Elvis: Close Up

In einem anderen Thread schrieb Jörn:

Da vermag die halbgare Veröffentlichung von "Live in Texas 1972" auf der Close-Up Box nicht mitzuhalten. Die hat bestenfalls (16-Spur gegen Soundboard, is klar!) soundtechnisch die Nase vorn, aber sonst auch gar nichts. Das Konzert geht auf dieser konzeptionslos zusammengestellten Box völlig unter...

Diese Behauptung halte ich für absolut falsch und sogar mehr als destruktiv. Im Grunde genommen halte ich sie sogar für verwerflich, weil genau solche Behauptungen der Grund dafür sind, warum das FTD Label den Bach runter geht - und niemand (außer den sogenannten "usual supspects") es zu registrieren scheint.

Warum!? ...

CLOSE UP verfolgt einen sehr interessanten und differenzierten Gedanken, der allerdings eine kreative Leistung des Hörers voraussetzt:

die Box versucht uns zu zeigen, wie Elvis "gearbeitet" hat. "Close Up" steht in direkter Folge zu den vorangegangenen Retrospektiven, die uns Ernst Jorgensen präsentiert hat:


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"PLATINUM" macht im Untertitel deutlich, worum es geht: "A Life In Music" - hier versucht Jorgensen auf gekonnte Weise, das musikalische Leben des Elvis Presley zu portraitieren. Durch eine Reise von den allerersten Aufnahmen über die gröten Hits und einigen raren Studio- und Live-Elementen zu den letzten Aufnahmen seines Lebens gelingt ihm das sehr anschaulich. PLATINUM zeichnet ein Bild von einem Künstler, der im Studio und auf der Bühne viel erreicht hat und dessen Leben auch privat immens durch Musik geprägt war.


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"TODAY, TOMORROW AND FOREVER" macht uns auf dem Back-Cover klar, was es von uns will: hier geht es um den Session-Musiker Elvis. Ergebnis ist eine Zeitreise durch die verschiedenen Sessions, die Elvis in seinem Leben "abgearbeitet" hat - garniert mit ein paar Leckerlies (Little Rock 1956) - daher macht es auch duchaus Sinn, daß von ALOHA nur ein "After Show Song" drauf ist, und außer den Live Aufnahmen in Vegas 1969 und 1970 keine weiteren Konzertaufnahmen zu hören sind. Der Anteil an Studio-Chat ist hier schon deutlich höher und er zeigt auf, wie Elvis im Studio gearbeitet hat. Die Box erlaubt es uns, so heißt es auf der Rückseite, der Karriere von Elvis auf einer fast kompletten Session zu Session - Reise zu folgen. TT&F geht also tiefer als PLATINUM, zeigt uns die Art und Weise, wie Elvis gearbeitet hat, stärker auf.


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In der logischen Konsequenz steht daher "CLOSE UP", die alleine durch ihren Titel die Richtung vorgibt. Nach PLATINUM mit einem groben musikalischen Lebenslauf, nach "TT&F" mit einem schon tiefergehenden - auf den Sessions basierenden - Überblick über Elvis' Vorgehensweise, erhalten wir nun den Blick unter's Mikroskop: wie hat Elvis eigentlich gearbeitet? Das geht nur anhand der Betrachtung kleiner Ausschnitte, die auf dieser Box geschickt gewählt wurden.

Der Rückzug auf einzelne Sessions - ja sogar einzelne Songs - ist notwendig, weil Elvis (wie u.a. auch auf der neuen KID GALAHAD zu hören) oft mit dem Sound oder dem Song rumexperimentiert hat. Gleichzeitig gelingt Jorgensen aber auch der Spagat zwischen den 50er, 60er und 70er Elvis-Fans.

CD 1 bietet uns also 50er Material mit meiner Meinung nach hervorragenden Sound-Schnitzeln, da sie zeigen, wie mit Elvis technisch herumexperimentiert wurde, wie fortschrittlich Elvis bereits in den 50ern soundtechnisch war - und wie er schon damals die Rolle des Produzenten für sich vereinnahmte.

