MEMPHIS HOMECOMING

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.

Originally only four shows were scheduled, on the 16th and 17th March, at the Mid-South Coliseum with performances at 2.30 and 8.30 each day. Due to the demand for tickets an extra show was added at the end of the tour.

It is the concerts in Memphis, and in particular the final show that was recorded by RCA, that we concentrate on in this article.

It is reported that the attendance at each of the five Memphis concerts was 12,300 and that the total concert gross was around $555,000 with the Mid-South Coliseum receiving $50,000.

Although it would have made more sense for Elvis to have stayed at Graceland during the run of Memphis concerts he actually booked rooms at both the Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson Motel.

In her review of one of the concerts on the 16th Jane Sanderson, of the Memphis Press-Scimitar, wrote, "Like a streak of white lightning, Presley darts on stage. He is dramatically clad in all-white which sparkles with jewels and nail-heads with a jacket slit to the waist and a diamond cross hanging from his neck. He nods his approval to the hometown reception, and he begins to sing." She went on to say, "He laughs in the middle of a song, at himself and at the audience, but he drops his head to gain repose. He rolls his eyes, jerks his head, thrusts his shoulder forward, points to pretty girls, slaps his guitar, and, of course, shakes his hips." Talking about the reaction of the fans she noted, "They scream, yell, cry, clap and do their best to drown out what they came to hear."

Before looking at the various album and CD releases we take a look at the actual 20th March concert at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis.

Following the 2001 theme, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Elvis opened the show with See See Rider and I Got A Woman/Amen, with the awful J. D. Sumner dive-bomber routine which, unfortunately, Elvis made him do twice.

Strong versions of Love Me and Trying To Get To You followed then a rushed All Shook Up before one of the highlights of the show, James Taylor's Steamroller Blues, a far superior version than that which appeared on the Aloha From Hawaii concert and album. James Burton's guitar playing on the track is outstanding and the reason he was always in demand for studio and live work.

Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel is rushed but far better than later performances of the songs while Love Me Tender is treated with more respect.

A medley of Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On/Your Mama Don't Dance/Flip Flop And Fly/Jailhouse Rock/Hound Dog follows and has received mixed opinions over the years. However, it does show Elvis putting a bit more effort into his hits and the hits of other artists than he would in the years that followed. The few lines of the Loggins & Messina hit Your Mama Don't Dance showed that Elvis had not lost touch with the current music scene. Jim Messina recalled how he felt about Elvis' performance, "I was thrilled Elvis covered one of our songs. I could tell he had the passion for it and the audience really reacted well when he sang that part of the song. For me, the ultimate compliment that an artist can pay another artist is to record one of their songs."

Elvis' live versions of Fever never matched his 1960 studio cut that appeared on Elvis Is Back and you can tell Elvis is just having fun during his performance in Memphis.

As always Elvis puts a lot of energy into Polk Salad Annie, a concert favourite for the past few years. The only slight disappointment here is that bass player Duke Bardwell doesn't manage the excellent bass lines that Jerry Scheff could do. It is still a great performance though.

Two gospel songs follow, Why Me Lord, which is mainly J. D. Sumner & The Stamps Quartet, with Elvis just joining in on the chorus, and a rousing version of How Great Thou Art, another highlight from the show and one that received recognition as we shall see later.

Soon to be dropped as a regular in his set list, Suspicious Minds is as good as ever and then introduces those on stage with him... James Burton (guitar), John Wilkinson (guitar), Duke Bardwell (bass), Ronnie Tutt (drums), Glen D. Hardin (piano), Charlie Hodge (guitar and vocals), The Joe Guercio Orchestra, The Sweet Inspirations (vocals), J. D. Sumner & The Stamps (vocals) and a new group, Voice (vocals). He also gives name-checks to his sound engineers Bruce Jackson and Bill Porter, the tour promoters Jerry Weintraub and Tom Hulett, Ed Bonja, Tom Diskin, record producer Felton Jarvis and last but not least, the audience.

Introducing I Can't Stop Loving You with, "You know what I can't do", he throws the band off by then launching into the Fats Domino hit Blueberry Hill instead. Just a few throw-away lines before returning to an energetic version of I Can't Stop Loving You. He even throws in a small change of lyric for the occasion, "I've made up my mind, to live in Tennessee/memory for such a long lonely time."

He introduced Help Me as his new single and following a brief false start he performed a version that was as good as the recently recorded studio version.

An American Trilogy receives a thunderous reception and is as good, if not better than any of his earlier live performances on record. The song would have meant more to a southern audience than those in Hawaii and this is evident in the crowds reaction when Elvis sings lines including, 'For Dixieland where I was born'.

Let Me Be There is a John Rostill song that had been a hit for Olivia Newton-John and is another great performance by Elvis.

The show draws to a close with My Baby Left Me, a song seldom performed by Elvis in his concerts, Lawdy Miss Clawdy and Funny How Time Slips Away. During My Baby Left Me it seems like the band are not sure which song they are doing as, at times, there are close similarities to That's All Right, prompting Elvis to sing, "The band I knew is gone."

Before ending the show with Can't Help Falling In Love, Elvis told the audience, "It's always been said that a person cannot return to their home town, but you have disproven that theory completely and really made it worth while."

The usual announcement, "Elvis has left the building" was changed to "Elvis has left for Graceland."

