The Story Behind Elvis' 18th #1

When l was asked by BMG in early 2002 to provide a track and discography history for Elvis' recording of A Little Less Conversation, I was surprised that they were asking me and not their Elvis catalogue producers and curators, Ernst Jorgensen and Roger Semon. What they really wanted to know was where the alternate vocal version featured in the Ocean's Eleven movie had come from. Even more surprising was that they were planning to release it as a new single. It was surprising because the original track had been a mediocre movie song that was released without much attention being paid to it! Of course that was before it had been remixed by JXL as a dance mix, had been sent out as a 12-inch advance promo to clubs for DJs to test club goers reaction to it and got picked up by Nike for their inescapable FIFA Word Cup advertising campaign, so I told them what I knew, and had been asked to research!

What I came up with was this ... the original single version was released in November 1968 with Almost In Love on the B-side. In the US, the single had been released two months earlier with both sides reaching the Top 100 at #69 and #95 respectively. In the UK, without any official cinema release of Elvis’ Live A Little, Love A Little, in which both songs were featured, the single failed to reach the chart at all.

Recorded during the MGM soundtrack sessions at Western Recorders in Los Angeles on 7 March 1968, and with no soundtrack album to accompany the movie, the song was not issued on LP until November 1970, as one of ten tracks on the Almost In Love budget album.

A new vocal version using the original film backing track was taped on 24 June 1968, again at Western Recorders, during the studio recordings for the Elvis NBC-TV Special. With various portions of the show abandoned once other segments had been decided upon, A Little Less Conversation was cut from both the final production of the television show and simultaneous soundtrack album. It did not surface until 1998 on Memories: The 68 Comeback Special. Another previously unreleased performance, found on an acetate (a disc cut for evaluation purposes only) turned up three years later on the movie soundtrack for the 2001 remake of Frank Sinatra’s 1960 Ocean’s Eleven starring George Clooney.

The original 1968 single version was re-mastered for release on Command Performances: The Essential 60’s Masters II in 1995, and in the same year, with the longer 1970 album version, on the Doubles Features set for Live A Little, Love A Little, The Trouble With Girls, Charro! and Change of Habit. The vocal track used on the JXL remix and in the World Cup 2002 Nike commercial was the one featured on the Ocean’s Eleven soundtrack, and whether from single, film or television tapings, only ever existed on an acetate.

The Elvis Vs JXL remix version was released on 25 June 2002, and debuted as a rather surprising #1 in the UK, preventing Kylie Minogue's latest single Love At First Sight, her third from her globally successful Fever album, reaching the top spot. The Elvis remix marked the first time an artist (namely Junkie XL, aka Tom Holkenborg) outside the Presley organisation has been allowed to remix an Elvis song. According to the Official Chart Company, it sold a staggering 243,000 copies, and gave Elvis his 18th UK Number One single logging four weeks at the top, and went on to be 2002's fifth best selling single with 634,000 copies sold that year.

Postscript

According to Piers Beagley of the Elvis Information Network, some years after the track history and research I supplied to BMG in 2002, and the remix had been a #1 hit, and featured as a bonus track on the 30 #1 Hits album that October, Ernst Jorgensen changed his mind about the NBC acetate, and has since said that it was in fact take 2 from the Live A Little, Love A Little sessions, which was the same version used in the Clooney film. Originally, the acetate was found among the NBC demos, but it was in fact for Elvis to listen to, and was not actually a new vocal take. What fooled Ernst and others at the time (apparently) was that the acetate had a fabulous thumping audio mix compared to the original session tapes, so they presumed it had to be an alternate version as it sounded so different.

With thanks to Tony King for the scan of the original 1968 picture sleeve

Elvis' Most Historic Live Audience Recording

It is the early part of 1977 and I am standing outside a small independent record store in Shoreditch staring at an Elvis album displayed in the window that I had not seen before! That album was a 2 record set bootleg that has since been tagged as Elvis' most historic live audience recording that was simply light years ahead of anything that had been released during his lifetime! Even the sleeve notes were light years ahead of anything that RCA had given the Elvis fan! It was obvious that this was no ordinary live album! It was an attention grabber, the likes of which we had never seen before! My thoughts now, as back then, were how come, it took a bootleg record label to deliver the kind of live album, both in sound and packaging, that Elvis fans at that time, had craved to see released for years!

The album was recorded on two C120 compact cassettes by superfan, police officer John Herman, who placed two tape decks on top of the stage, which explained the high quality audio, even though John’s original plan was to plug his tape recorders into the the sound system, with the help of sound engineer Bill Porter, to create a soundboard recording, that didn't work out as planned. Looking at the album jacket today, it's still a stunning piece of cover art that at the time put RCA firmly in the shade. Not only did it feature 16 great photos shot by John, and Bob Heiss, from the actual show, but also included the kind of insightful sleeve note that we never had on any officially released live product. Printed on a bright blue background, the overall design was exceptional, and considering the fact that it was an audience recording, the sound quality was equally out of this world for its time. It’s no wonder that it sold out so quickly, and resulted in multiple reprints over the years since its original 1977 release. If there were any awards for bootleg records, this one would have walked away with every one for sound, design and marketing, and due to its popularity would have, by today's standards, easily earned itself a certified gold or platinum status.

The whole thing was perfectly summed up in the sleeve note by J.J.R... Whatever it is that Elvis Presley has when it comes to generating excitement in a live audience, he has always had. Early on it was evident. Pandemonium. Chaos. If you would ask HIM what it is, he would probably say, “Beats me Jack.” But the fact remains almost from the first time he stepped on stage, audiences have been caught in the magnetism, charisma, (or whatever the hell you want to call it) of the man.

The screams, the yells, the shouts. It had never happened before. True, Sinatra had generated an incredible excitement, but they swooned for “Frankie boy.” The screams and shouts that accompanied Elvis were in keeping with the unleashing of the raw power being generated by Tupelo, Mississippi’s favourite son.

Then for a long time the screams and shouts were silenced.

I mean who can scream to HE’S YOUR UNCLE NOT YOUR DAD and the rest that those of us who dug Presley were forced to sit through in the movie houses?

And just then, when most of the civilized world had counted Elvis Aron down and out, he unleashed the raw power once again, and about ten years ago the screams and shouts, this time accomapnied by swoons and shrieks, made a comeback. The man was working ‘live’ again. And when you refer to a Presley concert as ‘live’ you can bet your Sun 78’s that ‘live’ takes on a whole new meaning.

