The Mystery Train 1.0

A selection of my writings from the original run of The Mystery Train, published online between 2010 and 2014, preserved as part of the site’s early history.

Experience Elvis at full throttle in Young Man With The Big Beat (UPDATE: Individual songs available for purchase on Amazon)

/ TY / 6 Comments

Available today from Sony’s RCA/Legacy label, the five-CD boxed set Young Man With The Big Beat features a ton of 1956 material. For die-hard fans, the crown jewel of the set is the first-ever release of Elvis’ December 15, 1956, concert that marked the singer’s final appearance on the Louisiana Hayride radio program.

Also released today is the Sony Legacy edition of his debut album, Elvis Presley, which is paired with his second album, Elvis.

Note that this set is also available for purchase in digital format (audio only) at a substantially reduced price for the full set.

UPDATE: Possibly along with others, Amazon US is offering the opportunity to buy individual tracks in digital format. This means fans who only want the Hayride material do not have to purchase the entire set. Thank you to Sony for this consideration.

Below is a full break-down of the Young Man With The Big Beat set, adapted from Sony’s press release and marketing material.

Disc 1: Studio Recordings

17 tracks recorded in New York, Nashville, and Hollywood, starting with the 12 songs on the debut LP, Elvis Presley (‘1254’), followed by non-LP single A-sides and B-sides, and EP tracks.

  1. Blue Suede Shoes
  2. I’m Counting On You
  3. I Got A Woman
  4. One-Sided Love Affair
  5. I Love You Because
  6. Just Because
  7. Tutti Frutti
  8. Trying To Get To You
  9. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)
  10. I’ll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin’)
  11. Blue Moon
  12. Money Honey
  13. Heartbreak Hotel
  14. I Was The One
  15. My Baby Left Me
  16. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
  17. Shake, Rattle And Roll

Disc 2: Studio Recordings

22 tracks recorded in New York, Nashville, and Memphis, starting with the 12 songs on the second LP, Elvis (‘1382’), followed by non-LP single A-sides and B-sides, and EP tracks.

  1. Rip It Up
  2. Love Me
  3. When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
  4. Long Tall Sally
  5. First In Line
  6. Paralyzed
  7. So Glad You’re Mine
  8. Old Shep
  9. Ready Teddy
  10. Anyplace Is Paradise
  11. How’s The World Treating You
  12. How Do You Think I Feel
  13. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
  14. Hound Dog
  15. Don’t Be Cruel
  16. Any Way You Want Me (That’s How I Will Be)
  17. Too Much
  18. Playing For Keeps
  19. Love Me Tender
  20. Let Me
  21. Poor Boy
  22. We’re Gonna Move

Disc 3: Live Recordings

Rare remasters of shows at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas (four songs); Little Rock, Arkansas (seven songs); and a recently discovered, previously unreleased concert in Shreveport, Louisiana, in December (ten songs).

Recorded Live At The Venus Room, Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas, May 6

1.  Heartbreak Hotel
2.  Long Tall Sally
3.  Blue Suede Shoes
4.  Money Honey

Recorded Live At The Robinson Memorial Auditorium, Little Rock, Arkansas, May 16

5.  Heartbreak Hotel
6.  Long Tall Sally
7.  I Was The One
8.  Money Honey
9.  I Got A Woman
10. Blue Suede Shoes
11. Hound Dog

Recorded Live At The Hirsch Youth Center, Louisiana Fairgrounds, Shreveport, Louisiana, December 15

12. Heartbreak Hotel
13. Long Tall Sally
14. I Was The One
15. Love Me Tender
16. Don’t Be Cruel
17. Love Me
18. I Got A Woman
19. When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
20. Paralyzed
21. Hound Dog

Disc 4: Outtakes

Four outtakes from the first historic RCA session in January (“I Got A Woman,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “I’m Counting On You,” “I Was The One”), segueing into the complete session of February 3rd (11 takes of “Lawdy, Miss Clawdy” and 12 takes of “Shake, Rattle And Roll”); plus the first of the interviews – the complete Warwick Hotel (NYC) interview by Robert Brown in March.

