From ElvisMatters:
We’d like to ask […] all the visitors of this website to please pray for Myrna Smith. This is the latest from her friend Carole: “I just […] found out that hospice at West Hills Hospital has been brought in […]. This means that dialysis treatments have been stopped and Myrna will be slowly weaned of the feeding tube. […] It is just a matter of time, but I think it is best for Myrna. Please keep her in your prayers.”
“Listen to his voice, ladies and gentlemen”
Sad news this morning. Singer Sherrill Nielsen passed away on December 10, reports Elvis Information Network and ElvisMatters. He was 68.
Nielsen first performed with Elvis as a member of the Imperials gospel group on the 1966 album How Great Thou Art. He left the Imperials shortly thereafter, but returned to the Elvis world in 1973 as a member of a new group, Voice. Voice provided backup singing in concert and in the studio, including work on 1975’s Elvis Today album.
Nielsen features prominently on two live recordings released shortly after Elvis’ death. On the 1977 album Elvis In Concert, which compiled songs from two stops on his final tour, Elvis introduces Nielsen and asks him to sing “O Sole Mio” – the original Italian version of “It’s Now Or Never.” As Nielsen sings solo during the June 21, 1977, performance in Rapid City, South Dakota, Elvis playfully gibes him as a “smart aleck” while hitting the high notes. Elvis soon takes over to do a solid version of “It’s Now Or Never.”
Softly, As I Leave You (1978 single)
In February 1978, six months after Elvis’ death, RCA released a single from that same concert – a haunting version of “Unchained Melody,” with piano accompaniment by Elvis himself. The flip side of that 45 RPM record was “Softly, As I Leave You,” which includes almost no singing by Elvis. Instead, in this December 13, 1975, recording from a Las Vegas concert, Elvis tells a fictional story about a dying man composing the song as a final letter to his wife. As Elvis delivers the dramatic tale and speaks the lyrics of the song, Nielsen provides the nearly operatic vocals.
They close in harmony together on the final line, “I will leave you there.”
My condolences go out to Nielsen’s family and friends.
* * *
Research Source: Elvis Presley: A Life In Music – The Complete Recording Sessions by Ernst Jorgensen, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1998.
I’ve been living vicariously through others lately by rather obsessively reading different people’s views of both the Sony and Franklin Mint complete masters sets. I have to hand it to Piers Beagley over at Elvis Information Network. The prospect of reviewing a 30-disc set like The Complete Elvis Presley Masters must have been daunting. I don’t mind telling you that I doubt I could do it.
He did a fine job, and included a lot of great photos. For scale perspective, he even included a standard CD in the shots. Wow, the set is actually much larger than I realized!
Outside of scattered forum postings, this is probably the set’s first full-fledged review. Be sure to read Piers Beagley’s massive 5,000 word review of the enormous Complete Elvis Presley Masters over on EIN.
Sony has quietly released four download-only remixes of “Suspicious Minds” created as part of the Viva Elvis project. These are different remixes than the one appearing on Viva Elvis: The Album.
And by “quietly,” I mean that they basically released them, told no one, and then went about their business. Were it not for a poster over on the For Elvis CD Collectors forum who literally stumbled across them while searching for something else, no one would even know. Not even a mention on Sony’s official Elvis The Music or Viva Elvis sites. Way to go, Sony.
On Amazon US, the four remixes are available at $1.29 each. You would be better served, however, to just download the entire “album” of four songs for a total of $1.99. That’s some funky pricing.
As such modernizations go, I prefer the version on Viva Elvis: The Album. These are still interesting, however, and will make nice additions to the rotation on my iPod.
Thank you to GibbersGanfa for letting the Elvis world know. Read GibbersGanfa’s “Brand New Official Suspicious Minds Remix” post on the FECC forum.
If you know and love an Elvis fan, here are some Christmas gift ideas to suit a wide variety of budgets. Price ranges listed are in US dollars, but most of these items are available around the world.
