Review by Piers Beagley - Elvis Information Network
This is a new concept and a special FTD "Bonus" release for Easter 2001.
From the opening track of ‘March Of Dimes’ - Elvis' 1957 plea for the support of polio victims - to the fabulous 1973 finale of ‘If That Isn't Love’, this CD is a total delight .
A brilliant compilation of twenty (officially) unreleased gospel songs, this CD features some excellent alternate versions of old favourites, as well as some fascinating studio discussions.
After a couple of patchy releases, the tenth FTD CD Elvis - Easter Special (suitably) restores my faith in FTD's mandate. You should have faith too, because some of these alternate takes are beautiful enough to bring a tear to your eye! (Or was that just a speck of dust in mine?!) You don't have to read all the details below.
Just buy this CD and you too will have a very Happy Easter!
Looking a little deeper at each track though:
‘March Of Dimes’ - A recently discovered radio commercial, from 1957, of Elvis putting himself in the public eye to help polio victims.
Together with the inlay photo, this nicely demonstrates Elvis' sincerity and the genuine feel of this Easter collection.
‘It Is No Secret’ (Take 5) - Also recorded in 1957, this flows on from the ‘March Of Dimes’ creating a fabulous start. Elvis' vocal is delightfully light, almost reticent at points. Not surprisingsly, this is an earlier take than Take 12 which is mistakenly indicated on the cover. This is a beautiful version in a binaural mix.
‘He Knows Just What I Need’ (Take 1) - This is from the 1960 His Hand in Mine sessions and is the first real gem. Taken at an obviously faster pace than the master (Take 10), this version has a "Fats Domino Swing" to it, plus Charlie Hodge supplying the tenor voice (rather than Millie Kirkham). At the end Elvis says "It's a little bit too fast". Just fabulous.
‘Mansion Over The Hilltop’ (Take 1) - Similar to, and as good as, the master (Take 3), this version was probably rejected because of the extraneous mic noise (tap?) during the first verse.
‘Joshua Fit The Battle’ (Take 1) - There is often a special resonance to 'first takes' and this is no exception. Here you get the feel of being at a church session. Elvis grabs the mic and is ready to let loose. He announces, "Here we go…hell, I need someone else to count" and they're away! Scotty is fumbling for his guitar licks, and The Jordanaires are still working out the backing vocals. This is rough and ready but I'll take this over the final master (Take 4) any day!
‘I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs’ (Takes 2 and 3) - Interestingly this was recorded after the smoother master (Take 1). Another great version, but this time with Buddy Harman's and D.J.'s drums, plus The Jordanaires, mixed more to the front.
‘Known Only To Him’ (Takes 1 and 2) - It was 6am and Elvis had already completed twelve tracks that night, including the #1 single ‘Surrender’, before he recorded this classic. Take 1 is a false start where The Jordanaires aren't ready, but Take 2 is complete. A better mix of vocals than on the master (Take 5), this is just beautiful, showing Elvis as the perfectionist - even at 6am in the morning!
‘Run On’ (Take 2) - The first track from the 1966 How Great Thou Art sessions (and also Elvis' first with Felton Jarvis as producer). Some of these have been released on bootlegs before, but here we get them in great quality and for the first time in stereo. Elvis kicked off the session with this great spiritual and what an escape from his ‘60s film soundtracks! (He'd just been recording Spinout.) This version is rougher and funkier than the master (Take 7) - with more organ in the mix - and it sounds great.
’Stand By Me’ (Take 7) - The story is that Elvis had the lights of the studio turned down just to set the right mood - and it obviously worked. Felton says "Take 7" (the cover wrongly indicates Take 2) and Elvis sings an exquisite version of the song. The slight echo of the master (Take 11) is missing here but this version is pure Magic. Enough to make you cry.
‘So High’ (Takes 2 and 3) - This was one of Elvis' favourite gospel songs and this version is driven more by the gospel hand-clapping than on the final master (Take 4), where Buddy Harman's drumming was more prominent - including the wild cymbal driven ending! The increased “gospel swing” feel makes it a nice addition to the collection.
