Elvis At Stax: 40th Anniversary (3 CD)

[a mess of polk salad]

I was talking about "Promised Land" Take 1 anyway. And it was left off the PL FTD because of the limited capacity. They could have easily done a three-disc set with it. But it was a lot of work to achieve this and it paid off.

Three disc set my god! That would have been something...

[TCB-FAN]

The up front organ mix version of "Promised Land" (not included on the FTD)

http://www9.zippyshare.com/v/91870290/file.html

[dannyboy1]

I usually support all mainstream releases. But I don't think I'll be getting this.

It's too damned ugly!

[ekenee]

I usually support all mainstream releases. But I don't think I'll be getting this.

It's too damned ugly!

You have to look at the inner beauty in some things.

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there!! .

Hi there!! .

I've yet to post in this thread. In reading a lot of the comments being made, the lack of understanding for this release and the criticism of Elvis' performances, especially during the July 73 sessions, just amazes me. A lot of posters on this forum have lost site of Elvis the human being and forget that a big part of the quality of his performances during the 70's, depended on his own personal life and his troubles in his marriage. In July 73, he was in rough shape, a near overdose in St. Louis 3 weeks earlier, pending divorce, money problems, he needed time off, not to go into a recording studio that he wanted no part of. Cutting music isn't like a normal job, you have to feel it, be into it, which in turn produces better results. He gets divorced, goes to rehab for a bit, comes out of hospital and people wonder why the December sessions are better, his voice stronger. Instead of understanding that he wasn't a well man in July, it must be from a lack of effort that his singing was so poor, which is crap. He didn't have it in July, he was a wreck! Common sense tells me that physically and mentally he was doing much better in December as opposed to the summer of 73. Coincide that with better material and you get a happier, more committed Elvis Presley. It's become the norm just to rip apart his "lesser' performances as opposed to understanding the reasons why. There was never any issue to his not giving less than 100% in any concerts he performed, any movies he starred in, or his work ethic in the studio prior to the decade of the 70's, so something was wrong. Despite having Linda at his side, his failed marriage effected him big time and anybody who has been in this situation can tell you the changes it puts you through, emotionally. Elvis was no different than you or I in this respect. As far as these sessions go, I loved his cuts from December 73, much better material and a more engaged Elvis.

I love the STAX material - THAT'S why it's so compelling - "Promised Land" rocks! Yeah baby!

Elvis is on fire on this take . Enjoy!. Bye for now .

http://www56.zippyshare.com/v/77199175/file.html

Why did they leave it off the FTD?- got a lot going for it besides the MF comment - great solo for one.

I can only think about what you said, because of Elvis swearing! . Bye for now .

[luckyjackson1]

Hi there!! .

Hi there!! .

I've yet to post in this thread. In reading a lot of the comments being made, the lack of understanding for this release and the criticism of Elvis' performances, especially during the July 73 sessions, just amazes me. A lot of posters on this forum have lost site of Elvis the human being and forget that a big part of the quality of his performances during the 70's, depended on his own personal life and his troubles in his marriage. In July 73, he was in rough shape, a near overdose in St. Louis 3 weeks earlier, pending divorce, money problems, he needed time off, not to go into a recording studio that he wanted no part of. Cutting music isn't like a normal job, you have to feel it, be into it, which in turn produces better results. He gets divorced, goes to rehab for a bit, comes out of hospital and people wonder why the December sessions are better, his voice stronger. Instead of understanding that he wasn't a well man in July, it must be from a lack of effort that his singing was so poor, which is crap. He didn't have it in July, he was a wreck! Common sense tells me that physically and mentally he was doing much better in December as opposed to the summer of 73. Coincide that with better material and you get a happier, more committed Elvis Presley. It's become the norm just to rip apart his "lesser' performances as opposed to understanding the reasons why. There was never any issue to his not giving less than 100% in any concerts he performed, any movies he starred in, or his work ethic in the studio prior to the decade of the 70's, so something was wrong. Despite having Linda at his side, his failed marriage effected him big time and anybody who has been in this situation can tell you the changes it puts you through, emotionally. Elvis was no different than you or I in this respect. As far as these sessions go, I loved his cuts from December 73, much better material and a more engaged Elvis.

