I gotta know

[colonel snow]

Deleted due to doubts about the information.


colonel snow

[John]

I remember hearing this and Elvis' version at the same time. I was sitting on a wall in Nairobi town centre listening to my transistor radio and the DJ played both versions. I've always liked Cliff's version.

[Mister Moon]

Elvis' version is sensational. That interplay with Gordon Stoker on the bridges and Ray Walker on the verses is just priceless. And the master was take 2 - the first take was just a very short false start, with no vocals.

I discovered Cliff's original shortly after having heard Elvis' version, and for many years I thought it was Richard who was doing a cover.

By the way, I'm no Richard fan, or fan of any European rocker for that matter, but the original of "I Gotta Know", the mono version, is a great recording. Here's the 1960 Spanish EP that introduced me to it :

Cliff EP.jpg

[John]

Elvis' version is sensational. That interplay with Gordon Stoker on the bridges and Ray Walker on the verses is just priceless. And the master was take 2 - the first take was just a very short false start, with no vocals.

The harmony is terrific.

[Mister Moon]

Elvis' version is sensational. That interplay with Gordon Stoker on the bridges and Ray Walker on the verses is just priceless. And the master was take 2 - the first take was just a very short false start, with no vocals.

The harmony is terrific.

Yes it is. A wonderful recording. And that was a b-side.

I just have listened to it once again, with headphones, and there are so many cool details here and there, starting with Boots Randolph subtle punctuations on the right channel. During the fade-out, sung entirely by The Jordanaires, Elvis mischievously sneaks a "gotta know, gotta know" line sung as a bassman :



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhLPppPNkAI



************


Something about Cliff Richard's original - as I mentioned above, I've always liked the original mono version, which has a more natural delivery from both Richard and The Shadows, and that almost skiffle-like feel. By comparison, the stereo version is too contrived, and in places sounds like a bad outtake. But listening again to both recordings by Richard, I have realized that the mono version starts, like Elvis' cover, with the line "get up in the morning", while the stereo one has "wake up in the morning", so I guess Elvis must have heard that one, unless he was strictly working from sheet music, which I doubt.

YouTube uploaders seem to favour the stereo one, but I have found this aveerage sounding upload of the mono reccrding, which after all is the original :



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNFUKvUFh2g

[Mojo Filter]

Not that keen on this song. Like Mister Moon, i always thought Cliffs was a cover from Elvis.

[Mister Moon]

Shoo-be-doo-be-dah-dah...