Customer Reviews

Home Recordings

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Reading through some of these reviews is enough to put anyone with common sense through hell. These were not recorded in the 70's. They were not recorded in "The Jungle Room". The sound quality is not horrible, listen for yourselves as Amazon.com gives you the ability to hear samples. Is the sound as good as a studio recording? Surprise surprise! No! I like to listen to this cd and just imagine being in the moment with Elvis. There he is with his friends or sometimes alone playing his favorite songs just for the fun of it. For those of us who love Elvis, we want to hear everything he sang so don't speak for us when you snidely say this should have never been released. The cd is called "Home Recordings" so don't be shocked when you get HOME RECORDINGS! For you Elvis fans I must say this - you will be getting what you've always heard about, Elvis sitting at the piano with his friends gathered around singing songs. I know I certainly always wanted to hear that, and I know many other Elvis fans would love to hear it. "What Now My Love" is beautiful, as are many in this cd. How can you review a cd named "Home Recordings" when all you do is criticize the whole concept of home recording?

This release should be listened to not for its sound quality, but for its historical significance. This is a must-have for anyone who is curious as to how Elvis approached songs; deciding which ones worked for him and which ones didn't. This is an extremely rare insight into the mind of the most successful entertainer of the 20th century, as well as a grand testament to the raw beauty of Elvis' voice.This release is highly recommended.

Obviously, no one is going to start an Elvis collection with a disc of informal, at-home recordings unrelated to any of the King's studio sessions or tour rehearsals. This is a package designed and released for the sake of hardcore fans only, a curio for the curious. As such, it is necessarily far from perfect, but the target audience here has no interest in perfection; they - we - just want some more Elvis.
Some of the points raised in previous reviews, which critique THE HOME RECORDINGS as if it were a proper Elvis studio release, should be addressed. The sound quality here is not awful, nor even poor - indeed, given the source material, it's pretty darn good. Yes, the King is challenged and at times even drowned out by the voices of his accompanists, crying babies, background chatter and so forth; but that's only to be expected if not necessarily appreciated. Few of the performances really work as songs, but those that do - the lovely and haunting "Dark Moon," "It's No Fun Being Lonely," "What Now My Love," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and the hilariously mutilated "Tennessee Waltz" among them - are sure to please Elvis fans and casual listeners alike.
From the standpoint of historical interest, these recordings offer at least a glimpse of the sort of music Elvis and friends made by and for themselves, which again is unlikely to impress anyone but the avowed enthusiast. Several of these songs later turned up on Elvis albums and/or in his onstage repertoire in radically different (and better) form, and it's amusing to hear them gone through in this embryonic, off-the-cuff manner. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of THE HOME RECORDINGS, however, is the fact that most of the tapes date from 1966, at which point Elvis had been reduced to a sort of singing Dean Jones through years of cranking out schlock Hollywood comedies and their accompanying schlock Hollywood soundtracks. With that in mind, one hears in these spontaneous performances not so much technical imperfection and excessive looseness as a reassuring statement of the King's continued commitment to his craft even at the very nadir of his career.

This CD is Great !! This is Elvis from the start--you are not at the concerts ! This is for TRUE Diehard people that grew up with Elvis. If that's not you, then pass this up--but if you were there from the beginning then you WILL appreciate this CD. I wish there were more CD'S like this --- I think it's awsome--I feel I'm in the same room with Elvis while he's singing. GET this CD !! Dina

I grew up listening to my brother & his buddies literally practicing in the garage. They were good enough to have a "following" parked in our backyard, curbside & behind our home - much to my dad's dismay. Although a long time Elvis fan, I've only recently began collecting Elvis music. This really IS some guy with a recording device sitting next to Elvis & his pals. So if you can - sit back, close your eyes & picture yourself in Elvis' den with a glass of lemonade. All our friends are here & they are just relaxing & singing & most of the time they sound really good. Sometimes, they just want to have fun. Don't we all? And someone thought to turn on the tape machine & now we can recall those fond memories of sitting around & just being. It's like carrying a worn out photo of you & your best friends pulling it out & saying oh yea, remember. . .

This album is aimed at the the completists like me who have to have everything. It probably should have been an FTD release, because Joe Average will have little or no entertainment value in it. That being said, This is Elvis being Elvis, Not Elvis being Movie Puppet, or Stage Idol. These recordings were made for Elvis' own enjoyment or as practice tools in some cases. They were not intended for public release. I find the informality refreshing even if the sound isn't studio quality. My only question is "where was this tape recorder when the Liverpool lads dropped in in '65"?

For the customer who wants to hear great rock and roll this ain't the one. For the casual Elvis fan, there are about six tunes here to hold his/her interest through a number of auditions. This CD is very important for the individual who enjoys studying the Presley vocal and instrumental technique. He does it all vocally: gospel, country blues, MOR, with deep feeling. His piano (which unfortunately is not positively identified song by song) is entertaining and quite surprising - in fact it sounds as if he knew more *piano* than guitar! Outstanding entries are the gospel "Show Me Thy Ways, O Lord" and the Red West-written valentine "Mary Lou Brown" - the heartfelt singing easily convinces the listener that these recordings should have been released commercially during Elvis' lifetime (with a few careful edits, ofcourse). Other complete entries are previously released, such as the beautiful "Mona Lisa". Assuming that's Presley on guitar, we have a true...work of art. It cause one to wonder if he had actually cut it for, say, "Something For Everybody", would his voice and instrument have the same impact? There is one rarely recycled tune which deserves another listen: "If I Loved You". However the sound is cannot even approach that found on the pressing for THE ELVIS PRESLEY COLLECTION: LOVE SONGS, a 2-CD set with the title as an "Unreleased Bonus Cut". One last comment: Elvis' high note on "Make Believe" is so amazing that for a few seconds you can put aside any critique of the substandard sound.

Elvis spent many hours singing around the piano in various places, and enjoying the gift of his voice was only a small part of the man. It is wonderful to hear him being just as ordinary as any one human. Why must it be perfect to be enjoyed? The real Elvis comes thru in this as in all his work. The sound leaves a little to be desired, however, under the recording circumstances, I find it exillerating to listen to. Again, the only thing better would be Elvis himself......Live

As an avid Elvis Presley fan, I found this CD to have a variety of songs which display Elvis' talents. I think that this CD should have been part of the "Essential Recordings" series. I have come to enjoy alternate takes and pre recordings to get the feel of the nuances of Elvis' recording mood and style. This CD is an excelllent companion for the book, CARELESS LOVE, which I am presently reading.

Do not, under any circumstances, be tempted to purchase this CD. I expected the sound quality to be poor, and it certainly is, but what's most disappointing about this CD is Elvis is drowned out on many tracks by the flat voices of his buddies, Sonny and Red. If you are a fan of Elvis' bodyguards for some reason, I suppose this might be of some interest, but otherwise, this is for completists only.

These recordings were mostly made in the 1970's in the Jungle Room at Graceland on a small, home reel to reel machine. Voices go on and off mic, there are strange thumps and noises in the background, and various other annoyances that one might expect of a "historical recording." Really, the best thing about this CD is the picture of Elvis in uniform on the cover.