Elvis (NBC TV Special)
| Elvis (NBC-TV Special) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album / Soundtrack album by Elvis Presley | ||||
| Released | November 22, 1968 | |||
| Recorded | June 20–29, 1968 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 44:27 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Bones Howe | |||
| Elvis Presley chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone | (neutral)[2] |
Elvis (NBC-TV Special) is the thirty-fourth album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono, LPM 4088, in November 1968. Recording sessions took place in Burbank, California at Western Recorders on June 20, 21, 22 and 23, 1968, and at NBC Studios (Burbank) on June 27 and 29, 1968. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200. It was certified Gold on July 22, 1969 and Platinum on July 15, 1999 by the RIAA.
Content
Prior to the videotaping of the Singer Christmas Special, a soundtrack album to be released before the December 3 broadcast was recorded.[3] Several initial contract stipulations were obviated by Presley and program producer Steve Binder, notably the one against having a live audience present, but album producer Bones Howe was unable to requisition proper recording equipment, getting the sound feed from the single-channel microphones on the video cameras.[4] Hence, the album was released in mono only, at a time when the recording industry was switching over to stereophonic records exclusively for both albums and singles.
Unlike the drudgery of the feature film soundtrack recordings, Presley was genuinely excited by the project.[5] For the album, the musical format presented Presley in three different settings: production numbers featuring medleys of his material; an informal small band featuring medleys in front of a live audience; and the two original numbers with Presley backed by an orchestra in front of a live audience.[6] The two ballad tracks from this album were issued as singles. "If I Can Dream" being released earlier in the month, backed on the B-side with a song from his movie in theaters at the time, Live a Little, Love a Little, making it a double promotion on one record. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, his highest charting single since 1965.[7] "Memories" was released over two months after the broadcast, backed with the title song to his next film, Charro!.[7] By making it to the top ten on the album chart after his previous album had charted at a dismal #82, this LP resuscitated his recording career at a time when it seemed practically moribund.[8]
Several hours of additional music were recorded for the special, and this material has been reissued in many different formats over the years. On August 27, 1991, RCA released an expanded version for compact disc, including unedited versions of the medleys in several cases. Two extensive compact disc releases appeared in 1998, Memories: The '68 Comeback Special featuring more comprehensive versions of the production and orchestral numbers, along with the complete first informal small band show of June 27, and Tiger Man featuring the complete evening show of the two informal small band concerts of June 27, 1968. On August 5, 2008, Legacy released a 4-CD compilation of the complete recording sessions for the special.
Personnel
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on June 20–23, 29 1968
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on June 27, 1968
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Track listing
Original release
| Side one | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Trouble" "Guitar Man" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Jerry Reed | June 22, 1968 | 3:26 | ||||||
| 2. | "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" "Baby What You Want Me to Do" " Heartbreak Hotel" "Hound Dog" "All Shook Up" "Can't Help Falling in Love" "Jailhouse Rock" "Love Me Tender" | Lloyd Price Jimmy Reed Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Otis Blackwell, Elvis Presley, George Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Vera Matson and Elvis Presley | June 27–28, 1968 | 14:52 | ||||||
| Side two | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Where Could I Go But to the Lord?" "Up Above My Head" "Saved" | J. B. Coats Walter Earl Brown Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | June 20–21, 1968 | 7:31 | ||||||
| 2. | "Blue Christmas" "One Night" | Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King | June 27, 1968 | 5:33 | ||||||
| 3. | "Memories" | Billy Strange and Mac Davis | June 23, 1968 | 3:16 | ||||||
| 4. | "Nothingville" "Big Boss Man" "Guitar Man" "Little Egypt" "Trouble" "Guitar Man" | Billy Strange and Mac Davis Luther Dixon and Al Smith Jerry Reed Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Jerry Reed | June 20–21, 1968 | 6:42 | ||||||
| 5. | "If I Can Dream" | Walter Earl Brown | June 23, 1968 | 3:19 | ||||||
1991 CD reissue
| Bonus sections are listed in italics | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date(s) | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Trouble" "Guitar Man" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Jerry Reed | June 22, 1968 | 3:26 | ||||||
| 2. | "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" "Baby What You Want Me to Do" | Lloyd Price Jimmy Reed | June 27, 1968 | 3:34 | ||||||
