Review by Piers Beagley - Elvis Information Network
FTD 8 returns to Elvis' studio material, giving us alternate versions recorded in March 1972 and 1975 at RCA's Studio C in Hollywood. The first six tracks are from the two nights in 1972 that produced 'Burning Love' and 'Always On My Mind', and the final six tracks focus on the session that produced the Today album.
For some strange reason, sandwiched in the middle, we get seven tracks from the On Tour concert rehearsal sessions, also recorded in the same studio.
In the seventies Elvis rarely experimented in the studio in the same way as he did earlier in his career and usually the differences between each take was quite minor. So is this a worthy FTD release? Aaahhh, Goddamn it, of course it is!!! (but this time with some reservations).
Another feature of the ‘70s was for Felton Jarvis to overdub everything Elvis recorded, often burying his vocals and adding uncalled-for syrupy strings. These luckily are absent on these alternate versions and this is the true bonus of this CD - no orchestra, a cleaner mix, and Elvis' voice way up front. So, what do we get?
’Always On My Mind’ (Take 3) - I so wish that the CD had started with a few words from “The Man” to set the scene. Oddly enough, Take 1 ended up being the master (with overdubs) so it would have been great to hear Elvis say something about the band playing tighter or to James Burton about his delightful guitar picking - which is far more prominent in this version than the first two takes (Take 2 was on Platinum). Yes, it's close to the original, but here we have it without the final overdub and also a much better sounding mix of Elvis' with the backing vocals at the end of the song.
‘Burning Love’ (Take 2) - It is often said that Elvis never particularly liked this song, so again it is a shame that we don't get any studio chatter. Not up to the power of the final master (Take 6) which was driven by Dennis Linde's (the writer of the song) overdubbed guitar. Here James Burton's wah-wah guitar kick-starts the song. Not a great version, but still interesting to hear how the song developed. Emory Gordy's bass guitar drops out of the mix for part of the song, but the band keeps playing.
‘For The Good Times’ (Take 3) - Some reviews have said that this is the same take as on Platinum which was in fact Take 2 (but misprinted on the sleeve). This version is a delight, even if close to the master (Take 4) but here we have no orchestra overdub. Compared to Take 2, this is slightly faster, plus the addition of some fine solo guitar picking from James Burton.
‘Where Do I Go From Here’ (Take 6) - Never a favourite Elvis track of mine, but here driven by some great wah-wah guitar and again benefiting from not being overdubbed. Elvis says "Felton hold that last take" at the end which shows his own interest in this version.
‘Fool’ (Take 1) - This again is close to the master, which was Take 2, but greatly improved by the lack of syrupy strings which were dubbed onto it. The lack of overdubs makes Elvis sound more fragile, which improves the feel of the song, plus we get the joy of the full four minutes rather than the short fade out of the original.
‘It's A Matter Of Time’ (Take 4) - Elvis slips out of key, suggesting a first take; otherwise this is very close to the master with very slightly changed phrasing. Nothing particularly new here, and the actual take number isn’t listed on the cover.
The next seven tracks are On Tour rehearsals and seem out of place to me. Surely we should be getting these all in the up and coming On Tour releases? However, the sound quality - compared to previous bootlegs - is Fantastic, plus again the joy of no on-stage orchestra.
‘C.C. Rider’ - kicks ass. ‘Until It's Time For You To Go’ - being a ‘70s song, this does fit nicely into this CD - a charming, delicate, version. Elvis sings "You're not a dream, You're a woman, Lord I Hope so!" which is a nice touch. Put your headphones on and let Elvis sing a concert song just to you alone - delicious!
’A Big Hunk O' Love’ - Another dynamite song - some throbbing bass work and Elvis lets rip. Great stuff.
‘All Shook Up’ / ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ / ‘Teddy Bear’ / ‘Don't Be Cruel’ - All familiar “throw away” versions. I agree with Oven Egeland from the web site Elvis In Norway when he says "What is worse than listening to a ‘70s version of 'All Shook Up' . . . . a rehearsal version!”
‘Can't Help Falling In Love’ - Actually does sound better without the orchestra and is, in fact, a fine end to this mini rehearsal. Elvis laughs and sings "Wise men say, only Fat Fools rush in"
March 1975 was Elvis' only studio recordings in the whole of 1974 and 1975 and these tracks close this CD. I was surprised to find that, after a few listens, it was this part that of 6363 Sunset that I enjoyed the most. In 1975, as well as overdubbing the Today material, Felton Jarvis also added some echo and reverb to all the tracks giving them a "Concert Hall" kind of sound. Here we get them clean, with Elvis singing straight to you with beautiful clarity, compared to the Today album where it sounds as if the band is in the bathroom down the corridor!