I love the STAX material - THAT'S why it's so compelling - "Promised Land" rocks! Yeah baby!

Elvis is on fire on this take . Enjoy!. Bye for now .

http://www56.zippyshare.com/v/77199175/file.html

Why did they leave it off the FTD?- got a lot going for it besides the MF comment - great solo for one.

I can only think about what you said, because of Elvis swearing! . Bye for now .

If they wanted to, they could have faded it or cut it out. But the real reason was because of the capacity. They had so many stuff to choose so they decided to leave it out.

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there!! .

Hi there!! .

Hi there!! .

I've yet to post in this thread. In reading a lot of the comments being made, the lack of understanding for this release and the criticism of Elvis' performances, especially during the July 73 sessions, just amazes me. A lot of posters on this forum have lost site of Elvis the human being and forget that a big part of the quality of his performances during the 70's, depended on his own personal life and his troubles in his marriage. In July 73, he was in rough shape, a near overdose in St. Louis 3 weeks earlier, pending divorce, money problems, he needed time off, not to go into a recording studio that he wanted no part of. Cutting music isn't like a normal job, you have to feel it, be into it, which in turn produces better results. He gets divorced, goes to rehab for a bit, comes out of hospital and people wonder why the December sessions are better, his voice stronger. Instead of understanding that he wasn't a well man in July, it must be from a lack of effort that his singing was so poor, which is crap. He didn't have it in July, he was a wreck! Common sense tells me that physically and mentally he was doing much better in December as opposed to the summer of 73. Coincide that with better material and you get a happier, more committed Elvis Presley. It's become the norm just to rip apart his "lesser' performances as opposed to understanding the reasons why. There was never any issue to his not giving less than 100% in any concerts he performed, any movies he starred in, or his work ethic in the studio prior to the decade of the 70's, so something was wrong. Despite having Linda at his side, his failed marriage effected him big time and anybody who has been in this situation can tell you the changes it puts you through, emotionally. Elvis was no different than you or I in this respect. As far as these sessions go, I loved his cuts from December 73, much better material and a more engaged Elvis.

I love the STAX material - THAT'S why it's so compelling - "Promised Land" rocks! Yeah baby!

Elvis is on fire on this take . Enjoy!. Bye for now .

http://www56.zippyshare.com/v/77199175/file.html

Why did they leave it off the FTD?- got a lot going for it besides the MF comment - great solo for one.

I can only think about what you said, because of Elvis swearing! . Bye for now .

If they wanted to, they could have faded it or cut it out. But the real reason was because of the capacity. They had so many stuff to choose so they decided to leave it out.

Yes, you´re right luckyjackson1, the 2 cd set is full to the brim .

CD-1: 79.33
CD-2: 78.50

But as this is one of the great 70´s rocker, they could have left out any other song and add this Take 1 on the FTD set . Any way, another option would have been if they had added this unreleased take 1 on this forthcoming boxset Elvis At Stax!. Bye for now .

[luckyjackson1]

Hi there!! .

Hi there!! .

Hi there!! .

