Elvis Presley - The Album Collection: 60th Anniversary 60-CD Edition (2016) {Discs 19-24}

This 60th Anniversary 60-CD Deluxe Edition celebrates RCA Victor's signing of Elvis Presley-The King of rock 'n' roll. Features all of the albums Elvis recorded and RCA released in his lifetime: studio, soundtrack, and live. It also includes compilations released that featured unreleased songs or songs new to the LP format. The Album Collection represents album sales in the U.S. of 135 million! Collectively, Elvis has RIAA certified sales of singles, EPs and albums equaling 25x multi-platinum, 52x platinum and 92x gold awards given for U.S. sales alone! Estimated worldwide sales are in excess of one billion! Highlights include: Elvis' iconic first two studio albums, Elvis Presley and Elvis released in 1956. All 17 of his film soundtrack LPs including Loving You, King Creole, G.I. Blues, Blue Hawaii and Roustabout. The legendary NBC-TV special Elvis; the 1969 American Sound sessions that spawned From Elvis In Memphis and Back In Memphis; and 1970s triumphs On Stage (1970), Elvis As Recorded Live At Madison Square Garden (1972) and Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite (1973). Original album packaging has been painstakingly restored including gatefold/die cut sleeves, original RCA Victor inserts, stickers and more. CD labels replicate original side 1 labels.

Release of this 60CDs Box Set: 2016, March, 18 [CDs RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562 / UPC: 888751145627]
This compilation ℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a Division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Distributed by Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

The last film Elvis made prior to the outbreak of Beatlemania, Fun in Acapulco is redolent of the silly, carefree days of the early '60s a time when rock & roll appeared to be in remission, partially because Presley devoted his time to cinematic froth like this. Conceptually, Fun in Acapulco, a kissing cousin to Blue Hawaii, is a lark set in a sunny, exotic location and has a soundtrack to match. Every song has a south of the border feel, either in its rhythms or mock Spanish, a tactic that makes sense in the confines of the film but can be deeply ridiculous on record, particularly on the cartoonish "Guadalajara," where mariachi and opera meet in garish fashion, "(There's) No Room to Rhumba in a Sports Car," and "The Bullfighter Was a Lady," pieces of camp designed to be heard nowhere outside the confines of the film. Such frivolities seem even more absurd when contrasted with similarly spirited cuts that actually do work: the woozy title track, "Mexico," "Marguerita," and "Bossa Nova Baby," which in this context seems to rock pretty hard. Despite all this, the clear standout here is "Slowly But Surely," a bit of hip-swiveling seduction positively drenched in fuzz guitar, the first time such an effect was heard on a Presley record. Here, Elvis seems to tentatively engage with the swinging '60s that are just around the corner, while the rest of the record belongs to squaresville, an aesthetic that's alternatingly amiable and embarrassing.

Release of the album: 1963, November, 15 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-2756, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-19 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-2756, released November 15, 1963
Peak chart position: #3 Pop

01. Fun In Aca­pulco (2:32) (Ben Weisman/Sid Wayne)
January 23, 1963
02. Vino, Dinero Y Amor (1:57) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
January 22, 1963
03. Mexico (2:01) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
January 22, 1963
04. El Toro (2:45) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
January 23, 1963
05. Marguerita (2:44) (Don Robertson)
January 22, 1963
06. The Bullfighter Was A Lady (2:05) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
January 22, 1963
07. (There’s) No Room To Rhumba In A Sports Car (1:56) (Fred Wise/Dick Manning)
January 23, 1963
08. I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here (2:53) (Don Robertson/Hal Blair)
January 22, 1963
09. Bossa Nova Baby (2:05) (Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller)
January 22, 1963
Single 47-8243, released October 1, 1963
Peak chart position: #8 Pop, #20 R&B
10. You Can’t Say No In Acapulco (1:57) (Sid Feller/Dolores Fuller/Lee Morris)
January 23, 1963
11. Guadalajara (2:46) (Pepe Guisar)
January 23 & February 27, 1963
12. Love Me Tonight (2:02) (Don Robertson)
May 26, 1963
13. Slowly But Surely (2:14) (Sid Wayne/Ben Weisman)
May 27, 1963

