ELVIS FTD REVIEWS
- His Hand In Mine -
Tracklist His Hand in Mine I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs In My Father's House (Are Many Mansions) Milky White Way Known Only to Him I Believe in the Man in the Sky Joshua Fit the Battle He Knows Just What I Need Swing Down Sweet Chariot Mansion over the Hilltop If We Never Meet Again Working on the Building Surrender Crying in the Chapel His Hand in Mine (Take 1) I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs (Take 1) Milky White Way (Takes 1, 2, 3) Known Only to Him (Takes 1, 2) I Believe in the Man in the Sky (Take 1) Joshua Fit the Battle (Take 1) He Knows Just What I Need (Take 1) Mansion over the Hilltop (Takes 2, 1) If We Never Meet Again (Take 1) Working on the Building (Take 1) Surrender (Take 1) Milky White Way (Takes 4, 6, 5) His Hand in Mine (Takes 2, 3) His Hand in Mine (Take 4) His Hand in Mine (Take 5) I Believe in the Man in the Sky (Takes 2, 3, 4) He Knows Just What I Need (Takes 2, 3, 4) He Knows Just What I Need (Takes 5, 6, 7) He Knows Just What I Need (Take 8) Surrender (Take 2) Surrender (Takes 3, 5, 6) Surrender (Take 7) Surrender (Takes 8, 9) Surrender (WP Takes 2/1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) In My Father's House (Are Many Mansions) (Takes 1, 2, 3, 4) In My Father's House (Are Many Mansions) (Takes 5, 6) In My Father's House (Are Many Mansions) (Take 7) Joshua Fit the Battle (Take 2) Joshua Fit the Battle (Take 3) Swing Down Sweet Chariot (Take 1) Swing Down Sweet Chariot (Takes 2, 3) I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs (Takes 2, 3) I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs (Take 4) I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs (Take 5) Known Only to Him (Takes 3, 4, 5) Crying in the Chapel (Take 1) Crying in the Chapel (Takes 2, 3-M) Working on the Building (Take 2) Working on the Building (Takes 3, 4)
ELVIS “HIS HAND IN MINE” – IT WAS ALL MEANT TO BE.
Review By Iván Fructuoso
Dedicated to my father.
August 25th 1960. It was a hot day in California, though inside the hotel room it was as cold as a February Memphis night. A young man in his mid twenties was adjusting his tie in front of a mirror. The radio was on, and Brenda Lee was singing “I’m Sorry”. Suddenly, a gentle knock on the door and, without waiting for an answer, another young man entered the room and with a Chicago accent announced “Colonel’s here. He came with the photographer”. “Ok, Joe” came the answer. Joe turned his attention to the radio, now playing “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini”, a song that had been in the number one position the previous weeks, and commented “crap!”. The young man simply nodded and put his jacket on.
“…And now…” the DJ on the radio was saying, “…Let’s hear Elvis Presley’s latest hit, a number one record this week….” And the first bars of “It’s now or never” filled the room. The young man gently turned the radio off. He very seldom listened to himself, except maybe when he took a date for a ride in Memphis or L.A. in one of his many cars, and in this case he still wasn’t sure the record was mixed and mastered close to his will. And then, Colonel Tom Parker entered the room with another man and said “Elvis, this is Don Cravens “. “Nice to meet you Sir, this is Elvis Presley”.
The photographer was there to take pictures for the cover of a future album project. Since Elvis was in the Army, especially since 1959, the idea of making a full gospel album had been floating around. In 1957 he had recorded an EP with 4 gospel songs, “Peace in The Valley”, that had proved itself to be both an initial hit, selling half a million copies, and a catalogue big seller. Besides, it fitted like a glove his new image of a mature-handsome-save the girl and beat the bad guy- and sing some songs while at it-Hollywood image. For Elvis, though, it had nothing to do with money, hits or image. For him it was a tribute to both the genre and his beloved mother. It all made perfect sense, so after the photo session and two months of material planning, with a broken finger and his feelings up, Elvis Presley got into a chartered Greyhound bus and headed to Nashville in order to record probably the most personal album of his career.
His Nashville Band, The Jordanaires and Millie Kirkham were there for the session. Bill Porter was in the control room, and everything was ready at 6:00 PM, October 30st 1960.
After the usual greetings and warming ups, and once Bill Porter adjusted mike levels, real work began. The first song was “Milky White Way”. According to Elvis expert-biographer and catalogue handler Ernst Michael Jorgensen, Elvis based his version on the Trumpeteers 1949 version .
