However, it seems very likely that the acquisition of tracks for the above album, as well as some of the singles promoting it, was the main purpose of Elvis’ visit to RCA’s recording studio at 6363 Sunset Boulevard, California in March 1972.
The material collected over the course of three nights (27/28, 28/29 and 30/31 March) was dominated by beautiful but depressing ballads about lost love and parting.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The choice of such a repertoire was in part due to the personal experience of the singer, who had split up from his wife, Priscilla just a few weeks earlier. From February, the couple officially separated (Priscilla informed him about the fact that he was leaving to join Mike Stone after one of the concerts in Las Vegas).
Overwhelmed by the breakdown of his marriage, Elvis started the session by recording the song “Separate Ways”. A joint composition by Richard Mainger and Red West. ” One day, when she’s older, maybe she’ll understand why her mom and dad aren’t together anymore, ” sang Presley in the twenty-five (!) Takes ballad. ” Those tears that flowed down her face as I said goodbye to her one last time will remain in my heart forever .”
The other compositions were also kept in a similar tone to “Separate Ways”. In Kris Kristofferson’s For The Good Times, performed a moment later, Elvis consoled himself: “ Let’s be glad that we could spend some time together. There is no need to look at the bridges we’re burning . In turn, the words of the song “Fool”, recorded at the end of the second day of the session, sounded like a reproach: ” Stupid, you were not supposed to hurt her. Fool, you weren’t supposed to lose her. Fool, you were only supposed to love her… and now her love is gone .
The only exception to the above rule was the rock “Burning Love”, which Elvis’ producer Felton Jarvis tried to interest from the beginning of March recordings (seeing how much Elvis needed a new hit with which he could conquer the charts again).
At first, however, the latter completely ignored her. For his thoughts still circled around the sad ballads whose characters blamed themselves for the breakdowns of their relationships.
Only his longtime collaborators, Jerry Schilling and Joe Esposito, managed to convince him to sing it.
As a result, after six attempts, it was obtained ” good energetic version “. However, everyone present in the studio that day realized that Elvis agreed to do “Burning Love” just to not disappoint his producer.
The March sessions resulted in seven songs, which were recorded on singles, which gave Presley the highest ratings on the bestseller lists since “Suspicious Minds”, becoming at the same time one of the most important in his entire career.
Unfortunately, it seems that RCA has never fully exploited the potential of such hits as “Always On My Mind”, “Its A Matter Of Time” or the aforementioned “Separate Ways”. After removing the longplay “Standing Room Only” from the publishing plan, she squandered the above-mentioned compositions on budget productions such as “Burning Love And Hits From His Movies” or “Separate Ways” (placing them next to average movie songs from the 1960s).
It’s a pity, because collected on one album they could guarantee Elvis an album like “Elvis Country”, hailed by fans and critics as the best longplay in the seventies!
Information provided by Mariusz Ogieg?o of Elvis Promised Land (Poland)
http://www.elvispromisedland.pl/
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