CD 2 bringt uns zu den Hollywood-Sessions, die oft einen Elvis zeigen, der locker drauf ist, die Sache nicht so ernst nimmt, und trotzdem Musik produziert, die jedem erstzunehmenden Musiker Respekt abzollen muß.

CD 3 führt uns nach Nashville, wo eine ganz andere Stimmung herrschte, die auch durch Spaß geprägt war - die aber eine ganz andere Art von Musik hervorbrachte als sie für Hollywood produziert wurde und die parallel dazu aufzeigt, wie hochwertig Elvis parallele Karriere in Nashville war (die im allgemeinen Bild über Elvis verloren geht). Wie mein Rider mal so schön sagte: manche "One Hit Wonder" - egal von heute oder aus den 50ern - wären heute Legenden, hätten sie nur die Hälfte dessen an Musik produziert, die Elvis zusätzlich zu seiner Hollywood-Karriere in Nashville hervorbrachte.

CD 4 schließlich führt uns in die 70er - die eindeutig durch die Tours geprägt waren. Mit der Show aus St. Antonio präsentiert uns Jorgensen einen Elvis, wie er sich selbst wohl am liebsten sah: als straighten Showman, der auf große Schnörkel verzichtet und seinen Fans das präsentiert, weshalb sie zu ihm gekommen waren: Musik von allerfeinsten. Ja, die Show ist zum großen Teil unsepktakulär - aber sie ist absolut typisch für den Elvis der professionellen Touren: kaum große Worte, viel Musik und eine Band, die erstklassig zusammenspielt und harmoniert.


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Fazit: Close Up ist die logische Fortsetzung einer Retrospektive, die in PLATINUM ihren detaillierten Anfang nahm - leider ist es so, daß ein ganz großer Teil der Elvis-Szene dies nicht erkannt hat - oder sich die Mühe, die Idee dahinter zu erkennen, gar nicht erst gemacht hat. Für mich ist das mehr als schade, weil es mir einmal mehr zeigt, wie plump die Szene zu sein scheint - und ich befürchte, in der VÖ-Politik des FTD-Labels zu erkennen, daß auch bei den Verantwortlichen für unseren "Man" bei BMG eine gewisse Frustrationsgrenze erreicht ist, die ihren Ausdruck in lächerlichen Covers und halbherzigen Soundboard-VÖs findet.


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Mein Tip: nochmal lesen, meine Gedanken rutschen lassen, Close Up auspacken, in den Sessel lümmeln, Licht aus, und das Teil genießen und hinhören





p.s.: nix für ungut, Jörn. Sollte kein Angriff auf Dich persönlich sein .....

Zur weiteren Anregung der grauen Zellen hier der Review von meinem Gesinnungs-Freund Piers von elvis.com.au


<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>25 Essential reasons to get ‘Close Up’! </span>
By: Piers Beagley - Aug 21, 2003
Source: PB


Last year’s ‘Today, Tomorrow & Forever’ box-set thankfully sold well enough for BMG to approve another special release for this year. While T,T&F had some truly marvellous moments the chronological walk through Elvis’ musical life wasn’t as satisfying a listen as it could have been. The dreadful ‘Love Machine’ for instance ended up on the same disc as ‘In The Ghetto’ and while historically correct the overall feeling was a little uneven & incoherent.

However with lesser expectations, and maybe a slight emphasis towards the collector’s market, Ernst & the team have come up with a truly sensational follow up. Possibly the best ‘specialised’ box-set yet released!

With the 4 discs all having a particular theme (which is after all what made ‘Collector’s Gold’ just so damn good) there isn’t a weak point on any of them. All four discs are packed full of gems demonstrating the power of Elvis’ music while at the same time including rarities that will delight collectors and give all of us plenty of new material to explore.
Elvis sadly left us 26 years ago this month and I can think of no better way of celebrating his life & music than spending 4 hours with him at home getting ‘Close Up’!

Buy this set, you won’t regret it!