After two false starts, the first complete take (take 3, first released on “Platinum”) should come as a revelation for anyone who had never listened to Elvis, or who has only listened to his 50’s records. The sound is pristine, better than ever. Thanks to Sebastian Jeansson, but thanks too to Bill Porter and Nashville Studio B acoustics. The song itself starts at a slower tempo than the master, and the phrasing is slightly different. After some adjustments, take 4 is a false start (“that’s a good tempo” Elvis says), and take 5 is the second complete take. The tempo is a little brighter here, closer to the master take, and Elvis sounds more in command of the song. Listening carefully with my headphones, I really don’t know what is better, buddy’s gentle drumming, Boots sax whispering, Floyd’s sparkling piano, the vocal acc. tight sound, the supporting acoustic sound of bass and guitars or Elvis himself, sounding confident and effortlessly flowing through the melody and lyrics. He had been singing gospel since ever, even before he could properly remember, and it paid off. Take 6 is aborted early by the people in the control booth (“my fault”, Mr. Porter says). Take 7 is the master. And may I mention that Sebastian has achieved, maybe for the very first time in a stereo package, something great: there is no dropping in volume or consistency between the alternate takes and the master recordings (as it happened on “Elvis Today” or many a soundtrack FTD release).
With the first master in the can, the group moved on the next song, the one that would eventually give name to the final album: “His hand in mine”. Charlie Hodge almost duets with Elvis here, just like they did on “I will be home again” the previous spring. It’s specially remarkable how Elvis changes vocal registers, going from that lead near falsetto voice when duetting with Charlie, to that deeper voice when he sings (alone, no Charlie here) the line “I could never walk alone…”. After one false start, take 1 is almost flawless. Some very brief false starts take us to the second complete take (number 3). Just like take 1, this one is again near perfect…until Elvis breaks in laughing at the end! Studio magic indeed! Another false start precedes take 4. “Bad start?” calls Elvis, “Yep” comes the answer from the control booth. Takes 4 and 5 are complete and again near perfect. Indeed take 5 was labeled as the master by Bill Porter. But ultimately, the final choice was a splice of takes 4 and 5.
The third song in the night starts with Sergeant Elvis instructing his group (“At ease!”). The first bars of “I believe in the man in the sky” starts with the Jordanaires singing the verse with Floyd supporting. The Elvis and the whole group join in. Everything in this song is PERFECT. Period. That sax, that voice, those musicians….When Elvis sings “keep an eye” he finally defeats the listener. No one can dislike this song and this singer. Two complete takes exist (1 and 4). This release features the master twice. One as the original master-mix later rejected and remixed again.
“He knows Just What I Need” comes next. The arrangement for take 1 is simple, based on a guitar line. Charlie comes up with a wonderful falsetto solo, somewhat forced but anyway so sincere it really works. The chorus is not repeated, hence a total time of 2:02. “A little bit too fast” calls Elvis at the end. Second take is slower and is halted by Elvis midway through. Take 3 is again a long false start. It seems Elvis finds something wrong, from the line “he understands each lonely heartache…” on. Take 4 is complete, and it still features Charlie’s falsetto, a bit lower in the mix for the first chorus, and yet again in all its glory on the second chorus, almost breaking in in the process. Takes 5 and 6 are false starts. The first (5) is abandoned by Elvis, and the second (6) is interrupted by the engineers, arguing a “pop” sound on “pain”. Take 7, previously featured on Fame and Fortune FTD is complete. Charlie’s still on command of the falsetto “squad” and his voice is here best than on previous take 4.
Take 8 is the fourth complete take, and previously unreleased. Charlie is definitely beaten and substituted by Millie Kirkham. The result is less joyful and innocent but more polished. Take 10 is the master, and very similar to take 8.Freddy Bienstock wanted a secular single to emerge from this session. Counting on the success of “It’s now or never” a big hit in USA and his greatest hit worldwide to date, he came with another “Italianate”. “Surrender” was originally titled “Torna a Sorrento”, adapted with new lyrics by Pomus and Schuman. The “spy movie intro”, as Jorgensen describes it is wonderful. The writers later commented how Elvis came in the song not after 2 or 4 bars, but after 3. The song was more demanding than “Now or never”, and Bill Porter was having problems on his own, having to go repeatedly to the bathroom, so the sound is a little less than pristine.
At 10:00 pm, after a 30 minute break, they took the bull by the horns. Take 1 is a tentative take. Elvis finishes it without going for the high notes, clearly saving his voice for later, tighter takes. On take 2 buddy’s drums are higher in the mix (nice rhythm pattern!). Different phrasing from Elvis and again a “controlled” ending. The band sounds tighter, but falters a little near the end. Take 3 is previously unreleased, but is just a long false start and Elvis takes the blame “I goofed”. Take 5 is a short false start. Take 6 is the third complete take, previously released on Close Up, and here Elvis goes for the high note at the end, and this might as well be the master.
After some false starts comes take 9, originally released on Essential 6. Here the sound is some miles better though. The last note sounds a little less natural than on take 6. Maybe noticing this, Elvis did a work part of the ending (something he vehemently refused to do with “now or never” in April). So we have seven takes of the ending work part. The final single was a splice of take 4 and wp take 1. (I prefer complete take 6 though…)
The next song, “Mansion over the hilltop”, was recorded in three takes. Take 1 (Easter Special) is complete and close to the master Take 2 is aborted by Elvis, and take 3 is the master. The arrangement is, like on “He knows just what I need” is based on a guitar line and the support of the Jordanaires, along with a gentle drumming beat and bass line and Floyd’s sparkling notes.
