Elvis' Favorite LP? - Charles Boyer - "Where Does Love Go"

[elvisjock]

Excerpts from Careless Love, by Peter Guralnick

PP. 258-259 (1967) "The atmosphere on the set (Clambake) was one of almost enforced gaiety. Once again there were practical jokes, cherry bombs, cream pie and water balloon fights, with even the director, Arthur Nadel, getting into the act. It was like a staged remembrance of things past - but there was a wistful note, too, that did not escape some members of the cast. And it hardly seemed coincidental that Elvis kept listening to a single album over and over throughout the filming, a collection of song lyrics recited in heavily accented English by the French actor Charles Boyer. The album was titled "Where Does Love Go?," and the fully orchestrated arrangements were as lushly romantic as Boyer's recitations, with melancholy spoken versions of "What Now My Love," Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose," Charles Aznavour's "Venice Blue," and "When the World Was Young." Elvis' favorite song by far was "Softly As I Leave You," a dying man's profession of love for his wife, and he gave the album to various members of the cast and crew while playing it again and again for the guys, who could not understand what he saw in its morbid mood."

pp. 459-460 (1973) "He was, everyone agreed, in a funny kind of mood, even for Elvis - chastened, brooding, almost perplexed over what could have finally caused Priscilla to leave, after all he had done to drive her to it. Some of the guys thought it was simply the humiliation of her going off with someone else, particularly someone that Elvis knew and admired, but it seemed as much a mood of almost autumnal regret. He kept listening to that damned Charles Boyer album "Where Does Love Go?" over and over, until it just about drove them all crazy - listening intently to those melancholy recitations, as if they alone might provide the answer to the question that the album's title posed, the one question that seemed to be forever on his mind."

p. 524 (1974) "He played them (Voice) "Softly As I Leave You" from the Charles Boyer album over and over. Sherrill already knew the song, and one night the two of them sat down at the piano, and Sherrill started singing while Elvis did the Charles Boyer recitation."

p. 525 (1974) "He loved to spend time in his room singing to her (Ann Pennington), and "he gave me a Charles Boyer album, there was a song 'Where Does Love Go (When It Leaves The Heart),' he would play it over and over and say, 'Listen to that, the way he says those lines. It's so romantic."

What Now My Love - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dHcWZwaFJBSXRVag

Once Upon A Time - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dHcWZtMEpqQThUQw

Autumn Leaves - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dBQ3RrYUI4SjhUQw

Gigi - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dBQ3QrV3pFdzhUQw

Softly As I Leave You - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dBQ3RlaFFYRHRVag

When The World Was Young - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dBQ3Q1bmhqQTlVag

All The Things You Are - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dDSWVwM21VQU1UQw

Venice Blue - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dDSWVtNEp2TzhUQw

Hello Young Lovers - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dDSWVFd2RwdmNUQw

La Vie En Rose - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dDSWU0b0RMbjhUQw

I Believe - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dQYWJWRDgxZXNUQw

Where Does Love Go - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dQYWIwVWtYRHNUQw

[norrie]

His career lasted longer than other romantic actors, winning him the nickname "the last of the cinema's great lovers."[10] He recorded a laid-back album called Where Does Love Go? in 1966. The album consisted of famous love songs sung (or rather spoken) with Boyer's distinctive deep voice and French accent. The record was reportedly Elvis Presley's favorite album for the last 11 years of his life, the one he most listened to
(wikepedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Boyer

Elvis certainly loved this album.Not so sure about the rest of his gang and colleagues though!

norrie

[luckyjackson1]

Now I can sit down and try to find an answer to the album title...

Nevertheless, thank you so much for posting, elvisjock.

[norrie]

Now I can sit down and try to find an answer to the album title...

Nevertheless, thank you so much for posting, elvisjock.

But even if one knew the answer,what would one possibly gain ?

norrie

[r&b]

From Ray Charles to Charles Boyer! What happened to this cool dude? No wonder the morbid 70's ballads took over.

[elvis1977br]

Thank you!

[luckyjackson1]

Boy, that thing is really one morbid record!

For those who care: I remastered the whole vinyl-rip for your listening pleasure, as the original record seems to be quite worn (Side 2 sounds even worse).
Unfortunately there wasn't very much I could do to improve it. Just a little click repair and proper fadings. But it was fun!
For the signal it would have been easier, if the record was in monaural.

But no offensive taken, elvisjock, I'm glad you posted it. Thanks again for that!

I converted them back to wave files but once you reconvert them to the original format (which was mp3), you'll have another quality loss so I converted them to lossless FLAC and put the whole album in an RAR archive.

Anyway, here's the link (no password required):

Charles Boyer - Where Does Love Go (1965).rar (File size: 158 MB)
http://www21.zippyshare.com/v/8192051/file.html

Enjoy!

P. S.: Just listen to the intro of "I Believe" - sounds like either "My Way" or "The Impossible Dream"!

[rjm]

Thanks to both of you! I actually have it, but it's out of print, and everyone interested in Elvis should listen to it.

As I posted on the other thread, Boyer lost his only child to suicide in 1965, and took his own life in 1978 after his wife died.

Very sad all around. And a must-listen.

rjm

[drjohncarpenter]

Somewhere, Elvis Presley is smiling.

Thank you for sharing a seminal LP in the Presley library.

Few records in the last ten years of his life would mean as much.

