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Post by Partridge on Mar 5, 2019 15:17:02 GMT -5
I was looking through my records trying to find the 45 of Rock Me on the Water and I found these singles that I forgot I had:  |
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Post by eddiejinnj on Mar 5, 2019 17:07:05 GMT -5
Those were the days when u said "Linda" (not to be confused with Lynda as in Carter Wonder Woman) u knew whom you were talking about. arghhh flexes muscles lol I want one of those. Way cool!!! eddiejinfl
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Post by sliderocker on Mar 5, 2019 20:51:32 GMT -5
Sad that RCA and Asylum fought over which label was going to release an official version of the duet. Both record companies realized there was a huge hit to be had, but neither side would budge and so, the it became that never was. Incidentally, I believe the guy who pressed up the bootleg copies of the duet was a man I bought old 45s from out of Florida in the 70s. He used to advertise the duet in his sales papers and I'm sorry I never bought a copy from him. He engaged in bootlegging albums and singles and was eventually busted by the FBI and served time in prison. As near as I can remember, I think he died a few years ago.
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Post by erik on Mar 5, 2019 21:54:50 GMT -5
Quote by sliderocker re. Linda/Elvis duet:
You have to wonder, for the umpteenth time, if the true culprit for this duet never being given a legitimate release wasn't maybe The Colonel. It almost feels like he, more than anyone at RCA, Asylum, or in Linda's camp, squelched this because he was more concerned with his own bankbook than the legitimacy of his one client, which, despite all protestations he made to the contrary, he had a history of being. And I just wonder whether he was so threatened by the notion that Linda was as close to a female vocal equivalent to Elvis as there has ever been. Neither RCA nor Asylum knew what they had, but the Colonel did--it just didn't mean dollar signs for him (IMHO).
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Post by RobGNYC on Mar 5, 2019 23:09:20 GMT -5
I think that posthumous "duets" (Natalie and Nat, for example) are pathetic, as awful and predictable as when the back catalog of a deceased singer goes to the top of the charts right after his or her demise (Michael Jackson, Whitney). Why is their music suddenly so much more interesting or saleable just because they died? It's the same music--where were all of these "fans" before their death? Linda and Elvis never sang together so there is no "duet." It's just gruesome to manufacture one in the name of $$$ or morbid curiosity. Yes a dj constructed the Barbra-Neil duet on "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" but they then went into the studio and sang an actual new live version together--very different from these mortuary concoctions. Linda's "Love Me Tender" was a lovely tribute to Elvis--leave it there.
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Post by Tony on Mar 5, 2019 23:40:19 GMT -5
I am in 100% agreement with RobGNYC.
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Post by sliderocker on Mar 6, 2019 0:49:26 GMT -5
Quote by sliderocker re. Linda/Elvis duet: You have to wonder, for the umpteenth time, if the true culprit for this duet never being given a legitimate release wasn't maybe The Colonel. It almost feels like he, more than anyone at RCA, Asylum, or in Linda's camp, squelched this because he was more concerned with his own bankbook than the legitimacy of his one client, which, despite all protestations he made to the contrary, he had a history of being. And I just wonder whether he was so threatened by the notion that Linda was as close to a female vocal equivalent to Elvis as there has ever been. Neither RCA nor Asylum knew what they had, but the Colonel did--it just didn't mean dollar signs for him (IMHO). It was RCA and Asylum, each sticking to their guns on artist representation, neither being willing for their artist to guest on the other artist's record. Parker could've been in there somewhere, realizing he had seriously undersold Elvis' back catalog to RCA in 1973 and asking for a higher royalty. But, from what I understood over the years, it was RCA and Asylum not being able to reach an agreement that would've resulted in a 45 being released. In addition to the artist royalty for Elvis, it could also have been the artist royalty for Linda and however much money RCA and Asylum could've made on their parts. |
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Post by sliderocker on Mar 6, 2019 1:37:31 GMT -5
