Due for release from Gravel Road Music are two volumes entitled “Elvis Presley – You Know, It Doesnt Have To Be Strictly Country” with acetate recordings Elvis supposedly took home and agreed to be released. Volume 1 contains recordings from June 4 , 5 and 6, 1970. The seconde volume holds recordings from June 7 and 8 and September 22, 1970.
The press release:
“Elvis Presley – You Know, It Doesnt Have To Be Strictly Country “ Volume 1 and 2 are 70% unreleased and 100% better sounding 45 amazing tracks collected from private collections of which many for the first time in this shape on CD.
These are the acetates which Elvis took home to play-back and agreed to be released! All tracks have been digitally restored and re-mastered. These acetates often sound better & different than what we know and made it to a LP or nowadays on CD.
Some tracks which appear to be known are now for the first time in their complete form. So in a way it’s released and unreleased… This includes studio talk, count in, left and right channels, longer fade outs or even different lyrics or simply differently sung. Most will be stereo.
As happened in the past some releases only used one channel (This was a easy way to reduce the distortion but so much got lost!) The audio difference between tracks is purely the source and the transfer.
Some have been transferred on to DAT others on to regular cassette tapes in the past. Keep in mind that the original acetates are various in playability.
Original acetates can only be played a few times (after that the quality gets less.) We chose for maximum sound quality per track instead of making them similar to each other! In this way you always get the best sound out of very recording.
The synopsis for these two cds: The masters without dubbing and without repairs in their complete form. Unfortunately we don’t have every master on acetate of the June and September sessions.
So we added some first takes to cover all songs. Also a few tracks of work in progress, a rare chance to hear, a song still being built up to a complete dubbed final master. Guide-strings, -horns, -backing vocals, the talking, it’s all there!
Something which will strike everybody is that Elvis’s voice remains impressive on each track.
Background information; It’s a public known fact that Elvis regularly disagreed with the released version of the songs. Unluckily he hardly made his point towards the ones responsible, knowing there were times he was wrong and the song became a hit (In the ghetto, Suspicious minds, Burning love and others) These two cd’s contain the versions how Elvis liked it!
All together a really new kind of release which will make many Elvis fan’s happy to hear these rare acetates available in their best possible form. The purist will be happy since no effects have been used to enhance the sound.
There are no further copies of acetates available in better sound, only a very few copies were made of each song and most are gone or badly damaged. The acetate lacquer wears out very fast so every track is unique.
Disc 1 - Volume 1 - June 4 - 5 - 6, 1970.
June 4
01. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights (Take 9 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited) Acetate
02. I’ve Lost You (Take 7 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited) Acetate
03. I Was Born About 10.000 Years Ago (Take 1 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited)
04. The Sound Of Your Cry (Take 11 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited) Acetate
05. The Fool (Take 1 – Try Out)
06. Little Cabin On The Hill (Take 2) – Master, Undubbed
07. Cindy ,Cindy (Take 1) Unedited
June 5
08. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Take 8 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited, Unrepaired)
09. Got My Mojo Working /Keep Your Hands Off It (Take 1 – Master , Dubbed Brass & Horns –Unedited)
10. How The Web Was Woven (Take 3 – Master, Back-Up Vocals, No Additional Overdubbing ) (Previous Unreleased)
11. It’s Your Baby, You Rock It (Take 5 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited) Acetate
12. Stranger In The Crowd (Take 9 - Master, Guide Strings & Backing Vocals ) (Previously Unreleased)
13. I’ll Never Know (Take 7 – Master, Undubbed –Unedited) Acetate
14. Mary In The Morning (Take 5 – Master, Undubbed, Unedited) Acetate
June 6
15. Ain’t No Big Thing (Take 9) (Dubbed Strings) (Previously Unreleased)
16. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (Take 3– Alternate Master, Dubbed Strings – No Backing Vocals) (Previously Unreleased)
17. Just Pretend (Take 3 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited) Acetate
18. This Is Our Dance (Take 11 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited) Acetate
19. Life (Take 20 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited) Acetate
20. Heart Of Rome (Take 3 – Used For Composite Master , Undubbed –Unedited) Stereo (Previously Unreleased)
Bonus Tracks
21. Bridge Over Troubled Water - V.O July 2 3 (Acetate) Stereo (Previously Unreleased)
22. There Goes My Everything (Take 3 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited) Acetate
23. The Next Step Is Love - June 22 (Backup Vocal Overdubs )Acetate
Total Running Time 78.38
Disc 2 - Volume 2 - June 7, 8 and September 22, 1970.
