Green Green Grass of Home

[pete dube]

I was listening to the today FTD a few days ago, and I have to say that take 1 of GGGoH is just beautiful. I think it should have been the master. The performance was there. And they didn't need to add overdubs, it works just as is.

[PiersEIN]

Pete,
If only to totally agree with you >>>

?Green, Green Grass of Home? ? The Rough-Mix is great for Elvis? vocal being so much clearer rather than being buried under those terrible overdubbed strings & choirs and do check out Glen D Hardin?s cool piano work. I do admit however that the overdubbed slide guitar does work very nicely on the Master. Elvis? vocal is more prominent on the outtakes and while Takes 2&3 from ?6363? are excellent, it is Take 1 (previously on ?Great Country Songs?) that has always been the standout. With the lighter arrangement Elvis speaks the whole break, "Then I awake and look around me" and he's right there with you as he sighs and continues with, "then I realise, I was only dreaming." On the following takes Elvis changed his mind and decided to sing the final phase but it just doesn?t sound as sincere. The song?s finale as he is laid out "beneath the green green grass of home" sounds so much better without the over-complication of the orchestra. Fabulous.

From EIN's 'Today' Deluxe Review
http://www.elvisinfonet.com/ftdreview_today.html

Cheers
Piers

[pete dube]

Nice review as usual Piers. I too miss the country slide guitar on take 1, but it still works without it. The take is so good that, had I been the producer, I would've said to Elvis there was no need for further takes. But I'm glad he did 'em! He really connected with this song on all the takes. And I Love You So is another one.

[elvis himselvis]

I like Green Green Grass of Home very much
It's a great song

[Larry Dickman]

It suprises me that Elvis, having first being enamoured with song in 1967(?), that it took him until 1975 to cut it in the studio.

[pete dube]

It suprises me that Elvis, having first being enamoured with song in 1967(?), that it took him until 1975 to cut it in the studio.

Me too Larry.

[Geoff the Chef]

I know its just amazing how long it took Elvis to cut some songs after he thought about them! wasn't Danny Boy another example?

[King_Creole]

Me too Larry.

I agree with both your sentiments as well, but wasn't it worth it ?

I think so ...

[Juan Luis]

Great song. Love it!

[Lonniebealestreet]

Great call on take 1, Pete.

Of course I tend to prefer alternate takes, but that is in many cases probably because I haven't heard the undubbed master.

I can't decide if the overdubs killed some of those 70s tracks in the big picture or just in the context of the songs sounding more timeless and less cheesy to my ears today. But one way or the other, they do ruin a lot of the tracks for me and when I hear them I tend to think they might have actually done better on the charts back then without all the horns and strings. That may be flawed thinking though.

[nashville cat]

I can't decide if the overdubs killed some of those 70s tracks in the big picture or just in the context of the songs sounding more timeless and less cheesy to my ears today. But one way or the other, they do ruin a lot of the tracks for me and when I hear them I tend to think they might have actually done better on the charts back then without all the horns and strings. That may be flawed thinking though.

Bergen White did a lot of those string arrangements in the 70's, and he was a fantastic arranger. He worked for a lot of other major artists, mainly in country during that time. That was the going style at the time, especially for country music - a lot of big string arrangements. EP was just going with the flow.

Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. I always felt that "Moody Blue" was the best example of very tasteful strings that added to the song greatly. I still can't get as excited over that song, sans overdubs. The arrangements on the Love Letters album were the most nauseating. Particularly "This is Our Dance" and "I'll Never Know". Really put those tunes over the top.

[pete dube]

I think of a track like And I Love You So, and the overdubs practically ruin it. They detract from Elvis' sensitive vocal and the delicate acoustic guitar work. Even the undubbed master on the today FTD still has backing vocalists on it. All this track needed was Elvis, the rhythm section and some light, tasteful string lines.

[Lonniebealestreet]

Much agreed.

n-cat, funny you mention Moody Blue as that was the very track I had in mind as one that I think does in fact sound great with the overdubs (and that one is not a matter of my not having heard the undubbed master, which is very cool, mostly for the benefit of hearing nearly the entire take).