Elvis: That’s The Way It Is

From here to there, Elvis is everywhere

/ TY / 4 Comments
A Boy From Tupelo (concept cover art)

A Boy From Tupelo (concept cover art)

Follow That Dream, Sony’s collectors label for Elvis fans, recently announced a slate of new releases for this summer:

  • A Boy From Tupelo: The Complete 1953-55 Recordings [the long awaited SUN project, with a 512-page book and 3 CDs] – August
  • G.I. Blues: Volume 1 [2 CD set] – June
  • From Hawaii To Las Vegas: Recorded Live In Rehearsal, January 25, 1973 [1 CD] – June
  • That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition [2-LP vinyl set (weren’t we just talking about the original album?)] – June
  • From Memphis To Hollywood [book detailing the making of 1960’s G.I. Blues] – June

There’s certainly much to be excited about in these releases, particularly the SUN project. In fact, to save for this expensive book and CD set, I’ve been holding off on Elvis purchases so far in 2012 in hopes that this might finally be the year.

We’ll have plenty of time in coming weeks to examine some of these releases in detail, but today, I want to have fun with titles and location, location, location. Dating back to 1961’s Blue Hawaii, dozens of Elvis albums have mentioned a place in the title.

The “From Here To There” style, though, began with 1969’s 2-LP set From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis (later released separately as Elvis In Person and Back In Memphis). Since then, several subsequent releases on both the main label and FTD have followed this trend.

Put them all together and you get a virtual Elvis travelogue:

  • From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis (recorded/released 1969)
  • From Nashville To Memphis (recorded 1960-1969/released 1993)
  • From Sunset To Vegas (recorded 1974/released 2009)
  • From Hawaii To Las Vegas (recorded 1973/released 2012)
  • From Memphis To Hollywood (covers 1960/released 2012)

So, I wonder if it is possible to put the titles in an order where you can go from location to location without getting stranded?

1.) From Nashville To Memphis
2.) From Memphis To Hollywood
3.) From Sunset To Vegas
4.) From Vegas To Memphis
5.) From Memphis To Vegas
STRANDED in Vegas! Need a ticket to Hawaii.

Trying again…

1.) From Hawaii To Las Vegas
2.) From Vegas To Memphis
3.) From Memphis To Hollywood
4.) From Sunset To Vegas
STRANDED in Vegas again! Need a ticket to Nashville.

It appears there is no solution to this Rubik’s cube of Elvis titles. I might be stranded, but at least there’s good music on the radio.

FTD releases are available from various online stores. They originate in Denmark and then ship to retailers, so there is sometimes a two or three week delay after the release date before the items arrive for those of us in the US.

That’s The Way It Is reveals a different side of Elvis

/ TY / 19 Comments

My favorite album released during Elvis Presley’s lifetime is That’s The Way It Is. First hitting record stores in November 1970, it features studio material from his June recordings in Nashville as well as four live cuts from his August Las Vegas engagement. It serves as a soundtrack of sorts for the excellent documentary of the same name, also released that month.

Despite the status I give it, the album is not perfect. Rock ‘n’ roll fans sometimes dismiss it as an easy-listening bore. One of the causes of that issue, I believe, is the sequencing of songs. Many of them should have been presented in a different order. For instance, the album unfortunately begins with a live version of the sleepy B.J. Thomas hit “I Just Can’t Help Believin'” and establishes the wrong tone.

Adding to the trouble, two of the live performances, “Patch It Up” and “I’ve Lost You,” are not as powerful as their studio counterparts, which should have been used instead. The studio recordings had been released as singles prior to the album, so the live versions were likely considered bonuses for fans that already had the 45s. The artistry of the album should have taken priority, though.

Apparently to complete the “feel” of a live album, RCA overdubbed applause on the end of the studio version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which closed out That’s The Way It Is. Elvis’ vocals on the first verse of the song are also very faint in the mix, either on purpose or due to a technical glitch. You can better hear Elvis’ beautiful performance of this song, with his voice louder on the first verse and without the annoying applause overdubs, on Heart & Soul and the Elvis: Walk A Mile In My Shoes-The Essential 70s Masters boxed set.