I think that posthumous "duets" (Natalie and Nat, for example) are pathetic, as awful and predictable as when the back catalog of a deceased singer goes to the top of the charts right after his or her demise (Michael Jackson, Whitney). Why is their music suddenly so much more interesting or saleable just because they died? It's the same music--where were all of these "fans" before their death? Linda and Elvis never sang together so there is no "duet." It's just gruesome to manufacture one in the name of $$$ or morbid curiosity. Yes a dj constructed the Barbra-Neil duet on "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" but they then went into the studio and sang an actual new live version together--very different from these mortuary concoctions. Linda's "Love Me Tender" was a lovely tribute to Elvis--leave it there. With regard to children singing with their deceased parents, I don't see that as pathetic but as something they might have done had their parent lived long enough to record with them. Elvis and Linda probably would've never sung together because of Elvis' manager. In 1963, when Elvis and Ann Margret were all serious about each other after being cast together for "Viva Las Vegas," Parker deep sixed what potentially could've been Elvis' strongest selling soundtrack album, all because Ann sung on three of the songs with Elvis, provided a backing vocal on a fourth and had two solo songs of her own. And she was signed to RCA as well! Parker relented in 1967 for the "Speedway" soundtrack album which gave a spot to Nancy Sinatra on a solo and another song that was supposed to be a duet, but which was mostly Elvis with Nancy adding a few ad libs. As for the matter of duetting, the listener has no way of knowing whether a duet was recorded by both parties in the studio at the same time or if the parts were recorded separately and then blended together. So, it really wouldn't have mattered if Elvis had passed and Linda's version of "Love Me Tender" had been synced to his. Had he been living and a duet between the two been recorded, you still wouldn't have known if they were in the studio together at the time or if the parts had been recorded separately. As for the electronically recorded duet between Elvis and Linda, how many here would've raised an objection if Linda had been all for it? Maybe she would like to have recorded with Elvis if fate had worked out something along those lines, but I don't think any of her fans would've been that damned snooty. As for the back catalog suddenly going back into the charts upon the death of an artist, I think the question has to be who's buying? Is it the same core group of fans? Or is it people who never listened to the artist to begin with or maybe they weren't as yet born? Elvis, like the Beatles and a few others, has never really stopped selling. As Jackie DeShannon once observed, death is a good career move, though the artist is not around to collect royalties from the move. And not every artist or band sees a bump in sales. Some don't see anything at all. In a way, the subject of post-mortem sales is a bit like those who complain about the songs of their favorite singers being covered by other artists. The facts of life in the music business is, the vast majority of artists and bands fade over time. They don't have any more hits and many become just one more act working the oldies circuit. People who get upset because another artist covered a song by their favorite artist don't understand: it makes money for the artist if they happen to be the songwriter. If an artist is no longer an active seller and doesn't work the oldies circuit, he or she may not have much money to get by on. This whole idea artists being fabulously wealthy is sheer idiocy. In some instances, you may be making more money than the artist has seen in ten years or longer, especially the older artists. A bump in sales also bring in money that goes to the survivors of the deceased artists, but yes, I think some of those who buy recordings in the wake of an artist's death are fair weather fans. And they'll move on as soon as the shock over the passing has faded. Oh, maybe a few will remain fans and mourn what they didn't appreciate when the artist was still around. But, some again may be new fans who were too young or not even born when the artist was in their prime. For some artists, their music is immortal. It remains long after they are gone and again, not all artists see that death bump in sales. They don't see any sales increase at all, and that's a pity. |
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Post by the Scribe on Mar 6, 2019 2:03:52 GMT -5
I rather liked the Nat and Natalie Cole duet. Loved the video. The Elvis Linda duet didn't seem to match up to me but not sure I heard the one posted here.
In the age of technology get ready for all kinds of mashups and duets and the unexpected. I am sure they will get better. Some of the hip hop stuff is pretty good too.
