Thursday, May 25, 2023

May 25 - Follow That Dream Sold Out, Again!

The Follow That Dream collectors label announced the June 2023 release of the 3-CD-set ‘Houston, Fort Worth, Baton Rouge 1974’ (including two previously unreleased shows), the 5-CD-set ‘The How Great Thou Art Sessions’ and the 2-LP ‘Fun In Acapulco’. 

Publicity stated: As part of the ongoing live on tour series Follow that Dream presents ‘Houston, Fort Worth, Baton Rouge 1974’. This 3-CD-set features three soundboard-recorded concerts from 1974, housed in a 5-inch digipack.

CD 1: Astrodome, Houston, Texas (evening show), March 3rd 1974:
See See Rider - I Got A Woman / Amen - Love Me - Trying To Get To You - All Shook Up - Love Me Tender - Johnny B. Goode - Hound Dog - Fever - Polk Salad Annie - Why Me, Lord - Suspicious Minds - Introductions - I Can’t Stop Loving You - Help Me - How Great Thou Art - Let Me Be There - Funny How Time Slips Away - Can’t Help Falling In Love - Closing Vamp

CD 2: Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas (Evening Show), June 15th 1974:
See See Rider - I Got A Woman / Amen - Love Me - Trying To Get To You - All Shook Up - Love Me Tender - Hound Dog - Fever - Polk Salad Annie - Why Me, Lord - Suspicious Minds - Introductions - I Can’t Stop Loving You - Heartbreak Hotel - Help Me - An American Trilogy - Let Me Be There - Funny How Time Slips Away - Big Boss Man - Can’t Help Falling In Love - Closing Vamp

CD 3: Louisiana State University Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, June 17th 1974:
See See Rider - I Got A Woman / Amen - Love Me - Trying To Get To You - All Shook Up - Love Me Tender - Hound Dog - Fever - Polk Salad Annie - Why Me, Lord - Suspicious Minds - Introductions - I Can’t Stop Loving You - Help Me - An American Trilogy - Let Me Be There - Funny How Time Slips Away - Big Boss Man - Can’t Help Falling In Love - Closing Vamp

As part of the acclaimed 'Sessions' series, FTD is pleased to announce the release of 'The How Great thou Art Sessions'. Recorded in May and June 1966. The 3x Platinum winning album also gave Elvis his first Grammy award for 'Best Sacred Performance'.

Apart from the excellent gospel performances that include 'Run On', 'So High' and 'Where No One Stands Alone'. The sessions also spawned the secular hits 'If Every Day Was Like Christmas', 'Love Letters', and 'Indescribably Blue'. Packaged in FTD's 8-inch format, it includes a 24-page booklet with insightful notes, recording details, photos and memorabilia.

The 'How Great Thou Art' album is presented as originally planned by Elvis prior to RCA's decision to include the 1965 hit "Crying In The Chapel." This recording, along with outtakes, is already on FTD's previous release of the 'His Hand In Mine Sessions'.

The 2-LP ‘Fun In Acapulco’ is a 180 Gr. 2-LP vinyl set featuring a collection of Masters and Outtakes.

Follow That Dream is pleased to announce the release of 'Fun in Acapulco' 2-LP Limited Edition. Inspired by RCA Victor's European release, this 180 Gr. double vinyl soundtrack companion features original soundtrack masters and many excellent alternative outtakes. 

Bonus tracks include "Witchcraft (takes 3/M)", "Love Me Tonight (takes 6-8/M)" and "Slowly But Surely (takes 5/M)".

Side A: Bossa Nova Baby (Take 10/M) - The Bullfighter Was A Lady (Take 4 - 6) - You Can’t Say No In Acapulco (Take 4) - Mexico (Take 1 & 2) - El Toro (Take 1) . Vino, Dinero Y Amor (Take 1) - Marguerita (Take 1)

Side B: Fun In Acapulco (Take 1/M) - Bossa Nova Baby (Take 1 & 2) - I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here (Take 1) - (There’s) No Room To Rhumba In A Sports Car (Take 1/M) - Mexico (Take 6) - The Bullfighter Was A Lady (Take 11 - 14 - Movie Version) - Guadalajara (Vocal Overdub Take 3 & 4)

Side C: You Can’t Say No In Acapulco (Take 5/M) - Vino, Dinero Y Amor (The Amigos - CafĂ© Version -Take 1) - I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here (Take 8 & 9) - Marguerita (Take 5 & 6) - Bossa Nova Baby (Take 3) - Bossa Nova Baby (Take 4 & 5) - Bossa Nova Baby (Take 6)

