Elvis Presley - The February 1970 RCA Multi-track Recordings

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As the fundamental reason for RCA undertaking these multitrack recordings was to draw from them enough songs from which to compile a live album, it is therefore unsurprising that almost all of them remained unreleased for over thirty years.
Following the release of “On Stage – February 1970” in June 1970, there was the occasional sporadic additional release. The album itself is a curiosity in that despite the plethora of songs recorded by RCA during these eight shows, two of the ten songs contained on the album were actually recorded during August 1969!
There was much debate about just what songs, shows or portions of shows that had actually been recorded by RCA. These discussions, in a pre-internet age, could be found in fan publications such as Elvis Monthly but much of these were often pure conjecture.
It was in 1999, when RCA released an extended edition of the original album, in what was titled the remastered series, that we had an idea of just what might be waiting to be discovered. However, it was in July 2004, with the Follow That Dream label still in it’s infancy, that there was an official release of a complete show from these recordings.
The thirty fourth release from the label, itself only founded in 1999, was titled Polk Salad Annie, comprised of Elvis’ 15 February 1970 Midnight Show with some rehearsals added as a bonus at the end of the show. One of the highlights was a version of Hound Dog featuring the second verse, almost never sung in concert by Elvis.
The show as a whole however, is quite superb and if you haven’t heard any or all of this show then you are in for a real treat. It is Elvis Presley quite simply at the top of his game!!

Tracklisting
00:00 I Got A Woman
01:18 Long Tall Sally
03:32 Don’t Cry Daddy
07:00 Hound Dog
09:38 Love Me Tender
12:25 Kentucky Rain
17:00 Let It Be Me
20;28 I Can’t Stop Loving You
22:46 Walk A Mile In My Shoes
25:38 In The Ghetto
28:37 Sweet Caroline
31:21 Polk Salad Annie
36:58 Band Introductions
39:18 Suspicious Minds
44:25 Can’t Help Falling In Love

This show was the first show from which RCA used source material for the On Stage album, and two songs were released on that album in 1970. However, Kentucky Rain from this show was one of the few from these February 1970 recordings that found themselves officially released in the thirty years after they were recorded. It was released on Elvis Aron Presley, otherwise known as “The Silver Box Set” in 1980 and then on “Greatest Hits – Volume One” the following year and then “The Sound of Your Cry” in 1982. This version is my own personal favourite of all of the live renditions of the song!!
There seems to have been seven songs recorded at this show, but only six have ever been released and there is some debate as to the seventh, All Shook Up. Depending on the source, the opinions range from it purely being unreleased to it not have been recorded at all although it was still given a recording designation matrix!!
The two songs that were released onto the On Stage album were Proud Mary and Sweet Caroline, and can be heard here in their original undubbed state. What is also apparent is that Elvis is having lots of fun on stage during this period.
The overdubs to Proud Mary and Sweet Caroline took place at RCA’s Studio A in Nashville on 31 March 1970 and consisted of adding extra backing vocals.

Tracklisting
00:00 Don’t Cry Daddy
02:47 Kentucky Rain
06:12 Elvis Talk/Meets The Audience
08:38 Proud Mary – The RCA Undubbed Master
10:58 Walk A Mile In My Shoes
13:48 Sweet Caroline - The RCA Undubbed Master
16:15 Polk Salad Annie

Chronologically the third show of tapings by RCA in their pursuit of material from which to compile a live album was this 16 February 1970, midnight show. Seven tracks were certainly recorded and are included in this compilation, with a further two rumoured to have been recorded, but as yet unreleased in any form.
None of the tracks recorded at this show were used on the album which resulted from these recordings “On Stage – February 1970”. The first six recorded were finally released in June 2018 on the Follow That Dream release Off –On Stage – February 1970 Revisited.
Among those released was another excellent rendition of Let It Be Me and a version of I Got A Woman where the recording only began after Elvis had already begun the song. Also included is a version of Polk Salad Annie which remains officially unreleased. This was preceded by the two songs which still remain unreleased in any form – I Can’t Stop Loving You and Sweet Caroline.

