Title: Let Yourself Go (released in 2006)

Label: FTD

Date: Tracks 1-15 recorded at Western Recorders, Burbank, California, June 20-24, 1968; Tracks 16-25 N.B.C Studios, Burbank, California, June 24, 1968

Sound Quality Outtakes: * * * * * / * * * * * +

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

Compilation Rating: * * * * + / * * * * * +

Tracks: 1.Trouble / Guitar Man (opening - takes 6 & 7) 2.Nothingville (takes 5 & 6) 3.Let Yourself Go (part 1, takes 5 & 6 + part 2, take 2 + part 3, take 6) 4.Guitar Man (Escape Section 1 - fast takes 1,2,5) 5. Guitar Man (After Karate Section 2 - take 1) 6.Little Egypt (take 8) 7.Trouble / Guitar Man (take 2) 8.Big Boss Man (take 2) 9.It Hurts Me (First part, take 5. Second part, take 3) 10.Guitar Man (Escape 1 (remake) - take 6) 11. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child / Where Could I Go But To The Lord (Gospel Section 1 - Rehearsal-take 1) 12.Up Above My Head / I Found That Light (Gospel - Section 2, take 7) 13.Saved (Gospel Section 3, take 4) 14.If I Can Dream (takes 3 & 4) 15.Memories (alternate vocal track) 16.I Got A Woman 17.Blue Moon / Young Love / Oh, Happy Day 18.When It Rains It Really Pours 19.Blue Christmas 20.Are You Lonesome Tonight / That's My Desire 21.That's When Your Heartaches Begin 22.Peter Gunn Theme 23.Love Me 24.When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again 25.Blue Christmas / Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Duration: 71 min. 10 sec.)

Package: A standard FTD job with no liner notes, but all the info on take numbers and stuff like that, and a nice picture of Elvis smoking a little cigar under the CD. All in all, you know what to expect from this label regarding the design, so it's the content that matters.

Elvis: Maybe he's not in top vocal form, but the level of energy can only be compared to his Vegas engagement a year later. You feel electricity in every word said or sung, it's unmatchable, a real joy.

Songs: A great rendition of It Hurts Me and of course If I Can Dream are worth an additional mentioning. Saved and Up Above My Head are great as individual performances, the first could have easily become the best number from Easy Come, Easy Go, as it was intended for that movie, and the only highlight of it, but fortunately it was not harmed by inclusion in this pathetic film. As for the the rehearsal - it is great and fun! Now we have both of the recorded rehearsals from June 1968 officially released.

Review: When Steve Binder gave Elvis a chance to do something really meaningful for Elvis himself instead of working on a yet another silly idea of Colonel Parker in 1968 Elvis took that chance as a challenge and he gave his all in that summer. With mixed feelings we are now reviewing this FTD release.

So what are the mixed feelings for? Well, if you are reading this you surely know the story behind the making of this special, and know about all the kind of problems that everybody involved in this project had. And when talking about Elvis everybody remembers how nervous he was and things like that, but for whatever reason everybody forgets the trouble he had with his voice. He was singing everyday at the time, maybe some twelve hours per day. This surely affected, and we only wonder whether it was the same kind of problems he had the following year in Las Vegas as his voice was not if you let us say it "clean" enough. As the years went by he became used to singing on the edge a lot everyday but it was quite new for him, after all these years in Hollywood. Do you notice the change in singing style as well? It was the time when he quit singing with this sweet 60-s voice, this trembling falsetto voice. Now it was rough, he was a tough guy in leather and a real superstar from 1970 and on in white jumpsuits. In 1969 he was a kind of a mixture in between the Presley of 1968 and Elvis of the 70-s.

What did we say for? Well, we're just mumbling things, you know, to get started. This compilation is a follower to Burbank 68 - the very first FTD release. Ever since we've had a lot of soundboards, some studio outtakes and things like that but we never got back to the 68' comeback special since there was the Tiger Man CD and the Memories 2 CD set, covering this period, but since there still was material available from the period and fans with no doubt were anxiously waiting for it to be released, since many of them did not have the chance to get bootleg CDs with the second rehearsal, Ernst decided to make a something for everybody CD. And he succeed. If you still didn't have the rehearsal - you would buy this CD for the rehearsal and some outtakes, otherwise you'd choose to get it for the outtakes alone - because everybody knows that they are worth it.

