Sing-A-Long With ForrestGump!

Hot off the presses!

I've been sick, but I had the opportunity to record some songs today (just finished a few hours' worth and subsequent digital fiddling) and had the motivation to do so even though I still had cold symptoms. I lost a bit of vocal range as a result of my lingering upper-respiratory strife (and some notes I can usually take without inordinate trouble just didn't happen...I'd get air instead of sound, and even in the MP3s linked below, if you know Elvis' music you'll hear me take the low road or cut notes short a couple of times to avoid cracking), but I was surprised that the recordings all came out sorta halfway okay. And, despite it all, it was fun. You can't record Elvis songs without moving around, baby.

Listening to a couple of 'em, though, I'm wondering if my cold also made me tone deaf! I'll probably re-record all or most of what I did, with a better microphone and good health (and my throat is killing me now...perhaps this little session wasn't the best idea), but -- with the above disclaimer and qualification -- here're a few samples (please just click on the title if you want to download an MP3):

'70s concert repertoire

Also Sprach Zarathustra/See See Rider
A Big Hunk O' Love
Steamroller Blues
Tryin' To Get To You (part only -- see below)
You Gave Me A Mountain
Little Sister/Get Back
Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
Little Darlin'

"Little Darlin" is something Elvis threw in toward the end of some of his shows during the last couple of years on tour, just to blow off steam and to settle the crowd down...I did it just to blow off steam and because I needed settling down by the time I recorded the immortal ditty at the end of this larynxfest. :D

The trouble with having lots of unreleased Elvis studio outtakes and rehearsal sessions is that some of the more creative swearing that Elvis inserted into some of his songs (when not in public earshot) comes inconveniently to mind when I'm singing his songs, as do some of his more innocent jokey lyrical amendments. Today I almost followed one of Elvis' 1972 rehearsals of "You Gave Me A Mountain," or -- as he sang that day -- "You Gave Me A Molehill," for which instead of "my woman got tired of the heartaches" he substituted "my woman got tired of the bullsh**" (this not long after Priscilla separated from him). Watch yourself, boy...

Some studio songs

It Hurts Me
From Elvis' January, 1964 Nashville session; yeah...my tendency toward mic abuse is especially bad on this one -- sorry about that. Charlie Daniels wrote this great song back when he was still sane. Elvis' version didn't have the saxophone...that's the sax player that I usually have follow me around to provide a soundtrack for my sexual conquests (I couldn't get rid of him today, 'cos he had to put in a certain number of hours to keep his union credentials and I've had a slow few years week, sexual-conquest-wise).

Long Black Limousine
Elvis did this one during the 1969 Memphis sessions that yielded "Suspicious Minds," "In The Ghetto," "Kentucky Rain," etc...I almost didn't upload this one 'cos the track was in an annoyingly different key than I was used to and in trying to "fix it in post," using software to try to better match voice and music, I ended up making things pretty weird until I landed on this approximation, so if it's maybe off-key. I honestly can't tell, even though it sounds somehow 'off' to me, just as at the outset, if only because I believe it's what musically-knowledgeable types call "a weird tune," in the first place (and possibly because I'm again sleep deprived beyond belief). I believe the key is an augmented fifth minor A-flat double clef with a pike, triple twist, and somersault. Or I could admit that I know nothing of such things. If it's appreciably off, it's not really any worse than the fact that I'm offering up songs recorded in a voice thrashed by cold symptoms, anyway, so I'm not really striving for perfection here (for once...if I wasn't so whacked out on insomnia, I'd never post this stuff)... :-) ...and we can now play "Guess The Key(s)." Yay.

Oh, the 'live' song, "Trying To Get To You" suffered the same problem, so I only put a part of it up -- just couldn't match the vocal and backing once I experimented with changing the backing's pitch, and on the bit linked here it's not as egregiously noticeable. Or maybe it's not noticeable at all, in reality, and it's just that I've been up for days again...for all I know, these ones I think are the only ones in key and the rest are all candidates for the "Dylan Does Elvis" collection.

