The new outing in the FTD “original soundtrack series” is the soundtrack of Elvis’ second movie, “Loving You”. Do we love it?
Design
As with every release in this series the artwork is near perfect, and close as possible to the original. A nice booklet with details on the movie and the soundtrack and the recording illustrated with memorabilia and pictures of Elvis at work in the studio. This edition contains two CDs with original album labels, both the A and B side this time, as decoration. No complaints here.
Content
We must ask the question if we need a new release of this classic soundtrack less than one year after we had a remastered (DSD) edition. Since this release is on the collector’s label the answer (of the fans) can only be "yes", since we hope to have bought the definitive edition of this soundtrack. But there is a nagging feeling ... buying the same material again for the additional tracks. If you start a series like this, you should finish it (as long as they are sold), at least as producer, the fan can always reconsider. And Joe Public won't find this release in many stores.
Content wise we can be pretty short… not much new here. The first CD contains some great rockers like “Teddy Bear”, “Party” and the swinging “Got A Lot O’ Livin’ To Do”. We always wondered why this song is never considered for a re-release since it is fun, upbeat and has a video clip. “When It Rains It Really Pours” has a great bluesy sound and feel while “I Beg Of You” has the raw sound that made the difference in Elvis’ early recordings and a fantastic previously unheard out-take the classic "Mean Woman Blues". Great songs.
As with more of the recent DSD remasters, we didn’t hear any quality difference between them. The out-takes show a little variation, but no really different approaches to the songs, Elvis knew what he wanted - and probably had - to record.
Disc two is a different story. Since the title track wasn’t among our favorite songs, we regard it next to “Don’t”, as being one of the most dull songs Elvis recorded in the 50's, so we skipped thought it for now, trying to find some new sounds. But the original and the few outtakes on the first disc were more than enough to us. For the real collectors it is a nice gesture of Ernst and company to release all the material of the song they have on one disc, until now we only found this on bootleg releases. But it isn’t really a CD you put on having friends over. We’ll give it a second spin at a quiet moment, following Elvis in the studio recording this song. Hopefully we'll get a release like this with some more exciting tracks.
Conclusion
Yes we know, we are spoilt, both positive and negative. Spoilt as fans that get a great release like this of one of the classic albums of their favorite performer, and spoilt that some of the extras on this release don’t really excite us anymore. If you feel differently, please express so through the FTD Top 20.
To close of on a positive note, this is a nice product for the eye, a nice – and hopefully definitive – release for the collection, with some great classic performances by our man.
Loving You (Follow That Dream 2CD Version)
January 10, 2006 | Music
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You Dont Know Me wrote on
January 10, 2006
You mean to say in this (so called review) you havn't even bothered to listen to all of Disc 2?? I cannot believe you are pretending to even call this a 'Review?'.
lray wrote on
January 10, 2006
When someone calls 'Don't' a dull song, it is a clue that maybe the entire review can be dismissed.
elvissessions wrote on
January 11, 2006
Lyle Ray, you hit it on the head. My jaw hit the floor when I read that. "Don't" is consistently listed as a favorite by many Elvis fans and Elvis insiders, including musicians and singers he performed with. I recall a panel of Elvis sidemen at a recent Elvis Week, each of whom listed several Elvis favorites; the one song in common for all of them: "Don't." This song is ranked among Elvis' finest vocal achievements. I'm not sure who the "we" is in this rather half-hearted review, but I have to say I'm more than a little disappointed.
ijustcanhelpbelievin wrote on
January 11, 2006
i agree with all the below comments..it's not a thorough review first off,and second the song don't is a classic to me!! perhaps someone else should be conducting these new release reviews before submitting it on here for all of us to read..somone was way off on this one!!
ElvisDayByDay wrote on
January 11, 2006
Regarding the "Don't" comments, guess that is a matter of taste. Don't see the relevancy of the sidemen comment. I recall Elvis sidemen performing with impersonators, does that make the impersonators good because Elvis former sidemen perform with him? O.K. the show may be better than those using just a backing tape, but still ;-)
elvissessions wrote on
January 11, 2006
The relevancy of it is that some of the best musicians in the business -- some of whom recorded at dozens upon dozens of his sessions -- selected that song as one of the two or three best he ever performed. People do what they have to do to pay the bills, but if you're suggesting that the crack studio and road musicians Elvis worked with didn't know good musicianship when they heard it, then you're certainly bound to be in the minority here.
ElvisDayByDay wrote on
January 11, 2006
Therefor I started my reaction with a remark about taste. You either like a song / performance or not. I didn't mean to put the experts down. What I tried to say is that when experts say something is good I still do not have to like it. To use a different comparisson, if experts say van Gogh is a great painter I can perhaps agree on his craftmanship but still not like his painting. Elvis may deliver a great vocal performance on a .... song :-)
heartburnmotel wrote on
January 11, 2006
I agree with Lyle Ray; Don't a dull song? Even if so, listen how Elvis approaches this song vocally. This is one of the earlier songs in which the broad dynamics of a tremendous singer can be heard!
