[2016-08-05] Elvis Presley "Way Down In The Jungle Room" 2CD set of last recording sessions (RCA/Legacy)

Linda · **Posted:** Tue Jun 14, 2016 5:51 am

Description
By 1976, Elvis Presley's association with RCA Records had reached its 20-year mark. While this tenure resulted in some of the most important records in rock and roll history, Presley now 40 years old and having spent much of his time working in recording studios was anxious for a change and eager for a less formal recording experience.

Seeking alternatives to maintain Elvis' renewed showings on the country and adult contemporary charts, the decision was made to convert the "Jungle Room" a room in Elvis' Graceland estate, so named for its exotic décor into an informal studio. With the help of RCA's mobile recording truck and longtime producer Felton Jarvis at the helm, Presley would sporadically record in the "Jungle Room" throughout 1976. Far from hastily realized material, Elvis would tackle a far-ranging mix of country and pop covers ("Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," "Danny Boy," "Solitaire") and late-period classics of the Elvis Presley catalog, such as "Moody Blue" and "Way Down." In its own special way, these sessions anticipated a bridge between the bloom of Nashville's Music Row in the '60s and '70s and the low-fidelity, intimate, DIY-style recordings like Bruce Springsteen's stark Nebraska.

A majority of the "Jungle Room" material was released as From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee in the spring of 1976, featuring the Top 10 hit "Hurt." A year later, in July 1977, more of these sessions were paired with overdubbed live material and released as Moody Blue. The title track would top the country charts that month; "Way Down" would follow, bolstered by the tragic news that Elvis Presley had died on August 16, 1977. They were the last studio albums released in his lifetime.

Way Down In The Jungle Room recontextualizes these sessions across two discs, presenting original master takes with rare alternates and showcasing Presley's brilliant final act. The change of setting did nothing to inhibit the power of these magnificent recordings, and Way Down In The Jungle Room shines a proper light on his achievements The King of Rock and Roll, at peace in his castle but with no intention of abdicating his throne.

Tracklist
[CD1]
1. Way Down
2. She Thinks I Still Care
3. Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall
4. Pledging My Love
5. For The Heart
6. Love Coming Down
7. He'll Have To Go
8. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
9. Hurt
10. Never Again
11. Danny Boy
12. Solitaire
13. Moody Blue
14. It's Easy For You
15. I'll Never Fall In Love Again
16. The Last Farewell

[CD2]
1. Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall (Take 1)
2. She Thinks I Still Care (Take 10)
3. The Last Farewell (Take 2)
4. Solitaire (Take 7)
5. I'll Never Fall In Love Again (Take 5)
6. Moody Blue (Take 1)
7. For The Heart (Take 1)
8. Hurt (Take 3)
9. Danny Boy (Take 9)
10. Never Again (Take 9)
11. Love Coming Down (Take 3)
12. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain (Take 4)
13. She Thinks I Still Care (Take 2)
14. It's Easy For You (Take 1)
15. Way Down (Take 2)
16. Pledging My Love (Take 3)
17. For The Heart (Take 4)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GQMJENY/?tag=imwan-20

Stumpy Joe · **Joined:** 29 Apr 2014 **Posts:** 1538

Great looking comp, although everything on Disc 2 appears to have popped up at one time or another over the years on discs ranging from the "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" and "Today, Tomorrow And Forever" boxed sets to multiple FTD releases. The "Moody Blue" and "From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis Tennessee" albums were released on a single CD back in 2000, the same year that FTD released "The Jungle Room Sessions" single-disc compilation of outtakes which included a snipped of "America" as a hidden track (the ending only, as the rest of the performance was inexplicably erased). Completists should probably pick up the 2-disc FTD reissues of both albums, which should collect everything officially released from these sessions, although I can't say for certain as I have not yet gotten around to grabbing the "Moody Blue" set.

Much, if not all of these sessions have been bootlegged, and some hardcore collectors have noted that spoken comments from Elvis alluding to his drug intake have been excised from official releases. Also, an alternate version of "Hurt" in which Elvis substituted some R-rated lyrics (reportedly as a joke intended for his fater) remains a bootleg-only performance.

The final studio performance of Elvis' career (well, of his life) are his vocals on "He'll Have To Go", recorded on 10/31/76.

Linda · **Posted:** Fri Jun 17, 2016 1:51 pm

"She Thinks I Still Care (Take 2)":

Gary Dunaier · 20 Jul 2006

I already have the Follow That Dream version of Moody Blue, as well as The Jungle Room Sessions (Follow That Dream, 2001). How essential is this for me?

Stumpy Joe · **Joined:** 29 Apr 2014 **Posts:** 1538

Gary Dunaier wrote:

I already have the Follow That Dream version of Moody Blue, as well as The Jungle Room Sessions (Follow That Dream, 2001). How essential is this for me?

It depends on both your collecting tendencies and interest in latter-day Presley. If you grab the FTD edition of "From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee" you should have everything on this set.

When I get a moment, I'll put together a cross-section of what's been out out there over the years.