Throughout the show there is a lot of interaction between Elvis and the audience and also Elvis and the band. At the start of I Got A Woman Elvis jokes with the audience, commenting, "Honey you have got bad laryngitis" and "She's louder than I am, but I've got the microphone." Before singing Love Me he says, "Those binoculars look like a bunch of frogs up there." During the introductions he jokes with John Wilkinson and Glen D. Hardin. It is obvious Elvis is having a good time on stage.

RCA were at the show to record it for future release. They rented recording equipment, apparently at a cost of around $100,000, to capture the event and with microphones placed around the auditorium, they captured the crazy reaction of the crowd who were seeing him perform in their hometown.

The day after the final concert James Kingsley, writing about the live recording in The Commercial Appeal, said, "Elvis Presley ended his 15-city tour with a hometown performance recorded before 12,300 fans at The Mid-South Coliseum last night. The recording is to be used for an album to be distributed by RCA Victor." Apparently Elvis had turned down requests from other cities on the tour to record a show in order to wait to record for his hometown fans. Kingsley then went on to say, "The album, which will be released in early June, will have the songs, screams, and cheers that were hallmarks at each of Presley's five Memphis concerts."

Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis (RCA CPL1/APL1 0606) was released in July 1974. The album, which had a running time of approximately 42 minutes, featured fifteen tracks and nine of the songs performed at the show were omitted. 

For those interested in details the album title on the cover was Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis whereas the label copy read As Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis. There were other differences on song titles, the songwriters and there are too many to include here so I'd point you in the direction of the excellent series of ELVIS UK books written/compiled by John Towson and Gordon Minto. The album was re-released on vinyl in 1977 and 1981.

The songs left off the album were All Shook Up, Steamroller Blues, Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel, Love Me Tender, Fever, Polk Salad Annie, Suspicious Minds, Funny How Time Slips Away and the band introductions.

As all of these had appeared within the past couple of years on the previous live albums, Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden (released in 1972) and Aloha From Hawaii (released in 1973) this decision did make sense.

Although nobody realised at the time, the album had been subjected to some overdubbing, with extra crowd noise added to the original recordings made on the evening of the show. This was to add more excitement to the album, but was unnecessary.

The album cover featured a photo of Graceland, taken on 27 March 1974 by photographer Ed Bonja, while the back showed the gates of Graceland with the song titles, credits and other information printed over the image.

After all the studio albums released over the past few years, and in the years that followed, all featuring a live photo, totally irrelevant to the material on the albums, it seemed strange that an image of Graceland was used instead of a live photo from the actual show. We are, of course, talking about RCA and The Colonel so this is no real surprise!

It could have been different though, as photographer Ed Bonja recalled in the liner notes to the Legacy Edition of the album, "The Colonel was friends with the editor of one of the Memphis newspapers. His son was taking photography at the University and asked if he could take some photos of Elvis. The Colonel said 'Yes, and if I like them I'll put them on the cover of the live album.' A few days later after the tour ended, I'm at our office in L.A. when The Colonel receives the package with the photos. All of a sudden he screams out in a loud voice, 'Eddie, come in here! I can't use any of these pictures, they're terrible. I want you to get on a plane tonight to Memphis and get some shots of the front of Graceland, we need them for the album cover.' I took a few photos of the front gates, took photos of the front of the house and also took additional photos of the grounds. The exterior photo of Graceland made the cover and my image of the gates landed on the back cover."

Elvis is listed as Executive Producer on the back cover along with Mike Moran, Gus Mossler, Ronnie Olson and Larry Schnapf all credited as Recording Engineers.

The album reached #33 on the Billboard Album Charts, #2 on the Billboard Country Album Charts and #1 on the Cashbox Country Album Chart. In the UK it only managed one week on the charts peaking at a disappointing #44. It would be twenty-five years after the albums original release that the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) would award it a gold disc for sales of 500,000 copies.

Although Elvis received several Grammy nominations throughout his career he only ever won three and they were all in the gospel categories. His first win was for 'Best Sacred Performance' with the title track from his 1967 album How Great Thou Art. In 1972 He Touched Me won the 'Best Inspirational Performance' and his 1974 powerful live version of How Great Thou Art gave Elvis his third Grammy Award in the same category.

Billboard reviewing the album in their 'Spotlight' section had nothing but good things to say, "The last time Elvis cut a live set, it sold more than a million units. With this collection, Presley again demonstrates the charismatic performance and magnetism that have made him the all time King of Rock. Perhaps more than any other LP, we see a more personal side of Elvis as he banters back and forth with the audience, particularly his conversations with one girl who has a different request between every song." Going on to talk about the music he wrote, "As for the music, his voice sounds much stronger than it has on recent studio product as he puts together a mix of country, religious, current rock, blues and his own vintage hits. Back-up vocals of J. D. Sumner & The Stamps, The Sweet Inspirations and Kathy Westmoreland is excellent." He summed up how great he thought the album was in his final sentence, "Best Presley we've heard in a long time."

Robert Matthew-Walker, author of the book Elvis Presley - A Study In Music published in 1979, was particularly harsh in his opinion of the album. He wrote, "This album is the most superfluous of Presley's career. Every title had been recorded by him at least once before, in performances which are invariably better. These here are often below Presley's best, the band is not 'tight', many words are slurred, with scant regard for sense or atmosphere, and the audience constantly interrupts. The performances say nothing new." He did, however, make one valid point, "... the record is packaged with the most inept sleeve in a succession of generally mediocre packaging's."