I've yet to post in this thread. In reading a lot of the comments being made, the lack of understanding for this release and the criticism of Elvis' performances, especially during the July 73 sessions, just amazes me. A lot of posters on this forum have lost site of Elvis the human being and forget that a big part of the quality of his performances during the 70's, depended on his own personal life and his troubles in his marriage. In July 73, he was in rough shape, a near overdose in St. Louis 3 weeks earlier, pending divorce, money problems, he needed time off, not to go into a recording studio that he wanted no part of. Cutting music isn't like a normal job, you have to feel it, be into it, which in turn produces better results. He gets divorced, goes to rehab for a bit, comes out of hospital and people wonder why the December sessions are better, his voice stronger. Instead of understanding that he wasn't a well man in July, it must be from a lack of effort that his singing was so poor, which is crap. He didn't have it in July, he was a wreck! Common sense tells me that physically and mentally he was doing much better in December as opposed to the summer of 73. Coincide that with better material and you get a happier, more committed Elvis Presley. It's become the norm just to rip apart his "lesser' performances as opposed to understanding the reasons why. There was never any issue to his not giving less than 100% in any concerts he performed, any movies he starred in, or his work ethic in the studio prior to the decade of the 70's, so something was wrong. Despite having Linda at his side, his failed marriage effected him big time and anybody who has been in this situation can tell you the changes it puts you through, emotionally. Elvis was no different than you or I in this respect. As far as these sessions go, I loved his cuts from December 73, much better material and a more engaged Elvis.

I love the STAX material - THAT'S why it's so compelling - "Promised Land" rocks! Yeah baby!

Elvis is on fire on this take . Enjoy!. Bye for now .

http://www56.zippyshare.com/v/77199175/file.html

Why did they leave it off the FTD?- got a lot going for it besides the MF comment - great solo for one.

I can only think about what you said, because of Elvis swearing! . Bye for now .

If they wanted to, they could have faded it or cut it out. But the real reason was because of the capacity. They had so many stuff to choose so they decided to leave it out.

Yes, you´re right luckyjackson1, the 2 cd set is full to the brim .

CD-1: 79.33
CD-2: 78.50

But as this is one of the great 70´s rocker, they could have left out any other song and add this Take 1 on the FTD set . Any way, another option would have been if they had added this unreleased take 1 on this forthcoming boxset Elvis At Stax!. Bye for now .

That was exactly what I thought when I wrote my previous message. They could have put a *beep* over the mf-word and left off "It's Diff'rent Now" for example.

[Johnny2523]

atleast we know it's diffrent now is once again the censored version

It’s Diff’rent Now (unfinished recording) (G)
G – from Walk a Mile in My Shoes – The Essential ’70s Masters 5-CD box set (RCA 7863-66670-2, released October 1995)

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there!! .

Hi there!! .

Hi there!! .

Hi there!! .

I've yet to post in this thread. In reading a lot of the comments being made, the lack of understanding for this release and the criticism of Elvis' performances, especially during the July 73 sessions, just amazes me. A lot of posters on this forum have lost site of Elvis the human being and forget that a big part of the quality of his performances during the 70's, depended on his own personal life and his troubles in his marriage. In July 73, he was in rough shape, a near overdose in St. Louis 3 weeks earlier, pending divorce, money problems, he needed time off, not to go into a recording studio that he wanted no part of. Cutting music isn't like a normal job, you have to feel it, be into it, which in turn produces better results. He gets divorced, goes to rehab for a bit, comes out of hospital and people wonder why the December sessions are better, his voice stronger. Instead of understanding that he wasn't a well man in July, it must be from a lack of effort that his singing was so poor, which is crap. He didn't have it in July, he was a wreck! Common sense tells me that physically and mentally he was doing much better in December as opposed to the summer of 73. Coincide that with better material and you get a happier, more committed Elvis Presley. It's become the norm just to rip apart his "lesser' performances as opposed to understanding the reasons why. There was never any issue to his not giving less than 100% in any concerts he performed, any movies he starred in, or his work ethic in the studio prior to the decade of the 70's, so something was wrong. Despite having Linda at his side, his failed marriage effected him big time and anybody who has been in this situation can tell you the changes it puts you through, emotionally. Elvis was no different than you or I in this respect. As far as these sessions go, I loved his cuts from December 73, much better material and a more engaged Elvis.

I love the STAX material - THAT'S why it's so compelling - "Promised Land" rocks! Yeah baby!

Elvis is on fire on this take . Enjoy!. Bye for now .

http://www56.zippyshare.com/v/77199175/file.html

Why did they leave it off the FTD?- got a lot going for it besides the MF comment - great solo for one.

I can only think about what you said, because of Elvis swearing! . Bye for now .

