Elvis "Today" FTD Release

[nabelt24]

Was wondering how significant is the difference in the mixing and mastering as opposed to the original mixes??? Is this a good purchase for an FTD Release?

[Tommy]

I haven't gotten this one yet. It's supposed to be great!

Tommy

[Tommy]

Go to the FTD page here on TCB, there is a review.

Tommy

[Jungleroom76]

To be perfectly honest Nathan, I was a little disappointed in the TODAY FTD!!!

There is no real discernible difference in terms of the mixing/remastering on the 10 original tracks. While they do sound slightly better than when this album first appeared on CD in the early 90's, the difference is slight....and considering the technology today, I can't believe that these original 10 tracks couldn't have been improved further!

As for the bonus tracks, there are definitely some highlights like Elvis' first attempt at BRINGIN' IT BACK...one of the best outtakes, in my opinion! It is nice to have all of the outtakes contained in one package...that is a definite plus!

The HIGHLIGHT of the album, for me, are the 10 original master recordings in their UNDUBBED form!!! It is so cool to hear how Elvis heard the songs before all of the overdubbing was done!

In terms of the artwork for the package, the front cover is a complete TRAVESTY!!! Looking closely at the cover, you can CLEARLY see where the album title was pasted onto the cover...and the colors of Elvis' jumpsuit are VERY dark and almost blurry looking....VERY POOR EFFORT (in my opinion)!!

The booklet inside the CD is well done....great concert shots (which they used, since there are no known photos of Elvis in the studio during these sessions) and information, along with some memorabilia pertaining to the original 1975 release of the album which is cool to check out!!!

Hope this helps you out Nathan!!!

TCB!
Mike

[PaleRider]

While they do sound slightly better than when this album first appeared on CD in the early 90's, the difference is slight....and considering the technology today, I can't believe that these original 10 tracks couldn't have been improved further!

The early 90's release of "Today" definitely was one of the best sounding Elvis CDs at the time. I remembering being blown away by how great it was. That was the first time I'd heard most of these songs, as the album had been deleted for years and I'd never been able to find it. What a great album! Considering it was one of their better-sounding efforts from the early 90's, I'm not too surprised that the new versions don't sound a lot better. Not like the original "Promised Land" or "Moody Blue" CDs which had fairly poor sound.

I'll definitely have to get the FTD version soon, though, if for nothing else than the 10 undubbed versions that you mentioned. I find that I like a lot of the undubbed versions of songs. Also curious to hear Duke's bass compared to the re-recordings.

[Jungleroom76]

The early 90's release of "Today" definitely was one of the best sounding Elvis CDs at the time. I remembering being blown away by how great it was. That was the first time I'd heard most of these songs, as the album had been deleted for years and I'd never been able to find it. What a great album! Considering it was one of their better-sounding efforts from the early 90's, I'm not too surprised that the new versions don't sound a lot better. Not like the original "Promised Land" or "Moody Blue" CDs which had fairly poor sound.

EXCELLENT ANALYSIS PALERIDER!!!

You are 100% right that the TODAY release in the early '90's was one of the best sounding RCA CD's of the time!! And that is an excellent comparison between the original CD releases of PROMISED LAND and MOODY BLUE versus the upgraded releases of these titles in 2000!

The TODAY album is still my all-time favorite Elvis album....it has just the right balance of music, in my opinion! Great rockers, beautiful ballads, some cover tunes, original compositions, a little country, a little blues, a little rock n' roll and a WHOLE LOT OF ELVIS!!!!

I think you'll really enjoy the undubbed masters, PaleRider! They were VERY cool to listen to!! I'll be anxious to hear what you think of them when you get your copy!!!

TCB!
Mike

[Lonniebealestreet]

This one is definitely an essential FTD, in my opinion. Mike is right that the sound could have been improved upon--it's a shame this material was not deemed worthy of remixing and remastering like Viva Las Vegas, for example--but it's not BAD bad, if you know what I mean. However, with the great sound that was heard on the '75 tracks from 6363 Sunset, I thought we might be in for even more of an audio treat with this release. Not the case though.

Speaking of 6363, if you don't have that one, then you really need to get this one, as this release contains the pertinent tracks from it.

The unheard outtake of Bringin' It Back as Mike mentioned is definitely a major highlight. I had also forgotten how good take 2 of Fairytale is, which was released previously on Great County Songs. In fact, at first I thought it was a new take.

Just having the released versions, the original studio mixes, the 6363 Sunset material, the Tiger Man jam and other outtakes all together in one place makes for one nice package--especially if you really dig the Today material.

And hearing Elvis say, "You don't believe that sh!t, do you? Really..." is a highlight worth the cost of the CD alone, wouldn't you say?

You know what that was in reference to, by the way? We don't get to hear it on the CD, but thanks to Ernst Jorgensen's A Life In Music, we know the story. Elvis had just done take 1 of Susan, When She Tried and he himself believed it to be a pretty weak effort. Felton Jarvis, playing the part of the enthusiastic, motivating producer, went on and on about how great it was, prompting the comment from Elvis.

[Jungleroom76]

THANKS FOR THE BACK-UP PAL!!!

TCB!
Mike

[nabelt24]

Where's the best place to purchase these albums??? Why are they not in stores???

[PaleRider]

Where's the best place to purchase these albums??? Why are they not in stores???

Here in the US, the cheapest place I've found to buy them is www.shopelvis.com, which is Graceland's merchandising wing. I've actually seen them in stores from time to time, such as Tower Records or Sam Goody, but they tend to be about $15 more expensive there. For the most part, though, you will not find them in stores (at least where I live).