The album made its first appearance on CD in Europe and the USA in February 1994, although it had been available since 1986 in Japan. The track listing was identical to the vinyl release although there had been discussions with co-producers Roger Semon and Ernst Jorgensen about adding the missing songs. This plan was scrapped when those higher up at RCA decided that to include the extra tracks would not only involve extra payments for copyright but also additional payments to all the musicians and vocalists.

The accompanying eight-page booklet featured liner notes about the 1974 Memphis concert and earlier appearances in the city, musician and other credits, track listing, a complete list of his 1974 concerts and a black & white image from the show that hadn't been included on the original vinyl issue.

The CD, identical to the 1994 release, was included as part of The Original Elvis Presley Collection, a 60-CD set released in June 1997 with each CD housed in a card sleeve featuring the original artwork.

The vinyl album was deleted from the catalogue in 1986 and the CD was available until 2003.

With the introduction of the Follow That Dream label and the 'Classic Albums' series it wasn't long before they turned their attention to Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis. Released in April 2004 to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the concert it would be the first time the whole concert would be released. However, as we will see, everything was not perfect.

As mentioned above the nine missing tracks were added, although Steamroller Blues had already found a release back in 1997 on the 4-CD Platinum set, released to commemorate twenty years since Elvis died.

In their pre-release press announcement they said, "It will include the songs that were left out of the original album and consequently the whole show has to be remixed. The package will be in the 7" format including a booklet with pictures and information about the show." Unfortunately the resulting CD was not as perfect as the press release made it sound.

Unfortunately they omitted the false start to Help Me and also left off some of the dialogue. Only a small matter but when you advertise the set as the complete concert then why leave out certain bits. The running time was expanded from 42 minutes to 69 minutes so there was still room for the minute or two that would have been required to make the show complete.

Now sound is very subjective and what works for one listener may not appeal to another. When released by FTD the tracks were mixed by Chris Theis and mastered by Lene Reidel. The overdubbed audience was removed and extra reverb added. It wasn't long before the comments about too much reverb started to appear and I must admit I do agree.

The CD was packaged in a three-panel sleeve which featured the original album cover, the original back cover, two photos from the show and the album title/track listing.

The 12-page booklet featured a live photo from the show and looked really good. Inside were eight photos of Elvis on stage along with the track listing, credits, a review from The Commercial Appeal and a list of the March 1974 tour dates. 

It followed the style of other FTD 'Classic Album' releases but one is left feeling it could have been so much better. Many of the photos are blurred and there is little information about the show. It would have benefited from comprehensive liner-notes and more images, memorabilia, paperwork etc. Fortunately this would be forthcoming on the albums next appearance on CD.

The Follow That Dream label started re-releasing their previous releases on 180gram vinyl and in September 2013 they added the Memphis live album to their list with the 2-LP set Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis.

The albums were housed in an attractive gatefold sleeve with some great live shots and brief liner notes. The cover would have made a better choice had RCA put more thought back in 1974.

In 2014, in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the concert, Sony Music re-issued the album as part of their Legacy Edition series in what can be considered the definitive version.

This time it would contain the complete concert, including the false start and dialogue that was omitted from the FTD version. Remixed by Steve Rosenthal and Rob Santos and mastered by Vic Anesini in New York, the sound is superior to any previous release with more emphasis on the band and Elvis' vocals standing out.

The set also featured a second disc, the Richmond show from 18th March, that was recorded as a test recording or back-up and released a few years earlier on the FTD label as Forty Eight Hours From Memphis, albeit only in mono. There were also five songs from an August 1974 rehearsal which are unrelated to the rest of the set.

Packaging on the Legacy Edition was superb with the two CDs housed in a 5" three-panel sleeve with original front and back cover, a list of all his 1974 concerts including those in Las Vegas, a map of the USA with cities played marked on it and a photo of Elvis on stage in Amarillo on 19th June. The back listed all the tracks, a brief text about what was included in the set and a photo from the Memphis show.

There were comprehensive and informative liner notes written by Ken Sharp that detailed the March tour and the Memphis show in particular. There are photos from various shows on the tour and a two-page spread of memorabilia, company paperwork and reviews which make interesting reading. This is how the FTD booklet should have looked. Furthermore, for those that shelled out for both the Memphis and Richmond shows on FTD, they had every right to feel cheated when both shows were available on Legacy for a fraction of the price.

I'll end this article with my own thoughts on the album and the various reissues. I bought this album the week it was released here in the UK and over the following few weeks it was seldom off the turntable. Despite my earlier comments about some of the material it remains one of my favourite live albums released by Elvis Presley during his lifetime, far superior to the Aloha From Hawaii set.  Yes, some of his early hits are not given the treatment they deserved, although a lot better than in the years that followed, and I know I might be in the minority but I do enjoy the medley. Yes the songs in the medley are rushed but at least a bit of thought and effort was taken with the choice of material that included both Flip, Flop And Fly and Your Mama Don't Dance.

