Paradise Hawaiian Style Sessions - Full Of Talents!

[MikeFromHolland]

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Imagine what could have been with all the talents that were in that studio during these PHS sessions:

Musicians:
Guitar: Scotty Moore
Guitar: Barney Kessel
Guitar: Charlie McCoy
Steel Guitar: Bernal Lewis
Bass: Ray Siegal
Drums: D.J. Fontana
Drums: Milton Holland
Drums: Hal Blaine
Piano: Larry Muhoberac

Backup Vocals:
The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker; Neal Matthews; Hoyt Hawkins; Ray Walker (This Is My Heaven, Paradise, Hawaiian Style & House Of Sand)
Guide Vocals: Neal Matthews (Queenie Wahine's Papaya)

Scotty Moore
See: http://scottymoore.net


Barney Kessel
See this thread:
Jazz guitar legend plays DATIN'
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&p=1502741#p1501687


Charlie Mc Coy
Charles Ray "Charlie" McCoy (born March 28, 1941 in Oak Hill, West Virginia) is an American session musician noted for his work on a wide variety of instruments. In his career, McCoy has backed several notable musicians including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Tom Astor, Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins and Ween. He has also recorded thirty-seven studio albums, including fourteen for Monument Records. Thirteen of his singles have entered the Billboard country charts. He was a member of Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry.
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Bernal Lewis (1921-1984)
His full name was Bernal Keoki Kalaauokalani Kaai. Lewis was a hanai (adopted) name from the laukea Lewis family of Kona, and Bernie has written of his birth and childhood at Hakalau near Hilo, on the Big Island. He was already composing music by the age of 14 and was educated at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, receiving his BA in 1939 and his MA in 1943 at UCLA. He became one of the youngest arrangers ever to work on the staff of HBC, San Francisco, and he composed a number of major works, "California Panorama", "Hawaiian Suite" and "Hawaiiana", which have been performed at the Hollywood Bowl. He has conducted and arranged for symphony orchestras as well as working with many of the leading West Coast Hawaiian musicians, as steel guitarist, guitarist or singer. During the 1940s he was involved with Ray Meany's publishing and recording organisation, and from 1950-1956 was arranger for Dorothy Lamour. In 1959, Bernie became a member of ASCAP and from 1973-1974 was musical arranger for the Flip Wilson TV show. He was also a long-time associate of bandleader/singer/composer Paul Rage, and for a number of years served as musical director for the Grammy Awards. ln the mid-1970s he was musical director for Don Thorup of Kolapa Productions, who put out a series of fine Hawaiian albums, several of which included Bernie. In 1978 he played in and arranged the band for the TV production of the Third Nani Awards, predecessor of today's "Ha Hoku Hanohano", the Hawaiian equivalent of the Grammies. Indeed an outstanding career which also covered fields other than Hawaiian. Bernie was a musical giant. His singing voice possessed an unusual vibrant and evocative quality, while his steel guitar playing had an extraordinary fluidity and originaliry. Sweet as honey it could swing HARD! "Steel Guitar Boogie", one of his many compositions, comes from what appears to be his very first recording session in 1946. The line-up includes Danny Kuaana on ukulele, Harry Baty and Freckles Lyons on guitar. Al Mclntire (brother of Dick and Lani) on bass, Mannie Klein on trumpet. Paul Page on celeste, and Frank Sabatella on piano. In this recording the steel guitar boogies happily with piano and trumpet.

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Ray Siegal
Ray played bass and tuba (!) for the soundtrack King Creole as well, among others. Together with Barney Kessel we hear him playing on Return To Sender too.


D.J. Fontana
No introduction needed.


Milton Holland (1917-2005)
Milton "Milt" Holland (born Milton Olshansky; February 7, 1917 – November 4, 2005) was an American drummer, percussionist, ethnic musicologist, and writer in the Los Angeles music scene. He pioneered the use of African, South American, and Indian percussion styles in jazz, pop and film music; traveling extensively in those regions to collect instruments and to learn the musical styles of playing them.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1946, he played on countless jazz and pop albums, film and TV scores. A sampling of the artists he worked with includes Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Chaka Khan, John Williams, Leonard Bernstein, Elmer Bernstein, Quincy Jones, Nat King Cole, Henry Mancini, Loggins and Messina, James Taylor, Ella Fitzgerald, Laurindo Almeida, Ry Cooder and Joni Mitchell. He played Pandeiro and Triangle on Mitchell's hit Big Yellow Taxi and Congas and Percussion on Light My Fire with José Feliciano.

