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June 20 1968
(+ 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)

Western Recorders Studio 1 - Hollywood, California
Soundtrack Session for NBC-TV Special Elvis
Producer : Steve Binder
Engineer: Bones Howe
(8.00pm - ?)

Musicians:   Backup Vocals:
Guitar:
Tommy Tedesco The Blossoms: Darlene Love; Jean King; Fanita James
Guitar: Michael Deasy Julie Rinker; B.J. Baker; Frank Howren; Bill Lee; Gene Merlino;
Guitar: Alvin Casey Thurl Ravenscroft; Bill Brown; Joe Eich; Elaine Black; Dean Parker;
Bass / Keyboards: Larry Knechtal Jack Gruberman; Sally Stevens; Jackie Ward; Ronald Hicklin; Tom Bahler;
Bass: Charles Berghofer Mitch Gordon
Drums: Hal Blaine  
Piano: Don Randi Orchestra:
Percussion: John Cyr Conductor: Billy Goldenberg
Percussion: Elliot Franks Arrangers: William Goldenberg / Jack Elliot
Bongos: Frank DeVito Violin: Leonard Atkins; Leonard Malarsky; Sidney Sharp; Thelma Beach;
Harmonica: Tommy Morgan _Marvin Limonick; Joseph Stepansky; Alexander Murray; Ambrose Russo
Keyboard: Bob Alberti Cello: Eleanor Saltkin; Paul Bergstrom; Christine Walevska; Emmett
Keyboard: Tommy Wolfe _Sargeant; Richard Noel; Frank Rosolino; Ernest Tack
    Trombone: Francis Howard
    Trumpet: Oliver Mitchell; John Audino; Manny Stevens; Anthony Terran
    Saxophone: Anthony Ortega; Peter Christlies; John Kelso; Gene Cipriano
    French Horn: Dick Perrisi; William Hinshaw

Nothingville / Guitar Man (part 1)
("Guitar Man's Evil" section 1)
WPA1 8045
  June 20 1968 (Thur)
Warming Up 1:38   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 1 FT 1:46   NBC-TV Special (FTD)°° (additional dialogue - cut) (1:16)+Singer Presents
Elvis (Venus)°° ('Nothingville' only - no 'Guitar Man')
Take 2 FT 1:56   The Joan Deary Tapes Vol. 1°° (listed as "unknown take")
Take 3 FT      
Take 4 FT      
Take 5 FS 0:48   Let Yourself Go (FTD)°°+NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special
- 50th Anniversary Ed'n 5°° (count-in) ('Nothingville' only - no 'Guitar Man')
Take 6 FT 1:27   Let Yourself Go (FTD)°° (1:14)+NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback
Special - 50th Anniversary Edition 5°° ('Nothingville' only - no 'Guitar Man')
Take 7 FS      
Take 8 FS      
Take 9 FS   "Hold. 1st Section two"  
Take 10 (M) 1:56 (used for 'Road Medley')
(filmed playback - "Road #1" &
vocal overdub - "Alley" on June 30)
NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special - 50th Anniversary
Edition°° (count-in - 'Guitar Man' only) (listed as Take 2)+Memories°°

Let Yourself Go (part 1)
("Guitar Man's Evil" section 2)
  June 20 1968 (Thur)
Take 1 FT 2:12 (used for alternate master) Let Yourself Go (FTD)°° (listed as 'part 2 Take 2')
Take 2 FS 0:32   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 3 FS 1:27   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 4 FS 1:14   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 5 FS 0:21   Let Yourself Go (FTD)°°~Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°+NBC-TV
Special (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special - 50th Anniversary Edition 5°°
Take 6 Complete 2:19 "Hold"
NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~Let Yourself Go (FTD)°°~Singer Presents
Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 7 (M) 2:17 (used for 'Road Medley' & filmed
playback on June 28
)
Memories°° (1:59)+NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special
- 50th Anniversary Edition 5°° (count-in)+Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
(3:02 - spliced with ending from composite master - "g-go")

Let Yourself Go (part 1) - first verse female vocal overdub
June 20 1968 (Thur)
Take 1 0:52+ Darlene Love's vocal overdub of
part 1-07
(filmed playback on June 28)
The '68 Comeback (Deluxe DVD)°

Flicker Routine / Let Yourself Go (part 2) / Alley Pickup
("Guitar Man's Evil" section 3)
  June 20 1968 (Thur)
Take 1 FS      
Take 2 FT 0:51+ "+ Section 2 Take 1 edited together"
(used for alternate master)
A Legendary Performer Volume 3°° (edited)
Take 3 LFS      
Take 4 FT 1:19    
Take 5 FS      
Take 6 FT 1:32   NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~Let Yourself Go (FTD)°°
Take 7 (M) 1:35 (used for 'Road Medley' & filmed
playback on June 28
)
Memories°° (1:22)+NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special
- 50th Anniversary Edition 5°° (count-in)