If you need any more convincing here are 25 essential reasons to get ‘Close Up’.

1. The Packaging. Of all the Elvis box-sets so far none have been as well presented as ‘Close Up’. From the fabulous front cover photo of Elvis on bended knee at Richmond, Virginia 1956 to the final ‘Gold Suit’ image the booklet is full of gorgeous & rare pictures. In both colour and black & white these perfectly capture the 4 themes of the CDs. The unseen photos of Elvis performing at the 1961 Ellis Auditorium, Memphis Charity show are just fabulous. The liner notes by Colin Escott are also the most informative yet, packed full of fascinating detail and at the same time revealing a few new secrets. (Until now no one knew that the master of Jailhouse Rock was actually a spliced version!)

2. The Sound. All the studio CDs were, for the first time, mastered at SONY Studios, New York. While I have often praised the recent Elvis releases for their excellent new mixes and wide dynamic audio (take At The International for instance) the sound of this set is a real revelation. SONY Studios are renowned for their work with analogue originals and here the sound has that new dynamic & clear quality but at the same time having an audio warmth and smoothness similar to vinyl. There is no ‘digital’ edge and on a good Hi-Fi you can immediately notice the difference. They sound so perfect that I hope they set a new benchmark for Elvis’ future releases. (BMG, can we please have all of Elvis’ back catalogue remastered this way!!??) Listening to the CD of Elvis’ fifties songs in this quality, along with them being stereo/binaural is like re-discovering them for the very first time!

3. Peace In The Valley. Tk.9 – The first track of the ‘Unreleased Stereo/binaural Masters from the 50s’ is the original version but in a quality & depth that you have never heard it before. Elvis sounds almost reticent as they begin, "uh, No" he says. Immediately you can hear the purity of the sound and his beautiful harmonising with The Jordanaires. Listen closely and you can hear Elvis’ chair squeak, his every intake of breath and you can even hear the rustle of his lyric sheet. There is amazing balance and a ‘space between’ that you have never heard before. Elvis’ vocal is pure passion & perfection. This was Elvis laying down the gauntlet to all his challengers who said that he was an incarnation of the devil. Just fifteen minutes earlier he had recorded the raucous ‘Mean Woman Blues’!

4. Is It So Strange. Tk.12 - While there are plenty of alternate takes on this CD the Master version of "Is It So Strange" has always begged for a quality reissue. The band is perfectly understated and with Elvis’ separated vocal you can hear every nuance of his voice. The ‘binaural/stereo’ mix gives you a much better feeling of actually being in the Studio, placing you between Elvis and the band, as he records these beautiful songs. Listen to Elvis as he begs "Let us kiss again, let me hold you near. And take me from this strange world.." Just fabulous.

5. Jailhouse Rock. Tk.6 – Here is every perfect moment of the classic Jailhouse Rock. The take starts with Elvis discussing the length of the fade out "Make it real long? … Just keep lasting as long as you want to … my tongue will be out!" From the first rock-crunching drumbeat this is pure ecstasy. Here you can hear Elvis’ raw vocal (no wonder it was a splice!) "Let’s rock, rock, rock" he screams as Scotty Moore breaks free. This version even continues on past the ‘Elvis 30 #1s’ version to the very end as the band wrap it up. "Fabulous" someone in the studio comments. Little did they know how right they were at the time.

6. Treat Me Nice. Tk.19. Tk.12 & 13 – A real highlight with 2 alternate versions both very different from the released Master. This was the track that Elvis envisaged as being the hit song from the film. The first has a very different feel and totally different backing vocals. Elvis is slapping the back of his guitar again (like on ‘All Shook Up’) and the groove is very cool. Elvis however rejected this version for a remake 4 months later. Take 12 breaks down & Elvis says "It’s a little bit too fast, man, just a little bit". Again the snippets of Elvis’ conversation gives us not only a glimpse of the excitement of being in the studio but also a chance to examine these crucial recordings as they progress. Take 13 was only 2 takes away from the single version but Elvis was to simplify the backing vocals even further.

