Elvis at the Movies

by

Elvis Presley

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I have stopped trying to make sense out of BMG's marketing strategy for Elvis' impressive catalog of music, otherwise I would be driving myself crazy wondering why they released this 2 CD set of Elvis movie songs less than a year after releasing a single CD of Elvis movie songs with many of the same songs!?! Not being a record company executive, I guess I will never understand the logic behind that.

Regardless, this is an excellent collection of Elvis movie songs and is probably the best one currently available. It contains many songs that were hits; in fact it includes far more hits than most other artists' greatest hits collections! It includes three songs that went all the way to number 1 on the Billboard singles chart (Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, and Hard Headed Woman), two other songs that just missed hitting the top spot peaking at number 2 (Can't Help Falling in Love and Return to Sender) and the top 10 single Bossa Nova Baby. 16 other songs made the Top 40 and 6 more made the Top 100 chart. It only includes a few songs that probably made Elvis wince when he recorded them (while the songs Elvis was given for his movie soundtracks were not always the best, his performances were).

The first CD is the strongest, but the second CD has some highlights. It includes Elvis' underappreciated country-rock classic Clean Up Your Own Back Yard plus the original versions of Little Less Conversation and Rubberneckin', which were remixed and became hits a few years ago. All-in-all this is a very strong collection and highly recommended if you do not already own most of these songs on one of the numerous other collections of Elvis movie songs.

This is a nice, fun collection for new fans, or for those who did not buy any number of similiar sets. There's nothing for the historian, and in fact, there were several spots where something special could have been delivered: like the first appearance of the movie version of Tickle Me's "I Feel That I've Known You Forever" the movie versions of Kissin' Cousins' "Catchin' On Fast"; of ...World's Fair's "Happy Endings"; of Speedway's "Your Time Hasn't Come Back, Baby".

Perhaps some more imagination could also have been applied to "Do The Clam", a high energy tune featuring Boots Randolph. The pressing with the curious drop-out in sound is used, but that's one thing: this track should been pressed in mono, with the background voices muted and the syncopated hand-claps O-U-T. Similarly, "Long Legged Girl..." is the original album version, with the rhythm section in the left-field grandstand. Terrible.

Presumptive mistakes: the alternate take of the themesong from "Follow That Dream", as great as it is, and the original of "King of The Whole Wide World" without the long sax solo ending. Add the version of "I'm Yours" *not* used in Tickle Me - the 1962 album track with the narration.

The title song from "Clambake" is here in all it's ignoble glory, more rockin' that one might recall, but still an embarrassment. That movie actually had some entertaining tunes - they shoulda used "The Girl I Never Loved" or "A House That Has Everything".

The best sound here is from the '50s, particularly "Hard Headed Woman": all the instruments have great presence, especially that of Mr. Scotty Moore. Those who have determined he's really just an inspired *stylist* should check this one out - among others here: "Frankfurt Special" has alot of Sun Records ambience thanks to him, and "Rock-A Hula Baby" is handled perfectly. A light and bright, but insistent complement to a fun soundtrack tune.

[Superb notes by Michael Hill; cool cover shot of Elvis, circa. '66].