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Post by pricepittsburgh on Mar 6, 2019 5:51:59 GMT -5
Quote by sliderocker re. Linda/Elvis duet: You have to wonder, for the umpteenth time, if the true culprit for this duet never being given a legitimate release wasn't maybe The Colonel. It almost feels like he, more than anyone at RCA, Asylum, or in Linda's camp, squelched this because he was more concerned with his own bankbook than the legitimacy of his one client, which, despite all protestations he made to the contrary, he had a history of being. And I just wonder whether he was so threatened by the notion that Linda was as close to a female vocal equivalent to Elvis as there has ever been. Neither RCA nor Asylum knew what they had, but the Colonel did--it just didn't mean dollar signs for him (IMHO). As a huge Elvis fan I agree Linda was the female version in terms of versatility. |
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Post by sliderocker on Mar 6, 2019 11:42:53 GMT -5
I rather liked the Nat and Natalie Cole duet. Loved the video. The Elvis Linda duet didn't seem to match up to me but not sure I heard the one posted here. In the age of technology get ready for all kinds of mashups and duets and the unexpected. I am sure they will get better. Some of the hip hop stuff is pretty good too. The Elvis and Linda duet was poorly synced. Someone else made a better synced version which was once on YouTube, but which has since been removed. Had RCA and Asylum reached an agreement on the duet being officially released, additional instrumentation would likely had to have been added to make it more harmonious of a recording. Linda recorded her version in the same key as Elvis' version, so there wouldn't have been a problem on the vocals. Just minimal instrumentation to wed the two recordings. Likewise, I liked the "Unforgettable" recording by Natalie and her father. I thought it was a beautiful tribute by a daughter for her father. I liked Nat King Cole as well, and kids should be able to add their voices to their father's or mother's recordings if their parent has passed. Some kids got to sing with their parents while they were still living, like Nancy Sinatra singing with her dad, Frank or Buddy Alan singing with his dad, Buck Owens. But, for kids like Natalie or Lisa Marie Presley, the chance to sing with their fathers is something that could only be accomplished by taking an old recording of their father's and adding their voices to the recordings. I'm not going to begrudge them of that honor. |
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Post by sliderocker on Mar 6, 2019 11:53:09 GMT -5
As a huge Elvis fan I agree Linda was the female version in terms of versatility. As a huge Elvis fan myself, I have always said Linda was his female counterpart, the Queen of Rock and Roll to his King of Rock and Roll. They were musical soul mates in that both didn't want to be defined solely by rock and roll. Both had a love for country, gospel (which I thought was surprising on Linda's part, but she sung it beautifully), soul, classical and opera and Mexican songs. Elvis would've loved the albums of Spanish-sung recordings Linda made. Linda might have been nervous if she had worked with Elvis, but those who worked with Elvis in the studio said he put everyone at ease and made them feel comfortable. He would've done that for Linda as well, and the music the two could've made is something we can only dream about. |
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Post by erik on Mar 6, 2019 14:48:35 GMT -5
Quote by sliderocker:
It's true that neither Elvis nor Linda wanted to be defined only by rock and roll. But what is equally true, in my opinion, is that they both defined what rock and roll really is at its roots, a combination of styles that were in existence when the style was born in the early 1950s: C&W; R&B; gospel (both black and white); blues (both urban and rural); pop; and jazz.
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Post by Tony on Mar 6, 2019 16:04:44 GMT -5
I can't imagine that Linda would have wanted to officially release a duet of Love Me Tender that was not an official collaboration between two living artists.
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Post by sliderocker on Mar 6, 2019 17:39:11 GMT -5
I can't imagine that Linda would have wanted to officially release a duet of Love Me Tender that was not an official collaboration between two living artists. As Asylum (Linda's record company at the time) and RCA were in negotiations in 1978 for just such a possibility, it's my guess Linda was asked about it, if she was okay with the idea or opposed to the idea. Given the fact Asylum was in negotiations with RCA to arrange a release, one can surmise Linda didn't have any objections. The deal killer was the record companies themselves. Both wanted to release the so called duet and neither wanted to be the silent partner. |
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Post by moon on Mar 6, 2019 21:14:18 GMT -5
I enjoyed the Natalie Nat duet. It was a loving tribute to her Dad. Natalie was a great talent so it never seemed like a sad way to try and make money off her Dad.
