Little Darlin'

[midnightx]

Heres the Moody Blue tracks..its a solid country music album..I detect no weak spot.Its just easy listening ..just play it and sing a long..when I listen to the album it reminds me why I am a fan...and the days back then..memories...I remember playing the blue vinyl..was very proud having this one..it just came out recently..

Unchained Melody (Essentially filler, heavily overdubbed to mask vocal and music deficiencies.)
If You Love Me (Let Me Know) (A cringe-worthy cover. Total filler, only included because Jarvis had to find something "new" from the 4-track concert tapes once he admitted he could not deliver enough studio masters.)
Little Darlin' (A throw-away performace that has no business gracing the sequencing of a mainstream, commercial album. Included out of desperation.)
He'll Have To Go
Let Me Be There (Another desperate inclusion recycled from a recent live album, essentially an admission that Jarvis could not deliver enough studio or live masters of new material.)


Way Down
Pledging My Love
Moody Blue
She Thinks I Still Care
It's Easy For You (One of the worst Elvis Presley master recordings from the 1970's)

Half of the content should have been scrapped. It is disjointed album with plenty of weak spots. The reality is that Jarvis only had half an album going into the summer of 1977. He could not get Elvis to record in January 1977 (or get Elvis to commit to rescheduling the session), he could not get him to rehearse and perform new material for the spring concerts being recorded, and was forced to scrap together what was essentially an incomplete album.

[Juan Luis]

Moody Blue album was well received in 1977. Not first time an album has mixed live cuts with studio recordings.

[Rockin_John]

Unchained Melody (Essentially filler, heavily overdubbed to mask vocal and music deficiencies.)

Overdubs and all, I love this. Always have since I first heard at 13-14 years old.

The reality is that Jarvis only had half an album going into the summer of 1977. He could not get Elvis to record in January 1977 (or get Elvis to commit to rescheduling the session), he could not get him to rehearse and perform new material for the spring concerts being recorded, and was forced to scrap together what was essentially an incomplete album.

True

[Ciscoking]

Heres the Moody Blue tracks..its a solid country music album..I detect no weak spot.Its just easy listening ..just play it and sing a long..when I listen to the album it reminds me why I am a fan...and the days back then..memories...I remember playing the blue vinyl..was very proud having this one..it just came out recently..

Unchained Melody (Essentially filler, heavily overdubbed to mask vocal and music deficiencies.)
If You Love Me (Let Me Know) (A cringe-worthy cover. Total filler, only included because Jarvis had to find something "new" from the 4-track concert tapes once he admitted he could not deliver enough studio masters.)
Little Darlin' (A throw-away performace that has no business gracing the sequencing of a mainstream, commercial album. Included out of desperation.)
He'll Have To Go
Let Me Be There (Another desperate inclusion recycled from a recent live album, essentially an admission that Jarvis could not deliver enough studio or live masters of new material.)


Way Down
Pledging My Love
Moody Blue
She Thinks I Still Care
It's Easy For You (One of the worst Elvis Presley master recordings from the 1970's)

Half of the content should have been scrapped. It is disjointed album with plenty of weak spots. The reality is that Jarvis only had half an album going into the summer of 1977. He could not get Elvis to record in January 1977 (or get Elvis to commit to rescheduling the session), he could not get him to rehearse and perform new material for the spring concerts being recorded, and was forced to scrap together what was essentially an incomplete album.

Forget this Jarvis crap.....I am talking about the music..I like this album...each track..its simply good and easy listening music...play it quote often...also like Unchained Melody...
when I want to play a fun album ..I give this one a spin..for me its one of the best late Elvis albums..

nice to know your thoughs, too...although predictable..respect it anyway..

[Juan Luis]

"Essentially an admission that Jarvis could not deliver enough studio or live masters of new material"...

Now that there is funny Jarvis didn't deliver? Was Jarvis sulking in a hotel room in the cold January winter of Nashville and refused to record? Was Parker's threat of "no more tours if his ass didn't get in the studio and record" aimed at Felton? The homework was done. All Elvis had to do was show up and record. But you knew that.

