Good Times (Side B)
Good Times is Elvis’ twentieth studio album released on March 20, 1974. The album was constructed by the first pick of a session held at Stax Studios in Memphis in December 1973 and two songs, "I've Got a Thing About You Baby" and "Take Good Care of Her", which were left over from the session at Stax in July 1973. The album includes a collection of songs that vary in style and genre. Released the same day as the recording of Elvis: Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis was being made, the title was taken from the song "Talk About the Good Times". Many of the songs are covers of hits at the time, like "Spanish Eyes" and "She Wears My Ring".
Original copies of the LP with the sticker on the cover (stating the singles on the album) are very rare.
The album released two singles, both hits: "I've Got a Thing About You Baby" rose to #4 on the Country charts, #39 pop; "My Boy" hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts, as well as #14 Country and #20 Pop.
Got A Thing About You Baby was written and first recorded by Tony Joe White in 1972 as a single for his album ‘The Train I’m On’. He also recorded the popular 1969 song ‘Polk Salad Annie’ which Elvis performed in his life performances.
Elvis recorded the song on July 22, 1973 at Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee and released the song as a single in January 11, 1974. Below is Tony Joe White performing his original recording along with Elvis’ first take and final master recording. You will notice that Take 1 has a faster tempo than that of the final settled on master recording of Take 15.
Claude François wrote and recorded "Parce-que Je T'Aime Mon Enfant" (Because I Love You, My Child) in 1970 which is the original melody to ‘My Boy’. Phillip Coulter and Bill Martin provided the first English words for a 1971 version that was released by Richard Harris. Both of those versions are below.
Elvis recorded My Boy on December 13, 1973 with the song being released as a single on January 3, 1975 which became his third Top 20 hit in a row. Elvis utilized the song in his live performance extensively throughout 1975. Below is a live version from August 31, 1973 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee as well as the album master recording.
Originating as an instrumental German big band leader and composer Bert Kaempfert wrote and recorded this melody for Spanish Eyes as "Moon Over Naples" in 1965, and released on his album "The Magical Music Of Faraway Places." Publisher Hal Fein found lyricists Eddie Snyder and Charles Singleton, who liked the idea of a Spanish number and wrote "Spanish Eyes." Bert made an arrangement for German crooner Freedy Quinn and was released as a single but eventually pulled due to threat of lawsuit from Decca and Polydor who claimed ownership of the song. Hal Fein then got Al Martino to record the song as an album track, which was released as a single and became a smash hit. Both the original instrumental and Al Martino versions are available below.
Elvis recorded his version on December 16, 1973 in Stax Studio in Memphis and is available below along with a live version from Las Vegas in August 1974.
Talk About The Good Times was written and recorded by Jerry Reed who also wrote Guitar Man, U.S. Male and A Thing Call Love which Elvis recorded. Reed had his first top 20 hit in 1967 with "Tupelo Mississippi Flash," a satirical song about Elvis. In 1970 he released the album Georgia Sunshine which he included Talk About The Good Times as the last track.
Elvis recorded his version on December 14th with the master being Take 4. Elvis can be heard singing excerpts of 'Farther Along' and 'Wasted Years' before Take 3 of 'Talk About The Good Times' on Essential Elvis Volume 5 and Elvis At Stax releases. 'Farther Along' is actually edited in from Take 3 of 'Loving Arms' recorded the day before and 'Wasted Years' is edited in from Take 9 of 'I've Got A Thing About You Baby' from the earlier sessions in July. Below is both the master and take 3 releases along with a version done by the original artist Jerry Reed.
Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues is a song written and performed by Danny O'Keefe. It was first recorded by O'Keefe in 1967, but not released. It was recorded by The Bards and released in 1968 as the B-side to the song "Tunesmith" on Parrot Records. The song was recorded by O'Keefe for his self-titled debut album in 1971. The following year he re-recorded it (a slightly slower version) for his second album, O'Keefe. The second version was issued as a single, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 5 on the adult contemporary chart.
Elvis recorded his version on December 13, 1973 at Stax Studio. Take 9 was utilized as the master with the full unedited recording run time at 4 minutes and 22 seconds. However the take was edited removing the second repeated verse with a final run time of 3 minutes and 9 seconds. Another note in Elvis’ version he does not utilize an original verse of the song that states “I got the pills to ease my pain, can’t find a thing to ease the rain’ which can be heard on the original versions performed by The Bards and O’Keefe below. Below is the full unedited master version of Take 9 that was eventually shortened for the album.
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