First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

[fn2drive]

Given that Elvis conceived of this as a duet, does anyone know why with all the reimaginings that have been tried why an effort to produce a bonafide of this song hasn’t been tried. IIRC this is the only non movie track that Elvis thought worthy of a duet.

[Scarre]

I´m not too fond of the duets...the only one I like is "I Will Be Home Again"...and that one is not even a real duet...

[EPA4368]

I'm not a fan of duets, because it's hard to get the right song and/or performances having Chemistry.

Thought the song and performances just didn't work when Lisa did 'Don't Cry Daddy'.

One that did work imo was with Natalie Cole's 'Unforgettable'.

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[jetblack]

Given that Elvis conceived of this as a duet, does anyone know why with all the reimaginings that have been tried why an effort to produce a bonafide of this song hasn’t been tried. IIRC this is the only non movie track that Elvis thought worthy of a duet.

Elvis put a LOT of work into this song.

March 15, 1971 was when he duetted with backup vocalist Ginger Holladay

On May 21, 1971 he tried again with Temple Riser.

It made it's official LP debut when it appeared on 'Elvis In Demand'' (Feb 1977). The LP reached number #26 in the UK album chart. After Elvis death in September 1977 it peaked at #12.

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Andy

[Scarre]

I'm not a fan of duets, because it's hard to get the right song and/or performances having Chemistry.

Thought the song and performances just didn't work when Lisa did 'Don't Cry Daddy'.

One that did work imo was with Natalie Cole's 'Unforgettable'.

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Unforgettable might be ok...but she "ruined" The Christmas Song.

[EPA4368]

Thought one that worked good because having them perform together...

Frank & Nancy Sinatra "Something' Stupid"
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[stevelecher]

Something Stupid is a beautiful recording with Frank singing wonderfully.

[fn2drive]

Given that Elvis conceived of this as a duet, does anyone know why with all the reimaginings that have been tried why an effort to produce a bonafide of this song hasn’t been tried. IIRC this is the only non movie track that Elvis thought worthy of a duet.

Elvis put a LOT of work into this song.

March 15, 1971 was when he duetted with backup vocalist Ginger Holladay

On May 21, 1971 he tried again with Temple Riser.

It made it's official LP debut when it appeared on 'Elvis In Demand'' (Feb 1977). The LP reached number #26 in the UK album chart. After Elvis death in September 1977 it peaked at #12.

..

Andy

This is one of my favorite post 1970 tracks despite it being a little over the top on the power vocals and post production. But Elvis’s sings with real emotion and Jerry Carrigan’s drumming is fantastic here-in some ways it makes the song.

You’re points are why I asked-so much effort applied. Neither of the duet attempts with those singers worked well. It just seems that it would be worth trying to find a voice that works to complete Elvis’ vision.

Was Elvis inspired to cut this after hearing Roberta Flack’s rendition which was released around the time he entered the studio?

As a PS. The December 76 versions are wonderful as well. Indeed more delicate and nuanced at a time where that was hard for Elvis to muster. Perhaps it’s not possible to find a bad version of this song.

[stevelecher]

These duets sound to me like the female vocal is overdubbed on to the Elvis performance. Regardless, I consider them close to unlistenable. Too busy and no nuance at all.

[jurasic1968]

Maybe a duet of Elvis with Frank Sinatra could be good.

[EPA4368]

Agree with Greystoke, "Elvis been in the studio" would've been the idea situation, but Elvis spending so much time back & forth on the road, he needed a long break before heading into the studio.

[Scarre]

These duets sound to me like the female vocal is overdubbed on to the Elvis performance. Regardless, I consider them close to unlistenable. Too busy and no nuance at all.

I wouldn´t go that far...but I agree that they don´t work...not even close.

[r&b]

The Last Time Ever I played this song was probably The First Time Ever I heard it. Not a fan of it at all. I prefer the Flack or Lightfoot versions.