FTD is intended as a fan/collector's label. As such, they are made in smaller quantities than the normal RCA/BMG/Sony/whoever releases and also cost more. The plus side of this, though, is that they release things they may not be as comfortable releasing to the general public.

This could be due to sound quality, performance quality, or just repetitiveness of the release.

I, for instance, want every possible professionally recorded show from 1970, particularly the August engagement. The general public, though, may not find much difference of value between the August 11 midnight show versus the August 12 dinner show. Actually, BMG did release two shows from August 1970 to the general public, but they saved a third release (and a fourth containing more highlights from that season) for FTD.

That being said, there are a few FTD releases that I think should have warranted standard releases. Three to come to mind immediately. One is the complete "Live On Stage In Memphis" concert, another is "Elvis On Tour: The Rehearsals," and the third is "Nashville Maration" -- which I think would've made a better general public release than the somewhat similar "A Hundred Years From Now" (which, then, could have been saved for FTD...although I can't remember if it existed at the time).

[Jungleroom76]

You can purchase all of the FTD CD's from the official Graceland store at http://www.shopelvis.com here in the U.S. One thing I have heard though about ordering the FTD CD's through ShopElvis.com is that quite often the new releases are almost always on backorder as soon as they are released, and sometimes it can take up to a month after they are released for people to receive them!!

I have heard many good things about ordering the FTD CD's from the website for the Elvis magazine ESSENTIAL ELVIS. The only drawback to ordering from them is that they are overseas, so you need a credit card to order from them. Their website is http://www.essentialelvis.com

The FTD CD's are not found in regular regular stores because they are technically a "fan club release" and are only sold through limited outlets.

Hope this information helps you out Nathan!

TCB!
Mike

[nabelt24]

PaleRider and Jungleroom76, you guys are AWESOME! Thank you for the info and such a great reply to my post. I appreciate it!

[PaleRider]

One thing I have heard though about ordering the FTD CD's through ShopElvis.com is that quite often the new releases are almost always on backorder as soon as they are released, and sometimes it can take up to a month after they are released for people to receive them!!

Thanks for bringing this up, because that's EXACTLY what happened to me with the recent "All Shook Up" release. I ordered that sucker just about the first day you could pre-order it, at least a couple months ahead of the release date, and it said it was on back-order. I thought maybe that was just their way of saying it wasn't released yet. But no, release date comes and goes, and it's still on back-order. I was dying reading reviews of it from other fans while not being able to get my copy - which finally came about a month after the release date. Even AMAZON had copies in stock, although they were much more expensive. I almost went that route, though, I was so desparate to get it. And I mean the main Amazon, not a third-party through Amazon. How in the world did they have copies when EPE didn't?

Now, in all fairnesss, I will say that I've never had any other problems with ordering from them - and that's where I've bought all of my FTDs. However, "All Shook Up" is the only one I pre-ordered because I've been waiting YEARS for that concert to be released in its entirity. With the others, I ordered them at least a month or two after release and had no problems.

[Jungleroom76]

PaleRider and Jungleroom76, you guys are AWESOME! Thank you for the info and such a great reply to my post. I appreciate it!

MY PLEASURE NATHAN!!!

Anytime I can help, just let me know!!

GOOD LUCK in your hunt for the FTD CD's!!

TCB!
Mike

[Jungleroom76]

Thanks for bringing this up, because that's EXACTLY what happened to me with the recent "All Shook Up" release. I ordered that sucker just about the first day you could pre-order it, at least a couple months ahead of the release date, and it said it was on back-order. I thought maybe that was just their way of saying it wasn't released yet. But no, release date comes and goes, and it's still on back-order. I was dying reading reviews of it from other fans while not being able to get my copy - which finally came about a month after the release date. Even AMAZON had copies in stock, although they were much more expensive. I almost went that route, though, I was so desparate to get it. And I mean the main Amazon, not a third-party through Amazon. How in the world did they have copies when EPE didn't?

Now, in all fairnesss, I will say that I've never had any other problems with ordering from them - and that's where I've bought all of my FTDs. However, "All Shook Up" is the only one I pre-ordered because I've been waiting YEARS for that concert to be released in its entirity. With the others, I ordered them at least a month or two after release and had no problems.

No problem PaleRider! I've heard from several friends and fans who have said pretty much the same thing you did....they pre-ordered their copy of a particular FTD CD from EPE way before it was scheduled for release, and when they pre-ordered, they were immediately told the CD was on backorder and it took a month (and in a couple of cases, EVEN LONGER) to receive the CD!!

One positive I have found with ordering the FTD's from overseas (like from Essential Elvis) is that you don't have to wait for the shipments of CD's to arrive from overseas to the U.S. before they are shipped to customers. Because the FTD CD's are pressed overseas to start with, it basically saves a step by ordering them from overseas...at least that is what I have found so far!

And from what I have heard from a friend of mine who recently started ordering his CD's from Essential Elvis, the turnaround time from the release of the CD to his mailbox is a little over a week! That's FAST!!

TCB!
Mike

[JerryNodak]

I recently ordered Elvis Is Back; Tickle Me; and Today from elvis.com via UPS ground and received them within 7 business days in excellent condition. I have no complaints.

Also, I never pre-order. I wait til what I want is in stock. And I don't order from overseas outlets where I have to deal with PayPal. I find them to be a big pain in the butt.

[Jungleroom76]

Glad to hear you haven't had a problem with EPE Jerry!

I think the main problem with EPE when ordering the FTD CD's is when you try to pre-order them. As you said, when you just order the titles they have in stock, the turnaround time from ordering to delivery seems to be pretty quick! But when you pre-order the new titles, that seems to be where the delays are!!

TCB!
Mike