Good Times (Elvis Presley album)

Good Times
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 20, 1974
RecordedJuly 21–22 and December 10–16, 1973
StudioStax Studios, Memphis
GenreCountry, soft rock
Length29:23
LabelRCA Records
ProducerFelton Jarvis
Elvis Presley chronology
Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 1
(1974)
Good Times
(1974)
Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis
(1974)
Singles from Good Times
  1. "I've Got a Thing About You Baby"
    Released: January 11, 1974
  2. "My Boy"
    Released: January 3, 1975
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[2]
Rough Guides[3]

Good Times is the twentieth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on March 20, 1974. The album was constructed by the first pick of a session held at Stax Studios in Memphis in December 1973 and two songs, "I've Got a Thing About You Baby" and "Take Good Care of Her", which were left over from the session at Stax in July 1973. The album includes a collection of songs that vary in style and genre. Released the same day as the recording of Elvis: Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis was being made, the title was taken from the song "Talk About the Good Times". Many of the songs are covers of hits at the time, like "Spanish Eyes" and "She Wears My Ring". Charting low at the time of its release, it was considered typical 1970s Elvis material and was his first album to hit the "cut-out bins". The album did have some success though upon its original release, becoming a Cashbox Country Albums number 1 hit and charting in the Top 50 in the UK.

Original copies of the LP with the sticker on the cover (stating the singles on the album) are very rare and sell for large amounts on auction sites.

The album released two singles, both hits: "I've Got a Thing About You Baby" rose to number 4 on the Country charts, number 39 pop; "My Boy" hit number 1 on the Adult Contemporary charts, as well as number 14 Country and number 20 Pop.[4]

Track listing

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Original release

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Side one[5]
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Take Good Care of Her"Arthur Kent, Edward C. WarrenJuly 21, 19732:53
2."Loving Arms"Tom JansDecember 13, 19732:49
3."I Got a Feelin' in My Body"Dennis LindeDecember 10, 19733:37
4."If That Isn't Love"Dottie RamboDecember 16, 19733:31
5."She Wears My Ring"Felice Bryant and Boudleaux BryantDecember 16, 19733:10
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."I've Got a Thing About You Baby"Tony Joe WhiteJuly 22, 19732:23
2."My Boy"Bill Martin, Phil Coulter, Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude FrançoisDecember 13, 19733:21
3."Spanish Eyes"Bert Kaempfert, Eddie Snyder, Charles SingletonDecember 16, 19732:22
4."Talk About the Good Times"Jerry ReedDecember 14, 19732:22
5."Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues"Danny O'KeefeDecember 13, 19733:09

Follow That Dream re-issue

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Disc 1[6]
No.TitleLength
1."Take Good Care Of Her" 
2."Loving Arms" 
3."I Got a Feelin' in My Body" 
4."If That Isn't Love" 
5."She Wears My Ring" 
6."I've Got A Thing About You Baby" 
7."My Boy" 
8."Spanish Eyes" 
9."Talk About The Good Times" 
10."Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" 
11."Take Good Care Of Her" (rehearsal + take 1) 
12."Loving Arms" (take 1 + rehearsal) 
13."I Got a Feelin' in My Body" (take 1) 
14."If That Isn't Love" (composite of take 5 & 7) 
15."She Wears My Ring" (take 8) 
16."I've Got A Thing About You Baby" (take 1) 
17."My Boy" (take 1) 
18."Spanish Eyes" (takes 1,2) 
19."Talk About The Good Times" (take 3) 
20."Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" (takes 7,8) 
21."I Got a Feelin' in My Body" (take 4) 
22."I've Got A Thing About You Baby" (take 14) 
23."Take Good Care Of Her" (take 4) 
24."If That Isn't Love" (splice of takes 5 and 7) 
Disc 2
No.TitleLength
1."I've Got A Thing About You Baby" (take 15 [rough mix of master]) 
2."Loving Arms" (take 2) 
3."I Got a Feelin' in My Body" (take 2) 
4."Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" (takes 1,4,6) 
5."My Boy" (take 2) 
6."Take Good Care Of Her" (takes 2,3) 
7."If That Isn't Love" (take 4 [undubbed master]) 
8."She Wears My Ring" (takes 1, 7) 
9."I've Got A Thing About You Baby" (take 5) 
10."Talk About The Good Times" (takes 1,2) 
11."Talk About The Good Times" (take 4 [undubbed master]) 
12."Loving Arms" (take 3 [undubbed master]) 
13."I Got a Feelin' in My Body" (take 3 [undubbed master]) 
14."If That Isn't Love" (take 6,7) 
15."She Wears My Ring" (take 10 [undubbed master]) 
16."I've Got A Thing About You Baby" (takes 6,8,10,11) 
17."Take Good Care Of Her" (take 5) 
18."Take Good Care Of Her" (take 6 [undubbed master]) 
19."I Got a Feelin' in My Body" (take 7) 
20."My Boy" (take 3 [undubbed master]) 
21."Spanish Eyes" (take 3) 
22."Spanish Eyes" (take 4 [undubbed master]) 
23."Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" (take 9 [unedited undubbed master]) 

Personnel

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  • J. D. Sumner & The Stamps, Voice – backing vocals
  • Mike Leech – string and horn arrangements
  • Glen Spreen – string arrangement on "Take Good Care of Her" and "I've Got a Thing About You Baby"
Technical
  • Al Pachucki, Dick Baxter, Mickey Crofford, Mike Moran – engineers

References

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  1. ^ Good Times at AllMusic
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: P". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ Simpson, Paul (2004). The Rough Guide to Elvis. London: Rough Guides. p. 149. ISBN 1-84353-417-7.
  4. ^ Good Times at AllMusic
  5. ^ "Elvis Presley Albums". Softshoe-slim.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
  6. ^ "Good Times". Elvis Presley Shop. For Elvis Fans Only / Elvis Australia. 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2015.[permanent dead link]
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