Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

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Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Mister Moon » Wed Jan 04, 2017 6:11 pm

From Bill Dahl's website, Boots Randolph shares some Elvis memories :


When Presley came back home from the Army and got down to business on his Elvis is Back! LP for RCA Victor in the spring of 1960, a new face graced his studio band at the second date. “Chet Atkins called me and said, ‘I’ve got a real special session set up here. It’s with Elvis, and I want you to come down and be here, and we may be able to get you on some of the sides,’” remembered Boots, whose rip-roaring two-chorus ride on a lowdown revival of Lowell Fulson’s blues “Reconsider Baby” capped off a prodigious two days of recording action for the King.

That came late one night. We were doing some session stuff there,” he said. “I don’t remember who brought it up. They said, ‘Well, get one of those old blues things goin’, just an old Mississippi kind of blues. And let loose, get in there and play a little solo on it.’ So that’s basically what happened. I think we made maybe a couple of takes on it, and he liked it so well, he said, ‘I want to keep that!’

Boots’ raucous sax was subsequently prominent on Presley’s “I Feel So Bad,” “Return To Sender,” “Witchcraft,” “What’d I Say,” and the theme to the 1962 film Girls! Girls! Girls!. “‘Witchcraft’ was one of the things I think I cut on him pretty good,” he said. “After seeing what he was and meeting him and getting to know him somewhat--not personally, but just in the crowd, you might say--I learned that he was a very honest person. He was a very dedicated person. He was a very naive and a very respectful young man. I said, ‘Well, gee--this guy, he deserves to go somewhere, because he’s got all the good points about him, and he’s a good enough singer.’ And after years of listening to what he did–I go back now and listen to those early cuts – I realize that he had something there that was beyond, almost like it was a spiritual kind of thing that happened with him in recording and everything. And he was dedicated to it.

Randolph accompanied the rock icon at a March 25, 1961 benefit concert in Hawaii that the saxman always cited as a career highlight. “I had never seen anything like that,” he said. “I had been playing for the public for many, many years, and I’d played to fairly good-sized crowds--maybe a couple thousand, three or four thousand. But they had like 10,000 screaming kids out there, going out of their minds. And that’s really something. That’s almost scary, because I had never associated the music business with that sort of thing.

http://billdahl.com/pages/boots_randolph.html


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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Private Presley » Fri Jan 06, 2017 1:58 am

Thanks for sharing, Mister Moon.
Boots Randolph was one of my favorite session men of Elvis. His saxophone uplifted some of the mediocre soundtrack songs like "Do The Clam" "Once Is Enough' to name two.


Mister Moon wrote:From Bill Dahl's website, Boots Randolph shares some Elvis memories :


When Presley came back home from the Army and got down to business on his Elvis is Back! LP for RCA Victor in the spring of 1960, a new face graced his studio band at the second date. “Chet Atkins called me and said, ‘I’ve got a real special session set up here. It’s with Elvis, and I want you to come down and be here, and we may be able to get you on some of the sides,’” remembered Boots, whose rip-roaring two-chorus ride on a lowdown revival of Lowell Fulson’s blues “Reconsider Baby” capped off a prodigious two days of recording action for the King.

That came late one night. We were doing some session stuff there,” he said. “I don’t remember who brought it up. They said, ‘Well, get one of those old blues things goin’, just an old Mississippi kind of blues. And let loose, get in there and play a little solo on it.’ So that’s basically what happened. I think we made maybe a couple of takes on it, and he liked it so well, he said, ‘I want to keep that!’

[/i]”

http://billdahl.com/pages/boots_randolph.html


Was he referring to "Reconsider Baby". As far as I know, they did only one take of that song.
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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Mister Moon » Fri Jan 06, 2017 6:27 am

Private Presley wrote:Thanks for sharing, Mister Moon.
Boots Randolph was one of my favorite session men of Elvis. His saxophone uplifted some of the mediocre soundtrack songs like "Do The Clam" "Once Is Enough' to name two.


Mister Moon wrote:From Bill Dahl's website, Boots Randolph shares some Elvis memories :


When Presley came back home from the Army and got down to business on his Elvis is Back! LP for RCA Victor in the spring of 1960, a new face graced his studio band at the second date. “Chet Atkins called me and said, ‘I’ve got a real special session set up here. It’s with Elvis, and I want you to come down and be here, and we may be able to get you on some of the sides,’” remembered Boots, whose rip-roaring two-chorus ride on a lowdown revival of Lowell Fulson’s blues “Reconsider Baby” capped off a prodigious two days of recording action for the King.