A Presley audience is special. Watching them is part of the show. But then watching them is impossible, because if you’re watching them it means you’re in the same room. And if you’re in the same room, it means you’re one of them. It’s that kind of vicious circle.

Which brings us to this record.

Why another live recording? Well one of the disadvantages of Elvis’ re-emergence as a live artist was the lack of originality on the part of his record company and management people with regard to record releases. The Presley-record buying public was a victim of over-kill. One live recording after another was released, and the Elvis fans like dutiful collectors they are, bought one package after another. Until finally it’s to the point, where even the die-hard collectors are thumbing their collective noses at the little pooch listening attentively to the gramaphone. We’ve had it. I mean how many versions of CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE does one need before the message comes across?

Alright, now granted CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE is included in this recording, as are many of the other songs Elvis continually does in his act night after night. That can’t be helped. After all, it’s what the people pay to see. But here for the the first time on record, is the excitement of an Elvis Presley concert in its totality.

December 31, 1976. The hands of the clock nearly straight up approaching midnight and a new year. Within these album jackets are the moments as they happened. Nothing deleted. Not just the high’s but also the quieter moments – which in their strange ways are as exciting as the fever-pitch moments. A man being called to the stage by Elvis, and then presenting Presley with an appropriate Bicentennial gift of a “Liberty Bell”. (The man is Jim Curtin, a long time Presley afficiando from Derby, Pa.) Elvis introducing his “daddy” and little Lisa. And then there’s his introduction of the song FAIRYTALE, which he describes as “the story of my life.” Most astonishing is his compliance with spontaeneous requests from the audience.

He was having a good time, and wanted everyone to be happy. It was like the man was entertaining the 16,409 people in the Pittsburgh Civic Arena that night in his own living room. You know how you get when you have a bunch of friends over on New Year’s Eve to celebrate – their wishes are your commands. You wait on them hand and foot. You mingle with them, talk with them, and by the time everyone splits half-gassed with lamp shades on their heads, everyone had a hell of a good time. And you as the host are the one responsible.

Well, that’s the feeling one gets after listening to this recording. It was like, everyone was invited to Graceland, and Elvis threw this unbelievable bash, and a good time was had by all.

Not that the evening didn’t have it’s musical highlights. It assuredly did. Some of the songs are here for the first time on a live recording. BIG BOSS MAN, FAIRYTALE, HURT, RECONSIDER BABY, the beautiful EARLY MORNING RAIN, LOVE LETTERS, two surprise ‘oldies’ LITTLE SISTER and IT’S NOW OR NEVER. And the whole evening is capped off by Elvis sitting at the piano and performing RAGS TO RICHES and the haunting UNCHAINED MELODY.

No shortcuts here. Ninety minutes of non-stop Presley. No edits. No hype, No canned connection. Back to the days of the one-night stands down South. Audiences saw him then for the first time. Not quite sure what he made happen, but enjoying whatever it was.

If throughout the rest of the year there was a Presley drought, listening to the man belt them out as ‘76 gave way to ‘77, one could stop, ponder, and say “it was a very good year!” 

With thanks to Tony King for the sleeve and label scans

42 Years On: My First Elvis Monthly Review

 

Back in 1978, when I was the Sussex Branch Leader of the Official Elvis Presley Fan Club of Great Britain, long before I was a graphic designer or a writer, even though I was producing fan club newsletters with various articles, news and reviews, when RCA Records in London sent me a review copy of Elvis' latest gospel compilation album, I had the idea to write a review for Elvis Monthly, which was published in the August 1978 edition, and to this day remains my first published work in a magazine. What follows is the result...  

It is not the easiest of tasks to find something new to say about an album of reissued tracks, for this is the case with the Elvis LP, He Walks Beside Me (RCA 12772). Instead of repeating what has already been said regarding the material, I have decided to give a factual account of the songs; including dates of the recording sessions, original releases and other relevant information, together with a look at the sleeve design, which seems to have had a little more thought put into its presentation than usual.

So let’s start with the sleeve. The front has a really good close-up shot from the Aloha TV Special, one which I don’t think has been used before; to the right of the photo, Elvis’s name is stylishly printed in a white ornate style of flourished lettering that looks highly impressive against the black coloured background. Immediately below is the album’s full title He Walks Beside Me – Favourite Songs of Faith And Inspiration printed in smaller type. The reverse side of the sleeve has a centre panel mounted on a black background. At the top of this panel a photograph of a church spire is displayed. Immediately below are the song titles together with a few credits, such as “Reissue produced by Joan Deary” and “All the material previously released except The Impossible Dream and If I Can Dream” – and that is basically it. A sleeve that in my opinion uses some imagination, and is both eye-catching and mood-setting for an album of Gospel selections, which are as follows :-

Side One
HE IS MY EVERYTHING Recorded 9 June, 1971, RCA Nashville. Originally issued in 1972 on He Touched Me LP (LSP4690).
MIRACLE OF THE ROSARY Recorded 15 May, 1971, RCA Nashville. Originally issued in 1972 on Elvis Now LP (LSP 4671).
WHERE DID THEY GO LORD Recorded 22 September, 1970, RCA Nashville. Originally issued in 1971 as the flip side to the Rags To Riches single (RCA 2084). UK chart position: No.9. Never before issued as an LP.
SOMEBODY BIGGER THAN YOU OR I Recorded 27 May, 1966, RCA Nashville. Originally issued in 1967 on How Great Thou Art LP (LPM/LSP 3758). The session that produced this track and the album was the first in 28 months that Elvis recorded anything else than movie soundtracks. It also marked the debut of producer Felton Jarvis. The album received a Grammy award for Best Sacred Performance.
AN EVENING PRAYER Recorded 18 May 1971, RCA Nashville. Originally issued in 1972 on He Touched Me LP (LSP4690).
THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM Recorded 16 February 1972, Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas (live recording for RCA). Previously unreleased. Already released version appears on the Madison Square Garden LP, recorded 10 June, 1972. Difference between the two takes is not highly noticeable.