Any Day Now
Another from the '69 Memphis sessions, with Elvis all over the map with vocal gymnastics on his original. Not the best choice for me in my current state of vocal health (my voice was pretty thrashed by about 2/3 through and it was time to quite even trying to sing), but I cannot keep to myself my intonation on the lyric "when your restless eyes meet someone new" that makes it sound like "when your restless ass meets someone new." That part's dedicated to matcom... :D

For The Heart
Elvis recorded this song in the Jungle Room, in Graceland, in 1976. The same session produced "Moody Blue" and the power ballad "Hurt" (that rock critic Greil Marcus labeled "apocalyptic" -- "For The Heart" was the flipside to that single). I did this one much better and stronger when I recorded a few weeks back, but had nasty technical difficulties. :-(

Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
Another Jungle Room song from Elvis' second-to-last session (the last one, that produced the most excellent "Way Down," was also in the Jungle Room); he also played this and "Unchained Melody" on the piano in his racquetball building on his last night alive, those being the two last songs he ever sang.

Speaking of Way Down...
Just the last part of the song...I accidentally erased the rest of the original recording because I hit "save" when I should have hit "don't save." :-( I love this song, too. :-( Oh, well, it's one I was very tentative on today, vocally, was definitely going to do over when I'm fully restored, anyway, to better do justice to it. So here's the surviving part of it just 'cos it's a cool song.

These songs'll only be up for a week. Just as well...maybe when I record with full voice I'll post some updated ones, if anyone's interested.

"Thank you. thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen...you're a fantastic audience..."

But I did want to tell you I missed you while you were gone.

:hi:

Just put your lips together and.... :D

:hi:

Listening now - :hi:

:hug:

:hug: :pals: :silly:






:loveya: more!

:D

:hug:


I should've waited 'til my cold was gone but, doggone it, when I wanted business tkane car eof I want to take care of business in a flash!

And I do love your smiley!

You are very talented sir! :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

:hug:

Thank you! ("thankyouverymuch")

It was fun. Embrace your inner Elvis! :loveya:

When I was downloading your songs, I had stepped away from my computer. I'm on dialup so the downloads take some time. Well, I had an Elvis movie on in the background on the t.v. and was busy at the sink. It took so long to download, I had forgotten that it was downloading. I'm doing dishes and all of the sudden Elvis start singing and I was so confused, it wasn't coming from the t.v. I couldn't figure it out at first - you sound so much like him, I thought it was the movie I was listening to.

You are very, very talented. :thumbsup:

And you have a wonderful wit! :hug:

:D

You sure know how to sweettalk a guy....

:loveya:

:applause:


:hug: :loveya:

:P

Thanks for all the music. I'm gonna listen now that I'm vertical for the first time today.

:-(

I hope that you're better soon...on second though, perhaps you shouldn't listen to my singing -- you've suffered enough. :D

:hug:

the fun way! :7

Steamroller blues is really good!

(I can do that 'cos we've already got what the other's got...colds, I mean) :D

:*


I loved Any Day Now. You sound so soulful.

edit: Here's some hot tea for your throat.

:D

Thank you, though....



I don't know what possessed me to try it.

Perhaps the same mental vagary that had me try for the version of "How Great Thou Art" that Elvis did live in 1975-77, perhaps the most powerful song he ever did. It was not a pretty sight, and is probably directly responsible for my voice -- sounding like Bill Clinton's 20 minutes after I walked away from the microphone -- now sounding like that of actor Harvey Feirstein. :o

on the inside of his throat. :-0

If you can sleep for a few hours, I heartily recommend Thera Flu. I drank some stuff I had around here that is out of date and I still see an improvement. I'll go out tomorrow and get some more. I might be like Bill Murray in Stripes, driving his cab all over the road: "Must have been that bottle of NyQuil..."

I currently sound like Lauren Bacall.

:rofl:

You nailed the Fier-man's voice!

:rofl:

I might run out tomorrow and grab some TheraIflu, just in case this relapse is going to stick around a bit longer. If you get near a Chinese store this 'flu season, a patent medicine called Yin Chiao can work wonders, at least if you hit the beginning of a cold with it.

Lauren Bacall? Really? :loveya: Hubba-hubba...

I mean do you want honey with your tea. too? Honey... :hug:

It's a nice side of town, where all the cool people live... :hi:

and... uh.... oh wait... I see! Not bad. Wow... is this unreleased? Wow! Very interesting.

:D

someone famous I think...but I just can't think of the name.:P

These are terrific! Thanks Forrest!

'cos that's who I was going for. :D

Thanks!

Good God! Help me! Unnnnhhh! Get on the good foot!

All except "Limousine" which isn't there.

