Take 1 and 2 are just three attempts to figure out the intro. Before the third try the intro is coordinated and rehearsed. The following performance appears a bit messy and finally is abandoned after Elvis stumbled upon the "blonde head". He has mumbled away a few words before, but this time he includes a "forget it" and stops singing. Felton Jarvis announces "B4", whereupon the king jokes "before" and intones "Before you come to me, you son-of-a-bitch". Elvis fools around with the lyrics and the group starts again. Then he asks if he should sing along during the instrumental part. The next try is plagued by a lead vocalist stumblin' over the words. He also tries out some bass-lines. Take number 5 is nothing more than two false starts, the 6th one runs a bit longer. During the "blonde head" verse Elvis once again sings bass, but he soon gets tangled up in the lyrics and sings "blonde head, good lookin', tryed to get me hooked, want me to marry, settle down, write a home and eat a book". After another short false start Elvis gets to sing again, but has to laugh as soon as the "blonde head" appears. But then it works and take 9 turns out to be a complete performance. Compared to the master the electric guitar is played a bit harder during the instrumental part, which I like very much. I also like Elvis singing in deep voice at times.  Before the group records another take, the king jokingly intones "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling". Compared to the previous ones, take number 10 sounds much more coordinated. In-between Elvis has to laugh, but otherwise it certainly could have been released. During the next try the king strays from the melody during the "pay phone" verse, includes a "motherfucker" and stops the procedure. Take 12 doesn't get old, since Elvis has to laugh. The next take sounds great, but then the singer stumbles during the "filling station" verse. He sings "Working at the filling station, to many tasks, wipe the windows, check the oil, check the oil, check the ass". However, take number 14 turns out to be perfect and can be overdubbed for release.  And this is, what we get to hear now. Jerry Reed tried five times to produce a guitar overdub. Since the first attempt was used for the final product, we get to hear the takes 2 to 5.  

These sessions are a complete mess. Nobody takes anything seriously, Elvis is laughing his ass off and partly slurrs his words. For some reason I get the impression, that the man from Memphis simply is high as a kite. Maybe a lot of fans find all these false starts and horsing around funny, but I'm feeling uncomfortable listening to all that mess. There's also a lot of "dirty" language, of course FTD has cut out some of it. So we don't hear Elvis ask "Is them pills wearing off" or sing about "the desert sand in your asshole". Take 21 (!) is the first complete performance, the numbers 23, 29 and 30 are also complete. Everything else is nothing but acting the goat. After taping "Going Home" everybody did just that.

The first take is played much slower than the master. In general nobody appears to be challenged by the tune. Elvis ruins the take on purpose by singing "...where the eagles shit" and laughs at his own joke. After another false start the group manages to produce a complete performance. Afterwards the group jams a bit with the "Muleskinner Blues". Now the tempo is raised, which causes another false start. Take number four seems to work well, but at the bridge Elvis looses his step. After a false start we get to hear a complete rendition of "Stay Away". The following two attempts are false starts, number nine once again turns out to be a complete performance.  The takes number 10 to 12 are more false starts, in-between Elvis intones "You Belong To My Heart". From the 13th try onwards harmony vocals are added. The following two takes are also complete renditions, the final one is selected for release. The "Stay Away Session" ends with three overdub-takes, in which Jerry Reed adds his incisive guitar-playing.  

The first try sounds rough, Elvis has trouble to phrase the words and also lacks attitude. But he's certainly not to blame, because it's no easy task to get a song like this right. Take one ends after one-and-a-half minutes or so, because the king gets lost in the lyrics. Afterwards Elvis and the band fool around with "The Prisoner's Song". FTD cuts it short and saves the sensitive fans from hearing their idol singing about the balls of a hairy coon.  The second take is two false starts (during the first one the king sings "I'm the US Male, 'cause I was....shot") and a longer, but incomplete attempt. Elvis stumbles upon the "ring, that I bought her on sale" and  jokingly considers himself to be a "fucked up US Male". Felton Jarvis tells him, that they'll get a complete party album out of this session.  The next try sounds more controlled, but once again Elvis gets lost. Take four runs longer and slowly everyone figures out the details. Nevertheless Jerry Reed fails on the bridge and the take has to be canceled. After a short rehearsal the 5th attempt is undertaken. Now the guitar part works well, but the king gets lost and jokingly sings "...you son of a bitch, I gonna pick your head and dump you in a ditch". Another short false start is followed by another incomplete rendition. Nevertheless it has to be said, that Elvis has figured out the phrasing by now and also sings with the right attitude. Slowly, but surely it all comes together. There's another short false start, but finally the group archives the first complete performance. During take number eight the king suddenly stops to sing, the 9th one is a series of two short false starts and a longer one. Jerry Reed once again rehearses his guitar part, which isn't much easier than singing and phrasing the truckload of words. Follow That Dream Records once again is keen to save the Presley fans from getting shocked and cuts out the "I'll knock your dick stiff, man" comment. The final takes, namely the ones 10, 11 and 12, are complete performances. The final one is approved for release, so the session is over.