Saturday, December 15, 2018

December 15 - Richmond Update

The Victrola import label shared an update on their "Elvis - April 10 1972, Richmond" double CD release which should be out in a few days. 

The Victrola label is also planning more releases in 2019, including 180grams vinyl versions of the Greensboro and Richmond concerts, packed in  gatefold sleeves with a large booklet filled with many rare pix and several interesting CDs too.

From the press-release

Victrola label is proud to present Elvis’ powerhouse concert in Richmond Coliseum on April 10th 1972.

Welcome to another spectacular ‘Elvis On Tour’ release, brought to you by the Victrola label. Our recent ‘Greensboro, April 14, ‘72’ release was very well received, despite some reviewers failing to point out the fact that we presented a genuine, recently prepared, unreleased mix of the show as well as unreleased bits and pieces of the rehearsals on disc two.

The April 10, 1972 Richmond, VA concert was released several times by various labels. Only two releases stands out: original 1995 Vicky label CD ‘Carry Me Back To Old Virginia’ - first ever release of this show in mono (incomplete) and 2008 Madison label CD ‘Red Hot In Richmond’ - first release in original 1972 narrow stereo (complete).

Richmond concert was never available in professionally remixed quality - until now! For the first time, these are actual multi-track master recordings that have been used as a source for this show.

In 2013, Richmond show was remixed in renewed studio, using original 8- and 16-track tapes for an audiovisual project which was never finished and new mix was stored back in the vaults of the record company. Victrola label obtained original 2013 remix together with Greensboro show and decided to release it due to its absolutely stunning sound quality. Richmond show never sounded better!

Critics, predictably, will point out that this can’t be true because ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’ is still incomplete and therefore Victorola can’t be having an original recording and mix of this show. Well, in fact we do have that. We also have the original ‘On Tour’ paperwork from the vaults.

Upon reading this paperwork it becomes clear that the ‘On Tour’ shows were recorded in both 16-track and 8-track. The reason behind recording it on both 16- and 8-track is probably due to the fact that it was a) not a regular concert recording but also the recording of a soundtrack for a movie and b) the 8-track could also be meant as a safety back-up, just in case something went wrong with the 16-track recording.

The official paperwork also reveals that almost half of the Richmond show is in the Sony vaults on 16-track tapes, the other half is on 8-track tapes. It makes one wonder if some of the original 16-track tapes are missing or are in the hands of collectors or are perhaps stored in the MGM vaults? The paperwork also proves that ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’ was not (!) recorded other than only a very small snippet of the beginning of the song. ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’ from the Richmond show is listed in the official paperwork as being ‘Film Company Number: 51’. The paperwork then reads:‘One (1) 8 track copy of original recording (overlaps and songs missing)’. Then there are handwritten notes, also from the vaults, of someone writing down about what is on the ‘On Tour’ tapes. The writer notes about ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’ of the Richmond show: ‘brief’. In other words: short / incomplete. So there you have it: some of the ‘On Tour’ recordings in the Sony vaults are incomplete and ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’ was not recorded in full and therefore missing from the tape. 
Obviously the ‘main course’ of our release is the spectacular sounding Richmond concert on disc one, with the incomplete ‘Lawdy Miss Clawdy’, but fortunately only the start of the song is missing.

We have added second disc with ‘an overview’ of ‘Elvis On Tour’, featuring songs recorded during the March 1972 studio rehearsal sessions in Hollywood, CA and live songs from April 9, 1972 Hampton Roads, VA evening show and April 18, 1972 San Antonio, TX in glorious stereo. We have included two great monaural tracks from the April 5th 1972, Buffalo rehearsal, too.

This disc starts with the (little bit naughty) March 30, 1972 take 2 rehearsal of ‘Burning Love’. This time in better sound then before. We all know that when Elvis starts changing lyrics and laughing, he is in a great mood. Through several interesting rehearsals we come to a collection of songs from above mentioned shows recorded for ‘On Tour’. All these tracks are taken from the original tapes and latest, unreleased, mixes from the vaults. Your special attention is requested for the great sound on the recordings of San Antonio, TX, April 18, 1972!

As a very pleasant and special feature, we have added 8 tracks recorded during Elvis concerts in Madison Square Garden on June 10, 1972. All these recordings come in a different mix, prepared back in 1972 by RCA in Japan. This mix is very rare and hardly ever heard. It features some instruments much more prominent in the mix such as the organ and Glen D. Hardin on piano and some errors (feedbacks) which were later repaired in studio. The sound is fantastic and we feel that the recording of ‘The Impossible Dream’ shines more than ever before.

We sincerely hope you will enjoy this second Victrola release, featuring material from ‘Elvis On Tour’ and recognize the fact that we are bringing you this material in the best quality possible.