7. Young and Beautiful. Tk.3, Tk.7 - Here is a magic moment as Elvis heartily laughs "If I get any worse the Johnson office won’t pass it!" This is a reference to the slightly risque suggestive title, sung of course by the sexually permissive Elvis which the American film censors might have objected to at the time. ("You’re so young & beautiful" indeed!) The un-released ‘Nightclub’ version is a gem.

8. Baby I Don’t Care. Tk.1 - The true creative edge of Elvis’ passion was often captured on the very first take. Elvis overdubbed his vocal (since he actually played electric bass on the original track) however the complete Tk.1 is an exciting revelation and, at last, without the distortion of the Master. The sound is exceptional and you can hear every nuance of Elvis’ vocal overdub, every intake of breath, and even hear his chair squeaking as the rhythm grabs him. At the start Elvis exclaims, "You’ve got me wasting tape. It’s too late in the day for all this sh**!" while at the end he explodes with true excitement.

9. Doin’ The Best I Can. Tk.10–12 – ‘Unreleased Movie Gems’ are featured on CD 2 and this track beautifully shows off Elvis’ new vocal maturity. Take 10 breaks down because of his noisy chair. Elvis comments, "Hold it, Hold it. The chair squeaked. Anyone got any oil?!" With The Jordanaires providing the perfect background Elvis sounds smooth & silky as he slides immaculately through his vocal range with ease. Perfect except for the lyric slip up of "I guess I was the only one who didn’t care at all"! With the newly remastered sound this is good enough to eat.

10. Frankfort Special. Tk.4 & 5 - Previously never a favourite song of mine this take however, with its smooth bass and fabulous echoing guitar, really grabbed me. At the start Elvis himself complains, "There’s no way in hell I can hold this thing up!" Elvis, Dudley Brooks on piano, and Ray Walker discuss the melody before take 5 starts taking shape. Scotty Moore & D.J. Fontana delightfully inject the early feel and groove of 1955’s Mystery Train into the rhythm. Listen closely to the end at you can almost hear that quintessential Elvis shriek of delight coming back from 5 years earlier. A great addition.

11. Lonely Man. Tk.3 - Have you ever dreamed of Elvis sitting on your porch and singing just to you? Here Elvis does just that playing acoustic guitar and serenading you alone. "Here I am, come meet a lonely, lonely man." With no other backing this version perfectly emphasises Elvis’ loneliness & emptiness.

12. Wild In The Country. Tk.1 & 14 - The first take is truly fascinating, sounding exceptionally different from the released single. With over-complicated backing vocals Elvis also tries a latinesque vocal flourish which really doesn’t suit the nature of the song. Take 14 is exquisite. The single made #2 in England.

13. Slicin’ Sand. Tk.6 & 7 - Nine alternate Blue Hawaii takes are featured and all in sensational sound quality. Elvis kicks off the track by saying, "Hit it, hop to it!" and while ‘Slicin’ Sand’ was never destined to be a classic this take has real appeal. Elvis sings an extra verse with the lyric ‘Sand in my sandwich!’ It all breaks down with Elvis laughing "oh sh*t! Sand in my sandwich? What the hell?" It’s a lovely look at the fun of recording the early sixties soundtracks as well as including a delicious Scotty Moore guitar solo reminiscent of his 1950’s work. "We’re gonna have a ball on the beach." Weren’t these ‘family’ movies? What was Elvis singing about?! There is fabulous humour in his voice. A great version.

14. Steppin’ Out Of Line. Tk.15 – It was always a disappointment that this song was cut from the film Blue Hawaii as it’s a great raucous rock number. This is another take of the version that ended up on the ‘Pot Luck’ LP but without the awful distortion that has always been present on Elvis’ vocal track. Raw & rough with a roaring saxophone solo by Boots Randolph along with the brilliant finale from dual drummers Hal Blaine & D.J Fontana. The ending is a true classic with Elvis growling and the drums falling apart delightfully. "I liked it" comments Elvis. What a shame it never made the movie.

