Recently Johnny Savage reviewed the latest FTD release, "An American Trilogy" on this very website. I read over his review and was at odds with his take on exactly why the February '72 recordings were made.
Johnny Savage wrote:
RCA and producer Felton Jarvis hauled out the multi-track recorders with the idea of jump-starting his substandard chart success of the previous year with recordings for a live album, his third full disc after In Person (1969) and On Stage (1970).
This was simply not the case of Felton wanting to make another live album, but rather an attempt to record a new single. Initially Elvis wanted "The Impossible Dream" but after listening to the tapes he chose "An American Trilogy." I believe I explained this before in a previous thread.
I thought that these recordings were part of the plan for the "Standing Room Only" project that never surfaced.
The album actually went into planning with cat. no and all. But, it ended up withdrawn!
"If you love me let me know, if you don't, ....move it!"
The "Standing Room Only" album was to be an album based solely from the April '72 recordings. "Standing Room Only" was the original film title to "Elvis On Tour." As I said they were looking for a single from the February/March '72 live/studio recordings. The version of "An American Trilogy" that would have appeared on "Standing Room Only" would not have been the single version. "Standing Room Only" would have served as the soundtrack to the MGM film but RCA felt it was better to publicize a release of their own (the MSG concert) rather than to try to capitalize on the success of another company's (MGM) film.
If you can find the tracklisting for the "Standing Room Only" LP that never came out, you'll find that the live tracks were from the february Las Vegas season.
Actually, the Burning Love CD that we had a few years back, are containing the tracks from that LP with some additional tracks!
"If you love me let me know, if you don't, ....move it!"
But again, the "Burning Love" compilation is exactly that, a compilation. That CD was by no means what the "Standing Room Only" LP would have looked like. From as early as late '70 Elvis had been telling audiences that "The Impossible Dream" was going to be his next single. So they recorded that and other material in a search for a suitable B-side. However, Elvis preferred "An American Trilogy" to his recording of "The Impossible Dream" based in part because of the fan reaction he got when he performed "An American Trilogy" during that Las Vegas engagement. Granted Mickey Newbury's 1971 Elektra recording was still on the charts but the song fit Elvis like a glove being that he was a Southern white man who when he started out in the music business was accused of singing Negro music and was able to gain popularity from a northern audience with his earliest televison appearances in New York City of all places.
With all due respect Daryl!
The "Standing Room Only" LP was actually prepared with cat. no and promoted on the "An American Trilogy" single.
The album were to be a one side live recordings and the other studio recordings. 12 tracks in all.
The live tracks were from the february '72 Vegas season and the studio side tracks from the march sessions.
As such the Burning Love CD is a compilation, including the 12 tracks that were to be featured on the "Standing Room Only" album.
I don't recall the track order of the LP at the moment, but the issue have been discussed in here earlier.
"If you love me let me know, if you don't, ....move it!"
Bajo, with all due respect, I believe the topic was covered in Tunzi's Sessions III book under the section entitled Lost Singles And Albums. Both the front and back cover mockups were presented as well as the tracklisting. I believe he has the right songs listed on page 566 but only in the wrong order. The right order can be found if you closely examine the mockup back cover artwork on the previous page (page 565). Also note that the back cover mockup says "live on tour."
Again the tracklisting was as follows:
Standing Room Only LP
Side One:
Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001 Theme) / See See Rider / Proud Mary / Never Been To Spain / You Gave Me A Mountain / Polk Salad Annie / I Can't Stop Loving You
Side Two:
An American Trilogy / It's Over / Burning Love / For The Good Times / A Big Hunk O' Love / Funny How Time Slips Away / Can't Help Falling In Love / Closing Vamp
Daryl! I'm aware of that! My reason for believing I'm right, is that the songs that were to be on the "Standing Room Only" album had already been given matrix numbers, which you can find under the session notes!
And those were from the Vegas season.
"If you love me let me know, if you don't, ....move it!"
And Tunzi's been right on a lot of stuff as well. The things he's been right on far outweighs any mistakes he has made. And again, in this case he was right. Like I said, the mockup says "live on tour." The "Standing Room Only" LP was all go until all of the sudden the plug was pulled from it in August '72. The album was scheduled to hit shelves in October to coincide with the film's impending release. The reason the plug was pulled from it wasn't necessarily the MSG album but rather the planned Aloha From Hawaii concert that was originally scheduled for November '72 (obviously RCA wanted to put out another live album of that historic event as well) but was pushed back to January '73 as to not interfere with the film. The MSG album was released a week after the NYC June '72 concerts were performed, therefore no interference.
I have to join the chorus of voices that you seem to be ignoring.
Standing Room Only was to be half live, containing 6 of the Vegas recordings, and half studio from the March sessions. You're correct in so far as initially, when still in Vegas, they decided they could indeed fill out an entirely live album with April tour cuts, but then the decision was made to include studio cuts from March, and matrix numbers assigned.
It was shelved due to the decision to record the MSG album, and rush release it.
Yet again, as in your comments on the latest DVD, you seem to think Tunzi can do no wrong.
Besides Las Vegas'72, RCA also tried to record Elvis' Knoxville show for the "Standing room only" project.
However, due to sound system/power supply failure the recording did not take place.
