Let Us Now Praise Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Moman

[Matthew]

John..?......Your answer is greatly appreciated ..

Try not to be too much of a hound, dog.

Go listen to some Tiger Man instead, close you eyes and imagine what that potential 2nd Sun single may sound like!

[brad]

Thaaaaaank you!

[Ciscoking]

John..?......Your answer is greatly appreciated ..

Try not to be too much of a hound, dog.

Go listen to some Tiger Man instead, close you eyes and imagine what that potential 2nd Sun single may sound like!

All right, John. ..you know it all.....

[Juan Luis]

Then that makes you wrong as well. If you owned a copy of Back In Memphis, one-third of the "Memphis American Trilogy" deluxe albums from Follow That Dream, which I discuss on page 1, you would have clearly read this in the booklet notes:

XPA5 1148-03 A Little Bit Of Green
(live and overdubbed vocal)
ORIGINAL ALBUM

Knowing the facts before posting declarative statements helps not only in a discussion, but also in making educated suggestions about other aspects of Elvis' career.

No. The material recorded for "Change Of Habit" I'm March 1969 was chained to a script. Cannot and should not be compared with the freedom for regular sessions in Memphis and Nashville. I wager no one had guessed that "A Little Bit Of Green" had Elvis completely redo his vocals come September 1969 in Nashville! He was up for it in 1969. And nothing would stop him. Elvis was back!

Yes for one year. Things back to normal in 1970 with a lot of substandard material, same old producer, musicians, and publishing issues. It showed in the massive 1970 Studio B sessions output. A mix of good and mediocre material, with nothing even close to Suspicious Minds, Kentucky Rain, etc. and nothing even close to the chart success he had in 1969. One good album came out of it, with country songs mostly done before by others and no top 10 hit singles. I see that as a big difference from those 69 sessions. Elvis was back but it should have lasted longer than 1 year for great studio work and It got worse from there.

Indeed, and that one super year was provided for by the release of the American Sound material, starting with "In The Ghetto," a Billboard #3 and Cash Box #1 hit. Notice also the shifting of the goalposts yet again in the "argument." First, it's "Elvis was back" and the venue or producer don''t matter, and now the venue and producer do matter. Again, these are weak, silly comments that do not change the history of what occurred in Memphis in January and February 1969. It's all on page 1, and some people need to read it again.

And it's unclear what the point is about "A Little Bit Of Green." Elvis went to Nashville for a quick overdub session on both live and studio numbers. He did not "completely redo his vocals" on "A Little Bit Of Green," the final master is a mix of the original live vocal and some overdubbing. It gets tiresome having to constantly correct flawed commentary like that, but it's a big world, I guess.

John....you agree now that it was a full vocal replacement and not like you said a partly one..?
I want to get this straight. I am no sessions expert.

John..?......Your answer is greatly appreciated ..

OP admitting being incorrect on such a SIMPLE 1969 Session matter? No. Many (not all) expert scholars admit their errors. It's part of the learning curve that requires a slice of humble pie!

[Matthew]

All right, John. ..you know it all.....

You're the king of the jungle Joachim!

[drjohncarpenter]

Thanks for another superb topic, Doc! It is heartwarming that some people still care enough about Elvis and about music to invest their time and energy into bringing interesting facts, articles, pictures etc. together for other fans to enjoy.

Your kind words make it all worthwhile. And these sessions deserve a fair shake, especially on the #1 Elvis Presley forum.

I hope everyone gets a chance to watch that short Roben Jones video interview on page 4. Her follow-up to Memphis Boys, praised on page 1 of this topic, is supposed to be a look at Nashville guitar legend Grady Martin. He played (often uncredited) on many, many country, pop and rock 'n' roll recordings, including almost all the lead work for Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio, like "The Train Kept A-Rollin'." He's even on Elvis sessions. For example, Martin does the blazing lead on 1963's "(You're The) Devil In Disguise."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grady_Martin
http://rubbercityreview.com/2013/09/grady-martin-roughneck-blues/

[Ciscoking]

All right, John. ..you know it all.....

You're the king of the jungle Joachim!

