Elvis Disco

Since the raids only very little has been released by the bootleggers. And to tell you what: I think it was good for “the market”, because there were times that so many was released that it was practically impossible to keep up with it all. In a way it ruined my enthousiasm to purchase them. They cost a lot of money and there was so little time to “enjoy” them, because in the meantime another one would have surfaced on the market also asking for attention.

The bootleggers were forced by law to take a long rest; and now they are coming back ! They have awaited the birth of the Collectors Label, and now the coast is clear and the pressing plants are back in business.

And how !
The Southern Style label has come up with a real beauty. That is spelled: B-E-A-U-T-Y !!! I am talking about Finding The Way Home. It features outtakes and false starts of 11 different songs from the january/february 1969 sessions. It is a double CD and each disc runs for approximately 60 minutes.

Before I start with the contents, there are a few things which I have to say about the packaging. Although the front cover shot is in black and white the booklet is printed in colour. All songs are detailed with in the sleeve notes. So you know what to expect and you know where to listen out for. The most spectaculair thing about the booklet are the photos.

I have seen a lot of Elvis photos over the years, but I have never seen these ones before. Where do they get them from ? The first one is on page 4. Elvis is pictured with a fan and boy-o-boy doesn’t he look great. He is tanned, his hair on his forehead, dressed in a beautiful suit with the collar of his red shirt sticking out. Giving us that gloomy look: girls, this will get the juices flowing ! The second picture is on page 8. Vernon is pictured with a very young Elvis (age about 10 or 11 years) taken in a photo booth. The picture (a little bit damaged) is in black and white. The thing about it is that Elvis - at a very young age - strikes his Alfred Wertheimer pose. That’s not normal for a 10-year old kid. With his arm around Vernon he looks into the camera - with his eyes almost shut - like if he is in a pensive mood. The third photo which I like to draw your attention to is that of Elvis with Gladys. Elvis is about 17 or 18 years old, and it shows the love of Gladys. She is standing close to him, heads touching. Her right arm is around his neck, her hand resting on his shoulder. With her left hand she is touching his belly. It is a very touching photo: Gladys acts like a protective Mother Goose, as if she knows that soon all hell will break loose.

About the CD. I took a look at the silver disc itself and turned it around and looked at the “matrix-number”. It reads: “Crown Jewels”. How strange ? Wasn’t American Crown jewels on Bilko ? While I was reading the liner notes I read between the lines that these were the Bilko people (correct me if I am wrong). You know what I think. I think that Bilko has dumped the name, to get rid off the feds, and started their new careers with the Southern Style label. (It is the first release of this label after all).

The sound quality is really top notch - they are taken from first generation mastertapes so the music is cristal clear. What I noticed is that Elvis is very serious when he is recording during the january sessions. That could be because it was his first job with a completely new band behind him. On the other hand the songs he recorded during that month deserved a serious approach. (Long black limousine, Without love). In february Elvis is more at ease with his new musicians and that is the time when his sense of humor starts to show. Especially during the up-tempo songs “Wearing that loved on look” and “Only the strong survive”, Elvis is in fine spirits. The opening bars of these songs have to be repeated over and over again. And that is when the laughing starts. Elvis feels free to start making lyric changes once he knows he has messed up the take anyhow. So again he treats us with a lot of x-rated remarks. Yes the “Dear Georgie” version of “Only the strong survive” is included by popular demand. (Mmm, I love it when you talk dirty to me !).

Highlights on the CD are all seven takes of Suspicious Minds. Elvis has difficulty with the middle part of the song, and in the end he asks Bobby Emmons to help him out on that part. By the way, it is the first time ever that we get to hear all seven takes of the song. Take 7 would become the master.

Another highlight are all the takes we get to hear from “In the Ghetto”. Listen out to take 1. Elvis sings so intense, and the backing is very basic. This one defenitely deserves a wider audience (Ernst, are you paying attention !). Elvis messes up just one line in the end (that can be repaired). One of the best performances I have heard of our man in many years.
The songs wins in intensity once it gets rid off the funky girls who are doing the backing vocals. Legend has it that Elvis called Felton to erase these singers. It was Felton’s idea of putting them on. But a few days later Elvis called Felton again saying: “Leave them on. The more I listen to it, the more I like them”.

As a bonus we get to hear the backing track to “Poor Man’s Gold”. It is not listed in the track listing. (How strange ?). But it starts exactly one minute after the last song on CD 2. To be specific at 07:43. It has the same feel and tempo like “Do you know who I am”. But listening to it closer you would say it is the backing track to “For the Good Times”. Practically 90 percent of the chord schedule is the same.

This CD is the best we have had for a long long time. And soon it will get a top-ranking in the bootleg charts. Since this CD is so good and every collector will try to get one, it is going to be hard to purchase it. Remember this CD is “HOT”. A lot of dealers are still afraid to “advertise” with it. The prices asked may vary. One dealer could deliver this CD for $ 22.75 while others asked $ 27.25, or even $ 32.00 !

Are there any flaws ? No, not many. Only a nit-picker like me would find something. There has something gone wrong with the track-listing on CD 2. But the producers have offered their appologies for this mistake. Appoligies accepted ! The other thing that annoyed me was that I don’t know which take we get to hear. Whereas Thorne Nogar always used to call out the take numbers. Here Felton only says “One more…”. So in the track listing is says for instance “3 false starts, and 1 alt.take”. But what are the take numbers ?

Don’t let this minor problem hold you from buying it, because it is SO GOOD ! I have never said the next thing in my life before but: Buy it. Go into debt if you have to !

Emiel Maier

Review published: Elvis Unlimited
Issue 4 - 1999 | page 29 - 30