"Shake A Hand"

[Juan Luis]

The (trumpeter and and band leader) Joe Morris composition, was an important R&B #1 hit as first recorded by Faye Adams in 1953. Notable artists covering the tune include
Red Foley, Johnnie Ray, Pat Boone, Little Richard, LaVern Baker, Jackie Wilson and Linda Hopkins, and Freddie Scott.
Elvis Presley's version was recorded on March 12, 1975, for the album that was to be titled "Elvis Today". Produced by Felton Jarvis in Hollywood at RCA Studio C, with Rick Ruggieri behind the console.

On April 8,9,10 Felton oversaw overdubs in Chip Young's (who also overdubbed guitars on album) Quadrophonic Sound Studio in Nashville with his longtime engineer Al Pachucki behind the console. The brass arrangement was by Memphian Mike Leech (who replaced Duke Bardwell's bass tracks as well). Very fine piano by Glen D.Hardin, who follows the original record arrangement.

This for me is a very good album cut (not single material IMO) providing a fine ending to Side A of the album.

Elvis Presley's singing has a bit of soul, blues, topped with Gospel and a country twang. He does good service to this old number from his teens, that was in the back-burner for him to record since 1966, and 1956 before that. Elvis also performed the song in an excellent and inspired live version on July 23,1975.

"Don't ever be ashamed
Just give me a chance
I'll take care of everything"

Sounds like Elvis!

More here. https://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=91159


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[promiseland]

Jaun are going to go through all 711 original masters? You may want to see if the mods will give you some dedicated forum space to display all your song reviews.
You may even want to put them in chronological sequencing .

[lovin' EP]

Jaun are going to go through all 711 original masters? You may want to see if the mods will give you some dedicated forum space to display all your song reviews.
You may even want to put them in chronological sequencing .

Somebody obviously likes his song reviews! Notice Juan's amount of Likes given/received. I personally like his song reviews very much.

Elvisly,

Linda

[poormadpeter2]

Well, when the board has been going for over a dozen years, there's only so many things to discuss, so going through the songs one at a time is certainly no bad thing.

I like Shake a Hand, and it's a shame this didn't make it to the concert stage more than a couple of times. One would think it would be a reasonably straightforward addition to the live repertoire. It also seemed to signal a phase in Elvis's final years of returning to songs of the 1950s which, given the lack of decent new material coming his way, was no bad thing - but it's a shame a complete album didn't emerge from the idea of Elvis looking back over his shoulder at the music of his youth. Little Darlin' aside, old songs such as Shake a Hand, He'll Have to Go, Pledging My Love, Unchained Melody, She Thinks I Still Care, Hurt, and Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain for the most part show Elvis at his best during these final few years.

[lovin' EP]

Guys, I've been searching but can't find where Elvis sang this song in Atlanta., and I'm almost positive he did at one of the Atlanta shows I saw. Can any of you help me out??? I do love this song. Elvis was really into it.

Elvisly,

Linda

[Juan Luis]

Jaun are going to go through all 711 original masters? You may want to see if the mods will give you some dedicated forum space to display all your song reviews.
You may even want to put them in chronological sequencing .

No thank you. And no I won't highlight all 700+ masters. Not even half probably.

[Juan Luis]

Well, when the board has been going for over a dozen years, there's only so many things to discuss, so going through the songs one at a time is certainly no bad thing.

I like Shake a Hand, and it's a shame this didn't make it to the concert stage more than a couple of times. One would think it would be a reasonably straightforward addition to the live repertoire. It also seemed to signal a phase in Elvis's final years of returning to songs of the 1950s which, given the lack of decent new material coming his way, was no bad thing - but it's a shame a complete album didn't emerge from the idea of Elvis looking back over his shoulder at the music of his youth. Little Darlin' aside, old songs such as Shake a Hand, He'll Have to Go, Pledging My Love, Unchained Melody, She Thinks I Still Care, Hurt, and Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain for the most part show Elvis at his best during these final few years.

Thanks for that.



Here's a live version somewhat improved in sound. http://www103.zippyshare.com/v/Eirs5vbF/file.html

[Domino]

Nothing wrong with spot lighting The King's music cause his music is what it's all about.Keep'em comin.
And I like this song very much too.

[Juan Luis]

Jaun are going to go through all 711 original masters? You may want to see if the mods will give you some dedicated forum space to display all your song reviews.
You may even want to put them in chronological sequencing .

Somebody obviously likes his song reviews! Notice Juan's amount of Likes given/received. I personally like his song reviews very much.

Elvisly,

Linda

Thank you Linda and Domino. . I am glad that you do.

