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ELVIS CD NEWS

"That's The Way It Is - Special Edition"

(Compiled by Haruo Hirose)




(July 4, 2000)
(June 21, 2000)
(June 18, 2000; Updated with complete Billboard article)
(June 16-15-14, 2000 Updated)
(May 18, 2000 Updated with ICE magazine article)
(May 3 - Apr.27-19-17; Thanks Arjan Deelen of "Elvis Unlimited" for all the info & Cover Photos)
(Mar.8, 2000)


(Thanks Taylor Scott)


(Keeper Box)

Pictures used inside a booklet
from new TTWII CD set
Center-fold picture from TTWII Booklet
sold in Japan,1971

RCA Plans Push For Presley Reissue
MGM Soundtrack, Now 3-CD Boxed Set, To Get Multimedia Promos

By Jim Bessman (Billboard, June 17, 2000 issue)

NEW YORK - Never at a loss for new ways to repackage its Elvis Presley catalog, RCA Records this year is reissuing ''That's the Way It Is,'' originally a single-disc soundtrack to the MGM movie commemorating Presley's 1970 concerts at the MGM International Hotel in Las Vegas. But the new version will be a $49.98 three-CD box ($39.98 for three cassettes) and will be marketed with the full-out international push traditionally given the label's franchise rock 'n' roll artist.

According to RCA senior VP of strategic marketing Mike Omansky, the package, which will be released worldwide July 11, will include everything Presley recorded in Vegas between June and August 1970, ''the peak of his career as a vocalist and in popularity - while he was alive.''

The first disc will ''upgrade'' the original release with seven added tracks, while the second disc will contain a complete concert performance, far and away ''the best we've ever released,'' says Omansky. The third disc contains previously unreleased material that could be described as ''the making of'' the concert, including rehearsal performances.

All in all, 44 of the 66 tracks are new, says Omansky, who notes that the slipcase box will be offered in a slightly smaller double jewel box "keeper box" configuration to rack accounts, to better fit into their keeper fixture.

Major marketing efforts supporting the set, six months in the planning, begin this month with prepromotion on Presley Web sites throughout the world; the main page on BMG's GetMusic site will feature an interview with Omansky about marketing Presley's music.

"We know how to get the tomtoms beating very quickly to get information out," says Omansky, who will also pre-sell the set with two appearances on the QVC home shopping channel on Thursday(15). The first, at 1 a.m. Eastern, reaches the West Coast at the prime-time hour of 10 p.m. The second, 10 p.m. Eastern, offers excellent timing for both coasts. Orders taken during Omansky's appearances - which will include debuting the product - will be fulfilled in July.

"I did QVC three times last year for the 'Elvis - Artist Of The Century' three-disc box and sold 17,164 sets with zero returns," says Omansky. "But it's good for retail because it creates tremendous awareness: A huge number of people will watch but not order and go to retail. Most accounts recognize this and appreciate it." Omansky will returns to QVC on Aug.16, the anniversary of Presley's death.

On July 11, a six-week TV campaign begins targeting women 18-54 on such programs as "Wheel of Fortune," "Jeopardy," and the daytime talk shows. Also in July and running through August is a Turner Classic Movie Channel promotion, in conjunction with RCA, the Presley estate, Gibson Guitars, and Musicland.

The Turner Classic Movie Channel will run ''Elvis Moments'' promotional spots in July, tying in with a consumer contest run by the Musicland Group that will award private Graceland tours, Gibson guitars, and boxed sets; the channel will then air Presley movies every Sunday night in August. Musicland will also heavily display the new Presley box and other Presley product, and the RCA sales team will highlight the 15 top Presley catalog pieces.

July will also see the start of a publicity push, as well as a preview party, which is slated for July 10 in New York for winners of a contest on country station Y107.

In August, "That's The Way It Is" becomes the theme for Memphis' annual "Elvis Week" commemoration of Presley's death. As paer of Elvis Week, the recut version, featuring added footage, of the MGM movie "That's The Way It Is" will be previewed. Omansky expects one of the Turner cable stations to air the film sometime in the fall - and for MGM Home Entertainment release on videocassette and DVD to follow, again with a fresh CD box push.

But as big as the domestic campaign is for "That's The Way It Is," the title may be the centerpiece of an even bigger Presley promotion in foreign BMG territories. BMG U.K., Omansky says, will return to QVC U.K., which was used successfully in selling "Artist Of The Century" last year. Additionally, four new Presley genre titles - "Gospel," "Lovin'," "Blues," and "Rockabilly" - will go to "alternative" accounts, such as supermarkets, one week ahead of the new box. The label projects sales of 240,000 units on the four titles, Omansky says, adding that they'll remain in the market for only 15 months.

