Elvis By The Presleys - Elvis Presley > Reviews > Another hit for King Elvis.

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	A second disc of gems;combines album tracks with better known hits
Disadvantages:	Opportunistic release on back of dvd ,tv special,book of same name

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Now,when it comes to Elvis Presley I can write with passion and real love.Having been a fan since I was 6 years old, I possess practically all his recorded works.This includes many unofficial ,as well as official, releases and many DVDs and videos. So,I guess I consider myself a bit of an "Elvis-Expert"!

As most people will be aware from all the media exposure and all those single releases that dominated the top end of the charts from January until recently,this is the year that would have seen Elvis turn 70 years old and his Estate,Priscilla,BMG et al are not letting that pass without a chance for some more releases! But are they any good?

Well,this double CD set IS undoubtedly an opportunistic release-Priscilla has been all over tv and radio promoting her lavish coffe-table book and DVD of the TV Special. She and Lisa-Marie also allowed the use of Elvis' actual recorded voice for the first time ever in a Biopic this year-Jonathan Rhys-Meyers portrayed a convincing Elvis in the two-part drama that was well received in the US earlier this month(May).

However,despite being perceived by some as a "cash-in"cd, it has to be said that this shifted 50,000 copies in the States in its fiirst week of release-and that was before the tv show of the same name had hit the screen!! Now,one complaint I do have is that the second cd is so short,featuring only eight tracks-but I'll come to that later.Let's begin with Disc one.

The first cd contains a whopping 24 tracks that can be heard in the DVD and TV Special.The liner notes tell us these were specially picked by Lisa-Marie and Priscilla (Elvis' sole heir and ex-wife) and certainly fit well with sections of the Dvd/TV Special which tends to use the music to tell the story of Elvis' life and relationships with his then wife and daughter.Does it work on cd? Surprisingly, I feel the answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Although many fans will own these tracks several times over already, they flow well and tend to concentrate on the later period of Elvis' relationship with Cilla. So we get tracks like "Hawaiian Wedding Song","Indescribably Blue", "I'll Hold You in my Heart" to signify all is hunky-dory with the pair.Then, uh-oh,we get "Suspicious Minds" to tell us that something ain't quite right. We know how the story ends and so we finish up with "Separate Ways","It's Over","Always On My Mind" and "You've Lost That Loving Feeling".This is great for me because I truly believe that although Elvis could sing absolute dross and make it the biggest hit since sliced bread, he was at his most powerful,heart-rending and emotional on tracks concerning subjects close to his heart-like these.In the "Elvis World",it is generally accepted that his marriage break-up contributed to his physical and mental decline,rendering him overweight and depressed.Listening to these-as I am doing now (with a shiver down my spine) proves that good can come from bad.

For good measure,you get lesser known tracks like "Welcome To My World" (incidentally used to good effect in the DVD as Priscilla introduces the viewers to Graceland) and one of my all-time faves-1973's "I Got A Feeling In My Body"-who said the King couldn't get funky in the Seventies?!

Disc Two only really offers one rarity to the hardcore collector-a fab outtake of the Rock n Roll classic "Jailhouse Rock", but there are also seven other tracks.Mainstream listeners may not be quite as bothered about demos,private recordings and outtakes BUT as the number are limited here to a total of eight, I defy anyone to not find one track of interest.For me, it has to be a toss-up between the demo of "It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You" and "Too Much Monkey Business".The first has the listener back in Sun Recording Studios where a young Elvis is desparately tring to impress Sam Phillips (the owner) with his musical prowess-he is young,beautiful and raw. The second has us in Nashville in 1968 where Elvis is simply having fun-and its great to listen to.As the sleeve notes tell us "knowing they are not yet at the final take,Elvis takes liberties with his vocal performance".The fun in his voice seems to send out the message that he knew he had (nearly) finished in the movies and was on the way back up.This was the year he was to tape his famous Singer-sponsored "Comeback Special".

All in all,this has to be a must-buy release for fans and non-fans alike. The sleeve notes are above average and you get a smattering of very private photos,some of which even I didnt recognise.Go out and buy it-you won't be disappointed.It's only once in a lifetime that a true legend comes along-Elvis Presley was mine.

RECOMMENDED.