‘Somebody Bigger Than You And I’ (Take 12) - A great track showing off Elvis' deep voice. This one is close to the master (Take 16), but with the piano more prominent and also without the added echo. It’s a shame that we don't get a chance to hear an earlier take where Elvis' tried to copy the original, by Jimmy Jones, and in an even lower key, but couldn't quite hold the notes.
‘We Call On Him’ (Takes 4 and 5) - Elvis interrupts the first take with "No Good", once again showing the perfectionist in him. It’s not the greatest gospel song but still a delightful version similar to the master (Take 9). It’s also interesting to remember that this came from the same 1967 session that produced ‘Guitar Man’.
‘Saved’ (Take 1) - A fabulous track from the '68 Comeback Special, running a fantastic 4.16 minutes, and showing off Elvis' rough, throaty, soulful voice to the very best. This version doesn't have the brilliant "blues outro" of the Memories '68 Comeback CD but does fit perfectly onto this Easter Special and is a true highlight.
‘An Evening Prayer’ (Take 2) - From the 1971 He Touched Me sessions, this is similar to the released version, but with a different mix to the band.
‘Seeing Is Believing’ (Take 4) - This was a Red West composition that he was apparently still finishing at the session itself, as demonstrated by this very different alternate take. There’s lots of funky guitar driving the song to a definite ending rather than the fade out on the master (Take 14). Another great track.
‘There Is No God But God’ (Takes 1 and 2) - Elvis stops the first take after thirty seconds for the engineer to adjust the monitor levels. Take 2 is complete but the organ comes over too loudly in the mix compared to the master (Take 5) which has a better, lighter feel.
‘He Is My Everything’ (Take 1) - Another classic first take, this time with the bonus of two minutes of studio chatter and rehearsals beforehand. Elvis sings snippets of 'Farther Along', 'Oh Happy Day' and 'Mean Woman Blues', as well as some great 'a capella' with the backing singers. No overdubbed syrupy strings, as on the master (Take 5), and a great vocal mix between Elvis and the backing singers makes this another gem.
‘Bosom Of Abraham’ (Take 7) - Similar to the released master, an earlier Take 6. Another highlight of the He Touched Me sessions.
‘I Got A Feelin’ In My Body’ (Takes 6 and 7) - Elvis kicked off the December '73 Stax Studios sessions with this great Dennis Linde (’Burning Love’) track. It has an excellent funky feel. Elvis was pushing for a better version but here his voice is beginning to crack and so they went back to Take 5 for the master. On the final version Felton, as usual, overdubbed extra backing vocals but here it sounds clearer. Check out Rhythm And Country - Essential Elvis Volume 5 for my favourite, another classic first take.
‘If That Isn't Love’ (Takes 2, 6 and 7) - Nearly six minutes of a soulful track to wrap up a great CD. Recorded on the last night of the December Stax sessions (another cover misprint says October!) the earlier takes stop with Elvis laughing and showing his good mood. The complete Take 7 is once again featured without overdubs and more interesting than the final earlier Take 4 that was used as the master. A great version. It makes you wonder what "special something" Elvis was striving for.
A final minor complaint since, like others, I wish BMG took more care over the digital mastering of these FTD CDs. There are several points where the audio is mastered too high which causes clipping. However, the great content surpasses all of this.
More cover information would be nice too, and even with the little that there is printed on the sleeve there are still several mistakes! On the plus side, although the CD does have a fairly austere front cover, the inside and back cover photos are delicious!
Verdict
A cleverly constructed compilation of unreleased gospel songs, this CD features some excellent alternate versions of old favourites, as well as some fascinating eavesdropping on Elvis at work in the studio. There is still a lot of gospel material untouched and I'm already hoping for, and looking forward to, next year's Easter Special! I hope you have an equally enjoyable "Elvis Easter"! A big thanks to the producers, Ernst Jørgensen and Roger Semon, for this one.
