KING
OF AMERICA
ORIGINAL ALBUM (58:04)
- Brilliant Mistake (3:45)
- Lovable (2:51)
- Our Little Angel (4:04)
- Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (3:18)
- Glitter Gulch (3:14)
- Indoor Fireworks (4:06)
- Little Palaces (3:48)
- I'll Wear It Proudly (4:19)
- American Without Tears (4:31)
- Eisenhower Blues (3:43)
- Poisoned Rose (4:05)
- The Big Light (2:32)
- Jack Of All Parades (5:17)
- Suit Of Lights (4:02)
- Sleep Of The Just (3:51)
- Having It All (solo demo) (3:53)
- Suffering Face (solo demo) (3:05)
- Deportee (solo demo) (3:31)
- Indoor Fireworks (solo demo) (3:46)
- I Hope You're Happy Now (solo demo) (3:02)
- Poisoned Rose (solo demo) (4:09)
- I'll Wear It Proudly (solo demo) (3:23)
- Jack Of All Parades (solo demo) (3:29)
- The People's Limousine The Coward Brothers (3:38)
- They'll Never Take Her Love From Me The Coward Brothers (2:52)
- King Of Confidence (2:46)
- Shoes Without Heels (4:15)
- End Of The Rainbow (solo demo) (3:25)
- Betrayal (2:22)
- That's How You Got Killed Before (live) (3:13)
- The Big Light (live) (3:08)
- It Tears Me Up (live) (3:26)
- The Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line (live) (2:42)
- Your Mind Is On Vacation / Your Funeral My Trial (live) (5:16)
- That's How You Got Killed Before (reprise) (live) (7:00)
- True Love Ways (live) (3:32)
Initial copies of Ryko's CD included a bonus disc with six tracks from an October 23, 1986 concert. Although notable for including some covers which have otherwise gone unrecorded by Elvis, the overall effect of reducing a 30-song concert to a six-song excerpt (with one song appearing in two versions!) created a somewhat disappointing listening experience. Although I had previously speculated that Rhino might either ignore this material or put it on a separate release, Rhino's bonus disc does in fact repeat the entirety of the Live On Broadway, 1986 CD, adding one additional song from the concert.
With over half of Rhino's bonus disc devoted to repeating the 40 minutes' worth of bonus material from the Ryko release, Rhino's King Of America offers fewer surprises than past Costello reissues, especially for fans already familiar with the King Of Americana bootleg. There are also some puzzling omissions, even when the limited amount of space available is taken into account. Nevertheless, there is no denying that the overall quality of the bonus disc material is very high.
WHAT'S NEW
HAVING IT ALL (SOLO DEMO)
Elvis wrote "Having It All" to be sung by actress Patsy Kensit in the film Absolute Beginners, but the song went unused. This is the song's first ever official release, although it was played in concert several times between 1984 and 1986, featured in 1989's Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Spike BBC TV special, and even revived for 1995's Meltdown festival. At one point it was expected to appear on Ryko's 1995 King Of America reissue, but it failed to make the cut. Elvis writes in the Rhino notes, "I have held it back from release in the past, always imagining that I might re-record it." At the time of the Ryko reissue, he may have imagined re-recording it for use on All This Useless Beauty. This solo performance was recorded July 21, 1985 at Ocean Way during the King Of America sessions and previously appeared on the bootleg King Of Americana. The bootleg includes a false start which is not on the official release.
DEPORTEE (SOLO DEMO)
Elvis recorded at least two versions of "Deportee." The first was recorded April 15, 1985 at Red Bus Studios and released as a bonus track on Ryko's Goodbye Cruel World (and notably omitted from Rhino's version of that title). The second was recorded July 21, 1985 at Ocean Way and appeared on the bootleg King Of Americana before receiving its first official release on Rhino's bonus disc. The reason for using the alternate version is unclear, but it appears to have been a deliberate choice rather than a case of using the wrong tape. It seems likely that many casual listeners won't even notice the substitution, since the two performances are very similar. (Perhaps the most obvious way to tell them apart is to listen to the phrase "yankee wife." On the Rhino version, Elvis' voice cracks on the word "yankee." On the Ryko, it cracks on "wife.") The song is a reworking of the Goodbye Cruel World track "The Deportees Club." Christy Moore released a cover version in 1989 which followed this basic arrangement but retained the original title.