That's The Way It Is (1970)

Side 1

“I Just Can’t Help Believin'”
Live Master–8/11/1970 Dinner Show (DS): As noted above, the song does not serve well as an album opener. While it is misplaced on the album, the performance is strong. I love the little traces of humor in his voice. He sounds on the verge of laughing a couple of times. Also memorable is his interaction with the Sweet Inspirations throughout (“Sing the song, baby”). Elvis would never be quite as incredible again live as he was in this engagement.

“Twenty Days And Twenty Nights”
Master–Take 9: For me, this song represents the adult Elvis, the recording artist that is too often overlooked. “Twenty Days And Twenty Nights” is about a man who regrets leaving his wife, and Elvis evokes this character through music as well as any actor could on screen. The performance plays through the range of emotions, even striking a hopeful tone (“One day soon I’m going back…”) before falling back into despair as he laments “Oh, how I miss her,” over and over at the end.

“How The Web Was Woven”
Master–Take 3: The highlight of the album, “How The Web Was Woven” is a love song that ranks right up there with the better-known “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” From the acoustic guitar opening to the accompanying piano, the arrangement on this one works very well. “At last, I’m where you want me . . . Don’t you know that’s where, where I wanna be,” he sings with a passion that, for this listener anyway, exceeds even the incredible American Sound sessions in Memphis the year before.

“Patch It Up”
Live Master–8/12/1970 DS: Compared to the excellent studio take, this live version sounds almost like a throwaway. Watching this same energetic performance in the film, though, is an entire other experience.

“Mary In The Morning”
Master–Take 5: This is a pretty, if forgettable, love song. It goes on a bit too long and eventually becomes tiresome.

“You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”
Master–Take 3: Though it is a fine performance, I would have chosen “How The Web Was Woven” or one of the others as a single over Elvis’ version of the Dusty Springfield hit.

Side 2

“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”
Live Master–8/12/1970 MS: This live performance is the definitive version of this song by anyone. This is Elvis at his best: “It makes me just feel like cryin,’ ’cause baby . . . something beau-ti-ful’s dy-in.'” The Righteous Brothers sound like they are singing a lullaby in the original recording compared to the Elvis version. Even Elvis was never able to equal his own performance again in other concerts.

“I’ve Lost You”
Live Master–8/11/1970 DS: While I love this live performance of “I’ve Lost You,” I prefer the studio version featuring more complicated lyrics and arrangement. That being said, this is still a highlight.

“Just Pretend”
Master–Take 3: Picking up where “Twenty Days And Twenty Nights” left off, this turns the despair of a man who left his lover and turns it back to hope for reconciliation. “Now I know, it was wrong to go, I belong there by your side,” he sings, bordering on the type of apology song that Elvis would perfect a couple of years later with “Always On My Mind.” The impressive “Just Pretend,” with a gospel-inspired arrangement, is another all-time favorite.

“Stranger In The Crowd”
Master–Take 9: This is yet another highlight. The band really cooks on this one. For some, Elvis Presley brings to mind “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “All Shook Up,” and similar tunes. While those are all fine, when I think of Elvis, I think of songs like “How The Web Was Woven,” “I’ve Lost You,” and “Stranger In The Crowd.”

“The Next Step Is Love”
Master–Take 11: Here’s one studio song where I actually prefer the live version. “The Next Step Is Love” is a little hokey either way, but the studio arrangement, complete with xylophone(!), does not help matters.

“Bridge Over Trouble Water”
Master–Studio Take 8 (with overdubbed applause): I stopped listening to the original album version of this song once RCA finally released a proper studio track. The one on this album simply does not do justice to his performance. The Heart & Soul version, though, I would contend as the best version of this song by anyone.