[Steve Morse]

I find the Roberta Flack version a complete drag !

[Mister Mike]

I guess the closest we got to a duet on stage was 'Spanish Eyes' and 'Softly As I Leave You'.

[poormadpeter2]

It's a pretty awful performance of the song, with Elvis seemingly misjudging how to approach it. He did the same thing at the same sessions with Until It's Time For You To Go and Help Me Make It Through the Night, apparently missing the subtleties of both, but First Time is the worst of the bunch. He clearly liked the song and went back to it a number of times in concerts, but he never seemed to get to grips with it or to put his mark on it.

[fn2drive]

It's a pretty awful performance of the song, with Elvis seemingly misjudging how to approach it. He did the same thing at the same sessions with Until It's Time For You To Go and Help Me Make It Through the Night, apparently missing the subtleties of both, but First Time is the worst of the bunch. He clearly liked the song and went back to it a number of times in concerts, but he never seemed to get to grips with it or to put his mark on it.

I agree with you on the 2 tracks you mentioned. But I think he does a good job with First Time. In some ways the power vocals are out of place but I think they work here to convey deep emotion. The musicanship is adds to the vibe of the song. I could with a little less in the post production. I just think this one works. Particularly after having Roberta Flaxk’s version pound the airwaves ad nauseum.

[Juan Luis]

Given that Elvis conceived of this as a duet, does anyone know why with all the reimaginings that have been tried why an effort to produce a bonafide of this song hasn’t been tried. IIRC this is the only non movie track that Elvis thought worthy of a duet.

Elvis put a LOT of work into this song.

March 15, 1971 was when he duetted with backup vocalist Ginger Holladay

On May 21, 1971 he tried again with Temple Riser.

It made it's official LP debut when it appeared on 'Elvis In Demand'' (Feb 1977). The LP reached number #26 in the UK album chart. After Elvis death in September 1977 it peaked at #12.

..

Andy

This is one of my favorite post 1970 tracks despite it being a little over the top on the power vocals and post production. But Elvis’s sings with real emotion and Jerry Carrigan’s drumming is fantastic here-in some ways it makes the song.

You’re points are why I asked-so much effort applied. Neither of the duet attempts with those singers worked well. It just seems that it would be worth trying to find a voice that works to complete Elvis’ vision.

Was Elvis inspired to cut this after hearing Roberta Flack’s rendition which was released around the time he entered the studio?

As a PS. The December 76 versions are wonderful as well. Indeed more delicate and nuanced at a time where that was hard for Elvis to muster. Perhaps it’s not possible to find a bad version of this song.

No they aren't. Surprised about your take. Goes to show you are obsessed with exceptions that YOU like. Funny, that.

[fn2drive]

Given that Elvis conceived of this as a duet, does anyone know why with all the reimaginings that have been tried why an effort to produce a bonafide of this song hasn’t been tried. IIRC this is the only non movie track that Elvis thought worthy of a duet.

Elvis put a LOT of work into this song.

March 15, 1971 was when he duetted with backup vocalist Ginger Holladay

On May 21, 1971 he tried again with Temple Riser.

It made it's official LP debut when it appeared on 'Elvis In Demand'' (Feb 1977). The LP reached number #26 in the UK album chart. After Elvis death in September 1977 it peaked at #12.

..

Andy

This is one of my favorite post 1970 tracks despite it being a little over the top on the power vocals and post production. But Elvis’s sings with real emotion and Jerry Carrigan’s drumming is fantastic here-in some ways it makes the song.

You’re points are why I asked-so much effort applied. Neither of the duet attempts with those singers worked well. It just seems that it would be worth trying to find a voice that works to complete Elvis’ vision.

Was Elvis inspired to cut this after hearing Roberta Flack’s rendition which was released around the time he entered the studio?

As a PS. The December 76 versions are wonderful as well. Indeed more delicate and nuanced at a time where that was hard for Elvis to muster. Perhaps it’s not possible to find a bad version of this song.

