert.'

At the 30th Golden Globe Awards, held at the end of January, Elvis On Tour tied with Walls Of Fire to win the award for 'Best Documentary Film.' It was the only Elvis film to achieve such an award.

Reviews were mixed. The Los Angeles Times felt the film was 'unpretentious' although they did prefer the atmosphere of watching the tour over the Vegas performances featured in That's The Way It Is. Closing their review they described Elvis as an 'American institution' and felt the film was 'highly enjoyable.'

Vincent Canby, writing in the New York Times, considered the film 'okay' but remarked that the documentary just showed Elvis as he appeared in the Hal Wallis films he starred in rather than showing his personal persona.

Rolling Stone wrote, '...the first Elvis Presley movie' compared to the content of his previous films.

The split-screen effect divided opinion. In the San Fransisco Examiner, the reviewer praised both Adidge and Abel for the use of split-screen and felt they were used, 'with taste.' However, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, whilst praising the editing reckoned the use of split-screen would become too much.

Elvis On Tour was first shown on television in 1976 on NBC and has been screened many times in the years that followed both in the USA and UK. In the past few months the film has been a regular on the listings of Sky Arts here in the UK. 

It's first appearance on VHS video was in 1982 and a few years later a new edition was released which removed the split-screen footage and received substantial negative criticism. Finally making its way onto DVD and Blu-Ray in 2010 it caused further criticism when the opening song Johnny B. Goode was replaced with the medley of Teddy Bear and Don't Be Cruel due to copyright issues!! It just doesn't work and why the copyright issues couldn't be resolved is beyond me.

As I wrote in my earlier Standing Room Only article an album was originally planned that would mix live and studio material, but with his planned appearances at Madison Square Garden and RCA's intention to record the shows, the album to accompany Elvis On Tour was dropped.

One show from the tour was included on the box set Close Up, released in 2003 and some rehearsal material has been issued including the FTD releases 6363 Sunset and On Tour-The Rehearsals, but now Sony/Legacy have issued Elvis On Tour, a deluxe set that includes six CDs and one blu-ray disc.

I have looked forward to this material being released for many years and was so pleased when it was finally announced. However, I do have a few issues with the new set which I will cover in my review.

This new set includes the four concerts filmed and recorded by MGM and RCA during Elvis' April 1972 tour... Coliseum, Hampton Roads, Virginia (9 April), Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia (10 April), Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina (14 April) and Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, Texas (18 April) along with the rehearsals held at the RCA Studios in Hollywood on 30th and 31st March. Also included is a blu-ray copy of the movie.

From Hampton Roads, and featured in the movie, are See See Rider, I Got A Woman, You Gave Me A Mountain, Polk Salad Annie, A Big Hunk O' Love, Can't Help Falling In Love and the Closing Vamp. Excerpts of both Suspicious Minds and Love Me Tender also appear in the movie. No complete songs from the show in Richmond made it into the movie, while Bridge Over Troubled Water, An American Trilogy and Funny How Time Slips Away were taken from the Greensboro performance. Three further songs, Proud Mary, Never Been To Spain and Burning Love come from his concert in San Antonio.

Five additional songs were included on the Lost Performances video, released in 1992. All Shook Up, Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel, Are You Lonesome Tonight? and I Can't Stop Loving You from Hampton Roads and Release Me from Greensboro.

All four concerts are exciting and show Elvis at the top of his game, maybe the last time as far as live performances are concerned. There are many great performances and I won't go into them here as listeners will all have their own personal favourites.

The sound quality is very good throughout although a few tracks do sound muddy. This could be due to the conditions under which the shows were recorded. It has to be remembered that this was the first time that Elvis had been professionally recorded outside of Las Vegas and the venue and conditions may not have been ideal. The San Antonio show was previously available on the Close Up set but sounds much better here.

Of course, sound is very subjective and what is good for one person may not appeal to another listener. I have seen many debates on the sound quality and of course it does depend on how you listen to the music. It will never sound as good on computer speakers as on a decent hi-fi system or a quality pair of headphones. I have listened on various devices and am happy with the sound and pleased to finally have them available on CD.

The rehearsals give the listener the opportunity to hear Elvis and the band working on several songs for the upcoming tour. Among the songs featured are Burning Love, Proud Mary, Polk Salad Annie, Never Been To Spain, Release Me, Funny How Time Slips Away and For The Good Times. The latter appears ten times and does become repetitive. I guess it was a song Elvis really loved and he wanted to work hard on a great performance.

