Review by Piers Beagley & David Tinson
This is the long-awaited first volume of G.I. Blues material in the FTD expanded soundtrack series.
G.I. Blues was Elvis' fifth film and his first after serving two years in the US army. Elvis was discharged from active duty in early March 1960 and began pre-production work for G.I. Blues soon after on April 21 1960. Filming began on May 2 and was finished by June 29.
Unfortunately G.I. Blues also signalled the start of the Elvis "travelogues" and the huge success of both the film and its soundtrack album would be the start of the downward slide in creative quality.
The soundtrack album, however, spent months at Number 1 and was in the charts for over a year.
G.I. Blues is the twentieth FTD extended movie soundtrack release and this first FTD volume includes the April 27-28 1960 recording sessions, as well as a “Best Of” disc.
"Hup, two, three, four, occupation G.I. Blues" - the familiar lyrics to the 1960 classic hit by Elvis are ingrained in our hearts and minds - and there’s no doubt G.I. Blues holds us in its sway with its powerful army imagery - imagery that's been a part of the Presley legend since his real-life US army induction in 1958 (and his being based in Germany).
There’s a deep appreciation for his Uncle Sam adventure, and although the movie is a Hollywood pastiche of army life envisioned “clean-cut style” by Colonel Parker, it is greatly revered.
Now Follow That Dream, release G.I. Blues, a 2xCD Volume 1 - expanded soundtrack - and with its new sparkling audio it’s a veritable smorgasbord of delights. Whether it's Elvis’ swaggering Dean Martin impression on ‘What’s She Really Like’, numerous infectious takes of ‘Shoppin’ Around’, the thrill-a-minute, frenetic train-ride of ‘Frankfort Special’, the delicate, stunning, almost a capella takes of ‘Big Boots’, the Bavarian flavour, or the stunning sound making the recordings sound like they were recorded yesterday - G.I. Blues FTD marches to an altogether different beat.
In early 1960 Elvis was pure dynamite. RCA had just released ‘Stuck On You’, his first #1 since his return from the army, and on April 3 Elvis managed to record twelve legendary songs in just one night - amongst them ‘Fever’, ‘It’s Now or Never’, ‘Are you Lonesome Tonight?’ and ‘Reconsider Baby’. The sessions also produced the sensational Elvis Is Back! album.
Less than a month later the band, this time including Dudley Brooks on piano and the versatile Tiny Timbrell on guitar, would reunite on April 27 to start work on the soundtrack for Elvis’ new movie G.I. Blues.
While the album is an overall lightweight affair, for me it has always been one of my favourite soundtrack albums - no doubt due to the fact that my older brother owned a copy, and it was one of the very first Elvis albums I ever knew! Hell, I even like the lazy version of ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ with its laid-back MTV unplugged session feel! The only real "movie" let-down is ‘Big Boots’ which was the first glimmer of the future atrocities to come!
Cover and Design
With Elvis just out of the army and once again conquering the charts, he was back on top form and looking great. Whether he really wanted to get back into uniform and have a short haircut is another matter, but he certainly looked taut and terrific.
The sixteen-page booklet features plenty of great G.I. Blues photos, including some nice candid images. There are several publicity photos from the film, but the best photos are the ones of Elvis relaxing on set.
For some reason Elvis’ hair on the FTD album cover looks "photo-shopped-black" when checking my original album the front picture looked far more natural.
It seems that FTD may have checked out MRS’s recent G.I. Blues package. as nearly all the photos here are noticeably different from the ones featured in the MRS 100-page booklet.
But fans shouldn’t feel disappointed having purchased both.
The booklet features the “Storyboard”, “Behind the Scenes” time line and track listing presented along with worldwide movie release info and chart placings. This time there is not the usual detailed session "In And Outtakes" section to the booklet since FTD will release this with Volume 2. As they say, it will make more sense to have this section when the entire intended repertoire content is released.
The Music
So while the material is insubstantial in the context of Elvis Is Back!, there is however no question about Elvis’ sincere approach to the recording process. The material has been released before in various guises, but here the obvious quality of the Sony package shines. It's evident FTD have set a precedent with the exceptional sound on their recent releases and the listener can now enjoy and hear every studio moment in perfect clarity, thus enhancing the fly on-the wall experience (the recent FTD Promised Land 2xCD set is another case in point).
There have been plenty of releases of the G.I. Blues material over the years, but the best thing about this new FTD release is the sensational compilation of the tracks on Disc 1.