I enjoyed the FTD release in 2004 because of the extra tracks and improvements over the original sound, however, my go to copy of the album has to be the Legacy Edition which, to my ears, has the best sound and is also the first time the complete show made it onto CD. It also has a much better booklet than the FTD version.

I am surprised Sony or FTD haven't released a fiftieth anniversary set, remixed by Matt-Ross Spang and featuring a more comprehensive booklet, but then again, how many more copies do we really need. Of course, with FTDs recent track record they could be planning a fiftieth anniversary edition to be released next year on the fifty-first anniversary!

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During the research and writing of this article I referenced several books and sources including: Elvis The Man And His Music (Now Dig This), Did Elvis Sing In Your Hometown, Too (Lee Cotton), Elvis UK and Elvis UK 3 (John Townson & Gordon Minto) and the booklets that accompanied the FTD and Legacy Editions of As Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis.

THE WHO - TEENAGE WASTELAND

Back in March 2023 I reviewed Edoardo Genzolini's excellent book on The Who, Concert Memories From The Classic Years 1964 to 1976 which can be read by following the link. I also gave a brief overview on the band's career so won't repeat that here.

Schiffer Publishing has now published his second book on The Who, Teenage Wasteland, that looks at the concerts played in 1968 and 1976 at Winterland in San Francisco.

Winterland, located on the corner of Post Street and Steiner Street in San Francisco, opened in June 1928 as the New Dreamland Auditorium, an ice skating rink that could also be converted into a seated entertainment venue. It was built at a cost of $1 million which is equivalent to around $17 million today. In the 1930s the building was renamed Winterland and during the 1930s and 1940s hosted many events including the Shipstads and Johnson Ice Follies, a production of the Fiolies Bergere, boxing tournaments and tennis matches.

In September 1966 concert promoter Bill Graham began renting the venue for concerts due to its capacity, which was larger than the nearby Fillmore Auditorium. His first double bill was Jefferson Airplane and the Paul Butterfield Band. With the Fillmore closing in 1971 regular shows were held at Winterland. 

Rock acts that have appeared at Winterland include The Rolling Stones, Cream, Yes, Fleetwood Mac, The Band, Deep Purple and The Who. Many live albums have been recorded at the venue most notably Frampton Comes Alive (Peter Frampton), The Last Waltz (The Band), Live At Winterland (Jimi Hendrix) and Live Cream (Cream). A few concert films were also made at the venue, The Last Waltz, The Grateful Dead Movie and the Sex Pistol's The Filth And The Fury.

Winterland closed on New Year's Eve 1978/New Year's Day 1979 with an eight-hour concert by the Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Blues Brothers. Like so many iconic music sites the venue was pulled down and replaced by apartments in 1985. Fortunately we still have the live albums, concert films and books to remind us what a great venue it was.

Teenage Wasteland opens with a look at The Who's first time in San Francisco back in 1967 and covers their first concerts in America at the Fillmore along with a look at the Fillmore Seminars, a series of seminars about the music industry organised by Bill Graham. Moving onto 1968 the book gives more information about concerts at the Fillmore on 22 February before looking in detail at their first gigs at Winterland in February of 1968.

The Who played two sets on 23 February and a further two the following day and these are covered in detail with a wealth of photos and a text giving a background to the shows.

Their set-list for these concerts saw them open with Substitute and included Pictures Of Lily, Happy Jack, I'm A Boy, I Can See For Miles, I Can't Explain and My Generation. 

It would be eight years before they returned to Winterland for concerts and this period is covered in a chapter that covers the years between, that would find the band achieve a status they could have only ever dreamed about when they started out.

They released a number of classic albums including Tommy, Quadrophenia and Who's Next along with a number of hit singles. There was also a live album, Live At Leeds and a number of compilations, Direct Hits, Odds & Sods, The Story Of The Who and Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy.

In 1976 they returned to San Francisco once again to play at Winterland. Concerts on both 27 and 28 March are covered in the book with a mix of colour and black and white images both on and off stage, although there is no accompanying text to this section of the book.

At these shows they performed a set that included I Can't Explain, Substitute, Squeeze Box, Magic Bus, Pinball Wizard and My Generation closing with Won't Get Fooled Again.

Within the 256 pages are over 400 images, mainly black & white although there are many in full colour. Besides the many great live shots there are backstage images and memorabilia including tape boxes and boxes of slides and negatives taken at the shows. The book is printed on high-quality gloss paper which shows off the photos at their very best.

Once again author Edoardo Genzolini has amassed an amazing amount of information about the shows and this period of the bands career and his dedication and enthusiasm is evident in every single page.

Looking through the hundreds of photos you start to wish that you had been part of the audience at one of these shows... or maybe you were there in the audience. Like his previous book on The Who, this book will be well received by fans and anyone who has an interest in the rock music of the 1960s and 1970s.

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

THE BIG JIVE ALL DAYER - 2024

The first Big Jive All Dayer in Worthing, presented by the jive/swing band The Jive Aces, was held in February 2013 and has become an annual event in my home town. Having attended most of these, except for those that were cancelled during the Covid pandemic, I was pleased to be invited back to the latest event to cover it for my Instagram profile and here on my blog.

Past guests at the Big Jive All Dayer have included Si Cranstoun, The Swing Commanders, The Three Belles, Earl Jackson Band, Laura B & Her Band, Miss Annie & The Midnight Shift, Bamboozle, Mike Sanchez & The Portions, Dylan Kirk & The Killers, Gina Haley and King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys.

