Soundtrack Session for M.G.M.: Jailhouse Rock, May 3, 1957

Studio :

Radio Recorders, West Hollywood, California

Producer :

Jeffrey Alexander

Engineer :

Thorne Nogar

Treat Me Nice (movie version)

2008

May 3 (Fri.): 09:00 - 13:05 

Take 01

Take 02

Take 03

Take 04

Take 05

Take 06

PB

2:06

Today, Tomorrow and Forever 1

Take 07

Take 08

PB

2:02

UN

Take 09

Take 10

PB

2:02

Used for spliced master.

"Essential 1"(announcement followed by spliced, undubbed master)

Take 11

PB

1:58

UN

Take 12

FS

0:20

Close Up 1°°

Take 13

PB

1:58

Used for spliced master.

Close Up 1°°

Spliced

(M)

2:12

Splice of takes 10 & 13. Final version overdubbed.

H2WB 6778

Jailhouse Rock '97/Essential 1

I Want to Be Free (prison TV version)

2009

May 3 (Fri.): 09:00 - 13:05 

Take 01

Take 02

Take 03

NA

2:01-

Today, Tomorrow and Forever(part only, spliced with take 4)

Take 04

NA

2:01-

Today, Tomorrow and Forever(part only, spliced with take 3, 2:01)

Take 05

Take 06

Take 07

Take 08

Take 09

Take 10

PB?

:

"NG". Used for spliced master

Take 11

PB

2:15

Flashback°°

Take 12

PB

2:06

Used for spliced master

Close Up 1°°

Take 13

PB

2:06

Used for spliced master

Spliced

M

2:07

Spliced from takes 10, 12 and 13

WPA5 2508

Jailhouse Rock '97

I Want to Be Free (record version)

2010

May 3 (Fri.): 09:00 - 13:05 

Take 01

Take 02

Take 03

Take 04

Take 05

Take 06

Take 07

Take 08

PB

:

"NG"

Take 09

PB

2:16

Take 10

Take 11

(M)

2:21

Used for composite master 

Close Up 1°°('yawning' at end & last chord with drums, not bass)

I Want to Be Free (pickup 1st ending)

2011

May 3 (Fri.): 09:00 - 13:05 

Take 01

Probably last chord(with drums) replaced with bass.

Take 02

(M)

0:25

Not used, or used for spliced master of record ver.

last chord replaced with bass, 'yawning' vocal at end kept

I Want to Be Free (pickup 2nd ending)

2012

May 3 (Fri.): 09:00 - 13:05 

Take 01

Probably overdub of yawning vocal at end

Take 02

(PB)

0:25

Take 03

(PB)

0:25

Take 04

Take 05

(M)

0:25

Probably used for spliced master of record version

last chord with drums, not bass, kept; 'yawning' vocal at end replaced

I Want to Be Free (record version, composite)

Spliced PB 2:14 Spliced from 2010-11 and 2011-2 Essential 1(could be composite of 2010 and 2011: 'yawn'+bass ending)
Spliced M 2:14 Spliced from 2010-11 and 2012-5  H2WB 6781 Jailhouse Rock '97/50's Box 3 (no 'yawn'+drum ending)

Baby I Don't Care (track)

2013

May 3 (Fri.): 09:00 - 13:05, 14:30 - 18:25  

Take 01

Take 02

Take 03

Take 04

Take 05

Take 06

Take 07

Take 08

Take 09

Take 10

Take 11

Take 12

Take 13

Take 14

Take 15

Take 16

(M)

1:52

Final vocal overdub on May 8

Close Up 1(right channel)+"Essential 1"

Baby I Don't Care (Jerry Leiber demo)

2014

Take 01

M

1:52

"Jerry Leiber, vocal w/rhythm accomp."

Jerry's scratch vocal possibly recorded live (2013)

Baby I Don't Care (vocal overdub 1)

2015

May 3 (Fri.): 14:30 - 18:25 

Take 01

PB

1:45

First vocal overdub of 2013-16. Not used

Close Up 1°°

Take 02 FS
Take 03 FS
Take 04 LFS

Don't Leave Me Now ("demo version") 

2016

May 3 (Fri.): 14:30 - 18:25 

Take 01

PB

1:46

UN

Take 02

M

1:46

Close Up 1°°/Jailhouse Rock '97

Don't Leave Me Now (hit record version)

2017

May 3 (Fri.): 14:30 - 18:25 

Take 01

Take 02

Take 03

Take 04

Take 05

Take 06

Take 07

Take 08

Take 09

Take 10

Take 11

Take 12

Take 13

Take 14

Take 15

Take 16

FS

0:26

Silver Screen Stereo°°

Take 17

FS

0:17

Silver Screen Stereo°°

Take 18

M

2:00

Original time note: "1:55"

Silver Screen Stereo°°/Jailh. Rock Sessions LP(track 1)+"Silver Screen Stereo"

Take 19

Take 20

Take 21

PB

2:01

"NG"

Jailhouse Rock Sessions LP(track 7)+"tape"

Musicians:

Guitar :

Scotty Moore

Guitar :

Elvis Presley

Bass :

Bill Black

Bass :

Elvis Presley -only on Baby I Don't Care (track)

Drums :

D.J. Fontana

Piano :

Dudley Brooks

Backup Vocals :

The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker, Hoyt Hawkins, Neal Matthews and Hugh Jarrett


Notes:

I Want to Be Free (record version):

Two versions of the record version have been released. Both are basically 2010-11, but the last 8 seconds are different. The version released on 'Essential 1' (with studio dialogue) has dry vocals, implying it was taken from the MGM tapes rather than the tape that was sent to RCA. Since the pickup recordings were named pickup 1st ending and pickup 2nd ending, it is possible that both the "Essential 1" version and the regular master were repaired. It is also possible that the last 8 seconds of the RCA master were taken from pickup 2nd ending and the 17 seconds before that from pickup 1st ending. Another possibility would be that one of the pickup versions was used for the prison TV version.

 

Don't Leave Me Now (2016):

Finally released on the 1997 'Jailhouse Rock' CD.

Don't Leave Me Now (hit record version):

RCA received 2 complete takes, take 18 & 21. The better take 18 can be identified by a high piano note at the end.

Thanks to Henk Muller.