[Mister Moon]

I don't think Elvis' live performances of "Little Darlin'" (that I have heard) are remarkable. They weren't probably intended for release to begin with - just a bit of fun, that's all.

But the fact that Elvis chose to include this song in his live repertoire it's very remarkable. He did not have to sing it, but he did, even if he distanced himself from it, just like he did with most of his own classics in the seventies.

And I'm sure he was aware of The Gladiolas' original too.

Roll over The (Mercury) Diamonds !

All hail Maurice Williams !

[Rockin_John]

But the fact that Elvis chose to include this song in his live repertoire it's very remarkable. He did not have to sing it, but he did...

Yeah, its fascinating. How did that song get performed for 3 years?
I sure would like the hear the first rehearsal of this! "Forget about Such a Night, let's do...Little Darlin'"

[Rockin_John]

Half of the content should have been scrapped. It is disjointed album with plenty of weak spots. The reality is that Jarvis only had half an album going into the summer of 1977. He could not get Elvis to record in January 1977 (or get Elvis to commit to rescheduling the session), he could not get him to rehearse and perform new material for the spring concerts being recorded, and was forced to scrap together what was essentially an incomplete album.

When did you first hear the album?
What was your initial thoughts?
Were you aware of the conditions that it was made under when you first heard it?

[sweetangeline]

its a solid country music album..I detect no weak spot.

[sweetangeline]

Not first time an album has mixed live cuts with studio recordings.

true...but that was never the intention with this album and you know that

[Juan Luis]

And show off a bit of his great falsetto.

[Scarre]

To blame Jarvis for not getting enough new material is like blaming the sun for not shining when it's cloudy.

He did, like most of the time, a very good job with the overdubs. I have no problem understanding that the overdubs cover up some of the problems that was there...both studio and live.

Nevertheless, apart from the LD song, it's an enjoyable album, with several jems.

Moody Blue
She Thinks I Still Care
It's Easy For You
Let Me Be There (sure, a previously released version, but still very good)
Way Down

[Scarre]

But the fact that Elvis chose to include this song in his live repertoire it's very remarkable. He did not have to sing it, but he did...

Yeah, its fascinating. How did that song get performed for 3 years?
I sure would like the hear the first rehearsal of this! "Forget about Such a Night, let's do...Little Darlin'"

I think Little Darlin` is an example of Elvis indulging himself in something that he found funny regardless of his audience. Much like his gay routine with Charlie or trying to make J.D. laugh. The same is true of the dive bomb routines and having Voice on stage. And karate. But this was more for his amusement than trying to bring something worthwhile or more focused into his shows. Why sing or give a professional display of your musical abilities when there's a kata to show off regardless of what the audience wants or how silly it looked. And why concentrate on words and lyrics when Little Darlin` is funny. To him at least.

Yes. Can't remember witch show, but he says something like...it's a silly song, but I like it...

[midnightx]

But the fact that Elvis chose to include this song in his live repertoire it's very remarkable. He did not have to sing it, but he did...

Yeah, its fascinating. How did that song get performed for 3 years?
I sure would like the hear the first rehearsal of this! "Forget about Such a Night, let's do...Little Darlin'"

I think Little Darlin` is an example of Elvis indulging himself in something that he found funny regardless of his audience. Much like his gay routine with Charlie or trying to make J.D. laugh. The same is true of the dive bomb routines and having Voice on stage. And karate. But this was more for his amusement than trying to bring something worthwhile or more focused into his shows. Why sing or give a professional display of your musical abilities when there's a kata to show off regardless of what the audience wants or how silly it looked. And why concentrate on words and lyrics when Little Darlin` is funny. To him at least.

True. And the fact that Jarvis included this self-indulgent oddity on a mainstream, commercial album was appalling.

[Ciscoking]

To blame Jarvis for not getting enough new material is like blaming the sun for not shining when it's cloudy.