They also revisit many of the early hits, Love Me, Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, All Shook Up and Teddy Bear.

A few songs never made it into the live performances including Always On My Mind, Separate Ways, Johnny B. Goode, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and a song from his 1957 movie Jailhouse Rock, the lovely ballad Young And Beautiful.

A gospel segment finds Elvis and J.D. Sumner and The Stamps performing a number of religious tracks including You Better Run, I John, Bosom Of Abraham, and Lead Me Guide Me.

Most of the first disc of rehearsals is previously unreleased while the second has all been out before on various CDs. However, the sound is far better on this new release.

It is good to have the film on blu-ray, although from comments I have read this is old stock that was originally issued in 2010 which had the original Johnny B. Goode opening song, that played over the opening credits, replaced with the medley of Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel. Why this issue couldn't be resolved is beyond me. The reason they had to replace the song was, apparently due to issues with Chuck Berry's office over copyright. Strange then that the version shown on Sky Arts over the past few months is the original with Johnny B. Goode featured! The song is also included on the rehearsal disc so I'd love to know why the problems couldn't be sorted. While it might only be one song in the whole movie it just doesn't work and spoils the opening credits. Johnny B. Goode fitted the visual sequence perfectly whilst Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel looks and sounds amateurish.

However, I did enjoy watching the film again and, unlike earlier releases which edited the split-screen effect, it was good to watch the film as originally released, well almost.

There is talk that Baz Luhrmann, following the success of his recent film Elvis, is working on new versions of both That's The Way It Is and Elvis On Tour. I think this is just speculation and I'll be surprised if it ever happens. 

I always preferred Elvis On Tour over That's The Way It Is, and on it's original release I went to see the film several times and have watched it many more times in the years that followed. Despite my comments about the new blu-ray disc I am sure it will be watched many more times in the years to come. Hopefully one day the film will get the treatment it deserves, extra footage, original trailers and photo gallery, but I won't hold my breath.

Moving on to the packaging, which is where I have most of my issues with this set. The CDs and blu-ray are housed in gate-fold card sleeves that open out and feature many great photos from the tour. However, as with other recent Elvis releases, you need small fingers or a pair of tweezers to remove the CDs without tearing the packaging. Worse still is the blue-ray disc which is housed in its own sleeve and is almost impossible to remove from its housing.

The 32-page booklet includes notes by Elvis' friend and Memphis Mafia member Jerry Schilling which make interesting reading. Extracts from the original 1972 press book give an insight into the making of the movie from directors' Pierre Adidge and Robert Abel. The main note is written by Warren Zanes and there are excerpts from the interview Elvis recorded for the movie. Full credits include track details, with recording dates and details of what had been released previously and where they were first issued.

The booklet includes many images from the different shows along with pieces of memorabilia, posters, lobby cards, adverts, album sleeves and much more from the period.

Unfortunately the booklet does include a few mistakes, spelling errors and sentences that do not make complete sense. Worst of all is the list of musicians that manages to leave out Ronnie Tutt, the drummer who was the driving force in the band. This is unforgiveable and mistakes like this should never happen. It doesn't take much to proof read before printing but it seems that the producers don't care about quality control. They seem to have the attitude that it's only Elvis fans and they will buy anything, so why bother. It is disgraceful, especially when this set was priced at over £80!

I also recently purchased the Beach Boys set Sail On Sailor and Bob Dylan's Time Out Of Mind both of which have the CDs housed in the packaging but, unlike Elvis On Tour, they are easy to remove, less likely to get scratched and no chance of tearing the packaging when removing the discs. Furthermore, the Dylan set is housed in a strong box and includes a hard-backed booklet printed on high-quality glossy pages.

I feel Elvis deserves more than flimsy packaging and stupid errors in the liner notes. Sadly it has become more frequent over the years and the fans deserve better.

I didn't want to be too negative in my review and overall I have enjoyed this set which has been a long-time coming. Personally I feel that 1972 was the last great year for Elvis' live performances and he never again put the same effort into future live performances.

Hopefully in a future blog I will review the FTD book on Elvis On Tour which was due at the end of last year but for unknow reasons has been delayed and no confirmed details or publication date has been announced.

THE 'SUMMER CASH' CAMPAIGN

When Shelby Singleton purchased the Sun Records Label in 1969, he started one of the most intensive reissue campaigns ever. In this article, originally published in The Man in Black (Issue #75 - June 2013), we look at the buyout and the subsequent Johnny Cash releases on the Sun International label between 1969 and 1971, a time when Cash’s Columbia career was at an all-time high.

