Harum Scarum (album)

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Harum Scarum
Harum Scarum.jpg
Studio album / Soundtrack by Elvis Presley
Released November 3, 1965
Recorded February 1965
Genre Soundtrack, pop
Length24:14
Label RCA Victor
Producer Gene Nelson, Fred Karger
Elvis Presley chronology
Elvis for Everyone!
(1965) Elvis for Everyone!1965		Harum Scarum
(1965)		 Frankie and Johnny
(1966) Frankie and Johnny1966
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1] Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg

Harum Scarum is the twenty-fourth album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3468, in November 1965. It is the soundtrack to the 1965 film of the same name starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 24, 25, and 26, 1965. It peaked at number eight on the Top LP's chart. [2]

Elvis Presley American singer and actor

Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Monaural sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position

Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or stereo, which uses two separate audio channels to reproduce sound from two microphones on the right and left side, which is reproduced with two separate loudspeakers to give a sense of the direction of sound sources. In mono, only one loudspeaker is necessary, but, when played through multiple loudspeakers or headphones, identical signals are fed to each speaker, resulting in the perception of one-channel sound "imaging" in one sonic space between the speakers. Monaural recordings, like stereo ones, typically use multiple microphones fed into multiple channels on a recording console, but each channel is "panned" to the center. In the final stage, the various center-panned signal paths are usually mixed down to two identical tracks, which, because they are identical, are perceived upon playback as representing a single unified signal at a single place in the soundstage. In some cases, multitrack sources are mixed to a one-track tape, thus becoming one signal. In the mastering stage, particularly in the days of mono records, the one- or two-track mono master tape was then transferred to a one-track lathe intended to be used in the pressing of a monophonic record. Today, however, monaural recordings are usually mastered to be played on stereo and multi-track formats, yet retain their center-panned mono soundstage characteristics.

<i>Harum Scarum</i> (film) 1965 film by Gene Nelson

Harum Scarum is a 1965 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley, which was shot on the original Cecil B. DeMille set from the film The King of Kings with additional footage shot on location at the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif. Some of the film was based on Rudolph Valentino's The Sheik released in 1921. The film reached #11 on the Variety national weekly box office chart, earned $2 million at the box office, and finished #40 on the year end list of the top-grossing films of 1965. The film is listed in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made. The film was released in the United Kingdom as Harem Holiday.

Contents

Content

Although 1965 had seen the release of Elvis for Everyone , a studio album which was actually recorded over a ten-year period dating back to Presley's first recordings from Sun Studios in Memphis, and a surprising worldwide hit with a five-year-old Gospel track, "Crying In The Chapel", it was back to the grind of making soundtracks. Elvis continued to grumble about the material and the continued pressure put on the stable of songwriters corraled by Freddy Bienstock — the writing team of Giant, Baum, and Kaye alone had provided 17 of 47 songs on the past four soundtracks in an eighteen-month period — but he soldiered on with as much grace as possible. [3] In reality, almost any song could have been squeezed into the story lines, including old classics. But as long as sales continued, the formula required guaranteed control of publishing and new songs by the same songwriters. [4] However, Presley's sales were plunging in music stores as well as ticket sales at the box office.

A soundtrack, also written sound track, can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film, video, or television presentation; or the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded sound.

Freddy Bienstock was an American music publisher who built his career in music by being the person responsible for soliciting and selecting songs for Elvis Presley's early albums and films.

Eleven songs were recorded for Harum Scarum , and all were used and issued on the soundtrack with two of the tracks omitted in the film. As with Roustabout , no singles were issued in conjunction with the album. A single was issued a month later, using the leftover 1957 track "Tell Me Why" backed with "Blue River" from the aborted May 1963 "album" sessions. In an ominous sign of things to come, it only made it to number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100, the lowest charting single of Presley's career to date. [5]

Single (music) type of music release usually containing one or two tracks

In the music industry, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. Typically, these are the songs from albums that are released separately for promotional uses such as digital download or commercial radio airplay and are expected to be the most popular. In other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album.

