Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

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Mike Windgren
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Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Mike Windgren »

Hi there!! :D :D :D.

Elvis recorded the song on October 24, 1968 at the United Recorders in Hollywood for the 1969 movie "The Trouble With Girls (And How To Get Into It)". It was composed by Ben Weisman & Buddy Kaye. This movie is not on my top 10 Elvis list but the scene were Elvis sings Almost in that white suit is super cool and that make worth it all alone 8).

..

Lyrics:

We almost shared a dream
We almost made it as a team
How nice it would have been.

We almost touched the stars
And there stood heaven, almost ours
We were just outsiders looking in.

We had the chance to fall
But fate stepped in to end it all
Before it could begin.

And if it's true, you're really going
There's nothing but goodbye to say
The saddest part of all is knowing
We almost went all the way.


This song has always been a favourite of mine, since I heard it on the radio in the 80´s on a special Elvis program that was broadcasted every Friday midnight, I usually didn´t have to work on weekends so I could listen to it until the end, which lasted 2 hours.

That special Elvis channel promoted a lot of bootleg lps, cd was not widely distributed yet in Spain in the mid/late-eighties. Thanks to all this listening, I became an instant Elvis bootleg collector. My Elvis bootleg collection reached almost 100 lp´s but many years later I sold almost all of them, when I converted to cd :cry:.

As I noted before the Almost was a first for me, I was amazed by the outstanding vocal Elvis laid on this song, it was the undubbed "Take 31" as included on the legendary 4 lp box set: Behind Closed Doors released under the great bootleg label Audifon.

http://www39.zippyshare.com/v/ZPBgzg4t/file.html
Almost. Undubbed Take 31 taken from an acetate recording. Wav audio rip.

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Behind Closed Doors 4 LP Box Set: Audifon Records AFNS-66072-4 (Released: 1979) 50 Tracks. Front cover.

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Behind Closed Doors 4 LP Box Set: Audifon Records AFNS-66072-4 (Released: 1979) 50 Tracks. Back cover.

P.S: Not to be confused, in late 80´s a cd version was released but several of the original outstanding outtakes were left out because of the capacity of the cd. Of course after all the years almost everything has been released officially :wink:.

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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS CD: Audifon AFNS 66072-4 (Released: 1989) 40 Tracks.

With not many original Classic albums left to be released on the FTD label, there have been many speculations about how FTD will deal with the last 60´s movies like: "Charro", "Trouble With Girls" & "Change Of Habit". We don´t know what FTD has in the vaults or what has been found or bought recently. What we know, from some of the recording books is that on these three movies the recording sessions are lost :shock:.

Some would like to have them individually released on cd by FTD, other have stated to group them all together in one special release. My preference would be if there is not much left on unreleased outtakes, FTD should put out two special CAMDEN releases of Let´s Be Friends & Almost In Love and include everything they have on these 8).

That said, I still think that a single cd could be made for the movie "Throuble With Girls", as this movie has more songs than the other two mentioned and we already had some undubbed and alternates takes of the songs Almost and Clean Up Your Own Back Yard before.

Some years ago, I was told that the complete recording session for Almost exist in the RCA vaults smt124. It would be very interesting listen on how Elvis struggles through the song on the first takes and maybe they even have a rehearsal for it :smt020. Let´s wait and see!. Bye for now :smt006.

Source: http://www.keithflynn.com/recording-sessions/681023.html


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Domino
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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Domino »

One of my most favorite Elvis vocal performances.This is a perfect example of how much more than R&R Elvis was.
I like Take 6 . I always wonder what he is saying at the end of the song that can be found on the "Today,Tomorrow & Forever" 4CD set.

..


8) "Well sir,to be honest with you,we just stumbled upon it." - 1954
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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Juan Luis »

I love that song. Thanks Mike!



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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by drjohncarpenter »

Good post.

"Almost" was a new song for me when I bought the Audifon box set way back in the day. I'll never forget, it set me back about $15.00, I could barely scrape together enough allowance money to buy it. But, boy, did I love the music inside. On one of the October 1968 acetates included on the set, you hear Elvis calling to producer Billy Strange, too.

The undubbed master of "Almost," cut at the 10-23-1968 United Western Recorders session, is far prettier than the overdubbed version released by RCA Camden in 1970. Without the extras the track almost (pun intended) sounds like a solo performance. In truth, talented "Wrecking Crew" session musician Don Randi handles the piano part. He worked on several Presley dates in 1968, and his playing is most notable on "If I Can Dream" and "Let's Forget About The Stars."

A couple of alternate takes have appeared in recent times, take 6 on the June 2002 RCA box set Today, Tomorrow & Forever and take 11 on FTD's Silver Screen Stereo, issued in November 2001. It's unclear, though, if this means more reels from the session are in the archives. It seems unlikely FTD will release a second version of Let's Be Friends on disc if outtakes are found, though.