No they aren't. Surprised about your take. Goes to show you are obsessed with exceptions that YOU like. Funny, that.

Look I’m not saying any 1976 Elvis was good. Just that all things considered those late December renditions are something I enjoy. They are subtle and Elvis attempts to imbibe them with genuine emotion. He pulls it off as well as he can given where he was. That is what makes them wonderful for me.

[drjohncarpenter]

Given that Elvis conceived of this as a duet, does anyone know why with all the reimaginings that have been tried why an effort to produce a bonafide of this song hasn’t been tried. IIRC this is the only non movie track that Elvis thought worthy of a duet.

I guess the closest we got to a duet on stage was 'Spanish Eyes' and 'Softly As I Leave You'.

Well, Elvis' duet with soprano Kathy Westmoreland on "Hawaiian Wedding Song" was not too shabby.

Ewan MacColl's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" could easily be remade as a modernized duet, although I question whether it is the kind of material that might connect with a 21st century audience.

For those who dare, there's a lot to unpack here.

Let's dive in!

The historical record shows Presley did not select for release the two duets he crafted back in early 1971 in a Nashville studio, though it seems clear either would have made for a far more interesting single than what popped out the following year.

Roberta Flack's worldwide #1 hit in the spring of 1972 was an edited version of a brilliant track off of her debut LP a couple of years before, called First Take (Atlantic SD 8230, August 16, 1969), and it became one of her "signature" songs. Atlantic decided to issue the haunting rendition on 45 after actor/director Clint Eastwood used it on the soundtrack of his November 1971 film thriller, "Play Misty For Me."

But the love ballad came to Presley's attention well before Roberta's single set the world on fire in 1972. Washington girlfriend Joyce Bova considered it "their" song and wanted him to record it. She must have had the 1969 Flack LP in her collection.

It's a shame Elvis missed the boat, didn't take Joyce's advice, and failed to get a potentially game-changing single out first.





Roberta Flack "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Atlantic 2864, February 26, 1972)
Billboard "Hot 100" #1, April 15, 1972, Cash Box "Top 100" #1, April 22, 1972.

Joyce Bova ... arrived in Las Vegas on August 16... at a moment when she was feeling utterly alone and isolated from her feelings and everyone else, he put a record on the stereo and she heard his voice singing "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," the song she had urged him to record. It was just a demo, he explained to her, as she expressed her unabashed delight at his recording of "their song." He wrote "To Joyce, with love" on the plain white cardboard cover and made her promise she wouldn't listen to certain other unfinished cuts on the album.

Peter Guralnick, Careless Love: The Unmaking Of Elvis Presley
https://books.google.com/books?id=eqk_FH7oB7IC&pg=PT525

Ms. Bova has more than a few stories to tell: how ... he sang "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" especially for her during a show at the Baltimore Civic Center in 1971 ...

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-05-13/news/1992134232_1_bova-elvis-presley-richard-nixon

And ... here's that very special performance, although few knew it, done while Joyce was in the audience, watching.



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Elvis Presley "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Baltimore, MD - Tuesday, November 9, 1971)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG9mLxVZiGk&t=44m33s


The RCA acetate Joyce received as a gift in August 1971 must have been a collection of songs being considered at the time for what would become Elvis Now in January 1972, although the MacColl cover did not make the cut. RCA would issue it as a single, no duet voice, as the B-side to "An American Trilogy" (RCA 74-0672, April 8, 1972). Neither did much on the charts.

720408_RCA 74-0672.JPG

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To this day I still find the two officially unissued studio versions, where Elvis taped the song as a live duet with a female voice, to be far more attractive. For Presley, it's so clear the intimacy of the song lent itself to the man and woman being together. And the ladies were thrilled to do it.

Ginger Holladay vividly remembered her experience at the 3-15-1971 (Mon) session at RCA's Studio B in Nashville.