Starting with the “Original Album” (only 27 minutes in total!) and best “Bonus Songs” (usually the alternate master from the first sessions), we also get the “First Takes” showing the songs in their rougher, less smoothed-out form.
The original soundtrack album sounds superb here, yet it’s the bonus songs and the subsequent first takes on CD1 that tantalise. ‘Tonight's So Right For Love’s lighter touch and additional guitar pleases before the infectious ‘Shoppin’ Around’ (version 1). Elvis sings, "I'm gonna stop, shopping around, because I've found, the girly I've been looking for" - the payoff’s the last line - when Elvis sings, "really am sold on you" with a delicious swaggering confidence. Thrilled indeed! "Frantic frauleins at the station" sings Elvis and the ‘Frankfort Special’ (version 1, Take 13) speeds along with clear backing by The Jordanaires, who sound just wonderful throughout the discs.
The marvellous, gentle version of ‘Pocketful Of Rainbows’ has surprisingly never been officially released before, while a delightful, ‘Tonight Is So Right For Love’ instrumental (”Barcarolle”, from The Tales Of Hoffman) conjures up balmy nights in a German bar smooching and serenading a sweetheart... Elvis is told not to snap his fingers during the intro to ‘Tonight Is So Right For Love’ and he responds with, "My most humble apologies," before adding, "it was my teeth".
What’s intriguing here is the apparent formal tone of the sound engineers (union representatives). Elvis sounds bemused by their comments; usually he was in control of a recording session and he enjoyed the hell out of previous recording sessions with the mantra “work hard” but “have fun”. Case in point: the sound engineer comments about a noise, maybe a stool being moved. Elvis says: "That was my a**" a reference to a joke between them. However, it’s clear the session had a definite air of formality.
That said, it’s curious to note the high productivity of the resulting recording session - an obvious nod to his professional manner no doubt. Moreover, additional sessions were held at Radio Recorders studio at his insistence; and maybe in lieu of the aforementioned comment, Elvis was working with gritted teeth?
More standouts: Elvis running off the track on Takes 1 and 2 of ‘Frankfort Special’. The Jordanaires superb backing and their hoops and hollers before the jazzy guitar solo - and a fantastic ‘G.I. Blues’ style drum roll at the song‘s conclusion.
Like the first disc of the FTD Jailhouse Rock Volume 1 set, this is 79 minutes of sheer delight, and no doubt my favourite G.I.Blues compilation ever, and the one I will keep coming back to.
The second disc offers more delights from the two days of sessions at RCA’s Studios in Hollywood.
These include a delectable jazzy guitar on instrumental ‘Shoppin’ Around’, and more infectious outtakes with its deliciously seductive - "Hey, hey, baby, I really am sold on you" lyric. Listen for The Jordanaires’ gorgeous backing vocals on, ‘Doin’ The Best I Can’, (Takes 4 to 7) - and, if you can, just listen to them before the song’s breakdown, and the subsequent takes - a heaven sent joy and a definitive highlight!!
Further highlights include, ‘Frankfort Special’ (Takes 3 to 7) when Elvis sings a line of the Tommy Edwards’ classic 1958 hit, ‘It’s All In The Game’ at the first breakdown. His voice sounds so loud and clear, what a shame he didn’t sing more. Then the ‘Frankfort Special’ locomotive hits full speed - "Go special go, blow whistle blow, Frankfort Special’s got a special way to go, whoaa" - listen @ 3.15 - Tiny Timbrell’s jazzy solo ticks all the boxes.
There’s a stunning slow version of ‘Big Boots’ (Takes 2 and 3), Elvis sings on the bridge: "So sleep little soldier, don’ t you cry, do, do do do, do do, General Sandman, soon coming by, do, do do do, dooby do" - Elvis’ intonation is pure and clear, a real joy to hear.
Elvis does his best Dean Martin impression on ‘What’s She Really Like’. He was an obvious fan of the velvet-voiced crooner and ratpack legend. Just listen @ 2.08 “ay, don’t make me laugh," it’s all ”Deano” swagger and drawl. Imitation is the highest form of flattery - and Elvis was a big fan of the King of Cool.
The four ‘Pocketful of Rainbows’ takes are compelling, while the classic ‘Wooden Heart’ finishes the second CD.
The album was mastered by Sebastian Jeannson and remixed from the original tapes by Vic Anesini. These two audio engineers were the key players on The Complete Elvis Presley Masters box-set, so no wonder these sound so good.