Side Two
IF I CAN DREAM Recorded 29 June, 1968, NBC Studios, Burbank. The second of the so-called new tracks which is a slightly different version to the one previously released as a single in 1969, in that the back-up vocals are missing, and that is about the only noticeable difference.
PADRE Recorded 15 May, 1971, RCA Nashville. Originally issued in 1973 0n Elvis LP (APL1 0283).
KNOWN ONLY TO HIM Recorded 31 October 1960, RCA Nashville. Originally issued in 1961 on His Hand In Mine LP (LPM/LSP 2328), also issued as a single in the US during 1966, coupled with Joshua Fit The Battle.
WHO AM I Recorded 22 February, 1969, American Sound Studios, Memphis. Originally issued in 1971 on You’lll Never Walk Alone LP (CAL 2472).
HOW GREAT THOU ART Recorded 25 May, 1966, RCA Nashville. Originally issued in 1967 on award-winning album of the same name. Also issued in 1967 on A Legendary Performer Volume 2 LP (CPL1 1349), also as a single (US only) in 1969, coupled with His Hand In Mine. A live version appears on the album: Elvis As Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis (CPL1/APD1 0606), released in 1974.

Cilla - The Lost Sleeve Notes

Back in the mid 60s, two years into my teenage years, I was like most other teenagers of that era, and spending most of my pocket money on records. With the release of Cilla Black's previously unreleased single last week, recorded a decade later when rock music came of age, just as I did, I am reminded of when her first album hit the streets, which last year was celebrated with the release of an expanded edition on Cherry Red Records. It was recorded in the same studio as her mates, the Beatles recorded their first album, was produced by the same producer George Martin, and released on the same Parlophone label with a sleeve that was typical of the period with a full colour photo on the front, but above all, it showcased, somewhat surprisingly, a wide array of song material and musical styles. With an expanded edition already released as part of Cherry Red's original album series, that includes both the mono and stereo versions of the LP, I would say, it is arguably, Cilla's most iconic.

One of the joys of buying records in the 60s was looking through the racks of album sleeves in record stores, spotting them displayed in the window, listening to them in one of the listening booths that were common place in most record shops, or reading the sleeve notes on the back cover to find out more about the album! Some records you would come across by chance, and others you would know about from browsing through the pages of the NME (New Musical Express) for news of new releases and reading reviews.

When Cilla's album was first released in January 1965, mono was then the popular format, and it was the mono version I remember queuing up for at my local record store in Tunbridge Wells at the time. What I also loved about albums back in those days, were the sleeve notes. For Cilla's album, the Beatles press officer Tony Barrow wrote them, and to this day, are a stark reminder of the fabulous details we got on the back of an LP  record sleeve. For those that have the Cherry Red CD release, and have never seen or read what Tony wrote all those years ago, here they are for you to enjoy, together with Tony's track annotations...  

Side One
GOIN’ OUT OF MY HEAD Just right for Cilla. Originally recorded by America’s Little Anthony and The Imperials.
EVERY LITTLE BIT HURTS Soulful, dramatic. Featured previously by one of Cilla favourite American songstresses.
BABY IT’S YOU Cilla said about this one: “It brings back memories of the Beatles in their Liverpool days. John used to sing it. Call it one of my all time favourites”.
DANCING IN THE STREET Often used with great success in Cilla’s stage act. Another of her personal favourites.
COME TO ME Music by George Martin; lyrics by Bobby Willis. Lots of words to just a few notes.
OL’ MAN RIVER Surprised to find this one here? A great old standard.

Side Two
ONE LITTLE VOICE Italian origin. Beautiful lyrics.
I’M NOT ALONE ANYMORE A new song composed by Clive Westlake and singer Kenny Lynch. Brilliant orchestral arrangement.
WHAT’CHA GONNA DO ABOUT IT Cilla harmonises with herself.
LOVE LETTERS Accompaniment by Cilla’s favourite backing group. Another song used in her stage performances.
THIS EMPTY PLACE Lovely tender ballad. Showcases Cilla’s considerable range.
YOU’D BE SO NICE TO COME HOME TO A Cole Porter evergreen which Cilla has always admired.

This is Cilla Black’s first LP. Making an album gives any artiste a wonderful freedom of choice which is not readily available in the restricted field of singles. Cilla has taken full advantage of this occasion by selecting twelve songs from a very wide range of material. Among there is a new number, Come To Me, which was written by Cilla’s road manager, Bobby Willis, in collaboration with her producer, George Martin. Normally a new album can be produced at four of five lengthy recording sessions. This one was months in the making. The main reason was that Cilla’s studio activities were limited to a series of short afternoon sessions during a seven-month run of the London Palladium production STARTIME in which she appeared between May and December of 1964. There was one other reason for the delay. Cilla is a meticulous songstress and until everyone was around her was totally happy about each title, she would never pass on to another number.

Cilla was was born in Scotland Road, Liverpool on 27th May 1943, a year or so after the enemy bombing on Merseyside’s nearby dockland came to an end. She made her stage debut nine years later in a school production of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, and when she was twelve she played in an end-of-term interpretation of JULIUS CEASER. She left school in July, 1958, to begin a secretarial college course, and it led to her engagement as a typist with a Liverpool firm of cable manufacturers at the end of the following year.

By now Cilla was taking an active interest in Merseyside’s thriving beat scene. She was a regular visitor to the city’s network of cellar clubs where folk like The Beatles, and Gerry and The Pacemakers, were making their first impact. In time she became friendly with many of the young musicians and she was asked up to the microphone at a number of their after-hours jam sessions. For a spell she made regular club appearances with two different groups and was billed as Swinging Cilla.

By the end of 1961, Brian Epstein had signed his first artists and was becoming a familiar figure in Liverpool’s clubland. Inevitably, Brian heard Cilla’s name and her singing.

Meantime, despite approaches from several enthusiastic managers, Cilla had to decide to shelve any ideas of a professional show-business career. She was making good progress in the office and was a part-time cloakroom attendant at a city beat club in her lunch hours and during her free evenings.

Although Brian was convinced of her potential as a performer, he realised the wisdom of postponing any formal approach until Cilla was ready to welcome his proposals.

In September, 1963, Cilla’s first single, Love of the Loved, was issued. Under Brian's guidance she set out on the road which has led her so swiftly and so triumphantly towards the top of her profession. The following year brought a series of entertainment-world accolades, not the least of which were the extended London Palladium season, and her appearance in the 1964 Royal Variety Show. Before the end of the year she topped several popularity polls. 1965 began splendidly with an announcement that Cilla had collected far more votes than any her Top Twenty contemporaries (male or female) in the poll organised by FABULOUS magazine.