With Mary Holladay, Mary (Jeanie) Greene, Donna Thatcher and Ginger Holladay
American Sound, Memphis, TN - Thursday, January 23, 1969


During one of the RCA sessions in 1971, Elvis was listening to demos of songs to possibly pick to record for that evening’s session. All the musicians, backup singers and Memphis Mafia were sitting around listening along with him. I was curious about the material he was listening to because it was so different from the songs he had recorded on the “From Elvis in Memphis” album, which had put him back at number one [sic] on the Billboard charts.

After about the sixth song that we heard, none of which Elvis seemed to like, I got up my nerve to go over and ask him why he didn’t consider recording more songs like he had recorded in Memphis. I did not understand the politics of the publishing world and was naïve about how all that worked. He and Charlie Hodge, musician and confidant, were sitting together and they kind of brushed off my innocent question by making a joke and laughing.

Later in the day, dinner was brought in and Charlie asked me to come in the control room to eat with everyone. The only empty seat was next to Elvis, whose back was turned. Charlie took my elbow and led me over to the chair and, like a gentleman, pulled it out for me to sit down. In front of me was a typical carry-out of a hamburger with fries and a Coke.

After I sat down, Elvis turned around and asked me what kind of music I liked. I stuttered, “G-g-g-good music?” He laughed and said, “Can you elaborate on that?” I was so nervous I grabbed a french fry and tried to stall saying, “I'm starving!” He said, “Do you like Roberta Flack?” Thank goodness I did and he began telling me about ... “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” He said he was thinking of recording something similar. I had no idea he meant with me!

Throughout that lunch we talked of many things, from he music we liked to his concern about his eye that was causing him pain and we even discussed different philosophical concepts he had been reading about. Elvis was interesting to talk with and now I am so grateful to have gotten to see a more personal side of him.

Later during the evening session when Felton Jarvis, producer, asked me if I would sing a duet with Elvis I was shocked. When he told me the song title, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” I put it all together and realized that dinner with Elvis had been my audition.

Al Pachucki, the engineer, set up the mic in the studio. We only used one mic and I was a lot shorter than Elvis, so Al also put a box next to Elvis for me to stand on so I could reach it. We never rehearsed at all. The recording light went on and we started singing. I was making up the harmony as we sang. I don’t remember ever stopping to listen to any takes of the song to hear how we sounded. We just kept doing one after the other.

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” is a very romantic song. Elvis, being the actor that he was, began acting out the emotion of the song. We sang the lyrics “the first time ever I kissed your mouth” and Elvis placed his arm around my shoulders and hugged me in close to him. Well, I was 19 and recently engaged, and felt like this was betraying my fiancé, so when he pulled me in near to him, I turned and ducked under his arm to avoid the hug and had to get off the box. Undeterred, I then quickly jumped back up on the box in time to
sing the next line, never missing a beat.

Elvis reacted by giving me that crooked smile of his. But then when we sang “like the trembling heart of a captured bird” he hugged me again. I turned and ducked under his arm, again stepping off the box, but jumped back up for the next line which was “that was there at my command my love.” Well, the irony was just too much, and we both started laughing and couldn’t stop.

All week during these recording sessions [sic] Elvis had been suffering from a congestion which was thought to be a head cold. Because his voice was giving out, we decided to stop early, never completing the final take of the duet.

The other sessions we had booked with him that week were postponed because he had to be hospitalized to take care of glaucoma, which was causing him eye pain.

Fate had another twist in store with regards to my unfinished duet with Elvis. After Elvis was feeling better, Felton called to re-book the session because he wanted to re-do the duet.

In the meantime, Allen Reynolds, who produced albums for Crystal Gayle and later Garth Brooks, was looking to produce a new female artist and had asked me to demo a few songs with the possibility of turning them into an album. The studio time was already booked at Jack Clement’s studio for my session and I was very excited about the possibility of being a recording artist with my own record deal.