Stumpy Joe · **Joined:** 29 Apr 2014 **Posts:** 1538

The formatting on this is lousy, but the Jungle Room tracks are in bold:

From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee
Side One
1. Hurt (2/5/76)
a. Takes 1 & 2
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
b. Take 2
i. Platinum: A Life In Music
c. Take 3
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. The Jungle Room Sessions
d. Takes 4 & 3 spliced
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
e. Take 5
i. Today, Tomorrow And Forever
f. Takes 6 & 5
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
2. Never Again (2/6/76)
a. Takes 1, 2, 3 & 9
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
b. Take 11
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. The Jungle Room Sessions
c. Remixed Master
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
3. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain (2/7/76)
a. Takes 1 & 2
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
b. Take 2
i. The Jungle Room Sessions
c. Take 4
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
d. Rough Mix
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
4. Danny Boy (2/5/76)
a. Takes 6 & 7
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
b. Take 8
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. The Jungle Room Sessions
c. Take 9
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. Platinum: A Life In Music
d. Master Rough Remix
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
5. The Last Farewell (2/2/76)
a. Take1
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
b. Take 2
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. The Jungle Room Sessions
c. Takes 3 & 2 spliced
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
d. Takes 4 & 5 (Undubbed Master)
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
Side Two
6. For The Heart (2/5/76)
a. Take 1
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. Platinum: A Life In Music
b. Takes 2 & 3a
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. The Jungle Room Sessions
c. Takes 3b, 4b & 5b
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
d. Take 4a
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. Today, Tomorrow And Forever
e. Take 5a
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. Made In Memphis (FTD)
7. Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall (2/2/76)
a. Take 1
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. Made In Memphis (FTD)
b. Takes 3, 4 & 5
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. The Jungle Room Sessions 01 05:09
c. Take 6
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
d. Rough Mix
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
8. Solitaire (2/3/76)
a. Take 3
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. The Jungle Room Session
b. Takes 5 & 7
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
c. Take 7
i. Made In Memphis (FTD)
9. Love Coming Down (2/6/76)
a. Take 3
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. The Jungle Room Sessions
b. Take 4
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
ii. Made In Memphis (FTD)
10. I’ll Never Fall In Love Again
a. Takes 1 & 3
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
b. Takes 4 & 5
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
c. Take 5
i. The Jungle Room Sessions
d. Master Rough Remix
i. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (FTD)
Moody Blue
Side 1
1. Unchained Melody (Live 4/24/77, Ann Arbor, Michigan)
a. Undubbed
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
2. If You Love Me (Let Me Know) (Live 4/26/77, Kalamazoo, Michigan
a. Undubbed
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
3. Little Darlin’ (Live 4/24/77, Ann Arbor, Michigan)
a. Undubbed
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
4. He’ll Have To Go (10/30/76)
a. Rough Mix
i. The Jungle Room Sessions
ii. Moody Blue (FTD)
5. Let Me Be There (Live 3/20/74, Memphis, Tennessee)
a. Originally released on “Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis”
Side 2
6. Way Down (10/29/76)
a. Take 2a
i. The Jungle Room Sessions
ii. Moody Blue (FTD)
iii. Platinum: A Life In Music
b. Take 2b
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
c. Rehearsal, Take 1 and Take 2 (false start)
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
d. Rough Mix
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
e. Undubbed
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
7. Pledging My Love (10/29/76)
a. Rehearsal & Take 3 spliced
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
b. Takes 1 & 2
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
c. Take 3
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
ii. Platinum: A Life In Music
d. Takes 4 & 5
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
e. 1976/10/29 Pledging My Love (4 & 5) Moody Blue (FTD) 2 14 02:07
f. Unedited, Undubbed master
i. The Jungle Room Sessions
ii. Moody Blue (FTD)
8. Moody Blue (2/4/76)
a. Take 1
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
b. Take 5
i. The Jungle Room Sessions
c. Take 6
i. Made In Memphis (FTD)
ii. Moody Blue (FTD)
d. Takes 7 & 5
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
e. Takes 8 & 9
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
f. Unedited Rough Mix
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
9. She Thinks I Still Care (2//2/76)
a. Takes 1 & 2a
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
b. Take 2a
i. The Jungle Room Sessions
c. Take 2b
i. Walk A Mile In My Shoes: The Essential 70’s Masters
ii. Moody Blue (FTD)
d. Takes 3 & 4
i. Made In Memphis (FTD)
ii. Moody Blue (FTD)
e. Takes 7, 8 & 9
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
f. Take 10
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
ii. Today, Tomorrow And Forever 4 22 04:17
g. Take 15
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
10. It’s Easy For You (10/29/76)
a. Take 1
i. The Jungle Room Sessions
ii. Moody Blue (FTD)
b. Takes 3 & 4
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
c. Undubbed master
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
Miscellaneous
1. Fire Down Below (Instrumental)
a. The Jungle Room Sessions
2. America The Beautiful
a. Live 12/13/75, Las Vegas, Nevada
i. Elvis Aron Presley
ii. Moody Blue (FTD)
b. Partially erased Jungle Room recording
i. The Jungle Room Sessions
c. Jungle Room recording spliced with live Vegas recording
i. Moody Blue (FTD)
3. Softly As I Leave You (Live 12/13/75, Las Vegas, Nevada)
a. Elvis Aron Presley
b. Moody Blue (FTD)
4. My Way (Live 4/25/77, Saginaw, Michigan)
a. Moody Blue (FTD)

Linda · **Posted:** Wed Aug 10, 2016 3:02 pm

Another sample, "For The Heart (Take 4)":

hwk · 14 Oct 2006

On Elvis Radio on SiriusXM they're talikng about this release with John Jackson and Rob Santos of Sony Legacy right now.

[2016-08-05] Elvis Presley "Way Down In The Jungle Room" 2CD set of last recording sessions (RCA/Legacy)

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