BMG Australia will add a three-CD box titled "Legendary Elvis Presley" to its "Legendary" Presley catalog series on Sept.1 with 50,000 units projected to be sold through December. On Sept.1 in Sweden, "Elvis Presley - Sweden Top 20" will be released and backed by a TV campaign. And Germany will follow "That's The Way It Is" with a special additional three-disc set in August, which is expected to move 160,000 - 200,000 units that month via supermarket-only sales.

"But 'That's The Way It Is' is the primary focus everywhere," says Omansky, who nevertheless looks ahead to a Las Vegas Presley boxed set to be released on the second Tuesday of July 2001.


ビルボード最新号より
MGM映画「エルビス・オン・ステージ」のサウンドトラック盤 "Elvis - That's The Way It Is" の再発売(今回は3枚組になって登場)を、RCAは世界的規模でプッシュすることになりました。
RCAのマイク・オマンスキーによると、7月11日発売の このCDセットは 「エルヴィスのボーカリストとして、また人気の面でも、彼の頂点の時」 1970年6月から8月にかけて録音されたものです。
最初のディスクはオリジナル盤に7曲加えられた「アップグレード」盤、2枚目のディスクは はるかに「RCAが今までに発売した中で最高」のコンサート録音 であり、3枚目はコンサートの「メイキング」的要素を含んだリハーサル録音を含む、未発表集となってます。
全66曲の内44曲が未発表曲です・
6カ月間の計画の後、今月、BMGのサイト "GetMusic" にオマンスキーのインタビューが掲載されるのを手始めに、18から54才の女性をターゲットに、 ''Wheel of Fortune,'' ''Jeopardy,'' や昼のトーク・ショーなどの番組で、7月11日より6週間のTVキャンペーンが繰り広げられます。7月から8月にかけて「ターナー・クラシック映画チャンネル」において、RCA、プレスリー・エステイト、ギブソン・ギター、ミュージックランドにより共同宣伝が展開されます。
「ターナー・クラシック映画チャンネル」ではまた、7月に、グレースランド旅行、ギブソン・ギター、CDセットなどの当たる ''Elvis Moments'' と称するミュージックランド・グループのTVスポットを流し、8月の毎週、日曜の夜にはプレスリー映画が放映されます。 ミュージックランドは店頭に大掛かりなプレスリー製品のディスプレイを展示します。
カントリー・ラジオ局Y107でのコンテストの優勝者のために、7月10日ニューヨークで予定されているプレビュー・パーティから 本格的に宣伝は開始されるようです。
オマンスキーは来年7月の第二火曜日の発売に向け、既に「ラスベガス・ボックス・セット」の準備をしているようです。

No LONG BOX set available.
07863-67938-2 This CD version comprises three individual digipacks with an oversized booklet enclosed in a transparent slipcase. (Yellow/orange circle is printed on a slipcase.)
07863-67980-2 Special "Keeper Box" version is a standard double jewel case (like "Amazing Grace" CD).
日本盤は07863-67938-2の輸入となります。日本盤「ロックンロール」で使われたのと同じ、半透明のプラスチック・ケースに収められます。(日本のアイデアを真似た。)

TTWII on Vinyl
Vinyl lovers will be pleased to hear that the upcoming THAT'S THE WAY IT IS box will also be released as a 5 LP box. It will contain exactly the same material as the 3 CD box. The release date for the 5 LP box is July 30th. Records & Books will definitely have this one in stock: elvis@post7.tele.dk
Arjan Deelen
Elvis Unlimited (06/15/2000)

"That's The Way It Is" Special Edition (3-CD Set)
Official Release Date; July 11, 2000
07863-67938-2 Regular version
07863-67980-2 "Keeper Box" version (USA only)
(Large Image)
DISC ONE Special Edition
  1. I Just Can't Help Believing 4'34
  2. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights 3'15
  3. How The Web Was Woven 3'25
  4. Patch It Up 3'51
  5. Mary In The Morning 4'11
  6. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 2'29
  7. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling 4'22
  8. I've Lost You 3'30
  9. Just Pretend 4'02
  10. Stranger In The Crowd 3'46
  11. The Next Step Is Love 3'31
  12. Bridge Over Troubled Water 4'03
    Bonus Tracks:
  13. Love Letters 2'49 ("Love Letters From Elvis")
  14. When I'm Over You 2'26 ("Love Letters From Elvis")
  15. Something 3'40 (Live, 11/8/70) ("Walk A Mile In My Shoes")
  16. I'll Never Know 2'24 ("Love Letters From Elvis")
  17. Sylvia 3'18 ("Elvis Now")
  18. Cindy Cindy 2'31 ("Love Letters From Elvis")
  19. Rags To Riches 1'54 (single release)