The release of this album is, in itself, another noteworthy landmark in her remarkable career. For the vivacious young lady who was christened Priscilla Maria Veronica White (and who switched to Cilla Back because she was persuaded that the darker shade suited her style of singing), the future looks good. Very good.

Q&A with Lily Collins

 

I recently had the opportunity to experience the love, friendship and adventure of an iconic storyteller in the film biopic of J.R.R Tolkien. From the legendary halls of Oxford to the grim and bloody trenches of World War I, this enthralling biopic explores the early years of J.R.R Tolkien (played by Nicholas Hoult) and the relationships that defined the legendary author he would become. Chronicling his romance with Edith Brant (played by Lily Collins), as well as the various members of the Tea Club, Barrovian Society, Tolkien slowly grows from a shy and bookish young man into one of history’s most beloved writers, seasoned by life, and everything that comes with it.

In a Q&A interview with Lily Collins, she talked about the role she played in this remarkable movie. For those who are not familiar with Lily's work, she broke out as an actor with the likes of Priest, Abduction and Mirror Mirror, where she played Snow White. She then starred in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Stuck in Love The English Teacher and Love, Rosie. She won a Golden Globe nomination for Rules Don't Apply and earned much praise for To the Bone and the TV miniseries Les Miserables.

In what ways did the story of Tolkien resonate with you, Lily?

Lily Collins: Something that resonates with me very strongly in the story is that one can have a soulmate and it doesn’t even have to be romantic. It can be a friendship, and in this story we deal with Edith and Tolkien’s love, and that from a very young age was a soulmate connection. But he also has these three friends who are very much soulmates in their own right. You don’t necessarily know the impact you are going to have on someone and vice versa. It could be years later that you are still having that impact on them. Also, Tolkien, to me, is a creator of stories that deeply impacted my wanting to be an actor.

How so?

LC: I lived in the English countryside when I was little. It was very Shire-like and I used to go around the garden pretending that there were magical creatures everywhere. I would read the books and disappear into this world in my head and I wanted one day to translate that to other people. Acting is exactly what that does for me and, ironically, I ended up doing a movie about the man behind that. Tolkien found the magic in the mundane and in nature and that felt very connected to me from such a young age.

Did you read other books in that genre? C. S. Lewis, maybe?

LC: Anything fairy tale. C. S. Lewis, Harry Potter, Tolkien, anything fantasy based. I also loved reading the darker side of fairy tales, like the Grimm stories, which maybe are not the Disney versions we all know.

Who did you want to be in the Tolkien books?

LC: The elven characters resonated very deeply with me because I used to run around the garden pretending there were elves and fairies everywhere. I auditioned for one of the Peter Jackson films to play an elven character, one of hundreds of people, probably, and didn’t end up getting it. But then again, eight years later here I am playing the woman who partly inspired her and was quite muse like in that regard for all the elven characters. That was something I felt naturally inclined to.

What happened at your Peter Jackson audition, Lily?

LC: I didn’t do well. There was no script to read, just these sides that were quite confidential. Don’t ask me to do it now because I won’t be able to but we had to speak Elfish! And we had to make it up because they hadn’t given us a proper language. It was the role Evangeline Lilly played [Tauriel], so another Lilly, but not this Lily! It was just an honour to just go in for it.

Was Peter there?

LC: No, it did not get that far. So he probably never even saw it.

 

Both these characters follow their dreams so how important was that for you, to be true to yourself and to follow your dreams?

LC: Something that I have always been taught me from an early age is to follow your gut and your heart and to do what it is that pleases your soul. But that doesn’t always come easily. Growing into adulthood has been a journey of discovering what it is that I really enjoy and why I enjoy it, as well learning about myself, and getting to know that road blocks are going to come your way; it is how you deal with them that defines who you are and where you end up. That is pretty much the book I wrote a couple of years ago — the book dealt with those kinds of things, too. It is an ever-evolving process and the goal is always to stay true to what makes you happy and to find people to surround yourself with who respect that, and maybe share some of your interests.

What are your own experiences with writing?

LC: I used to write for magazines when I was younger. I wrote for US and UK magazines, online stuff, and then I wrote a book two or three years ago which was a memoir of sorts.

What inspired you to write the book?

LC: I was receiving a lot of messages on social media, specifically Instagram, from young women all over the world expressing to me their insecurities and fears and feelings about themselves and always prefacing them by saying, ‘I know that you cannot relate to this because you are an actress and live in Hollywood, but this is my insecurity, my issue.’ I thought they were so brave because on Instagram your photo is right there so it isn’t anonymous and I thought, ‘If they are going to be brave and do that, I am going to be brave and do that.’ They are feeling alone and if they don’t feel alone, maybe it will help them get through it and maybe I will find something therapeutic about that, too. So it was really just me trying to say, ‘You are not alone so be brave.’ And for me, I felt I had a lot of baggage that I was carrying around, not that anyone knew about it but I thought I had to get rid of that in order to take on the baggage of any characters I played.

Was it difficult deciding what to sift out when writing the book?

LC: I’m not sure that there was a lot that I left out, to be honest. Maybe there will be a Part 2! At the beginning when I started to write it, my editor said, ‘Don’t sell yourself short. You can go a little bit deeper here, here and here.’ It was interesting because as I was writing, I was shooting To The Bone, which is about a subject matter that I write about [anorexia]. And my experiences within acting greatly influenced my understanding of some of my chapters. Therefore, I went deeper into those chapters and came to an inner peace more because I had worked through them. It was really interesting that they both married with each other.

Who introduced the Tolkien books to you?

LJ: I just remember the time period of being in elementary school and having always had this love of magic and fantasy, knowing the world of Harry Potter and then also Tolkien; they took me away to different worlds. I used to go to the library as a kid in school and I would just sit and read them. It was a private time and a sense of escapism in a way. And then I would look forward to the Peter Jackson films when the trailers were coming out. I got really excited and I would look at the release date and go with friends and I still have all my ticket stubs; I keep all my ticket stubs.

Lily, how did it feeling turning 30?

LC: It was great. I had a great time. It was gong to happen regardless so I thought I had better have a good attitude about it. I was filming in Birmingham, Alabama and my mom flew up for my actual birthday. But then the next weekend two of my best friends from the age of five flew out. We took a road trip to Nashville. It was so fun. We had 36 hours. We rode horses and went to all of the honky tonks, we went to the bars, wore cowboy boots and cowboy hats. It was great, just pure innocent fun and then I drove back and I went to work the next day.

