Title: 24 Carat Gold (2 CD set released in 1997)

Label: 2001

Date: 60-s studio recordings

Sound Quality: * * * * * - / * * * * * +

Content Rating: * * * * * - / * * * * * +

Tracks:

CD 1

1.Fame And Fortune (take 5) 2.Gently (take 2) 3.There's Always Me (take 1) 4.Starting Today (take 2) 5.That's Someone You Never Forget (take 7) 6.I'm Yours (take 5) 7.For The Millionth And The Last Time (take 4) 8.Anything That's Part Of You (take 5) 9.I Met Her Today (take 4) 10.Something Blue (take 6) 11.Gonna Get Back Home Somehow (take 6) 12.Fountain Of Love (take 9) 13.Night Rider (take 5) (March 18-th 1962 version) 14.Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello (take 4) 15.Echoes Of Love (take 1) 16.Please Don't Drag That String Around (take 2) 17.Ask Me (take 1) (May 27-th 1963 version) 18.Western Union (take 3) 19.Love Letters (take 2) 20.The Girl I Never Loved (take 11) 21.You Don't Know Me (film version take 18) 22.A House That Has Everything (take 6) 23.Stay Away (take 6) 24.U.S. Male (take 11)

CD2

1.Fame And Fortune (takes 3,9) 2.Gently (takes 1,4) 3.I'm Yours (takes 3,2) 4.For The Millionth And The Last Time (takes 3,5) 5.Anything That's Part Of You (takes 4,6,7,9) 6.Fame And Fortune (takes 10,12,11) 7.I Met Her Today (takes 2,5) 8.Something Blue (takes 3,4) 9.For The Millionth And The Last Time (takes 11,8) 10.Gonna Get Back Home Somehow (takes 3,5) 11.Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello (take 3) 12.Ask Me (takes 3,4) (May 27-th 1963 version) 13.Stay Away (takes 1,4,9) 14.You Don't Know Me (film version takes 1,2,3) 15.A House That Has Everything (takes 2,3,5) 16.You Don't Know Me (film version takes 12,13) 17.Stay Away (takes 12,13) 18.Stay Away (undubbed master)

Package: The cover and the package are not among the best ones, thanks for having the info on take numbers and recording dates at least.

Elvis: When working on non-movie material in the 60-s Elvis always was inspired, as this release represents mostly non-soundtrack recordings it is a goldmine.

Highlights: Ask Me (take 1) is probably the most beautiful version of this song, though Elvis seems to have little problems with his voice. Echoes Of Love (take 1) sounds different and is very attractive too.

Review: After returning from the army, Elvis was forced (by circumstances or by the Colonel - whatever you like) to go into a new musical direction - pop music. Never before 1960 and probably never after 1963 will he be making so many pop recordings. Some of them would become very popular - e.g. the opera-like It's Now Or Never and Surrender or the romantic Are You Lonesome Tonight - others - like Blue River - would be so weak, that most of the fans probably skip them. However, all of them differ very much from most of the pop material of those days (and even more from the pop material of these days). "What's so special in them?" one might ask. They all show a very inspired, a very talented performer, who demonstrates wonderful skills and different aspects of his voice and puts so much into his music that it is still popular and [a]live today - 40 years after it's actual recording!