If they wanted to, they could have faded it or cut it out. But the real reason was because of the capacity. They had so many stuff to choose so they decided to leave it out.

Yes, you´re right luckyjackson1, the 2 cd set is full to the brim .

CD-1: 79.33
CD-2: 78.50

But as this is one of the great 70´s rocker, they could have left out any other song and add this Take 1 on the FTD set . Any way, another option would have been if they had added this unreleased take 1 on this forthcoming boxset Elvis At Stax!. Bye for now .

That was exactly what I thought when I wrote my previous message. They could have put a *beep* over the mf-word and left off "It's Diff'rent Now" for example.

[Steve Morse]

I've yet to post in this thread. In reading a lot of the comments being made, the lack of understanding for this release and the criticism of Elvis' performances, especially during the July 73 sessions, just amazes me. A lot of posters on this forum have lost site of Elvis the human being and forget that a big part of the quality of his performances during the 70's, depended on his own personal life and his troubles in his marriage. In July 73, he was in rough shape, a near overdose in St. Louis 3 weeks earlier, pending divorce, money problems, he needed time off, not to go into a recording studio that he wanted no part of. Cutting music isn't like a normal job, you have to feel it, be into it, which in turn produces better results. He gets divorced, goes to rehab for a bit, comes out of hospital and people wonder why the December sessions are better, his voice stronger. Instead of understanding that he wasn't a well man in July, it must be from a lack of effort that his singing was so poor, which is crap. He didn't have it in July, he was a wreck! Common sense tells me that physically and mentally he was doing much better in December as opposed to the summer of 73. Coincide that with better material and you get a happier, more committed Elvis Presley. It's become the norm just to rip apart his "lesser' performances as opposed to understanding the reasons why. There was never any issue to his not giving less than 100% in any concerts he performed, any movies he starred in, or his work ethic in the studio prior to the decade of the 70's, so something was wrong. Despite having Linda at his side, his failed marriage effected him big time and anybody who has been in this situation can tell you the changes it puts you through, emotionally. Elvis was no different than you or I in this respect. As far as these sessions go, I loved his cuts from December 73, much better material and a more engaged Elvis.

How refreshing to read a level-headed post, accepting that Elvis was a human being just like us and was as capable of having 'a bad day at the office' as the rest of us - and for good reasons - even if (like the rest of us) some of those 'reasons' were partially or wholly self-inflicted.

Well done, Joe !

[Greg1995]

The up front organ mix version of "Promised Land" (not included on the FTD)

http://www9.zippyshare.com/v/91870290/file.html

Man, this version kicks ass!!! Where is it available?
Is it how they mixed this version in the studio or is it remixed by someone at home to put the organ more upfront in the mix?

[elvisjock]

The additional take of My Boy seems to be a glaring omission.

This collection is quite odd and really comes across more like something conceived by a blindly-devoted 70's enthusiast from this forum versus a mainstream product conceived by a major record label. It will be hard to label Ernst a 70's hater from here on out.

Perhaps this is the work of professed "70s guy" Rob Santos.

You are correct, sir! The outtakes are the work of Santos and Steve Rosenthal, with mastering by Anesini.

[LSP-4445]

I was talking about "Promised Land" Take 1 anyway. And it was left off the PL FTD because of the limited capacity. They could have easily done a three-disc set with it. But it was a lot of work to achieve this and it paid off.

It was left out because of the bad language....confirmed by one of the producers at the time of PL-FTD release.
They considered editing it/adding a beep but they were sure they would get a lots of complaints doing that.....MF word beeing used on other takes and so on.
But including it would mean something else would have to go.
Thanks VENUS for giving us this take 2 years ago.....a little shame about the distortion on drums during the intro though.

[minkahed]

The up front organ mix version of "Promised Land" (not included on the FTD)

http://www9.zippyshare.com/v/91870290/file.html

Man, this version kicks ass!!! Where is it available?
Is it how they mixed this version in the studio or is it remixed by someone at home to put the organ more upfront in the mix?