This years guests were Lynette Morgan & Her Blackwater Valley Boys, The Velvet Candles and Phil Haley & His Comments. Joining The Jive Aces on stage were Noelle Vaughn, Laura B., Pat Reyford, DiMarco and a very special guest, more on which later.

As always a great selection of music was provided by the DJs which this year were, The Duke, Swinging Rockin' Daddy and Eight-Beat Mac.

Doors opened at 1pm and the venue was soon packed with couples, dressed in their best vintage outfits, already on the dance floor while others settled down at the tables spread alongside the dance floor.

Following a few classic tracks from the DJ it was time for the first act. Jive Aces frontman, Ian Clarkson, strolled on stage and welcomed the packed venue to a day and evening of great music and fun. Mentioning that it was seventy years since the release of Rock Around The Clock he invited onto the stage Phil Haley & His Comments.

This four-piece band, with guitar, bass, saxophone and drums are one of the top rock 'n' roll tribute bands in the UK and as well as covering some of the greatest records from the 1950s they also perform many of their own songs. They have built up a following that has seen them play in countries including France, Finland, Germany, Holland and as far afield as Australia.

Opening with Shake, Rattle And Roll they soon had the crowd dancing and singing along. Their set included many of Bill Haley's greatest hits... Don't Knock The Rock, R.O.C.K., Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie, Rockin' Through The Rye and See You Later Alligator. 

All four are excellent musicians and were each given the chance to show of their skills with guitar, saxophone, bass and drum solos.

They avoid being tagged as just another tribute band performing many of their own songs which fitted well in their set alongside the 1950s classics.

More hits followed with Flip, Flop And Fly, Dim, Dim The Lights and I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter just a few of the standouts. They brought their part of the show to a close with the song that started it all, Rock Around The Clock.

More music from the DJs gave the audience a chance to take a refreshment break at the bar and do some shopping.

For those looking for a new outfit there were a number of stalls selling vintage dresses, shirts and shoes and if you needed to add any music to your collection there was a great selection of Jive Aces CDs/vinyl along with music from some of the featured bands. I even managed to add a few more CDs to my ever growing collection.

My taste in music covers most styles and I was looking forward to the western swing and country music of the next act on stage, Lynette Morgan & Her Blackwater Boys.

With Lynette on guitar and vocals she is supported by a four-piece band of guitar, bass, fiddle and pedal steel guitar creating the authentic western-swing style.

Opening with Roadside Diner, one of the many original songs they performed, the dance floor soon filled up again. They continued with a mix of originals, classic country and western swing including All Night Boogie, Patsy Cline's Let The Teardrops Fall, Walk Right In, Tennessee Saturday Night and one of their final songs was Teenage Boogie, originally written and recorded by Webb Pierce back in 1956.

With another break and more records spun by the DJs I took the opportunity to get some fresh air and a bite to eat in town. 

Back to the live music and fans of doo-wop and the vocal groups of the 1950s were in for a treat when the Velvet Candles hit the stage. This four piece group comprising three guys and one gal are from Barcelona and the three guys looked the part in their sharp white suits.

Formed in 2008 when they used to sing acapella on the streets of Barcelona they have gained a following which has seen them perform at clubs and festivals in Spain, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.

Their music bought back memories of some of the greatest doo-wop and vocal groups of the past including The Platters, The Penguins, The Crew-Cuts and The Clovers.

Opening with Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So) they took the audience back to the 1950s with Ding Dong Daddy, Sixteen Tons, Besame Mucho and The Way You Look Tonight. Of course no doo-wop act would be complete without Sh-Boom, originally recorded by The Chords, Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers hit  Why Do Fools Fall In Love and The Diamonds Little Darlin, and the Velvet Candles did not disappoint with their versions of the songs.

For an encore they treated the audience to the upbeat Jump Children, originally recorded by The Flamingos.

Following yet more great music it was time for The Jive Aces, dressed in their trademark yellow suits, to take the stage.

Opening with Good Rockin' Tonight, one of Elvis Presley's earliest releases on the Sun Records label, they followed with one of their own compositions, La Dolce Vita, Smile, written by Charlie Chaplin and recorded by Nat King Cole in 1954, Jackie Wilson's Reet Petite and their current single, La Vie en Rose, originally a hit for French songstress Edith Piaf. The song, which also featured Grazia Bevilacqua on vocals and accordion, has given The Jive Aces a number one on The Heritage Chart. 

Ian then introduced Noelle Vaughn, an English jazz singer with a rich, sultry voice and great stage presence, who joined them on stage for Got What It Takes and Razzle Dazzle before taking the solo spot for a fantastic rendition of I Need A Man.

More well-known songs followed... Hound Dog, with Ian giving his best Elvis impression, Singing In The Rain, Bring Me Sunshine and for me the highlight, a fun performance of the Dean Martin hit That's Amore, another song to feature the lovely, and talented, Grazia Bevilacqua on vocals and accordion. The chemistry between her and Ian is amazing and the look on his face, and the way both he and Alex looked at their watches, when she stole the moment playing an extended solo on the accordion was priceless and had to be seen to be appreciated.

It was at this stage in the proceedings that a special guest was announced and to great applause out walked 1950s singer Laurie London who is best known for his gospel and novelty songs.