DISC TWO The Concert (August 12, 1970, Midnight Show)
(Actual 80 min show will be shorten to 70 min.)
  1. That's All Right 2'31
  2. Mystery Train - Tiger Man 3'43 (MGM,"That's The Way It Is")
    "My name is Fats Domino" and Elvis sings "Blueberry Hill"
  3. Hound Dog 2'46
  4. Love Me Tender 6'55
  5. Just Pretend 4'12
  6. Walk A Mile In My Shoes 2'01
  7. There Goes My Everything 4'11
  8. Words 2'36
  9. Sweet Caroline 2'26 (MGM,"That's The Way It Is")
  10. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 6'29 (LP, "That's The Way It Is")
  11. Polk Salad Annie 5'48 (MGM,"That's The Way It Is")
  12. Heartbreak Hotel 1'46 (MGM,"That's The Way It Is", Video,"The Lost Performances")
  13. One Night 1'46 (MGM,"That's The Way It Is")
  14. Blue Suede Shoes 1'31 (MGM,"That's The Way It Is")
  15. All Shook Up 2'01 (MGM,"That's The Way It Is")
  16. Little Sister - Get Back 3'33 (LP, "Elvis Aron Presley")
  17. I Was The One 1'11 (CD, "Walk A Mile In My Shoes")
  18. Love Me 2'03
  19. Are You Lonesome Tonight 1'58 ( "Elvis The Concert 2000")
  20. Bridge Over Troubled Water 4'29
  21. Suspicious Minds 6'06 (MGM,"That's The Way It Is")
  22. Can't Help Falling In Love 2'08 (MGM,"That's The Way It Is")

DISC THREE The Rehearsal (plus Live)
  1. I Got A Woman (live, 11/8/70) 3'11
  2. I Can't Stop Loving You (live, 10/8/70) 3'10
    Elvis sings "Toreador Song" from Bizet's "Carmen"
  3. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights (live, 12/8/70) 4'00
  4. The Next Step Is Love (live, 10/8/70) 3'30
  5. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me (live, 10/8/70) 2'32
  6. Stranger In The Crowd (live, 13/8/70) 4'00
  7. Make The World Go Away (live, 13/8/70) 3'37
  8. Don't Cry Daddy (live, 13/8/70) 2'45
  9. In The Ghetto (live, 13/8/70) 2'42
  10. Peter Gunn Theme (MGM rehearsal, 15/7/70) (Instrumental) 1'10
  11. That's All Right (MGM rehearsal, 15/7/70) 2'24
  12. Cottonfields (MGM rehearsal, 15/7/70) 1'24
  13. Yesterday (MGM rehearsal, 15/7/70) 1'24
  14. I Can't Stop Loving You (MGM rehearsal, 15/7/70) 2'23
  15. Such A Night (MGM rehearsal, 29/7/70) 1'34
  16. It's Now Or Never (MGM rehearsal, 29/7/70) 2'19
  17. A Fool Such As I (MGM rehearsal, 29/7/70) 2'45
  18. Little Sister/Get Back (MGM rehearsal, 29/7/70) 5'45
  19. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Waters (RCA rehearsal, 24/7/70) 4'42
  20. Johnny B. Goode (RCA rehearsal, 24/7/70) 2'33
    Elvis sings "Running Scared"
  21. Mary In The Morning (RCA rehearsal, 24/7/70) 4'37
  22. The Wonder Of You (RCA rehearsal, 24/7/70) 3'14
  23. Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Vegas rehearsal, 4/8/70) 2'02
  24. Farther Along (Vegas rehearsal, 4/8/70) 1'20
  25. Oh Happy Day (Vegas rehearsal, 7/8/70) 1'54

(From ICE magazine MAY 2000. Issue 158)

ELVIS' BEST NIGHT READIED BY RCA FOR JULY RELEASE

ON JULY 11, RCA RECORDS will release what it considers to be the greatest concert ever recorded by the biggest name in the history of pop culture.

Or so goes the thinking of Ernst Mikael Jorgensen. The respected producer currently oversees, along with longtime co-producer Roger Semon, RCA's reissuing of the Elvis Presley catalog. On that date, the label will release a greatly expanded, three-CD version of a previously run-of-the-mill movie soundtrack called Elvis - That's The Way It Is.

