Sunrise (was: RE: Playlist: The Boudin Barndance - 2/18/99)
Shane asked: BoudinDan mentions in his fine playlist: ...the new Elvis set called "Sunrise." When did this come out? What's on it? Is it a box set? It's a double-CD in one of those flip cases, released a couple of weeks ago. Basically, it's The Sun Sessions plus - the plus being a number of live cuts from 1955, pre-Sun stuff and a couple of alternate takes that didn't appear on The Sun Sessions. The notes consist of a good essay by Peter Guralnick and not much else; there is, for instance, no date, definite or speculative (beyond the year), for the live cuts, and no discussion of where or why they were recorded. Unfortunately, at least from my perspective, there are a couple of outtakes/alternate takes on The Sun Sessions that don't appear on Sunrise, so a completist will want to hang onto the former (is this a new strategy to reduce the traffic in used copies of The Sun Sessions that might otherwise result?). Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
Re: Sunrise (was: RE: Playlist: The Boudin Barndance - 2/18/99)
Jon Weisberger writes: It's a double-CD in one of those flip cases, released a couple of weeks ago. Basically, it's The Sun Sessions plus - the plus being a number of live cuts from 1955, pre-Sun stuff and a couple of alternate takes that didn't appear on The Sun Sessions. The notes consist of a good essay by Peter Guralnick and not much else; there is, for instance, no date, definite or speculative (beyond the year), for the live cuts, and no discussion of where or why they were recorded. Unfortunately, at least from my perspective, there are a couple of outtakes/alternate takes on The Sun Sessions that don't appear on Sunrise, so a completist will want to hang onto the former (is this a new strategy to reduce the traffic in used copies of The Sun Sessions that might otherwise result?). These are all points that I made in my "C.S.T." review. The good points are that a) "Sunrise" collects - for the first time - all four of Big E's pre-Sun acetate recordings in one place, b) it puts "Fool, Fool, Fool" and the early version of "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" (both recorded in Lubbock for a radio station) in their proper context for the first time, c) it includes an unreleased alternate take of "Blue Moon," and d) the Louisiana Hayride recordings are pretty damn rough, but interesting nonetheless. There are two huge problems in my book. First of all, the sessionography, such as it is, gives absolutely no information about release numbers, take numbers, release dates, etc. You get recording dates and not much else. Personally, I'm not sure what the problem was, considering that all of this information was included with "The Sun Sessions" back in '87. The other big problem, as Jon W. mentioned, is the greatly reduced number of alternate takes that appeared on the original CD, which already had fewer alternates than the 2-record LP version due to space constraints. Since "Sunrise" is a 2-disc set, there's absolutely no excuse for this as far as I'm concerned. There was plenty of room to make "Sunrise" the last word on this era of Elvis' career. And, sure, maybe Joe Consumer isn't going to care about listening to seven barely distinguishable versions of "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone," but I do. "Sunrise" is worth picking up but I'm absolutely stumped as to why RCA didn't do a better job, particularly considering the hugely improved quality of their Elvis releases since '86 or so and the fact that Ernst Jorgensen was involved with this. More than anyone else at RCA, you'd have thought that *he* would have known better. --Jon Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wollaston, Massachusetts
Re: Sunrise (was: RE: Playlist: The Boudin Barndance - 2/18/99)
Jon wrote: It's a double-CD in one of those flip cases, released a couple of weeks ago. Basically, it's The Sun Sessions plus - the plus being a number of live cuts from 1955, pre-Sun stuff and a couple of alternate takes that didn't appear on The Sun Sessions. The notes consist of a good essay by Peter Guralnick and not much else; there is, for instance, no date, definite or speculative (beyond the year), for the live cuts, and no discussion of where or why they were recorded. I believe the live material (and I thought I read it in the liner notes) is taken from an acetate of a 1955 Louisiana Hayride appearance. Regardless, the sound quality of those unreleased live tracks is just short of abysmal. In other words, unless you need all the Elvis you can get, this collection doesn't really bring anything new and worthwhile to the table. Boudin Dan
RE: Sunrise (was: RE: Playlist: The Boudin Barndance - 2/18/99)
I believe the live material (and I thought I read it in the liner notes) is taken from an acetate of a 1955 Louisiana Hayride appearance. Oh, er, um, yeah. Still not dated more precisely, though g. Regardless, the sound quality of those unreleased live tracks is just short of abysmal. In other words, unless you need all the Elvis you can get, this collection doesn't really bring anything new and worthwhile to the table. New, no, but worthwhile, I'd say yes, and not because I need all the Elvis I can get. This is the Elvis period that's of greatest interest to me, and to hear him doing his stuff in front of a Hayride audience offers some insights into what he was doing and thinking during a critical time in his career - and for country music. Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
Re: Sunrise (was: RE: Playlist: The Boudin Barndance - 2/18/99)
Unfortunately, Jon, from the perspective of just about anybody'd who care, you're absolutely rightThere's much good music and a lot of interets in getting to hear how that sound was arrived at--and some of the alternate versions hold their own anyway, some of which are the ones they keep on Sunrise, apparently--but you lose the process, which is worth preserving. I just don't GET what they're doing with the Sun sessions any more., The most complete version yet released was still that double vuinyl LP from the 80s--reduced to the first Sun sessions CD. Then they let go of those "I recorded these for my mama Gladys" cuts in pieces==and I think a lot of Elvis fans will know that the live cuts they've added here are from the much-released already Louisiana Hayride performances--which are sometimes joined by the "return to Memphis from RCA" version of Hound Dog. (Not on this disc though, I believe.) If you're gonna pull the Sun Sessions together--from from a rock and roll and rockabilly perspective, and arguably, country too, you need to--why not just do it. Personally, I have the basic takes and outtakes already on that very necessary 50s Elvis box, the first box--so the justification for this would be to give it the full treatment. But I suppose they'll do that in another three years and try to sell me this stuff for, if I can keep count, the seventh time! Barry Unfortunately, at least from my perspective, there are a couple of outtakes/alternate takes on The Sun Sessions that don't appear on Sunrise, so a completist will want to hang onto the former (is this a new strategy to reduce the traffic in used copies of The Sun Sessions that might otherwise result?). Jon
Re: Sunrise (was: RE: Playlist: The Boudin Barndance - 2/18/99)
Basically yeah--the Hayride tapes (and in no all THAT bad quality BTW)--are readily available on gray market discs, and somebody repackages them every year... Two around in stores now are from the UK--"Elvis Presley: The Legend Begins" has some 19 cuts. It adds early TV appearances and an interview. Another UK disc out at the moment combines the Louisiana Hayride tapes with a pretty decent collection of covers of Elvis songs. The other live show from this period--Sun years and very eraly RCA--is that Mississippi Farm Show appearance--which only is found on thhat otherwise strange "gold" Elvis box. Barry I recently lucked into a copy of a 1982 LP, "Elvis: The First Live Recordings." There are 5 recordings from the Hayride, all from 1955 and 1956 (obviously). Anyway, the songs are "Baby, Let's Play House," "Maybelline," "Tweedle Dee," "That's All Right (Mama)," and "Hound Dog." Perchance are these the same songs from Sunrise? This stuff isn't very well recorded, but it's muy historical and E sounds great. The only reason I'd buy sunrise is to hear early live stuff, but I ain't gonna get if I've already got it. Lance . . .
