By 1960, with Elvis’ release from the army, RCA had really improved the recording process.
“Living Stereo” was a dramatic improvement over the “High Fidelity” technology of the late 1950’s.
With the new studio upgrades the full spectrum of sTeReO was now possible. The engineers were pushing boundaries, delivering the best quality reproduction and separation this technology allowed.
Think Technicolor in films of that era… supersaturation and a wider palette that could possibly be imagined just a few years earlier. This was the golden age of analog recording and the tape formats captured that full spectrum of sound perfectly.
Elvis is Back: A more mature Elvis was anxious to get back to the studio after the two years spent in Germany. As he walked into this new world of possibilities he brought new European influences and ideas to further his art. Recorded “live” in the studio, the “Living Stereo” separation is impeccable. Close your eyes and you’ll hear the band right in your living room. You feel all the excitement as he gets back to work. Pay close attention to the quietness of the classic “Fever” with the finger pops and minimal instrumental backing. Everyone is firing on all cylinders on this album and it still sounds as fresh and exciting as the day it was recorded.
side note : RCA didn’t release any singles from this album upon release, so when Ral Donner heard the gorgeous “The Girl Of My Best Friend” , he recorded himself and got his first top 10 hit single. He met Elvis and was a little embarrassed, but Elvis told him he loved his version, so Ral gave him a copy of his album, “Taking Care Of Business”. Years later, when Ral was called upon to narrate the “This Is Elvis” film, he was at Graceland for the wrap party and found his well worn record in the Graceland Archive. Elvis played and enjoyed it! What a guy!
His Hand in Mine: sumptuously and meticulously recorded, the balance and detail is stunning and beautiful. With this recording, I have no preference on Reel of 8 Track. You could mix this up, play it backward or upside down and never dull its brilliance.
Something for Everybody / Pot Luck: More Elvis in full control of the material and his art. Both tape formats do these sessions justice and, in my humble opinion, are some of the best sounding albums in his catalog.
Elvis’ Golden Records Vol 3: This 5 star collection gathers all his first singles post Army into one great package. Again the Living Stereo is stunning. Listen to “Feel So Bad” and you can hear his breath against the microphone… I can hear picks against strings. “Stuck On You”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight”, “Good Luck Charm” all sound great in true Living Stereo. Don’t you dare miss this one.
On vinyl the Long Play High Fidelity is fine, but listen to the “Living Stereo” for the full experience. You won’t be disappointed.
side note : Later, in 1965, Elvis was asked to pick songs to fill out the soundtrack for his new movie “Tickle Me”. It’s no surprise he chose songs from these sessions.
Cheers!