As part of the so-called "Wrecking Crew," Holland won countless gold and platinum records for his contributions. He was perhaps most proud of having helped desegregate the Los Angeles Musicians Union. Eventually, Holland became the first choice for exotic percussion among Los Angeles freelance session musicians.

Milton Holland on percussion:
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Hal Blaine
Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929) is an American drummer and session musician.

He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew (with Milton Holland!) in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Nancy Sinatra, Jan and Dean, Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, Carpenters, the Beach Boys, the Grass Roots, the 5th Dimension, the Monkees, the Partridge Family, and Steely Dan. He has played on 40 number one hit singles, 150 top ten hits and has performed on, by his own accounting, over 35,000 recorded tracks. He is widely regarded as one of the most prolific drummers in rock and roll history, having "certainly played on more hit records than any drummer in the rock era".

Blaine is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, and the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2010.
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Larry Muhoberac
Larry Muhoberac (born Lawrence Gordon Muhoberac, Jr.; February 12, 1937) is an American musician, producer, and composer who at various times has also been known as Larry Owens and Larry Gordon.[1]

Muhoberac is widely known as the original keyboardist in Elvis Presley’s TCB Band. He first appeared live with the group at Presley’s Hotel International debut in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 31, 1969,[2] After years of touring, Glen Hardin replaced him on piano. Other members from the TCB era were James Burton (lead guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass), John Wilkinson (rhythm guitar) and Ronnie Tutt (drums).

Muhoberac was born and raised in Louisiana and began playing accordion and piano at age five. He went on the road with Woody Herman at 20, and moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1959. In 1961, then using the pseudonym "Larry Owens", his band played two of Presley’s Memphis charity concerts.[3]

He moved to the West Coast in the early sixties to work as a studio musician. There, Presley first recruited him to work on his movie soundtracks.[4] He developed a reputation as a top player, working first with Elvis and later with Neil Diamond, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Tanya Tucker, Ray Conniff and Barbra Streisand among others. Later in his career he arranged and conducted for numerous top acts including Seals & Crofts and Contemporary Christian band The Archers. He emigrated to Australia in 1986 where he continues to produce and arrange.

He is married to Andra Willis, a former vocalist on The Lawrence Welk Show. He composed the opening theme, entitled "Interlude", to The Joy of Painting.

As of February, 2015, after years of suffering from Dementia, Larry was permanently admitted to an institution. However, his musical skills are still outstanding.

His sons, Jamie Muhoberac and Parrish Muhoberac, are also well known session musicians, arrangers, producers, and engineers.

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The PHS sessions: what a waste of talent! Just imagine what could have been...

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[Ciscoking]

Very interesting. ..so many good musicians. .
didn't notice until now...thank you.

[Tony C]

In the same way that good actors cannot make a bad script good, good musicians cannot make bad songs good.

[jurasic1968]

Agree 300%. Thanks Mike for your detailed information about these musicians.

[Johnny2523]

Great topic mike. The only info that seems to be incorrect is about larry touring for several years before glen D came in. I thought larry only played piano in vegas 1969 and never toured with elvis.

[MikeFromHolland]

In the same way that good actors cannot make a bad script good, good musicians cannot make bad songs good.

If the PHS songs were good or bad is a matter of opinion or taste, but that they could be much more exciting with these talented musicians on board is very much plausible. They can make "bad" songs "good" if they're free to improvise.

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[Davelee]

In the same way that good actors cannot make a bad script good, good musicians cannot make bad songs good.

If the PHS songs were good or bad is a matter of opinion or taste, but that they could be much more exciting with these talented musicians on board is very much plausible. They can make "bad" songs "good" if they're free to improvise.

..

.

Its got nothing to do with "opinion" or "taste" the songs are simply crap, period.

