MP3s +Alternate Info

** additional vocal backing only on USA 45 GONE 5114 & Canadian 45 ZIRKON 1076 - the OOOOs and AAAHS is the vocal added to regular vocal (courtesy of Don Lance who has this 45). Added vocal not on any other 45 or any other issue.

*** more aggressive vocal on 45rpm version

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RAL DONNER ALTERNATE INFORMATION A to Z (supplied by Don Lance). Note: This may not be complete. If anyone knows of other alternate versions by Ral, please e-mail Terry Wilson by clicking here

"AND THEN" (Best Version) Gone 5108

"AND THEN" (Alternate) TAU 105
"An Evening With Ral Donner" Starfire LP 1004
"The Presley Sound Of Ral Donner" Request CD 13504 (Boot)
"The Complete Ral Donner" Sequel NED CD 190
"You Don't Know What You've Got" Castle CMEDD 043

General Comparison:
The two vocals are almost identical. There is an overdubbed piano & guitar part on the Tau recording and the tempo is a little faster. Also, Ral's voice is a little hoarse and off pitch in some places. Ral said that during this session he had a sore throat and was not able to give his best vocally.

Specific Comparison:
"…but you must take the gamble" The word "must" is sung differently in the two versions.
"…if love is for you" The word "love" is sung differently. On Gone 5108 "if" and "love" are the same note. On TAU 105 "if" is one note and "love" is a lower note. The very end of the song is slightly different. On the Gone 5108 recording the vocal group echoes Ral after the very last "…and then" followed by "…ahs". On the TAU 105 recording there is no echo from the vocal group and they sing "oohs" instead of "…ahs". Also, at the very end of Gone 5108 Ral sings "…oh" 4 times. On TAU 105 he sings "…oh" 3 times.

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"I DIDN'T FIGURE ON HIM" Gone 5114, Zirkon 1076

The 45 version is not an alternate, however, it does have an overdubbed male vocal group that gives it a fuller sound. They come in at the beginning of the 2nd and 3rd verses - listen for the OOOOs and AAAHS . Also, they sing with Ral at the end of the song. This overdubbed version is only available on the USA and Canadian 45s. All other versions are un-dubbed.

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"LOVELESS LIFE" Gone 5129, Stateside 45SS-109
"Ral Donner's Elvis Scrapbook" Gone 5033 (Boot)
"The Presley Style Of Ral Donner" Gypsy TRG-LP-1000 (Boot)

"LOVELESS LIFE" (Alternate) "You Don't Know What You've Got" Pye NEPL 28269
"The Presley Sound Of Ral Donner" Request CD 13504 (Boot)
"The Complete Ral Donner" Sequel NED CD 190
"You Don't Know What…" Castle CMEDD 043 (Disc 1 & 2)

Specific Comparison:
Ral sings the song a bit differently in spots (listen to the second time he sings "…I promise I'll always be true") but the main difference is that, on the 45, Ral's voice is double tracked and the vocal is more aggressive. In other words, he sings harmony with himself and so it sounds like two voices singing instead of just one.

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"NITE OWL" (Best Version) "You Don't Know What You've Got" Pye NSPL 28269
"The Presley Sound Of Ral Donner" Request CD 13504 (Boot)

"NITE OWL" (Alternate) "The Complete Ral Donner" Sequel NED CD 190
"You Don't Know What You've Got" Castle CMEDD 043

Specific Comparison:
On the Sequel & Castle CD's listen to the second time Ral sings "…I know that we could be birds of a feather". His voice "cracks" on the word "birds". Shortly after that he sings "…birds of a feather always flock together". His voice "cracks" on the word "always". There are other minor differences but you have to listen closely to his phrasing and pronunciation.

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"SCHOOL OF HEARTBREAKERS" Gone 5012
"Ral Donner's Elvis Scrapbook" Gone 5033 (Boot)
"You Don't Know What You've Got" Pye NSPL 282 69
"The Presley Sound Of Ral Donner" Request 13504 (Boot)

"SCHOOL OF HEARTBREAKERS" (Alternate) "The Complete Ral Donner" Sequel NED CD 190
"You Don't Know What…" Castle CMEDD 043 (Disc 1 & 2)

Specific Comparison:
The vocals are almost identical. Compare the way Ral sings the first "…who needs all this misery". Also compare the last "…your diploma will be all these tears I cried".

