Title: There's Always Me (volume 4) (released in 1996)

Label: Bilko

Date: Nashville 60's studio sessions (different dates), and rehearsal, July 29, 1970, MGM studios, Culver City, California

Sound Quality: from * * * * + to * * * * * / * * * * * +

Contents Rating: * * * * * / * * * * * +

Tracks:

CD 1

1.Mine (takes 3, 4) 2.Fame And Fortune (take 1) 3.His Latest Flame (takes 9 - 12) 4.Fame And Fortune (takes 4, 6, 7) 5.Just For Old Time Sake (takes 3, 4) 6.Night Rider (takes 1 - 3) 7.Tomorrow Is A Long Time (takes 1, 2) 8.Beyond The Reef (take 1) 9.Down In The Alley (takes 2, 3, 4, 6) 10.Love Letters (takes 5, 8) 11.Big Boss Man (takes 4, 5, 9) 12.Mine (take 9) 13.U.S. Male (take 7) 14.Stay Away (takes 3, 7, 8, 11, 14) 15.U.S. Male (takes 6, 9, 10) 16.Mine (instrumental) (Duration: 70 min. 03 sec.)

CD 2

1.Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home 2.Something 3.Words 4.I Just Can't Help Believing 5.Little Sister / Get Back 6.I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water 7.I Was The One 8.Cattle Call 9.Baby, Let's Play House 10.Don't 11.Money Honey 12.A Fool Such As I 13.Froggy Went-A-Courtin' 14.Such A Night 15.It's Now Or Never 16.What'd I Say 17.The Lord's Prayer (Duration: 49 min. 29 sec.)

Elvis: He is terrific on both CD's - on the studio tracks he delivers both concentration (early 60-s stuff) and uncontrolled laughter (Down In The Alley), whereas the second CD (being well known to the fans through such releases as the Lost Performances, TTWII, and Platinum - A Life In Music, but never this complete) demonstrates a yet another inside to Elvis' music-making.

Highlights: The selection of songs for this release is very good, there are almost no bad numbers, except for, maybe, Beyond The Reef but this pays off when the three singing musicians (Elvis, Red West and Charlie Hodge) break up laughing in the middle of the song. Tomorrow Is A Long Time is probably the best song on the first CD, while a never ending I Just Can't Help Believing seems to be above all others on the second CD.

Review: Although it's almost ten years since it's release this set still is interesting especially because of the second disc. Some of the tracks from the first part of the CD have been released in the past few years on BMG CDs, but the sound is very good on this release (it is even in stereo!)

The set opener takes us to September 10, 1967 (but since it is already well beyond 1 a.m. it can easily be considered September 11 :) ) to the recording of Mine. Take 3 is a real beauty, but Elvis seems to have difficulties keeping the rhythm and the phrasing in the wanted direction as he stops the song in the middle of the second verse simply declaring: "Goddamn, man...". Take 4 is complete, but Elvis doesn't seem to be satisfied as he says shortly after ending the song "I'll tell you what," as the recording stops - that's probably the point where he asks for a backing track. Take 1 of Fame And Fortune is sung in a higher key and in an upper tempo but it's still a very good rendition. We jump to June 25, 1961 and four takes of His Latest Flame, with the musicians making mistakes at the same point three times in a row, finally managing to make it through the song on take 12, which is close to master (the most fascinating is the fact that they already had the master - take 8 - in the can at the time of this recording!). We go back to the recording of Fame And Fortune with the next track. Take 4 is slower and in a lower key than take 1, Elvis stops the band during the very beginning of the refrain because of an early played guitar lick, the following take 5 is just a false start, while take 6 seems to be too much slow and is suddenly stopped. Finally by take 7 the group manages to get through the song with great vocal control by Elvis and almost flawless phrasing.