 TOLKIEN debuts on Digital Download on August 26 

and Blu-Ray & DVD on September 9

 With thanks to Sadira Cunningham at Fetch Publicity 

50 Years Ago Tonight Ann Moses Met Elvis

 

As many of my regular readers and visitors to this blog will remember, last year, Ann Moses, the former editor of Tiger Beat and the Hollywood correspondent for Britain’s NME wrote a fabulous guest blog for me about her first ever trip to Graceland as a guest speaker at Elvis Week 2018, and provided me with some excellent shots of her visit, so for this blog piece, to mark the 50th anniversary of Elvis’s first live appearances in Las Vegas at the International Hotel, I called on Ann again, to ask her if it would be okay for me to reproduce a passage from her autobiography (Meow, My Groovy Life with Tiger Beat’s Teen Idols) as she was there on the opening night, and to this day, her account of how it was, is probably the best I have read of Elvis’s opening night 50 years ago tonight. I must also thank Ann for supplying the lead picture of her with Elvis at the after show press conference, just eleven days before man landed on the moon during the historic Apollo 11 space flight. A slightly different pose of the same shot appeared on the cover of Elvis Monthly in May 1970, that featured a six page article by Ann entitled An Elvis Fan, Then and Now. 

If you haven’t read Ann’s book, you really should, as it includes a lot more Elvis. As many Elvis fans know, Ann was seen on the famous 1968 TV Special, sharing the screen with Elvis when her face was superimposed with his during Can’t Help Falling in Love, visited him on the set of his final scripted movie, Change of Habit, went to many of the Vegas shows, appeared in the 1970 concert movie Elvis – That’s the Way It Is, interviewed director Dennis Sanders, which was featured in the book of the 2014 deluxe 8 disc box set and also wrote the liner notes for the 2013 FTD On Stage Season 2-CD set as well as writing countless reports about Elvis in Vegas for the NME in England. What follows is Ann's story of Elvis’ opening live show in Vegas, as it appears in Chapter 19 of her book: Elvis Goes to Vegas (and I follow)... 

The day of Elvis’ July 1969 concert in Las Vegas finally arrived. I left early in the morning, hoping to avoid much of the desert summer sun, because my VW Bug had no air conditioning. By noon, it was 107 degrees in my tiny car, even with both windows rolled down. The air-conditioned lobby of the brand-new International Hotel, with its ten-foot-high letters spelling out Elvis’ name, felt wonderful.

 

The Colonel had arranged for a carnival-themed Elvis fantasyland, with young women in straw hats handing out free Elvis swag. Comical and exciting at the same time, there were custom-made banners, pennants, posters, oversized cardboard records, and Elvis pictures plastered on every pillar and wall, both inside and outside the hotel. Nick Naff, the International’s publicity director, gave me a tour of the thirty-story hotel. It had been open less than a month and, with 1,500 rooms, was the biggest hotel in the world. The main showroom seated 2,000 and was the largest room of its kind anywhere, with a sixty-foot-wide stage bigger than Radio City Music Hall’s in New York City. The International set out to capture a first-class clientele with Japanese, Italian, French, and Bavarian restaurants and crystal chandeliers imported from Czechoslovakia. Each floor was decorated in Spanish, French provincial, and Oriental decor—as far removed as could be from the Vegas strip hotels with their five-cent slot machines and two-dollar buffets.

After my tour (during which I’d peeked into the lounge showroom where Ike and Tina Turner were rehearsing), I killed an hour on the quarter slots and watched tourists play roulette, craps, and blackjack until the showroom opened. My mom had made me a sleeveless, embroidered lace mini-dress from the latest French Vogue pattern book. It was simple but elegant, and I felt stunning. Unlike the concerts presented in Vegas today, the Elvis shows back then followed the traditions of an old-time Vegas dinner show. When the magic hour arrived, I was led to a table just to the right of center stage - as front-row-center as I could get. From my seat, after dinner, I could see Elvis arrive in the wings.

“Elvis live, again!” I wrote in my NME article. “And I was there to see it for you!” I went on to promise that Elvis could hold his own with the new stars of the day, and pointed out that even the deep breaths he drew between songs elicited applause. He performed medleys of all his hits, as well as new material like “Memories,” which he’d introduced on the comeback special. Designed by Bill Belew, Elvis’ black tunic shirt with the four-inch turned-up collar would very soon be copied by everyone from the Osmonds to the Jackson 5, but on that night, it was an original.

So, too, was his humble approach to his audience. “I’d like to do my latest release; it’s been a big seller for me,” he told us, then added shyly, “something I really needed.” He performed two Beatles songs and introduced a new song, “Suspicious Minds,” which would go on to be another million-seller for him. He wrapped things up with the Ray Charles hit “What’d I Say,” clutching the microphone, shaking his legs, and doing karate punches as he screamed the lyrics. Almost before the song ended, Elvis walked off the stage to a standing ovation.

As Elvis performed his encore number, “I Can’t Help Falling in Love,” Graylon slipped behind me and whispered in my ear, “There’s a press conference in Room C3. Get there as fast as you can!”

I practically ran to the conference room, where I grabbed a chair in the front row. Elvis greeted us by saying, “I’m really beat. That was the fourth time I did that show today,” referring to the three dress rehearsals he’d done earlier in the day. He didn’t look beat; he looked confident as he basked in the glow of a wonderful performance. He answered questions for more than an hour, after which Col. Parker told us if we’d like to have a picture taken with Elvis, to please line up. I was third in line for that opportunity, and I have the greatest picture of me looking up into his handsome face. He shook my hand, and, when I told him how much I’d enjoyed his show, he replied with his trademark, “Thank you very much.”

I raced back to my hotel room, typed out my story about the show for NME, and the next morning, took a cab to the nearest post office so I could send my copy out via airmail, the fastest way to get written material overseas at the time.

Ann's book is available from Amazon - or for an autographed copy go here

How I Almost Got Physical with Olivia Newton-John

Back in the early 80s, I was a graphic designer that specialised in the design of record sleeves and tour merchandise, such as tour books, posters, and flyers, and in January 1983, I was on my way to London from Brighton to meet with Arthur Sherrif, Roger Davies' UK rep, who was Olivia Newton-John's manager. The idea of our meeting was to discuss the possibility of me doing some artwork for what was to be the UK leg of Olivia's successful Physical tour which had only a few months earlier finished playing a record breaking 64 shows around North America during a 50 date concert tour, and was expected to visit Britain next on what was originally planned to be a world tour in support of her then best selling Physical album. From a set list, dated one month before the tour kicked off, seen by yours truly, it was obvious that a world tour was on the cards, as an asterisk note denotes three songs (Come On Over, Jolene and Landslide) might not be performed in South Africa.