Tracklisting
00:00 I Got A Woman (incomplete)
Long Tall Sally
Let It Be Me
Don’t Cry Daddy
Kentucky Rain
Love Me Tender
Polk Salad Annie

This was the fourth of eight shows that RCA recorded a selection of live songs from which to compile the “On Stage – February 1970” album. Whereas the previous two shows did not contain any songs that made it onto the album, this show yielded a single selection. The song selected was that which would close the album – the live RCA master rendition of Let It Be Me.
A total of seven songs were recorded by RCA at this show, and all but one have been officially released. The first to be released were Don’t Cry Daddy and Kentucky Rain which appeared in 1999 on an expanded version of the original 1970 On Stage album. In 2002, a further two songs were released on the fourth disc of the box set Today, Tomorrow an Forever namely Polk Salad Annie and Walk A Mile In My Shoes.
The final song recorded at this show to receive an official release was C.C. Rider as a bonus track on Follow That Dream’s Polk Salad Annie. This left a rendition of Long Tall Sally as the final song recorded at this show still to be released in any form.

Tracklisting
00:00 Don’t Cry Daddy
02:58 Kentucky Rain
06:51 Let It Be Me – The Undubbed RCA Live Master
10:58 C.C. Rider
13:26 Polk Salad Annie
17:57Walk A Mile In My Shoes

This was the sixth of eight shows that RCA recorded a selection of live songs from which to compile the “On Stage – February 1970” album. From this show RCA recorded just six songs, one of which would not just be selected as a live RCA master and make it onto the album, but become one of his most famous live recordings and a massive hit throughout the world.
The Wonder of You was selected as the single from the album and made it to number one in many countries including the UK. Before being included in the album some post production overdubs were added at RCA Studio A in Nashville on 31 March 1970. These comprised of added vocals recorded by Millie Kirkham, Mary and Ginger Holladay, Jeannie Greene, Sandra Posey Robinson, Dolores Edgin, June Page, Hurshel Wiginton and Joseph Babcock. This was supplemented with further backing vocals and additional applause added on 4 April. The version included in this compilation is the same version as recorded before the overdubs were added.
The second song to be released from this show was Don’t Cry Daddy which appeared in October 1981 on Greatest Hits – Volume One. An album with an almost identical tracklisting including Don’t Cry Daddy was released in the UK titled The Sound Of Your Cry.
The remainder of the songs were released on Follow That Dream’s expanded version of the On Stage album in March 2012.

Tracklisting
00:00 Long Tall Sally
01:49 Elvis Talks
02:55 Don’t Cry Daddy
06:08 The Wonder of You – The RCA Undubbed Live Master
08:45 Walk A Mile In My Shoes
11:18 Release Me
13:39 Polk Salad Annie

This, the sixth of eight shows which had portions recorded by RCA in order to compile what would become the “On Stage – February 1970” album, is the most complete thus far. Although difficult to say definitively, it seems that almost all of the concert was recorded from Long Tall Sally to the show’s conclusion. However, the discovery of a complete audience recorded copy of the show could answer this question once and for all. For example, it almost certain that Elvis had performed In The Ghetto after Walk A Mile In My Shoes as part of a segued medley but this was not recorded with a fade inserted instead.
What is certain however, is that from this show, RCA sourced three songs for the “On Stage” album, C.C. Rider, Release Me and Polk Salad Annie. All three, as all songs used for the album, underwent a post production session to add overdubs, at RCA’s Studio A in Nashville on 31 March and 1 April 1970. This show therefore is the single largest source of songs for the album and the first of the six shows to have Suspicious Minds and Can’t Help Falling In Love recorded.
Overall, twelve songs were recorded by RCA and all have now been officially released with the first out with the masters contained on the 1999 expanded edition of the “On Stage” album, namely Long Tall Sally and the Celebrity Introductions. The remainder were released on Follow That Dream’s classic album series version of the album which included all of the songs recorded from this show in chronological order on Disc 2.