Upon its original release, That’s The Way It Is faced stiff competition from none other than Elvis himself. In their infinite wisdom, his record label released the following Elvis music in October and November of 1970:

  • Almost In Love album (an excellent “budget” release)
  • “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”/”Patch It Up” single
  • Elvis In Person album (re-release of record 1 of the previous year’s From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis double album)
  • Back In Memphis album (re-release of record 2 of From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis)
  • Elvis’ Christmas Album (“budget” repackaging)
  • That’s The Way It Is album
  • “I Really Don’t Want To Know”/”There Goes My Everything” single

Despite the oversaturation, That’s The Way It Is made it to number 21 on the charts and obtained gold record status. It probably would have done even better had fans not been so bombarded with Elvis product in the fall of 1970.

Elvis rehearsing How The Web Was Woven, 1970

Elvis rehearsing How The Web Was Woven, 1970

While a wonderful album, That’s The Way It Is also would have been greatly improved if a couple of different song versions had been used and the album had been sequenced as below in my imaginary version of That’s The Way It Is.

Side 1

  • “Stranger In The Crowd” (studio, as on original)
  • “I’ve Lost You” (substitute studio version)
  • “How The Web Was Woven” (studio, as on original)
  • “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” (studio, as on original)
  • “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (substitute Heart & Soul studio version without overdubbed applause)
  • “I Just Can’t Help Believin'” (live, as on original)

Side 2

  • “Patch It Up” (substitute studio version)
  • “Twenty Days And Twenty Nights” (studio, as on original)
  • “Just Pretend” (studio, as on original)
  • “The Next Step Is Love” (studio, as on original)
  • “Mary In The Morning” (studio, as on original)
  • “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” (live, as on original)

No matter the order you listen, though, That’s The Way It Is represents a true Elvis masterpiece.

Portions of the above review originally appeared on my now defunct pop culture blog on May 21, 2008.

Thomas walks away with Elvis Trivialities #9

/ TY / 2 Comments

Thomas (Elvis Today) has won Elvis Trivialities #9. And the answer is…

Copies of the Elvis album On Stage-February 1970 are being thrown into the audience during the Elvis Presley Appreciation Society convention footage featured in the movie That’s The Way It Is.

On Stage Giveaway At Elvis Convention, Luxembourg, 1970

On Stage Giveaway At Elvis Convention, Luxembourg, 1970

Congratulations to Thomas!

* * *

The next question could be thrown out at any time. Be ready to catch it by subscribing to The Mystery Train Blog using the feature in the menu bar to the right. That way, you’ll be emailed whenever a new post appears.

The Mystery Train’s Night Riders

  • February 3, 2012: Thomas (Elvis Today) (2:18)
  • December 21, 2011: Wellsy (2:37)
  • October 31, 2011: Thomas (Elvis Today) (17:32)
  • October 1, 2011: Anton Jeldres Tiselj (Jimmy Cool) (1:01)
  • September 9, 2011: Steve Brogdon (0:17) <— Record time
  • August 6, 2011: Thomas (Elvis Today) (2:26)
  • July 9, 2011: Thomas (Elvis Today) (5:26)
  • June 23, 2011: Fred Wolfe (0:18)
  • June 22, 2011: Ty stumps the train (no winner)

Elvis Trivialities #9

/ TY / 1 Comment

Welcome to Elvis Trivialities. Your question is:

Copies of what album are being thrown into the audience during the Elvis Presley Appreciation Society convention footage featured in the movie That’s The Way It Is?

Elvis Presley Appreciation Society Convention, Luxembourg, 1970

Elvis Presley Appreciation Society Convention, Luxembourg, 1970

Get this one right by being the first person to post the correct answer in the comments below, and I’ll throw you a shrink-wrapped set of bragging rights.

Good luck!

Elvis Countdown: The 15 Greatest Albums

/ TY / 18 Comments

Focusing on those released during his lifetime, below is a countdown of Elvis Presley’s 15 greatest albums.

