"A Day in the life"
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 1, 1971, (Saturday)
372 Camino Norte, Palm Springs, California.
Elvis and Priscilla spent their wedding anniversary in Palm Springs.
BILLBOARD POP CHART (singles)
HOT 100:
"Joy to the World" by three Dog Night.
"Where Did They Go, Lord" by Elvis Presley. #61
EASY LISTENING (TOP 40):
"If" by Bread.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY CHART (singles)
HOT COUNTRY SINGLES:
"Empty Arms" by Sonny James.
"Where Did They Go, Lord" by Elvis Presley. #55
BILLBOARD SOUL CHART (singles)
BEST SELLING SOUL SIDES:
"Never Can Say Goodbye" by the Jackson 5.
BILLBOARD POP CHART (LP)
TOP LP's
"Jesus Christ, Superstar" by Various Artists.
"Elvis Country" by Elvis Presley. #69
"You'll Never Walk Alone" by Elvis Presley. #87
"That's the Way It Is" by Elvis Presley. #118
BILLBOARD COUNTRY CHART (LP)
HOT COUNTRY LP'S
"Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson.
"Elvis Country" by Elvis Presley. #9
BILLBOARD SOUL CHART (LP)
BEST SELLING SOUL LP'S
"Curtis" by Curtis Mayfield.
BILLBOARD CHART (TAPE)
BEST SELLING 8-TRACK & CASSETTE
"Jesus Christ, Superstar" by Various Artists.
"Elvis Country" by Elvis Presley. #30
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 2, 1971, (Sunday)
No information.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 3, 1971, (Monday)
Elvis was seen as an outpatient at the Palm Springs hospital.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 4, 1971, (Tuesday)
No information.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 5, 1971, (Wednesday)
No information.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 6, 1971, (Thursday)
No information.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 7, 1971, (Friday)
After returning to Los Angeles, Elvis flew to Las Vegas with Joe Esposito, Charlie Hodge, James Caughley (who replaced Richard Davis in the entourage), Red West and Mike Keaton, while limousine driver Gerald Peters ("Sir Gerald") drove so as to be available for chauffeur duty for the length of Elvis' stay.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 8, 1971, (Saturday)
No information.
BILLBOARD POP CHART (singles)
HOT 100:
"Joy to the World" by three Dog Night.
EASY LISTENING (TOP 40):
"If" by Bread.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY CHART (singles)
HOT COUNTRY SINGLES:
"How Much More Can She Stand" by Conway Twitty.
"Where Did They Go, Lord" by Elvis Presley. #60
BILLBOARD SOUL CHART (singles)
BEST SELLING SOUL SIDES:
"Never Can Say Goodbye" by the Jackson 5.
BILLBOARD POP CHART (LP)
TOP LP's
"Jesus Christ, Superstar" by Various Artists.
"Elvis Country" by Elvis Presley. #70
"You'll Never Walk Alone" by Elvis Presley. #123
"That's the Way It Is" by Elvis Presley. #130
BILLBOARD COUNTRY CHART (LP)
HOT COUNTRY LP'S
"Help Me Make it Through the Night" by Sammi Smith.
"Elvis Country" by Elvis Presley. #9
BILLBOARD SOUL CHART (LP)
BEST SELLING SOUL LP'S
"Maybe Tomorrow" by the Jackson 5.
BILLBOARD CHART (TAPE)
BEST SELLING 8-TRACK & CASSETTE
"Jesus Christ, Superstar" by Various Artists.
"Elvis Country" by Elvis Presley. #33
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 9, 1971, (Sunday)
No information.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 10, 1971, (Monday)
Late in the evening Elvis flew back to Los Angeles.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 11, 1971, (Tuesday)
No information.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 12, 1971, (Wednesday)
Sir Gerald took Elvis to the Self-Realization Center overlooking Pasadena. It should be noted that while Larry Geller had long since been banished and Elvis burned many of his religious texts shortly after his marriage to Priscilla four years before, he had never abandoned his spiritual search, and there were numerous indications over the years of his sustained spiritual commitment. His renewed contact with Sri Daya Mata was remarked upon in a somewhat confused way in a Rona Barrett column in September.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 13, 1971, (Thursday)
No information.
Sometime in May, RCA released their latest Elvis single; "Life"/"Only Believe" (RCA 47-9985). This single had a gospel feel to it . The sleeve used a live photo from his Las Vegas engagement in Jan/Feb 1970. It also promoted the upcoming RCA full-price album; "Love Letters from Elvis" while the back promoted the new budget Camden release; "You'll Never Walk Alone". It is possibly fair to say that this and the least single contained weaker material compared to the previous ones.
Songs: "Life"/"Only Believe"
RCA Victor (47-9985)
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 14, 1971, (Friday)
No information.
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 15, 1971, (Saturday)
Elvis returned to Nashville under pressure from RCA, who had already announced the upcoming release of a new Christmas album and who were, as always, looking for new singles material.