He did, like most of the time, a very good job with the overdubs. I have no problem understanding that the overdubs cover up some of the problems that was there...both studio and live.

Nevertheless, apart from the LD song, it's an enjoyable album, with several jems.

Moody Blue
She Thinks I Still Care
It's Easy For You
Let Me Be There (sure, a previously released version, but still very good)
Way Down

Good posting and please add at least..If You Love Me...and Pledging My Love..

[Scarre]

To blame Jarvis for not getting enough new material is like blaming the sun for not shining when it's cloudy.

He did, like most of the time, a very good job with the overdubs. I have no problem understanding that the overdubs cover up some of the problems that was there...both studio and live.

Nevertheless, apart from the LD song, it's an enjoyable album, with several jems.

Moody Blue
She Thinks I Still Care
It's Easy For You
Let Me Be There (sure, a previously released version, but still very good)
Way Down

Good posting and please add at least..If You Love Me...and Pledging My Love..

Sure, but they are not as good as the songs mentioned earlier. I don't skip them...

[midnightx]

"Essentially an admission that Jarvis could not deliver enough studio or live masters of new material"...

Now that there is funny Jarvis didn't deliver? Was Jarvis sulking in a hotel room in the cold January winter of Nashville and refused to record? Was Parker's threat of "no more tours if his ass didn't get in the studio and record" aimed at Felton? The homework was done. All Elvis had to do was show up and record. But you knew that.

Jarvis was the producer of the album. It was his job to oversee the session and to ensure that a proper album was recorded, sequenced, mixed, mastered, and delivered to RCA. Jarvis was unable to get Elvis to record 10 studio tracks of viable material to complete the album. He under-performed when he had Elvis at Graceland (twice) which resulted in cost overruns and a deficient amount of material. Elvis bailed on the January 1977 session, and Jarvis was unable to convince his artist to reschedule or convince management and RCA to put pressure on Elvis to recommit (and clearly he did not want to have to reveal to Parker and RCA that he had failed to control yet another Presley recording session). Out of desperation, he recorded portions of live concerts during the spring of 1977, but was unable to get his artist to rehearse any “new” material for the live recordings and was left with no practical and compelling live tracks for the album project. He allegedly pathetically carried around a copy of the Fire Down Below backing track during the winter/spring of 1977 in hopes of getting Elvis to record a vocal, but he appears to have never asserted that Elvis commit to the recording. Jarvis mismanaged Elvis and failed at producing the intended album, and was ultimately forced to cobble together a disjointed project of studio masters, second-thought live numbers, and three year old recycled live track.

[Ciscoking]

Jarvis....Jarvis.....Jarvis....go to a Felton
Jarvis forum...

[Juan Luis]

Not first time an album has mixed live cuts with studio recordings.

true...but that was never the intention with this album and you know that

So? It worked.

[drjohncarpenter]

Yeah, its fascinating. How did that song get performed for 3 years?
I sure would like the hear the first rehearsal of this! "Forget about Such a Night, let's do...Little Darlin'"

"Little Darlin'" is really a 1975 affectation, the majority of known performances come from May-December 1975. After that, Elvis gave about a dozen more renditions total. The final performance, from 4-24-1977 (Ann Arbor) actually ended up being the one included on Moody Blue.

[Juan Luis]

"Essentially an admission that Jarvis could not deliver enough studio or live masters of new material"...

Now that there is funny Jarvis didn't deliver? Was Jarvis sulking in a hotel room in the cold January winter of Nashville and refused to record? Was Parker's threat of "no more tours if his ass didn't get in the studio and record" aimed at Felton? The homework was done. All Elvis had to do was show up and record. But you knew that.