Elvis' Christmas Album#15 Elvis’ Christmas Album (recorded 1957)
A strong mix of Christmas and gospel songs make this album a seasonal favorite.
Best track: “Santa Claus Is Back In Town”

#14 Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas (1971)
Though recorded nearly 15 years later, this one is a perfect follow-up to his first Christmas album.
Best track: “I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day”

#13 Moody Blue (1974, 1976-1977)
Recorded in the two places Elvis felt most comfortable, Graceland and on stage, this would prove to be his final album and a strong finish.
Best track: “Pledging My Love”

#12 Almost In Love (1966, 1968-1969)
Easily the best of the Camden budget albums, this one can even hold its own against his regular releases.
Best track: “Clean Up Your Own Backyard”

#11 Elvis Is Back! (1960)
People who claim Elvis died in the Army must have missed this spectacular album, featuring a mix of blues, pop, and rock ‘n’ roll. This one feels like it should be in the top ten, but I could not find a slot for it.
Best track: “Reconsider Baby”

Promised Land

#10 Promised Land (1973)
Elvis made only weak albums in the 1970s? Bet me! Promised Land offers a perfect Elvis blend.
Best track: “Promised Land”
[Though I’ve had it in my hands for a month now, I’ve managed to hold off on listening to the FTD version of this album. I won’t have much of an Elvis budget this year, so I’m trying to string out a few FTDs I bought late last year to make them last. Check out Thomas Melin’s top-notch Promised Land FTD review over on Elvis Today Blog.]

#9 Elvis’ Golden Records, Volume 3 (1960-1962)
Say what you will about the 1960s strategy of usually withholding Elvis’ single releases from his main albums, it did result in strong compilations in the Golden Records series – especially this album.
Best track: “Are You Lonesome Tonight”

#8 From Elvis In Memphis (1969)
Fresh off the success of his 1968 ELVIS “comeback” special, this album represented a new beginning for Elvis.
Best track: “Power Of My Love”

#7 ELVIS-TV Special (1968)
Finally, after years of movies and a seeming indifference to his music career, Elvis put himself back on the track with the ELVIS special and album.
Best track: “If I Can Dream”

#6 Elvis In Person At The International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada (1969)
After the TV special and From Elvis In Memphis album, the next crown jewel of the comeback was returning to live performances. Elvis sounds on fire in these recordings.
Best track: “Mystery Train/Tiger Man”

#5 Elvis’ Golden Records (1956-1957)
Elvis’ achievements in 1956 and 1957 are nothing short of astounding. This album compiles his greatest singles of the period and even throws in album cut “Love Me” as a bonus.
Best track: “Jailhouse Rock”

#4 How Great Thou Art (1960, 1966)
Though it provided the most fuel, the television special did not begin the comeback. Rather, it was the 1966 session that resulted in this Grammy-winning album where Elvis first began to claw his way back.
Best track: “Run On”

#3 Elvis Country (1970)
Nearly ruined by the inane decision to include snippets of “I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago” between each song, this album manages to rise above its concept due to the power of Elvis and the underlying recordings.
Best track: “Tomorrow Never Comes”

#2 On Stage-February 1970 (1969-1970)
This compilation of live songs demonstrates Elvis’ versatility while capturing the excitement of his show.
Best track: “Polk Salad Annie”

That's The Way It Is#1 That’s The Way It Is (1970)
I consider the overall That’s The Way It Is project (the studio recordings, the rehearsals, the concerts, the movie, and all of the associated releases) to be the greatest achievement of Elvis’ career, so this album has to be number one. I do cheat a bit here and recommend the studio singles of “I’ve Lost You” and “Patch It Up” over the live versions presented on the album. I also recommend the Walk A Mile In My Shoes: The Essential 70s Masters mix of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” rather than the album mix. Even without these substitutions, though, That’s The Way It Is shines.
Best track: “How The Web Was Woven”

Some of you share my enthusiasm for iPod playlists, so here is one featuring the 100 best songs from the above albums. This list does not necessarily represent my 100 favorite Elvis songs, though, as some of my favorites happen to be on releases that did not make the top 15 albums list (e.g., “Always On My Mind” and 1955’s “Mystery Train”).