‘Green, Green Grass Of Home’ (Takes 2 & 3)
- A false start before a delicious Take 3. Elvis' vocal is clear and way up front - a real joy compared to the overdubbed original. No sweetening strings, less backing vocals; this version sounds so much lighter in style. When Elvis says "Then I awake and look around me" he's right there with you. Fabulous.
‘Susan When She Tried’ (Takes 1 and 2) - Great to get two new takes of this song and Elvis sounds like he's enjoying himself. On Take 1 he changes the girl's names on purpose and laughs. No echo or overdubs here - just great banjo picking and Take 2 runs nearly 3 minutes, unlike the original fade at 2:15. Also in 1975 there was definite tension between Elvis and his new bass player Duke Bardwell, so much so that all his parts were later erased at Elvis' request. Here we have the interesting comment from Elvis "Get it right Duke. Damn!"
‘And I Love You So’ (Take 1) - Elvis says to then girlfriend, Sheila Ryan, "Step here Sheila and let me sing to you baby". A delicious version - just beautiful. The version on Platinum (Take 2) still had the reverb present where Elvis, Sheila and the band sound like they are in the "Bathroom"! Elvis is far clearer here; and it’s one of the best tracks on this CD.
‘Bringing It Back’ (Takes 2 and 3) - "Next piano player" quips Elvis at the start, referring to the fact that Voice's Tony Brown was asked by him to play piano on this track (Elvis had liked his playing on the demo). I have never understood why this fairly pedestrian song was chosen as a single in the USA, but here it benefits from the lack of overdubbing that so spoiled the master.
‘T-R-O-U-B-L-E’ (Take 1) - Elvis has trouble himself with the spelling, which is fun, and this is a good version for a first take. If you listen to the master (Take 4) you can hear how much more Elvis was going for the song by then, rockin' until the end fade out. However, the extra overdubbed backing vocals pushed him further down into the mix which was a shame. An undubbed master version should have been included here too.
‘Shake A Hand’ (Take 2) - The final track and similar to the master, but with Elvis' vocal more prominent. On this song the "gospel choir" overdub actually benefited the final mix giving it a rousing gospel chorus at the end. This version fades earlier than the final master, which is odd, but ends nicely with Elvis changing the lyrics to "Shake a hand, Shake a leg"!
My real complaint is that the between song chatting that made The Jungle Room Sessions such a delight, is missing here. There you felt that you were privy to something very special happening - a private ''fly on the wall'' view, letting you feel Elvis' mood, as well as hearing the songs develop and take shape.
Also IMO, apart from ‘Until It's Time For You To Go’, the mini rehearsal doesn't fit well on this disc. Maybe all that was needed was the 'old rockers' being replaced with rehearsals of newer ‘70s songs; and we know from the On Tour bootlegs that ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’, ‘Proud Mary’, etc., were all potential inclusions.
The CD runs for an hour so maybe there just wasn't enough material, but in that case why are there no versions of the fantastic song ‘Separate Ways’ here? Elvis recorded twenty-five takes of the song yet only two have been released. Why not more studio discussions?
‘I Can Help’ is also not represented on the latter half of the disc and I would loved to have heard Elvis saying "Billy Swan my ass" as a prelude to the recorded take!
Also the missing 1975 songs - ‘Fairytale’, ‘Woman Without Love’ and ‘Pieces Of My Life’ - without their final overdubs - would have been a good addition, too. Like ‘Pledging My Love’ on The Jungle Room Sessions - which played for its full length and completely changed my opinion of the song - you can hear how much soul Elvis poured into the track compared to the brutally edited single version. These tracks often benefit from playing for their full length rather than the usual shorter master fade outs. ‘Fool’ being a good example on this CD so - More please!!
Verdict
Possibly too short, and the 6363 Studio theme doesn't hang as well together as other FTDs. The CD would also have benefited from more studio banter and a different selection of On Tour rehearsals. However, we do get an hour of officially unreleased Elvis in brilliant audio quality including a couple of gems. Overall, not my favourite FTD CD so far, BUT - Keep 'em coming!!
