Elvis Presley - The Album Collection: 60th Anniversary 60-CD Edition (2016) {Discs 13-18}

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

Elvis Presley's third non-soundtrack, post-Army album is, in many ways, his most interesting from those years, though nowhere near his best. Something for Everybody offers a tamer body of songs than Elvis Is Back!, but also shows the effect of Presley's maturation his voice is better than ever, and this is reflected in the arrangements, most of which are closer in spirit to the finely crafted pop symphonies of Roy Orbison than they are to any of Presley's earlier work. His ballad performances are impeccable, displaying a richness of intonation and delicacy of nuance that is downright seductive. Rather less successful are the rockers, including "I'm Coming Home," "Judy," and "Put the Blame on Me," which show a cooling of some of the white heat that Presley used to generate on the rhythm numbers. The one moment where the old Elvis Presley manifests himself is "I Want You with Me," a shouter that's only missing maybe a Gene Vincent-style scream or two from the backing band on the choruses.

Release of the album: 1961, May, 19 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-2370, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-13 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-2370, released May 19, 1961
Peak chart position: #1 Pop RIAA status: Gold

01. THERE’S ALWAYS ME (2:20) (Don Robertson)
Single 47-9287, released August 8,1967
Peak chart position: #56 Pop
02. GIVE ME THE RIGHT (2:36) (Fred Wise/Norman Blagman)
03. IT’S A SIN (2:45) (Fred Rose/Zeb Turner)
04. SENTIMENTAL ME (2:34) (Jimmy Cassin/Jim Morehead)
05. STARTING TODAY (2:07) (Don Robertson)
06. GENTLY (2:19) (Murray Wisell/Edward Lisbona)
07. I’M COMIN’HOME (2:25) (Charlie Rich)
08. IN YOUR ARMS (1:52) (Aaron Schroeder/Wally Gold)
09. PUT THE BLAME ON ME (2:00) (Kay Twomey/Fred Wise/Norman Blagman)
10. JUDY (2:14) (Teddy Redell)
Single 47-9287, released August 8, 1967
Peak chart position: #78 Pop
11. I WANT YOU WITH ME (2:15) (Woody Harris)
12. I SLIPPED, I STUMBLED, I FELL (1:37) (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman)

Elvis movies never came bigger than Blue Hawaii, the 1961 romantic musical comedy whose success helped push Presley into near full-time filmmaking for the bulk of the '60s. Not only was the flick a hit but so was the soundtrack, going Gold by the end of 1961, a success partially fueled by the ballad "Can't Help Falling in Love," a song so good it suggests the rest of the record might contain other gems. That's not the case. The record has its moments, including the dreamy title track, but as an album, Blue Hawaii is undone by a film that demands a good chunk of its tunes carry a Hawaiian flavor. Often, this mid-century Polynesian exotica has its charms Elvis croons sweetly on the swaying luaus and everybody involved has the good sense to embrace the project's inherent silliness, letting themselves josh around on deliberate fluff like "Rock-A-Hula Baby" and the vaudevillian rhumba that's "Beach Boy Blues." Both of these are ridiculous but on record, they're slightly preferable to the steady march of island tunes ("Aloha Oe," "Ku-U-I-Po," "Island of Love," "Hawaiian Love Song"), all silver screen corn performed with a bit more panache than they deserve.

Release of the album: 1961, October, 20 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-2426, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-14 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-2426, released October 20, 1961
Peak chart position: #1 Pop RIAA status: 3x Platinum

01. BLUE HAWAII (2:37) (Lee Robin/Ralph Rainger)
March 22, 1961
02. ALMOST ALWAYS TRUE (2:24) (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman)
March 22, 1961
03. ALOHA OE (1:55) (Arranged and adapted by Elvis Presley)
March 21,1961
04. NO MORE (2:25) (Don Robertson/Hal Blair)
March 21,1961
05. CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE (3:06) (Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore/George Weiss)
March 23,1961
Single 47/37-7968, released November 21, 1961
Peak chart position: #2 Pop, #1 EL
06. ROCK-A-HULA BABY (2:04) (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman/Dolores Fuller)
March 23, 1961
Single 47/37-7968, released November 21,1961
Peak chart position: #23 Pop
07. MOONLIGHT SWIM (2:21) (Sylvia Dee/Ben Weisman)
March 22,1961
08. KU-U-I-PO (2:23) (Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore/George Weiss)
March 21,1961
09. ITO EATS (1:25) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 22,1961
10. SLICIN’ SAND (1:38) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 21, 1961
11. HAWAIIAN SUNSET (2 34) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 21,1961
12. BEACH BOY BLUES (2:05) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 23, 1961
13. ISLAND OF LOVE (2:41) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 22, 1961
14. HAWAIIAN WEDDING SONG (2:50) (Charles King/Al Hoffman/Dick Manning)
March 22,1961

