Twenty Days and Twenty Nights - From First Take to the Master (and beyond)

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Leon410
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Twenty Days and Twenty Nights - From First Take to the Master (and beyond)

Postby Leon410 » Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:31 pm

Elvis recorded "Twenty Days and Twenty Nights" on 4 June 1970 in Nashville, and the song has the distinction of being the very first song recorded on the very first day of what would become known as 'The Nashville Marathon'.
This recording session produced some of the best recordings of Elvis' career, and would produce three albums, two of which are considered by many mainstream critics as two of his finest - Elvis Country and That's The Way It Is, the album in which 'Twenty Days' appeared.
In my opinion as much as the song is not really hit material, but more of an album track, it exemplifies what was the new mature Elvis Presley. Having reinvented himself through the 'Singer Presents Elvis' TV special, the Memphis 69 sessions, and two seasons in Las Vegas, his voice had now fully matured and now the material he was recording was following suit.
Only the Elvis of 1970 onwards could have pulled off a song like 'Twenty Days', such was it's mature narrative, citing leaving a wife and unpaid bills whilst harbouring feelings of loneliness and regret. The Elvis of the 1950's or 60's could not have sung such material with the same level of credibility or in such a convincing matter.
After the master was completed, additional vocal overdubs, featuring Millie Kirkham, Jeannie Greene, Temple Riser with Ginger and Mary Holliday, were recorded on 22 June, with orchestral overdubs added eight days later. The twenty four piece orchestra consisting of nine violins, four violas, three cellos, three saxophones, two trumpets, a clarinet, a baritone saxophone and a percussionist recorded an arrangement by Glen Spreen and Gene Mullin, at RCA's Studio A in Nashville.
It appears that Elvis only performed 'Twenty Days and Twenty Nights' once on stage, and that was during the dinner show of 12 August 1970, show four of the season. The original 1970 That's The Way It Is movie contained no trace of this performance or the song in general, and it was not until 'The Lost Performances' was released in 1992 that anyone other than those present at the show had definitive proof that Elvis had performed the song in Vegas that season, or that it had been filmed.
The 2001 re-edited movie, however, used the song as a means of moving the film on, by using a composite of the Culver City rehearsal of 15 July and The Sweet Inspirations and The Imperials rehearsing their backing vocals to Elvis' studio master in the International Hotel on 4 August, under the supervision of Elvis' producer, Felton Jarvis.
It is such a shame that this was chosen over the previously released live version of 12 August Dinner Show or the still unreleased stage rehearsal of 7 August which shows Elvis as the consummate professional as he makes sure that the band and orchestra have the ending right, and not to mention it is a very good rendition.

As with all of these videos, to get the most out of the re-edited audio, I highly recommend you use ear /headphones and turn the volume up as much as you dare!

https://youtu.be/DVfmbCnLy70

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