Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds - From First Take to the Master

Wherever you are in the world and from whatever generation you belong to, almost everyone is familiar with "Suspicious Minds' and the song with whom it is associated. Despite being almost fifty years old the song still sounds as fresh and vibrant as it did when released in August 1969.

The eighth and final take that Elvis cut of the song at American Sound Studios in Memphis on 22 January 1969 would become the RCA master once overdubs were added.

Elvis recorded hos own harmony vocal after the eighth take and the remaining vocal overdubs by Jeannie Greene, Donna Thatcher, Mary Holliday and Ginger Holliday were recorded later the same day.

The first of the instrumental overdubs, the strings - specifically Violins and Cellos were recorded on 7 May 1969. The brass, Trumpets, Trombones and a Bass Trombone, which were never initially intended to be added, were recorded on 7 August.

As all overdubs for the entire recordings at the "Memphis Sessions" were concluded on 8 May it has been speculated by many that this "extra" overdub session was scheduled by Elvis' producer, Felton Jarvis, after hearing Elvis' Vegas arrangement of the song. This, Elvis' first Las Vegas engagement on his return to live performing, had begun just eight days later and so could quite feasibly have influenced this decision.

Listening though the construction of the song it is proof positive that talent alone does not a wonderful singer make. Indeed it shows that even the greatest performer of all time needed patience, dedication, perseverance, discipline and a degree of professionalism to create such a timeless classic. Elvis is struggling with the phrasing in the second verse but despite some obvious frustration gets it right eventually.

The song would then go on to become not just a massive worldwide hit but one of the most famous songs ever recorded and almost immediately an integral part of the Elvis Presley live stage show. In spite of it's huge success, the studio version was never released on a regular Elvis album in his lifetime but was to be found on the 4 LP boxset "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits Volume 1" in 1970. In fact it took until 1981 and the release of "Greatest Hits Volume 1" for it to appear on a single LP album!!

All of this however was almost in vain as the song almost never saw the light of day due to internal RCA and Elvis management politics.

American Sun Studios was the first and only time that Elvis would record with an independent producer and in an independent studio (Radio Recorders could have been regarded as such but it was often hired by RCA for it's artists) and the events surrounding "Suspicious Minds" would be the major cause of this.

Chips Moman who founded American Sound Studios, produced the 'Memphis Sessions' and helped guide Elvis in finding this new relevant style that emerged during the recordings and did so by being anything but a 'yes' man and he also owned the copyright to Suspicious Minds.

Unhappy with this Col. Parker had his deputy Tom Diskin demand that Moman give up half of these rights to which he responded by accusing them of stealing and threatened that the recording would never see the light of day. It apparently took the personal intervention of Elvis and RCA's Harry Jenkins before a compromise was reached and for once artistic endeavour triumphed over monetary gain.

One further twist would emerge as the song went into post production. Chips Moman disclosed that Jarvis was never happy with Elvis recording at American Sound Studio, saying "it was a control thing." Moman added, "So when Jarvis took the tape of 'Suspicious Minds,' he added this crazy 15-second fade toward the end, like the song was ending, and brought it back by overdubbing to extend it. I have no idea why he did that, but he messed it up. It was like a scar. None of which mattered. Soon after the song was released, Elvis was back on top of the charts."

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