May 01 - The Making of FTD's

The Follow That Dream collectors label released the April 2023 releases: the 3-CD set 'Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden' and the book / CD / vinyl set 'The Making Of Blue Hawaii' by David English and Pal Granlund. The first copies were shipped last weekend and arrived at the first dealers. 

Description 'Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden': After Elvis completed a hugely successful and sold-out tour filmed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for the 1972 documentary 'Elvis On Tour' in April, confidence was high in the Elvis camp with all four shows at New York's Madison Square Garden sold out, as did the rest of the June tour. 

Any reservations Elvis might have had about performing in the Big Apple were quickly dispelled as the noise from the MSG crowd was deafening. The New York Times 'Arts and Leisure' headline summing up the triumph read 'Like a Prince From Another Planet'.

Elvis As Recorded at Madison Square Garden with the evening show of June 10 was a rush release later in the month and sold a million copies in the US in just a few weeks. Total US sales to date exceed 3 million, achieving triple platinum status. The afternoon show was eventually released by RCA as An Afternoon In The Garden in 1997, 20 years after Elvis' death.

This belated FTD 50th Anniversary Edition celebrates these legendary shows with remixed versions of both shows by Memphis recording engineer Matt-Ross Spang. Disc 3 contains the original press conference, recorded at the New York Hilton on June 9th.

Packaged in our 8-inch 'Sessions' slipcase, this deluxe 3-CD includes a 20-page color booklet, great photos, memorabilia, press conference transcript and reminiscences of the late Phil Gelormine.

CD 1 - June 10 1972 Evening Show: Also Sprach Zarathustra - That´s All Right - Proud Mary - Never Been To Spain - You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me - You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ - Polk Salad Annie - Love Me - All Shook Up - Heartbreak Hotel - (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel - Love Me Tender - The Impossible Dream (The Quest) - Introductions - Hound Dog - Suspicious Minds - For The Good Times - An American Trilogy - Funny How Time Slips Away - I Can’t Stop Loving You - Can’t Help Falling In Love - Closing Vamp

CD 2 - June 10 1972 Afternoon Show: Also Sprach Zarathustra - That’s All Right - Proud Mary - Never Been To Spain - You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me - Until It’s Time For You To Go - You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ - Polk Salad Annie - Love Me - All Shook Up - Heartbreak Hotel - (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel - Love Me Tender - Blue Suede Shoes - Reconsider Baby - Hound Dog - I’ll Remember You - Suspicious Minds - Introductions - For The Good Times - An American Trilogy - Funny How Time Slips Away - I Can’t Stop Loving You - Can’t Help Falling In Love - Closing Vamp

CD 3 - June 09 1972: Press Conference (20:31 - Recorded By Pål Granlund).

Details 'The Making of Blue Hawaii':

Following on from the success of ‘The Making of Jailhouse Rock', FTD Books announces the release of 'The Making of Blue Hawaii'.

Movie book: Hardback coffee table style deluxe book, containing 387 pages with many newly discovered photographs, details on deleted scenes, pages from the script, the shooting schedule, memos, contracts, as well as memories from the cast and crew.

Music book: Containing 85 pages of photos, documents and detailed session information, including pages from a newly found recording session log.

4 CDs: Featuring the soundtrack recording sessions, which include 50 unreleased takes. The audio has been newly mixed from the original 3-track tapes to stereo and feature 50 unreleased takes. The songs have been sequenced in recording order for the first time. 

The set features the music from the soundtrack recording sessions, which are newly mixed from the original 3-track tapes, including 50 unreleased takes, the songs are sequenced in recording order for the first time.

All twenty-nine takes of 'Can't Help Falling In Love' are included from Elvis' March 23 1961 session plus plenty of other outakes and false-starts. For those fans who can't afford or are not interested in the books, a big box like this, the label has already announced it will release the audio as a single release at a later moment. 

The complete tracklistings:

CD 1 The Masters: 

01. Blue Hawaii (2:34) (Lee Robin/Ralph Rainger) 02. Almost Always True (2:22) (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman) 03. Aloha Oe (1:53) (Arranged and adapted by Elvis Presley) 04. No More (2:20) (Don Robertson/Hal Blair) 05. Can’t Help Falling In Love (3:01) (Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore/George Weiss) 06. Rock-A-Hula Baby (1:56) (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman/Dolores Fuller) 07. Moonlight Swim (2:18) (Sylvia Dee/Ben Weisman) 08. Ku-U-I-Po (2:21) (Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore/George Weiss) 09. Ito Eats (1:23) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett) 10. Slicin’ Sand (1:35) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett) 11. Hawaiian Sunset (2:33) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett) 12. Beach Boy Blues (2:03) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett) 13. Island Of Love (2:38) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett) 14. Hawaiian Wedding Song (2:49) (Charles King/Al Hoffman/Dick Manning) 15. Steppin’ Out of Line (1:52) (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman/Dolores Fuller) 

March 21, 1961 - Radio Recorders, Hollywood:

16. Hawaiian Sunset (AO) take 1 17. Hawaiian Sunset (AO) take 2 18. Hawaiian Sunset (AO) take 3 19. Hawaiian Sunset (AO) take 4 (used for master) 20. Hawaiian Sunset (AO) takes 5-6, 7 (used for master) 21. Hawaiian Sunset (AO) (final master) (splice of take 4 & 7) 

CD 2 March 21, 1961 - Radio Recorders, Hollywood:

01. Aloha Oe (BO section 2) take 1 02. Aloha Oe (BO section 2) take 2 03. Aloha Oe (BO section 2) take 3 04. Aloha Oe (BO section 2) takes 4, 5 (used for master) 05. Aloha Oe (BO section 2) take 6 06. Aloha Oe (BO section 2) take 7 (used for master) 07. Aloha Oe (BO 1 - master) (take 4) & (BO 2 - master) (splice of take 7 & 5) 08. Ku-U-I-Po (CO) take 1 09. Ku-U-I-Po (CO) takes 2,4,5 10. Ku-U-I-Po (CO) takes 6-7 11. Ku-U-I-Po (CO) takes 8, 9 (master) 12. No More (DO) takes 1-2 13. No More (DO) takes 4, 5, 7 14. No More (DO) take 8 15. No More (DO) take 9 16. No More (DO) takes 10-11 17. No More (DO) takes 12,13 (used for master) 18. No More (DO-1) (insert ending) takes 14-16 19. No More (DO & DO-1) (master) (splice of take 13 & ending take 16) 20. Slicin’ Sand (EO) takes 1-3 21. Slicin’ Sand (EO) take 4 22. Slicin’ Sand (EO) takes 5-7 23. Slicin’ Sand (EO) takes 8-9 24. Slicin’ Sand (EO) take 10 25. Slicin’ Sand (EO) takes 11-12 26. Slicin’ Sand (EO) takes 13-14 27. Slicin’ Sand (EO) takes 15-18 28. Slicin’ Sand (EO) take 19 (master) 

CD 3: March 22, 1961 - Radio Recorders, Hollywood:

01. Blue Hawaii (FO) takes 1-3 02. Blue Hawaii (FO) takes 4-6 03. Blue Hawaii (FO) take 7 (master) 04. Ito Eats (GO) takes 1-2 05. Ito Eats (GO) takes 3-5 06. Ito Eats (GO) takes 6-8, 9 (master) 07. Hawaiian Wedding Song (JO) take 1 08. Hawaiian Wedding Song (JO) take 2 (master) 09. Island of Love (KO) takes 1-4 10. Island Of Love (KO) takes 5-7 11. Island Of Love (KO) take 8 12. Island Of Love (KO) take 9-10 13. Island Of Love (KO) takes 11-12 14. Island Of Love (KO) take 13 (master) 15. Steppin’ Out Of Line (LO) (movie version) takes 1-5 16. Steppin’ Out Of Line (LO) (movie version) takes 6-7, 8 (master) 17. Steppin’ Out Of Line (LO) (record version) takes 9-11 18. Steppin’ Out Of Line (LO) (record version) takes 12-15 19. Steppin’ Out Of Line (LO) (record version) takes 16, 17 (master) 20. Steppin’ Out Of Line (LO) (movie version) (tag) takes 18-19 21. Steppin’ Out Of Line (LO) (movie version) (master) 22. Almost Always True (MO) takes 1-3 23. Almost Always True (MO) takes 4-5 24. Almost Always True (MO) takes 6-7 25. Almost Always True (MO) take 8 (master) 

CD 4: March 22, 1961 - Radio Recorders, Hollywood:

01. Moonlight Swim (NO) takes 1-2 02. Moonlight Swim (NO) take 3 (master without female vocals overdub) 03. Moonlight Swim (NO) take 4 March 23, 1961 - Radio Recorders, Hollywood 04. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (movie version) takes 1-5 05. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (movie version) takes 6-8 06. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (movie version) take 9 07. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (movie version) takes 10-12 08. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (movie version) take 13 09. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (movie version) takes 14-16 10. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (movie version) takes 17-20 11. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (movie version) takes 21-22, 23 (master) 12. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (movie version) takes 24 13. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (movie version) takes 25-26 14. Can’t Help Falling In Love (RO) (record version) takes 27-29 (master) 15. Beach Boy Blues SO (record version) takes 1, 2 (master) 3 16. Beach Boy Blues SO (movie version) take 4 (master) 17. Rock-A-Hula Baby TO (record version) takes 1-3 18. Rock-A-Hula Baby TO (record version) Takes 4, 5 (master).

Vinyl EP: A special collector's vinyl 33rpm compact double EP with picture sleeve featuring the songs 'No More', 'Blue Hawaii', 'Moonlight Swim' and 'Almost Always True'.

Gordon Lightfoot died

The Canadian singer-songwriter died. He was 84.

Lightfoot’s deceptively simple songs fused folk with pop and country rock. Elvis Presley recorded his compositions 'For Lovin' Me' and 'Early Morning Rain'. The latter song became John Wilkinson's signature song during the introductions of the band when Elvis was on tour.

From Paul Simpson's spotlight on 'Early Morning Train' on the Elvis Information Network: Elvis Presley’s cover of 'Early Morning Rain' has exerted an enduring appeal, with composer Gordon Lightfoot going as far as to call it his favourite cover of one of his songs.

The 1971 album 'Elvis Now' is still treasured by one Elvis fan. Gordon Lightfoot admitted that, in the 1970s, he hadn’t paid much attention to the King’s cover of his classic song Early Morning Rain. “It didn’t really register until after he was gone, but I loved the job he did on it. I have it right here on my desk. I keep it here. It’s 'Elvis Now'.”

Lightfoot's great regret is that he never met Elvis. He went to one concert hoping to meet up, “There were 18,000 people at the show but by the time I got back there to meet him, a voice said: ‘Elvis has left the building'. I had an appointment! But there were too many people around.”

Visit the >>> Elvis Information Website for the complete "Trains, Jet Planes and Morning Rain" article.

R.I.P. Gordon, and thank you for the music!

(Source: Various FTD / CBC / Elvis Information Network)