Matthew...believe it or not... I do have sympathies for you..dont know why..perhaps its just "Sympathie For The Devil"...you're a smart guy..

[Ciscoking]

OP admitting being incorrect on such a SIMPLE 1969 Session matter? No. Many (not all) expert scholars admit their errors. It's part of the learning curve that requires a slice of humble pie!

I have no problem to stand corrected..its only natural and no problem..perhaps it lies in the fact
that I am no scholar...that makes life easier...

[Juan Luis]

OP admitting being incorrect on such a SIMPLE 1969 Session matter? No. Many (not all) expert scholars admit their errors. It's part of the learning curve that requires a slice of humble pie!

I have no problem to stand corrected..its only natural and no problem..perhaps it lies in the fact
that I am no scholar...that makes life easier...

No. We are all scholars! Just a fancy word for student.

[Matthew]

I have no problem to stand corrected..its only natural and no problem..perhaps it lies in the fact
that I am no scholar...that makes life easier...

It's good to know you've finally come 'round.

Now get up on that mountain and call your bearcat back!

[Ciscoking]

I have no problem to stand corrected..its only natural and no problem..perhaps it lies in the fact
that I am no scholar...that makes life easier...

It's good to know you've finally come 'round.

Now get up on that mountain and call your bearcat back!

Can't....it is hunting the Tiger Man acetate in lalaland ...

[Claus]

Then that makes you wrong as well. If you owned a copy of Back In Memphis, one-third of the "Memphis American Trilogy" deluxe albums from Follow That Dream, which I discuss on page 1, you would have clearly read this in the booklet notes:

XPA5 1148-03 A Little Bit Of Green
(live and overdubbed vocal)
ORIGINAL ALBUM

Knowing the facts before posting declarative statements helps not only in a discussion, but also in making educated suggestions about other aspects of Elvis' career.

No. The material recorded for "Change Of Habit" I'm March 1969 was chained to a script. Cannot and should not be compared with the freedom for regular sessions in Memphis and Nashville. I wager no one had guessed that "A Little Bit Of Green" had Elvis completely redo his vocals come September 1969 in Nashville! He was up for it in 1969. And nothing would stop him. Elvis was back!

Yes for one year. Things back to normal in 1970 with a lot of substandard material, same old producer, musicians, and publishing issues. It showed in the massive 1970 Studio B sessions output. A mix of good and mediocre material, with nothing even close to Suspicious Minds, Kentucky Rain, etc. and nothing even close to the chart success he had in 1969. One good album came out of it, with country songs mostly done before by others and no top 10 hit singles. I see that as a big difference from those 69 sessions. Elvis was back but it should have lasted longer than 1 year for great studio work and It got worse from there.

Indeed, and that one super year was provided for by the release of the American Sound material, starting with "In The Ghetto," a Billboard #3 and Cash Box #1 hit. Notice also the shifting of the goalposts yet again in the "argument." First, it's "Elvis was back" and the venue or producer don''t matter, and now the venue and producer do matter. Again, these are weak, silly comments that do not change the history of what occurred in Memphis in January and February 1969. It's all on page 1, and some people need to read it again.

And it's unclear what the point is about "A Little Bit Of Green." Elvis went to Nashville for a quick overdub session on both live and studio numbers. He did not "completely redo his vocals" on "A Little Bit Of Green," the final master is a mix of the original live vocal and some overdubbing. It gets tiresome having to constantly correct flawed commentary like that, but it's a big world, I guess.

John....you agree now that it was a full vocal replacement and not like you said a partly one..?
I want to get this straight. I am no sessions expert.

John..?......Your answer is greatly appreciated ..

The vocal was completely replaced in September 1969. This is very clear when listening to the ftd unless they have messed around with it. None of the original vocal track was used.

[dn39sed]

Thanks much John -- yes I agree, that last post is one my BEST! Roben is the real deal and she definitely knows the subject very well!

In all the years I've followed the Memphis Boys (American Studio Rhythm section) I've wondered what their secret was. The secret is there is no secret -- except that all of them are musicians who are dedicated to serving the song. And they worked just as hard for unknown artists as they did for Elvis and the other established artists that all of us know!