Tell Me Why (1956 song) popular song, written by Titus Turner in 1956

"Tell Me Why" is a popular song, written by Titus Turner in 1956. It is a slow, strong rhythm and blues ballad, and has a melody reminiscent of "Just a Closer Walk With Thee".

Elvis recorded "Wisdom of the Ages" on February 24, 1965 at RCA studios. [6] It featured as a bonus track on the soundtrack album, along with "Animal Instinct", but did not feature in the film itself. [7] [8] The Jordanaires sang backing vocals. [9] The film and its soundtrack are widely considered one of the lowest points of Presley's career. [10] The song progresses from F major to B flat major, to D minor to E flat major to F major.

The Jordanaires American band

The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. They are known for providing background vocals for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972. The group has also worked in the recording studio, on stage, and on television with many other country and rock and roll artists.

Reissues

In 2003 Harum Scarum was reissued on the Follow That Dream label in a special edition that contained the original album tracks along with numerous alternate takes. [11]

Track listing

Original release

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Harem Holiday" Peter Andreoli and Vince Poncia February 26, 19652:18
2."My Desert Serenade"Stanley J. GelberFebruary 25, 19651:47
3."Go East - Young Man" Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence Kaye February 26, 19652:16
4."Mirage" Joy Byers February 26, 19652:25
5."Kismet" Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett February 25, 19652:08
6."Shake That Tambourine"Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence KayeFebruary 24, 19652:02
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Hey Little Girl"Joy ByersFebruary 25, 19652:15
2."Golden Coins"Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence KayeFebruary 26, 19651:54
3."So Close, Yet So Far (From Paradise)"Joy ByersFebruary 25, 19653:01
4."Animal Instinct" (bonus track)Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence KayeFebruary 26, 19652:13
5."Wisdom of the Ages" (bonus track)Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence KayeFebruary 25, 19651:55

2003 Follow That Dream reissue

Personnel

Flute musical instrument of the woodwind family

The flute is a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening. According to the instrument classification of Hornbostel–Sachs, flutes are categorized as edge-blown aerophones. A musician who plays the flute can be referred to as a flute player, flautist, flutist or, less commonly, fluter or flutenist.

Oboe musical instrument of the woodwind family

Oboes belong to the classification of double reed woodwind instruments. Oboes are usually made of wood, but there are also oboes made of synthetic materials. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A soprano oboe measures roughly 65 cm long, with metal keys, a conical bore and a flared bell. Sound is produced by blowing into the reed at a sufficient air pressure, causing it to vibrate with the air column. The distinctive tone is versatile and has been described as "bright". When the word oboe is used alone, it is generally taken to mean the treble instrument rather than other instruments of the family, such as the bass oboe, the cor anglais, or oboe d'amore

Scotty Moore American musician

Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III was an American guitarist and recording engineer. He is best known for backing Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis's Hollywood years.

Charts

Album

YearChartPosition
1965 Billboard Pop Albums8

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References

  1. ↑ "Harum Scarum - Elvis Presley". AllMusic . Retrieved 2016-05-11.
  2. ↑ "Pop Albums". Elvis Presley: Official Site of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. 2013. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  3. ↑ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 201.
  4. ↑ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 198.
  5. ↑ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 417.
  6. ↑ Worth, Fred L.; Tamerius, Steve D. (23 March 1992). Elvis: his life from A to Z. Wings Books. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  7. ↑ McLafferty, Gerry (1989). Elvis Presley in Hollywood: celluloid sell-out. Hale. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  8. ↑ Matthew-Walker, Robert (1995). Heartbreak hotel: the life and music of Elvis Presley. Castle Communications. ISBN   978-1-86074-055-8 . Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  9. ↑ American Film Institute; Munden, Kenneth White (1971). The American Film Institute catalog of motion pictures produced in the United States. University of California Press. p. 457. ISBN   978-0-520-20970-1 . Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  10. ↑ Cotten, Lee (21 July 1987). The Elvis catalog: memorabilia, icons, and collectibles celebrating the king of rock 'n' roll. Doubleday. p. 120. ISBN   978-0-385-23705-5 . Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  11. ↑ Sources:
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