Felton had re-booked Elvis in RCA Studio B at the same time that my session with Allen was booked. I told Felton I could not do the session with Elvis and explained why. He was upset with me, but I held firm to my dream of becoming an artist.

The duet recording took place about two years after my first session with Elvis, which resulted in the hit songs “In the Ghetto” and “Suspicious Minds.” Because of that success, I had been working steadily while enrolled at Memphis State. I’ve often wondered what would have happened if I had chosen to go to that session. Did I really turn down singing a duet with Elvis? What was I thinking?

http://www.elvis-express.com/news2016-06-1901.html

In Ginger's place for the May 1971 session, RCA brought in Temple Riser. She, too, has not forgotten the moment.

Temple Riser, who is now 63, feels that she has been blessed in life, and cites working with Elvis, and singing at President Nixon’s inauguration, as her career highlights. About meeting Elvis for the first time, she says, “I was a little stuck up … I didn't want to give him the impression that I was starstruck. But the moment he came into the studio, I was in awe … He had such a charisma about him, and he was so handsome. And he was very flirtatious!” she says with a smile.

When asked about her nicest memories of him, she answers, “There’s several … I remember that he invited me and Ginger [sic] and Mary (Holladay) to come to his hotel room in Nashville, and we did. He was just so nice to us. Very easy to talk to, very talkative. He grabbed his guitar and we sang gospels together. He didn't sing any of his hits, just gospel music … he loved that.”

About the duet, she says, “He asked me to do the duet with him. He was really having a good time while we recorded it. I just tried to do the best I could. You know, I used to be embarrassed about it. I didn't think I sounded so good. These days with the internet it’s turning up everywhere, and people ask me about it. I’m proud of the fact that I got to sing with Elvis Presley. It doesn't get any better than that!”




http://www.elvistodayblog.com/2012/08/temple-riser-is-alive-and-well.html

These are the known duet recordings, and where they first unofficially appeared:

"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" 3-15-1971
--> unissued duet with Ginger Holladay - Behind Closed Doors (1979)

"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" 5-21-1971
--> unissued duet with Temple Riser - Rough Cut Diamonds: Volume 2 (1986)

It's possible the March recording with Ginger only exists on acetate today, if the story is true that her vocal was later erased. A very nice release of the acetate without the skip or pitch issues heard on the original 1979 bootleg came out a few years ago on Unedited Masters: Nashville 1971 (Venus).



Here are both duets, and each is better than the 1972 RCA single B-side:


GINGER - MARCH 1971








TEMPLE - MAY 1971







The last known live performance by Elvis is remarkable for being off-the-cuff, and totally sincere.


"Everybody lay out here except David Briggs."


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Elvis Presley "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Birmingham, AL - Wednesday, December 29, 1976)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0EM8YdFDYo&t=34m09s

... here, the unique Presley magic weaves a spell over the listener, making it seem incandescent by comparison. And this song is the key to the entire concert, for it is here that one realizes that the entire show must've been inspired by his affection for new girlfriend Ginger Alden! He begins "First Time" by saying "we'll do this for you, sweetheart" and during certain parts of the song he says "listen". That wasn't for the 18,000 paying customers. For the final "ever I lay with you" verse (which he never recorded in a studio) he orders an on-the-spot arrangement of voice and electric piano ("Everybody lay out here except David Briggs") which results in a spine-tingling moment that is the essence of Elvis Presley, vocalist supreme and great American artist.

http://www.elvis-collectors.com/birmingham.html

Man, in hindsight, this is quite a number in the 1970s Presley catalog, given that virtually no one today associates it with him.

[MaryAnn]

The definitive performance of the song IMO...

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[fn2drive]

Thanks Doc for taking my innocent question and filling in all the details around this track. I forgot about the Joyce Bova connections and the reminiscences of the 2 female duet partners are great.
I believe you are about a duet. He may well have struck gold if he either worked it harder or found the perfect voice to complement his. Even if the track doesn’t have 2018 hit potential, I would welcome a perfect voice to complete Elvis vision.