As originally released, the 12-track album was a hodgepodge collection of live performances and studio tracks, loosely serving as a companion piece to the concert movie of the same name, which didn't even crack the national Top 20. But the live tracks were key, as they came from a period when Jorgensen believes Presley was at the peak of his performing powers.

RCA has assembled a three-CD set which starts off with those 12 tracks, for the sake of completeness, but also embellished them with 54 more tracks, most of them previously unreleased. The extra material is drawn primarily from six concerts recorded by RCA during Presley's triumphant stand at the Intemational Hotel in Las Vegas in August 1970, plus the rehearsals for those shows. Disc Two of the new That's The Way It Is presents one of those shows in its entirety - the best of the six, in Jorgensen's opinion.

"This may very well have been the high point of Elvis' entire career," says Jorgensen, also the author of two coffee-table reference books on the King. "Look at how it built: You had his inital success, and then the Army; then his marvelous return with 'It's Now or Never' and 'Are You Lonesome Tonight': then his career fading in the mid-'60s; then his big comeback with the TV show and Memphis recordings; and suddenly he's back on stage in 1969 for the first time in eight years, and he's an enormous success, first in Las Vegas and then playing before 80,000 people in Houston in the spring of 1970.

"At the time of these recordings, August of '70, it's his third Vegas engagement, It's sold out months in advance, and there's a whole movie crew to film everything from the rehearsals to the final show. He's gotten through the period where he had to rely mostly on older material, and he can boast a current string of million-selling singles like 'In the Ghetto' and 'Suspicious Minds.' So he's back as a contemporary artist, no longer restricted by who he used to be: he could go out and sing anything he wanted. I think he felt in total command. He reigned. This was all, of course, before the first signs of what became 'the slide.'"

Jorgensen took the time to walk ICE through the contents of the three CDs. "Disc One," hes says, "is the original album made at the time, which is a funny soundtrack because it actually has very little audio from the movie itself. You'd think they would have made a live album from a movie that was, basically, Elvis performing live... but they didn't.

"Then we've added another six songs that basically came from the same sessions as the studio material found on That's The Way It Is and one song recorded live in Vegas. They've all been previously released on other compilations, but they fit in very well here.

"Disc Two contains, the way I see it, the best Elvis Presley concert ever recorded. I think it beats Aloha from Hawaii, Madison Square Garden and all the others. Only two tracks on this disc have been released before."

The track list for Disc Two: "That's All Righ," "Mystery Train/Tiger Man," "Hound Dog," "Love Me Tender," "Just Pretend," "Walk a Mile in My Shoes," "There Goes My Everything," "Words," "Sweet Caroline," "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," "Polk Salad Annie," "Heartbreak Hotel," "One Night," "Blue Suede Shoes," "All Shook Up," "Little Sister/Get Back," "I Was the 0ne," "Love Me," "Are You Lonesome Tonight?," "Bridge 0ver Troubled Water," "Suspicious Minds" and "Can't Help Falling in Love."

"It's a fabulous disc, in all respects, "Jorgensen enthuses. "It's the complete show, from A to Z, painstakingly mixed. Elvis was just so 'up' for it, the band is really playing well and the song selection is good... it's just full of energy. And there's all kinds of fun stuff going on between songs, where he's walking the stage, talking to people, kissing girls. The only, thing we cut was when Elvis walked through the audience for about five minutes: that we took out."

Disc Three begins with the extra songs that Presley sang during these six concerts, but which are not part of the complete show on Disc Two. "After that, we go into a historical 'The Making 0f' scenario, where we basically take material from the rehearsals," Jorgensen explains. "These have a rougher sound to them, of course; it's Elvis and the rhythm group only [no strings, brass, etc.], just jumming around.

"It gives us wonderful insight into how Elvis worked. Musicians have said, time and again, that rehearsing with Elvis was a trip in itself, because you never knew what you'd end up playing. So there are definitely a few odd ones, like Elvis singing 'Cottonfield.' It's just charming."

What follows is the track list for Disc Three, all of which is previously unreleased. Live at the lnternational Hotel: "I Got a Woman," "I Can't Stop Loving You," "Twenty Days and Twenty Nights," "The Next Step Is Love," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," "Stranger in the Crowd," "Make the World Go Away," "Don't Cry Daddy" and "In the Ghetto." From the rehearsals: "Peter Gunn Theme(Instrumental)," "That's All Right," "Cottonfields," "Yesterday," "I Can't Stop Loving You," "Such a Nigh," "It's Now or Never," "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I," "Little Sister/Get Back," "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water," "Johnny B. Goode," "Mary in the Morning," "The Wonder of You," "Santa Claus Is Back in Town," "Farther Along" and "Oh Happy Day."

