THE TITLES WILL TELL

[Christopher Brown]

A friend of mine created the sheet music for THE TITLES WILL TELL, which I love, and really wish we had a properly recorded version. Elvis really seems invested, and sings the song through (as far as I know), and now it's fun to play on the piano and hear in my head Elvis' vocals. I'm down to less than 10 songs in Elvis' recorded music for which sheet music is required -- exciting, and sad. It's like collecting the music, and knowing that's all there is -- but still so much to enjoy both while hearing and feeling the music while playing.

[drjohncarpenter]

A friend of mine created the sheet music for THE TITLES WILL TELL, which I love, and really wish we had a properly recorded version. Elvis really seems invested, and sings the song through (as far as I know), and now it's fun to play on the piano and hear in my head Elvis' vocals. I'm down to less than 10 songs in Elvis' recorded music for which sheet music is required -- exciting, and sad. It's like collecting the music, and knowing that's all there is -- but still so much to enjoy both while hearing and feeling the music while playing.

Did your friend note the songwriter? It was written by Charles Underwood, who wrote songs for Sam Phillips, was a musician -- he can be heard on the "Million Dollar Quartet" jam -- and produced some sessions for Sun as well. He even made a leather cover for Elvis' acoustic guitar in early 1957.

it was on January 2000's In A Private Moment (FTD) that "Number Eight" closed out an amazing slate of home demos. But after Bear Family;s 2002 box set Memphis Belles (The Women Of Sun Records), we learned that Barbara Pittman had recorded a wonderful ballad called "The Titles Will Tell" that exactly matched the demo Elvis made in Germany in 1959.







Elvis Presley "The Titles Will Tell" (German home demo, November 1959)







Barbara Pittman "The Titles Will Tell" (Sun demo, 1957)





IIRC, it was fan Kevan Budd who first made the connection between those two tracks.

Listening now, "The Titles Will Tell" reminds me a lot of another gospel-inspired, piano ballad from the period, "The Thrill Of Your Love." Written by another Memphis songwriter, Stan Kesler, it appeared on Elvis' first post-army LP, released in May 1960.

Kesler had made a demo of "Playing For Keeps" at Sun, with the very same Barbara Pittman on vocals. Presley made a terrific version which RCA placed on single in January 1957. Barbara also apparently did the vocals on Kesler's 1959 demo of "The Thrill Of Your Love."

Small world.

[When In Rome]

A friend of mine created the sheet music for THE TITLES WILL TELL, which I love, and really wish we had a properly recorded version. Elvis really seems invested, and sings the song through (as far as I know), and now it's fun to play on the piano and hear in my head Elvis' vocals. I'm down to less than 10 songs in Elvis' recorded music for which sheet music is required -- exciting, and sad. It's like collecting the music, and knowing that's all there is -- but still so much to enjoy both while hearing and feeling the music while playing.

Did your friend note the songwriter? It was written by Charles Underwood, who wrote songs for Sam Phillips, was a musician -- he can be heard on the "Million Dollar Quartet" jam -- and produced some sessions for Sun as well. He even made a leather cover for Elvis' acoustic guitar in early 1957.

it was on January 2000's In A Private Moment (FTD) that "Number Eight" closed out an amazing slate of home demos. But after Bear Family;s 2002 box set Memphis Belles (The Women Of Sun Records), we learned that Barbara Pittman had recorded a wonderful ballad called "The Titles Will Tell" that exactly matched the demo Elvis made in Germany in 1959.







Elvis Presley "The Titles Will Tell" (German home demo, November 1959)







Barbara Pittman "The Titles Will Tell" (Sun demo, 1957)





IIRC, it was fan Kevan Budd who first made the connection between those two tracks.

Listening now, "The Titles Will Tell" reminds me a lot of another gospel-inspired, piano ballad from the period, "The Thrill Of Your Love." Written by another Memphis songwriter, Stan Kesler, it appeared on Elvis' first post-army LP, released in May 1960.

Kesler had made a demo of "Playing For Keeps" at Sun, with the very same Barbara Pittman on vocals. Presley made a terrific version which RCA placed on his second LP in October 1956. Barbara also apparently did the vocals on Kesler's 1959 demo of "The Thrill Of Your Love."

Small world.

Apologies for being a nitpicker, I know you know 'Playing for Keeps' wasn't on Presley's second LP, so I'm failing to make sense of the last paragraph? I don't believe any Kesler tune was on his second LP?

[drjohncarpenter]

Apologies for being a nitpicker, I know you know 'Playing for Keeps' wasn't on Presley's second LP, so I'm failing to make sense of the last paragraph? I don't believe any Kesler tune was on his second LP?

The last paragraph is meant to note the Pittman demos done at Sun that got through to Elvis, even though they were by different songwriters. The "Playing For Keeps" note is meant to emphasize that Kesler had caught Presley's ear more than just one time. Elvis' master, though cut at the studio sessions for the second LP, was held until January 1957 and a single release. Got that part mixed up, fixed the comment, thanks.

[Christopher Brown]

And yes -- my friend noted "words & music by: Charles Underwood." Should be on the Keith Flynn pages soon.

[MikeFromHolland]

A friend of mine created the sheet music for THE TITLES WILL TELL, which I love, and really wish we had a properly recorded version. Elvis really seems invested, and sings the song through (as far as I know), and now it's fun to play on the piano and hear in my head Elvis' vocals. I'm down to less than 10 songs in Elvis' recorded music for which sheet music is required -- exciting, and sad. It's like collecting the music, and knowing that's all there is -- but still so much to enjoy both while hearing and feeling the music while playing.

Did your friend note the songwriter? It was written by Charles Underwood, who wrote songs for Sam Phillips, was a musician -- he can be heard on the "Million Dollar Quartet" jam -- and produced some sessions for Sun as well. He even made a leather cover for Elvis' acoustic guitar in early 1957.

it was on January 2000's In A Private Moment (FTD) that "Number Eight" closed out an amazing slate of home demos. But after Bear Family;s 2002 box set Memphis Belles (The Women Of Sun Records), we learned that Barbara Pittman had recorded a wonderful ballad called "The Titles Will Tell" that exactly matched the demo Elvis made in Germany in 1959.







Elvis Presley "The Titles Will Tell" (German home demo, November 1959)







Barbara Pittman "The Titles Will Tell" (Sun demo, 1957)





IIRC, it was fan Kevan Budd who first made the connection between those two tracks.

Listening now, "The Titles Will Tell" reminds me a lot of another gospel-inspired, piano ballad from the period, "The Thrill Of Your Love." Written by another Memphis songwriter, Stan Kesler, it appeared on Elvis' first post-army LP, released in May 1960.

Kesler had made a demo of "Playing For Keeps" at Sun, with the very same Barbara Pittman on vocals. Presley made a terrific version which RCA placed on single in January 1957. Barbara also apparently did the vocals on Kesler's 1959 demo of "The Thrill Of Your Love."

Small world.

Added to Songs In The Spotlight:
https://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=93084&p=1489946#p1489946




.

[drjohncarpenter]

Added to Songs In The Spotlight:
https://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=93084&p=1489946#p1489946

Ah!

But where is "Golden Coins"?

[TJ]

It's such a shame that the recording equipment wasn't better. There's a really decent vocal buried underneath that distorted piano. The piano is also played quite well. I think this one would have made a good B-side or album track in the early '60s.