Under $10
Viva Elvis: The Album: Reactions from the Elvis fan community have been mixed on this CD, which features new backing music to Elvis’ vocals. While this tribute to his career obviously will never replace the original recordings, I love this retrospective. Viva Elvis is a fun and brilliant album that presents Elvis in a whole new light – how it might sound if he recorded today.
Under $20
On Stage (2010 Legacy Edition): This two-CD set contains both On Stage-February 1970 and Elvis In Person At The International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, which capture his August 1969 and February 1970 Vegas engagements. Elvis is in top form here, and these recordings have never sounded better. A few bonus tracks are also included on each disc, from the same time period.
Under $30
Elvis Blu-ray Collection: Jailhouse Rock/Viva Las Vegas/Elvis On Tour: This three-disc Blu-ray set, currently retailing for less than $9 a movie, presents a well-chosen sampler of Elvis’ film career. Jailhouse Rock is the classic 1957 rocker that holds its own against King Creole (1958) and Flaming Star (1960) as Elvis’ best dramatic performance. 1964’s Viva Las Vegas is the highlight of his 1960s “formula” movies – aided, no doubt, by the talents of the beautiful Ann-Margret. Finally, 1972’s Elvis On Tour features Elvis on stage and behind-the-scenes during an April 1972 tour. While not as incredible as 1970’s Elvis-That’s The Way It Is (not yet available on Blu), Elvis On Tour is still a fantastic experience not to be missed.
Fair warning: This 2010 release of Elvis On Tour has been modified from the original version. Due to Warner Home Video’s inability to obtain permission to use “Johnny B. Goode,” the opening song of the movie is now an amateurishly looped, throwaway version of “Don’t Be Cruel.” This only affects the first two minutes of the otherwise unaltered film. The power of Elvis manages to save this release and make it worth recommending. Despite what you may read elsewhere, picture and sound quality for Elvis On Tour are terrific on Blu.
Elvis As Recorded At Boston Garden ’71: This Follow That Dream collectors label CD is a soundboard recording of Elvis’ one and only concert at Boston Garden. This is a must-have for fans of this era, for it provides the missing bridge between his 1970 and 1972 live concert sound. Great show! Find FTD releases at ShopElvis.com and other online Elvis stores.
$400 – $750
Elvis: The Complete Masters Collection (Franklin Mint); The Complete Elvis Presley Masters (Sony): These are two different but similarly themed CD releases. Both contain all 711 recordings that Sony identifies as masters released during Elvis’ lifetime. Sound quality is upgraded, but faithful to the original mixes (in most cases, anyway). The $400 Franklin Mint version also includes a 24-page booklet, a “record player” style display case, and a reproduction of Elvis’ first SUN record, “That’s All Right”/”Blue Moon Of Kentucky.” The $750 Sony version is aimed at higher-end collectors and includes another 103 songs (alternate masters, outtakes, home recordings, etc.), a 240-page book, and a fold-out case to hold everything. The first run of the Sony edition is sold out, but pre-orders for a January second run are now being accepted. To still have something to place under the tree, you could print out a photo of the set from the Sony site. The Franklin Mint version is still available.
Have fun, fellow Elvis fans, and thanks to all of those who love us!
“…and hold your loved ones tight.”
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
ElvisMatters reports that John Wilkinson, who played rhythm guitar from 1969 to 1977 for Elvis, is back in the hospital. Best wishes to John for a speedy recovery and a return home in time for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Read the full article on ElvisMatters: John Wilkinson back in hospital.
[November 28, 2010, UPDATE – Wilkinson is back home:
(A)fter a check-up and some pain relief medications, his doctors told him he was as healthy as could be ‘given the wear and tear and the mileage’. John is enjoying the company of his wife Terry and his two doggies – and like he told us on the phone: ‘a day without Elvis music is a day wasted.’ Even today, 33 years on, John listens to his idol/boss/friend every single day: ‘I loved him then, and I love him now. Some things will never change.'”
(Source: www.elvismatters.com)]
The Mystery Train Blog 