By the mid-sixties Sun Records had been consigned to the past with Phillips being approached by various record companies prepared to buy the label. One of the most persistent was CBS/Columbia who, with Cash on their label, were keen to get all the Sun masters out of circulation. As far back as 1962 Phillips had considered a deal with Mercury Records whereby Sun would act as a production company for the label.

Despite other offers it was in 1969 that Phillips finally found a buyer, Shelby Singleton, a Louisiana businessman who had worked for Mercury as a rep and then in their New York A&R department working in the rhythm & blues market. He then moved into country music and struck gold with Jeannie C. Riley’s Harper Valley PTA.
 
The exact details of the purchase are not known. However, it is believed that Phillips would retain a percentage of the newly formed company, to be called Sun International, and 100% of the publishing company. Phillips would also keep the studio and his sons Jerry and Knox would stay on as independent producers for the new company.

With the ink hardly dry on the contract Singleton loaded all the Sun masters and outtakes onto a truck after giving up the idea to catalogue them first!

It was Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis who interested Singleton the most. Cash’s career was on the rise with a weekly TV Show and the success following the Folsom Prison and San Quentin concerts and albums.

In September 1969 he released a flood of singles on his Sun International label. Called ‘Summer Cash’ the campaign saw all of Cash’s original Sun singles re-issued.

This wasn’t the end of what seemed to be ‘Cashing in’ on his career. Over the next three years Singleton would compile and release a series of albums including three albums of hits and one that pretended to be a live recording.

The last few months of 1969 resulted in a virtual stranglehold on the country charts with product from both Columbia and Sun International charting. It was a similar story on the pop charts with several of the Sun International albums registering in the top 200.

In this article we look at those albums released on Sun International between August 1969 and November 1971 and pick out some of the differences and errors.

Sun Records or Sun International - Spotting The Difference

The easiest way to distinguish between the original Sun releases and those issued on Sun International is the label design which is similar in style with both having yellow and brown printing. However, there are changes in the positioning of certain elements. 

The sun rays on the Sun International albums fan out from the centre hole and cover half the label unlike the original Sun albums where they stop about one-third of the way down. The musical notes which, on the original albums go right around the outer edge of the label with the words ‘Memphis, Tennessee’ at the bottom, only go around the top perimeter on the Sun International label. One other difference is along the bottom. In place of the musical notes and ‘Memphis, Tennessee’ is the wording -‘Sun International Corp. - A Division of the Shelby Singleton Corp. - Nashville, U.S.A.’

 
Original Golden Hits, Volume I (SUN-100 - Released August 1969)

Folsom Prison Blues/Hey Porter/So Doggone Lonesome/There You Go/Next In Line/Cry, Cry, Cry/I Walk The Line/Don’t Make Me Go/Train Of Love/Home of the Blues/Get Rhythm

This release included an alternate take of Cry, Cry, Cry which may have been intentional or a mistake. It would not be the first time an alternate take appeared on one of the Sun International albums. With the inclusion of Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk The Line and Get Rhythm this album was guaranteed to be a popular release with those just discovering Cash’s early recordings. Thirteen weeks on the country chart saw the album rise to #7 while on the pop chart it reached #95 and also spent thirteen weeks in the Top 200

 
Original Golden Hits, Volume II (SUN-101 - Released September 1969)

Ballad Of A Teenage Queen/Come In Stranger/ The Ways Of A Woman In Love/You’re The Nearest Thing To Heaven/I Just Thought You’d Like To Know/Give My Love To Rose/Guess Things Happen That Way/It’s Just About Time/ Luther’s Boogie/Thanks A Lot/Big River/Down The Street To 301/Life Goes On

This second volume of hits, with it’s similar sleeve design as Volume I, peaked at #4 on the country chart during a run of thirty-three weeks. It couldn’t repeat the success on the pop chart where it stayed for just eight weeks rising to #98. Much of the albums success can be put down to the inclusion of Big River, Guess Things Happen That Way and Ballad Of A Teenage Queen, the latter two having a wider appeal than Cash’s usual audience.