Following a rockin' version of Eddie Cochran's Twenty Flight Rock he sang his only hit record, He's Got The Whole World In His Hands, the most successful record by a British artist in the 1950s in the United States, where it reached number one, sold over one-million and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) in 1958. The whole audience sang along and you could tell how much he was enjoying being on stage again.

The Jive Aces set closed with Tiger Man and an instrumental version of the Hank Williams classic Jambalaya, during which both John Fordham and Alex Douglas left the stage and moved onto the dancefloor to delight the crowd with their musicianship and antics.

More music, more dancing. more drinking and more shopping then it was time for the final act of the day... The Jive Aces Revue.

The Jive Aces invited many of the acts back on stage, including The Velvet Candles and Noelle Vaughn, along with Pat Reyford, DiMarco and Laura B, all making their first appearance of the day, for a final selection of songs which gave each artist the chance to shine individually and as part of the group. 

With little room to move the whole ensemble performed the song that closes many of The Jive Aces shows, Louis Prima's 1956 jazz swing classic, Jump, Jive And Wail. With each artist taking a lead and managing to jump at the appropriate times, especially piano player Vince Hurley whose antics always bring a smile to my face, it looked chaotic but was a fun and amazing way to bring the show to a close.

As the evening drew to a close, and people started to head home, the DJ continued spinning some great music, a few couples remained on the dance floor while the band members and stage-hands started dismantling the stage and packing their gear away.

I said my goodbyes to everyone and made my way home for a well-deserved rest as I had been on my feet for most of the day, only sitting down a couple of times in the bar and when I went into town to grab a bite to eat. The next few days were busy going through more than 600 photos I took, a few of which are featured here and I will be posting more on my Instagram page (@peterlewry) over the next week or two. I had a fantastic time and look forward to next year.

All that is left for me to say is a big thank you to everybody involved in yet another great event. I have to say a big thank you to Grazia for organising my ticket, to all the members of The Jive Aces and those from the other bands that I had the opportunity to talk to, and in a few cases have a photo taken together,  during the day.

A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU

Last year I wrote about one of my favourite Festive albums, Elvis' Christmas Album and the article can be read here... Christmas With Elvis.

Now it's that time of year again and the opportunity to write about another of my favourites... A Christmas Gift For You, an album that is sixty years old this year.

 

The album was produced by legendary producer Phil Spector who was best known for his innovative recording techniques and use of dense orchestral sounds that would make him one of the most influential and successful producers of the 1960s.

He began his career in 1958 and penned the number one single To Know Him Is To Love Him, by The Teddy Bears, of which he was a founding member. The song was inspired by the wording on his father's grave which read 'To Know Him Was To Love Him.'

Following his time as an apprentice working with songwriters Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller he co-founded Philles Records. He was only 21 and became the youngest record label owner at the time. Among the hit records he produced were Da Doo Ron Ron and Then He Kissed Me (The Crystals), Be My Baby (The Ronettes), River Deep, Mountain High (Ike & Tina Turner) and You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (The Righteous Brothers). All featured his trademark 'Wall of Sound.'

The 'Wall of Sound', in simple terms, was a technique that captured the musicians live and embraced chaos and oversaturation. Spector chose not to record instrumental pieces with the minimum of interference and preferred to let the sonics of the studio define the sound. He allowed sounds to bounce around the room to create a dense sonic sound that was rich with complex overtones. The musicians that worked with Spector were a major part of the sound and became known as 'The Wrecking Crew.'

Among those session musicians who earned the name 'The Wrecking Crew' and would work on Spector's Christmas album were Hal Blaine (drums), Tommy Tedesco (guitar), Leon Russell (guitar), Barney Kessel (guitar), Jimmy Bond (bass), Ray Pohlman (bass), Al De Lory (piano), Don Randi (piano) and Frank Capp (percussion). There was also the brass section that featured Roy Caton (trumpet), Steve Douglas (baritone saxophone) and Jay Migliori (saxophone).

He picked his regular artists of the period for the album and bought together The Crystals, The Ronettes, Darlene Love and Bob B Soxx and The Blue Jeans for the recordings.

The Crystals were formed in New York City and were one of the defining acts of the girl group era. In 1963 the members were Patricia Wright, Dolores Kenniebrew, Dolores Brooks and Barbara Alston. Between 1961 and 1964 they charted with There's No Other (Like My Baby), Uptown, He's Sure The Boy I Love, He's A Rebel, Da Doo Ron Ron and Then He Kissed Me. Despite the success and steady flow of hit singles with Spector there were tensions which resulted in them leaving Philles Records and signing with Imperial Records. One reason was the decision by Spector to devote more of his time to The Ronettes. They released two albums, Twist Uptown and He's A Rebel, both produced by Spector.

Consisting of Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley, The Ronettes had sung together since they were in their teens when they were known as The Darling Sisters. A short spell with Colpix Records in 1961 was followed by their signing with Spector's Philles Records in March of 1963 where they changed their name to The Ronettes. Their hits included Be My Baby, Baby I Love You, (The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up and Walking In The Rain. They released one album, Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, in 1964 with tracks including their singles along with Chapel Of Love, How Does It Feel?, So Young and When I Saw You.