Side D: Mexico (Take 7) - The Bullfighter Was A Lady (Take 17/M - Movie Version) - Vino, Dinero Y Amor (Take 2 & 3) - I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here (Spliced Take 18 & 19 Master - Movie Version) - Bossa Nova Baby (Take 7 & 8)

Bonus Songs: Witchcraft (Take 3/M) - Love Me Tonight (Take 6 - 8/M) - Slowly But Surely (Take 5/M)

CD 1 - The Masters:
How Great Thou Art - In The Garden - Somebody Bigger Than You And I - Farther Along - Stand By Me - Without Him - So High - Where Could I Go But To The Lord - By And By - If The Lord Wasn’t Walking By My Side - Run On - Where No One Stands Alone - Love Letters - Come What May - Tomorrow Is A Long Time - Down In The Alley - I’ll Remember You - If Every Day Was Like Christmas - Indescribably Blue - Fools Fall In Love - Beyond The Reef (Original Overdubbed Master)

CD 2:
Run On (Take 1 & 2) - Run On (Take 3 - 6) - How Great Thou Art (Take 1 & 2) - Stand By Me (Take 1 & 2) - Stand By Me (Take 3 - 7) - Stand By Me (Take 8 - 10) - Stand By Me (Take 11/M) - Where No One Stands Alone (Take 1) - Where No One Stands Alone (Take 2 & 3) - Where No One Stands Alone (Take 4) - Where No One Stands Alone (Work Parts 1 - 4) - Where No One Stands Alone (Work Part 5) - Where No One Stands Alone (Work Part 6) - Where No One Stands Alone (Splice Of Take 4 & 1/M)

CD 3: 
Down In The Alley (Take 1) - Down In The Alley (Take 2 - 6) - Down In The Alley (Take 7 - 9/M) - Tomorrow Is A Long Time (Take 1 & 2) - Tomorrow Is A Long Time (Take 3/M) - Love Letters (Take 1 & 2) - Love Letters (Take 3 - 7) - Love Letters (Take 8) - Love Letters (Take 9/M) - So High (Take 1) - So High (Take 2 & 3) - So High (Take 4/M) - Farther Along (Take 1 & 2) - Farther Along (Splice Of Take 3 And One Line From Take 2/M) - By And By (Take 1 - 4) - By And By (Take 5 - 9) - By And By (Take 10/M)

CD 4:
In The Garden (Take 1 - 3/M) - Beyond The Reef (Take 1 & 2/M - Undubbed Master) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Take 1 - 8) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Take 9 - 11) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Take 12) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Take 13 - 15) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Take 16) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Work Parts 1 - 4) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Work Part 5) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Work Part 6) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Splice Of Take 16 And Work Part 6/M) - Without Him (Take 1) - Without Him (Take 2 - 8) - Without Him (Take 9 - 14) - Without Him (Take 15/M) - If The Lord Wasn’t Walking By My Side (Take 1) - If The Lord Wasn’t Walking By My Side (Take 2 - 4) - If The Lord Wasn’t Walking By My Side (Take 5/M) - If The Lord Wasn’t Walking By My Side (Take 6) - Where Could I Go But To The Lord (Take 1 & 2/M)

CD 5: 
Come What May (Take 1 & 2) - Come What May (Take 3 & 4) - Come What May (Take 5 & 6) - Come What May (Take 7) - Come What May (Take 8/M) - Fools Fall In Love (Take 1 - 4) - Fools Fall In Love (Take 5/M) - Indescribably Blue (Instrumental Track Take 7 And Work Parts 1 & 2) - I’ll Remember You (Instrumental Track Take 17 - 19/M) - If Every Day Was Like Christmas (Instrumental Track Take 8 - 9/M) - Indescribably Blue (Vocal Overdub Take 1 To Instrumental Track 7 And Work Part 1) - Indescribably Blue (Vocal Overdub Take 2 To Instrumental Track 7 And Work Part 1/M) - I’ll Remember You (Vocal Overdub Take 1 To Instrumental Track 19) - I’ll Remember You (Vocal Overdub Take 2 To Instrumental Track 19) - I’ll Remember You (Splice Of Vocal Overdub Take 1 & 3 To Instrumental Track 19) - I’ll Remember You (Splice Of Vocal Overdub Take 1 & 3 To Instrumental Track 19 / Unedited/M) - If Every Day Was Like Christmas (Vocal Overdub Take 1 & 2/M To Instrumental Track 9 / Undubbed/M)

Sold Out Again!