When Phil Gelormine interviewed Gorden Stoker a few years ago, Gorden told Phil that he asked Elvis why he was recording so much crap, Elvis said "man, those Hollywood a**holes are paying me a million dollars to sing this crap, so lets just do the best we can with it and get the f**k out". So if Elvis says they were crap, then they were crap and after all he was the artist. Its not Elvis' fault that the fans like crap songs.

[MikeFromHolland]

In the same way that good actors cannot make a bad script good, good musicians cannot make bad songs good.

If the PHS songs were good or bad is a matter of opinion or taste, but that they could be much more exciting with these talented musicians on board is very much plausible. They can make "bad" songs "good" if they're free to improvise.

..

.

Its got nothing to do with "opinion" or "taste" the songs are simply crap, period.

When Phil Gelormine interviewed Gorden Stoker a few years ago, Gorden told Phil that he asked Elvis why he was recording so much crap, Elvis said "man, those Hollywood a**holes are paying me a million dollars to sing this crap, so lets just do the best we can with it and get the f**k out". So if Elvis says they were crap, then they were crap and after all he was the artist. Its not Elvis' fault that the fans like crap songs.

Thank you for your extremely insightful contribution as usual. Nice to know that Elvis had an opinion as well. His opinion still doesn't make it a fact, though.

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[Domino]

Interesting stuff.Thanks.

It's hard to know what would happen if all these musicians were given the green light to do what they can to the PHS tracks.
I wonder could Laurence Olivier ,Marlon Brando,Robert De Niro,Jack Nicholson or Anthony Hopkins make Harum Scarum any better?

It's anyone's guess.

[fn2drive]

What is sad is how they must have laughed at Elvis after these sessions in the pub. What is even sadder is that he surely knew they would be laughing at him. Tragic.

[stevelecher]

What is sad is how they must have laughed at Elvis after these sessions in the pub. What is even sadder is that he surely knew they would be laughing at him. Tragic.

I doubt they laughed. I imagine they felt sad about it. What's a shame is that Elvis didn't realize that they would pay him $1M to sing quality songs too and that he should have resisted the crap, if only for his own well being.

[MikeFromHolland]

What is sad is how they must have laughed at Elvis after these sessions in the pub. What is even sadder is that he surely knew they would be laughing at him. Tragic.

Actually I think those talented musicians were in the same boat...

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[fn2drive]

In the same way that good actors cannot make a bad script good, good musicians cannot make bad songs good.

If the PHS songs were good or bad is a matter of opinion or taste, but that they could be much more exciting with these talented musicians on board is very much plausible. They can make "bad" songs "good" if they're free to improvise.

..

.

Its got nothing to do with "opinion" or "taste" the songs are simply crap, period.

When Phil Gelormine interviewed Gorden Stoker a few years ago, Gorden told Phil that he asked Elvis why he was recording so much crap, Elvis said "man, those Hollywood a**holes are paying me a million dollars to sing this crap, so lets just do the best we can with it and get the f**k out". So if Elvis says they were crap, then they were crap and after all he was the artist. Its not Elvis' fault that the fans like crap songs.

Thank you for your extremely insightful contribution as usual. Nice to know that Elvis had an opinion as well. His opinion still doesn't make it a fact, though.

.

Just because Elvis thought they were crap doesnt mean on FECC that we need to think they are crap. What did Elvis know after all. He cut 'em so they were solid gold.

[Davelee]

In the same way that good actors cannot make a bad script good, good musicians cannot make bad songs good.

If the PHS songs were good or bad is a matter of opinion or taste, but that they could be much more exciting with these talented musicians on board is very much plausible. They can make "bad" songs "good" if they're free to improvise.

..

.

Its got nothing to do with "opinion" or "taste" the songs are simply crap, period.

When Phil Gelormine interviewed Gorden Stoker a few years ago, Gorden told Phil that he asked Elvis why he was recording so much crap, Elvis said "man, those Hollywood a**holes are paying me a million dollars to sing this crap, so lets just do the best we can with it and get the f**k out". So if Elvis says they were crap, then they were crap and after all he was the artist. Its not Elvis' fault that the fans like crap songs.

Thank you for your extremely insightful contribution as usual. Nice to know that Elvis had an opinion as well. His opinion still doesn't make it a fact, though.

.