The conceit behind Kissin' Cousins is that Elvis plays a dual role as cousins one is returning home from the Army, as all Presley roles seemed to be in the early '60s, and the other already lives in the Smoky Mountains who fall in love with another pair of cousins. It's a threadbare plot allowing the songwriters usually Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, and Florence Kaye to write songs that flirt with backwoods themes without ever sounding country. The exception to the rule is "Barefoot Ballad" a cornpone hoedown that isn't a ballad but does give Elvis an opportunity to horse around which is enough to be thankful that the rest of the record is devoted to the kind of sweet-hearted trifles that characterized Presley flicks in the early '60s. If the songs are slight the best is the Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman number "(It's A) Long Lonely Highway," a tune cut months before the movie the production is colorful in a way It Happened at the World's Fair simply wasn't. "Kissin' Cousins (Number 2)" shimmers cinematically, "One Boy Two Little Girls" is carried by its understated vibraphone, "Catchin' on Fast" twists along with its lightly obnoxious horns, and "Tender Feeling" is draped in harpsichords that don't suit the Tennessee setting but feel very mid-'60s. All this flair doesn't save the soundtrack, but it does help distract from the deficit in tunes.

Release of the album: 1964, April, 2 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-2894, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-20 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-2894, released April 1964
Peak chart position: #6 Pop

01. Kissin’ Cousins (Number 2) (1:17) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
September 29 & October 10-11, 1963
02. Smokey Mountain Boy (2:39) (Lenore Rosenblatt/Victor Millrose)
September 30 & October 10-11, 1963
03. There’s Gold In The Mountains (1:56) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
September 29 & October 10-11, 1963
04. One Boy Two Little Girls (2:34) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
September 29 & October 10-11, 1963
05. Catchin’ On Fast (1:22) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
September 30 & October 10-11, 1963
06. Tender Feeling (2:35) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
September 29 & October 10-11, 1963
07. Anyone (Could Fall In Love With You) (2:31) (Bennie Benjamin/Sol Marcus/Louis DeJesus)
September 30 & October 10-11, 1963
08. Barefoot Ballad (2:28) (Dolores Fuller/Lee Morris)
September 30 & October 10-11, 1963
09. Once Is Enough (2:20) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
September 29 & October 10-11, 1963
10. Kissin’ Cousins (2:15) (Fred Wise/Randy Starr)
September 30 & October 10-11, 1963
Single 47-8307, released February 10, 1964
Peak chart position: #12 Pop
11. Echoes Of Love (2:41) (Bob Roberts/Paddy McMains)
May 26, 1963
12. (It’s A) Long Lonely Highway 2:20) (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman)
May 27, 1963
Single 47-8657, released August 10, 1965

Roustabout took Elvis Presley to the carnival, a setting referenced often over the course of the 20-minute soundtrack. "It's Carnival Time" and "Carny Town" bring the circus to the title, but "It's a Wonderful World" and "Roustabout" also nod toward the midway, a good indication that the 11 songs here aren't necessarily designed to be heard outside of the film, and yet Roustabout wound up topping the Billboard charts. Blame this number one entirely on momentum: there were no hits on this album and it'd be another decade before Elvis reached the top slot again. Despite its high chart placement, Roustabout can be seen as the beginning of the decline in terms of Elvis flicks. His last few soundtrack albums were patchy due to their reliance on tunes designed for the screen but they were often constructed to hit their marks exactly. On Roustabout, any sense of precision is gone: it was just good enough to get into the ball park. As Presley is a pro surrounded by pros, there are moments on the record that are fun a silly revival of the old Coasters hit "Little Egypt" works up a head of steam, the title theme is suitably widescreen, and "Hard Knocks" is a fairly vigorous rocker but much of the soundtrack is forced frivolity, giving the appearance of high spirits but feeling rather spent.

Release of the album: 1964, October, 19 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-2999, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-21 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-2999, released October 19, 1964
Peak chart position: #1 Pop
RIAA status: Gold

01. Roustabout (2:01) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
April 29 & May 14, 1964
02. Little Egypt (2:21) (Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller)
March 2, 1964
03. Poison Ivy League (2:05) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
March 2, 1964
04. Hard Knocks (1:45) (Joy Byers)
March 2, 1964
05. It’s A Wonderful World (1:51) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 2, 1964
06. Big Love Big Hearta­che (2:03) (Dolores Fuller/Les Morris/Sonny Hendrix)
March 3, 1964
07. One Track Heart (2:18) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
March 3, 1964
08. It’s Carnival Time (1:36) (Ben Weisman/Sid Wayne)
March 3 & 5, 1964
09. Carny Town (1:13) (Fred Wise/Randy Starr)
March 3, 1964
10. There’s A Brand New Day On The Horizon (2:03) (Joy Byers)
March 3, 1964
11. Wheels On My Heels (1:21) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 3, 1964