Tracklisting
00:00 Long Tall Sally
03:12 Don’t Cry Daddy
06:04 Kentucky Rain
09:22 Let It Be Me
12:40 I Can’t Stop Loving You
15:04 Walk A Mile In My Shoes
17:56 C.C. Rider – The RCA Live Undubbed Master
21:00 Release Me – The RCA Live Undubbed Master
23:53 Polk Salad Annie – The RCA Live Undubbed Master
29:08 The Wonder of You
31:39 Celebrity Introductions
33:20 Suspicious Minds
38:33 Can’t Help Falling In Love

This was the seventh of eight shows that RCA recorded a selection of live songs from which to compile the “On Stage – February 1970” album. This is perhaps the most unusual of these as it remains the only show of the eight which has the least amount of recordings released officially. Only four of the nine tracks recorded have been released officially with the all but one of the remainder available on bootleg releases.
The only track from this show still awaiting a release of any kind is a rendition of The Wonder of You, itself one of only six similar tracks. This show was also one of only three which did not yield an RCA master for the On Stage album.

Tracklisting
00:00 Elvis Talks
01:49 Proud Mary
04:45 Elvis Talks
05:46 Don't Cry Daddy
08:26 Elvis Talks
10:47 Kentucky Rain
13:58 Let It Be Me
17:24 I Can't Stop Loving You
20:22 Walk A Mile In My Shoes
23:18 Elvis Talks
23:59 Release Me
27:06 C.C. Rider

This was the last of the eight shows that RCA recorded a selection of live songs from which to compile the “On Stage – February 1970” album. Apart from the opening couple of songs, it appears that almost of this show was recorded and from that two RCA masters were created although one would remain unused.
The only track from this show to be selected for the “On Stage – February 1970” album was Walk A Mile In My Shoes but I Can’t Stop Loving You would be rejected despite receiving the post production treatment. This song would finally receive an official release on the expanded 1999 re-issue of the album along with In The Ghetto, placed at it’s rightful place as part of a medley with Walk A Mile In My Shoes. The other song to be released on that 1999 album was the superb rendition of Suspicious Minds.
The remainder of the songs recorded at this show, along with those already released, were placed together in the correct running order on Follow That Dream’s issue of the album in February 2012. This meant that every song recorded from this show was actually released for the first time in an official release and not by an unofficial bootleg release.

Tracklisting
00:00 Long Tall Sally
02:10 Don't Cry Daddy
06:34 Hound Dog
07:58 Love Me Tender
11:07 Kentucky Rain
14:22 Let It Be Me
17:47 I Can't Stop Loving You - The RCA Live Master
20:16 Walk A Mile In My Shoes
23:05 In The Ghetto
26:29 The Wonder Of You
29:45 Release Me
32:41 Polk Salad Annie
40:29 Band Introductions
42:39 Suspicious Minds
47:46 Can't Help Falling In Love

Over the previous nine volumes in this series we have heard almost every song that RCA recorded during February 1970, creating a pool from which to compile a live album. The resultant album would be titled “On Stage – February 1970” but not all would be as it seemed. Despite recording over seventy tracks only eight would make onto the album, even though it contained ten in full.
This would suggest that RCA were far from satisfied in the library of recordings that they had collected. This dissatisfaction would likely be rooted in the combination of Elvis suffering from a cold throughout the recordings and his failure to take many of the recordings serious enough. This could be plainly heard especially in renditions of Don’t Cry Daddy and Kentucky Rain and neither had versions added to the upcoming album. As a result, RCA needed to resort to returning to recordings made the previous August to make up the numbers.
The songs selected for the album then underwent some post production almost exclusively in the manner of adding extra backing vocals. This was undertaken over three days on 31 March, 1 and 3 April 1970 at RCA Studio A in Nashville. Although eight songs from the February 1970 recordings were added to the album, nine underwent the post production treatment with I Can’t Stop Loving You the odd one out.
The songs are presented here in chronological order as opposed to the album running order to make it easier to refer back to the volume of that date in the series if anyone wishes to compare the overdubbed master to the original recording.

Tracklisting
00:00 Proud Mary – 16 February Dinner Show
02:47 Sweet Caroline - 16 February Dinner Show
05:30 Let It Be Me - 17 February Midnight Show
09:06 The Wonder of You - 18 February Dinner Show
11:42 C.C. Rider - 18 February Midnight Show
14:47 Release Me - 18 February Midnight Show
17:59 Polk Salad Annie - 18 February Midnight Show
23:32 I Can’t Stop Loving You - 19 February Midnight Show
25:56 Walk A Mile In My Shoes - 19 February Midnight Show