Elvis Presley Recording Sessions

Let's Be Friends

March 5 & 6 1969 (Wed & Thur)

(used for composite master) (MB3)

March 5 & 6 1969

(+ 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)

Decca Universal Studio, Universal City - Hollywood, California

Soundtrack Sessions for Universal's Change Of Habit

Universal Producer: William Goldenberg

Engineers: Mel Metcalf / Phil Yen

(March 5: 7.00pm - 2.00am)

(March 6: 7.00pm - 2.00am)

Musicians:		Backup Vocals:
Guitar:	Dennis Budimir	NA
Guitar:	Michael Deasy
Guitar:	Howard Roberts
Guitar:	Robert Bain ('Have A Happy')
Bass:	Joe Mondragon
Bass:	Lyle Ritz
Bass:	Max Bennett ('Have A Happy')
Bass:	Carol Kaye ('Change Of Habit' - overdub)
Drums:	Carl 'Cubby' O'Brien
Piano:	Roger Kellaway

Rubberneckin'				(XPA5 1156)	M1
(Take 2)	(M)		(Re-use of Jan. 20 master) (MV1) (Movie version has some backing vocals & brass removed & is edited)

Change Of Habit				ZPA4 1058	M2	March 5 & 6 1969 (Wed & Thur)
Take 1
Take 2
Take 3
Take 4
Take 5
Take 6	M	3:19	(MB2) (Movie version has bass overdubbed)	Comp. Elvis Presley Masters 18 (Sony)°°~Big Screen Drama (Franklin Mint Comp. Masters Collection 32)°°~Double Features - Live A Little, Love A Little / Charro / The Trouble With Girls / Change Of Habit°° ~The Last Movies (FTD)°°~Memphis Tennessee° (LP - acetate)

Let's Be Friends (work part - ending)					M3	March 5 & 6 1969 (Wed & Thur)
Take NA	(M)		(used for composite master) (MV3)

Let's Be Friends (composite)				ZPA4 1057	M3
Spliced	M	2:42	Composite of MB3-03 & work part - ending-NA (M3-SP)	Comp. Elvis Presley Masters 18 (Sony)°°~Big Screen Drama (Franklin Mint Comp. Masters Collection 32)°°~Double Features - Live A Little, Love A Little / Charro / The Trouble With Girls / Change Of Habit°° ~The Last Movies (FTD)°°

Unknown					M4
			(Planned re-use of unknown song) (not recorded / not used)

Let Us Pray					M5	March 5 & 6 1969 (Wed & Thur)
Take 1
Take 2
Take 3
Take 4
Take 5
Take 6
Take NA	PB
Take 8	(M)		(MB5)

Overdub	PB	3:04	Backup v.o.'s on March 26 (not used) (MV5)	Memphis Tennessee°~The Alternate 1969 Recordings° (acetate) (unique backup vocals)
Overdub	(M)	3:09	Backup v.o.'s on March 26 Alternate master (MV5)	Today, Tomorrow And Forever 3°°+The Last Movies (FTD)°°

Dub	(M)		Dubdown to track of Take 8 - Elvis' vocals erased, backup vocals kept

Overdub	(M)	3:04	Additional backup v.o.'s on September 3 (used only for movie version)

V.O.	M	3:01	Vocals re-recorded by Elvis on September 26 (MV5)	Comp. Elvis Presley Masters 18 (Sony)°°~Gospel Jubilee (Franklin Mint Complete Masters Collection 11)°°~I Believe - The Gospel Masters 4°° ~Double Features - Live A Little, Love A Little / Charro / The Trouble With Girls / Change Of Habit°°~The Last Movies (FTD)°° (track 5)+The Last Movies (FTD)°° (track 27 - vocal only)+Soundtrack° (with chorus)

Have A Happy (track)					M6	March 5 & 6 1969 (Wed & Thur)
Take NA	(M)		(Vocal overdub on March 6) (MB6)

Have A Happy (vocal overdub)				ZPA4 1956	M6	March 5 & 6 1969 (Wed & Thur)
Take 1			Vocal overdub of March 5 track
Take 2
Take 3
Take 4
Take 5
Take 6
Take 7	M	2:20	(MV6) (Movie version has overdubs)	Comp. Elvis Presley Masters 18 (Sony)°°~Big Screen Drama (Franklin Mint Comp. Masters Collection 32)°°~Double Features - Live A Little, Love A Little / Charro / The Trouble With Girls / Change Of Habit°°~The Last Movies (FTD)°°~Memphis Tennessee° (LP - acetate)

Unknown					M7
			(Planned re-use of unknown song) (not recorded / not used)

Mine				(UPA4 2767)	M8
(V.O.)	(M)		(Planned re-use/re-recording of September 11 1967 master) (not recorded / not used)

Just For Old Time Sake				(N2WW 0689)	M9
(Take 5)	(M)		(Planned re-use/re-recording of March 18 1962 master) (not recorded / not used)

The movie version of 'Change Of Habit' has the original bass removed and is redone by bassist Carol Kaye on September 3 1969 in post-production of the film.

It is a guess that the unknown production number M1 is the re-use of the January 20 master of 'Rubberneckin', as this re-use of 'Rubberneckin' could be any of the unknown production numbers M1, M4 or M7.

The movie version of 'Rubberneckin' contains partially overdubbed backup vocals, has some overdubbed brass removed, and is edited. Note - The brass overdubs weren't done until March 19 1969.

Two takes (MV5-NA & MV5-08) may have been considered as master for 'Let Us Pray', having backup vocals overdubbed to both takes individually on March 26 by The Blossoms (Darlene Love; Jean King & Fanita James).
This is assumed because the backup vocals are totally different on 'Let Us Pray' on the bootleg Memphis Tennessee from acetate, as opposed to the alternate master' (Take 8) on Today, Tomorrow And Forever.
Take NA must have then been discarded, in favour of Take 8 being used for the master.

Elvis' vocals were then removed (dubdown to track) from Take 8, although the backing vocals were kept, and Elvis re-recorded new lead vocals on September 26 in Nashville.

The movie version of 'Let Us Pray' has extra backing vocals in the chorus, recorded on September 3 1969, before Elvis replaced his own vocal track on September 26 1969.

The movie version of 'Have A Happy' has the intro edited and has additional overdubbed instruments.

RCA originally had the date of Elvis recording 'Let Us Pray' as being September 22 1969.

All timings in the 'Musical Breakdown' below are taken from the DVD release of the movie.

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.

Thanks to Ernst Jørgensen for providing information on the missing production numbers.



Musical Breakdown Change Of Habit	Recording Information Change Of Habit



Acetate Change Of Habit	Acetate Let Us Pray



Music Sheet Change Of Habit	Music Sheet Let's Be Friends	Music Sheet Let Us Pray



	Music Sheet Have A Happy