Girl Happy sent Elvis Presley down to Fort Lauderdale for spring break - a plot point celebrated in the soundtrack's "Spring Fever" and "Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce," the songs that kick off this 1965 soundtrack. By this point, songs designed solely for a silver screen lark were standard practice on Elvis LPs, but the tunes on Girl Happy feel broader and goofier, or, to use a word often associated with Presley soundtracks, they feel like camp. There are a number of reasons for the transition, including Presley aging as a matinee star - in 1965, he had been top-lining films for nine years - but on sheer musical terms, it can be boiled down to Colonel Tom Parker demanding to own publishing, and RCA producers attempting to navigate the swiftly shifting tides of pop music in the mid-'60s. Nobody in the Elvis camp was ready to address the swinging sounds coming out of Britain, so the production of Girl Happy often winds up as an overly aggressive, ramped-up version of standard pre-Beatles pop, a decision that, when paired with the ridiculous songs, turns this record deeply dopey. "Do the Clam" bears the brunt of the record's retroactive derision, but that's only because it was a single: it's silly but spirited, a song that's beneath the gifts of Elvis but nevertheless has energy, as does another highlight here, "The Meanest Girl in Town." Girl Happy falls apart when the songwriters write to the screenplay and wind up with terrible beach-bikini bops, including the aforementioned Florida tunes, but those are both eclipsed by the dreadful "Wolf Call." The ballads don't fare much better, either, sinking down into a syrupy mess, an affliction that also befalls "Puppet on a String," a dainty throwaway that was nevertheless released as a 45 later in 1965 when RCA realized nothing on Harum Scarum could be salvaged as a single. So, as bad as Girl Happy is, things did get worse, and quickly, too.

Release of the album: 1965, March, 2 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-3338, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-22 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

SP/LPM-3338, released March 1965
Peak chart position: #8 Pop
RIAA status: Gold

01. Girl Happy (2:10) (Doc Pomus/Norman Meade)
June 10, 1964
02. Spring Fever (1:53) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
June 11, 1964
03. Fort Lauderdale Chamber Of Commerce (1:33) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
June 11 & 15, 1964
04. Startin’ Tonight (1:21) (Lenore Rosenblatt/Victor Millrose)
June 12 & 15, 1964
05. Wolf Call (1:30) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
June 12 & 15, 1964
06. Do Not Disturb (1:56) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
June 11, 1964
07. Cross My Heart And Hope To Die (1:54) (Sid Wayne/Ben Weisman)
June 11, 1964
08. The Meanest Girl In Town (1:58) (Joy Byers)
June 10, 1964
09. Do The Clam (3:19) (Sid Wayne/Ben Weisman/Dolores Fuller)
June 12 & 15, 1964
Single 47-8500, released February 9, 1965
Peak chart position: #21 Pop
10. Puppet On A String (2:44) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
June 10, 1964
Single 447-0650, released October 20, 1965
Peak chart position: #14 Pop, #3 EL
11. I’ve Got To Find My Baby (1:31) (Joy Byers)
June 11 & 15, 1964
12. You’ll Be Gone (2:24) (Red West/Elvis Presley/Charlie Hodge)
March 18, 1962
Single 47-8500, released February 9, 1965

The title Elvis for Everyone! echoes that of Something for Everybody, but where that 1961 record was designed as an actual album - it was largely recorded in a single session with the intent of cutting a long-playing record - this set is a clearinghouse for odds and ends ushered out in the summer of 1965 between a stopgap in soundtracks. Because it is not a soundtrack, the overall quality of the songs is much higher (and certainly, they're a lot less silly) and because it digs deep into the vaults, it does contain some terrific cuts even if it doesn't hang together well as an album. To its credit, RCA didn't quite suggest Elvis for Everyone! was designed as anything other than odds and ends: the title itself suggests a sampler and the cover depicts a bunch of older Presley LPs, conscious that this record was released on the ten-year anniversary of Elvis signing to RCA. One of its highlights dates earlier than that: "Tomorrow Night" is a Sun side cut in 1954. A couple other standouts date from the '50s a nimble "Your Cheatin' Heart" from 1958, the raw 1957 blues "When It Rains, It Really Pours," and a hopping version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee" also feel directly connected to Elvis' rock & roll roots, which is welcome because much of the rest of the record is devoted to light pop and ballads. Some of this does have its charms - the breezy island vibes of "Summers Kisses, Winter Tears" finds a counterpart in the skipping "Sound Advice," Presley slides into the cabaret balladry of "For the Millionth and the Last Time" with ease, and underplays the romance on "Forget Me Never" - but it ultimately feels like the grab bag it unapologetically is.