| 3. | "Heartbreak Hotel" "Hound Dog" "All Shook Up" "Can't Help Falling In Love" "Jailhouse Rock" "Don't Be Cruel" "Blue Suede Shoes" "Love Me Tender" | Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley/ George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley Carl Perkins Vera Matson and Elvis Presley | June 29, 1968 | 14:14 | ||||||
| 4. | "Where Could I Go But to the Lord?" "Up Above My Head" "Saved" | J. B. Coats Walter Earl Brown Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | June 21–22, 1968 | 7:31 | ||||||
| 5. | "Baby What You Want Me to Do" "That's All Right (Mama)" "Blue Christmas" "One Night" "Tiger Man" "Trying to Get to You" | Jimmy Reed Arthur Crudup Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King Lewis Burns, Al Lewis, Joe Hill Louis Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton | June 27, 1968 | 15:49 | ||||||
| 6. | "Memories" | Billy Strange and Mac Davis | June 23, 1968 | 3:16 | ||||||
| 7. | "Nothingville" "Big Boss Man" "Let Yourself Go" "It Hurts Me" "Guitar Man" "Little Egypt" "Trouble" | Billy Strange and Mac Davis Luther Dixon and Al Smith Joy Byers Joy Byers and Charlie Daniels Jerry Reed Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | June 20–21, 1968 | 11:46 | ||||||
| 8. | "If I Can Dream" | Walter Earl Brown | June 23, 1968 | 3:19 | ||||||
1998 CD reissue
| Disc one | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Trouble" "Guitar Man" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Jerry Reed | June 22, 1968 | 3:22 | ||||||
| 2. | "Heartbreak Hotel" | Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley | June 29, 1968 | 1:34 | ||||||
| 3. | "Hound Dog" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | June 29, 1968 | 0:47 | ||||||
| 4. | "All Shook Up" | Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley | June 29, 1968 | 2:01 | ||||||
| 5. | "Can't Help Falling In Love" | George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore | June 29, 1968 | 2:19 | ||||||
| 6. | "Jailhouse Rock" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | June 29, 1968 | 1:59 | ||||||
| 7. | "Don't Be Cruel" | Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley | June 29, 1968 | 1:42 | ||||||
| 8. | "Blue Suede Shoes" | Carl Perkins | June 29, 1968 | 2:24 | ||||||
| 9. | "Love Me Tender" | Vera Matson and Elvis Presley | June 29, 1968 | 3:29 | ||||||
| 10. | "Baby What You Want Me to Do" | Jimmy Reed | June 29, 1968 | 3:16 | ||||||
| 11. | "Trouble" "Guitar Man" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Jerry Reed | June 22, 1968 | 4:22 | ||||||
| 12. | "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" (Vocals: Darlene Love) Where Could I Go But to the Lord?" "Up Above My Head" "Saved" | Traditional (arranged by Walter Earl Brown) J. B. Coats Walter Earl Brown Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | June 21–28, 1968 | 9:00 | ||||||
| 13. | "Memories" | Billy Strange and Mac Davis | June 23, 1968 | 3:15 | ||||||
| 14. | "A Little Less Conversation" | Billy Strange and Mac Davis | June 23, 1968 | 1:43 | ||||||
| 15. | "Nothingville" "Big Boss Man" "Let Yourself Go" "It Hurts Me" "Guitar Man" "Little Egypt" "Trouble" | Billy Strange and Mac Davis Luther Dixon and Al Smith Joy Byers Joy Byers and Charles E. Daniels Jerry Reed Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | June 20–21, 1968 | 15:42 | ||||||
| 16. | "If I Can Dream" | Walter Earl Brown | June 23, 1968 | 3:11 | ||||||
| Disc two | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "When It Rains, It Really Pours" | Billy Emerson | June 24, 1968 | 1:51 | ||||||
| 2. | "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" | Lloyd Price | June 25, 1968 | 1:45 | ||||||
| 3. | "Baby What You Want Me To Do" | Jimmy Reed | June 26, 1968 | 1:27 | ||||||
| 4. | "That's All Right" | Arthur Crudup | June 27, 1968 | 6:42 | ||||||
| 5. | "Heartbreak Hotel" | Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley | June 27, 1968 | 2:53 | ||||||
| 6. | "Love Me" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | June 27, 1968 | 2:55 | ||||||
| 7. | "Baby What You Want Me To Do" | Jimmy Reed | June 27, 1968 | 3:45 | ||||||
| 8. | "Blue Suede Shoes" | Carl Perkins | June 27, 1968 | 4:40 | ||||||
| 9. | "Baby What You Want Me To Do" | Jimmy Reed | June 27, 1968 | 2:53 | ||||||
| 10. | "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" | Lloyd Price | June 27, 1968 | 4:03 | ||||||
| 11. | "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" | Roy Turk and Lou Handman | June 27, 1968 | 2:56 | ||||||
| 12. | "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again" | Wiley Walker and Gene Sullivan | June 27, 1968 | 0:38 | ||||||
| 13. | "Blue Christmas" | Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson | June 27, 1968 | 2:27 | ||||||
| 14. | "Trying To Get To You" | Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton | June 27, 1968 | 2:58 | ||||||
| 15. | "One Night" | Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King | June 27, 1968 | 3:54 | ||||||
| 16. | "Baby What You Want Me To Do" | Jimmy Reed | June 27, 1968 | 3:59 | ||||||
| 17. | "One Night" | Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King | June 27, 1968 | 3:51 | ||||||
| 18. | "Memories" | Billy Strange and Mac Davis | June 27, 1968 | 3:25 | ||||||
| 19. | "If I Can Dream" | Walter Earl Brown | June 30, 1968 | 3:10 | ||||||
2008 CD Box set edition
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References
- Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998;
External links
- LPM-4088 Elvis (a.k.a. Elvis' TV Special, Elvis' Comeback Special, or Elvis' NBC-TV Special) at the The Elvis Presley Record Research Database