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Post by Partridge on Mar 6, 2019 22:44:13 GMT -5
The Natalie Cole duet was not made by pasting two performances together. Natalie took an existing recording and worked with it to create a duet. I have no problem with it. Maybe if Linda took the Elvis song and worked with it to create a duet, it might sound good, but it's still a ghoulish idea to me. Elvis is not her family. I found this link which contains a version of the Elvis/Linda duet- I don't think it's the same one that was released on 45: creation of Linda Ronstadt/Elvis Presley duet |
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Post by sliderocker on Mar 6, 2019 23:56:35 GMT -5
The Natalie Cole duet was not made by pasting two performances together. Natalie took an existing recording and worked with it to create a duet. I have no problem with it. Maybe if Linda took the Elvis song and worked with it to create a duet, it might sound good, but it's still a ghoulish idea to me. Elvis is not her family. I found this link which contains a version of the Elvis/Linda duet- I don't think it's the same one that was released on 45: creation of Linda Ronstadt/Elvis Presley duetWhen it came to the Elvis and Linda duet, as mentioned, some work would had to have been done to have made it a better recording that would've done justice for both Elvis and Linda. Again, additional instrumentation was needed which could've joined the two performances. Had the project been done, I would've favored the performance from Elvis' 1968 TV special to have been used. Was the idea a ghoulish idea? I hadn't thought along those lines though I'll admit to being more somewhat pure: I didn't much care for RCA/BMG/Sony/Elvis' estate taking Elvis' catalog and create new backing tracks, an album of Christmas duets (where was Linda?), the recordings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra out of England, etc. My preference was they promote Elvis' catalog as it was but, the whole idea is to keep Elvis' memory and his music alive. It didn't matter if Linda was or wasn't family. Maybe the timing of a duet being created in 1978, barely a year after Elvis' death was a little ghoulish, but what about as time passed? Is it still ghoulish? And although Linda wasn't family, neither was Barbra Streisand when she created a duet between herself and Elvis. Was that a ghoulish idea? Or was it Streisand paying tribute to an artist she held in high regard? Would a duet between Linda and Elvis been no less of a tribute on Linda's part for an artist who had been part of her musical life and for whom she also held in high regard? Quite a few singers have added their voices to Elvis' recordings but those singers were not in Elvis' league. Linda was and is, because she was the first truly successful female rock artist to sell in the kind of numbers Elvis sold in. I don't care when others say another female singer, solo or in a band, was the first female rock performer to be successful - I don't dispute that they were, but they didn't sell in the numbers Linda sold. Some of the voices would not have blended with Elvis' voice. Linda's voice would've blended in nicely with Elvis' voice, and she was the female Elvis in terms of musical artistry. In all honesty, I wish Linda could've recorded an album's worth of tunes with Elvis when he was living. But, that was an opportunity that would not have happened while his manager was still Colonel Parker. Another manager might have had more foresight with regard to Elvis recording with other artists, but his death took that possibility away. And other artists adding their vocals to an Elvis recording can only hint as to what might have been, but Linda still should've been the only non-family musical performer who sung with Elvis. |
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Post by rick on Jun 17, 2022 3:50:42 GMT -5
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Post by rick on Aug 2, 2022 13:52:54 GMT -5
Was going to put this in the IG (Instagram) but this seems more appropriate here -- Linda is on the second panel -- https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgvy8i9ORa5 Here is a screenshot of the Linda/Elvis one --  |
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Post by eddiejinnj on Aug 2, 2022 14:52:29 GMT -5
I have never seen that mag cover, ever. It is still amazing to see "new to me" things about Linda that I can look forward reading/seeing. This instance is a tabloid so I am very curious to see this slant in a story. eddiejinnj
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Post by rick on Aug 2, 2022 19:11:26 GMT -5
It's interesting that Linda was so red-hot in 1979 when that tabloid article appeared that she was featured alongside the Elizabeth Taylors and Loni Andersons or whomever. It is amazing the kind of incredulous stuff that they would concoct and people would BUY IT!
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Post by Partridge on Aug 2, 2022 22:38:45 GMT -5
I had never seen that Elvis/Linda issue either. I would like to have it for my hoard but the article is probably 100% hooey. Here is a close-up of the cover. $30 on ebay.  |
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Post by musedeva on Aug 2, 2022 22:57:02 GMT -5
jsut.....WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
can we ;get a mash up...Puhlease....gottah hear it!!!
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Post by rick on Aug 2, 2022 23:20:16 GMT -5
jsut.....WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can we ;get a mash up...Puhlease....gottah hear it!!! musee, please scroll up in this thread and there is a mix of their voices. |
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Post by Muse1 on Aug 3, 2022 2:13:17 GMT -5
thank YOu! just heard that....Elvis was backin' her up!!
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