Take care.

-Allen

Hi John -- enjoyed your post about American. I maintain a blog about the American Studio Rhythm section at http://soulfulmusic.blogspot.com/. Couple of things re your post -- Roben Jones is a she not a he -- I did an interview with her several years back that you can read on my blog (http://soulfulmusic.blogspot.com/2009/11/roben-jones-interview.html). Also, the interview of mine that you reference at http://www.georgiamusic.info/2008/11/lagrange-native-chips-moman-talks-about.html was done in 2001 although not posted on georgiamusic.info (another site of mine) site until 2008. I originally did the interview for an online magazine in summer of 2001.

Take care and keep up the good work!

-Allen

Thank you so much for the kind words. I have updated my original posting, and I encourage everyone to check out your wonderful American Sound blog, especially the latest entry:

http://soulfulmusic.blogspot.com/2015/07/let-us-now-praise-lincoln-wayne-moman.html

[Ciscoking]

Then that makes you wrong as well. If you owned a copy of Back In Memphis, one-third of the "Memphis American Trilogy" deluxe albums from Follow That Dream, which I discuss on page 1, you would have clearly read this in the booklet notes:

XPA5 1148-03 A Little Bit Of Green
(live and overdubbed vocal)
ORIGINAL ALBUM

Knowing the facts before posting declarative statements helps not only in a discussion, but also in making educated suggestions about other aspects of Elvis' career.

No. The material recorded for "Change Of Habit" I'm March 1969 was chained to a script. Cannot and should not be compared with the freedom for regular sessions in Memphis and Nashville. I wager no one had guessed that "A Little Bit Of Green" had Elvis completely redo his vocals come September 1969 in Nashville! He was up for it in 1969. And nothing would stop him. Elvis was back!

Yes for one year. Things back to normal in 1970 with a lot of substandard material, same old producer, musicians, and publishing issues. It showed in the massive 1970 Studio B sessions output. A mix of good and mediocre material, with nothing even close to Suspicious Minds, Kentucky Rain, etc. and nothing even close to the chart success he had in 1969. One good album came out of it, with country songs mostly done before by others and no top 10 hit singles. I see that as a big difference from those 69 sessions. Elvis was back but it should have lasted longer than 1 year for great studio work and It got worse from there.

Indeed, and that one super year was provided for by the release of the American Sound material, starting with "In The Ghetto," a Billboard #3 and Cash Box #1 hit. Notice also the shifting of the goalposts yet again in the "argument." First, it's "Elvis was back" and the venue or producer don''t matter, and now the venue and producer do matter. Again, these are weak, silly comments that do not change the history of what occurred in Memphis in January and February 1969. It's all on page 1, and some people need to read it again.

And it's unclear what the point is about "A Little Bit Of Green." Elvis went to Nashville for a quick overdub session on both live and studio numbers. He did not "completely redo his vocals" on "A Little Bit Of Green," the final master is a mix of the original live vocal and some overdubbing. It gets tiresome having to constantly correct flawed commentary like that, but it's a big world, I guess.

John....you agree now that it was a full vocal replacement and not like you said a partly one..?
I want to get this straight. I am no sessions expert.

John..?......Your answer is greatly appreciated ..

The vocal was completely replaced in September 1969. This is very clear when listening to the ftd unless they have messed around with it. None of the original vocal track was used.

Okay,..thanks a lot for the clarification. Then I can delete the Docs' wrong info in my files about this song....

[drjohncarpenter]

Thanks much John -- yes I agree, that last post is one my BEST! Roben is the real deal and she definitely knows the subject very well!

In all the years I've followed the Memphis Boys (American Studio Rhythm section) I've wondered what their secret was. The secret is there is no secret -- except that all of them are musicians who are dedicated to serving the song. And they worked just as hard for unknown artists as they did for Elvis and the other established artists that all of us know!

Take care.