Taking a closer look at the outtakes ...
Disc 1 (79 minutes)
The “Bonus Songs” include the Hollywood faster tempo, earlier versions of ‘Pocketful Of Rainbows’, ‘Frankfort Special’ and ‘Shoppin’ Around’ which has a lovely "unplugged session" feel with Elvis playing guitar. The two different tempo ‘Big Boots’ takes are here (a splice was used for the final master), plus the ‘Tonight Is So Right For Love’, movie instrumental.
Surprisingly, this delightful version of ‘Pocketful Of Rainbows’ has never been officially released before, and while the others have come out on old releases like Collector’s Gold - and the expanded BMG 1997 G.I. Blues - they all sound so much better here.
The “First Takes” are presented in the same order as the album and, like the Blue Hawaii FTD, they create a lovely "alternate album".
‘Tonight Is So Right For Love’ false start Take 1 is a gem with Elvis subconsciously clicking his fingers (Elvis was then asked by the engineer not to snap his fingers). The earlier takes are slightly slower than later versions and Elvis gets surprisingly close to a master, even on his second attempt.
‘What's She Really Like’ Takes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are true gems - six fascinating minutes of Elvis developing this ‘cruisey’ song. The first couple of takes are sung beautifully with a delicious, light touch. On Take 3 Elvis sings "Ha, ha ha, you messed up the break" perfectly in time with the song’s tempo - a fabulous moment that I find hard to believe RCA haven’t released until now.
‘G.I. Blues’ Take 1 is stellar; the arrangement is slightly different with a rather jazzy guitar lick; a la shuffle drums, and a spot-on vocal. But, it has to be said, his voice sounds just fabulous here: warm, rich, full and with a wonderful tone and timbre - so effortless! Previously included on Collector’s Gold, it sounds so much better here.
‘Pocketful Of Rainbows’ Takes 1 and 2 similarly delight the listener with their laid-back feel and slower tempo. Take 1 ends fabulously half-way through with Elvis deliciously sliding his vocal up and down the scale, but missing the mark and laughingly noting, "Hell no. Hold it!" I suggest you listen carefully at 1.55 and you can hear Elvis tell the engineer, "He was sent in here to cheer me up. Someone told him to come in here to cheer me up. Really." It is a telling aside on how things were going - though we don’t know who he was talking about.
As for ‘Big Boots’, neither of the first fast and slow versions have ever been officially released until now. The same applies to the alternate first take of ‘Tonight's All Right For Love’.
'Doin' the Best I Can' ends this fabulous compilation and is a favourite of mine, being a little slower and with a lighter feel than the master. Showing Elvis’ silky, sexy new “post-army” voice off to the full this is a real delight - just beautiful. Although Elvis doesn’t sound totally comfortable with the pacing, The Jordanaires match his voice perfectly, and these first few takes shine in this great audio quality with Elvis almost whispering in your ear!
Disc 2 (Another 79 minutes)
The first two days of these sessions were recorded at RCA’s Hollywood studios (due to a new RCA / Musician’s Union deal) which were arranged for movie soundtrack recording, but didn't suit Elvis’ tight unit at all. The new contract demanded that the musicians had a set break every few hours (hence those interruptions telling Elvis they had to take "a ten minute break") which halted Elvis’ creative flow.
However, the outtakes do show that, unlike the future soundtrack sessions that he would hate, Elvis did not polish the songs off in a one-night session and was willing to try his best, even with the insubstantial quality of the compositions. Elvis would also join in with the band on guitar, and work hard on his vocals, several of the songs taking up to twenty attempted takes to complete a master he was satisfied with.
Little did Elvis know that the financial success of these somewhat frivolous and fun recordings would, sadly, pave the way to his unhappy path on the Colonel’s endless treadmill of uninspired and unending travelogue-nonsense.
Kicking off with an unreleased ‘Pocketful Of Rainbows’ Take 3, this was the last slow-tempo version before they moved onto the next song. When they returned to it the following day they had decided to speed up the tempo. As on several other songs, you can hear Elvis’ chair creaking in the background throughout!
More delights follow: a delectable jazzy guitar on instrumental ‘Shoppin’ Around’, more infectious takes (version 1 - Takes 2 to 5) follow and its deliciously seductive - "Hey, hey, baby I really am sold on you" lyric. The excellent Takes 3 and 5 were released on the Elvis Aron Presley Silver box-set, but with the dialogue in the wrong order - now we get the full version. The drums are high in the mix and the overall sound is very “acoustic” with Elvis deliciously sliding around with his vocals while at the same time playing rhythm guitar. Take 5 is a gem, sounding rough and "unplugged", compared to the final version with a sensational dual-drummer ending!
