FTD News From Ernst Jorgensen

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FTD News From Ernst Jorgensen

An update from Ernst Jorgensen on the July 2008 Follow That Dream releases":

Many of our customers have asked to have information about new releases as early as possible. Consequently we hereby publish the information about the July 2008 releases. As they are all work in progress, this is just basic information. Tracklistings and cover art are not ready yet. "America" is a soundboard release from April 1976, with the body of the recordings being from the Omaha show. "Memphis Tennessee (The Lost Album)" is a 2 CD version in our Classic Album series (7 inch digipack with booklet). "Love Letters From Elvis" is a 2 CD version in our Classic Album series (7 inch digipack with booklet).

Update May 15, 2008 from Elvis Australia: The 'Memphis Tennessee (The Lost Album)' release will be similar in concept to the BMG CD For The Asking, using the same songs, but with a different sequence and a lot of outtakes. The artwork will also be different. So another go at what the album may have been.

Source: Elvis Unlimited / Updated: May 14, 2008

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elvis_aotc (profile/ contact) wrote on May 17, 2008report abuse

JerryNodak: Yes, that is also my opininion, that the first 12 tracks will be the same as the original album when they bring out the "Country" album on the FTD label. But all the clean masters should also be on it and the outtakes.............., so a 3 disc release would be nice......

The_Kman33 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 17, 2008report abuse

A quick folllow up to greg,you must not have ordered as many times as i have,i have lost all faith in shop elvis,i am not one to complain,but geesh when you buy 500 bucks worth of music and its thrown in a bubble mailer or into a box without anything else,they even did that with a book,i mean who does that? cd universe on the other hand ships every item i buy from them in a box with peanuts and bubble wrap,even if i buy a 5 dollar cd,now thats service!

The_Kman33 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 17, 2008report abuse

Yes i suppose im on there enemy list,i mean my money isnt as good as anyone else right? what a silly thing to say,i have ordered as many as 5 album type ftd's and had them placed in a bubble mailer,now is this how you recieve yours? i called last time to place a order and asking to have your items placed in a box or to have them securely wrapped seemed to be a bit of pass the buck type of thing,well thats the shipping department excuse,.i have even had them tell me they would tell there supervisor and that it would ship as i requested,but it didnt,sorry i dont care to return items for sloppy service,sure iv gotten lucky and had some items come ok,ive even had them wrapped properly but that is a rarity,the problem is they have no shipping policy,i dont believe im the only one who has dealt with this foolishness,in fact i know many who have,why buy from people who show they just dont care? The problem here in the usa is too many places asking insane prices,there are somie good fold out in Ep land but far too many ready to charge a fortune,this is hurting Ftd sales,so if maybe just maybe we help eachother figure out were we can get good prices without having to sacrifice good service more people will be interested. Greg i remember you telling me about damaged goods from them,they use to be great back in 04 when i bought from them,it was just fine,but now morons running things!

JerryNodak (profile/ contact) wrote on May 17, 2008report abuse

Elvis aotc: I'll bet my home mortgage the when "Elvis Country" is released on FTD the first 12 tracks will be the original album. That means with the musical snippet between the tracks. The model has been set for these deluxe 7 inch releases and I don't believe Ernst will deviate from it. It is possible that we might get the tracks both ways (with and without snippet) if there's room. Which of course depends on the amount of outtakes available.

elvis_aotc (profile/ contact) wrote on May 17, 2008report abuse

Would be nice if the album Elvis-Country was on the list also. Then we have almost the whole Nashville 1970 session, with the "That's the way it is" & "Love Letters" album. Nice project could the "Country" album be...... Put the mixed "I was born about ten thousand years ago" album on it, but put also the songs out without the "I was born about ten thousand years ago" mix. I know that you can hear those songs on the essential 70's masters box disc 3, but with the song "Tomorrow will never comes" there is also not a clean start and some new remastered songs on disc 3 are mixed in a way that they do not sound like the original release like the song "Funny how time slips away" Listen to the piano and guitar part. They are separate in the original but playing together on the Essential 70's masters. (I must say that i like most mixes on the "essential 70's masters, verry clear/ strong voice of Elvis)Would also be nice if those masters with fade outs run a little longer what they did with other releases. This Country album could be a 3 disc release if it is done well. looking forward on the "Love Letters" album. I am sorry to say to some people, but finally there you can hear the songs "If I were You" & "This is our dance" in remastered versions. We had those two not yet and yes…….,i like those songs also.............. I think that if those songs would be on the original "That's the way it is" album, almost nobody complained......, and "That's the way it is" is a excellent album, with or without those two songs......

