'POOR MAN'S GOLD'.....

On January 15, 1969, only two days into the sessions, Elvis was grounded with a full-blown laryngitis. Studio time was already booked and the musicians were at hand, so they laid down instrumental backings, to which Elvis was to add his vocals at a later date. Tracks were recorded for 'Don't Cry Daddy' and 'Poor Man's Gold'.

On January 21, 1969, Elvis laid down his vocals for 'Don't Cry Daddy,'  after which he went for a try to add his part to the track of 'Poor Man's Gold'. He had only gotten a couple of lines into it, when a fire engine truck passed the studio with a blasting siren that leaked onto the recording, which sent Elvis into a fit of giggling. As it was in the wee-wee hours of the morning, already, it was decided to call it a day and get some shut-eye…

The next day, Elvis' daddy was in the studio to watch his son record, and upon Vernon's request, Elvis recorded the old middle-of-the-road country tune 'From A Jack To A King'. And he never went back to trying to record 'Poor Man's Gold'… 

Only recently, 'Poor Man's Gold' was released by BMG on the 2-CD set 'Suspicious Minds'… But heck, it was only like 18 seconds, making it seem like an impromptu in-between-takes. Where was the music…? Now, here's a surprise for you. The instrumental track of 'Poor Man's Gold,' complete with the vocal part that Elvis did manage to add to it.

This will give you an idea of what the song would have been like, had he managed to record it in its entirety… Enjoy!

~ Edwin Meijers (Author of 'Off And Back On The Mystery Track,' which is currently being revised and updated for publication in the Summer of 2000).

< CLICK HERE > for 'Poor Man's Gold' - XPA5-1150.

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