150715_Let's Be Friends_01.jpg
150715_Let's Be Friends_02.jpg
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Last edited by drjohncarpenter on Fri May 13, 2016 8:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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r&b

Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by r&b »

A fine fine song. One of the best sung ballads of the 60's and better than most anything that came after. I dont think his voice was ever this good again IMO. The problem? Way too short, and a song that was never heard of again after the Camden release. A song that would have been so much better in his live show than the covers.



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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by MikeFromHolland »

.

Beautiful song!

Elvis and Ben:
Image

One of the best Ben Weisman (November 16, 1921 – May 20, 2007) co-wrote for Elvis. And he wrote an awful lot from 1956 to 1971:

01. A dog's Life
02. All I Needed Was The Rain
03. Almost Always True
04. As Long As I Have You
05. Beyond the Bend
06. Change Of Habit
07. Chesay
08. Cindy, Cindy
09. Clambake
10. Crawfish
11. Cross My Heart, Hope To Die
12. Danny
13. Do The Clam
14. Don't Ask Me Why
15. Don't Leave Me Now
16. Easy Come, Easy Go
17. Fame And Fortune
18. First In Line
19. Follow That Dream
20. Forget Me Never
21. Frankie And Johnny
22. Fun In Acapulco
23. Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do
24. Happy Ending
25. Hard Luck
26. Have A Happy
27. He's Your Uncle, Not Your Dad
28. How Can You Lose What You Never Had
29. I Got Lucky
30. I'll Be Back
31. I'll Never Know
32. I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell
33. In My Way
34. It Feels So Right
35. It's Carnival Time
36. It Won't Be Long
37. Let Us Pray
38. Moonlight Swim
39. Party
40. Pocketful Of Rainbows
41. Riding The Rainbow
42. Rock-A-Hula Baby
43. Rubberneckin'
44. Signs Of The Zodiac
45. Slowly But Surely
46. Spinout
47. Stay Away, Joe
48. Steppin' Out Of Line
49. Summer Kisses, Winter Tears
50. There Is So Much World To See
51. This Is Living
52. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights
53. We Call On Him
54. Who Are You (Who Am I)
55. Wooden Heart

Perhaps I miss two, he co-wrote 57 according to Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Weisman
After Presley's death Weisman composed the symphonic tribute, "The Elvis Concerto," to honor the musical partner whom he shared so many artistic achievements that were also commercial successes. After performing a worldwide tour of the concerto, Weisman, with Elvis gone, retired from public life and wrote very little music thereafter.
.


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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by drjohncarpenter »

MikeFromHolland wrote:Beautiful song!


One of the best Ben Weisman (November 16, 1921 – May 20, 2007) co-wrote for Elvis. And he wrote an awful lot from 1956 to 1971:

01. A dog's Life
02. All I Needed Was The Rain
03. Almost Always True
04. As Long As I Have You
05. Beyond the Bend
06. Change Of Habit
07. Chesay
08. Cindy, Cindy
09. Clambake
10. Crawfish
11. Cross My Heart, Hope To Die
12. Danny
13. Do The Clam
14. Don't Ask Me Why
15. Don't Leave Me Now
16. Easy Come, Easy Go
17. Fame And Fortune
18. First In Line
19. Follow That Dream
20. Forget Me Never
21. Frankie And Johnny
22. Fun In Acapulco
23. Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do
24. Happy Ending
25. Hard Luck
26. Have A Happy
27. He's Your Uncle, Not Your Dad
28. How Can You Lose What You Never Had
29. I Got Lucky
30. I'll Be Back
31. I'll Never Know
32. I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell
33. In My Way
34. It Feels So Right
35. It's Carnival Time
36. It Won't Be Long
37. Let Us Pray
38. Moonlight Swim
39. Party
40. Pocketful Of Rainbows
41. Riding The Rainbow
42. Rock-A-Hula Baby
43. Rubberneckin'
44. Signs Of The Zodiac
45. Slowly But Surely
46. Spinout
47. Stay Away, Joe
48. Steppin' Out Of Line
49. Summer Kisses, Winter Tears
50. There Is So Much World To See
51. This Is Living
52. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights
53. We Call On Him
54. Who Are You (Who Am I)
55. Wooden Heart

Perhaps I miss two, he co-wrote 57 according to Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Weisman
After Presley's death Weisman composed the symphonic tribute, "The Elvis Concerto," to honor the musical partner whom he shared so many artistic achievements that were also commercial successes. After performing a worldwide tour of the concerto, Weisman, with Elvis gone, retired from public life and wrote very little music thereafter.
The media usually note Ben Weisman's songwriting total for Presley as 57, but this is incorrect. The final tally is 56.