  • Heartbreak Hotel (1956)
  • I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
  • Hound Dog
  • Don’t Be Cruel
  • Love Me
  • Too Much
  • All Shook Up (1957)
  • Peace In The Valley
  • Jailhouse Rock
  • Here Comes Santa Claus
  • Silent Night
  • Santa Bring My Baby Back
  • Santa Claus Is Back In Town
  • I’ll Be Home For Christmas
  • Make Me Know It (1960)
  • Stuck On You
  • Like A Baby
  • Thrill Of Your Love
  • Such A Night
  • Are You Lonesome Tonight
  • Reconsider Baby
  • I Feel So Bad (1961)
  • His Latest Flame
  • Little Sister
  • Run On (1966)
  • How Great Thou Art
  • Where No One Stands Alone
  • So High
  • Farther Along
  • By And By
  • In The Garden
  • Without Him
  • If The Lord Wasn’t Walking By My Side
  • US Male (1968)
  • Edge Of Reality
  • Trouble/Guitar Man
  • Heartbreak Hotel/Hound Dog/All Shook Up (Live)
  • Can’t Help Falling In Love (Live)
  • Jailhouse Rock (Live)
  • Love Me Tender (Live)
  • If I Can Dream
  • Charro
  • Clean Up Your Own Backyard
  • Long Black Limousine (1969)
  • Wearin’ That Loved-On Look
  • I’m Movin’ On
  • Gentle On My Mind
  • In The Ghetto
  • Rubberneckin’
  • Power Of My Love
  • After Loving You
  • Any Day Now
  • Opening Riff/Blue Suede Shoes (Live)
  • Johnny B. Goode (Live)
  • Are You Lonesome Tonight (Live)
  • Runaway (Live)
  • Yesterday (Live)
  • Hound Dog (Live)
  • My Babe (Live)
  • Mystery Train/Tiger Man (Live)
  • Can’t Help Falling In Love (Live)
  • Let It Be Me (Live-1970)
  • The Wonder Of You (Live)
  • Release Me (Live)
  • See See Rider (Live)
  • Polk Salad Annie (Live)
  • Walk A Mile In My Shoes (Live)
  • Twenty Days And Twenty Nights
  • I’ve Lost You
  • The Fool
  • Little Cabin Home On The Hill
  • Bridge Over Troubled Water
  • How The Web Was Woven
  • Stranger In The Crowd
  • You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
  • Just Pretend
  • I Really Don’t Want To Know
  • Tomorrow Never Comes
  • Make The World Go Away
  • Funny How Time Slips Away
  • There Goes My Everything
  • Patch It Up
  • I Just Can’t Help Believin’ (Live)
  • You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (Live)
  • Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
  • Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees (1971)
  • Merry Christmas Baby
  • I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day
  • Winter Wonderland
  • It’s Midnight (1973)
  • You Asked Me To
  • Thinking About You
  • Promised Land
  • Your Love’s Been A Long Time Coming
  • She Thinks I Still Care (1976)
  • Moody Blue
  • Way Down
  • Pledging My Love
  • He’ll Have To Go
  • Unchained Melody (Live-1977)

REVIEW: Stage Rehearsal (FTD CD)

/ TY

Stage Rehearsal (FTD CD)

August 10, 1970. The MGM camera crew has been following Elvis around for almost a month now. This afternoon, it’s time for one final rehearsal before the opening show later tonight. No camera crew allowed this time, but RCA is rolling tape in preparation for the concert recordings. Follow That Dream Records’ latest release, Stage Rehearsal, takes us behind the scenes of this event.

One of the things I’d been wondering about this release was how FTD would deal with the fact that most of the songs from this rehearsal were incomplete, due to having a “late start.” The first several seconds of these songs were not recorded. After all, RCA never intended this rehearsal for release.