From the few times I have been to Memphis in August I can say that you sound better than most. I won't comment on each song because I think they all sound pretty good. Those backtracks sound pretty good, where did you get those? They sound better than the filtered tracks I can do because filtering them takes out some of the midrange stuff once in a while. Although they are fun to play with.

Do you use a program for mixing these or do you record live on top of the track?

You sure have some of his nuances down and at times it sounds like I am listening to a alternate or bootlegged version of the tune. Very good job. :thumbsup:

One tiny "critique" is that the vocal needs to be compressed so it can be more level through the song. That's not against your vocals, just a music engineer giving my input. To be honest they are good the way they are and you should have no problem picking from these and any other songs you do to make up a collection for yourself.

Any Day Now is such a great song and I think you did it justice. I liked You Gave Me a Mountain a lot too. Actually I liked them all. I did a version of It Hurts Me also. It is probably one of my top ten favorite Elvis tracks.

Take care

stolen liberated. :D

I use Audacity, a free program for Macs...not as powerful as others, but it gets the basics done and it's intuitive as could be...hook the mic in via a Griffin iMic unit into the USB port. Pretty simple. I think I need to get a Shure 58 microphone, though, because this one's not as crisp-sounding.

Thanks, dude! I mean...baby. :-)

I udertand in a flash of insight what you mena by vocal compression...always wondered what that was, so thanks for the tip! Yeah, I cna do that with Audacity...the fluctuation in levels could be a lot less...could be better at my mic-craft, too! I have to do them all, and a bazillion others, over again, anyway, when my voice is back to normal and when I get a new mic. A fun rehearsal, though.

Yeah, "It Hurts Me" is such a great little unappreciated song from the largely overlooked mid-'60s studio output. Always loved the song. I slayed the mic's windguard on that one, especially, though.

It's all the heavy breathing I'm used to doing in the Lounge here....

Way-on



DOOOOOOWWN

:D

I don't know if they electronically processed the voice on the track, but in Elvis' recording (as in many songs in the '70s, especially live) gospel bass singer JD Sumner, one of his vocalists, did it with natural voice. Pretty amazing, his voice. Elvis would play with that big bass voice in concert, as in having JD make sounds like a landing aircraft while Elvis dropped low and moved his arms.

I met him some 15 years ago, and got to hear him sing a double low Eb on stage. It was unbelievable.

Rumor was that he caused the crack in the wall at Robinson Auditorium in Downtown Little Rock.

Elvis used to talk a lot about him on stage, because he admired him so much. When Elvis was a kid, he wanted nothing more (other than being a movie star) than to be in gospel quartet -- he was never comfortable being solo on stage -- and JD was with the Blackwood Brothers then (one of the big names) and would sneak Elvis in for free to the gospel sings at Ellis Auditorium. Two decades later, when JD was on the payroll andwearing his TCB necklace, Elvis used to say that he still couldn't believe he was sharing the stage with the man.

Quite a few of the bras thrown up on stage ended up being plopped on JD's head by Elvis..

He wanted to boink my friends mother quite a while ago..lol. He liked his women.

Kind of a hellraiser for a gospel star. :-)

You sound like that when you're sick??

Did you pull "Long Black Limosine"? I couldn't download it. :(

I'm having some mental image problems here. Now I'm thinking of you more like Gomer Pyle - with a geeky speaking voice, but when you sing - DAMN! :loveya:

I'd love to hear more. :)

only kept alive for the process by my favorite miracle throat relief. I was amazed that anything came out.

I'll let you know when I do some more! :D

:loveya:

After 4-1/2 hours of yapping, my voice is tired once again... and oh, so raspy. What do you use?

Nin jiom pei pa koa. I've used similar before, too -- you know how it is when you practice and practice a talk to the point of vocal-cord failure? Well, now you can face your flock with confidence! It'll give you your voice back and ease any sore throat. It's loquat syrup but the nominal active ingredient is slippery elm, just liek Western demulcents...this one also has an array of herbs (and honey), though, that I guess they can't claim effect for (FDA regulations).

Amazing. Very strong, sweet flavor (hard to believe there's no alcohol, because it tastes like loquat liquer), but it'll fix you right up.

You can buy it online, through various outlets, but most or all Chinese herbal shops or suopermerkets should sell it. It's cheap, too: my 10-oz bottle cost me $3.99.

Good stuff!

Couldn't get this one loaded, no matter what I tried, 'til now. Here's the link:

http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=24LYV84VXJJS92SI17MLNZCXYC

:-)