One of the great ironies about Pot Luck with Elvis is its title, from which one could reasonably infer that it was a collection of leftovers. In fact, Pot Luck was Elvis Presley's last collection of new secular material recorded with a specific album release in mind until seven years later, and a lot less of a "pot luck" affair musically than any of the non-hits studio albums that were ever released of Elvis' material. The album is still a bit uneven, continuing the decline begun with Something for Everybody. While there are several excellent, continually underrated tracks ("Donna Get Back Home Somehow," "Night Rider," "(Such An) Easy Question" and, of course, "Suspicion"), the quality of the songs is somewhat uneven, the ballads especially tending toward the lugubrious. The original release, which charted for 18 weeks and reached number four at its peak, never registered as strongly with the public as his soundtracks of the period did, and this relative failure (the Blue Hawaii soundtrack having charted for more than a year, with months spent at number one) may have forced Presley and his manager to concentrate on film work from this point on, as a commercial necessity. The sad part of that decision was that Pot Luck was a great vehicle for Presley's voice as it was evolving "She's Not You" brilliantly showcased the softer, more intense singing style that had manifested itself just a few months earlier with "Can't Help Falling in Love." (The 1999 remastering benefits from superior sound and a 17-song lineup, reaching back to March 1961 for its songs, including the gorgeous "Fountain of Love" and the haunting, gospel-like "That's Someone You Never Forget," which was co-authored by Presley and is one of his best non-hit songs of this era.)

Release of the album: 1962, May, 18 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-2523, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-15 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-2523, released May 18, 1962
Peak chart position: #4 Pop

01. KISS ME QUICK (2:49) (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman)
June 25,1961
Single 447-0639, released April 14,1964
Peak chart position: #34 Pop
02. JUST FOR OLD TIME SAKE (2:11) (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 18,1962
03. GONNA GET BACK HOME SOMEHOW (2:32) (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman)
March 18,1962
04. (SUCH AN) EASY QUESTION (2:23) (Otis Blackwell/Winfield Scott)
March 18,1962
Single 47-8585, released June 8,1965
Peak chart position: #11 Pop, #1 EL
05. STEPPIN’OUT OF LINE (1:56) (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman/Dolores Fuller)
March 22,1961
06. I’M YOURS (2:23) (Don Robertson)
June 25, 1961
Single 47-8657, released August 10, 1965
Peak chart position: #11 Pop, #1 EL
07. SOMETHING BLUE (3:01) (Paul Evans/Al Byron)
March 18, 1962
08. SUSPICION (2:37) (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman)
March 19,1962
Single 447-0639, released April 14,1964
09. I FEEL THAT I’VE KNOWN YOU FOREVER (1:43) (Alan Jeffries/Doc Pomus)
March 19,1962
10. NIGHT RIDER (2.12) (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman)
October 15,1961
11. FOUNTAIN OF LOVE (2:19) (Bill Giant/Jeff Lewis)
March 18,1962
12. THAT’S SOMEONE YOU NEVER FORGET (2:48) (Red West/Elvis Presley)
June 25,1961
Single 47-9115, released April 28,1967
Peak chart position: #92 Pop