Darlene Love, born Darlene Wright on 26 July 1941, was the lead singer of the girl group The Blossoms and also recorded as a solo artist. She started recording with Spector, who renamed her Darlene Love, in 1962. She sang lead on He's A Rebel and He's Sure The Boy I Love, both credited to The Crystals. Her vocals can also be heard on songs by Bob B. Soxx and The Blue Jeans including Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts and Not Too Young To Get Married. Under her own name, and as part of The Blossoms, she released several singles including Hard To Get, Today I Met The Boy I'm Gonna Marry and Wait 'til My Bobby Gets Home. In 1968 she worked with The Blossoms on Elvis Presley's 1968 Comeback TV Special.

Bob B. Soxx and The The Blue Jeans were a vocal trio, originally formed as a vehicle for the lead vocals of Bobby Sheen who used the stage name Bob B. Soxx. The other two members were Darlene Love and Fanita James, both members of The Blossoms. As mentioned earlier it was Darlene Love who provided the lead vocals on Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts and shared the lead vocals with Sheen on Not Too Young To Get Married. They also shared vocals on the trio's only album, Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. However, it is Sheen who was featured as lead vocalist on the trio's contributions to the Christmas album. By late-1963 they were dropped by Philles Records and ceased to exist, although Sheen would go on to record for Capitol Records using his real name.

Sessions ran during September and October 1963 at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood with Spector producing, Larry Levine engineering and Jack 'Specs' Nitzsche arranging all the tracks.

Founded by David S. Gold and Stan Ross, Gold Star Studios was an independent studio that opened in October 1950 on Santa Monica Boulevard. The studio name was a mix/combination of the names of the two owners. It was a unique studio with custom-built recording equipment, echo chambers and was a popular studio for many years. Among those who recorded there were The Righteous Brothers, Sonny & Cher, Eddie Cochran, Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, whose work there included the Pet Sounds album, the hit single Good Vibrations and the abandoned Smile project. 

The sessions weren't without their problems. Spector took the best track away from Ronnie (his wife) claiming she couldn't sing it to his standards and it wasn't emotional enough while other performers had issues about the sessions. However, there were just as many positive comments, with Levine recalling that Spector would regularly "do stand up comedy for 20 minutes at a time" when things were going well, while Darlene Love remembers them all receiving gifts from him.

Levine also recalled that the spoken introduction to Silent Night could have been very different. "The first time he did it, he used foul language, something like, 'I made this record for you, cocksuckers!'"

A Christmas Gift For You (Philles 4005) was released on 22 November 1963 and a month later peaked at #13 on the Billboard Magazine year-end, weekly Christmas Albums sales chart.

It failed to make any impression on the Billboard album chart at the time and this has been blamed on the fact that it was released the same day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. As Nitzsche explained at the time, "The album never really took off. I think some of that had to do with the world after the Kennedy assassination. It affected the public. No one really wanted to celebrate Christmas in December 1963."

However, in December 2018 the album entered the Billboard 200 Album Chart for the first time reaching a respectable #12. The album would return to the chart in January 2021, reaching #12 again, and over the next two years it would chart again, reaching #10 in 2022 and achieving its highest placing the following year when it peaked at #8.

In 2003 Rolling Stone listed the '500 Greatest Albums of All Time' and A Christmas Gift For You was placed No. 142, keeping the same rating a few years later in 2012 on a revised list. It was also ranked the Greatest Christmas album of all time in the magazine in 2019.

Pitchfork ranked it the 130th greatest album of 1960, not bad when you consider the quantity and quality of albums released in that decade.

The album opens with the Irving Berlin classic White Christmas, made famous by Bing Crosby in the films Holiday Inn and White Christmas. Crosby's version, which reached number one in 1942, 1943 and 1944, sold more than 50 million copies. It has been stated that there are more than 500 recorded versions of the song.

White Christmas is the first of four songs performed by Darlene Love on the album. Her other contributions are Marshmallow World, Winter Wonderland and the only original song on the album, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), a song written by Brill Building songwriters Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry along with Phil Spector. It was released as a single although it never achieved the chart success it deserved. Written in 1949 by Carl Sigman and Peter DeRose, Marshmallow World was first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1950. The song is about winter but doesn't actually mention Christmas although it is now classed as a festive song. Winter Wonderland is another winter themed song that has become a Christmas standard. Written by Felix Bernard and Richard V. Smith, it has been recorded by many artists including Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan and many others.

The Ronettes are featured on three tracks, Frosty The Snowman, Sleigh Ride and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. Written by Walter 'Jack' Rollins and Steve Nelson, Frosty The Snowman is a popular Christmas song first recorded by Gene Autry in 1950. It was written for Autry after his success the previous year with Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Another popular song for the festive season is Sleigh Ride, originally an orchestral piece written by Leroy Anderson during a heat wave in 1946. A few years later the lyrics, about riding in a sleigh and other wintertime activities, were written by Mitchell Parish. With music and lyrics by British songwriter Tommie Connor and first recorded in 1952 by Jimmy Boyd, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus is yet another popular Christmas song. Its the  story of a young boy who sees his mother kissing Santa Claus under the mistletoe and wondering how his father will react, not realising that his father was actually Santa Claus. The song caused some concern and it was condemned by the Roman Catholic Church in Boston who believed it described an adulterous encounter. However, after a meeting with the Archdiocese, the ban was lifted.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town is The Crystals first contribution and they also take the lead on Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers. Written by John Fred Coots & Haven Gillespie, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town was first recorded by Harry Reser and his Band and covered by more than 200 artists including, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, The Temptations, Neil Diamond and Bruce Springsteen. Rudolph... was composed by Johnny Marks in 1939 and based on the story of the same name. Gene Autry had a number one hit with the song in 1949. Based on the instrumental piece Parade Of The Tin Soldiers, written by German composer Leon Jessel in 1897 as a popular jaunty march, Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers gained its slightly different title in 1911 when Russian impresario Nikita Balieff chose it for his vaudeville revue and altered the title. It remained an instrumental piece until 1922 when Ballard MacDonald wrote the English lyrics.