Greg Nolan (profile/ contact) wrote on May 17, 2008report abuse

Henk: I think a visit to the website of the shop I was discussing sums up the nature of the complaint (and I'm glad they've closed - hopefully just to re-group: Sorry, The Elvis Shop London is temporarily closed. We will be back soon! If you have any pressing matters and need to contact us:

Jerry, I haven't had the poor experiences K-man has had but I have indeed received FTD's that were dinged up -and some that easily would be if they happened to land under the wrong box. I will shop through them when necessary. Americans don't have many other choices and by and large it's worth the risk. (Now get busy tracking down all the FTDs: last year, shopelvis had a brief free shipping and discounted to the neighborhood of $21, I ended up buying $300 dollars worth of titles I didn't have and now love each one of 'em. Call it an illness but it's a great set when you have them all.

As for LOVE LETTERS, it was one of the few albums I didn't get (either through my family or myself) until years later, in mid-90s, when I found a copy in our library of our university radio station where I did a regular program. Maybe even the cover betrayed the idea that was a bunch of left-overs. So at that time I put on LOVE LETTERS and outside of a few tracks, was taken aback by the material. We had an extensive CD and vinyl library but theft over the years was a real problem. Tellingly, no other Elvis albums existed in the station library --- save "Love Letters." No takers!

It was until 2000 or so when I finally got back into Elvis big again and tracked down the CD (I lucked out and received a Japanese version when I ordered through the mail) that I discovered some of the charms of this album, most of all his voice at this time. The more syrupy tunes I have to be in the mood for but I also found them occasionally appealing. That said, few fans bother to defend this collection of cutting-room floor tracks but I'd hope we'd embrace the FTD version for putting it in better historical context.

japio (profile/ contact) wrote on May 16, 2008report abuse

These releases are relly great. For a lot of fans is Love letters not a good album. I like it very much. i can't understand why almost nobody likes Life, heart of rome ect. It are great versions. But for the asking a classic?? But the original was a very great cd. So not a real classic. But it will be a great release from FTD. But when we get the both christmas albums as classic releasess? I think the christmas album would be a awsome versions

JerryNodak (profile/ contact) wrote on May 16, 2008report abuse

Wow! What do some of you guys do? Are you all on some sort of Shop Elvis enemies list? I order from them and I've always gotten prompt service, and never had any problems with damaged goods. I've always gotten my order within 3-5 days unless an item was on backorder. Of course, I am very selective about my purchases since I'm not one of those who must have everything. Therefore, I admit that my number of orders is far fewer than many of you. I shall keep ordering from Shop Elvis.

Theo (profile/ contact) wrote on May 16, 2008report abuse

Looks like a great set of new FTD cd's! I'll get these for sure. I'll have to be patient, though. I used to order every FTD cd as it came out, but now I order a whole bunch once a year. I'll order these three, along with TTWII and about 6 others, probably January next year, because I get a 10% discount with my regular dealer if I buy 10 or more items at the same time and this also saves me some shipping costs.

Henk(bryan): They 're not discussing Elvis Shop EU here, which is a great dealer, but the bad service and packing of ShopElvis, the official EPE Graceland webshop, which is one of the few places in the US where you can buy FTD cd's.

Jesse Garon Presley (profile/ contact) wrote on May 16, 2008report abuse

Elvis Shop EU bad?? no way, i received several items from them, all of the items in perfect condition, and wonderful customer service...it's part of ELVISMATTERS with an awesome magazine is that bad? don't think so!! great magazine!! and these new FTD cd's are truly awesome, i will buy them for sure

Greg Nolan (profile/ contact) wrote on May 16, 2008report abuse

Although I cheer the FTD version, I'm kind of sad to see Ger R.'s terrific '60s-style artwork abandoned - as well as the "For the Asking: The Lost Album" title. What - no budget to pay for it again? After all, this will be *third* actual title and album cover for this material - "Lost" indeed!

