home
Recording Sessions
Essential lists
Essential Magazines
Elvis Movies
Elvis The Story
Video footage
Elvis website links
May 27 / 28 1963
(+ means you need both    ~ means same material    °° means stereo or binaural    ° means mono)
(SFS = Short False Start | FS = False Start | LFS or BD (Breakdown) = Long False Start | PB (Playback) or Complete = Complete Take)

RCA Studio B - Nashville, Tennessee
Producer : Steve Sholes
Engineer : Bill Porter
(May 27 : 7.00pm - 10.00pm / 10.00pm - 1.00am)
(May 28 : 1.00am - 4.00am)

Musicians:   Backup Vocals:
Guitar:
 Scotty Moore The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker; Neal Matthews; Joe Babcock; Ray
Guitar: Jerry Kennedy (10.00pm - 4.00am) Walker
Guitar: Harold Bradley Millie Kirkham
Guitar: Thomas 'Grady' Martin (7.00pm - 10.00pm)  
Drums: D.J. Fontana  
Drums: Murrey 'Buddy' Harman  
Bass: Bob Moore  
Saxophone: Homer 'Boots' Randolph  
Piano: Floyd Cramer  

Memphis, Tennessee
PPA4 0302
   May 27 1963 (Mon)
Take 1 FS+Comp
 2:34   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~Elvis Meets Presley°°~60s
Box 5°° (complete)+Unsurp'd Masters 3-10°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°°
(count-in+FS+complete)
Take 2 FS+M 2:45 Rejected master (jungle version)
(2:13)		 Comp. Elvis Presley Mast. 28 (Sony)°°~Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee
(FTD)°°~The Making Of Viva Las Vegas (FTD)°°~A Legendary Performer
Volume 9° (no echo)+Collectors Gold 2°°~La Legende - Rock 'n' Roll
1963-68 (BMG France)°° (echo)~Memphis Tennessee (LP - edited)°
(acetate - no echo)+Tape°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°° (count-in, FS &
ending after fade)

(It's A) Long Lonely Highway
PPA4 0303
   May 27 1963 (Mon)
Take 1 Complete
 2:24 Single master
"Well... my drinking water's muddy"
(2:55 with count-in)		 Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~Long Lonely Highway (FTD)°°
~Unsurp'd Masters 3-10°°~Echoes Of Love Sessions°°+Devil In Disguise
3 (FTD)°° (count-in)+Complete Single Collection 4°~The Mono Masters
CD2 (Venus)°
Take 2 M 2:21 Album master
"My drinking water's muddy"
(2:34 with count-in)		 Complete Elvis Presley Masters 9 (Sony)°°~The Nashville Sessions
(Franklin Mint Comp. Masters Collection 27)°°~Elvis 75 - Good Rockin'
Tonight 3 (Legacy)°°~60s Box 3°°~Kissin' Cousins (FTD)°°~Devil In
Disguise 1 (FTD)°°+For The Asking°° (diff. mixes)+Elvis Sings Memphis
Tennessee (FTD)°° (orig. 2-track stereo mix)+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°°
(count-in)+Tickle Me (soundtrack)° (overdubbed)

Ask Me
PPA4 0304
   May 27 1963 (Mon)
Take 1 FS+Comp
 2:48   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°+Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°
(listed as takes 1 & 2)~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°+Devil In Disguise
3 (FTD)°° (count-in+FS+complete)~24 Carat Gold°° (complete - CD1 /
count-in+FS on CD2)
Take 2 2xFS+M 2:498 Alternate master (2:06) (No. 2)
(continued later)		 Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~The Making Of Viva Las Vegas
(FTD)°° (no echo)~Collectors Gold 2°°~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°
(echo added)+Memphis Tennessee (LP - Acetate)° (no echo) (master only)
+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°° (count-in+2xFS+M - no echo)

Western Union
PPA4 0305
   May 27 1963 (Mon)
Take 1 FS+Comp 2:15   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°+Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°
~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°~There's Always Me Volume 2°°+Devil
In Disguise 3 (FTD)°°
Take 2 LFS 0:55   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°
~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°°
Take 3 FS+Comp 2:28   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~Studio B (FTD)°°+Unsurpassed
Masters 3-10°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°° (count-in+FS+complete)
~There's Always Me Volume 2°° (complete only - listed as Take 4)
Take 4 M 2:12 (2:23 with count-in) Comp. Elvis Presley Mast. 9 (Sony)°°~The Nashville Sessions (Franklin
Mint Comp. Masters Coll. 27)°°~60s Box 3°°~Elvis For Everyone (FTD)°°
~Devil In Disguise 1 (FTD)°°~Speedway (FTD)°°+For The Asking°° (diff.
mixes)+Speedway (FTD)° (master only)+Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee
(FTD)°° (original 2-track stereo mix)+Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°+Devil
In Disguise 3 (FTD)°° (count-in)~Memphis Tennessee (LP - acetate)°