Although a concert tour wasn't something she had planned to do at that time, or was even keen to do, when the Physical album exceeded 10 million sales, and the single placed her at number one in Billboard's single chart for ten weeks, and became the equal second longest chart-topper in US pop history behind Elvis Presley’s Hound Dog, she knew it was time to hit the road, for what would turn out to be the biggest and most successful tour of her career. Most of the dates across North America were staged in large stadiums and arenas and were pretty much sold out, but the one that attracted the largest audience, and had fans going mad for tickets was at the open air CNE Grandstand in Toronto on the 26 August 1982. For author Darlene L'Archeveque, then a 17 year old fan who had travelled on a Greyhound bus for three solid days from one side of Canada to the other, it was, she wrote in her award-winning book, A World of Good, one of the most magical moments of her life! Having been a fan since she first heard Have You Never Been Mellow seven years before, she couldn't believe she was now in the same place at the same time as Olivia.
 

"There were thousands and thousands of people just like me there waiting to see Olivia. We were all there for the same reason. Suddenly, loud crisp music began to play and the crowd burst into cheers. Flashes from the camera bulbs played with my vision. A giant video screen played a retrospective of Olivia's career from her Country days, to Grease and Totally Hot, to Xanadu, Cliff Richard, and then, Physical. The response from the crowd was deafening. Just when l thought it couldn't get any louder, from out of nowhere, Olivia appeared! I clapped along but I was as so captivated by the sight of her that I preferred to stand and take it all in. The atmosphere was spectacular. Even from a distance Olivia looked absolutely radiant."

Equally  excited was Brad Gelfond, then a young agent, who was involved in the booking of the tour, and spent a lot of his time on the road with the tour. "There was something really thrillingly excellent about being in the arena when the lights go down, and the fans start screaming for the artist. When the artist arrives on stage, it’s the greatest moment. I learned a lot about representing big, popular clients through working with Olivia. The coolest thing for me was that they were traveling by private jet. That meant that they would be based in a centrally located spot, like Atlanta, Nashville or Dallas, for a week or so, and on the afternoons of the shows, the touring party would hop in limousines to the airport. The plane would take off when we got there, and we would fly for about an hour to the next city, get limousines there, and then go to the backstage area of the arena. After the show, before the lights were even on in the arena, we would be in the limos on our way to the airport, then flying back to the city we were based in." Not that was always the case. In Toronto for instant, Olivia stayed overnight, in her tour bus, which also doubled up as a dressing room in certain cities that the tour visited.

With the success of the Physical TV special and video release the previous year, and the album now being in the Top Ten albums of the decade, it was no surprise that she became obligated to providing footage for a TV Special and video release of the tour. That footage was filmed during two shows at the Weber State University in Ogden at Utah on the 12th and 13th October, which to many seemed an odd choice as it was the very same city where two radio stations had banned Physical for its suggestive lyrics, but perhaps that was intended as a statement of just how popular Olivia and her #1 song had become. The final edit for the TV special and subsequent video release of the concert, with added special effects and several songs and video interludes cut from her 90 minute set, was first shown on BBC1 in the the UK as a 60 minute special on 21 December 1982, one week before Grease had it's first UK TV airing on the same channel. In the States, HBO premiered the 90 minute version on 23 January 1983, as Olivia: Live in Concert, and later released on both VHS and Laserdisc by MCA Home Video. As expected the TV special was quickly snapped up for worldwide distribution and ended up being shown on most television networks across the world, as well as being released on VHS video in most international territories. The project was another roaring success the world over, winning awards and accolades and added yet another dimension to what had now become the most successful period in Olivia's career. In Britain it was supported with the release of a new 20 track Greatest Hits compilation and a single featuring a remixed I Honestly Love You and an extended live version of Physical.

Olivia with her 1982 tour crew, rig truck and bus. Photo by Michael Landau

Since the album had been released I had collected a stack of promo material from EMI, for my own private collection, as well as providing me with all the necessary material to create some visuals for my art portfolio to illustrate my graphic design abilities in my attempts to get bigger and better artwork gigs! I produced a tour book cover, an EMI Records ad and a backstage pass, simply to have her in my portfolio! Unbeknown to me at the time, they would provide me with enough material to show Arthur what I was capable of as a graphic designer. But that was before I had seen the tour book that Arthur showed me in his office and told me to take home to take a closer look at it to give me some ideas. When l looked at it, it completely blew me away, simply because it was so arty, creative and imaginative, and was something I felt I couldn't have bettered or even equaled! To me, it was light years away from the kind of tour book I had been doing at that time, which was simple tour book design for the likes of such artists as Frankie Laine, Rita Coolidge and Glen Campbell. Olivia's tour book was what I called the top end of the pop market, the kind that bands like Bananarama were producing.

Back in those days, of drawing board graphics, and being pretty much a newbie in that field, I was still some years away from doing tours for the likes of Elkie Brooks, Chris Rea and Elaine Paige! I think that is when I realised I couldn't better it, and had Olivia toured the UK, as was being planned at that time, Roger Davies Management would have simply done the customary thing and sent the U.S artwork to the British promoter for the appointed merchandiser to change things like the itinerary, tour credits, discography, update the programme notes to reflect her career in the UK, and change the album page from her MCA catalogue to her British EMI releases, so I realised pretty quickly that all I could hope to get out of it was maybe artworking some of those changes, and perhaps designing a poster, newspaper ads, and backstage passes! Back then, before I was a writer, I was chasing several ideas for my Artsleeves design studio, all of which included designing for Elvis, Blondie and Dr Hook, and along with Olivia, I did in fact have mock up visuals for all those artists in my portfolio! What haunted me in early 1983 was the fact that this was likely to be the last time Olivia would tour for some years, so it was the perfect opportunity and my best chance yet of getting my foot in the door, so to speak, despite the fact that it was at that time, out of my graphic design expertise. Having Olivia in my portfolio was a perfect artist to have among my mock ups to show tour promoters, merchandisers and record companies, but like with my ideas for the Elvis, Dr Hook and Blondie album covers, nothing came out of it! Call it timing, inexperience or just unfortunate, but I was chasing something I wasn't quite ready for.

