The session tapes for 'Don't Leave Me Now' (2022 and 2023) are still missing, all that remains
are the mono masters on a master tape reel.
It appears that all session tapes recorded by MGM at their Sound Stage, were discarded once the masters were chosen, and the only session tapes existing today are the tapes recorded by Thorne Nogar at Radio Recorders.
The 15 second solo tryout of 'Don't Leave
Me Now', sung just before the #1 version in the
movie, featuring Elvis singing the first line ("Don't leave me now, now that I need you...") and just playing guitar, was recorded on the movie set on May 27 1957.
The master of 'Don't Leave Me Now' from this date
was released by mistake on the Japanese 24 bit
paper sleeve edition of Loving You, where it
should have been the master from February 23 used
on that release.
All timings in the 'Musical Breakdown' below are taken from the DVD release of the movie.
In March of 2007, Sony decided to go through all of Elvis' masters. They retransferred everything and remastered all tracks including repairing as many clicks, pops, bad edits and dropouts as they could. They have used these newly mastered recordings on their new releases since 2007 including budget soundtracks, Legacy releases, the 30 disc Complete Elvis Presley Masters collection and the Franklin Mint package.
Thanks to David English for extensive research on these sessions.
Notes from a review of Jailhouse Rock Volume
1 (FTD) by Piers Beagley (Elvis
Information Network)
Don't Leave Me Now
An interesting song as RCA decided to go with
the "movie version" rather than the
expected "hit record" version. There
is also a variety of arrangements that make it
one of Elvis' most interesting fifties soundtrack
songs.
Elvis had tried recording 'Don't Leave Me Now'
three months before during the Loving You album sessions.
Then they had tried 29 takes before deciding on
an unsatisfactory master. Now Elvis would reintroduce
the song for Jailhouse Rock. Once again Elvis
would try over twenty takes to get a satisfactory
'hit record' version and twelve to complete the
'movie version.
With a total of over sixty takes in total! this
has to be the Elvis song that he worked at the
most in his whole career.
(CD1, track 4) the original - The final
record release starts with that cool piano intro
and it is interesting that RCA decided to release
this 'MGM movie version' rather than the movie's
'hit record' version which Elvis had worked on
so hard. This is at a slightly faster tempo than
the 'hit record' version and has that big Jordanaires
ending.
(track 20) movie "recording studio"
version 2 (Take 12) - This is the original
EP record release but this time the MGM master.
This version features the movie tape count-in
and the audio is more compressed compared to the
RCA version. Otherwise, of course, it's the same.
(track 18) movie set version - A very
short glimpse of Elvis playing the song on the
movie set, alone and accompanying himself on guitar.
Sadly only twelve seconds long before it fades.
(track 19) movie "recording studio"
version 1 (Take 2) - Very different with only
a rolling piano and bass accompaniment. This early
film version has Elvis filling in for his own
backing vocals "like a book on a shelf."
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