Man, put the bong away and go to sleep dude ...

To each his own, but IMHO, That mix is horrid !

Wish that nasty sounding mix would have been burned by Mary Jarvis with the "69 Hurt" ...

[luckyjackson1]

The additional take of My Boy seems to be a glaring omission.

This collection is quite odd and really comes across more like something conceived by a blindly-devoted 70's enthusiast from this forum versus a mainstream product conceived by a major record label. It will be hard to label Ernst a 70's hater from here on out.

Perhaps this is the work of professed "70s guy" Rob Santos.

You are correct, sir! The outtakes are the work of Santos and Steve Rosenthal, with mastering by Anesini.

I would rather call it a mess.

[TCB-FAN]

An enthusiastic bloke from Best Buy showing off the artillery....

[skatterbrane]

I just got mine. Went directly to Loving Arms master. Recessed vocals with lots of reverb and dull transients. I will stick with my 1999 Promised Land and 70s Boxed set for listening pleasure. Let down.

[r&b]

I just got mine. Went directly to Loving Arms master. Recessed vocals with lots of reverb and dull transients. I will stick with my 1999 Promised Land and 70s Boxed set for listening pleasure. Let down.

Yeah but the book is nice!

[a mess of polk salad]

I just got mine. Went directly to Loving Arms master. Recessed vocals with lots of reverb and dull transients. I will stick with my 1999 Promised Land and 70s Boxed set for listening pleasure. Let down.

You can't gauge it on one listen?

[luckyjackson1]

Please check out my final thoughts regarding the sound quality:

http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=78379

[skatterbrane]

I just got mine. Went directly to Loving Arms master. Recessed vocals with lots of reverb and dull transients. I will stick with my 1999 Promised Land and 70s Boxed set for listening pleasure. Let down.

You can't gauge it on one listen?

Many times I cannot. But when it comes to the Stax masters, my benchmark is set. I prefer upfront vocals with little or no echo and that each instrument can be heard and transient attack and dynamics are more prominent, not buried or dulled.

Basically I like to be able to count the hairs on a violin bow as it is moving across the string, and the dandruff falling onto the drummer's shoulders.

[elvis-fan]

I just got mine. Went directly to Loving Arms master. Recessed vocals with lots of reverb and dull transients. I will stick with my 1999 Promised Land and 70s Boxed set for listening pleasure. Let down.

You can't gauge it on one listen?

Many times I cannot. But when it comes to the Stax masters, my benchmark is set. I prefer upfront vocals with little or no echo and that each instrument can be heard and transient attack and dynamics are more prominent, not buried or dulled.

Basically I like to be able to count the hairs on a violin bow as it is moving across the string, and the dandruff falling onto the drummer's shoulders.

Are these the same masters as heard on TCM??

[skatterbrane]

I just got mine. Went directly to Loving Arms master. Recessed vocals with lots of reverb and dull transients. I will stick with my 1999 Promised Land and 70s Boxed set for listening pleasure. Let down.

You can't gauge it on one listen?

Many times I cannot. But when it comes to the Stax masters, my benchmark is set. I prefer upfront vocals with little or no echo and that each instrument can be heard and transient attack and dynamics are more prominent, not buried or dulled.

Basically I like to be able to count the hairs on a violin bow as it is moving across the string, and the dandruff falling onto the drummer's shoulders.

Are these the same masters as heard on TCM??

Yes, I believe they are. They sound like it to me. It is too bad the 6 non single masters from July did not get the 1995-1999 Ferrante remixes. Well at least I have the 1999 Promised Land expanded and the 1995 70 box for 22 out of the 28 Stax Masters to enjoy. Plus the Essential Vol 5 outtakes to enjoy.

[egilj]

Anyone read the booklet written by Robert Gordon yet? Ok, a booklet should be a bit cosy, and I can tolerate some sugarcoating, but if you're not all that familiar with Elvis's career, you get the impression that Elvis was really taking care of business and on the top of his game in July 1973.