Americans got it in '91 or so as "The Lost Album" - with a hum-drum photo of a brown-box-package minus the "For the Asking" period-style title. It's possible the next one will be an artistic improvement cover-wise but I'd be happy with the Ger cover again. Not all FTD's have covers that are as good as the "alternate" ones found among some of the better one or two alternate cover makers.

I join those of you who are happy to see FTD plowing ahead with any and all of these releases - presumably the '76 release will have an interesting angle or two. With the exception of the last several titles (which I'm on the trail of) I have collected all the FTD's and those who slog off the live titles (which include "Big Boss Man," "I Found My Thrill," etc.) are writing off some neat titles that in the past we'd never get. And Charlie, I felt the same way and lucked out on a cheap copy of "Tickle Me" some time ago: it's worth getting if you can find it cheaper.

K-Man: I don't totally put down SHOPELVIS but agree it's a pretty soul-less operation prone to gaffes and lazy, unacceptable packaging. For the price, though, sometimes it's worth it to get one or two with an angle banged up if you're getting it on one of their rare sales with free shipping as the prices in the US are otherwise a slap-in-the-face. You're right that some internet sites do in fact sell them for upwards of $40-$50. Get real.

Also, as has been noted on the other site I frequent, that Elvis Londonshop, despite it's stellar rep, has been very non-responsive of late and hasn't been responding to many of our e-mails, here and among customers in the UK. I wanted to buy things from them but unless I hear back soon, one will have to wonder. Whatever it is, I hope that turns around. But I agree: let's be grateful for FTD and Ernst. For those of us who lived through RCA in the '70s and '80s: that's the truth.

Viva (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

Great choices, great ideas. FTDs (Sounds like something from your local genito-urinery clinic) are the ONLY decent Elvis product out there at the moment. Even the '76 soundboard is great from a completist point of view. No complaints at all about Ernst, and a hearty thanks to him for caring enough to let us all know about future ideas in advance. My only gripe is that I don't have the funds to get them all. "For the asking" should be interesting and if the "Love Letters" album has the undubbed versions, we are in for a real treat.

The_Kman33 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

Just recieved a package from shop Elvis only one out of 5 wasnt severely damaged,i would advise unless you like making trips to the post office to stay away from them,horrible customer service, no answers to your questions, a real disgrace! have fun all!

The_Kman33 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

1970 Being my favorite from him,i absolutely love the country album,this is were he was on top,showing he could really sing anything,the way i will always remember him!

schemies (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

After the Classic Album release of TTWII it was clear they go on with this session. So in October we expect "Elvis Country" on FTD, and the session is complete. "Lost Album" is a fine reissue, too. My personal iPod playlist has 42 track, including all masters & outtakes, which is less than 2 hours, so 2 CD's MUST be more than what we already have. I hope Mr. Jorgensen gives his best here !

The_Kman33 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

Thanks for the info im in South Carolina here in the states,i will check into the place you mentioned,i will also fill out my profile,i forgot to do so,thanks again!

CharlieRogers (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

Hi Kman (ex Mature....of course we care who you were in a previous incarnation!;o)) I use "The Elvis London Shop" which packs everything up really really well and does free p+p to the UK. They sell all 'disc only' FTD at a flat rate of £15.99 (that's Pounds Sterling) and the book+CDs are all heavily discounted - this is still quite expensive (IMHO) but it's quite a bit chepaer than amazonuk! Your profile doesn't indicate where in the world you are so I'm not sure if this is any help! They seem to be on holiday at the moment but when they are there they certainly give an excellent service!

Bill Rauhuff; everyone is entitled to their opinion on any particular Elvis song but I'm not sure how relevant it is for this discussion, for you to advise us that you don't like Let Me Be There or If You Love Me Let Me Know. I personally really like both of these tracks (as did Elvis himself) and I certainly don't think he was "above songs like that" in any way. There were several songs that I don't think add much to his legacy (like Old MacDonald for example) but as others have said elsewhere, there is more than enough good stuff to counteract such artistic low points!

Chop983 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

It hurts me, Outakes fantastic

RonBaker (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

There were two released versions of "Heart of Rome"...the 45 b-side to "I'm Leavin'" is different to the one on the LP. The 45 is better sounding to my ears...the LP version sounds a little less finished.