[MaryAnn]

Thanks Doc for taking my innocent question and filling in all the details around this track. I forgot about the Joyce Bova connections and the reminiscences of the 2 female duet partners are great.
I believe you are about a duet. He may well have struck gold if he either worked it harder or found the perfect voice to complement his. Even if the track doesn’t have 2018 hit potential, I would welcome a perfect voice to complete Elvis vision.

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” is a perfect example of a song that spoke to Elvis. He could hear himself singing it. I’m not sure why Elvis envisioned it as a duet. The title and subject matter suggest a solo singer as it is written in the 1st person — (I saw your face). The melody does cry out for harmony, but background singers could have handled those duties.

The perfect voice for this track was his — and his alone. A missed opportunity. A committed, focused Elvis would have owned this song.

[fn2drive]

Thanks Doc for taking my innocent question and filling in all the details around this track. I forgot about the Joyce Bova connections and the reminiscences of the 2 female duet partners are great.
I believe you are about a duet. He may well have struck gold if he either worked it harder or found the perfect voice to complement his. Even if the track doesn’t have 2018 hit potential, I would welcome a perfect voice to complete Elvis vision.

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” is a perfect example of a song that spoke to Elvis. He could hear himself singing it. I’m not sure why Elvis envisioned it as a duet. The title and subject matter suggest a solo singer as it is written in the 1st person — (I saw your face). The melody does cry out for harmony, but background singers could have handled those duties.

The perfect voice for this track was his — and his alone. A missed opportunity. A committed, focused Elvis would have owned this song.

Your comments indirectly speak to the genius that was Elvis Presley. Indeed I believe it also was a part of his ultimate undoing. In this case he heard exactly what he wanted on record in his head and was unable to express what he heard and could not get it out of his duet partners and likely gave up in frustration. You hear that same frustration in the TTWII rehearsal of Words and his focus on ‘heart away’. It may be one of the clearest examples of his creative process available. His frustration that the performers don’t get it; that they don’t hear what he hears and that he can’t get them to hear it the way he wants. He was often surrounded by so much mediocrity. It must have been a curse to hear things the exact way he wanted knowing he was almost always going to be disappointed.

[Juan Luis]

Given that Elvis conceived of this as a duet, does anyone know why with all the reimaginings that have been tried why an effort to produce a bonafide of this song hasn’t been tried. IIRC this is the only non movie track that Elvis thought worthy of a duet.

Elvis put a LOT of work into this song.

March 15, 1971 was when he duetted with backup vocalist Ginger Holladay

On May 21, 1971 he tried again with Temple Riser.

It made it's official LP debut when it appeared on 'Elvis In Demand'' (Feb 1977). The LP reached number #26 in the UK album chart. After Elvis death in September 1977 it peaked at #12.

..

Andy

This is one of my favorite post 1970 tracks despite it being a little over the top on the power vocals and post production. But Elvis’s sings with real emotion and Jerry Carrigan’s drumming is fantastic here-in some ways it makes the song.

You’re points are why I asked-so much effort applied. Neither of the duet attempts with those singers worked well. It just seems that it would be worth trying to find a voice that works to complete Elvis’ vision.

Was Elvis inspired to cut this after hearing Roberta Flack’s rendition which was released around the time he entered the studio?

As a PS. The December 76 versions are wonderful as well. Indeed more delicate and nuanced at a time where that was hard for Elvis to muster. Perhaps it’s not possible to find a bad version of this song.

No they aren't. Surprised about your take. Goes to show you are obsessed with exceptions that YOU like. Funny, that.

Look I’m not saying any 1976 Elvis was good. Just that all things considered those late December renditions are something I enjoy. They are subtle and Elvis attempts to imbibe them with genuine emotion. He pulls it off as well as he can given where he was. That is what makes them wonderful for me.

And a bit out of breath and pitchy. But you degrade other live song performances others enjoy for the same reasons you enjoy this one.