The seventh song in the night is “In My Father’s House”, and its recording is filled with false starts. Take 1 is halted by the Jordanaires demanding another count-on. Next is a false start is cut by Elvis and another one cut by the vocal group. The engineer calls then for Take 2, but it is yet again interrupted. The voices have problems with the beginning. Another false start and Millie instructs the Jordanaires about a slight problem with the lyrics. Take 3 is again incomplete, again a problem with lyrics. Take 4 is…….you guess it, incomplete! But here it lasts a bit longer until Elvis messes with lyrics. Takes 5 is a short false start and take 6 is incomplete because Jordanaires bass singer is off mike.
Take 7 was featured on “Fame and Fortune” FTD too and is the first complete take, quite similar to the master. Complete take 8 and ending work parts are not featured. Master take is a splice of take 8 and wp take 1.
Up to this point Elvis and the band had recorded eight masters in as many hours. The next three songs on the agenda were revival-type numbers one could expect to hear on a Golden Gate Quartet record. The first one was “Joshua fit the Battle”. If most of the previous songs walked along a steady guitar line, here the drums gained weight and Scotty grabbed electric guitar to add some jazzy accents and Hank supported him doing electric guitar bass tic-tac lines. This is “foot-tapping-hand-clapping” gospel. The phrasing on take 1 is different from the master. Take 2 is complete and again very good, though not perfect, as Elvis is still adjusting his phrasing, and the ending is still a little loose to say the least. Take 3 is almost complete, breaking with Elvis laughing at his own mistake. Take 4 is the beautiful master we all know.
The second revival song is “Swing down Sweet Chariot”. Take 1 is almost complete. Strangely it isn’t featured on the “First Takes” section of cd 1, but in cd 2, maybe because it is incomplete, as Elvis messes the last line. As in the previous song, Elvis uses this first attempts to adjust his phrasing, so take 3 is tighter but still not completely polished. Take 4 gave Elvis and the band all they wanted from this song.
And then, at 4:00 am in the morning, they tackled the third “revival song”, “I’m gonna walk them golden stairs”. Four complete takes (1,2,4 and the master take 5). We have a pearl here, the previously unreleased take 4. And we have again take 5 mixed by Porter and later rejected (the mix, not the take).
“If we never meet again”, a gentle gospel song, piano driven, took just one take to get recorded. The harmonies are great, a real delicious performance. It is such a melancholic song, with its lyrics sad but optimistic at the same time. A real beauty.
“Known Only To Him” is a song that must have meant a lot to Elvis, as it was sung at his own funeral 17 years later…. Again piano driven, the first complete take (2) is shorter than the master, as they start with “In this world….” Line, while take 3 starts with the chorus, but it’s cut early on, as is take 4. The master is take 5 and again we have the initial Bill Porter mix and the final album mix.
The final song planned for the album was the spiritual song “Crying in the Chapel” one of those inspirational songs that almost worked as a love song too. Take 1 is incomplete as The Jordanaires mixed the lyrics. Take 3 is the master, but Elvis wasn’t too happy with it. He owned and loved the Orioles version, and after 3 takes he felt he missed something. Dissatisfied with it, he called for another song, and Jordanaires suggested their own “Working on the building”. For Jorgensen, it was “more Jordanaires than Elvis”, and it’s true! Elvis loved it though, and you could almost picture him there in the studio being at last one more of the Jordanaires. Some false starts precede take 1 as Elvis protests “that sounded pretty good we should’ve kept it up”. Take 1 is complete and beautiful. Take 2 is unreleased, complete and a little loose at the ending. Take 3 is a false start and take 4 is complete and the ending is tight, but Elvis demands another (final) take, maybe for his own pleasure. However, it is former take 1 which is selected as the master.
And at 8:00 am of 31st October 1960, the session is over. In just under 14 hours Elvis and the band recorded 14 impeccable masters. 12 of them will be released shortly after the session, at the end of November, as the album “His Hand in Mine”, his first concept album. The reviews were good, but the success was somewhat obscured by the blockbuster “GI Blues” soundtrack. “His hand in mine” sold around 100.000 copies initially and charted 13 on Billboard in January 1961, while GI Blues charted 1 and sold 750.000. But it eventually sold 500.000 copies until 1977, and one million more copies since Elvis’s death.
Then, in February 1961, Surrender was released and sold 750.000 copies, reaching number 1 in the process.
Four years later, for Easter 1965, RCA, needing non-movie material, searched the vaults, clean the dust, and released “Crying in the chapel”, and it became a worldwide success, reaching number one everywhere from Spain to UK, selling millions of copies (one of them in USA, where it reached no. 3, one more in the ol’UK, etc), and becoming a standard in the process, reaching the same level of “super hit” (those hits known by everybody) than Dean Martin’s “Everybody Loves Somebody” (1964), Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night” (1966) or Tom Jones “It’s not unusual” (1965) all from the same era.
So it was all meant to be.
2007/12/01 Iván Fructuoso - EpGold.com