We then go to March 18, 1962 and the recording of Just For Old Time Sake which features two unsuccessful attempts and a complete take close to master. Night Rider (three takes from March 18 are presented here two of which are false-starts) is the "remake" version, there a a few differences in the arrangement, but still it's very close to the October master. The following two first takes of Tomorrow Is A Long Time (one of which is a false start) are a real revelation - Elvis' voice is very sincere and this rendition is a real beauty. The next track is take 1 of Beyond The Reef, a breakdown version as the cover states - Elvis and his friends fall in laughter in the middle of the song, a great historic document. The following Down In The Alley and Love Letters segments were released a few years ago on Bilko's The How Great Thou Art Sessions, Volume 2, which featured the complete sessions of both. Down In The Alley is a fantastic inside, as we get to hear uncontrolled laughter of Elvis and Charlie for a couple of minutes and finally a great take 6. Elvis asks to slow the tempo a couple of times during the recording of Love Letters and the complete take 8 is a great rendition. As we jump to September 10, 1967 to the recording of Big Boss Man Elvis begins showing the signs of an animal just out of the cage and the rendition of this song is fantastic. The following recording of Mine (take 9) is with Elvis back singing to the group (after a few unsuccessful attempts to sing to a pre-recorded track). This version is a tender rendition, but Elvis messes up the words, though he manages to end the song by singing "'till the end of time, beyond eternity".

We jump to January 16, 1968 and take 7 of U.S. Male, which is yet to be polished, though Elvis is cooking here no matter that he forgets the words closer to the end. The following track begins with a few seconds' long jam followed by 5 takes of Stay Away, of which takes 3 and 7 are just false starts. Take 8 is stopped because of a guitar mistake and we get to hear a few seconds of Elvis singing You Belong To My Heart. Take 11 has a few mistakes here and there and it seems that the song is pretty complicated for the musicians to record it fast, and finally Elvis breaks in laughter closer to the end of the song. "That sounded great," Felton Jarvis declares. The following take 14 is the pre-master, but still we get to hear some mistakes by the musicians, though Elvis' phrasing is almost flawless. The following take 6 of U.S. Male is fine, but Elvis forgets the words closer to the end of the second verse, though somebody (seems like Felton Jarvis) says briefly: "Good, man," as Elvis unsurely replies: "Yeah?" and Jerry Reed admits: "Yeah" . Take 9 fades out for whatever reason (maybe the tape has ended?). "O.K., we're ready," Elvis declares before take 10, which is a very fine rendition, the phrasing is almost flawless, and the musicians seem to know every nuance of the song at this point. The first CD ends with a backing track of Mine.

CD 2 of the set is the rehearsal from July 29, 1970, which has been partly released on the renewed version of That's The Way It Is and on the Lost Performances video. This CD is a real treasure, however, since the sound is brilliant, maybe the sound is just a little flat, but much better than on BMG's Platinum set, since the recording is much clearer, especially the high frequencies - a real listening pleasure. After a one-liner Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home, we get to hear a very good rendition of Something (though Elvis' voice wasn't on the highest form yet). "Hey man, these are new lyrics here, that I don't... I have never seen them," Elvis declares at the end of the song. A very good rendition of Words follows with the line "It's only words and words are all I have to steal your ass away," and the never ending I Just Can't Help Believing ("I think somebody ate them last night" version) follows, and it is a fantastic rendition with Elvis really completely in the process, throwing himself so much that the musicians seem to be no less fascinated. "Give me my electric ... uh... box," Elvis asks as we go the complete and unedited version of Little Sister / Get Back medley. A real collector's treasure, since we have never heard a another six minutes rendition of this song (this version has also been available on the "recent" BMG TTWII SE CD). The following segment beginning with I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water has been released on the video The Lost Performances many years ago and is known by heart by every Elvis fan, but we get to hear every nuance now thanks to the great sound quality. After I Was The One (a fine rendition) Elvis seems to take the time to think of something to sing, as he stops on the Cattle Call, followed by a brief rendition of Baby Let's Play House (featuring the original "You may get religious, baby" line). The following Don't is (as Elvis himself admits) "terrible, man," and he then throws himself into a yet another half- remembered rendition of Money Honey (too high for him to get right). Two lines of Hard Headed Woman precede a very good shot on A Fool Such As I (with Elvis surprisingly doubling James Burton on some of the guitar licks during the solo), followed by a complete (unedited) version of Froggy Went-A-Courtin'. Such A Night is tighter than any live rendition of it, featuring great guitar licks by James and beautiful arrangement of the piano, but Elvis is not giving his all vocally this time (probably having to save the voice for the Summer Season). The following It's Now Or Never is rather a joking version ("Come hold my... me tight"-version) but it's fine to hear a yet another song with Elvis on electric guitar. The What'd I Say jam is a yet another great addition to this rehearsal. The CD is closed by un-serious half-minute long rendition of The Lord's Prayer.

Though almost ten years since it's release, this set is still interesting for Elvis' fans (especially because of the second CD) and if you still miss it in your collection don't miss your chance to get it if you're lucky to find it.

T bootleg index