The_Kman33 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

As for these releases,i love anything from 1970,although i prefer no classic albums,i do like the material,guess we get more roguh mixes and unedited songs,love hear of rome!

The_Kman33 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

Yes i have tried shop elvis a million times,and it seems they just aint interested in keeping buyers,i have tryed ordering on the computer then sending emails to customer service to please protect my order when shipping, and then placed a order over the phone,.well they just sent thr order to colorodo and not sc were i live(hopefully not long) i have been told they will make a note to the shipping department,everyone else is just a bit too high,i told the guy when i was haveing my last ordered rerouted that they are losing buyers by being so difficult,now i know some same they have no problems with them but many other will tell you otherwise,so indeed were oh were do you get these at decent prices and with careful packaging? i also sell some and i understand that buyers dont want to pay good money for pathetic service,and to think they are the official site,sorry to say they fit in with everything else thats wrong in the Elvis world. As for ebay i no longer use them after paypal screwed up my account and kept freezing it,i dont understand why such online shops like cd universe have great prices on everything else but the ftd's are priced crazy!

Jesse Garon Presley (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

well said " you don't know me" well said. elvis was also great in 1976. i have many cd's of 1976 to prove that..

You Dont Know Me (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

This is almost 'dream news' its HIGH TIME the well sung April 1976 tour was 'represented' and to give us a concert(a good one) of which i have never heard the audio is simply as good as it gets in 'soundboard' release.OK I hear those of you whom are impatiently expecting a soundboard Asheville 22,23+24th July 1975 boxset...but com'on April 1976 was a well sung tour and represented HERE for the first time with an unreleased concert (that got a great 'review' in the local paper the day afterwoods) the other upgraded Albums make strong sense too.This is Ernst doing his best at his Job and I fully appreciate hearing this news 'in advance' THANK-YOU what a great collectors series FTD still is!

Lou A (profile/ contact) wrote on May 15, 2008report abuse

Speaking of finding a place to buy these, has anyone tried to order from SHOP ELVIS lately-almost impossible. And I joined the Insiders club and the web site won't give the members discount. Poor customer relations!

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Kman(ex-Mature). Ive been using Ebay. If you are not in a rush to get them wait about a month. You'll start seeing them at prices cheaper than EPE. I picked up one of the live 1969 shows for 9.99!

The_Kman33 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Oh yea,anyone know a good place to buy these ftd's.sometimes i get mine through trades etc,but when i cant be nice to know of a place,anyone else had the same issue with elvis.com,you know thorwing your order in a flimsly mailer,or throwing it in a box with no protection,loved to know were you guys go for your ftd's!

The_Kman33 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

I think maybe just maybe some of the best shows dont excist on soundboard,the asheville shows come to mind,76 is not my fav time period,there was some good shows,but with the same tracklist and a sometimes bored performer it can be a bad mix! On a side note im the poster once known as mature elvis fan,lost my password and thought they wasnt gonna send another due to my goof yahoo mail,not that anyone cares,but um anyways!

Bill Rauhuff (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

I seen where somebody liked Let me Be There. That song and others If you love me let me know ect , ect were songs the King of RR should never recorded. He was above songs like that. I love Elvis with all of my heart but sometimes I have to say What was he thinking sometimes.

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Like the 2 studio albums. Definite purchases. Could care less about another soundboard or Elvis live in 1976. Would only be interested in Elvis' 1975 concert at the Nassau Colesium which I attended and which was booted on America's Own LP in bad sound. Thats was a great show but I guess it doesnt exist.

JerryNodak (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Glad to see Love Letters and the "Lost" Album coming to FTD in deluxe editions. Love both albums. I have no interest in the soundboard.

B_H (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

FINALLY a new soundboard from FTD! I thought you had forgotten about the seventies Ernst, lol =)

The_Kman33 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

One quick question,when do they put a On Tour show on ftd? lonnng overdue!

Dorulet (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Hah... Lex... you mean Meat Loaf, right ? He was bloated, true... but had one heck of a voice. I like him. As for the FTD releases, can't wait !!! I love Love Letters. And Elvis in 1976 still is better than... hmmm... let's see... Almost every so-called artist today. As for the Lost Album, another must-have !!!

