complete million dollar Quartet.

[ForeverElvis]

Anyone notice the ad on the BMG news page of this site for the upcoming Million Dollar Quartet release?

It lists Johnny Cash as performing on the tapes in the overview section as well as a selling point of the release.

I guess Ernst wasn't part of the marketing decisions on this release - otherwise I doubt such a mistake would have occured.

[Matthew]

I always find it rather odd that every CD release of this material is called Million Dollar Quartet when its only three of them on tape.

Legendary photos for sure and wasn't the news article at the time called Million Dollar Quartet. But still, never made any sense to me.

[ekenee]

Yeah I noticed it and brought it up a few weeks ago when I saw it on Amazon.com or cduniverse.com when I looked it up for pre-order.

Perhaps its not a mistake, but apparently someone on this board has heard the tape and it is a mistake.

Maybe Johnny is saying his goodbye's during one of the instrumentals that opens the cd?

Perhaps if there is any tapes with johnny on them, he didn't want them released while he was alive.

Anyway we all shall soon find out.

[Burning Love]

My understanding is that this should be called the Million dollar Quartet
becasue when Mr. Robert Johnson wrothe this article and the staff photographer took the pictures 4 musicians were present.

Little did they knw that these tapes would hae seen the light of day.


Looking forward to this release and especially the last Hayride show to see if Elvis sings paralyzed in the same tempo he sings at the MDQ, which, by his own admission is the original tempo he wanted to record this song at.
Also will all o Reconsider be on mike this time? Maybe, but I am afraid it wll not be.

Burning Love

[KiwiAlan]

Would SonyBMG be sailing close to the wind re fraud if they promote the work as featuring Johnny Cash when he doesn't appear on it?

[The Purple Gang]

Would SonyBMG be sailing close to the wind re fraud if they promote the work as featuring Johnny Cash when he doesn't appear on it?

That's a good point. Maybe fraud is too strong a word. Misrepresentation possibly.
There could be many people buying the CD since seeing the 'I Walk the Line' movie and being mighty disappointed.

[ColinB]

I always find it rather odd that every CD release of this material is called Million Dollar Quartet when its only three of them on tape.

Well, that's the title the sessions have become known by !

Somehow, The Million Dollar Trio doesn't have the same ring to it, does it ?

[Spellbinder]

I always find it rather odd that every CD release of this material is called Million Dollar Quartet when its only three of them on tape.

Well, that's the title the sessions have become known by !

Somehow, The Million Dollar Trio doesn't have the same ring to it, does it ?

Presumably it would have to be called "The $750,000 Trio" or something similar. Yeah - you're right - it doesn't have the same ring.

[Spellbinder]

As the new issue is a regular BMG release will it be on sale in Tesco?

[ColinB]

As the new issue is a regular BMG release will it be on sale in Tesco?

Well, they won't be giving them away !

[heathbarclay]

As the new issue is a regular BMG release will it be on sale in Tesco?

Well, they won't be giving them away !

Sharp as ever, Colin!

[Marko]

Oddly enough Johnny Cash claims in his autobiography that he was present the whole session until Elvis left the studio. He said his voice isn't apparent on the tapes because he was standing far from the microphone. Still it's pretty obvious that he is not on those tapes. I believe that in some earlier interview he admitted leaving the session early on.

[ColinB]

Oddly enough Johnny Cash claims in his autobiography that he was present the whole session until Elvis left the studio.

Has Jerry Lee ever talked about the session ?

He's the sole surviving member of the quartet !

[MysteryTrain]

According to Amazon.Com the "Complete Million Dollar Quartet" CD has been delayed one week and will be released on September 26, 2006.

Mystery Train

[Steve_M]

Vocals aside, what is there as conclusive proof that Cash did not perform on the tapes ? The instruments that can be picked up are al accounted for ? wjhat about those that technicaly may have been lost in the recording ? Have they all been accounted for ? Okay, so we're not talking orchestral proportions here, but other than the piano what is there that's known ?

Cash wouldn't have known when the tape was started or when it ended. He went when he went and that was it.

I do struggle to accept that whilst the other three sang, Cash while he was there, was not tempted to join in at all.

does the better generation of tape (see recent thread) throw new light on any of this ?

[buddy holly]

I do struggle to accept that whilst the other three sang, Cash while he was there, was not tempted to join in at all.

does the better generation of tape (see recent thread) throw new light on any of this ?

I dare not hope so but wouldn't it be great!

[drjohncarpenter]

does the better generation of tape (see recent thread) throw new light on any of this ?

Unless Johnny is banging away on the piano top during one of the instrumentals that begins the disc, he is not there. Remember his wife at the time was keen to do some Christmas shopping, they had to get going.

