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The ultimate site about the king of the analogue age

 

After the recording session in June Elvis went to Hollywood for the production of a movie called "Follow That Dream". In October he was back in Nashville to tape material for at least another single release. He recorded some great tracks, but only "Good Luck Charm" and "Anything That's Part Of You" would be considered to be good enough to be issued on a single.

 

For The Millionth And The Last Time (takes 1-12)

Take number one is a complete performance, it's quite obvious that this popsong doesn't offer a challenge for anyone. The details are not worked out 100% yet, the beat is played a little harder and the accordion is missing. So in general all the presentation needs is a bit of smoothening. The second walkthrough already includes the well-known opening and the accordion. However, in-between Elvis suddenly looses his step. The producer mumbles a bit when announcing the 3rd take, so the king jokingly askes "What?". The recording is stoped when someone suddenly stumps his feet and remarks "That's a good lick". Take number 4 works very well and certainly could have been selected for release. The same applies to the next four takes. The 5th and 7th are preceded by a false start. Especially take number 8 is very good and also could have been chosen as master. Nevertheless Elvis continues, but his concentration starts to wear out. Take 9 is killed off by the producer, number ten is nothing more than two false starts. First the guitarist messes up the intro, then the king ends the recording himself. When he asks to "Hold it" the musicians keep going, so he uses his comic-voice and says "Please, would you be so kind to hold it". After the funny interaction an 11th attempt is undertaken. But now the singer gets lost in the lyrics and appears to be angry for real. Take number 12 is another complete performance, which Elvis finally accepts for release.

Good Luck Charm (takes 1-4)

The producer announces the take, in the background we hear the musicians talking and joking. Elvis wants the group to continue regardless any mistakes. In general the arrangement is set, just Ray Walker (the bass singer of The Jordanaires) repeates more lines than he would do later. During the final verse a mistake is made, which is commented by Elvis with "Somebody goofed". At the end, when the engineer slowly fades out, the performance sounds a tad chaotic. However, for a first take the performance sounds mighty fine. Now the king starts off at the wrong key, during the second try he doesn't like the tempo. These two false starts are considered to be take 2. During the 3rd one the drummer misses the beat with his footkick, which is commented by Ray Walker with "You'll be sorry". Take number 4 works out perfectly and is approved for release.

Anything That's Part Of You (takes 1-10)

Take number one works very well, even though Elvis sounds a tad reluctant. Compared to the master he also sings in a higher key. Jokingly someone asks "What about the intro?" whereupon the producer announces the take number and the matrix number. The performance itself is a complete one. Now the king takes the bridge with a bit more energy and also tries out different styles of phrasing. Take number 3 once again is complete and may be described as a softer version of the master. The 4th attempt is a false start since Elvis has to clear his throat. The next try is another complete rendition and might even have been good enough for release. Now the king has to harrump during the piano intro and stops the recording. The next try is killed off by the pianist himself. The producer regards these false starts to be take 6. With take number seven the group gets a bit further but now the tempo is somewhat slower and everything sounds sluggish. As a result Elvis stops the recording process. Take 8 is interrupted by some noise, but the producer keeps the tape rolling and the guys continue to record. They try again and manage to come up with another complete performance. By now Elvis is singing with the right amount of energy and sounds quite close to the master. The next two takes, number 9 and 10, are also complete and differ just very slightly. The king realizes, that he cannot get any more out of the track and moves on.

I Met Her Today (takes 1-20)

Once again the key will be lowered during the recording procedure. The first walkthrough is not perfect, but a complete performance. The second take begins with a false start, later Elvis kills off the performance because he has to laugh. Take 3 is canceled by the producer after just a few seconds, the next one turns out to be a complete rendition. The 5th attempt is stoped by the king after almost two minutes.Due to a technical issue the engineer interupts the walkthrough number 6, but the group starts again and delivers another complete performance. The same applies to take 7. Now the harmony singers are off key and so the 8th try turns out to be a short one. The next try appears to falter in mid-song, but the group saves the performance and continues right to the end. Takes 10 to 12 are short false starts. During the 10th and 12th one a choir member has to clear his throat, number 11 fails because Elvis looses his step during the "somebody else..." line. After all these troubles the group delivers two complete and releasable performances. Nevertheless Elvis continues to record, because he wants to try a few variations. The song is taken at a lower key, but it doesn't work out. Take 15 is nothing more than two false starts. Afterwards Elvis gets to sing, but stops after a few words. Someone says "We don't seem together in this key". After some adjustments the group manages a complete presentation. Take 17 runs for no more than 50 seconds because Elvis' voice cracks. After another false start and several people clearing their throates another complete performance is put on tape. Now the choir intro is substituted by a piano intro, but the group doesn't get far since Elvis' voice cracks once again. They start one more time, but now the king misses the key. Take number 20 is laid to rest after Elvis doesn't get the bridge ("How I treasured each smile, each kiss...") right. Finally he gives up and approves the 18th take for release.

Night Rider (takes 1-3)

The first try is nothing more than the intro. Afterwards the engineer asks, if the Gordonaires (a reference to The Jordanaires' leader Gordon Stoker) are taking part. They do not and the group starts all over again. It's a complete performance, but also a very fast and somewhat chaotic one. The second walkthrough is another complete rendition and a major improvement. When the producer announces the 3rd take, Elvis jokingly releases a hysteric laughter. Once again it's a complete performance. Elvis decides to leave it that way and calls it a day.

 

 

 (C) Follow That Dream Records / Sony Music Entertainment