[jeanno]

Not a fan of 1975 "Today" LP but Shake A Hand (+ T.R.O.U.B.L.E and I Can Help) were my favorite tracks. As always around that time with Elvis, it was always great to find out a R&B in the middle of so many MOR and C&W tunes. Shake A Hand, with its nice bluesy but also Gospel vibe, was obviously an highlight and such a surprise in that context (btw Juan Luis: I don't hear the "Country twang" here.) Something similar would happen with Pledging My Love in the "Moody Blue" album.

[merry77]

Hi Linda,

In Atlanta June 6th 1976 just a small excerpt after Big boss man.

Elvis sang complete versions live in Asheville on July 22nd, 23rd and 24th in 1975.

Guys, I've been searching but can't find where Elvis sang this song in Atlanta., and I'm almost positive he did at one of the Atlanta shows I saw. Can any of you help me out??? I do love this song. Elvis was really into it.

Elvisly,

Linda

[colonel snow]

The original version was recorded in june 1953 by Faye Adams (Herald 416 / Warwick M 590).

Other versions in 1953:
00-06-53 - Savannah Churchill (Decca 28836);
07-07-53 - Red Foley (Decca 28839);
00-07-53 - Fran Warren (MGM 11583);
00-08-53 - Bernice Parks (Mercury 70224).

colonel snow

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there!! .

Love this song with it´s bluesy feel .

I very much appreciate Elvis Today lp as he was in great voice. Those outtakes are worthy to dig out too! .

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Thanks "Juan Luis" for all those great topics about songs in no particular order: 50´s, 60´s & 70´s. It shows your love for the music Elvis did for all of us .

P.S: Great live version of Shake A Hand in Ashville, I don´t have it on cd but now I got the download. Thanks!.

Source: http://www.keithflynn.com/recording-sessions/750311.html#05

[Juan Luis]

Not a fan of 1975 "Today" LP but Shake A Hand (+ T.R.O.U.B.L.E and I Can Help) were my favorite tracks. As always around that time with Elvis, it was always great to find out a R&B in the middle of so many MOR and C&W tunes. Shake A Hand, with its nice bluesy but also Gospel vibe, was obviously an highlight and such a surprise in that context (btw Juan Luis: I don't hear the "Country twang" here.) Something similar would happen with Pledging My Love in the "Moody Blue" album.

The twang is almost subtle, and palatable, in my opinion.

[rollinson1]

Excellent choice Juan Luis

Great latter day Elvis song. What I find striking about the live version is how close this is to the recorded version, so must have been rehearsed at some point. I mean, Elvis is so committed and the voice because of it being an audience recording sounds all together better than a dry sounding soundboard in my opinion. Does make you wonder why it was only covered threes times as the audience obviously liked the song.

Love It

[Juan Luis]

Excellent choice Juan Luis

Great latter day Elvis song. What I find striking about the live version is how close this is to the recorded version, so must have been rehearsed at some point. I mean, Elvis is so committed and the voice because of it being an audience recording sounds all together better than a dry sounding soundboard in my opinion. Does make you wonder why it was only covered threes times as the audience obviously liked the song.

Love It

I noticed that too! Even the backing brass arrangement was carefully copied for the live performance.

[fn2drive]

The best summary for this album is not good, nor bad but mediocre. Elvis had clearly cut back on the downers by this session but by this point the drugs had ruined his instrument. This track is a great example-boring rendition with him bellowing but lacking all subtlety. What it would have sounded like a decade earlier. The stand out tracks on this album are Pieces of My Life and And I Love You So where he is still able to muster some control and the tracks match the state of his voice, though on the later he is still deficient. TROUBLE is one of those tracks that i am never sure what to make of it with all the reverb and echo which seems intended to cover up defects. As for the rest he mostly sounds straining and in a key to high. Having said that, it had only one place to go from here and that was down, way-o down. Loved the album back in the day-one i rarely revist any more. Too painful to hear what he did to his voice.

[r&b]

Its very good later day Elvis, one of the 3 tracks I like on an otherwise boring LP for me. One can only imagine how this would have sounded if recorded in 1969 at American. A little more funk and gutsier I would think.

[Juan Luis]

Its very good later day Elvis, one of the 3 tracks I like on an otherwise boring LP for me. One can only imagine how this would have sounded if recorded in 1969 at American. A little more funk and gutsier I would think.

Or in 1956 and 1966, when he was even in better voice, and the song was actually considered.

[rollinson1]

The best summary for this album is not good, nor bad but mediocre. Elvis had clearly cut back on the downers by this session but by this point the drugs had ruined his instrument. This track is a great example-boring rendition with him bellowing but lacking all subtlety. What it would have sounded like a decade earlier. The stand out tracks on this album are Pieces of My Life and And I Love You So where he is still able to muster some control and the tracks match the state of his voice, though on the later he is still deficient. TROUBLE is one of those tracks that i am never sure what to make of it with all the reverb and echo which seems intended to cover up defects. As for the rest he mostly sounds straining and in a key to high. Having said that, it had only one place to go from here and that was down, way-o down. Loved the album back in the day-one i rarely revist any more. Too painful to hear what he did to his voice.