The amazing take 5 of Fame And Fortune begins this CD, which represents some of the early 60-s studio outtakes in fine quality (they don't seem to be taken from the master tapes, but maybe from a first or a second copy) plus few recording from the late 60-s and a few tracks from the Clambake movie. It would be fair to note, that several of this recordings were released later by different bootleg labels - for example, KMQ released the complete June 25, 1961 recording session (featured on this CD from this particular session are That's Someone You Never Forget and I'm Yours) on their Kiss Me Quick Little Sister CD, but we don't want to bother you much with such details, since this an old CD. So back to the review. Gently (take 2) is sang very low by Elvis, but it features a fine rendition. The first take of There's Always Me (take 10 being the master) is a revelation - Elvis is still searching for the right phrasing and ending, but it's already almost perfect. Starting Today is very close to master, since it is just one take prior it. That's Someone You Never Forget - take 7 - is the take prior the master too, but here we have a different drums' arrangement. Elvis delivers a flawless rendition here. I'm Yours sounds different because of lacking the harmony vocal, the spoken part isn't here too since it was overdubbed later. For The Millionth And The Last Time is a very nice rendition. Anything That's Part Of You is take 5 (5 more takes were made before getting a master), but it's already very close to master, and probably only some little confusion with the piano in the very end killed the possibility to choose it as a master. I Met Her Today (take 4) is a bit slower than the master to my ear, but it's still a masterpiece (and it shows Elvis as a perfectionist once again - he hadn't stop 'till made more 14 takes!). Something Blue (the prior to master take too) sounds a bit different to my ear - the guitar arrangement is a little more upfront, it sounds a bit rough, Elvis delivers a great rendition, though. Gonna Get Back Home Somehow is very close to master, very wild. Fountain Of Love sounds different - to my ear it lacks some deep guitar sound of the original, since at least one of the guitars plays in much higher positions, probably using a capo, resulting a less deep sound, the tempo seems to be a little slower too. Nice to hear such differences. Night Rider is a re-make version and here I see little difference from the original, probably only the presence of a bass line in the intro contrary to the officially released version. Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello take 4 is close to master, nothing really special on this track. Echoes Of Love take 1 is next, to my ear it is a bit faster than the original. Except for a second of laugh from Elvis after the first verse, because of guitar mistake, this is a very serious version, well delivered. Please Don't Drag That String Around take 2 for whatever reason lacks any inspiration, it is a looser comparing to master take 6. Ask Me from May 27, 1963 is very different from the official master recorded some eight months later. The guitar arrangement is different, the organ fits in well - really out of sight! Western Union (take 3) is very close to master (take 4). Take 2 of Love Letters takes us a few years ahead. The complete Love Letters Session is present on the The How Great Thou Art Sessions, Volume 2 CD, released by 2001 too, so, as you guess, the source seems to be the same, only here you have a little worse job done by the remastering team - not strange, since this CD is older. Three tracks from the Clambake session continue this CD. The Girl I Never Loved is take 11 (take 9 being the master), and I really see little difference between them, I guess Elvis was just showing everybody that nothing could improve it. You Don't Know Me (film version take 18) shows a fine rendition too, the bass line seems to be a little more complicated at the end of the first verse, but I can't figure out the reason of recording two more takes to get the master - the inspiration is something that the movie version of this song lacked (contrary to the single version, recorded some six months later). A House That Has Everything (take 6) brings nothing special too - Elvis' voice differs very much from the non-movie sessions, it seems sad and uninspired, a little mistake by the bass player in the middle of the song kills the possibility of quickly leaving this song aside. Stay Away (take 6) is slower than the original, Elvis makes a little mistake in the end ("Where the hills don't say stay away") but only after some struggling by Bob Moore on bass. The pre-master take 11 of U.S. Male ends the first CD of the set, Elvis still seems to have little trouble with the phrasing, but what really leaves the possibility of choosing it as a master is a little mistake by Bob Moore once again - when he hears Elvis beginning the end spoken-part, he thinks that Elvis is going to make another verse, and continues playing as if this was an another verse...