‘Doin’ The Best I Can’ (Take 4 to 7) previously unreleased, offer a magical moment of outstanding beauty, listen for The Jordanaires’ gorgeous backing vocals. If you can, just listen to them before the song’s breakdown, and the subsequent takes - a heaven sent joy and a definitive highlight! Again the new mastering sounds superb - it’s as if Elvis is singing right in your ear! In the middle, Elvis is told about the impending lunch break rule. This statement obviously halts Elvis and The Jordanaires, and must have disrupted the mood of the session.
‘Tonight Is So Right For Love’ Take 3 has a powerful vocal and with Elvis singing along in the solo. It’s one of the best versions and was featured on the Platinum box-set but sounds so much better here.
Takes 4, 5, 6 and 7 are all officially unreleased and Elvis seems a little more reticent in his vocal after the earlier take. On both take 5 and 6 Elvis admits "I’ve lost the feeling" and fluffs the lyrics.
‘Frankfort Special’ was the “fast version” that never quite seemed to work up the ‘Mystery Train’ feel of the Radio Recorders‘ later version which suited Elvis’ vocal far better. They quit after thirteen takes and never achieved a master version. Elvis exclaims "C’mon train, damn it, c’mon". Undoubtedly, the highlight is between Takes 3 and 4 where Elvis sings one line from ‘It’s All in the Game’ a # 1 hit in 1958 for Tommy Edwards. (What a sin that Elvis never got to record it as you can tell, just from the one line, how perfect it would have sounded.)
Then the Frankfort Special locomotive hits full speed - "Go special go, blow whistle blow, Frankfort Special’s got a special way to go, whoaa" listen @ 3.15. Tiny Timbrell’s jazzy guitar solo ticks all the boxes. The joy is we can hear it again @ 5.40.
While ‘Big Boots’ is a bit of a ‘nothing’ Elvis song, there still is a stunning slow version (Takes 2 and 3). Elvis sings on the bridge: "So sleep little soldier, don’ t you cry, do, do do do, do do, General Sandman, soon coming by, do, do do do, dooby do" - Elvis’ intonation is pure and clear, a real joy to hear.
Once again, on ‘What’s She Really Like’ Elvis (and remember he was a skilled mimic of other singers) goes into his best Dean Martin impression over several takes. He was an obvious fan of the velvet-voiced crooner, and this is especially noticeable @ 2.08 when he croons the "Ha ha ha, don’t make me laugh," line. Delightful!
Takes 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are all officially new releases on here, most of them super-smooth and similar in style. Take 8 breaks down when Elvis mispronounces "Marvellous", while before Take 11 Elvis discusses the melody line with (musical director) Charles O’Curran. On Take 13, Elvis changes his phrasing away from the smooth Deano feel and it becomes a little more punchy.
‘Pocketful Of Rainbows’ was revisted on the second day at RCA‘s Studios and another seven unreleased takes are featured here.
However, you can sense the studio was not working for Elvis as in the first session he attempted twenty-eight takes of ‘Pocketful Of Rainbows’ without creating a final master, yet he managed to complete the song in two easy takes at Radio Recorders a week later.
It’s hard to envisage the perfection that Elvis is striving for, since most takes here are beautifully sung - though very similar - as Elvis tries his best time and again, with very few slip-ups.
The classic early takes of ‘Wooden Heart’ where Elvis cracks up laughing (as previously featured on Elvis - A Legendary Performer Volume 4) end the second CD.
Overall Verdict: Summing up: the CD includes a wonderful booklet with numerous photos and trivia from the period. The first CD is the best compilation of G.I Blues material to date and is 79 minutes of pure joy. Kudos to FTD for releasing these sessions in such fabulous quality and that’s the key to the enjoyment - the stunning sound! While the second disc features the somewhat troublesome studio sessions at RCA, they are enjoyable - not only for Elvis playing guitar, but also for the different feel that the songs have compared to the later Radio Recorders’ session. We are allowed a fabulous fly-on-the-wall look at how Elvis' sessions worked and how he ploughed through so many takes looking for that elusive perfection.
Presumably the release of G.I. Blues Volume 2 is imminent and, all things considered, will be utterly essential. So jump onboard for an exciting ride on the Frankfort Special. This is one train ride you will never forget!