I know the source is not perfect but what did you think of the live version. I ask this because there doesn't seem a lot wrong with the voice to me, and the audience show no signs of disapproval from what I can hear.

[r&b]

Its very good later day Elvis, one of the 3 tracks I like on an otherwise boring LP for me. One can only imagine how this would have sounded if recorded in 1969 at American. A little more funk and gutsier I would think.

Or in 1956 and 1966, when he was even in better voice, and the song was actually considered.

Yes. I always felt he should have been doing songs of this nature (r&b, blues) way more than he did throughout his career. I have to admit I was a little surprised (pleasantly) he actually did this one in 1975.

[rollinson1]

I'm sure everyone in their right mind would have liked their favourite artist,not just Elvis to have done something earlier or better in their career but unfortunately life does not pan out that way. I actually think that Elvis Today is a very nice album,it was not the greatest ever released but it is a million miles from being the worst either. I Sometimes think too many people judge him unfairly.We all know Elvis had more problems going on than he could deal with. We don't know what was going on his head at this stage and unfortunately he dealt with his problems very poorly. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and you would think people would learn from it but history proves otherwise.

[lovin' EP]

Hi Linda,

In Atlanta June 6th 1976 just a small excerpt after Big boss man.

Elvis sang complete versions live in Asheville on July 22nd, 23rd and 24th in 1975.

Guys, I've been searching but can't find where Elvis sang this song in Atlanta., and I'm almost positive he did at one of the Atlanta shows I saw. Can any of you help me out??? I do love this song. Elvis was really into it.

Elvisly,

Linda

Thanks, Merry77. I knew I had heard this in Atlanta. And I was on front row at the Asheville July 22, show and remember how Elvis walked around and shook hands with the fans. Just awesome. I also remember how respectful the fans were. They didn't scream and rush the stage like they did with the scarf songs. Just beautiful and emotional.

Elvisly,

Linda

[lovin' EP]

The best summary for this album is not good, nor bad but mediocre. Elvis had clearly cut back on the downers by this session but by this point the drugs had ruined his instrument. This track is a great example-boring rendition with him bellowing but lacking all subtlety. What it would have sounded like a decade earlier. The stand out tracks on this album are Pieces of My Life and And I Love You So where he is still able to muster some control and the tracks match the state of his voice, though on the later he is still deficient. TROUBLE is one of those tracks that i am never sure what to make of it with all the reverb and echo which seems intended to cover up defects. As for the rest he mostly sounds straining and in a key to high. Having said that, it had only one place to go from here and that was down, way-o down. Loved the album back in the day-one i rarely revist any more. Too painful to hear what he did to his voice.

I do not remember reading anything of value from you on this board. You are SO negative. Why are you even a member of this board?

Elvisly,

Linda

[fn2drive]

The best summary for this album is not good, nor bad but mediocre. Elvis had clearly cut back on the downers by this session but by this point the drugs had ruined his instrument. This track is a great example-boring rendition with him bellowing but lacking all subtlety. What it would have sounded like a decade earlier. The stand out tracks on this album are Pieces of My Life and And I Love You So where he is still able to muster some control and the tracks match the state of his voice, though on the later he is still deficient. TROUBLE is one of those tracks that i am never sure what to make of it with all the reverb and echo which seems intended to cover up defects. As for the rest he mostly sounds straining and in a key to high. Having said that, it had only one place to go from here and that was down, way-o down. Loved the album back in the day-one i rarely revist any more. Too painful to hear what he did to his voice.

I know the source is not perfect but what did you think of the live version. I ask this because there doesn't seem a lot wrong with the voice to me, and the audience show no signs of disapproval from what I can hear.

I like the live cut better than the studio version. His power vocals still lack the subtlety that made him great but he used them to great effect on the stage to create faux drama. He achieved that here. As to the crowds they are a bad barometer. If Elvis was playing in a place where he was beloved, he could have read the phone book and he would have drawn cheers. Indeed many of us on this board saw performances that were barely better than that and convinced ourselves they were the second coming back in the day. With distance and time most of us know better. Shake a Hand vs Little Darlin'-frankly not sure which i prefer. Elvis adds nothing to Shake A Hand. When he was great, his covers almost always were definitive. This is just album fodder. Surely better than what the Aurebachs would serve up though.

The real problem with this album was it was another hodge podge of tracks with no cohesive theme-just Elvis giving RCA what they demanded. It would really be interesting to get the RCA perspective about Elvis which i have not seen covered. They obviously knew he was deeply addicted-what did they think, what was there strategy or did they just decide it wasnt worth the brain damage because of dealing with Tom Parker. As long as they got enough tracks to fill an LP and sell 250k then so be it.