Bob B. Soxx and The Blue Jeans perform two more songs, The Bells Of St. Mary's and Here Comes Santa Claus. The former was written back in the 1910s and revived by Bing Crosby in the film of the same name. Featured in a scene at a Christmas Pageant, it has become known as a Christmas song despite having no lyrical connection with the season. Here Comes Santa Claus was written and originally recorded by Gene Autry back in 1947.

The closing track on the album is Silent Night which features all four artists and an introduction by Phil Spector. My all-time favourite Christmas song, it was written by Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr in 1818 with the original German title of Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht. It is a beautiful ending to the album.

Reviews were scarce and at the time the UK music paper New Musical Express failed to print any review. However, many years later they did write, "It's impossible to imagine the festive musical canon without it. Despite largely consisting of covers, the joy that exudes from Spector's production ensures his take on the songs is the only one worth bothering with."

In 2013, Darlene Love commented, "Christmas meant a lot to Phil. It was one of the biggest projects he ever took on, because it was something that had never been done before."

The front cover featured a group photo of all the artists looking festive and a list of the tracks. It is unknown who took the photo as there is no credit.

The reverse featured sleeve-notes by Spector, part of which read, "Can twelve great Christmas songs be treated with the same excitement as original pop material of today: sang by four of the greatest pop artists in the country: produced with the same feeling and sound that is featured on the hit singles of these artists, without losing for a moment the feeling of Christmas and without destroying or invading the sensitivity and the beauty that surrounds all of the great Christmas music? Until now, perhaps not. But I am quite sure that after you listen to this album you will agree that the answers to these questions are found in every groove of this album."

In the years following the albums original release it has been re-issued many times on vinyl and CD on different labels.

It was first re-issued in 1972 by Apple Records with a different cover art, an image of Spector dressed as a heavily bearded Santa Claus and wearing a 'Back to Mono' button. The album also received a new title, Phil Spector's Christmas Album. This issue of the album reached #6 on Billboard's Christmas Album Sales Chart in December 1972, its highest chart placing. In the same year it made its debut on the UK Albums Chart and would re-enter the charts in 1983, peaking at #19.

In 1974 it was re-released on Warner Spector, the first to feature a stereo mix of the songs although they used the same cover as the one used on the Apple release, complete with the Back To Mono badge! 

Additional re-issues included, a stereo version on Pavilion, a short-lived imprint of CBS, in 1981, Impression (1983), Passport (1984) and Rhino (1987). In 2009 the Sundazed Label put out a vinyl copy of the album.

The album made its first appearance on CD in 1987 on Rhino mastered by Bill Inglot and Ken Perry restoring the original mono mix. Further CD issues occurred in 1987 on Chrysalis and in 1989 on ABKCO. The latter restored the original title, artwork and mono mix and was remastered by Spector and Levine.

When Sony Music took over the distribution rights to the Philles Records catalogue in 2009 they re-released the mono album, newly remastered by Bob Ludwig, on its Legacy Recordings imprint. Three years later they issued a two-CD set with a new remastering of the album by Vic Anesini on disc one and a selection of non-festive Spector hits and rarities on the second.

Despite all the critical acclaim the album received and the amount of times it has been re-issued over the years, I'm surprised there has never been a special or definitive edition. It is unknown if any other Christmas songs were recorded during the sessions or if any outtakes exist but it would be great to have a two-disc version with extensive liner notes, photographs and memorabilia... I can always dream.

Spector believed he could produce an album for the holiday season that would capture not only the essence of the Christmas spirit, but also be a pop masterpiece. An album that would stand alongside any work the artists had already recorded. He succeeded on every level, with all the artists recording some of their most memorable performances. A Christmas Gift For You is the album which all later festive releases would be judged.

I'll end this article with Phil Spector's words that led into the final track on the album, Silent Night...

Hello, this is Phil Spector, it is so difficult at this time

To say words that would express my feelings

About the album to which you have just listened

An album that has been in the planning for many, many months

First, let me thank all the people who worked so hard with me

In the production of this album and in my endeavour and desire

To bring something new and different to the music of Christmas

And to the recording industry which is so much a part of my life

Of course, the biggest thanks goes to you

For giving me the opportunity to relate my feelings

Of Christmas through the music that I love

At this moment, I am very proud of all the artists

And on behalf of all of them, The Crystals, The Ronettes

Darlene Love, Bob B Soxx and the Blue Jeans, and myself

May we wish you the very merriest of Christmases

And the happiest of New Years, and thank you so very much

For letting us spend this Christmas with you.