An even lamer attempt at a Hawaiian backdrop produced a nice cover of the old Drifters number as the title tune and "Return to Sender," an excellent mid-tempo R&B-ish hit. The ballads are pleasant, though hardly memorable. Elvis is still singing well, especially considering the material and the arrangements. That would change shortly. While the movies Elvis made during the '60s and their accompanying soundtracks did produce a reliable source of income, they were against Elvis in the long run. The initial enthusiasm that accompanied even the silliest of plots in 1960-1962 was replaced by inevitable boredom. The Colonel's response to his boy's growing disillusionment was to find sillier scripts, reduce the budgets allotted for other actors and props, and accept songs the nonsense of which boggles the imagination. Still, during this time, especially those first few years when a movie meant having some fun, Elvis also cut a number of tracks for lesser, nonmusical films, including several affecting ballads for Wild in the Country. In 1963 Elvis teamed up with the luscious Ann-Margret, recording some of his most spirited singing in years for Viva Las Vegas. Had RCA Victor collected the best of these sessions, along with the standouts "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears," "King of the Whole Wide World," and "Follow That Dream," a surprisingly solid album could have been issued. Alas, these tracks were scattered to the winds, showing up on EPs, B-sides, and budget albums over a period of ten years. If one needs to delve into this period, an easy rule of thumb is that the further into the decade the soundtracks go, the less likely they are to please.

Release of the album: 1962, November, 12 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-2621, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-16 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-2621, released November 12, 1962
Peak chart position: #3 Pop, RIAA status: Gold

01. Girls! Girls! Girls! 2:35 (Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller)
March 27, 1962
02. I Don’t Wanna Be Tied 2:09 (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
March 28, 1962
03. Where Do You Come From 2:09 (Ruth Batchelor/Bob Roberts)
March 27, 1962
Single 47/37-8100, released October 2, 1962
Peak chart position: #99 Pop
04. I Don’t Want To 2:44 (Janice Tarre/Fred Spielman)
March 26, 1962
05. We’ll Be Together 2:19 (Charles O’Curran/Dudley Brooks)
Recording date unknown
06. A Boy Like Me, A Girl Like You 2:21 (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 27, 1962
07. Earth Boy 2:25 (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 28, 1962
08. Return To Sender 2:10 (Otis Blackwell/Winfield Scott)
March 27, 1962
Single 47/37-8100, released October 2, 1962
Peak chart position: #2 Pop, #5 R&B
09. Because Of Love 2:35 (Ruth Batchelor/Bob Roberts)
March 27, 1962
10. Thanks To The Rolling Sea 1:32 (Ruth Batchelor/Bob Roberts)
March 26, 1962
11. Song Of The Shrimp 2:23 (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
March 27, 1962
12. The Walls Have Ears 2:33 (Roy C. Bennett/Bob Roberts)
March 27, 1962
13. We’re Coming In Loaded 1:21 (Otis Blackwell/Winfield Scott)
March 26, 1962

It Happened at the World's Fair is where things start to get pear shaped for Elvis Presley's soundtracks. It's not that the album itself is particularly bad compared to some of the soundtracks that'd follow, including Fun in Acapulco just a few short months later, it's totally fine but it's the first Elvis album to feel like pure product, lacking any strong hook. It's also lacking any song as ridiculous as, say, "Song of the Shrimp" from Girls! Girls! Girls! - the closest it comes is "Cotton Candy Land," a wannabe blues showstopper that never acknowledges its inherent silliness, and the toy box clatter of "How Would You Like to Be" but that absence only underscores the anonymity of the affair; it balances the ballads with pop tunes and light rockers, making sure that nothing sounds too messy. A few cuts flirt with inspiration the opening "Beyond the Bend" almost works up a head of steam, as does the Otis Blackwell/Winfield Scott bopper "One Broken Heart for Sale" - but this is a record where the songs merely go through the motions, so Elvis himself isn't particularly inspired to do much more than hit his mark, either.

Release of the album: 1963, March, 15 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-2697, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-17 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-2697, released March 15, 1963
Peak chart position: #4 Pop

01. Beyond The Bend 1:54 (Ben Weisman/Fred Wise/Dolores Fuller)
02. Relax 2:24 (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
03. Take Me To The Fair 1:31 (Sid Tepper/Roy C. Bennett)
04. They Remind Me Too Much Of You 2:34 (Don Robertson)
Single 47-8134, released January 29, 1963
Peak chart position: #53 Pop
05. One Broken Heart For Sale 1:38 (Otis Blackwell/Winfield Scott)
Single 47-8134, released January 29, 1963
Peak chart position: #11 Pop, #21 R&B
06. I’m Falling In Love Tonight 1:43 (Don Robertson)
07. Cotton Candy Land 1:37 (Ruth Batchelor/Bob Roberts)
08. A World Of Our Own 2:17 (Bill Giant/Bernie Baum/Florence Kaye)
09. How Would You Like To Be 3:30 (Ben Raleigh/Mark Barkan)
Single 47-8950, released November 15, 1966
10. Happy Ending 2:10 (Ben Weisman/Sid Wayne)