"It's a peacock!" Elvis says and launches into a devoted and scaring Trouble, unfortunately the drums on this are messed at the point of changing the rhythm pattern to Guitar Man as they are (less annoying though) on the following take 7. But Elvis - just listen to him and you'll understand why we'd prefer not to meet face to face with this man on a dark night :) We get then two outtakes of Nothingville, Elvis messes the words on the first of them but then makes a decent run on the second. The following title track is a joy to listen! Elvis teases and this is a great delivery.

The following Guitar Man from escape section 1 is funny since the band plays it faster than what Elvis expects, so he does it slower, pure fun! A yet another attempt on Guitar Man, this time the version prior Little Egypt, but wouldn't you tell me why not editing out the "One more time, here we go" comment after it? Little Egypt is next a fine run. Next is the final run through the Guitar Man / Trouble section with the "So i went a long way from the car-wash" verse. This time we prefer those live versions, but vocally this one is great. Elvis takes time to sing the melody line from the opening of Trouble prior an attempt on Big Boss Man and can be even heard throwing a line "Are you horny tonight?" As for the song, this is completely different from the original recording and much more mean than the 70-s versions - why didn't he use this arrangement? He then throws a line from When The Swallows Come Back to Capistrano. It Hurts Me is a great attempt - it clearly beats the 64' master, Elvis' voice is not as clean here, but much more devoted. And yet again we hear a "Let's do another, Elvis" comment, this could fit at the beginning, but not much to our liking at the end, as we do not get another take! Elvis throws another one liner - this time When Irish Eyes Are Smiling right after an attempt on Guitar Man.

The gospel segment is next and we get to hear a rehearsal of the Motherless Child / Where Could I Go But To The Lord and aren't we mistaken hearing Elvis throwing the "Suck it to me baby!"? He is searching for the right phrasing and on the first run (which ends right after the line "hardly a comfort can afford") there are no horns at this point, which makes it more delicate to our tasting. The first take is most probably slower than the original, though not as slow as the How Great Thou Art sessions' version. Elvis brings a fine rendition, but still struggles in the search of the right phrasing. Elvis even throws a line or two from the Lord's Prayer prior the seventh take of Up Above My Head, which begins really funky sounding - a great rendition as a song on it's own. Up Above My Head ends the gospel section, another great song and a great attempt!

The next track - an outtake of I Can Dream - features a false start with a mistaken note on the bass right before the lyrics start. The song always gets the attention it deserves - Elvis is clearly great on this number, no matter that his voice is rough and not great. Note the different guitar arrangement in the bridge and in the beginning of the last verse.

After a different vocal track of Memories we get to hear the Jam of the CD - the rehearsal from June 24. Here we get everything we could dream of - an attempt on I Got A Woman - for whatever reason excluded from the informal section - a few lines of Blue Moon and Young Love - When It Rains It Really Pours is too high as Elvis himself confesses, but still nice to hear. Than we get to hear that Elvis is going to trade guitars with Scotty - so this was in fact preplanned and he chooses not to get two electric guitars as it's going to get "mixed up a little bit". Some nice licks from Scotty can be heard in the beginning of Blue Christmas - a nice addition to the common sound of this informal recordings. Elvis then goes into Are You Lonesome Tonight? clearly slower than the live versions. Finally we get to hear "Do you gaze at your bald head and wish you had hear?" as early as June 1968 and contrary to the version from 1969 it doesn't bring Elvis into hysteria. Peter Gunn's Theme and Love Me continue the set. When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again has a more country sound on this version, Elvis seems to like it so much that he keeps singing the same verses again and again. Elvis' voice is really rough in the beginning of Blue Christmas - really mean and moving. Finally the set ends with Santa Claus is Back In Town.

If you are a fan of Elvis at his best - this release is for you. It's a great insight into Presley's dressing room, an invitation you can't deny. However, for us the best part is the already released rehearsal, since the numerous outtakes are of great quality but close enough to the masters. Still, every true Elvis fan should have this CD with Burbank 68 and a few other official releases and of course the great 3 DVD set with all available material from the special.

January 2007

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