See:
Songwriter Ben Weisman --> 57 Varieties?
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=78407


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With songwriters Sid Wayne and Ben Weisman, MGM Studios in Culver City - March 1966


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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Hobbes »

Nice song! The take included on the Today Tomorrow and Forever set is my go-to version.




poormadpeter2

Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by poormadpeter2 »

Almost is a lovely song, if all to brief, and certainly one that leaves the listener wanting more. As others have stated, the undubbed master is probably the best. The scene in the film itself is beautifully done, and the film itself remains woefully under-rated by fans and most critics alike, although the NYT were enthusiastic at the time of release. Forget the On Tour outtakes, I would be much more interested in seeing the director's cut of this movie, perhaps the most ambitious of Elvis' narrative films before it was cut to shreds by the studio. Rumour has it that a longer cut was in the hands of the director, but whether that is just a tantalising myth or not is as yet unknown!



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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by TheKingisthething »

Hate this song!!!!



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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by drjohncarpenter »

TheKingisthething wrote:Hate this song!!!!
I'm afraid to ask your feelings on "Queenie Wahine's Papaya."


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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Domino »

Hobbes wrote:Nice song! The take included on the Today Tomorrow and Forever set is my go-to version.

My fave too.What does he say at the end of Take 6 ?


8) "Well sir,to be honest with you,we just stumbled upon it." - 1954
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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by TheKingisthething »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
TheKingisthething wrote:Hate this song!!!!
I'm afraid to ask your feelings on "Queenie Wahine's Papaya."
Please don't!!!!!



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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by drjohncarpenter »

Domino wrote:
Hobbes wrote:Nice song! The take included on the Today Tomorrow and Forever set is my go-to version.

My fave too.What does he say at the end of Take 6 ?
It's too hard to make out:


..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMr0yGRYysc&t=1m47s


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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by GERRY »

Fantastic post. Fantastic song. Fantastic lyrics. Why oh why no film. Not to go off track but i say it again there was a photographer following Elvis around everywhere snapping away at will yet no film :roll:

Really enjoyed reading Doc's post as well.

Oh and i also love that deep bassline in Almost.

Timeless beautiful piece of work unkown to the public that could yet be a single or have success on a new album :wink: ::rocks



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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Domino »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
Domino wrote:
Hobbes wrote:Nice song! The take included on the Today Tomorrow and Forever set is my go-to version.

My fave too.What does he say at the end of Take 6 ?
It's too hard to make out:


..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMr0yGRYysc&t=1m47s

It sounds like he's upset with the way he keeps saying a lyric.
Thanks for this video .


8) "Well sir,to be honest with you,we just stumbled upon it." - 1954
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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by goldbelt »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
Domino wrote:
Hobbes wrote:Nice song! The take included on the Today Tomorrow and Forever set is my go-to version.

My fave too.What does he say at the end of Take 6 ?
It's too hard to make out:

What Elvis says at the end of take 6 is :

"If I say 'we-all' like that one more g****** time I'll eat this"
(quick fade out)

It seems he was venting his frustration at his phrasing on the line "we almost touched the stars" phrasing it as "we-all".

On the master notice he adds an "ah" to the phrasing ............ "ah we almost touched the stars"


..




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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by ale »

Love the song, pity is too short



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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Dan_T »

goldbelt wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:
Domino wrote:
Hobbes wrote:Nice song! The take included on the Today Tomorrow and Forever set is my go-to version.

My fave too.What does he say at the end of Take 6 ?
It's too hard to make out:

What Elvis says at the end of take 6 is :

"If I say 'we-all' like that one more g****** time I'll eat this"
(quick fade out)

It seems he was venting his frustration at his phrasing on the line "we almost touched the stars" phrasing it as "we-all".

On the master notice he adds an "ah" to the phrasing ............ "ah we almost touched the stars"


..
he says "If I say WAY like that one more Goddamn time I'll eat this ....." its easy to imagine the next word ! :)


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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Roddy »

LOVE this song.
Had difficult times (on relationship) and this song was exactly what I felt at the time.



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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by goldbelt »

The undubbed version of Almost on the Double Features CD and take 6 from the TT&F box set are real gems.



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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Johnny2523 »

Ever since i first heard this song, I really love it. Short, but oh so sweet. the scene in the movie is beautiful, altough alot of times i hoped that elvis was brought more in view rather then his co-player. Hopefully we'll get to see a FTD Release of ''The Trouble With Girls'' the movie contains my favourite version of ''Swing Down, Sweet Chariot'' which i like much more then the master from years earlier.


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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Mike Windgren »

Hi there!! :D :D :D.
goldbelt wrote:The undubbed version of Almost on the Double Features CD and take 6 from the TT&F box set are real gems.
The undubbed version you mentioned is exactly the same as the one included on the Behind Closed Doors boxset :wink:. Difference is that the offical one is taken from the master tape and the bootleg one is taken from an acetate, including the sound engineer announcing the production number & the take number 8).

Gentlemen, thank you all for the positive reactions and for sharing memories ::rocks. Now I can have some rest and go to bed, goal accomplished! :smt005. Bye for now :smt006.
Last edited by Mike Windgren on Sat May 14, 2016 11:55 am, edited 1 time in total.


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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Stvimpe »

Nice post, Mike. I enjoyed it. Keep up the good work! And thanks!



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Re: Almost!-->Weisman & Kaye.

Post by Lennart »

Beautiful song!