That came late one night. We were doing some session stuff there,” he said. “I don’t remember who brought it up. They said, ‘Well, get one of those old blues things goin’, just an old Mississippi kind of blues. And let loose, get in there and play a little solo on it.’ So that’s basically what happened. I think we made maybe a couple of takes on it, and he liked it so well, he said, ‘I want to keep that!’

[/i]”

http://billdahl.com/pages/boots_randolph.html


Was he referring to "Reconsider Baby". As far as I know, they did only one take of that song.


Yes, "Reconsider Baby". It was the very last song recorded at the session that began at 7:30 pm on Sunday, April 3, 1960, and lasted until 7:00 am of Monday, April 4. Hence the "late one night" reference by Randolph - the only other song he's featured on from that session is "Like A Baby", recorded early that night, at the beginning of the session.

The released take of "Reconsider Baby" is take 2, but take 1 has never been released anywhere. Same for the next-to-last song cut at the session, "I Will Be Home Again" - master is take 4, but the other three takes are unissued.

As we have most of the rest of the session, it's safe to assume that outtakes for these two songs may have been lost, as they would have surfaced at some point, almost 60 years later. The only "extra" thing we have is the count-in for "Reconsider Baby", that they included on the FTD version of "Elvis Is Back !".


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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Mister Moon » Fri Jan 06, 2017 2:22 pm

Mister Moon wrote:Yes, "Reconsider Baby". It was the very last song recorded at the session that began at 7:30 pm on Sunday, April 3, 1960, and lasted until 7:00 am of Monday, April 4. Hence the "late one night" reference by Randolph - the only other song he's featured on from that session is "Like A Baby", recorded early that night, at the beginning of the session.

The released take of "Reconsider Baby" is take 2, but take 1 has never been released anywhere. Same for the next-to-last song cut at the session, "I Will Be Home Again" - master is take 4, but the other three takes are unissued.

As we have most of the rest of the session, it's safe to assume that outtakes for these two songs may have been lost, as they would have surfaced at some point, almost 60 years later. The only "extra" thing we have is the count-in for "Reconsider Baby", that they included on the FTD version of "Elvis Is Back !".


On second thought, he can also be heard on "Such A Night", especially on the intro.


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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Juan Luis » Fri Jan 06, 2017 7:41 pm

Love his work on "King Of The Whole Wide World", as well as quite a few others. Thanks Mister Moon.


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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Mister Moon » Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:41 pm

Juan Luis wrote:Love his work on "King Of The Whole Wide World", as well as quite a few others. Thanks Mister Moon.


I agree. It's a gas to listen to the whole session, with all those sax solos !

I also love his solo on "I Feel So Bad". Well, the whole band is cooking on that glorious instrumental break - and that scream, I like to think that's Elvis !

Many years ago, I had a radio program where I played some of my favourite records, first weekly, later daily. They asked me to bring a few musical snippets over which they would do brief radio plugs for my program, and one of the excerpts I chose was Boots'' solo on "I Feel So Bad". I still keep the tape somewhere with all those plugs.

Good times...



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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Brian » Sun Jan 08, 2017 6:26 pm

I saw Boots Randolph in concert at his Club in Printer's Alley, Nashville in 1978. Got his autograph on a Stereo 8 Cassette but it got stolen. Nice chap and a great sax player. Sadly Boots died in 2007.

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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Mister Moon » Sun Feb 25, 2018 3:28 pm

Mister Moon wrote:
Mister Moon wrote:Yes, "Reconsider Baby". It was the very last song recorded at the session that began at 7:30 pm on Sunday, April 3, 1960, and lasted until 7:00 am of Monday, April 4. Hence the "late one night" reference by Randolph - the only other song he's featured on from that session is "Like A Baby", recorded early that night, at the beginning of the session.

The released take of "Reconsider Baby" is take 2, but take 1 has never been released anywhere. Same for the next-to-last song cut at the session, "I Will Be Home Again" - master is take 4, but the other three takes are unissued.

As we have most of the rest of the session, it's safe to assume that outtakes for these two songs may have been lost, as they would have surfaced at some point, almost 60 years later. The only "extra" thing we have is the count-in for "Reconsider Baby", that they included on the FTD version of "Elvis Is Back !".


On second thought, he can also be heard on "Such A Night", especially on the intro.


I was recently listening to "I Gotta Know" and noticed Randolph's sax too. Listening with headphones, you can clearly hear it on the right channel.