CD 2 of the set begins with somebody (probably Bill Porter) announcing "L2WB 0084 take 3" and this means that we are back to the recording of Fame And Fortune. This actual take starts with a false start, and for whatever reason it ends in a fade out after about a minute. The following take 9 is sung in a different key and seems to be closer to the master (a splice of takes 15 and 14). "M2WW 0568 take 1" the same voice announces as we are going into take one of Gently. A guitar mistake suddenly follows, and after a few seconds we hear take 4 being announced and sung in a higher key (not strange at all - Elvis had real difficulty hitting the low notes in the original key). The song itself is very close to the original version (this is the pre-master take). Elvis runs out of breath in the intro of I'm Yours of take 3 and the same happens before the following take 2. When the complete take 2 shows up we can easily hear some differences from the original - Elvis' voice is more gentle, instead of the spoken part we get hear a solo on the organ, all in all a nice and intimate rendition. For The Millionth And The Last Time take 3 ends soon, after somebody hitting on the guitar deck or on the wall - it's really hard to say, however the take is stopped by Elvis himself. Take 5 is a beautiful rendition and I like the middle rhythm pattern much more. Following are some outtakes of Anything That's Part Of You - take 4 stops after one line sung by Elvis, take 6 is stopped by Elvis during the intro for whatever reason, take 7 is stopped after an almost complete first verse with the words "Hold it! I'd, uh, like to start it again" . Before take 9 we get to hear a false start, and finally take 9 is a masterpiece - very close to master. Take 10 of Fame And Fortune is slower, the guitar player makes a mistake in the middle of the song, which results a second of laugh from Elvis, then we move to take 12, which ends at the same point, this time because of a mistake by Bob Moore on bass. On the following take 11 the tremolo sound of the guitar is late once again, but the group continues playing, however this version looses the possibility of becoming the master. You can hear Elvis laughing before take 2 of I Met Her Today, after a false start, the song actually starts. At the beginning of the second verse Elvis looses concentration and after saying "Hold it" we get take 5 of the song. It ends after the second verse however. Take 3 of Something Blue is a false start only, take 4 is very nice, closer to master than take 6 from the first CD. Take 11 of For The Millionth And The Last Time stops soon after starting, while take 8 features Boots Randolph's playing on clarinet more obvious. The middle part still is less attractive than on take 5. Next is Gonna Get Back Home Somehow take 3 starts with a false start, the song is soon stopped of a little mistake in the group, take 5 is a a very wild almost flawless rendition. "OK, we're ready!" Elvis announces before launching into take 3 of Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello, featuring a bit different phrasing, on this track you obviously notice the wonderful way in which Elvis controls his voice once again. We get to hear Elvis saying "It was a little too slow, fellows" before take 3 of Ask Me from May 3, 1963. After a false start (it would be a good choice to name this second CD of the set "The false-starts") and an abandoned take 3 Elvis confesses that "This song is gonna make me a nervous wreck". Take 4 is already close to the master recorded some eight moths later, a great rendition. Take 1 of Stay Away is a slow version featuring the great "My dreams are there, where the eagles shit" line, which suddenly ends the song as you might guess. After this take we get to hear Felton Jarvis announcing: "OK, this is two". And what follows are are takes 4 and 9, the first of which ends closer to the end, when Elvis forgets the words, the second of which is slower than the original and features several mistake both from the group and from Elvis in the end. You Don't Know Me takes 1-3 starts with Felton Jarvis announcing at least two time "This is You Don't Know Me take 1" since the group continues rehearsing the middle part. This version features different drums' arrangement, very interesting. Take 1 ends in the beginning of the second verse when Elvis sings "And longs to hold you ki..." instead of "And longs to kiss your lips". Before take two Elvis announces "Uh... Let's don't, uh, let's don't get the tempo, uh, too fast, fellows," showing Elvis in charge. His voice seems a bit tired and you can notice some hoarse in it. Take 2 of A House That Has Everything ends right after starts singing, take 3 is almost complete, but Elvis forgets to sing the very last line, and confesses that "This is my fault". Take 5 for whatever reason fades out. Take 12 of You Don't Know Me is just a false start, take 13 is very good, but Elvis tried 7 more takes before giving up. Before take 12 of Stay Away Elvis confesses: "It's a good number, man, it's a good number", probably referring to the take number, it is just a false start, so you can hear somebody (probably Felton Jarvis) announcing: "13. It's another good number," with Elvis immediately answering: "Yeah, uh-uh, that's it, it's four, added up". Take 13 is slower than the false start take 12. Elvis is in control of the situation by this take - the phrasing is close to master, and his singing is almost flawless. The last track of the CD is the master take 15, without Jerry Reed's another overdubbed guitar.

What can we say as a conclusion? These days this CD doesn't seem very essential - many of the tracks from this CD were released by other labels, but some of the material is still unreleased. I hope that the 2001 label (as in case with their How Great Thou Art sessions volumes 1-3) will continue releasing the complete session's CDs, as we can almost surely say that they posses the complete sessions with songs released on this CD. Anyway, if you get a chance to get this CD - you won't regret it.

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