RECORDING SESSION: - (RCA)
RCA Victor Studio B, 30 Music Square, Nashville, Tennessee. (6:00 pm - 9:00 pm) (10:00 pm - 12:00 am) (1:00 am - 4:00 am)
Producer(s): Felton Jarvis.
Engineer: Al Pachucki.
Musicians: Vocals: Elvis Presley - Lead Guitar: James Burton - Guitar: Jerry Stembridge (Chip Young) - Guitar: Charlie Hodge - Guitar: Joe Esposito - Bass Guitar: Norbert Puttnam - Drums: Jerry Carrigan - Piano: David Briggs - Organ/Percussion/Marimba: Charlie McCoy.
To establish the right kind of mood, Felton set up a decorated Christmas tree, complete with wrapped presents (all empty) and Lamar even appeared dressed as Santa Claus. Joe Esposito joined the session playing guitar. Elvis grudgingly accepted the task at hand, but only when the group jammed on the Charles Brown blues classic "Merry Christmas Baby" did he show any real engagement. He was still able to complete about half the album tonight before shutting down at 4:00 am.
Songs recorded: "Miracle of the Rosary" (undubbed master), "It Won't Seem Like Christmas (without you)" (undubbed master), "If I Get Home on Christmas Day" (undubbed master), "Padre" (undubbed spliced master), "Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees" (undubbed master), "Merry Christmas Baby" (undubbed master), "Silver Bells" (undubbed master) (audio)
BILLBOARD POP CHART (singles)
HOT 100:
"Joy to the World" by three Dog Night.
"Life" by Elvis Presley. #87
EASY LISTENING (TOP 40):
"Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" by Lobo.
"Life" by Elvis Presley. #39
BILLBOARD COUNTRY CHART (singles)
HOT COUNTRY SINGLES:
"I Won't Mention it Again" by Ray Price.
"Where Did They Go, Lord" by Elvis Presley. #60
BILLBOARD SOUL CHART (singles)
BEST SELLING SOUL SIDES:
"Never Can Say Goodbye" by the Jackson 5.
BILLBOARD POP CHART (LP)
TOP LP's
"4 Way Street" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
"Elvis Country" by Elvis Presley. #102
"You'll Never Walk Alone" by Elvis Presley. #136
"That's the Way It Is" by Elvis Presley. #152
BILLBOARD COUNTRY CHART (LP)
HOT COUNTRY LP'S
"Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson.
"Elvis Country" by Elvis Presley. #10
BILLBOARD SOUL CHART (LP)
BEST SELLING SOUL LP'S
"Maybe Tomorrow" by the Jackson 5.
BILLBOARD CHART (TAPE)
BEST SELLING 8-TRACK & CASSETTE
"4 Way Street" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
"Elvis Country" by Elvis Presley. #46
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 16, 1971, (Sunday)
Drummer Jerry Carrigan failed to show up for the second day of recording and his place was taken by Kenny Buttrey.
RECORDING SESSION: - (RCA)
RCA Victor Studio B, 30 Music Square, Nashville, Tennessee. (6:00 pm - 9:00 pm) (10:00 pm - 12:00 am) (1:00 am - 4:00 am)
Producer(s): Felton Jarvis.
Engineer: Al Pachucki.
Musicians: Vocals: Elvis Presley - Lead Guitar: James Burton - Guitar: Jerry Stembridge (Chip Young) - Guitar: Charlie Hodge - Guitar: Joe Esposito - Bass Guitar: Norbert Puttnam - Drums: Kevin Buttrey - Piano: David Briggs - Organ/Percussion/Marimba: Charlie McCoy.
The highlight of the evening came during a break between "Winter Wonderland" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" when Elvis and the band jammed on an eleven-minute version of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right".
Songs recorded: "I''ll Be Home on Christmas Day" (undubbed master), "On a Snowy Christmas Night" (undubbed master), "Winter Wonderland" (master), "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" (jam - undubbed master), "O Come All Ye Faithful" (undubbed master), "The Wonderful World of Christmas" (undubbed master), "The First Noel" (undubbed master) (audio)
Elvis: "A Day in the Life" May 17, 1971, (Monday)
RECORDING SESSION: - (RCA)
RCA Victor Studio B, 30 Music Square, Nashville, Tennessee. (6:00 pm - 9:00 pm) (10:00 pm - 12:00 am) (1:00 am - 4:00 am)
Producer(s): Felton Jarvis.
Engineer: Al Pachucki.
Musicians: Vocals: Elvis Presley - Lead Guitar: James Burton - Guitar: Jerry Stembridge (Chip Young) - Guitar: Charlie Hodge - Guitar: Joe Esposito - Bass Guitar: Norbert Puttnam - Drums: Kevin Buttrey - Piano: David Briggs - Percussion: Jerry Carrigan - Organ: Charlie McCoy.
Backup Vocals: The Imperials: Lead: Terry Blackwood - Tenor: Jim Murray - Baritone: Greg Gordon - Bass: Armond Morales - Piano: Joe Moscheo.
Backup Vocals: Mary Holladay - Ginger Holladay - Mildred 'Millie' Kirkham