The way I saw it, FTD had at least three options:

1.) Leave the recordings alone and let them start in progress — a bit jarring, but historically accurate
2.) Fade the songs up slightly as they start in progress — a little less jarring
3.) Repair the beginnings using recordings from other summer 1970 rehearsals — requires more work and is not historically accurate

I usually try to avoid reading the opinions of others when I’m planning to review something. That way, my expectations and reactions do not get swayed one way or the other in advance. Sometimes, this is impossible with FTD releases because I am in the United States, and we tend to receive them two or three weeks after most of the rest of the world.

In the case of Stage Rehearsal, I came across a comment revealing that FTD had repaired the beginnings of the songs by using live versions. My initial reaction was shock and dismay. Why would they make such a strange choice?

Once I had the actual CD in hand last week, though, and played it for the first time, it became obvious why FTD chose this path.

The sound quality of the August 10, 1970, stage rehearsal contained on this CD is comparable to the concert recordings that began later that night and continued for the next few days. To my knowledge, there are no other That’s The Way It Is rehearsals that have this level of sound quality. Using subpar sounding rehearsals as lead-ins would have probably been too obvious as splices. Instead, FTD elected to go with the live recordings to more closely match the sound of this rehearsal.

My personal preference would have been that FTD just release the rehearsal as-is, with truncated introductions. This is supposedly a collectors label, after all.

However, I can understand and appreciate their desire to make this a quality listening experience. After all, we were Elvis listeners prior to becoming Elvis historians! In this case, entertainment value won out over historic context. Considering how much I otherwise enjoy this CD, I can forgive them that.

One thing different about this rehearsal compared to some of the others I’ve heard over the years is that it does not feature Elvis really working on the songs. It feels more like a live show in that regard. This may be because this is literally hours before the opening show (captured on One Night In Vegas, a must-have FTD) and most of the kinks have already been worked out, or it could be because the recording was obviously turned off between songs. Two of the songs are repeated, so that’s evidence they were doing some work.

The stage microphones experience feedback a number of times, foreshadowing what would happen later that night during the actual concert. I wonder why this problem was not resolved prior to the show, since it was evident in the rehearsal?

There are many loose, fun moments but, in the end, the real appeal of the 1970 portion is the sound quality. None of the versions are revelations, though “version 1” of both “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” are stellar. Oddly enough, “version 2” of both of these songs splices the exact same live introductions as used on version 1. I suppose the tempo matched better than other alternatives, but this really shows why repairing the audio in this fashion was not the way to go.

A few years ago, Warner Brothers released “The Richard Donner Cut” of Superman II, showing what that director’s version of the 1980 movie may have been like had he not been replaced midway through production. To augment the available footage, screen tests of the main actors were used. This footage looks totally different compared to the rest of the film. Stage Rehearsal‘s “what if” splices between live and rehearsal material reminds me of this.

The 1972 and 1973 bonus songs that comprise the rest of this CD were recorded on a portable tape recorder. Therefore the sound quality is akin to “When The Snow Is On The Roses” and other recordings of that nature. These are definitely listenable, though they suffer a bit in following up the near-pristine-sounding 16-track recordings from 1970. I suggest playing the bonus songs first to avoid this effect.

Finally, here, we get some rehearsal work, which is pretty much lacking from the 1970 portions of this CD.

Any Day Now: By 1972, it seemed that Elvis had all but abandoned the songs he recorded at American Sound Studios only three years earlier, save the obligatory “Suspicious Minds.” Apparently not, though, for here’s Elvis sounding awesome on “Any Day Now,” leaving me to wonder why this apparently did not become part of the show.

True Love Travels On A Gravel Road: This is a good version, but seems less concert-ready than “Any Day Now.” It could’ve worked for occasional use as something different. Who knows, maybe he did use it that way.

Portrait Of My Love: Elvis does a brief, unidentified blues number before launching into “Portrait of My Love” on a whim. This is not so much a “rehearsal,” then, as it is an off-the-cuff song. It’s pretty and probably would’ve been a decent number if further developed. Wonderful to hear a “new” Elvis song, I might add.

I’m Leavin’ It All Up To You: Another “new” Elvis song. This one sounds pretty basic, but I believe that is because Elvis severely shortened it.