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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Tulsa Mclean » Mon Feb 26, 2018 8:36 am

Mister Moon wrote:
Private Presley wrote:Thanks for sharing, Mister Moon.
Boots Randolph was one of my favorite session men of Elvis. His saxophone uplifted some of the mediocre soundtrack songs like "Do The Clam" "Once Is Enough' to name two.


Mister Moon wrote:From Bill Dahl's website, Boots Randolph shares some Elvis memories :


When Presley came back home from the Army and got down to business on his Elvis is Back! LP for RCA Victor in the spring of 1960, a new face graced his studio band at the second date. “Chet Atkins called me and said, ‘I’ve got a real special session set up here. It’s with Elvis, and I want you to come down and be here, and we may be able to get you on some of the sides,’” remembered Boots, whose rip-roaring two-chorus ride on a lowdown revival of Lowell Fulson’s blues “Reconsider Baby” capped off a prodigious two days of recording action for the King.

That came late one night. We were doing some session stuff there,” he said. “I don’t remember who brought it up. They said, ‘Well, get one of those old blues things goin’, just an old Mississippi kind of blues. And let loose, get in there and play a little solo on it.’ So that’s basically what happened. I think we made maybe a couple of takes on it, and he liked it so well, he said, ‘I want to keep that!’

[/i]”

http://billdahl.com/pages/boots_randolph.html


Was he referring to "Reconsider Baby". As far as I know, they did only one take of that song.


Yes, "Reconsider Baby". It was the very last song recorded at the session that began at 7:30 pm on Sunday, April 3, 1960, and lasted until 7:00 am of Monday, April 4. Hence the "late one night" reference by Randolph - the only other song he's featured on from that session is "Like A Baby", recorded early that night, at the beginning of the session.

The released take of "Reconsider Baby" is take 2, but take 1 has never been released anywhere. Same for the next-to-last song cut at the session, "I Will Be Home Again" - master is take 4, but the other three takes are unissued.

As we have most of the rest of the session, it's safe to assume that outtakes for these two songs may have been lost, as they would have surfaced at some point, almost 60 years later. The only "extra" thing we have is the count-in for "Reconsider Baby", that they included on the FTD version of "Elvis Is Back !".


Wait.... ;), we might get these unreleased takes in a forthcoming Complete Elvis Is Back! sessions now that Ernst Jorgensen has decided to test the market with the Complete Viva las Vegas 3 cd set!. That said "Elvis Is Back!" is my favourite Elvis LP.

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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby John » Mon Feb 26, 2018 8:43 am

Tulsa Mclean wrote:
Wait.... ;), we might get these unreleased takes in a forthcoming Complete Elvis Is Back! sessions.


We can but hope.


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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Colin B » Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:56 am

Tulsa Mclean wrote:... "Elvis Is Back!" is my favourite Elvis LP.


It was a great release, wasn't it ?

He demonstrated, on that release, & the sessions it came from, that he could sing any music genre from [near] jazz to serious ballads via the blues & some good old rock 'n' roll !

As things turned out, he chose to pursue a more 'easy listening' & 'middle-of-the-road' course following the release of this album...
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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Mojo Filter » Tue Feb 27, 2018 6:15 am

Nice topic Mister Moon.

You always come "groovin' up slowly".

Thanks.
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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Mojo Filter » Tue Feb 27, 2018 6:22 am

Colin B wrote:As things turned out, he chose to pursue a more 'easy listening' & 'middle-of-the-road' course following the release of this album...

And what a crying shame it was!

The fans had to wait nearly 7 years for some great recordings (Guitar Man sessions), and then again nearly two years later for the Memphis Sessions that yielded some serious music, after that it went lower than a catapillars belly.
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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Jukebox » Tue Feb 27, 2018 6:10 pm

Mojo Filter wrote:The fans had to wait nearly 7 years for some great recordings (Guitar Man sessions), and then again nearly two years later for the Memphis Sessions that yielded some serious music, after that it went lower than a catapillars belly.

I wouldn't call the Nashville sessions of 1970 being anywhere close to a caterpillar's belly. ;)
I'm happy to be an Elvis fan! 8-)


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Re: Boots Randolph talks about Elvis

Postby Mojo Filter » Tue Feb 27, 2018 7:08 pm

Jukebox wrote:
Mojo Filter wrote:The fans had to wait nearly 7 years for some great recordings (Guitar Man sessions), and then again nearly two years later for the Memphis Sessions that yielded some serious music, after that it went lower than a catapillars belly.

I wouldn't call the Nashville sessions of 1970 being anywhere close to a caterpillar's belly. ;)

Nashville was fair with an uneven choice of material, there were some good performances.

But Memphis 69 was his truely last great great recordings.
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