Excerpts from Careless Love, by Peter Guralnick

PP. 258-259 (1967) "The atmosphere on the set (Clambake) was one of almost enforced gaiety. Once again there were practical jokes, cherry bombs, cream pie and water balloon fights, with even the director, Arthur Nadel, getting into the act. It was like a staged remembrance of things past - but there was a wistful note, too, that did not escape some members of the cast. And it hardly seemed coincidental that Elvis kept listening to a single album over and over throughout the filming, a collection of song lyrics recited in heavily accented English by the French actor Charles Boyer. The album was titled "Where Does Love Go?," and the fully orchestrated arrangements were as lushly romantic as Boyer's recitations, with melancholy spoken versions of "What Now My Love," Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose," Charles Aznavour's "Venice Blue," and "When the World Was Young." Elvis' favorite song by far was "Softly As I Leave You," a dying man's profession of love for his wife, and he gave the album to various members of the cast and crew while playing it again and again for the guys, who could not understand what he saw in its morbid mood."

pp. 459-460 (1973) "He was, everyone agreed, in a funny kind of mood, even for Elvis - chastened, brooding, almost perplexed over what could have finally caused Priscilla to leave, after all he had done to drive her to it. Some of the guys thought it was simply the humiliation of her going off with someone else, particularly someone that Elvis knew and admired, but it seemed as much a mood of almost autumnal regret. He kept listening to that damned Charles Boyer album "Where Does Love Go?" over and over, until it just about drove them all crazy - listening intently to those melancholy recitations, as if they alone might provide the answer to the question that the album's title posed, the one question that seemed to be forever on his mind."

p. 524 (1974) "He played them (Voice) "Softly As I Leave You" from the Charles Boyer album over and over. Sherrill already knew the song, and one night the two of them sat down at the piano, and Sherrill started singing while Elvis did the Charles Boyer recitation."

p. 525 (1974) "He loved to spend time in his room singing to her (Ann Pennington), and "he gave me a Charles Boyer album, there was a song 'Where Does Love Go (When It Leaves The Heart),' he would play it over and over and say, 'Listen to that, the way he says those lines. It's so romantic."

What Now My Love - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dHcWZwaFJBSXRVag

Once Upon A Time - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dHcWZtMEpqQThUQw

Autumn Leaves - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dBQ3RrYUI4SjhUQw

Gigi - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dBQ3QrV3pFdzhUQw

Softly As I Leave You - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dBQ3RlaFFYRHRVag

When The World Was Young - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dBQ3Q1bmhqQTlVag

All The Things You Are - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dDSWVwM21VQU1UQw

Venice Blue - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dDSWVtNEp2TzhUQw

Hello Young Lovers - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dDSWVFd2RwdmNUQw

La Vie En Rose - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dDSWU0b0RMbjhUQw

I Believe - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dQYWJWRDgxZXNUQw

Where Does Love Go - https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpL0dQYWIwVWtYRHNUQw

[drjohncarpenter]

BTW, how did you like Hot Shots and Cool Clips, Volume 1?

[poormadpeter]

It's worth pointing out that these kinds of albums were not uncommon at the time - there were a number of albums out there of well known actors reciting verse or lyrics to music. For example, while I have great admiration for Dirk Bogarde as an actor, his album Lyrics For Lovers is, well, an oddity:

..

The whole album is on youtube, should you be feeling the need to spend half an hour in the company of an actor reciting lyrics in an English accent!

[stevelecher]

For the first time, I understand where the stage version of Softly As I Leave You came from. I've ways liked the song, as a song, and wished Elvis would have sung the lead instead of just reciting it.

[luckyjackson1]

I found at least one track from the album on youtube:

..

Here's the audio, slightly improved (in FLAC) :

Charles Boyer - 1965 - Where Does Love Go - 10 - La Vie En Rose.flac (File size: 11 MB)
http://www29.zippyshare.com/v/78412156/file.html

[ritchie valens]

Ibet Elvis would have bought or had it transferred to cd if he had lived to have a cd player.

[Rob]

Ibet he would to

[drjohncarpenter]

Ibet Elvis would have bought or had it transferred to cd if he had lived to have a cd player.

Thanks.

[Jove]

Thanks for reminding us about this, elvisjock. I had read Careless Love a long time ago and had forgotten about this LP. Elvis sure had a mawkish taste in the '70s.

[drjohncarpenter]

Thanks for reminding us about this, elvisjock. I had read Careless Love a long time ago and had forgotten about this LP. Elvis sure had a mawkish taste in the '70s.

Elvis picked up the LP in late 1965 - early 1966.

[r&b]

Thanks for reminding us about this, elvisjock. I had read Careless Love a long time ago and had forgotten about this LP. Elvis sure had a mawkish taste in the '70s.

Elvis picked up the LP in late 1965 - early 1966.

I guess it must have replaced Rubber Soul then as his current favorite!

[TCB-FAN]

Ibet Elvis would have bought or had it transferred to cd if he had lived to have a cd player.

Or better yet, have the songs transferred to his Ipod via FLAC format.

[TCB-FAN]

Charles Boyer sounds just like Ricardo Montalban. Rich Cornithian Leather !

[drjohncarpenter]

Charles Boyer sounds just like Ricardo Montalban. Rich Cornithian Leather !

Ha.

However, Charles Boyer was twenty years older than Ricardo Montalbán.

So ... Montalbán sounds a lot like Boyer!

[N880EP]

Another good and fascinating (for hardcore fans) thread from EJ. Thanks.

EP always took refuge in music and books. Some of his favorite reading material was very much along a similar vein as the music shared on this thread. This kind of material served as the nourishment that specifically satisfied and soothed EP's soul. This is one of those corner or central pieces that is critical to the overall enigmatic puzzle that is EP.


N8

[keninlincs]

Thanks EJ i enjoyed listening to a couple of those tracks

[keninlincs]

Thanks EJ i enjoyed listening to a couple of those tracks