This story gets more reliable because one of the Knoxville shows did suffer from sound system problems.
Also the Knoxville recordings are mentioned in "Elvis The Concert Years" book.
As a result, thankfully MSG was recorded, and it was a quick strike;)
Yeah, except for the part "...the improvement in audio quality by engineer Lene Reidel, as with the entire CD, is terrific." It is plainly obvious that Lene's work on this CD (and in general) is very questionable. No reason for Savage to blindly support the FTD team when it is obvious that Lene is the wrong person to assit is protecting the recording legacy of Elvis Presley.
Tunzi has been wrong before and in this case he is wrong again. Mock ups mean nothing. They are simply that, mock ups. Many a mockup has been changed.
Joan Deary assigned the catalog number "LSP-4762" without knowing what the exact contents would be. But the contents for "Standing Room Only" would be made up from the four recorded April shows not the February recordings. Joan Deary told this story not only to Joe Tunzi but most likely to Ernst Jorgensen as well several years ago before she passed away. Joan Deary would have overseen the "Standing Room Only" LP had it appeared in October '72 due to Felton's illness that left him out of the loop altogether for the Aloha LP and gave him a token credit for the MSG LP. So she would be the one to know how the "Standing Room Only" LP would have went down. Joe Tunzi has writen over 100,000 facts in Sessions III. So he maybe wrong on maybe 30 or so. Thats 99,970 right; 30 or so wrong give or take a few. Also he has written over 27 books on Elvis and the Beatles which again contain a few thousand photos and facts . So again he may be wrong in a few cases , but he is right in most cases; like 95% correct. Nobody's perfect. Start counting them, Jerry.
Besides Las Vegas'72, RCA also tried to record Elvis' Knoxville show for the "Standing room only" project.
However, due to sound system/power supply failure the recording did not take place.
This story gets more reliable because one of the Knoxville shows did suffer from sound system problems.
Also the Knoxville recordings are mentioned in "Elvis The Concert Years" book.
As a result, thankfully MSG was recorded, and it was a quick strike;)
Knoxville did not happen due to an overturned recording truck. I have a funny story from the sound engineer of the time (testing one two) who describes events to include RCA staff laying by the side the raod, covering themselves with blankets and moaning beefing their compensation claim. I'll search the archives and post it.
Daryl! I'm aware of that! My reason for believing I'm right, is that the songs that were to be on the "Standing Room Only" album had already been given matrix numbers, which you can find under the session notes!
And those were from the Vegas season.
Matrix numbers were assigned to unreleased live recordings during August 1969, February 1970 and August 1970. What would make you think any different that they wouldn't do the same for February 1972.
The "Burning Love" compilation CD is a revisionist's thinking of what should have happened. Again, Felton would have had to assign matrix numbers in the search for both a master A-side ("An American Trilogy") as well as a possible B-side.
STANDING ROOM ONLY LSP 4762
Side One (Live)
BPA5 1142 Never Been To Spain Feb 14 '72
BPA5 1143 You Gave Me A Mountain Feb 15 '72
BPA5 1144 A Big Hunk Of Love Feb 15 '72
BPA5 1145 It's Impossible Feb 16 '72
BPA5 1146 The Impossible Dream Feb 16 '72
BPA5 1147 An American Trilogy Feb 17 '72
BPA5 1148 It's Over Feb 17 '72
Side Two (Studio)
BPA3 1149 Separate Ways Mar 27 '72
BPA3 1150 For The Good Times Mar 27 '72
BPA3 1151 Where Do You come From Mar 27 '72
BPA3 1257 Burning Love Mar 28 '72
BPA3 1258 Fool Mar 28 '72
BPA3 1259 Always On my mind Mar 29 '72
BPA3 1260 It's A Matter Of Time Mar 29 '72
Release date May 1972
As mentioned The album was noted on the An American Trilogy single released April 1972.
The single was expected to be a hit which would lead to big album sales.
However the single stiffed...a disaster only charting to 66. RCA then dumped the album on the reasoning that as low sales were anticipated it would be a lost cause as the two previos were lacking dollar wise also.
So they waited till June and rush released the Madison Square album to ride upon the news that Elvis visit to New York had engendered. The plan worked so well that the next single shot to number one (at least on Cashbox)
Elvis was back, once again.
When you get to the point where you really understand your computer, it's probably obsolete
I was always under the impression the Standing Room Only LP was scrapped in favor of the first MSG album. I do belive the SRO cover was going to use the same phote from the J'ville matinee. The SRO LP was to be the "soundtrack" for EOT but when the MSG show came off so well, RCA shelved the SRO concept and just released the MSG album instead. No need for two albums within 6 months with many of the same tracks. I do believe for certain the February 1972 recordings were done primarily for the SRO album.
Saw Elvis in concert February 16, 1977 in Montgomery, Alabama when I was 7 years old.
cdh72469 wrote:I was always under the impression the Standing Room Only LP was scrapped in favor of the first MSG album. I do belive the SRO cover was going to use the same phote from the J'ville matinee. The SRO LP was to be the "soundtrack" for EOT but when the MSG show came off so well, RCA shelved the SRO concept and just released the MSG album instead. No need for two albums within 6 months with many of the same tracks. I do believe for certain the February 1972 recordings were done primarily for the SRO album.