The Pyramid import-label announced the release of volume 20 in the 'Sold Out!' series. It should be available after the weekend.

Publicity stated: 'Sold Out' is back and part 20 really contains a wealth of rare and previously unreleased footage. We know that the 1977 footage is very popular, and several movies have been shot from the Spring/Summer '77 tours.

We all know he was out of shape, but on a good night he could captivate an audience with powerful moments like 'My Way'. There are several nice close-ups from 1977, even some of the best ever, and it's also good to see how much effort he puts into performances like 'That's All Right Mama' and 'Are You Lonesome Tonight', where he puts himself accompanies the acoustics.

The man still had it.

Yet there are also some difficult moments, including the last tour of June 1977, and it is still heartbreaking to see Elvis in this form. But it's all part of history, and Pyramid has stated from the start to document everything, without obscuring anything.

This release is really from Elvis live in the seventies, with especially 1969 to 1972 well presented. He really is the live ultimate performer in these movies, in complete control and giving his all. The early concert years were very exciting and his live show was very physical and dynamic as you can see in this footage. This release is actually the first time we've included footage from 1969, and what a great performer he was back then! As someone once said, if you didn't see Elvis in 1969, you never saw the real Elvis, and the footage here confirms that. But in his own way, the June 1972 shows were just as good, and performances like 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' and 'How Great Thou Art' show what a versatile artist he had become.

There are also plenty of highlights in the later years, although the tempos were a bit lower. There are four movies from April 1, 1975 and they are a real delight, because they highlight the fun side of Elvis as a performer, play with the audience and have a great time. There's Memphis 1976 and Forth Worth is a neat and fairly long movie - good to see it here with no logos or watermarks. 

The lesser performances are also discussed, including silent images from the infamous concert in Houston 1976, which shows how lethargic he was. And perhaps even worse is another (long) movie from College Park, where his behavior is strange to say the least and where he appears to be under the influence of something. We think these movies are just as important as the good shows because together they provide a balanced view of Elvis' live shows in the 1970s. And College Park is certainly insightful: the things he said were pretty bizarre, but it's even more surreal to see him in that state ("I love showbidnezz"), constantly punking Charlie Hodge to adjust his mic stand . Even after all these years, there's still something dark and disturbing about moments like this, but again, it's all part of the Elvis story.

But it doesn't diminish the magic the man created every time he made his entrance, whether it was in Las Vegas, Chicago, Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Memphis, Philadelphia or wherever. These recordings take you back to all those special evenings. 

As always, Pyramid presents these films as they were shot, with no edits or alterations of any kind. These films were carefully restored to remove artifacts added by time, such as discoloration. We think it's important to let these films speak for themselves. Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the greatest showman there ever was. On a good night there was no one like him, but even on a bad night he was still Elvis. 'Sold Out' volume 20 tells you that story.


The Million Dollar CD 

The Memphis Mansion record label announced a CD re-issue of their 2022 2-LP -The Million Dollar Quartet' featuring a remastered version of the impromptu jam session by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. 

Possible songs: Instrumental - Love Me Tender (Instrumental) - Mr. Sandman (Instrumental) - Jingle Bells (Instrumental) - White Christmas (Instrumental) - Reconsider Baby - Paralyzed - Don`t Be Cruel - There`s No Place Like Home - When The Saints Go Marchin 'In - Softly And Tenderly - When God Dips His Love In My Heart - Just A Little Talk With Jesus - (Walk That) Lonesome Valley - I Shall Not Be Moved - (There'll Be) Peace In The Valley - Down By The Riverside - I'm In A Crowd But Oh, So Alone - Farther Along - Blessed Jesus, Hold My Hand - On The Jericho Road - I Just Can't Make It By Myself - Little Cabin Home On The Hill - Summertime Has Passed And Gone - I Hear A Sweet Voice Calling - Sweetheart, You Done Me Wrong - Keeper Of The Key - Crazy Arms - Don't Forbid Me - Too Much Monkey Business / Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind - Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Don`t Forbid Me - You Belong To My Heart - Is It So Strange - That's When Your Heartaches Begin - Brown Eyed Handsome Man - Rip It Up - I'm Gonna To Bid My Blues Goodbye - Crazy Arms - That's My Desire - End Of The Road - Black Bottom Stomp - You're The Only Star In My Blue Heaven - Elvis Leaves The Building.

(Source: Facebook / Elvis The Man and His Music / Elvis Club Berlin)