15. Make Me Know It. Tk.1 – ‘The Magic Of Nashville’ is featured on CD3 with a look at his sensational output from Studio B. Just 2 weeks after leaving the Army Elvis is back at RCA studios trying to prove his importance in Popular music. Here he records his very first song since his army stint & Otis Blackwell’s ‘Make Me know it’ is Elvis’ first cry for freedom and the rock ‘n’ roll that he had left behind. An essential piece of history with Elvis getting a chance to show off to the RCA executives in attendance his newly found deep & sensuous voice. Elvis would record 3 million sellers later the same evening.

16. It Feels So Right. Tk.1 – 6am in the morning, the RCA execs have left long ago and Elvis gets a chance to record some music that gave depth to his soul. A down & dirty meaningful blues and you can hear Elvis’ enjoyment as he claps along with the rhythm. The sensuality of the lyrics, the clarity of the vocals, "Cos baby, If it feels so right, How can it be wrong?" So true.

17. Surrender. Tk.5 & 6 - Elvis hangs back on the intro at the start. "I think that’s a little too long on the vamp, don’t you?" asks engineer Bill Porter. Recorded post G.I. Blues & Flaming Star this recording shows the absolute passion that Elvis could impart to his vocals. The openness of this new mix brilliantly places Elvis’ vocal against The Jordanaires, which really adds a brand new shine to every syllable.

18. His Latest Flame. Tk.12 – An all-time classic and intriguing to hear this post ‘Master’ version. Elvis finally chose Take 8 but in the session, at 4am in the morning, he still continued past that point looking for that elusive something else. Here is the final recorded take and this mix gives a real clarity to all three guitars along with Elvis’ vocal nicely lifted above the mix of the single version.

19. Stand By Me. Tk.10 – Felton Jervis comments at the start "Sounding better Elvis, a lot better." Totally focussed, Elvis plays his vocal perfectly against the richness of the 11 backing vocalists. The piano arrangement is gorgeous and Elvis means every word. His last recording session had been for Spinout (Smorgasbord!). Listening to this beauty from 1966 you know that Elvis had again found his guiding light. Perfect.

20. U.S. Male - Tk.10. "Ok? We’re ready?" Elvis laughs and whistles. You can even hear his humour & excitement as slaps his hands on his legs. It was 1967 and Elvis needed to prove that no one was gonna mess with 'This U.S. Male.' While gospel may have been Elvis’ inspiration it seems that gritty blues (Guitar Man, Down in the Alley, Big Boss Man etc) were his salvation. He delightfully growls, "Tell me guitar, now sock it to me son.. You can be as cool as you want to be!"

21. 'Live In Texas’ - At last Elvis fans get an official ‘On Tour’ concert! Moving on from the studio CDs and into the seventies, BMG have finally given us a taste of what might have become the abandoned ‘Standing Room Only’ LP. In excellent stereo this CD captures Elvis in ‘business mode’ and really delivering the goods. Looking resplendent in his Lion-head Suit and red-lined cape Elvis hardly talked to the crowd & concentrated on the music. A great mix and really worth listening to on headphones.

22. Proud Mary - As featured in the ‘On Tour’ movie, Elvis comments "bring that bass up!" and they do. A deliciously juicy mix emphasising Jerry Scheff’s funky bass work. Compared to the Madison Square Garden releases the dynamic stereo mix here really highlights the composition of whole group. You can really hear the band slowly build up and up as Elvis pumps the crowd. This was going to be a great night!

23. For The Good Times - The crowd just explodes with excitement at the start of this new song. While this song would be recorded for the MSG LP this is the earliest live version that has been released. There is a delicious clarity to the mix. You can imagine yourself right on stage with Elvis & Charlie Hodge duetting. There is a lovely space to the sound giving a fabulous glimpse to Elvis’ power as he holds sway over the audience of 10,500.

24. How Great Thou Art - Again the earliest live official release of this great song. Elvis announces "We’d like to do a gospel song for you…" For some reason he would inexplicably drop this absolute stunner from his ‘Madison Square Garden’ set, just 2 months later, & even from the ‘Aloha’ shows. Even though Elvis had sung this classic in concert as early as November 1970 RCA surprisingly never released a live version of it until 1974. This version is at a slower tempo and the spacious mix helps emphasise Elvis’ belief & love for gospel music.