The original Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 3 was, like its predecessors, an unprecedented release -- no one in rock & roll up to that point, other than Elvis, had ever legitimately earned a second greatest-hits volume, much less a third. This is also the place where the legitimately softer, more mature Presley replaces the angry young Elvis represented on the first two volumes. On a sexual level, songs like "Stuck on You," "It's Now or Never," "Fame and Fortune," "I Gotta Know," and "Surrender" offer seduction rather than diverting violation. He might no longer have been a rebel, but as represented on the original ten songs of this album, he was still making the Top Five and even the top of the charts regularly with work that was legitimately fine early-'60s rock & roll and pop/rock. "His Latest Flame" or "Good Luck Charm" might not have been groundbreaking musical statements of the caliber of "Heartbreak Hotel" or "Blue Suede Shoes," but in Elvis' hands they were worth hearing over and over. The original 12 songs have been augmented by six more, including "Can't Help Falling in Love" (which should have been on this disc to begin with) and the hauntingly beautiful "Girl of My Best Friend," which was a number two hit in England (and may be the prettiest song Elvis ever cut), plus "Wild in the Country" and "Wooden Heart" (a hit in Europe) from G.I. Blues. The producers have stuck with the most tasteful and intriguing numbers from the films, within the time frame of the original release, the annotation is thorough, and the 1997 remastered sound runs circles around all prior editions.

Release of the album: 1963, August, 12 [LP RCA Victor, Cat.# LSP/LPM-2765, USA]
Release of this CD: 2016, March, 18 [CD RCA/Sony Music/Legacy (EU), Cat.# 88875114562-18 / UPC: 888751145627]
℗&© 2016 RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Made in the EU

Tracklist:

LSP/LPM-2765, released August 12, 1963
Peak chart position: #3 Pop
RIAA status: Platinum

01. It’s Now Or Never 3:18 (Aaron Schroeder/Wally Gold)
April 3, 1960
Single 47/61-7777 released July 5, 1960
Peak chart position: #1 Pop, #7 R&B
02. Stuck On You 2:23 (Aaron Schroeder/John Leslie McFarland)
March 20, 1960
Single 47/61-7740, released March 23, 1960
Peak chart position: #1 Pop, #27 Country, #6 R&B
03. Fame And Fortune 2:34 (Fred Wise/Ben Weisman)
March 20, 1960
Single 47/61-7740, released March 23, 1960
Peak chart position: #17 Pop
04. I Gotta Know 2:18 (Paul Evans/Matt Williams)
April 3, 1960
Single 47/61-7810, released November 1, 1960
Peak chart position: #20 Pop
05. Surrender 1:57 (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman)
October 30, 1960
Single 47/61/37/68-7850, released February 7, 1961
Peak chart position: #1 Pop
06. I Feel So Bad 2:57 (Chuck Willis)
March 12, 1961
Single 47/61/37-7880 released May 2, 1961
Peak chart position: #5 Pop, #15 R&B
07. Are You Lonesome Tonight? 3:09 (Roy Turk/Lou Handman)
April 3, 1960
Single 47/61-7810 released November 1, 1960
Peak chart position: #1 Pop, #22 Country, #3 R&B
08. (Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame 2:10 (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman)
June 25, 1961
Single 47/37-7908, released August 8, 1961
Peak chart position: #4 Pop, #2 EL
09. Little Sister 2:34 (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman)
June 25, 1961
Single 47/37-7908, released August 8, 1961
Peak chart position: #5 Pop
10. Good Luck Charm 2:28 (Aaron Schroeder/Wally Gold)
October 15, 1961
Single 47/37-7992, released February 27, 1962
Peak chart position: #1 Pop
11. Anything That’s Part Of You 2:07 (Don Robertson)
October 15, 1961
Single 47/37-7992, released February 27, 1962
Peak chart position: #31 Pop, #6 EL
12. She’s Not You 2:09 (Doc Pomus/Mike Stoller/Jerry Leiber)
March 19, 1962
Single 47-8041, released July 17, 1962
Peak chart position: #5 Pop, #13 R&B, #2 EL



Thanks to my friend, London




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