TCBCast 367: Felton Jarvis & Elvis, Part 2: "My Boy"

After setting the stage by understanding producer Felton Jarvis's career leading up to his early collaborations with Elvis, we continue to investigate and interrogate the fan belief that he was singularly to blame for the "syrupy" overdubs that diminished the "pure" unfinished tracks.

Helped along by a 1980 interview done between Felton and Jerry Flowers of RCA in which the producer talks about his career retrospectively, Justin and Bec trace Felton's journey as Elvis hires and hand-picks him to be his exclusive producer, taking Felton away from RCA and other artists so that Elvis can, as a largely autonomous artist whose only studio commitments during this decade are to send periodic deliverables to RCA, work at his own pace and create the kind of recordings that he truly wants.

But was Felton truly to blame for the overindulgent strings and horns that were added to Elvis's music, or is there someone else that we've collectively overlooked? And has the narrative been all wrong and the way we even talk about "overdubs" been clouded by a widespread "rockist" misunderstanding of both Elvis and Felton, their respective jobs and tastes, and misunderstood expectations of the kind of music both fans & critics thought Elvis "should" be making? 

The duo examine Elvis's live performances in relation to his studio work, touch on a few more non-Elvis records produced by Felton, and even revisit the 1981 "Guitar Man" project Felton spearheaded before his early death to see if it provides clearer insight into the producer's preferences and tastes.

For Song of the Week, Bec makes a promise that "It Won't Be Long," covering the recording cut from "Double Trouble," while Justin goes prospecting because he's pretty sure "There's Gold in the Mountains" still to be dug up from "Kissin' Cousins."

Some of the resources consulted for this and the last episode included, even if not quoted or mentioned in the final episode:

Felton Jarvis's 1980 Interview with Jerry Flowers of RCA
William Bozeman: "Felton Jarvis: The Man Behind the Music" from Elvis Express Magazine
Peter Guralnick: Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley
Roben Jones: Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios
Rick Hall: The Man from Muscle Shoals: My Journey from Shame to Fame
Norbert Putnam: Musical Memories, Volume 1
Ernst Jorgensen: Elvis Presley - A Life in Music
Ernst Jorgensen & Peter Guralnick: "Elvis Day By Day" and "The Complete Masters"
Ernst Jorgensen, Johnny Mikkelsen & Erik Rasmussen: Reconsider Baby: The Definitive Elvis Sessionography
Elvis Music FAQ by Mike Eder
Alanna Nash: "Revelations from the Memphis Mafia" & "The Colonel"
Luther Moore: "Felton Jarvis Re-Appraised" from Elvis: The Man & His Music magazine
Brian F. White's Interview with Norbert Putnam: https://www.brianfwright.com/interviews/norbert-putnam
Michael Nesmith: Infinite Tuesday - An Autobiographical Riff
TapeOP's Interview with Chip Young: https://tapeop.com/interviews/124/chip-young
Various reviews, articles, editorials, and interviews compiled from across Elvis Australia, Elvis Information Network, Elvis-History-Blog, Elvis Monthly, Strictly Elvis, Arjan Deelan as well as Discogs, KeithFlynn.uk, Elvisconcerts.com and other resources online.