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"TO LOVE" (Best Version) Gone 5108

"TO LOVE" (1st Alternate) "The Complete Ral Donner" Sequel NED CD 190
"You Don't Know What You've Got" Castle CMEDD 043 (Disc 2)

"TO LOVE" (2nd Alternate) Gone 5133
"Takin' Care Of Business Vol. 2" Rondo RLP 22437 (Boot)
"Ral Donner's Elvis Scrapbook" Gone 5033 (Boot)
"The Presley Style Of Ral Donner" Gypsy TRG-LP-1000 (Boot)
"You Don't Know What You've Got" Castle CMEDD 043 (Disc 1)

"TO LOVE" (Spliced Version) "You Don't Know What You've Got" Pye NSPL 28269

Specific Comparison:
Gone 5108 & Sequel NED CD 190 have the same backing track. The orchestra is out front and the girl vocal group is softer. On Sequel Ral sings "…to SEE that wild little dream come true" instead of "…to FEEL that wild little dream come true". Also, compare the way he sings "…my darling". There are other differences in the way "phrases" his words but you have listen carefully.
Gone 5133 has a different "mix" on the backing track. In this version the girl vocal group is more up front and the string section is softer. Also, compare the way Ral sings the word "alone" in "…her lips are for you alone" to the other two versions. I believe the Pye recording is a spliced version. You can hear it on the word "possess" as in "…ah! yes, I possess a blessing from up above"

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"TO LOVE SOMEONE" (Best Version - mono) Gone 5125 and Roulette GG 97
"Ral Donner's Elvis Scrapbook" Gone 5033 (Boot)
"The Presley Style Of Ral Donner" Gypsy TRG-LP-1000 (Boot)
"Takin' Care Of Business Vol. 2" Rondo RLP 22437 (Boot)
"Sounds Like Elvis" Prestar 1010 (Boot)

"TO LOVE SOMEONE" (1st Alternate - mono) "She's Everything" Murray Hill 000393
"The Presley Sound Of Ral Donner" Request CD 13504 (Boot)
"You Don't Know What…" Castle CMEDD 043 (Disc 1)

"TO LOVE SOMEONE" (2nd Alternate - stereo) "The Complete Ral Donner" Sequel NED CD 190
"You Don't Know What…" Castle CMEDD 043 (Disc 2)

Specific Comparison:
On Gone 5125 listen to the way Ral sings (not speaking) "…to watch her passing by with every guy" and "…to see her run around all over town". On the words "by", "guy" and "around", "town" Ral stays right on the note.
In both other versions Ral's voice "slides down" on those words. On the Sequel & Castle (Disc 2) versions the guitar solo is slightly different and Ral comes in late after the recitation. The vocal group starts before he does and Ral has to rush to get back in the song. Also, after the recitation there are a couple of places where he, again, is not together with the vocal group. Listen carefully.
Note: Ral said that he didn't like the recitation part because his speaking sounds flat. It was his opinion that they should have left the "reverb" on as they did during the singing parts.
The other difference is that in the mono versions (Best & 1st Alternate) the last line of the recitation is "to see her run around all over town with everyone but you". In the stereo version (2nd Alternate) the last line of the recitation is "to watch her passing by with every guy not caring that you're near".

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"WILL YOU LOVE ME IN HEAVEN" Gone 5121 & 5125
"Sounds Like Elvis" Prestar 1010 (Boot)
"Takin' Care Of Business Vol. 2" Rondo RLP 22437 (Boot)
"The Presley Style Of Ral Donner" Gypsy TRG-LP-1000 (Boot)
"Ral Donner's Elvis Scrapbook" Gone 5033 (Boot)
"You Don't Know What You've Got" Pye NSPL 28269
"The Presley Sound Of Ral Donner" Request CD 13504 (Boot)
"You Don't Know What…" Castle CMEDD 043 (Disc 1)

"WILL YOU LOVE ME IN HEAVEN" (Alternate) "She's Everything" Murray Hill 000393
"The Complete Ral Donner" Sequel NED CD 190
"You Don't Know What…" Castle CMEDD 043 (Disc 2)

Specific Comparison:
Compare the way Ral sings "…when the angels start to sing, will you still care for me". Listen for the way he says the word "will". Also, at the end of the song Ral sings different words.
Gone 5125: "…oh, yeah, way up there, tell me will you care, high up in the sky, as the days go by"
Murray Hill: "…oh, yeah, way up there, tell me will you care, oh yeah"

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"WITH YOU NOW" Gone 5012

The Gone 5012 version and the "You Don't Know…" CD version are the same. The "Complete Ral Donner"CD has a different mix. The male vocal group is not as prominent and Ral's voice stands out more.

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