  1. I Got A Woman – take unknown
  2. Heartbreak Hotel – take 06
  3. I’m Counting On You – take 13
  4. I Was The One – take 02
  5. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 01
  6. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 03
  7. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 04
  8. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 05
  9. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 06
  10. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – takes 07, 08, 09
  11. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 10 (master)
  12. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – takes 11, 12
  13. Shake, Rattle And Roll – takes 01, 02
  14. Shake, Rattle And Roll – takes 03, 05, 06, 07
  15. Shake, Rattle And Roll – take 08
  16. Shake, Rattle And Roll – takes 09, 10, 11, 12, 12 (undubbed master)
  17. The Complete Warwick Hotel Interview

Disc 5: Interviews

The Paul Wilder interview, plus his interviews with Colonel Parker and Oscar Davis; plus two segments of Elvis’ rarely heard candid monologue, “The Truth About Me,” and two advertisements for RCA Victrolas.

  1. The Complete TV Guide Presents Elvis interview
  2. Colonel Parker Interview
  3. The Truth About Me
  4. The Truth About Me Interview
  5. Victrola Radio ad 1
  6. Victrola Radio ad 2

Book

The focal point of the book, spread across its 80 pages, will be a unique, meticulously-researched, day-by-day chronology of Elvis’ iconic year, including every concert, every recording date, every television appearance, personal events in Elvis’ life, and much more. A dazzling photo array of memorabilia will illustrate each day and entry. Concert ticket stubs, RCA memoranda, letters from fans, postcards from Elvis to his family, tour itineraries, magazine covers and articles, trade charts, fan club relics, RCA publicity photos, concert photos, candid photos, and more will be a feast for the eyes and the imagination as 1956 unfolds.

Other Items

Will also include five rare 8×10 photographs, five original-size poster replicas, and a replica concert ticket stub.

ilEvs (Shuffled Elvis)

/ TY / 5 Comments

Over on The Sheila Variations blog, Sheila states, “It’s very weird to listen to [Elvis] on Shuffle. It’s vaguely schizophrenic, the material is often wildly uneven, but there is also a thruline which is his voice and also – I guess I would call it joy. He seems happy to be doing what he’s doing” (“Elvis Shuffle” — The Sheila Variations).

Although Elvis is not always a primary topic there, The Sheila Variations has featured many insightful Elvis posts lately. It’s always great to see Elvis-related posts on non-Elvis blogs. Be sure to check this one out, for both the Elvis and non-Elvis content.

As for me, I happen to do much of my Elvis listening in shuffled mode these days. I didn’t always listen this way, but the iPod Age has no doubt caused this habit to evolve in me.

Except when first experiencing a new album, I don’t often play Elvis in context anymore. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard the material in context so many times before, but I find that shuffling Elvis is a powerful way to get into his entire career without getting stuck on “I only like the 50s” or “I only like the 70s,” etc.

For instance, I just can’t take twenty or thirty of his 1960s movie tunes in a row. If instead sprinkling them among other songs I enjoy, though, I often pick up on a great movie song I may otherwise have missed (“Anyone” comes to mind, though that revelation actually came about during an all-artists shuffle).

Of course, the control freak side of me does not allow this to be completely random. I’ve got a series of smart playlists I use in order to carefully plan this randomness. More about that some other time. In fact, it’s been on my list of future articles for well over a year now! Maybe someday, I’ll actually write it.

Steve Brogdon sets new record conquering Elvis Trivialities #5

/ TY

The Mystery Train’s Night Riders have a new member. Setting a new record, Steve Brogdon correctly answered Elvis Trivialities #5 in only 17 minutes. In recognition of this outstanding achievement, Steve now has a brand-new set of bragging rights.

And the answer is…

The Mystery Train Elvis Trivia 5

The above image slice is from the Elvis movie It Happened At The World’s Fair.

It Happened At The World's Fair (1963)

The real question should have been, what exactly happened at the world’s fair?

The 1963 film also starred Joan O’Brien and Gary Lockwood. Kurt Russell had a bit part in the movie as the boy who kicks Elvis. Russell went on to portray the singer in 1979’s Elvis, directed by John Carpenter. An homage to the scene appears in 2001’s 3,000 Miles To Graceland, which also starred Russell.

The 1979 Elvis movie was produced by Dick Clark. Now, stay with me, here’s some even stranger trivia for you. John Carpenter (best known for directing Halloween) shares his name with the character Elvis played in 1969’s Change Of Habit. Change Of Habit was directed by William A. Graham. Graham directed 1993’s Elvis & The Colonel: The Untold Story (one of the worst movies about Elvis, and that’s an accomplishment), which, get this, was also produced by Dick Clark! Confused yet?