Just because Elvis thought they were crap doesnt mean on FECC that we need to think they are crap. What did Elvis know after all. He cut 'em so they were solid gold.

Yeah, to hell with Elvis' thoughts, the facts are only his opinions

[MikeFromHolland]

In the same way that good actors cannot make a bad script good, good musicians cannot make bad songs good.

If the PHS songs were good or bad is a matter of opinion or taste, but that they could be much more exciting with these talented musicians on board is very much plausible. They can make "bad" songs "good" if they're free to improvise.

.

Its got nothing to do with "opinion" or "taste" the songs are simply crap, period.

When Phil Gelormine interviewed Gorden Stoker a few years ago, Gorden told Phil that he asked Elvis why he was recording so much crap, Elvis said "man, those Hollywood a**holes are paying me a million dollars to sing this crap, so lets just do the best we can with it and get the f**k out". So if Elvis says they were crap, then they were crap and after all he was the artist. Its not Elvis' fault that the fans like crap songs.

Thank you for your extremely insightful contribution as usual. Nice to know that Elvis had an opinion as well. His opinion still doesn't make it a fact, though.

.

Just because Elvis thought they were crap doesnt mean on FECC that we need to think they are crap. What did Elvis know after all. He cut 'em so they were solid gold.

Yeah, to hell with Elvis' thoughts, the facts are only his opinions

Guys, it's not complicated:

Full Definition of fact

1: a thing done: as
a obsolete : feat
b : crime <accessory after the fact>
c archaic : action

2 archaic : performance, doing

3: the quality of being actual : actuality <a question of fact hinges on evidence>

4
a : something that has actual existence <space exploration is now a fact>
b : an actual occurrence <prove the fact of damage>

5: a piece of information presented as having objective reality
in fact: in truth

Full Definition of opinion

1
a : a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter
b : approval, esteem

2
a : belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge
b : a generally held view

3
a : a formal expression of judgment or advice by an expert
b : the formal expression (as by a judge, court, or referee) of the legal reasons and principles upon which a legal decision is based

Let's call Elvis the expert. Still it's an opinion.

Gheezzz, and my native tongue isn't even English...

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com

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[stevelecher]

I think Elvis was kind of a dupe who didn't know he could demand better. It's still that age old question, what did Parker have on him that made Elvis so subservient? And why didn't Parker realize that producing the low quality would eventually catch up to them? Didn't they make more money on Suspicious Minds, where they didn't own the publishing, than on Long Legged Girl, where they did?

[a mess of polk salad]

Have we got a FTD version of the album?


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[colonel snow]

Here a clip with Bula maleya (Drums of the islands) - traditional song of Fiji Islands.
Sounds familiar with the movie version.

colonel snow


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[stevelecher]

Have we got a FTD version of the album?

Really? Well, yes we do. An earlier, single disc FTD. I assume it would have been two discs if it had come out later. Wouldn't have minded some more takes of Sand Castles.

[a mess of polk salad]

Have we got a FTD version of the album?

Really? Well, yes we do. An earlier, single disc FTD. I assume it would have been two discs if it had come out later. Wouldn't have minded some more takes of Sand Castles.

I must have it somewhere but it can't be that good because I never play it. Like the movie though...


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[Davelee]

Have we got a FTD version of the album?

Really? Well, yes we do. An earlier, single disc FTD. I assume it would have been two discs if it had come out later. Wouldn't have minded some more takes of Sand Castles.

I must have it somewhere but it can't be that good because I never play it. Like the movie though...


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

LOL.

Most pepple in the Elvis world do not play this album often because, save for a couple of songs, it is crap and thats a fact, though MikeFromHolland will tell you that a fact is only a opinion. lol

[jerrynodak]

On a cold winter's night in North Dakota I can enjoy watching the movie and dream about a warmer place. The problem with the soundtrack isn't the musicians. It's the songs.

[Juan Luis]

"We did a number of bad songs"- Larry Muhoberac on the Echo Will Never Die.

[Davelee]

On a cold winter's night in North Dakota I can enjoy watching the movie and dream about a warmer place. The problem with the soundtrack isn't the musicians. It's the songs.

Yes, they are crap.

[stevelecher]

I'd play the FTD before I would watch the film again. Cheers!