Release of the album: 1965, July, 19 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-3450, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-23 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-3450, released July 19, 1965
Peak chart position: #10 Pop

01. Your Cheatin’ Heart (2:28) (Hank Williams)
February 1, 1958. Radio Recorders, Hollywood
02. Summer Kisses, Winter Tears (2:22) (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman/Jack Lloyd)
August 8, 1960. Radio Recorders, Hollywood
EP Elvis By Request: Flaming Star LPC-128, released April 1961
03. Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers (1:54) (Dory Jones/Ollie Jones)
May 26, 1963. RCA Victor Studio, Nashville
04. In My Way (1:26) (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman)
November 7, 1960. Radio Recorders, Hollywood
05. Tomorrow Night (2:56) (Sam Coslow/Will Grosz)
September 1954. Sun Records studio, Memphis
06. Memphis, Tennessee (2:13) (Chuck Berry)
January 12, 1964. RCA Victor Studio, Nashville
07. For The Millionth And The Last Time (2:10) (Roy C. Bennett/Sid Tepper)
October 15, 1961. RCA Victor Studio, Nashville
08. Forget Me Never (1:39) (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman)
November 7, 1960. Radio Recorders, Hollywood
09. Sound Advice (1:49) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
July 2, 1961. RCA Victor Studio, Nashville
10. Santa Lucia (1:14) (Arranged by Elvis Presley)
July 10, 1963. Radio Recorders, Hollywood
11. I Met Her Today (2:44) (Don Robertson/Hal Blair)
October 15, 1961. RCA Victor Studio, Nashville
12. When It Rains, It Really Pours (1:50) (William Robert Emerson)
February 24, 1957. Radio Recorders, Hollywood

Discerning precisely where Elvis Presley's soundtracks begin to descend into the abyss of camp is difficult, but it's hard not to view 1965's Harum Scarum as where he started heading toward rock bottom. The film's plot is the standard piffle - Elvis plays a movie star who gets caught up in some Mideastern romantic intrigue and sings his way through it - but the movie's theme allows the usual team of songwriters to write songs about the exotic desert, kismet, mirages, and harems. It's all hoary clichés lifted from 1001 Arabian Nights, but the film required nothing more and the songwriters struggled to deliver tunes that hit that mark; often, they barely met the bar of serviceable. Presley trudges through twists, marches, and snake charms, doing what his contract requires. Sometimes the stars align and there's a bit of accidental goofy grooviness "Animal Instinct," tellingly cut from the film, bops along on a nifty baritone guitar riff, "Shake That Tambourine" hops and jumps, while "My Desert Serenade" gallops along but these pleasures are all period kitsch. There's no denying that this is bereft of any substance, not when RCA couldn't find one single as good as "Do the Clam" to pull from the LP. Instead, they chose to let it languish in the marketplace.

Release of the album: 1965, November, 3 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-3468, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-24 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-3468, released November 1965
Peak chart position: #8 Pop

01. Harem Holiday (2:19 (Pete Andreoli/Vince Poncia, Jr./Jimmie Crane)
February 26 & March 9, 1965
02. My Desert Serenade (1:50) (Stanley Gelber)
February 25, 1965
03. Go East - Young Man (2:30) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
February 26 & March 9, 1965
04. Mirage (2:28 (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
February 26 & March 9, 1965
05. Kismet (2:12) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
February 25, 1965
06. Shake That Tambourine (2:06) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
February 24, 1965
07. Hey Little Girl (2:18) (Joy Byers)
February 25, 1965
08. Golden Coins (1:57) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
February 26, 1965
09. So Close, Yet So Far (From Paradise) (3:03) (Joy Byers)
February 25, 1965
10. Animal In­stinct (Bonus Track) (2:15) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
February 26, 1965
11. Wisdom Of The Ages (Bonus Track) (1:53) (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
February 25, 1965



Thanks to my friend, London




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