The Nashville Marathon

In June 1970, recordings were scheduled to be made at RCA Studio B in Nashville. They wanted to have songs for a new repertoire, but the main reason was commercial. The Rca and Colonel Parker had forecast to release new albums to launch the market and promote their star. Elvis and his musicians are going to record more than 35 songs in these sessions that would give rise to three Lps that were later published: "Elvis Country", "Love letters from Elvis" and "That´s the way it is".
A variety of themes of different styles and intentions. A few days of exaltation, enthusiasm for the new repertoire of songs, but also disappointment.
The reason is that the themes were not faced with total dedication at the time of recording, everyone knew that the result of these days of effort would have another intention after the subsequent re-recording, the production days later by Felton Jarvis The songs could have been done with absolute perfection, but unfortunately everyone had the feeling that it could have been done even better. Both Elvis Presley and the musicians who accompanied him these days at Nashville's Studio B believed that everything could have been done differently. With all this they gave their best as artists. tas and from there great songs would come out that would go down in history in the voice of Elvis.

Musical equipment and production. the Sessions for RCA

 June 4–8, 1970 RCA Studio B, Nashville:

ELVIS PRESLEY

Producer: Felton Jarvis.
Sound Engineer: Al Pachucki.

Guitar: James Burton, Chip Young.
Percussion: Jerry Carrigan, Farrell Morris
Organ: David Briggs.
Acoustic guitar: Elvis Presley.
Vocal and Acoustic Guitar: Charlie Hodge.
Steel Guitar: Weldon Myrick.
Bass: Norbert Putnam.
Banjo: Bobby Thompson.
Drums: Jerry Carrigan.
Organ, Harmonica: Charlie McCoy.
Violin: Buddy Spicher.
Piano: David Briggs.

As Vocals: The Imperials, The Jordanaires.
Female Vocals: Millie Kirkham, Mary Greene, Mary & Ginger Holladay, Temple Riser, June Page, Carol 'Sonja' Montgomery, Dolores Edgin Male
Vocal: Joe Babcock.
And string and wind accompaniment.

Reflections on the music performed by Elvis Presley.

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When you write a score, the music, the lyrics, as a composer you always have something inside that makes you feel and hear a clear idea of ​​what the listener could receive. Especially the sense and sensitivity of what you want to convey. Every musician has his own vision of the result of what could be achieved in a performance and in a recording with its subsequent orchestration etc. You can hear it inside yourself even if you only write a voice line or a piano accompaniment.
Sometimes the result of that arrangement, of that accompaniment, makes the score itself lose its original freshness, its intention and transparency... And, in some cases, the one who makes the orchestral arrangement can lose the original meaning of the score even though the singer performs a masterful interpretation... But it is clear that when you give your score to someone else, he experiences it in a different way.
It is the magic of music that turns his own interpretation into the voice of an artist like Elvis and, ultimately, turns it into his own creation. that were chosen for their repertoire would be very different songs and, above all, the passing of the years must logically be taken into account. More than two decades... Elvis clearly knew how to sing all styles of music, but it's very interesting to stop and observe the type of songs he chose over the years or what he was offered and couldn't refuse...
In any case, it's incredible, and in particular, that real songs about pure and sincere love really were very rare. Of more than 800 songs, few songs could be counted that have been written like this. Really, those of true love, those of pure, sincere love, clean love, selfless love, there are very few examples... And happy love even less ...
In Elvis Presley's discography there are many themes of heartbreak, passion, oblivion, loss... the composers who made scores for him didn't really offer him songs of pure and true love, but rather heartbreak , of disappointment, of different intentions... they didn't go clearly to the sexual level either, but hinted at the subject.

It is true that the image and reality about Elvis went from being sexual and defiant, over time, to maturation, although his intense image and magnetism would also follow, but it is evident that his image, despite its eternal beauty, was not that of a faithful lover or a lover and the passing of the years towards his physical growth, gave him another maturation... But although his music also evolved in style, it changed over time, his songs followed that line getting lost in heartbreak and loss. Curiously, his pure songs and his great love turned to the Gospel, his spirituality, his faith and without forgetting his mother, who was another dimension of love.
The songs about love that Elvis sang were in an intermediate plane, they could be between averages of love and sex, on that other side that doesn't get to be a little dark and not entirely happy, that doesn't reach absolute and happy surrender... There are very few examples of songs that were made in such a way. sweet and sincere as the theme that was performed for these great sessions in Nashville, the song "Sylvia" composed by Geoff Stephens and Les Reed.
Even the orchestration of this song made it lose its initial purity, which can be enjoyed in the takes made on June 8 for a simpler and more progressive accompaniment in its authorship. A sensitive song written with hope, which could give rise to other interpretations. But only composers could tell us about that, because we don't know who Sylvia was, invented or real... In any case, the reflection that remains to us could be that of the artist who continues to search for his true love over time through his singing. , without being able to reflect it on someone special with whom to share their destiny.
The authors, who had already composed two songs for Elvis Presley "Heart of Rome" and "This is our dance" for these sessions, gave a different point of view with this composition to express a love song. But Geoff Stephens, one of the two songwriters, curiously believed that Elvis never really understood his writing. What he says is that the arrangement was not focused in an adequate direction... And this would make the score lose its direction and meaning.
Although he thinks that he sang it masterfully, he believes that the final result that was given no longer corresponded to its initial intention. In any case, the reality is that the interpretations that Elvis did would make the composition his own and, what was done with this accompaniment, is already part of the production and the arrangement that may or may not distort the composition and interpretation of the musicians in their final result.
Ana Albajara

"Following the Path of the King..."