INDOOR FIREWORKS (SOLO DEMO)
POISONED ROSE (SOLO DEMO)
These demos were recorded along with "Suffering Face" at Sunset Sound February 14, 1985, during the same visit to Los Angeles which produced the Coward Brothers single. Elvis had described this demo session as "increasingly incoherent" in the Ryko liner notes, but in the Rhino notes he clarifies that the session went downhill after these particular performances were recorded.
I'LL WEAR IT PROUDLY (SOLO DEMO)
This demo was recorded April 15, 1985 at Red Bus Studios during the same session that produced the version of "Deportee" which is not on this bonus disc.
JACK OF ALL PARADES (SOLO DEMO)
While Rhino's track notes reveal the exact recording date and location for the other demos, this one has a less precise identification of "Hollywood (July 1985)." In the liner notes, Elvis says he has "no memory of recording" it. This is the same performance that previously appeared on the bootleg King Of Americana and is notable for opening with some lyrics which ended up in "Suit Of Lights."
END OF THE RAINBOW (SOLO DEMO)
This Richard Thompson cover was recorded July 21, 1985 and previously appeared on the bootleg King Of Americana. A different version of this song was previously released on the charity album The Anti-Heroin Project — It's A Live-In World.
BETRAYAL
"Betrayal" was played several times in concert in 1985, but there was no indication that it had ever been attempted in the studio until it turned up on Rhino's reissue. It was recorded with the Attractions at Ocean Way on August 21, 1985, the same date they recorded "Baby's Got A Brand New Hairdo." This is the first official release of any version of "Betrayal," although many of the song's lyrics were reused in "Tramp The Dirt Down."
TRUE LOVE WAYS (LIVE, NEW YORK, OCT. 23, 1986)
This Buddy Holly cover comes from the same show as the other Live On Broadway tracks. Despite Elvis' suggestion in the liner notes that it was performed as an encore (and its placement at the end of the bonus disc), it actually featured closer to the show's midway point.
WHAT'S OLD (BUT NOT ON THE RYKO CD)
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY NOW (SOLO DEMO)
[B-side of "I Want You" (7-inch & 12-inch singles)]
The solo version of "I Hope You're Happy Now" comes from the February 14, 1985 "Suffering Face" session. Elvis alluded to the track in the Ryko liner notes ("A very ponderous reading of 'I Hope You're Happy Now' was briefly released from this session...") but did not include it on the CD. As it was also inadvertently omitted from the Singles, Volume 3 CD box set (a previously unreleased band version appeared in its place), it makes its long-overdue CD debut on the Rhino release. (Curiously, some pre-release promo copies of the expanded King Of America included a subtly different demo version, notable for Elvis laughing as he sings the word "laughter." This was apparently a mistake, and the correct version was used on the final CD.)
RYKO REPEATS
SUFFERING FACE (SOLO DEMO)
This solo performance was recorded February 14, 1985 at Sunset Sound, during the same visit to Los Angeles which produced the Coward Brothers single. Elvis mentions in the Rhino liner notes that this performance was "briefly considered" for inclusion on the original album. "Suffering Face" had been performed in concert in 1984, but its first official release was on the Ryko CD. Some of its lyrics ended up in "Crimes Of Paris" on Blood & Chocolate.
THE PEOPLE'S LIMOUSINE The Coward Brothers
THEY'LL NEVER TAKE HER LOVE FROM ME The Coward Brothers
The Coward Brothers' debut single was recorded at the Sound Factory and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles in early 1985. "The People's Limousine" was later included on Out Of Our Idiot, while "They'll Never Take Her Love From Me" made its CD debut on the various artists collection From Hell To Obscurity.
KING OF CONFIDENCE
Recorded July 29, 1985 at Sunset Sound, "King of Confidence" was released for the first time on the Ryko CD, although it had been played in concert a few times in 1985 and 1986 and came close to being included on the "Blue Chair" single in 1987. Elvis says in the Rhino liner notes that it nearly made the original album, before being dropped in favor of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."
SHOES WITHOUT HEELS
Recorded July 22, 1985 at Ocean Way, the same session which produced "Glitter Gulch," "Shoes Without Heels" did not make the album and instead turned up on the "Blue Chair" 12-inch single in 1987. It was included on Out Of Our Idiot that same year.