25. Burning Love - Elvis announces "We’d like to do a new song for you tonight, and if we goof this up just bear with us … Burnin’ Love, baby!" As featured in the ‘On Tour’ film, remember Elvis holding the lyric sheet? Elvis had recorded it less than a month earlier and this great version was only the second time that he had performed it live. The crowd must have been stunned as they would have never heard this classic before – amazingly it wasn’t to be released for another 4 months!

The final CD only increases my anticipation for the future ‘Elvis On Tour’ DVD & CD box-set including rehearsals and the complete April 9th Hampton Roads show.



Reviewed by Piers Beagley

Schöne Review, etp. Aber ich glaube nicht, dass sie hier Sinn macht ...

Ich denke, ich werde es in den nächsten Tagen in aller Ruhe ins Englsiche übersetzen und bei den Kollegen vom collectors forum posten - um einfach mal klar zu machen, wie sehr ich Jorgensen schätze, wenn er etwas substantielles produziert

Schöne Review, etp. Aber ich glaube nicht, dass sie hier Sinn macht ...

Was ist eigentlich der genaue Grund, der Dich hier in diesem Board den ganzen Tag rumhängen lässt

Sehr schön, etp. Solche Gedanken liesst man gerne.

Ich muss sagen, dass ich die Close Up gerne höre und froh über dieses Release bin. Der Sound ist gut bis hervorragend und diese gesamte Reihe der 4er-Boxsets ist, wie Du es auch schon erwähnst, eine sinnvolle Fortsetzungsgeschichte.

Trotzdem halte auch ich die Close Up in Sachen konzept für die schwächste aus der Reihe (mal die Live In Las Vegas aussen vor gelassen). Ich halte es halt auch für unglücklich, das "Live In Texas" Concert auf diesem Ding untergebracht zu haben.


Und noch ein Wort zu Piers Beagley. Der Mann rezensiert wirklich klasse. Seine Reviews sind erstklassig und da stört es mich nie, wenn ich mal nicht mit seinen Eindrücken konform gehe. Er schrieb - wenn ich mich recht erinnere und das sei nur am Rande bemerkt - auch eine Lobeshymne auf The Greensboro Concert.

Ich denke, ich werde es in den nächsten Tagen in aller Ruhe ins Englsiche übersetzen und bei den Kollegen vom collectors forum posten - um einfach mal klar zu machen, wie sehr ich Jorgensen schätze, wenn er etwas substantielles produziert

Sehr schöne Idee!

In der logischen Konsequenz steht daher "CLOSE UP", die alleine durch ihren Titel die Richtung vorgibt. Nach PLATINUM mit einem groben musikalischen Lebenslauf, nach "TT&F" mit einem schon tiefergehenden - auf den Sessions basierenden - Überblick über Elvis' Vorgehensweise, erhalten wir nun den Blick unter's Mikroskop.

Ich sah diese Boxen eh immer als eine Art "Trilogie" und ich kann mir momentan auch keinen geeigneten Nachfolger vorstellen, bzw. keine weitere Box in der Aufmachung, dem Stil, mit einem Überblick über die ganze Karriere.

Schöne Review, etp. Aber ich glaube nicht, dass sie hier Sinn macht ...

Bei so einem Satz frage ich mich, warum die "Eingeweihten", die wahren Versteher von Elvis' Musik und wichtiger Musik im allgemeinen überhaupt hier lesen oder posten.

Sorry, aber der Satz klingt unheimlich herablassend. Aber wahrscheinlich ist das so gewollt...

Hach, ich bekomme gerade richtig Lust auf die Box-Sets. Ich werde die drei Dinger am Wochenende hintereinander durchhören. Versprochen!


<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>Danach geht's dann natürlich wieder weiter mit Garth Brooks Weihnachtsalben. </span>