[Steve_M]

Yes doc, they had to get going, but Cash did not know when Sam started the tape or ended the tape. All he knew was that he had to go shopping.
But he was there, gathered around a piano for what reason ?

Maybe just publicity shots and no more, but he nor his wife knew at the time they went whether that tape was switched on or not.

If he banged away on the piano then that's good enough for me.

[drjohncarpenter]

But he was there, gathered around a piano for what reason ? Maybe just publicity shots ...

Bingo!

[TONY]

Does anyone know of any UK website that is stocking this? All I can find are several of the old versions, one of which is a 2cd set?!

[BigredG]

Does anyone know of any UK website that is stocking this? All I can find are several of the old versions, one of which is a 2cd set?!

I am sure Amazon.co.uk will have it - they have it listed already as Australian Import version due on 6th October.

[Steve_M]

But he was there, gathered around a piano for what reason ? Maybe just publicity shots ...

Bingo!

Dont have the time right now to delve but I caught Melanies post in the Celebs on Elvis thread:

Johnny also wrote in his autobiography, that Elvis and he didn't see each other in the 70s, but wrote letters. And that it has long been believed that he was only featured in the photo of the performers and did not participate in the Sun Studio jam, however he states in his book that he was present during recording and he is a part of the recorded performance. Johnny had to sing in a different key to keep up with Elvis and because of this his voice is not recognised. Source: Elvis Express

[Melanie]

This is getting really strange. I just researched this subject a little further, as Steve was kind enough to copy & paste my quote over here and I wanted to know more.

So these are the opinions of two JRC fans, that might bring something to this wonderful discussion.


I.

For validation that there were only three singers present during the taping, I refer to the girl Elvis brought to the studio that day named Marilyn Evans. At one point during the informal "sessin" she could be heard talking on tape requesting a Gospel number called FARTHER ALONG from "this Rover Boys TRIO" not quartet!

Even Elvis himself suggested that a part of a song (I believe it has JERICHO ROAD in the title) would be more better suited for Johnny Cash to sing though as Elvis dropped his voice to sing in a lower voice range. Cash, however, is apparently not there to participate at the time though a Memphis news reporter named Robert Johnson who was at the "session" reported that Johnny Cash DID sing on two numbers while he was there - BLUEBERRY HILL and ISLE OF GOLDEN DREAMS which I don't know were even recorded as they've never been found.

II.

I know that Johnny Cash himself explained his reasons on why you can't hear him on the MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET tapes that have surfaced an been released - he was singing higher than normal; he was singing off mic which is difficult to accept since one of the KNOWN characteristics of the Sun Studio was it's enormous leakage of sound captured on tape "leaking" from one mic to another. Scotty Moore once stated that if a bug burped in the far corner of the Sun Studio it would be captured on tape because Sam had mics set up everywhere!

In all probability Johnny Cash left the studio before the big Ampex tape machines were ever turned on. He isn't even heard performing or even talking with the others on the tapes that have surfaced at any time! However, there is no doubt that he certainly was there for some singing based on the now famous photos taken inside 706 Union Avenue that afternoon.

Over the years there has been much speculation as to how, why, and when Johnny Cash showed up at Sun that day (during a Carl Perkins session) so anything IS possible, though based on what's already been heard it is evident that he probably was not included on any of ther recordings that day in December 1956.

[elvissessions]

Now that we have the disc, I almost wonder whether we need to start a new thread that deals with subjects BESIDES whether Johnny Cash is there.

But because the topic's heading is general, I'll stick with it.

For this release, the correct track order is nice, the new material is historically important -- but let's face it, this one is all about the SOUND.

I have time only to do some spot checks before leaving for work, but I can say that without a doubt -- whether it's the improved tape source or Kevan Budd who gets most of the credit -- there's a big improvement.

Funny thing is, it sounds better in a completely different way than I expected. I wouldn't say that you're going to hear a whole lot of new sounds here -- in other words, NO, Johnny Cash was not hiding in the murk and no one else was either. But a layer of distortion is gone and you're going to hear everything much more clearly -- I repeat, much more clearly.

On the old release there were lots of places you might have guessed that the tape was being overloaded. Nope, there's no problem like that with the original source, it turns out.

Compare the harmonies on Farther Along, for example. Broken up with distortion before, they're now clear as can be.

Thanks, Ernst, Kevan and the Fates. This is a great release.

(I hope to post more -- much more -- when I have time.)

[drjohncarpenter]

ES, thank you for the quick review. I CANNOT WAIT to get my copy.

This is one of the most important sessions in the history of rock and roll, and now we have it in best-ever quality. As Ernst says, just take the disc, shut the door, sit in a comfortable chair, crank the speakers and YOU ARE THERE -- Tuesday, December 4, 1956, inside SUN Studios with Elvis, Carl, Jerry Lee and Sam.

Wow.