THAT'S HOW YOU GOT KILLED BEFORE (LIVE, NEW YORK, OCT. 23, 1986)
THE BIG LIGHT (LIVE, NEW YORK, OCT. 23, 1986)
IT TEARS ME UP (LIVE, NEW YORK, OCT. 23, 1986)
THE ONLY DADDY THAT'LL WALK THE LINE (LIVE, NEW YORK, OCT. 23, 1986)
YOUR MIND IS ON VACATION / YOUR FUNERAL MY TRIAL (LIVE, NEW YORK, OCT. 23, 1986)
THAT'S HOW YOU GOT KILLED BEFORE (REPRISE) (LIVE, NEW YORK, OCT. 23, 1986)
These songs represent the entirety of the Live On Broadway, 1986 bonus CD included with the initial pressing of Ryko's King Of America. Percy Sledge's "It Tears Me Up," Waylon Jennings' "The Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line," Mose Allison's "Your Mind Is On Vacation," and Sonny Boy Williamson's "Your Funeral My Trial" are otherwise unrecorded by Elvis. Rhino's presentation of this material differs somewhat from Ryko's. On the Ryko CD, the first "That's How You Got Killed Before" fades in just before Elvis starts to sing, while Rhino restores the complete instrumental intro, which lasts about 30 seconds. Rhino also adds some previously unheard stage patter prior to "It Tears Me Up" and "Your Mind Is On Vacation." However, there are two brief bits included on the Ryko but missing from the Rhino: some extra drum taps just before the second "That's How You Got Killed Before" begins and a shouted "goodnight" from Elvis as that song ends. (The "goodnight" was presumably omitted because "That's How You Got Killed Before" no longer closes the disc.)
WHAT'S MISSING (RELEASED RECORDINGS)
I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY NOW (CONFEDERATES VERSION)
["I Want You" CD single included in Singles, Vol. 3]
The 1986 vinyl single of "I Want You" featured a solo version of "I Hope You're Happy Now" on its B-side. However, the 2003 CD box set Singles, Volume 3 CD box set mistakenly included this previously unreleased band version in its place. This seems to be the version Elvis describes in the liner notes as featuring Jim Keltner, Jerry Scheff, and Mitchell Froom, and coming from the same session which produced the album version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." It had previously appeared on the bootleg King Of Americana.
END OF THE RAINBOW
[The Anti-Heroin Project — It's A Live-In World album by various artists]
Elvis submitted a simple guitar/vocal recording for use on an anti-heroin charity album. However, by the time of its 1986 release, the original recording had been overdubbed (without Elvis' permission!) by producer Charley Foskett with a bass part and harmony vocal, which Elvis believes "utterly ruined" the song. Rhino sidesteps the issue of whether to include this song in its original or overdubbed state by including an entirely different take of the song. It is not entirely clear when or where the charity version was recorded, but Elvis' liner notes suggest it predates the July 21 version featured on Rhino's bonus disc.
DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD (LIVE, NEW YORK, FEB. 11, 1986)
[A-side of promo-only 12-inch single; also on Singles, Vol. 3]
This solo live recording made a somewhat unexpected CD debut — arguably its first ever commercial release — on the "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" CD single included in the Singles, Volume 3 box.
DON'T GET ABOVE YOUR RAISING (LIVE, LONDON, MAY 1985) with Ricky Skaggs
[Live In London album by Ricky Skaggs]
Although technically a duet, Elvis' contribution to this track is fairly minor, and it is not surprising that it failed to make the bonus disc. To the best of my knowledge, it remains undetermined whether the track comes from the May 18 or May 19 concert.
LITTLE PALACES (ALTERNATE MIX)
[King Of America Ryko CD & 1995 Demon CD]
Although few seem to have noticed, the 1995 King Of America reissue mistakenly used an alternate mix of "Little Palaces" lacking a bass overdub. Thankfully, the 2005 reissue uses the correct mix.
WHAT'S MISSING (UNRELEASED & UNRECORDED)
AMERICAN WITHOUT TEARS (DEMO)
In the Ryko liner notes, Elvis mentioned recording this demo at the February 14, 1985 "Suffering Face" session.
THE BIG LIGHT (DEMO)
OUR LITTLE ANGEL (DEMO)
SHOES WITHOUT HEELS (DEMO)
BRILLIANT MISTAKE (DEMO)
LOVABLE (DEMO)
GLITTER GULCH (DEMO)
LITTLE PALACES (DEMO)
MY YOUNGEST SON CAME HOME TODAY (DEMO)
SHE MOVED THROUGH THE FAIR (DEMO)
I FEEL LIKE GOING HOME (DEMO)
RUNNING OUT OF FOOLS (DEMO)
Disc 1 of the bootleg King Of Americana includes 15 solo demos, with Elvis accompanying himself on either guitar or piano. Four of these demos -- "Having It All," "Deportee," "Jack Of All Parades," and "End Of The Rainbow" -- appear on Rhino's bonus disc, while these 11 remain officially unreleased. There are no real duds among these performances, but perhaps the most notable of the omitted tracks are two songs otherwise unrecorded by Elvis — Eric Bogle's "My Youngest Son Came Home Today" and Charlie Rich's "I Feel Like Going Home." The majority of these demos were probably recorded July 21, 1985 at Ocean Way.