Just as a side thought, we asked Jorgensen what Presley's tipical show schedule was like in Vegas. "They were always four-week stands," he says, "seven nights a week, two shows a night. This was Elvis Presley, not a rock band. This guy knew how to work."


"THAT'S THE WAY IT IS" BOX SET

Just came back from another visit to Ernst Jorgensen, where he played me the upcoming "THAT'S THE WAY IT IS" BOX SET (07863-67938-2), which will be out on July 3rd, 2000. Tracks and some info:

CD 1: (Tracks listed above)
Note: This is an upgrade of the original album, plus bonustracks (only master versions).

CD2: (Tracks listed above)
Note: Ernst calls this "probably the best live concert that we have", and indeed Elvis is in great voice and in topform. A very high energy show. It's quite interesting that "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" is the master, but what nobody ever knew is that Elvis restarts the song at the end (just like he sometimes did with "Hurt", just picking it up again in the middle), and this is an amazing piece of Elvis drama - he really puts his heart & soul in the climax (total performance lasts 6'29). Interesting point is that this show is really the Midnight Show from August 12th, 1970. Ernst says that this show has been wrongly dated for many years, as were many other tapes from that season. The mistake was made by the engineer: the show started at Midnight on August 12, so many songs are in reality from the 13th, you might say, so the engineer used that date. Ernst found the real date of this show when he went through some documents written by Tom Diskin, where he tells Elvis what suits to wear for that, as they were filming the movie, and they wanted some footage of Elvis in this particular suit.

CD3: (Tracks listed above)
Note: This is a mix of mainly unusual live-tracks, several of which we have never heard before in a live-version, and rare rehearsal tracks. Many of these are known from bootlegs, although the sound quality is better here.
Biggest surprises for me are "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" (at 2'02 it's fairly complete, and it's quite slow and bluesy, and quite different from the original version), "Farther Along" (this one only lasts 1'20, but it's a very interesting performance, as Elvis seems to imitate the vocal style of his idol Jimmy Jones) and "Oh Happy Day" (1'54), which Elvis sings with much passion. The rehearsal tracks are a little rough, and are therefore placed at the end of the CD.
This posting will probably start a lot of critical comments why they didn't use this version of that song, or why there is so much duplication with the bootlegs, but I have listened to the whole box and I think many of you will enjoy it tremendously. Elvis is at the peak of his powers on this box, and especially the (nearly) complete August 12, 1970 Las Vegas MS is a real KILLER!!
Arjan Deelen
Elvis Unlimited

(04/19/00)


(Sorry! Written in Japanese)
 CD1枚目は既発売のアルバムに ボーナス曲が 数曲加えられている のですが、 全曲 既発表の バージョンで 未発表曲はありません。
 2枚目は 70年8月12日の レイトショー。 実際は80分の ショーですが、一枚のCDに収めるために 70分に短縮。 おしゃべりや、 客席に降りた部分とか カットされました。
 当初、8月13日の レイトシヨーと 思われていましたが、 トム・ディスキンの残した詳細なメモから 12日のレイトシヨーと 判明しました。 (実際のショーの 開始時間は 13日の早朝)
 特筆すべきは、 「ふられた気持ち」で、 既発売と同じものなのですが、エルヴィスは 後半部分を 2度繰り返して歌います。 (6分29秒の熱唱)
 これ以上のライヴ録音は 無いだろうと 言うことです。
 3枚目は全曲未発表曲で ライヴと リハーサルの寄せ集め。 多くは 海賊盤で 既に出ているのですが、 Santa Claus Is Back In Town; Farther Along; Oh Happy Day は海賊盤でも出ていません。 Santa Claus Is Back In Town はレコードと違い、 スロー・ブルース風に 歌っているようです。
 とにかく目玉は 8月12日の ライヴ録音だそうです
 CDは7月3日米国発売。 日本は多分8月16日 発売でしょう。
 今夏発売予定の 新編集版ビデオ / DVD 「オン・ステージ」 が楽しみになってきました。

Special "T.T.W.I.I." page from Elvis World (Updated Apr.18)





The Official Elvis Page from BMG-Funhouse(Japan)


E-mail to lmt@rrm.co.jp (Love Me Tender)

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