Ton Bruins wrote on
January 11, 2006
First of all I skipped this one...nothing new. And I don't want to hear all those outtakes from "Loving You" on the second CD. But I must say it's a "dangerous" statement to say that "Don't" and "Loving You" are dull songs with all those Elvis fans around here...lol. But I have to agree with the fact that we have to buy all the old stuff for the additional tracks once again. We had this soundtrack less than one year ago ! The FTD label is not on a good road with those releases. Remember it's a collectors label. Only new outtakes should be releases and not old stuff once again !
ger wrote on
January 11, 2006
Don't is one of Elvis best songs and so is loving you dull take the cotten wool out of your ears
Ciscoking wrote on
January 12, 2006
We have all alternate takes floating around on different titles (including imports) finally on one release and in the best sound. In addition 4 more takes unreleased in any form including the "famous" BX 7 version of Mean Woman Blues. My opinion...worthwhile...
Lex wrote on
January 12, 2006
Although I agree with the main part of this review, I can't understand the remark about "Don't". A beautiful ballad, probably the first recording in which Elvis showed his capabilities as vocalist. His voice was not as thin and almost insecure as in previous ballads. Well, taste differs... and some people have more of it than others ;-).
Jeoliverm wrote on
January 12, 2006
Do you know what I usually do? January 2005 saw the new DSD releases of Elvis Presley, Elvis and Loving You and I already had the 1997 re-mastered versions of all, so I tied myself to a chair and didn't run to the shop. By mid-year I decided that it was time for buy them and then came the news that an FTD version of Loving You soon would see the light. So for me now is the time to buy Loving You (again tho' because I already have about three of four versions of Loving You) and I expect that my "resentments" will be very few. Anyway, anyone can do anything that please him/her. And, please, Don't dull? There's no account for taste!
Neckywoudje wrote on
January 12, 2006
I have one question which hasn't been answered. Are the masters on this releases the same versions (DSD masters) as appeared a year ago on the mainstream version? Is there any difference in sound? Both were mastered by Budd, Right? So I presume he didn't do them again for this one? I want to know this, because I skipped the re-releases last year because I knew this one would appear. But not all of the re-releases on FTD had great sound (altough some were outstanding).
PTCJones wrote on
January 13, 2006
It would have been nice to break up cd2 with some different songs. 50 takes in a row, damn!
byebye wrote on
January 13, 2006
Answer to Neckywoudje. -DSD is a TRANSFER METHOD AFTER the mastering itself. (In a way to get more information on the CD..) "Loving you" and all the other FTD releases has NOT DSD transfer being used after the mastering process. Why I dont know. Maybe a money issue.. However, since Kevan Budd is mentioned on both "Loving you" editions, it might well be from the same mastering session. ANDREAS MEYER usually does the few DSD transfers for BMG.
ttwiise wrote on
January 14, 2006
what a load of moaners, years ago the loving you sessions bootleg appeared and we snapped it up. now we have it all in brilliant sound, some in binaural plus a fantastic previously unheard out take of mean woman blues. all packaged very nicely. What is it you really want?
Ton Bruins wrote on
January 14, 2006
What we want ? New outtakes...once again....new outtakes !!! (if available) Not the same stuff released all the time. FTD is a collectors label...think about that. Collectors collect new stuff, same as someone who collects for example stamps or what ever. We are not moaning, we are just critical, nothing against that I think.
EPFO wrote on
January 20, 2006
You're right TTWIISE and thank you Ernst for this release and the others, keep on...
lray wrote on
January 23, 2006
I have had my copy for about a week now and played it several times. It is sensational. The new masters of Loving You, Mean Woman Blues, improved sound, other tracks from the same session (One Night, All Shook Up etc.), great packaging etc., make this one of the best of the 7" format from FTD. April will bring another classic album, Something For Everybody.
You Dont Know Me wrote on
January 23, 2006
Well(at last) i HAVE recieved this great CD , the packaging is 'pleasant enough, but NOT as 'remarkable' as i was led to believe.Disc 1 is Great and especially the outakes! really worthwhile to have in THIS Quality! Disc 2 and it's 48 tracks is especially interesting - simply because of the different Tempo treatment given to the song and stereo AND rythm! however i WAS surprised that the August 1975 treatment of Tempo on the lines "don't you be blue" (which to me almost seem unique?) somehow wern't repeated here all those years ago!? making that later short version all the more remarkable and (actually) i almost long for that version as take 49 on this disc. VERY interesting disc 2 in great quality NOT to be 'dismissed' or put in the 'don't play' put away catagory.!****
lray wrote on
January 23, 2006
Jesper I have not done A/B tests but I would say this one is equal with some improvement overall. I don't think I have heard any of these tracks sound better than they do here. Even the acetates sound good especially Got A Lot Of Livin' To Do main version. It doesn't even sound like an acetate. K. Budd worked on both versions and had better tapes (for some of the material) this time. Anything that Budd is assigned to do is going to have the best possible sound and this is no exception. The sound is smooth and clean. You will not be disappointed.
Dixieland Rock wrote on
January 24, 2006
Loving You is one of my favorite Presley movie soundtrack albums. It's nice to see All Shook up added to this updated version. It would have been neat if All Shook Up had been included as a movie performance in the film Loving You. Even the rockin gritty version of I Beg Of You would have been great in that movie. I like the way Elvis tackles that song. But anyway this is a great CD and I'm pleased with the additions. Great job FTD.