Let Yourself Go (composite)
WPA1 8112
   
Spliced (M) 2:37 Composite of part 1-01 & part 2-02
Alternate master
Comp. Elvis Presley Masters 28 (Sony)°°~The Complete '68 Comeback
Special CD1°°~A Legendary Performer Volume 3°°~This Is Elvis (FTD)°°
~NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special - 50th Anniversary
Edition 1°° (#1)
Spliced M 2:42 Composite of part 1-07 & part 2-07 (1st Bar (0:01s) & end (10s) is
edited) Record version
NBC-TV Special ('91 CD)°° (#2)

Guitar Man (part 2 - fast)
("Escape" section 1)
  June 20 1968 (Thur)
Take 1 FS 0:56 "I nearly starved" NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~Let Yourself Go (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special
- 50th Anniversary Edition 5°°
Take 2 FS 0:54   NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~Let Yourself Go (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special
- 50th Anniversary Edition 5°° (count-in)+Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
(0:41)
Take 3 LFS 0:54   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 4 FS 0:47   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 5 FS 1:01   NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~Let Yourself Go (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special
- 50th Anniversary Edition 5°°+Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 6 FT 0:48   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 7 FS 0:56   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 8 FS 0:49 "Hold"
(not used - remake on June 21)
Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°

Calliope Carnival
("Escape" section 2)
June 20 1968 (Thur)
Take 1 FT 0:33 Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 2 (M) 0:13 (used for 'Road Medley' - before
'Big Boss Man')
(filmed playback on June 27)
Memories°° (without announcer)+NBC-TV Special ('91 CD)°°~(24 Bit)°

Big Boss Man
("Escape" section 3)
WPA1 8046
  June 20 1968 (Thur)
Take 1 Incomp. 1:24 "Are you horny tonight"
NBC-TV Special (FTD)°° (1:17)+Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 2 FT 2:00 "When the swallows come back to
Capistrano"
NBC-TV Special (FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special - 50th Anniversary
Edition 5°° (1:40)+Let Yourself Go (FTD)°° (1:48)+Singer Presents Elvis
(Venus)°°
Take 3 (M) 1:04 (used for 'Road Medley')
(filmed playback on June 27)
Memories°°~NBC-TV Special ('91 CD)°°~(24 Bit)°

It Hurts Me (part 1)
("Escape" section 4)
  June 20 1968 (Thur)
Take 1 FT/Incomp
1:59 "...he'll never change" Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°° (spliced - "After Karate sect. 1" Take 1)
+NBC-TV Special (FTD)°° (1:48)+Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°° (complete)
Take 2 FS 0:34   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 3 FS 0:28   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 4 FS 1:01   Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 5 FT/Incomp 1:57   Let Yourself Go (FTD)°°+Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°+NBC-TV Special
(FTD)°°~'68 Comeback Special - 50th Anniversary Edition 5°° (additional
dialogue)
Take 6 FS 1:02 (used for composite master) Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
Take 7 (M) 1:47 (used for 'Road Medley')
(filmed vocal overdub & playback
on June 27
)
Memories°°~NBC-TV Special ('91 CD)°°+Singer Presents Elvis (Venus)°°
(count-in only)

Notes

The TV Special album masters from the June 20-24 sessions on BMG's remastered 2-CD set Memories from 1998 are interesting, as the bass is a bit boosted, a little midrange is perhaps missing in the equalization and the pitch is about 1.5% too slow, but these are minor, reversible details.

'Let Yourself Go' as first released by RCA on Elvis - A Legendary Performer Volume 3 is actually different from start to finish as opposed to the version on the 1991 CD NBC-TV Special. The ending is obviously edited with the word "go" being interrupted before the spliced part begins ("g---go"). It sounds as if the take may have been close to a breakdown just before the repaired ending.

'Let Yourself Go' on FTD's Let Yourself Go is incorrectly listed as "Part 1 - takes 5 and 6 + Part 2 - take 2 + Part 3 - take 6". The listing should read :- "Part 1 / Section 2 - takes 5 and 6 + Part 1 / Section 2 - take 1 + Part 2 / Section 3 - take 6".

Section 2 Take 1 are the first three verses of the master, and section 3 Take 2 is the rest of the master of'Let Yourself Go' on Elvis - A Legendary Performer Volume 3.

Before Take 2 of 'Big Boss Man' Elvis can be heard singing "Are you horny tonight" and after Take 2 a line of 'When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano' is heard.

'It Hurts Me' as first released on Elvis - A Legendary Performer Volume 3 has different vocals on the last word "...you", as opposed to the version on the 1991 CD NBC-TV Special. The string ending is also unique on Elvis - A Legendary Performer Volume 3. It is edited near 1:41, before and after where the instrumental break is edited on the master. This version is a composite of Part 1 - Take 7, Part 2 - Take 11, Part 2 - Take 11 again ("You" is edited/moved so does not synch with the previous same take) and "Strings" from before Part 1 - Take 6. On FTD's classic album release of the NBC-TV Special it incorrectly states "Part 2 - Take 7" is used in the splice instead of "Part 2 - Take 11".

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.


Music Sheets
Music Sheet
Nothingville
Nothingville (Thanks to Piotr Stefaniszyn)
Music Sheet
Guitar Man
Guitar Man
Music Sheet
Let Yourself Go
Let Yourself Go (Thanks to Christopher Brown)

Music Sheet
Big Boss Man
Big Boss Man
Music Sheet
It Hurts Me
It Hurts Me
 

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