-Allen

What a nice summation. Thank you, and I hope lots of members here give your blog a visit:

SOULFUL MUSIC
FOR FRIENDS AND FANS OF THE MEMPHIS BOYS / 827 THOMAS STREET BAND / AMERICAN STUDIO RHYTHM SECTION
http://soulfulmusic.blogspot.com/

[Matthew]

Okay,..thanks a lot for the clarification. Then I can delete the Docs' wrong info in my files about this song....

You put information you didn't agree with from the start into your "files"?

Hopefully you've got an entry under 1954 labelled "credible possibility"

[James27]

Great reading material and I know now what to buy next in terms of books, I appreciate your blog, thank you!

Thanks much John -- yes I agree, that last post is one my BEST! Roben is the real deal and she definitely knows the subject very well!

In all the years I've followed the Memphis Boys (American Studio Rhythm section) I've wondered what their secret was. The secret is there is no secret -- except that all of them are musicians who are dedicated to serving the song. And they worked just as hard for unknown artists as they did for Elvis and the other established artists that all of us know!

Take care.

-Allen

Hi John -- enjoyed your post about American. I maintain a blog about the American Studio Rhythm section at http://soulfulmusic.blogspot.com/. Couple of things re your post -- Roben Jones is a she not a he -- I did an interview with her several years back that you can read on my blog (http://soulfulmusic.blogspot.com/2009/11/roben-jones-interview.html). Also, the interview of mine that you reference at http://www.georgiamusic.info/2008/11/lagrange-native-chips-moman-talks-about.html was done in 2001 although not posted on georgiamusic.info (another site of mine) site until 2008. I originally did the interview for an online magazine in summer of 2001.

Take care and keep up the good work!

-Allen

Thank you so much for the kind words. I have updated my original posting, and I encourage everyone to check out your wonderful American Sound blog, especially the latest entry:

http://soulfulmusic.blogspot.com/2015/07/let-us-now-praise-lincoln-wayne-moman.html

[Ciscoking]

Okay,..thanks a lot for the clarification. Then I can delete the Docs' wrong info in my files about this song....

You put information you didn't agree with from the start into your "files"?

Hopefully you've got an entry under 1954 labelled "credible possibility"

Every new info that is posted for a song or show that seems of interest for me.....gets in the respective folder so that I don't loose this info. Especially when it comes from a scholar. It stays there till it is proven wrong. Then it gets deleted. ...like in this case. Again thanks to Claus to amend the wrong information given by John.

Utter and obvious nonsense like Tiger Man acetates gets in the "fun folder"...

[James27]

That's very interesting information previously unknown to me. It's really amazing how much is taken for granted and how much is forgotten or even never learned/known amongst today's music enthusiasts, including myself. If it wasnt for people like you who point out new info. It's so RIGHT to have at least some of these music legends get their long-overdue respect and recognition, if not always -alas- in the form of awards or plaques or city ceremonies, then at least on blogs and forums. Good music is like good literature or good film: sooner or later it will find its audience, regardless of hype or marketing. And most important of all: it's so right to see appreciation for the musicians through the continued availability of their music for new generations. But it's sad that so many never got the recognition while still alive. "The Train Kept A-Rollin' " is certainly one of my personal all-time favorite rock 'n' roll tunes (Johnny, Dorsey & Paul Burnette). It can be found, for those who are curious, on -for example- this superb rock 'n' roll collection by Rhino: "Loud, Fast & Out of Control - The Wild Sounds of 50s Rock". It's a highlight amongst highlights on this 4-cd set, and that says alot, considering all the epic, exciting rock 'n' roll/r&b contained within. Music for the ages. Elvis himself is represented by "Jailhouse Rock" and "My Baby Left Me".

Thanks for another superb topic, Doc! It is heartwarming that some people still care enough about Elvis and about music to invest their time and energy into bringing interesting facts, articles, pictures etc. together for other fans to enjoy.

Your kind words make it all worthwhile. And these sessions deserve a fair shake, especially on the #1 Elvis Presley forum.