All tracks were taken from original sources and digitally restored and remastered in renewed studio for your listening pleasure. CD1 all tracks are stereo. CD2 all tracks are stereo except for tracks 9 & 10.

''Elvis April 10, 1972 Richmond'' release is presented in a deluxe double digipak accompanied with a 16-page booklet. Most of photos used for this project were taken in Richmond, April 10, 1972. Front cover cool image was taken in El Paso, November 10, 1972. Additional photos from Hampton Roads, April 09, 1972, selected March/April 1972 candid shots and photos taken during Madison Square Garden performances in June 1972 have also been added

Tracklist CD1

01. Also Sprach Zarathustra
02. C. C. Rider
03. Proud Mary
04. Never Been To Spain
05. You Gave Me A Mountain
06. Until It’s Time For You To Go
07. Polk Salad Annie
08. Love Me
09. All Shook Up
10. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel
11. Heartbreak Hotel
12. Hound Dog 
13. Bridge Over Troubled Water
14. Love Me Tender                                                        
15. It's Over
16. Suspicious Minds
17. Band Introductions
18. For The Good Times
19. I Can't Stop Loving You                                                         
20. An American Trilogy                                              
21. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy (incomplete)
22. Carry Me Back To Old Virginia (one line) / Funny How Time Slips Away 
23. Can't Help Falling In Love                                                     
24. Closing Vamp 

CD2

01. Burning Love (take 2, rehearsal, Hollywood, CA, March 30, 1972)
02. For The Good Times (rehearsal, Hollywood, CA, March 31, 1972)
03. Heartbreak Hotel (rehearsal, Hollywood, CA, March 31, 1972)
04. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (rehearsal, Hollywood, CA, March 31, 1972)
05. Help Me Make It Through The Night (rehearsal, Hollywood, CA, March 31, 1972)
06. Young And Beautiful (rehearsal, Hollywood, CA, March 31, 1972)
07. Proud Mary (rehearsal, Hollywood, CA, March 31, 1972)
08. Never Been To Spain (rehearsal, Hollywood, CA, March 31, 1972)
09. Polk Salad Annie (rehearsal, Buffalo, NY, April 5, 1972)
10. I Can't Stop Loving You  (rehearsal, Buffalo, NY, April 5, 1972)
11. C. C. Rider (Hampton Roads, VA, April 9, 1972)
12. I Got A Woman - Amen  (Hampton Roads, VA, April 9, 1972)
13. You Gave Me A Mountain  (Hampton Roads, VA, April 9, 1972)
14. Polk Salad Annie  (Hampton Roads, VA, April 9, 1972)
15. A Big Hunk O Love  (Hampton Roads, VA, April 9, 1972)
16. Lawdy Miss Clawdy  (Hampton Roads, VA, April 9, 1972)
17. How Great Thou Art (San Antonio, TX, April 18, 1972)
18. An American Trilogy (San Antonio, TX, April 18, 1972)
19. Blue Suede Shoes (Madison Square Garden, New York, June 10, 1972, 2:30pm)
20. Reconsider Baby (Madison Square Garden, New York, June 10, 1972, 2:30pm)
21. I'll Remember You (Madison Square Garden, New York, June 10, 1972, 2:30pm)
22. That's All Right (Madison Square Garden, New York, June 10, 1972, 8:30pm)
23. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me (Madison Square Garden, New York, June 10, 1972, 8:30pm)
24. Hound Dog  (Madison Square Garden, New York, June 10, 1972, 8:30pm)
25. I Can't Stop Loving You (Madison Square Garden, New York, June 10, 1972, 8:30pm)
26. The Impossible Dream (Madison Square Garden, New York, June 10, 1972, 8:30pm)

Tracks 19-21 recorded at the afternoon show on June 10, 1972 at Madison Square Garden. These tracks are alternate mixes and different to what has been released before.

Track 22-26 recorded at the evening show on June 10 1972 at Madison Square Garden. These tracks contain unreleased multi-track original mixdown complete with errors (feedbacks) which were later repaired.

Jerry Chesnut


Songwriter Jerry Chesnut has died. A member of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame, the gifted songwriter died on Saturday (Dec. 15), at the age of 87, according to Nashville's WSMV-TV. His tune T-R-O-U-B-L-E was a classic that was covered by Travit Tritt and (gulp) Wayne Newton.
Elvis actually recorded some others that are quite good: It's Midnight; Love Coming Down; Never Again; and Woman Without Love. There is also the instrumental of "The Wonders You Perform" that is on the FTD version of "Raised On Rock" for which Elvis never recorded a vocal.

(Source: FECC / FECC)