When Physical came out in 1981, the album not only transformed her but also her fans, of which I was one, and had been since seeing her live at the Brighton Dome in 1971. It was like we had all suddenly been given permission to get physical from an artist who was thought of as a miss goody-two-shoes but actually wasn't. By her own admittance she regarded herself too old to be innocent. It was like she was duplicating her own coming of age and was telling a generation of musical virgins to lose their virginity to her album! The impact that the album, the tour, the TV specials and videograms made on me and a whole generation of Olivia and music fans was truly amazing to witness. You couldn't walk into a store in 1981 and not hear the album being played over the loudspeaker system, or see the VHS showing on TV screens that some shops had set up in their stores! Olivia and Physical was everywhere! She was the hottest name in music! More so than she had been in her entire career. And I wanted to be part of it, but sadly for me, there was nothing to be part of!

Olivia during tour rehearsals with Dennis Tuffano

Four years later, I got a taste of what meeting Olivia could have been like, when I designed the tour book for the 1987 Elaine Paige UK tour, and had to take the artboards for Elaine to approve where she was rehearsing at the Nomis Studios in London. After we had been through the artwork page by page, I was invited to stay and watch her run through her show with just her basic band! To be in a tiny studio and observe Elaine sing live, just yards in front of me, was in the words of Olivia's 1980 hit, magic! Although I had listened to Elaine many times on record, nothing prepared me for how powerful her voice would be in person in such an intimate setting. Simply put, it was out of this world and to use an overused cliche, literally blew me away! I imagine that is exactly how I would have felt had I watched Olivia run through the set list for her Physical tour if she had brought it to the UK and had I got the gig!

With thanks to Darlene L'Archeveque for the scans from her private collection of the Toronto Star cutting, Michael Landau's tour crew photo and her after show guest sticker, and to Sabrine Korsel for allowing me to use the rehearsal shot she posted on the Official Olivia Facebook group, and to Bri Leic for the audience recording of Olivia's concert in Oakland on 10 October 1982.

Cliff and Olivia's Lost TV Special

If you were one of millions who tuned into the popular It's Cliff Richard series on BBC TV on a Saturday night, and if you can cast your mind back to September 1972, you most probably remember the hour-long special titled The Case, which co-starred Olivia Newton-John and Tim Brooke Taylor, and like me, are probably wondering why it has never seen the light of day on DVD or Blu ray, or why pre-DVD, it was never released on a commercial VHS, and are probably thinking it's long overdue for a remastered and restored release, especially when you consider Cliff's series was one of the most popular light entertainment programmes of that decade and was the series that contributed to launching Olivia's career in Britain.

For those who don't know or remember, The Case was a comedy caper that follows the farcical aftermath of a situation of mistaken identity, and the unfortunate switch of two very similar bags, but with very different contents. Cliff played himself and along with Tim Brooke-Taylor (from The Goodies), are touring the It’s Cliff Richard show around the Scandinavian countries, when a television recording of the show over-runs, which means that they are late in catching the train to their next destination. Meanwhile, a pair of robbers have just held up a bank and are intent on making their getaway with a large bag full of the money they have just stolen. A fleeting, unknown meeting at the station results in Cliff taking the bag of money and the robbers picking up his similar bag, filled with the music for the television show.

Once the thieves realise the mistake, they are determined to follow Cliff, now split from Tim after missing the train, and do whatever they can to recover their ill-gotten gains. From one country to another, by car, train, even an overnight ferry, they get closer to Cliff, who, reunited with Tim, does all he can to get away from them. Once the police get involved, the situation is resolved to everyone’s satisfaction – or is it?

As per usual Cliff put in a great performance that showed his versatility as an actor and comic, laying the foundations for some of the slapstick that would appear the following year in the theatrical release of Take Me High (recently restored and released on DVD and Blu-ray), which he honed from the years of working on his Saturday night light entertainment shows. As with the majority of his full-length feature films, the narrative was developed with a sense of fun and is interspersed with a number of song performances, including a duet with Olivia, If I Was Close to You, which shows the beauty and blend of their vocals when performing together.

Broadcast during the summer run of his television show in 1972, this special has only been aired once and is now a significant rarity, a curio, and an important document of Cliff’s career as a broader entertainer rather than being pigeon-holed as Britain's Peter Pan of Pop!

With the exception of Cliff's Living In Harmony and Olivia's two solo numbers, the other songs were all recorded specially and exclusively for the special, and have never been commercially released. The duet with Olivia is particularly noteworthy as it was, at that time, only the second recording they had made together, the first being the B-side track, Don’t Move Away, and its extraordinary beauty shows that it deserves a broader release for fans of both performers to see and hear. For Olivia fans, there was footage of her performing her then current single Just A Little Too Much and Banks of the Ohio, the second hit single from her first album, in specially filmed sequences. And for Cliff fans there was the new rendition of Move It! that combined and melded the guitar-driven approach of the original with the orchestral arrangement that was released on his 1967 Top 30 album Don’t Stop Me Now!

A first-time ever release of this special is now crying out to be done and for most film and TV buffs, would be perfectly suited to Network, the video releasing company that seem more committed than most to showcasing unique works of television and film, that have been unjustly neglected and gathering dust in the vaults of TV companies. With their encyclopaedic knowledge of TV and film archives and library content, they have released a wealth of material in stunning DVD and Blu ray packages with spectacular remastering and restoration techniques that would have otherwise been left unseen.

If Network greenlighted The Case for release, the opportunities for extras are endless. In keeping with their vast catalogue of releases, it could include a detailed booklet with synopsis, production notes, cast biographies, press items and an image gallery of stills and photos, as well as some relevant PDF material and a song only menu. As a bonus special feature, the release could also include a collection of Cliff and Olivia's duet performances and skits from It's Cliff Richard between 1970 and 1974. Can you imagine how amazing it would be to see such material scanned from the original camera negatives and extensively restored to their original television aspect ratio of 4.3? And even better to see it restored without any film dirt, damage, instability, warping and density fluctuation.

With thanks to Victor Rust, Juliette Iaciofano and Leo's Den Music 

The Cliff Richard Diamond Liner Notes

Last Monday, the Cliff Richard Fan Club's charity CD single was released, one day after Cliff's 78th birthday and he had been presented with a copy by the fan club, during a soundcheck at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The strictly limited CD edition of the single had been available on pre-order since 24 September from Leo's Den, but had sold out in less than a week. For those unlucky enough not to have got a copy, here are the liner notes that I wrote for the CD version, but not available with the MP3 download that is currently available on Amazon...