I hope everyone gets a chance to watch that short Roben Jones video interview on page 4. Her follow-up to Memphis Boys, praised on page 1 of this topic, is supposed to be a look at Nashville guitar legend Grady Martin. He played (often uncredited) on many, many country, pop and rock 'n' roll recordings, including almost all the lead work for Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio, like "The Train Kept A-Rollin'." He's even on Elvis sessions. For example, Martin does the blazing lead on 1963's "(You're The) Devil In Disguise."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grady_Martin
http://rubbercityreview.com/2013/09/grady-martin-roughneck-blues/

[Matthew]

Every new info that is posted for a song or show that seems of interest for me.....gets in the respective folder so that I don't loose this info. Especially when it comes from a scholar. It stays there till it is proven wrong. Then it gets deleted. ...like in this case. Again thanks to Claus to amend the wrong information given by John.

Utter and obvious nonsense like Tiger Man acetates gets in the "fun folder"...

Uh-huh, sure.

Quite the spoilsport, Joachim.

I'm glad Ernst never took your approach to credible and potentially undiscovered recordings, we might be worse off!

[Ciscoking]

I am man of facts and not speculation. Lets give it a rest now. I am tired of this nonsense,

[Matthew]

Uh-huh.

A man of "gotta have the last word" too?

[drjohncarpenter]

Your kind words make it all worthwhile. And these sessions deserve a fair shake, especially on the #1 Elvis Presley forum.

I hope everyone gets a chance to watch that short Roben Jones video interview on page 4. Her follow-up to Memphis Boys, praised on page 1 of this topic, is supposed to be a look at Nashville guitar legend Grady Martin. He played (often uncredited) on many, many country, pop and rock 'n' roll recordings, including almost all the lead work for Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio, like "The Train Kept A-Rollin'." He's even on Elvis sessions. For example, Martin does the blazing lead on 1963's "(You're The) Devil In Disguise."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grady_Martin
http://rubbercityreview.com/2013/09/grady-martin-roughneck-blues/

That's very interesting information previously unknown to me. It's really amazing how much is taken for granted and how much is forgotten or even never learned/known amongst today's music enthusiasts, including myself. If it wasnt for people like you who point out new info. It's so RIGHT to have at least some of these music legends get their long-overdue respect and recognition, if not always -alas- in the form of awards or plaques or city ceremonies, then at least on blogs and forums. Good music is like good literature or good film: sooner or later it will find its audience, regardless of hype or marketing. And most important of all: it's so right to see appreciation for the musicians through the continued availability of their music for new generations. But it's sad that so many never got the recognition while still alive. "The Train Kept A-Rollin' " is certainly one of my personal all-time favorite rock 'n' roll tunes (Johnny, Dorsey & Paul Burnette). It can be found, for those who are curious, on -for example- this superb rock 'n' roll collection by Rhino: "Loud, Fast & Out of Control - The Wild Sounds of 50s Rock". It's a highlight amongst highlights on this 4-cd set, and that says alot, considering all the epic, exciting rock 'n' roll/r&b contained within. Music for the ages. Elvis himself is represented by "Jailhouse Rock" and "My Baby Left Me".

Indeed, I look forward to reading Roben Jones' new book on Grady Martin. If it's anything as good as what we see on page 1 of this topic, we are in for a real treat. We'll get the same kind of clear, fact-based reporting on Martin's accomplishments that we see for American Sound, and the inimitable Chips Moman.

[mike edwards66]

Utter and obvious nonsense like Tiger Man acetates gets in the "fun folder"...

What else is in the "fun folder"?

[drjohncarpenter]

Sebastian Jeansson and Vic Anesini are to be praised for their top-notch audio work on the three FTD Memphis releases!

From Elvis In Memphis: Mastered by Sebastian Jeansson. Mixes by Vic Anesini and Sebastian Jeansson.

Back In Memphis: Mastered by Sebastian Jeansson. Mixes by Vic Anesini.

At American Sound Studio: Mixed and Mastered by Sebastian Jeansson and Vic Anesini.

It's awesome to have a dedicated, deep fan along with a world-class mixing and mastering engineer working on so many Presley releases!

I agree 100%. As noted on page 1, the FTD releases are a true "Memphis American Trilogy." I hope many of you who do not have them take the plunge. You will not be disappointed.