Jarvis was the producer of the album. It was his job to oversee the session and to ensure that a proper album was recorded, sequenced, mixed, mastered, and delivered to RCA. Jarvis was unable to get Elvis to record 10 studio tracks of viable material to complete the album. He under-performed when he had Elvis at Graceland (twice) which resulted in cost overruns and a deficient amount of material. Elvis bailed on the January 1977 session, and Jarvis was unable to convince his artist to reschedule or convince management and RCA to put pressure on Elvis to recommit (and clearly he did not want to have to reveal to Parker and RCA that he had failed to control yet another Presley recording session). Out of desperation, he recorded portions of live concerts during the spring of 1977, but was unable to get his artist to rehearse any “new” material for the live recordings and was left with no practical and compelling live tracks for the album project. He allegedly pathetically carried around a copy of the Fire Down Below backing track during the winter/spring of 1977 in hopes of getting Elvis to record a vocal, but he appears to have never asserted that Elvis commit to the recording. Jarvis mismanaged Elvis and failed at producing the intended album, and was ultimately forced to cobble together a disjointed project of studio masters, second-thought live numbers, and three year old recycled live track.

The singer had to sing and record. That's not the producer's job. That was his manager's or the artist himself to fulfil contract. Elvis failed to comply. Get it? Plain silly thinking otherwise. Jarvis went above and beyond call of duty.

[Scarre]

I wonder...how can you force your boss...or anyone for that matter...to do something that they have no interest in, or don't want to do?

<snip>

A NOTE FROM THE MODERATORS:

A portion of this post was removed because of a guideline violation.

PLEASE KEEP FROM FIGHTING PERSONAL WARS ON THE FORUM.

Thank You.

[midnightx]

When did you first hear the album?

Circa 1988

What was your initial thoughts?

I thought it was a very mixed, unbalanced album. Aside from “Pledging My Love,” I noticed the hits “Way Down” and “Moody Blue” were coupled alongside vastly inferior tracks. I thought “Little Darlin’” was cringe-worthy. The live Olivia Newton-John tracks seemed way beneath an artist of Elvis’ stature (and thought it was odd that the Memphis version of “Let Me Be There” was on the album). I did not find the country-influenced studio tracks overly compelling, although years later I grew to appreciate “She Thinks I Still Care” and “He’ll Have to Go.” I was surprised at how mediocre Elvis’ vocals were on “Unchained Melody.”

Were you aware of the conditions that it was made under when you first heard it?

Circa 1988, I was not aware of the conditions the album was made under during the 1976/1977 period. Once I discovered the album’s history, I understood why it was such an uneven record. Still, it did not change my overall view of what was a very overrated album. I understand why some have sentimental attachment towards Moody Blue, but I do find it surprising that anyone would ever assert that there are "no weak spots" on what is obviously an unbalanced album.

[Ciscoking]

IMO it is neither unbalanced nor weak or whatever...it is simply good music and a nice mixture of live and studio cuts...I call it varied and good.

[midnightx]

I wonder...how can you force your boss...or anyone for that matter...to do something that they have no interest in, or don't want to do?

<snip>

A NOTE FROM THE MODERATORS:

A portion of this post was removed because of a guideline violation.

PLEASE KEEP FROM FIGHTING PERSONAL WARS ON THE FORUM.

Thank You.

Jarvis had Elvis at Graceland twice -- a skilled producer can encourage, compel, and inspire an artist to commit to the recording process when they are physically together in the recording environment. Apparently you are not aware of how skilled producers operate. There are a number of Jarvis enthusiasts on this forum who continue to assert that Jarvis was great and great for Elvis, yet he often failed to get results. It is not all on Elvis. Yes, Elvis walked out of Nashville in January (a session that would not have been necessary had Jarvis done his job in 1976 at Graceland), but again, Jarvis never went to management or RCA to get Elvis to recommit, he quietly recorded parts of concerts during the spring of 1977 desperately hoping that Elvis might perform something unique that he could use -- he did not even have the competence to go to Elvis as a collaborator and explain the need for a few new songs to fill out the album he was helping Elvis make as Elvis' staff producer. The guy clearly did not deliver and was in way over his head with a challenging, uninspired artist.