 
Story Songs of the Trains and Rivers (SUN-104 - Released October 1969)

Hey Porter/Train of Love/Blue Train/I Heard That Lonesome Whistle/Port Of Lonely Hearts/ The Wreck Of The Old ‘97/Rock Island Line/ Big River/Wide Open Road/Down The Street To 301/Life Goes On

A common theme in many of Cash’s early recordings gave this album its title which included such classics as Hey Porter and Big River. Like Original Golden Hits, Volume I this album also included alternate takes, both Wide Open Road and Wreck Of The Old ‘97. The latter features a slightly different arrangement and one lyrical change. On the released master Cash sings, “They gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia saying, ‘Steve you’re way behind time.’” However, on this release he sings, “They gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia they said, ‘Steve you’re way behind time.’” With both Original Golden Hits albums in the top ten of the country chart it was joined in mid-December 1969 by this album which spent twenty-four weeks on the charts and just missed the top spot stalling at #2 during February 1970. It could only manage two weeks on the pop chart where it stuck at #197. It is important to point out that between October 1969 and July 1970 more Sun International albums charted than his current Columbia releases. At times during this period as many as eight albums were in the chart at the same time.

 
Get Rhythm (SUN-105 - Released October 1969)

Get Rhythm/Mean Eyed Cat/You Win Again/ Country Boy/Two Timin’ Woman/Oh Lonesome Me/Luther’s Boogie/Doin’ My Time/New Mexico/Belshazah/Sugartime

Get Rhythm was the fourth Sun International release to be issued in 1969. When issued in 1964 on Original Sun Sound both Belshazah and New Mexico featured overdubbed piano by Bobby Wood. On this release the original undubbed versions are included. Nine weeks on the country chart saw this album reach #30 while a five week run on the pop chart found it stalling at #164. The album featured one of the better cover designs on Cash’s Sun International releases.

 
Showtime (SUN-106 - Released November 1969)

Ballad Of A Teenage Queen/Guess Things Happen That Way/The Wreck Of The Old ‘97/ Folsom Prison Blues/Come In Stranger/Rock Island Line/I Walk The Line/There You Go/Cry Cry Cry/Hey Porter/Big River

Throughout his career Johnny Cash released many live albums including At Folsom Prison, Strawberry Cake and The Survivors. Not so well known is this 1969 release Showtime which appears to be a live recording on which Cash only performs songs from his time at Sun Records. However, buyers would have been disappointed to find that when they put the album on their turntable it turned out to be a compilation of eleven previously released Sun tracks with overdubbed applause. This ‘fake’ live album reached #14 and spent nineteen weeks on the country charts. Eight weeks on the pop chart saw it reach no higher than #181. The fact that both prison albums (Folsom and San Quentin) were also in the chart at the time may have been the reason Showtime did well on the country chart with buyers thinking they were getting another live recording.

 
The Singing Storyteller (SUN-115 - Released 1970)

Goodbye Little Darlin’/Hey Good Lookin’/I Can’t Help It/I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You/I Couldn’t Keep From Crying/I Love You Because/Come In Stranger/Give My Love To Rose/The Ways Of A Woman In Love/You’re The Nearest Thing To Heaven

This was the first Sun International album to include a previously unreleased song, a cover of Marty Robbins I Couldn’t Keep From Crying. It also featured three of the Hank Williams songs , Hey Good Lookin’, I Can’t Help It and I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You, that had appeared previously on the Sun Records EP and LP Sings Hank Williams. This was another of the Sun International albums to feature a good photo and cover design. The Singing Storyteller was the last of the Sun International albums to make an impression on the chart with a high of #45 during a very short two week stay on the country chart. Reaching #186 with just three weeks on the pop chart saw the end of the Sun International dominance of the charts.

The Legend (SUN 2-118 - Released March 1970) (2-LP set)

Disc 1: Folsom Prison Blues/Hey Porter/So Doggone Lonesome/There You Go/Next In Line/Cry Cry Cry/I Walk The Line/Don’t Make Me Go/ Train Of Love/Home Of The Blues/Get Rhythm Disc 2: Ballad Of A Teenage Queen/Come In Stranger/The Ways Of A Woman In Love/ You’re The Nearest Thing To Heaven/I Just Thought You’d Like To Know/ Give My Love To Rose/Guess Things Happen That Way/It’s Just About Time/Luther’s Boogie/ Thanks A Lot/Big River

Having issued two volumes of Golden Hits during the latter half of 1969 Sun International took repackaging to a whole new level with this 2-LP set. They took both albums and issued them in a gatefold sleeve with a new title. The lack of any chart action was probably a reflection on the fact that this was one compilation too many.

