Elvis Presley Recording Sessions

July 31 1957

(+ 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)

MGM Sound Stage - Hollywood, California

Scoring Session for MGM's Jailhouse Rock

MGM Producer : Jeffrey Alexander

Engineer : Fred Mulculpin

(9.00am - 1.15pm / 2.15pm - 5.00pm)

Musicians:
Full Orchestra (2527, 2528, 2529, 2530, 2531, 2532, 2536, 2537, 2538, 2539, 2540, 2541, 2542, 2543, 2545)
15 Piece Jazz Band (2533 & 2534)
Guitar only (2535)
Strings only (2544)

Main Title (movie opening theme)					2527	July 31 1957 (Wed: 9:00am - 10:30am)
Take 1	Complete	1:25
Take 2	FS
Take 3	FS
Take 4	FS
Take 5	Complete	1:25
Take 6	(M)	1:25		Jailhouse Rock Volume 1 CD1 (FTD)°°~Soundtrack°
Take 7	FS
Take 8	FS
Take 9	FS
Take 10	Complete	1:25
Take 11	Complete	1:25	Alternate master

Main Title (movie opening theme - alternate start)					2528	July 31 1957 (Wed: 10:30am - 10:42am)
Take 1	(M)	0:29	(not used)

Record Plugging Montage				2529	July 31 1957 (Wed: 10:43am - 11:00am)
Take 1	Complete	0:40
Take 2	Complete	0:40
Take 3	(M)	1:25	Soundtrack°

Success Montage (#2)					2530	July 31 1957 (Wed: 11:10am - 11:39am)
Take 1	(M)	1:39		Soundtrack°

End Title				2531	July 31 1957 (Wed: 11:40am - 11:55am)
Take 1	Complete	0:27
Take 2	Complete	0:27
Take 3	(M)	1:27	Soundtrack°

Success Montage (#1)				2532	July 31 1957 (Wed: 12:05pm - 12:27pm)
Take 1	Complete	1:57
Take 1	(M)	1:57	Soundtrack°

Jailhouse Rock (movie version)					2533	July 31 1957 (Wed: 12:28pm - 1:03pm)
Take 1	Complete	2:56	Extra male chorus (2025-01), new intro & instrumental overdubs to 2024-06
Take 2	(M)	2:58	MGM movie version	Jailhouse Rock Volume 1 CD1 (FTD)°° (track 23)~The Complete '50s Movie Masters And Session Recordings 1 (MRS)°°~Soundtrack°

Jailhouse Rock (movie version - alternate ending)					2534	July 31 1957 (Wed: 12:28pm - 1:03pm)
Take 1	(M)	0:07	(not used)

Don't Leave Me Now (Mickey Alba version - overdub)					2535	July 31 1957 (Wed: 1:10pm - 1:15pm)
Take 1	Complete	0:32	Guitar overdubbed to 2515-01
Take 2	(M)	0:28		Soundtrack° (0:24)

Ambulance Montage				2536	July 31 1957 (Wed: 2:15pm - 2:49pm)
Take 1	Complete	1:49
Take 2	NG
Take 3	(M)	1:48	Soundtrack°

Hospital Scene				2537	July 31 1957 (Wed: 2:50pm - 3:00pm)
Take 1	Complete	2:20
Take 2	(M)	2:21	Soundtrack°

Ambulance Montage (bar 1-36, repeat 36 to 41 - end)					2538	July 31 1957 (Wed: 3:15pm - 3:24pm)
Take 1	(M)	1:36		Soundtrack°

Ambulance Montage (bar 36 to upbeat of 42 - end) (wild)					2539	July 31 1957 (Wed: 3:15pm - 3:24pm)
Take 1	(M)	0:10		Soundtrack°

Calendar Montage				2540	July 31 1957 (Wed: 3:25pm - 3:34pm)
Take 1	Complete	0:29
Take 2	(M)	0:29	Soundtrack°

Tender Trap - Hi-Fi Version (wild)				2541	July 31 1957 (Wed: 3:25pm - 3:34pm)
Take 1	NG
Take 2	(M)	1:27	Soundtrack°

Hammers Pounding In My Skull				2542	July 31 1957 (Wed: 3:42pm - 3:58pm)
Take 1	Complete	1:25
Take 2	NG
Take 3	(M)	1:26	Soundtrack°

What A Drag Montage (bar 1-52A)				2543	July 31 1957 (Wed: 4:10pm - 4:29pm)
Take 1	Complete	1:12
Take 2	(M)	1:12	Soundtrack°

What A Drag Montage (bar 52A-63)				2544	July 31 1957 (Wed: 4:30pm - 4:39pm)
Take 1	NG
Take 2	Complete	0:16
Take 3	(M)	0:17	Soundtrack°

Beast In Me				2545	July 31 1957 (Wed: 4:40pm - 4:50pm)
Take 1	Complete	0:50
Take 2	(M)	0:47	Soundtrack°

All timings in the 'Musical Breakdown' below are taken from the DVD release of the movie.

Thanks to David English for extensive research on these sessions.

Notes from a review of Jailhouse Rock Volume 1 (FTD) by Piers Beagley (Elvis Information Network)

Jailhouse Rock
(track 14) movie opening theme - This is something new for FTD as for the first time they feature the movie's orchestral opening theme. Although in stereo it is only the actual MGM lions roar that is in stereo. A quirky nice addition.

(track 23) movie version - The full movie version that you know so well. In fine quality and in stereo since the MGM orchestral overdubs were in stereo.



Recording Information April / May 1957	Master Tape Jailhouse Rock	Daily Music Report July 31 1957



Movie Scene Sheets Jailhouse Rock	Jailhouse Rock Movie Song Index	Musical Breakdown Jailhouse Rock