June 7
01. When I M Over You (Take 1 – Master , Undubbed –Unedited) Acetate
02. I Really Don’t Want To Know (Take 4 – Master, Undubbed) Acetate
03. Faded Love (Take 1 – Master, Undubbed – Unedited) Acetate
04. Tomorrow Never Comes (Take 13 – Master, Undubbed) Acetate
05. The Next Step Is Love (Take 11 – Master, Undubbed) Acetate
06. Make The World Go Away (Take 3 Master, Undubbed Spliced With Work Part Take 1 (Ending)Acetate
07. Funny How Times Slips Away (Take 1 – Master , Undubbed , Unedited) Acetate
08. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water (Take 1 – Master, Unedited, Undubbed)
09. Love Letters (Take 5 – Master, Unedited, Undubbed) Acetate
June 8
10. There S Goes My Everything (Take 1) Complete
11. If I Were You (Take 9 – Master, Undubbed ,Unedited) Acetate
12. Only Believe (Take 4 – Master , Unedited, Undubbed) Acetate (Previously Unreleased)
13. Sylvia (Take 8 – Master , Undubbed ,Unedited)) Acetate (Previously Unreleased)
14. Patch It Up (Take 8 – Master , Undubbed ,Unedited) Acetate
September 22
15. Snowbird (Take 6 – Master, Undubbed, Unedited) Acetate (Previously Unreleased)
16. Where Did They Go Lord? (Take 6 – Master, Undubbed , Unedited) Acetate
17. Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On (Take 2 – Master, Undubbed, Unedited)
18. Rags To Riches (Take 4 - Unrepaired Master, Undubbed, Unedited)
Bonus Tracks July 18
19. I’ve Lost You (Take 7 – Master, Back Up Vocal Overdubs) (Previously Unreleased)
20. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Take 8 – Master, Brass & String Overdubs Mix Down) (Previously Unreleased)
21. The Next Step Is Love (Take 11 – Master, Mix Down) (Previously Unreleased)
22. I’ll Never Know (Take 7 – Master, No Backing Vocals, Mix Down) (Previously Unreleased)
Total running time 76.25
You Know, It Doesnt Have To Be Strictly Country Volume 1 And
November 16, 2007 | Music
mature_elvis_fan75 wrote on
November 17, 2007
My thoughts as well,alot of junk coming out now,im so not interested,please tell me no one else is!
japio wrote on
November 17, 2007
i don´t care what the socalled Fans says. I don´t give damn about what the socalled musiclovers says. I like releases like this. Ok it is from acetates. But it is much better than all the crap that has been released. You don´t have to buy. Buy shit like live shows from with bad sources, Liveshows that are previously released before. Crap like greatest hit 2, tiger man ect, ect. Again i like iit, so be a little more positif about releases. and let other fans enjoy
mature_elvis_fan75 wrote on
November 17, 2007
Who the hect is stopping you or anyone else from enjoying anything? we give our oppions your's might be differt,so be it,enjoy!
Jerome wrote on
November 17, 2007
apparently japio is unaware that this release isn't anything new as well. Of course I like it too, great songs one by one but already available on many releases and in good quality..
japio wrote on
November 17, 2007
Jerome .you´re probably right.But i missed a lot cd´s like the first two pure diamonds cd´s. Ok i know they used it on the rock legends.But they have use one chanel at that time.but when i read that´s Junk , I think that everybody has his own favorite period from Elvis career.I like the first three years,songs ´58,but also his music from the 70´s .but if somebody would give his opinion is that ok. but use some other words than Junk or something. But he has maby right.The last time we get only bad releases from labels like Shake,star (mostly cdr) ,wolfcall But i hear nobody complains about the rereleases from baxter and other import label,.But there´s one problem. There´s not much outtakes left. except from the 50´s. But i think it´s a great release . But some told it´s Junk we´ll see
Jerome wrote on
November 17, 2007
Personally I would never use the word junk because the music is always great. These releases are presented in a exagerated way and add nothing new, despite it's nice to have collect and listen to them. I believe there are still a lot of outtakes, especially 70's material, in the vaults but will be released on the classic ftd albums, that will require some patience for the fans..
mature_elvis_fan75 wrote on
November 18, 2007
Personally i think alot of these style of releases are music that has been tampered with,what really are the undubbed etc songs? and as mentioned FTD will have undubbed songs and such,if you like these kind of cd's then have a ball,i just dont see the thrilll in them!