 
Sunday Down South (SUN-119 - Released September 1970)

Johnny Cash: If The Good Lord’s Willing/I Was There When It Happened/Remember Me/ Belshazah/Goodnight Iren

Jerry Lee Lewis: Will The Circle Be Unbroken/ Old Time Religion/Carry Me Back To Old Virginia/When The Saints Go Marching In/Silver Threads

This release, with its unusual cover design, featured only five songs by Cash with the second side featuring songs by Jerry Lee Lewis including Will The Circle Be Unbroken and Old Time Religion. Sam Phillips had made it clear to Cash that he was not interested in religious material. However, Cash did get his own way recording both I Was There When It Happened and Belshazar, both of which are included on this album. I am not sure that Remember Me and Goodnight Irene qualify for inclusion on an album that pertains to be a gospel collection.


The Rough Cut King of Country Music (SUN-122 - Released October 1970)

Cold Cold Heart/Straight A’s In Love/You’re My Baby/I Forgot To Remember To Forget/ Born To Lose/You Tell Me/Fools’ Hall Of Fame/I Just Thought You’d Like To Know/The Story Of A Broken Heart

When Cash recorded a selection of Hank Williams songs for release on the Sings Hank Williams extended play release Cold Cold Heart was omitted and left in the vaults. When picking tracks for this album Singleton chose the track for inclusion but not before a guitar and drum track was overdubbed. Likewise, an overdubbed version of the previously unreleased You’re My Baby was included, this time with electric bass, probably played by Billy Lee Riley. Fools Hall Of Fame is another track that Sam Phillips chose not to release and a note appears on paperwork from Phillips that reads, “Not to be released at any time.” Of course this didn’t stop Singleton from including the track on this album. Billy Lee Riley also added additional guitar to the track before release. The cover featured a great shot of Cash, guitar in hand, standing in front of a big ‘ol steam locomotive.

Sings Hank Williams (SUN-125 - Released June 1971)

Johnny Cash: Hey Good Looking/I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You/I Can’t Help It/I Heard That Lonesome Whistle/Cold Cold Heart

Jerry Lee Lewis: Lovesick Blues/You Win Again/Your Cheating Heart/Jambalaya/Settin’ The Woods On Fire 

Like Sunday Down South this album featured both Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, this time on a selection of songs penned by Hank Williams. All five Cash songs had been issued over the past few months on previous Sun International releases.

The Man, The World, His Music (SUN 2-126 - Released June 1971) (2-LP set)

Disc 1: Born To Lose/Story Of A Broken Heart/Two Timin’ Woman/Goodbye Little Darling/Port Of Lonely Hearts/I Forgot To Remember To Forget/Goodnight Irene/My Treasure/I Heard That Lonesome Whistle/Mean Eyed Cat/New Mexico/

Disc 2: Sugartime/Life Goes On/Wreck Of The Old ‘97/Belshazah/You’re My Baby/Fools Hall Of Fame/Blue Train/Country Boy/Wide Open Road/I Just Thought You’d Like To Know/ Down The Street To 301

A two-album set that is basically a compilation of some less-well known Sun recordings, steering clear of many of the hits from the period. With what is probably the worst cover design of all Cash’s Sun International releases, it’s title would lead one to believe that it was issued to ride on the back of the success of the recently released documentary film Johnny Cash The Man, His World, His Music. Anyone expecting a soundtrack album to the film would have been very disappointed!

Original Golden Hits Volume III (SUN-127 - Released November 1971)

Rock Island Line/Oh Lonesome Me/Country Boy/You Win Again/Straight A’s In Love/Doin’ My Time/The Wreck Of The Old ‘97/I Forgot To Remember To Forget/Sugartime/Story Of A Broken Heart/Katy Too

The third volume of the Golden Hits series was the last Cash release on Sun International. By 1971 interest in Cash’s Sun output had lessened and this was probably one release too many.

Collecting these releases is not an expensive task as most can be picked up on ebay for between £1.99 and £12.99 although you do need to check the descriptions with regard to condition of covers and grading of the record. Back in 1999 the Collectables label issued several original Sun and Sun International albums on 2-on-1 CDs including Get Rhythm/Story Songs Of The Trains And Rivers, Original Hits 1/Original Hits 2, Showtime/ Original Hits 3 and The Singing Story Teller/ The Rough Cut King Of Country Music. Of course, none of these contain any tracks that you wouldn’t have already and at the end of the day if I was wanting to add them to my collection I would go for the original vinyl copies. When I first started buying Johnny Cash albums, back in the early seventies, I had all the Sun International releases and do regret parting with them.