Slowly But Surely
PPA4 0306
   May 28 1963 (Tue)
Take 1 Complete 2:31   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~Long Lonely Highway (FTD)°°
+Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°+Devil
In Disguise 3 (FTD)°° (extra dialogue)~There's Always Me Volume 2°°
Take 2 FS 0:20   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°+Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°
~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°°
Take 3 LFS 1:04   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°
~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°°
Take 4 LFS 1:33   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°
~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°°
Take 5 M 2:12 (2:19 with count-in) Comp. Elvis Presley Mast. 9 (Sony)°°~The Nashville Sessions (Franklin
Mint Comp. Masters Coll. 27)°°~Fun In Acapulco (remastered s'track)°°
~Devil In Disguise 1 (FTD)°°~Fun In Acapulco (FTD)°°~60s Box 3°°+For
The Asking°° (master only - diff. mixes)+Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee
(FTD)°° (original 2-track stereo mix)+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°° (count-in)
+Tickle Me (soundtrack)° (overdubbed)

Blue River
SPA4 6768
   May 28 1963 (Tue)
Take 1 FS 0:34 (announced as "0307") Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°+Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°
~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°~Bilko's Gold Cuts°°~There's Always
Me Volume 2°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°°
Take 2 M 1:54 SPA4 6768
(used for extended master)		 60's Box 3°°~La Legende - Rock 'n' Roll 1963-68 (BMG France)°°+For
The Asking°° (different mixes - echo)+Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee
(FTD)°°~Unsurpassed Mast. 3-10°°~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°
~There's Always Me Volume 2°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°° (count-in)
         
Spliced M 2:11 Spliced from 0:00-1:25 and
0:44-1:31 of Take 2
(changed to SPA4 7357 in 1965)		 Complete Elvis Presley Masters 9 (Sony)°°~Heartache (Franklin Mint
Comp. Masters Collection 6)°°~Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°
~Devil In Disguise 1 (FTD)°°~Double Trouble (FTD)°°~Elvis For Everyone
(FTD)°°~Complete Single Collection 4°°+The Mono Masters CD2 (Venus)°
(faded at 2:10)

Ask Me
PPA4 0304
   May 28 1963 (Tue)
Take 3 LFS 1:01 (continued) Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°
~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°~24 Carat Gold°°+Devil In Disguise
3 (FTD)°°
Take 4 Complete 2:23   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°
~The Echoes Of Love Sessions°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°° (count-in)
~24 Carat Gold°°
Take 5 LFS 0:58   Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°~Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°
+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°°
Take 6 2xFS+M 2:52 (Master - 2:15) (No. 1) Complete Elvis Presley Masters 28 (Sony)°°~Memphis Tennessee (LP
- acetate)° (master only)+Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee (FTD)°°
~Unsurpassed Masters 3-10°°+Devil In Disguise 3 (FTD)°° (count-in)

Notes

The definitive release of these sessions can be found on Follow That Dream's limited edition Devil In Disguise - The 'Lost Album' Sessions 3xCD set, where everything has been compiled and remastered from scratch, and all masters and outtakes are presented in the best possible sound.

Most of this session is available on the Cool Romeo Unsurpassed Masters Box 3 bootleg box-set, in decent sound although noise reduced, thought to be derived from 3-Track tape.

An alternate mix of 'Western Union' from a rejected version of the RCA Speedway album master can be found on the Pair CD Speedway/Clambake.

The movie Tickle Me features '(It's A) Long Lonely Highway' with overdubbed orchestral backing, played over the opening credits - This was done during post production of that movie in October 1964.

On the bootleg LP Memphis Tennessee there are two acetates of 'Ask Me' - listed as ''Number 1'' and ''Number 2''. It is now known that ''Number 1'' is actually Take 6, and ''Number 2'' is Take 2 from this session.

'Memphis Tennessee' and 'Ask Me' were both re-recorded on January 12 1964.

Although the matrix number for 'Blue River' is announced as 0307, this number (PWA4 0307) was actually assigned to a song by Jeanne Pruett called 'Little Black Book' (47-8232). The correct matrix number for 'Blue River' is SPA4 6768, this is for the complete Take 2 and was assigned in 1965. To make 'Blue River' longer for release it was spliced from 0:00-1:25 and 0:44-1:31 of Take 2 and this was issued yet another matrix number, SPA4 7357 in 1965.

Many of Bill Porter's live stereo mix masters from this session were used for the first time on FTD's Elvis Sings Memphis Tennessee.

In March of 2007, Sony decided to go through all of Elvis' masters. They retransferred everything and remastered all tracks including repairing as many clicks, pops, bad edits and dropouts as they could. They have used these newly mastered recordings on their new releases since 2007 including budget soundtracks, Legacy releases, the 30 disc Complete Elvis Presley Masters collection and the Franklin Mint package.

Session Logs
Recording Information
May 27 1963
May 27 1963
Tape Log
May 26 - 27 1963
May 26 - 27 1963
Tape Log
May 26 - 27 1963
May 26 - 27 1963

 
Tape Log
May 26 1963
May 26 1963
  


Music Sheets
Music Sheet
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Music Sheet
(It's A) Long Lonely Highway
(It's A) Long Lonely Highway
Music Sheet
Ask Me
Ask Me (Thanks to Christopher Brown)

Music Sheet
Western Union
Western Union (Thanks to Piotr Stefaniszyn)
Music Sheet
Slowly But Surely
Slowly But Surely
Music Sheet
Blue River
Blue River (Thanks to Christopher Brown)

back