Lex (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Like that other bloated singer once sung: "Two out of three ain't bad". :-)

I Saw the Light (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Love Letters..not the best, but pretty decent album! Can't wait. For the Omaha show I'll wait for a few reviews first, it might be a good one

lray (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

All looks good. Love Letters will be great and the Lost Album was in the no. 2 slot on my wish list (Jailhouse Rock double set is still at no. 1). After the great work on Elvis Is Back, Something For Everybody, His Hand In Mine, and Pot Luck, the Lost Album will be another A+ addition to the classic album series. And let's not pick on Mark S. The 76 concert might turn out to be pretty good. I saw Elvis in Tahoe on May 7, 76 midnight and he did a great show at that time.

CharlieRogers (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Firstly I'd like to say that I think it's great to get advance news of upcoming FTD releases so thanks for the heads up! Who knows Ernst might even slightly modify releases if we get a chance to comment on them (although this is probably wishful thinking!). I'm really excited about an expanded 2 disc version of "Love Letters" as I always loved the vinyl album as a child, and likewise a 2 disc version of "The Lost Album" also sounds terrific! "America" (Omaha '76) should also be a good addition to my FTD collection: although his vocal performance was a bit patchy in '76 I'm sure there'll at least be some highlights to make it a worthy release. I am the proud owner of all FTD releases so far apart from one; I've skipped "Tickle Me" (up till now) as I didn't and still don't really see the point of it. Having said that if I saw it cheap(er) I would get it if for the packaging alone if nothing else!

I think it's very easy to take FTD releases for granted; I remember what it was like in the eighties and nineties when any "new" material was few and far between and almost always very heavily padded out with stuff we had ten times over!! Most FTD releases are well thought out nicely designed and really add something to our knowledge of Elvis. Of course when they issue classic albums duplication is inevitable but at least there is normally a dramatic increase in sound quality and keeping the master takes plus all available outtakes together maintains the integrity of the original release and to my mind is not only justifiable but preferable! My only criticism is the lack of a booklet or meaningful sleeve notes on standard digipak releases. If bootleggers can give us 16 page booklets or tri-fold digipaks why can't FTD? Apart from that small gripe I say keep up the excellent work Ernst and roll on the July releases!

commoneverybody (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

I really like the Love Letters album, and also those great 60s tunes. Never really cared for the 1000th live concert, so i´ll skip that one :-)

Mark S. (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Steve: What I like about it, is the minimum of throw-away r&r-crap. Just three this time :-) ("Love Me", "All Shook Up" and the always exciting "Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel"-medley). He usually does a good job on the rest of the songs. Sure he could (should!) have varied more set-wise and it's a real shame that he didn't. Sure I've heard these songs before, but there's no doubt I'll enjoy them in this sequence and context.

OtisBlue22 (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

The Lost Album 2 CD!!! Can't wait!!

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Well then - pardon my asking. What is so cool about it? It basically the same song list from most other shows he did. There is not one new song that hasnt been sung in other concerts before. Absolutely nothing new here. I mean its not like he threw in one of his classics like Return To Sender.

Mark S. (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

IMHO it's more interesting than outtake of, say, "Heart Of Rome", or "Life", or a dreadful song like "This Is Our Dance"...

Mark S. (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Nope, not kidding.

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Oh yeah thats an amazingly different set list. You kidding?

Mark S. (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

Probably not, but the setlist for the Omaha show does look pretty cool though: 2001 Theme / See See Rider / I Got A Woman - Amen / Love Me / Let Me Be There / And I Love You So / You Gave A Mountain / All Shook Up / Teddy Bear - Don't Be Cruel / Trying To Get To You / Hawaiian Wedding Song / Polk Salad Annie / Intros : What'd I Say by James Burton - Ronnie Tutt drums solo - Jerry Scheff bass solo - Tony Brown piano solo - David Briggs solo - Love Letters - Marty Harrell and Orchestra solo - Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll / Hurt / America The Beautiful / Mystery Train - Tiger Man / It's Now Or Never / Burning Love / Can't Help Falling In Love / Closing Vamp . None of it (as far as I know) has been released before on CD(-R). This show also marks the last time he performed Let Me Be There. Me likes! :-)

Ton Bruins (profile/ contact) wrote on May 14, 2008report abuse

a soundboard from April, 1976...don't know what to say...but I guess that will not be Elvis at his best...