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The session on March 19th was a short one since Elvis had just four more tracks on his agenda.

 

I Feel That I've Known You Forever (takes 1-5)

Like so often these days, the arrangement was worked out before the actual recording session and the song doesn't challenge anyone. The major difference to the master is the fact, that Elvis sings a tad reluctantly and misses a note. Take 2 is free of such errors and the king also sings with more energy. Wrongly the producer announces "take 2", we also hear rehearsals of the harmony singers. After Mr. Sholes has corrected himself the group delivers another complete performance, albeit preceded by a false start. The 4th take starts with a failed attempt to play the intro. During the next try the musicians suddenly stop to play, whereupon Elvis asks "What happened?". Take number 5 works out perfectly and is selected for release.

Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello (takes 1-6)

Here the first walkthrough sounds quite different to the master. The tempo is slower and the rhythm is emphasized a bit more. The triangle is missing, too. The second try is played with a softer beat, which provides a better flow. With take 3 the triangle is added, Elvis uses the attempt to toy a bit with the phrasing. The 4th take is another complete performance, in general everything works well. Before the group starts another walkthrough the tempo is raised. After the producer announced "We're rolling" Elvis and his band start to perform at a higher speed. They stop in mid-song since the recording is meant as a decision tool wether to continue with the new beat or returning to the previous style. Elvis opts for the higher tempo and take 5 turns out to be another complete performance. The same applies to the 6th one, which is approved for release.

Suspicion (takes 1-5)

After having cleared his throat the 1st walkthrough is started. The tempo is a tad slower and the rhythm is emphasized with the bass. In general the tune drags a bit. Take 2 is played a tad faster, but still the bass emphasizes the beat. After two complete performances Elvis kills off take 3 after having sung just a few lines. The 4th take has the right tempo and the beat is a bit softer. At one point the singer suddenly looses his step, but decides to continue his performance. Take number 5 would have been perfect, if there hadn't been a timing issue during the fade-out. The problem is solved afterwards by splicing take 5 with the finale of take 4.

She's Not You (takes 1-3 + workpart takes 1-4)

Take number one sounds quite similar to the master, just the tempo is a tad slower. The second take starts with the choir messing up the harmonies. But the producer keeps the tapes rolling and so another complete performance is captured. This time the song is taken at a faster pace, too. Take 3 sounds perfect and is selected as master. However, Elvis has the idea to change the finale and so he records four workpart takes with the new ending. Finally he would decide against the alterations and settle for his original recording. Having everything in the can the king and his crew went home. Since the movie business became more and more important, it would take them more than a year before they met again to record anything else than soundtrack songs.

 

 (C) Follow That Dream Records / Sony Music Entertainment