SLEEP OF THE JUST (DEMO)
NEXT TIME ROUND (DEMO)
Elvis deems these guitar/vocal performances "inferior versions" in the Rhino liner notes. They were recorded April 15, 1985 at Red Bus Studios along with "I'll Wear It Proudly" and the Ryko version of "Deportee."
BLUE CHAIR (DEMO)
KING OF CONFIDENCE (DEMO)
These additional guitar/vocal demos may also come from the Red Bus demo session.
BRILLIANT MISTAKE (ALTERNATE VERSION)
BLUE CHAIR (BASIC TAKE OF SINGLE VERSION)
Disc 2 of King Of Americana includes quite a lot of unreleased material from the King Of America sessions, but the vast majority of it was never really suitable for the bonus disc. In addition to the band take on "I Hope You're Happy Now" (first heard on the bootleg but subsequently released on Singles, Volume 3), the most interesting tracks are a completely different band arrangement of "Brilliant Mistake" and the original version of "Blue Chair," which includes some different lyrics and was substantially reworked prior to its 1987 release as a single (available on the Blood & Chocolate bonus disc). The rest of the material on King Of Americana disc 2 has the same basic performances found on the album presented in an unfinished state. Some of the variations are interesting ("Suit Of Lights" minus keyboard overdubs, "Jack Of All Parades" without Steve Nieve's distinctive keyboard part and some production effects, "Lovable" without the organ and harmony vocal, "Eisenhower Blues" before Elvis redid his vocal, "Poisoned Rose" with some different vocals), but with plenty of more substantially different unreleased material available from this period, it is not surprising that it failed to make the bonus disc. (As for the rest of the King Of Americana material, "Baby's Got A Brand New Hairdo," "Indoor Fireworks," and a second "Brilliant Mistake" seem to have only minor mixing variations, while "Our Little Angel," "The Big Light," "American Without Tears," "Glitter Gulch," "King Of Confidence," "Shoes Without Heels," "I'll Wear It Proudly," and "Sleep Of The Just" are seemingly identical to their officially released incarnations.)
LOVABLE (ALTERNATE VERSION)
INDOOR FIREWORKS (ALTERNATE VERSION)
Elvis' liner notes mention an initial attempt at these songs during the session which produced "Glitter Gulch" and "Shoes Without Heels." They presumably have Elvis backed by James Burton, Jerry Scheff, and Ron Tutt. Since the album versions come from later sessions and feature some differences in the musicians and instrumentation (Scheff, Jim Keltner, and Mitchell Froom on "Lovable" and Burton, Scheff, and Froom on "Indoor Fireworks"), the alternates could be significantly different.
BRILLIANT MISTAKE (ATTRACTIONS VERSION)
NEXT TIME ROUND (EARLY ATTRACTIONS VERSION)
BLUE CHAIR (EARLY ATTRACTIONS VERSION)
Elvis had originally planned to feature the Attractions on about half of King Of America, but plans were scaled back when their sessions did not live up to his expectations. Only three songs from the Attractions sessions have surfaced: "Suit Of Lights," "Baby's Got A Brand New Hairdo," and "Betrayal." It is unclear how much else they recorded, but Elvis' liner notes mention they recorded "lackluster versions" of "Next Time Round" and "Blue Chair," both of which were ultimately re-recorded for Blood & Chocolate. It is not entirely clear whether "Brilliant Mistake" made it past the rehearsal stage.
WHY DON'T WE TRY ANYMORE
Elvis played this song in concert a couple of times in 1985, explaining that he wrote it with John Doe of the band X. Elvis says he never recorded it himself, but a version by Doe's other band The Knitters eventually turned up on the 1999 album Poor Little Knitter On The Road: A Tribute To The Knitters. Curiously, Doe is the only credited writer on that release. The song is also expected to appear on the upcoming Knitters album The Modern Sounds Of The Knitters, which is scheduled for a July 2005 release.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Two tracks which originate from the King Of America sessions — "Baby's Got A Brand New Hairdo" and the single version of "Blue Chair" — appear instead on the Blood & Chocolate bonus disc.
The alternate "Deportee" could just as easily be listed here, but it's discussed on the Goodbye Cruel World page.