The funny thing is, I bought this CD because of the 1970 material, but it is the 1972 and 1973 material that stands out.

Ultimately, Stage Rehearsal is a well-intentioned release that I recommend with reservations. It offers 1970 rehearsals in terrific sound quality, but with unfortunate splicing decisions. It also offers some 1972 and 1973 rarities, but in subpar sound quality. Be aware of what you’re buying so that you won’t be disappointed. Then, just crank it up and enjoy. That’s what Elvis is supposed to be all about anyway.

That’s The Way It Is: Rehearsals – The Official Audio Releases

/ TY

My favorite Elvis event is 1970’s That’s The Way It Is, with 1968’s ELVIS (comeback special) a close second. That’s why I’m looking forward to the new Stage Rehearsal CD, coming later this month from Follow That Dream Records.

The core of Stage Rehearsal will be songs recorded during Elvis’ August 10, 1970, final rehearsal before the opening show later that night (the concert captured on FTD’s One Night In Vegas). MGM did not film this particular rehearsal for the movie, but I still consider it part of That’s The Way It Is.

To this point, official releases of That’s The Way It Is rehearsals have been scattered on various titles. Below is a listing of what we have so far.

This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the audio recordings made for That’s The Way It Is rehearsals. I hope Sony and FTD release the remaining That’s The Way It Is material over the next several years as we approach the film’s 50th anniversary in 2020.

Elvis Aron Presley (1980)
(August 10)
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
Sweet Caroline

Walk A Mile In My Shoes (1995)
Alla En El Rancho Grande (July 15)
Froggy Went A-Courtin’ (July 29)
Stranger In My Own Home Town (July 24)

A Life In Music (1997)
(July 29)
I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
I Was The One
The Cattle Call
Baby, Let’s Play House
Don’t
Money Honey
What’d I Say

That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition (2000)
Peter Gunn Theme (July 15)
That’s All Right (July 15)
Cottonfields (July 15)
Yesterday (July 15)
I Can’t Stop Loving You (July 15)
Such A Night (July 29)
It’s Now Or Never (July 29)
A Fool Such As I (July 29)
Little Sister/Get Back (July 29)
I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water (July 24)
Johnny B. Goode (July 24)
Mary In The Morning (July 24)
The Wonder Of You (July 24)
Santa Claus Is Back In Town (August 4)
Farther Along (August 4)
Oh Happy Day (August 7)

One Night In Vegas (2000)
(August 4)
Words
The Cattle Call/A Yodel
Twenty Days And Twenty Nights
You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
Bridge Over Troubled Water

The Way It Was (2001)
Words (July 14)
The Next Step Is Love (July 14)
Ghost Riders In The Sky (July 15)
Love Me (July 15)
That’s All Right (July 24)
I Got A Woman (July 24)
I’ve Lost You (July 24)
I Can’t Stop Loving You (July 24)
Just Pretend (July 24)
Words (July 29)
I Just Can’t Help Believin’ (July 29)
Something (August 4)
Polk Salad Annie (August 7)
Mary In The Morning (August 7)

One thing I didn’t realize until compiling this list is that it’s been a decade since Sony or FTD have released any new That’s The Way It Is rehearsal material. Time sure does fly.

* * *

Below is the track listing for Stage Rehearsal, which will add to the That’s The Way It Is legacy.

August 10, 1970
01 You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
02 I Just Can’t Help Believin’
03 Something
04 Sweet Caroline
05 Polk Salad Annie
06 You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
07 I’ve Lost You
08 Bridge Over Troubled Water
09 Patch It Up
10 Can’t Help Falling In Love
11 You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me
12 You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
Bonus Tracks
13 Any Day Now (August 2, 1972)
14 True Love Travels On A Gravel Road (August 3, 1972)
15 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (August 3, 1972)
16 Fever (August 3, 1972)
17 Portrait Of My Love (August 3, 1972)
18 I’m Leavin’ It All Up To You (January 25, 1973)

* * *

Primary Research Sources