Elvis Presley - True Love Travels on a Gravel Road - From First Take to the Master (and beyond)

The success of Elvis’ two recording sessions at American Sound in Memphis during January and February of 1969 can be attributed to many things and that those things came together all at the same time. Despite being in excellent form vocally and under the expert guidance of producer Chips Moman the final product still depended on the correct choice of material and at these sessions Elvis had almost unrestricted access to songs, a scenario which had not occurred before or since, meaning that the odds of the quality of those compositions was much higher.
In addition with Elvis now being thirty four years old, married and with a young baby he was now well placed to tackle material with a more mature narrative. Instead of singing songs whose lyrics which reflected teen adolescent experiences and therefore appealed mostly to that particular demographic Elvis now had the life experience which gave him the credibility, in the eyes of the wider music consumer, and emotional nous to tackle material recounting such experiences. No longer would Elvius song about a hidden love for a friend’s girlfriend or about wearing a ring around his neck but instead would sing about darker themes such as death of a loved one, failed marriages or long term relationships and thinly veiled references to sexual experiences.
One such song recorded by Elvis at American Sound and reflecting these themes was “True Love Travels On A Gravel Road” and aside from the title contains lyrics which anyone who has been married or in any relationship which has lasted for a significant amount of time would admit has more than a ray of truth about it. Undoubtedly using all of his accumulative life experiences, Elvis produces a wonderful vocal performance totally believable as he narrates to a loved one about their relationship and how it has survived through both the good and the bad. Being such a quality performance it is no surprise that it was one of the songs chosen for the first album to be a product of the American Sound sessions – “From Elvis in Memphis”.
Listening through the eleven takes that it took for Elvis to achieve the master on 17 February 1969 what is most obvious is the constant positive interaction between singer, producer and musicians as they look at ways to tweak or improve between takes. It is also evident how much of a pro-active role which producer Chips Moman is taking in the proceedings and at one point even stops Elvis mid-take to tell him that the tempo was too slow, an obvious sign of the much needed guidance that was required and one that would be subsequently lacking in future recording sessions. Back under the sole production of Felton Jarvis, Elvis and the musicians would be left to their own devices and whilst this would often be enough there are always times when even the very best require some guidance in the correct direction.
The first take, a false start, is missing from source and so not included in this video as are the four false starts in take four which are also missing from source but what is worth listening for is the very rare recording of Elvis adding his vocal overdub on 22 February to the original undubbed master only available to date on the unofficial vinyl release “Elvis Rocks and the Girls Roll” so please excuse the crackling, evidence of a vinyl transfer! Additional the backing vocal and orchestral overdubs would be added on 25 March.
The video also contains the 1987 “Memphis Record” re-mix which did not contain Elvis’ harmony vocals, the only known live performance of the song from Las Vegas during his second season opening show of 26 January 1970 and a full stage rehearsal from 3 August 1972 at the same venue, a sign that Elvis was giving serious consideration about re-introducing the song to his set-list which sadly never came to fruition. An additional piece of trivia is that between takes three and four Elvis and the musicians performed a jam version of “I Can’t Stop Loving You” which was recorded and was eventually released on “Walk a Mile In My Shoes – The Essential 70’s Masters”.
Take One - missing from source
Take Two - complete take
Take Three - complete take
Take Four - complete take
Take Five - complete take
Take Six - rehearsal, short false start and false start
Take Seven - complete take
Take Eight - short false start and long false start
Take Nine - short false start
Take Ten - false start and short false start
Take Eleven – the undubbed master
Harmony vocal overdub by Elvis on 22 February
The RCA Master (XPA5 1265)
The 1987 “Memphis Record re-mix” minus Elvis' harmony
The only live performance 26 January 1970, opening show
The 3 Aug 1972 Las Vegas Hilton stage rehearsal

Видео Elvis Presley - True Love Travels on a Gravel Road - From First Take to the Master (and beyond) канала The Ultimate Elvis Channel by Leon