The story of how this very unique CD single came about started long before it was decided to green light the project and turn it from an almost impossible dream into a reality. It really started with an email in November 2017 which Carol Hall, the president of the London and Surrey Cliff Richard Fan Club received from Susanne Fritsch, one of the club members, asking if there were any plans to present a gift for Cliff from his fans to celebrate his 78th birthday on 14 October 2018, and to mark his 60 years in show business. Carol decided to raise Susanne’s suggestion with the club’s Facebook page members and run a poll to establish if the members would be interested in donating to such an idea. It soon became apparent that they were! Everyone it seemed loved the idea of a Birthday and anniversary song, but the reality of making it happen was the part that needed careful planning and execution. If this could be pulled off, then it would be a fan club first that no other artist fan club had even got close to! Far more important than that was the sentiment of the project. To have a professionally written and produced song inspired by lyrics and sentiments donated by fans, which would be an extraordinary and unprecedented personal gift to Cliff. The big question was how to go about it and make it happen?

By her own admission Carol knew nothing about the record industry or even how one would go about producing a song, let alone getting it recorded. After commandeering the help of industry veteran Steve Carroll, it became clear that the fund would have to cover the cost of recording, studio time, mixing, mastering, artwork, packaging, manufacturing costs, digital distribution, producer, vocalist, musicians, and a load of other incidentals that Carol probably hadn’t even thought of. In other words, a ton of money. Initial enquiries came up with a ball park figure of around £4.5k to realise Susanne’s idea for a song for Cliff, but what an achievement it would be! What better way to thank Cliff for all the years of enjoyment he had given his fans than through a specially written song in which every fan had the opportunity to express their love and dedication! Carol launched a fund raising campaign on Facebook and through her club magazine, but little could she or Steve have imagined how fast and furiously the money would start flowing in to what was now called “The Diamond Song Project”.

The idea was to raise the budget needed for a song to be professionally written, recorded and produced, made available to download as an MP3 to be released on 15th October, and to produce the limited edition CD you now hold in your hands. This in turn would give the project the added bonus of giving proceeds from its sale to one of Cliff’s favourite charities, Tearfund, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary during this same year as Cliff was celebrating his 60^th. Cliff had announced a new concert tour, and that could just provide the ideal opportunity to present the fan club’s gift to him, either on or off stage, on his birthday at the RAH in London, but by no means was this guaranteed. The presentation to Cliff would include a copy of the CD, plus a specially framed ‘scroll of honour’, which would include the name of everyone who had donated and contributed to the project. In addition to offering fans the chance to donate to the project, it also offered them the chance to submit up to two lines of lyrics that might have been incorporated into the finished song. Another Facebook poll meant that they could also vote on whether the song should be an up-tempo number or ballad. They decided it should be a ballad. When you think of the project in those terms and just how complex it was, and what was involved in making it happen, it was, without question, one of the most ambitious ever launched by a fan club of any artist. Many would regard it impossible, a farfetched dream, and above all, simply not feasible. 43 days after the idea was put to fans though, enough money had been raised to make it happen, so now the real work began to turn the dream into a reality.

From January onwards, Carol kept raising money through the fan club Facebook page, and started to collate the lyrics that fans were sending in with their donations. By the end of February, Carol had contacted the UK Songwriters Guild and eventually found Paul Whitfield who agreed to write the song, both music and words, based on the lyrics Carol had collected from fans. Paul produced a demo two months later in April. During this same period Carol was thinking over who should sing the song, and agreed with her partner-in-crime, Steve Carroll, that it should be a female. She got in touch with Suzie Furlonger and Helen Hobson who were both honorary members of the fan club. Suzie and her husband were expecting their first child so declined the offer, but Helen, was delighted to become involved, offering her professional services for free. It had been some years since she had seen Cliff and had played Cathy to his highly acclaimed portrayal of Heathcliff from 1996 to 1997, and so, the idea of being able to sing a song dedicated to someone she admired, loved and had worked with, simply delighted and thrilled her. Carol, of course, was equally thrilled to have found her voice.

Steve was busy pursuing more donations for the project, including a sponsor for the presentation frame. Both Carol and Steve were busy trying to improve every aspect of the project. Then in early June, another unbelievable surprise happened, when Carol received a message from none other than Alan Tarney who after being told about the project had expressed an interest and was keen to come on board to produce the track, also agreeing to offer his professional services for free as it was a charity single. It was Carol’s icing on the cake, the answer to her dreams to find someone to produce the song. She was completely, as she put it, “beyond excited!” Alan, probably best known for his production of Cliff’s ‘Wired For Sound’ and ‘Always Guaranteed’ Top 5 albums was the perfect choice to undertake producing duties. On the 17th June, Helen laid down her vocals at Alan’s studio, with Alan at the helm and John Brant engineering the sound. The competed track was sent a few days later to Cliff’s regular sound engineer, Keith Bessey, who Alan had in mind from the start for mixing and mastering the track ready for MP3 download and CD production. Once again Carol was literally blown away that she had managed to secure three major players for her project that at one time or another, had and still do, play a role in Cliff’s own recording career. What a literally astounding result for a project that had started out as just an idea. It was now happening for real and with three people she could have only hoped for. When she broke the news on Facebook, the fans were equally ecstatic, and who wouldn’t be? There was even more exciting news around the corner for her to share with the fans. The project has come in under the budget thanks to so many for giving their time and expertise for free. Carol had collected - at the time of writing this - a staggering £8.5k which meant the club’s donation to Tearfund far exceeded what she hoped for, that anybody could hope for. When she broke that news to Tearfund, they too were very excited. No one had raised money for them in this way. A very unique CD project!

When Keith Bessey sent Carol the finished, fully mixed and mastered song, she was suddenly and quite unexpectedly hit by the enormity and emotion of everything she and the fans had achieved. You’ve bought this song, and you have contributed to it. It is, as the cover suggests, the perfect gift to Cliff from his fans to thank him for all the fabulous years of pleasure he has given us through music, movies, TV performances and concerts. This song... a specially written, produced and beautifully crafted song, really says it all.

From us to you!

Thank you Cliff, Happy Birthday and huge congratulations on your 60th anniversary!