Whew! Meanwhile, Gary Lockwood from It Happened At The World’s Fair went on to play Gary Mitchell in “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” the Star Trek pilot that sold the series. Yesterday, Star Trek celebrated its 45th anniversary. Lockwood is most known, however, for playing Dr. Frank Poole in 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Elvis, of course, went on to use “Also Sprach Zarathustra” as his opening theme in most of his 1971-1977 concerts. Richard Strauss’ 1896 composition was also used as the theme to 2001.

If you’re lookin’ for trivia, you came to the right place.

Meanwhile, you never know when I’ll post the next question. The best way to have a chance to win is to subscribe to The Mystery Train Elvis Blog using the feature in the menu bar to the right. Then, you’ll be notified by email whenever there is a new post.

Congratulations again to Steve!

The Mystery Train’s Night Riders

  • September 9, 2011: Steve Brogdon (0:17) <— Record time
  • August 6, 2011: Thomas (2:26)
  • July 9, 2011: Thomas (5:26)
  • June 23, 2011: Fred Wolfe (0:18)
  • June 22, 2011: [Ty stumps the train]

Elvis Trivialities #5

/ TY / 4 Comments

Happy Friday, folks. It’s time for another round of Elvis Trivialities. I’m going to change it up a little this time.

Your question is:

From which Elvis movie is the following image slice?

The Mystery Train Elvis Trivia 5

Name this Elvis movie!

A brand new set of bragging rights is ready for the first person to post the correct answer in the comments below.

Will the rest of the train allow Thomas to claim three victories in a row? Will anyone break Fred’s speed record?

I’ll post the answer by Monday, and we’ll find out.

I don’t really mean to complain

/ TY / 5 Comments

It feels like it’s been raining for twenty days and twenty nights here, so it’s kind of put me in a funk. To help turn things around, below is my personal ranking of the rain songs that Elvis released during his lifetime.

#1 Kentucky Rain (1969)
Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits, Volume 1

#2 Early Morning Rain (1971)
Elvis Now

#3 All I Needed Was The Rain (1967)
Singer Presents Elvis Singing Flaming Star And Others

#4 When It Rains, It Really Pours (1957)
Elvis For Everyone

#5 Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain (1976)
From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee

Something I noticed when ranking these songs is that all of them are great! None of his rain songs are clunkers.

Until next time, try to stay dry, folks.

P.S.: I didn’t include “rainbow” songs, as that is a slightly different weather phenomenon. We’ll save those for another list.

James Burton: The Early Years coming October 4

/ TY / 2 Comments

Be on the lookout for a new CD from Ace Records compiling over two dozen James Burton songs, covering his pre-Elvis work (“With A Little Help From His Friends: James Burton Anthology Features Everlys, Nelson, Hazlewood and Buffalo Springfield” — The Second Disc).

Burton first appeared on record in 1956 on the small Ram label, backing Carol Williams on ‘Just For a While,’ and [… i]t wasn’t long before Burton was an in-demand session musician, playing the famous and influential solo on Dale Hawkins’ ‘Susie Q’ in 1957. Within a year, Burton had taken his place alongside Ricky Nelson, building up a body of work that still endures […]. His association with Nelson lasted until 1967; two years later, he would take the stage in Las Vegas with Elvis Presley, where ‘Play it, James’ became a familiar catchphrase of The King’s.” (Source: The Second Disc)

James Burton: The Early Years – 1957-1969 is scheduled for release on October 4. For the complete track listing, follow the initial Second Disc link above. A planned second volume will include some of Burton’s work with Elvis and others.

2011 Emmy Awards to include tribute to 1968’s ELVIS special

/ TY / 6 Comments

2011’s Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards will include a brief tribute to the 1968 ELVIS television special (“Emmy Awards Special Tribute to Elvis Presley’s ’68 Comeback Special” — Elvis.com).

Steve Binder, the ELVIS special’s producer and director, will appear, as will Priscilla Presley, Elvis’ ex-wife. Binder and Presley will also present four awards. The Creative Arts show tapes September 10 for airing September 17 on REELZCHANNEL.

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards airs live on FOX the following day, September 18. Though the Creative Arts Emmys will be mentioned, this broadcast will likely not include the ELVIS special.

Notably, the ELVIS special failed to receive any Emmy nominations in 1968, though Binder went on to receive nominations for other projects, including a win in 1977 for the Barry Manilow Special.