A Record a Week: Elvis - Elvis Presley Commemorative Album (not the rare one)

2 things. For one, a recent dose of being away, coupled with an altered Saturday schedule has lead me to be lax about this lately. Today I will do two and hopefully that can kick me back into gear. Secondly, this record comes in two forms. I do not have the limited gatefold yellow-coloured version. I have what I believe to be the earlier and somehow less desired version. Anyhow...



SIDE 1.
HOUND DOG
I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I LOVE YOU
ALL SHOOK UP
DON'T
I BEG OF YOU

SIDE 2.
BIG HUNK O' LOVE
LOVE ME
STUCK ON YOU
GOOD LUCK CHARM
RETURN TO SENDER

SIDE 3.
DON'T BE CRUEL
LOVING YOU
JAILHOUSE ROCK
CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
I GOT STUNG

SIDE 4.
(LET ME BE YOUR) TEDDY BEAR
LOVE ME TENDER
HARD HEADED WOMAN
IT'S NOW OR NEVER
SURRENDER

I find compilation albums to be a tricky thing. Musicians like Elvis seem to have an endless amount of them. If you are going about compiling one for a band or solo artist, how do you approach it? Double album? Include rarities to allow your collection to differ from other ones out there? Split the album up into different volumes? And then there are the subsequent issues such as what super-hits do you leave off of volume 1 to make sure you have a solid core for the next one(s)? Do you include cover songs or only originals?

The one thing that can be said for sure is that if you are 'kind of' interested in a band or musician, the best way to check them out without dedicating the time to their discography is to check out a greatest hits compilation. Either that or ask an existing fan what the best album in their opinion is.

RCA's angle on this one was 'Commemorative Album', which sets it apart from regular greatest hits albums just by having a different name. As far as music, no real surprises here. The standard Elvis hits, mixed with some second and even third-tiered songs and a coupled of covers. No doubt these songs are only the ones RCA had control of, as record labels have always been pretty picky about that kind of stuff.

It's a good record. I would say no better or no worse than any other Elvis records (that I can think of) and the Yellow vinyl copy is said to be worth $50 or so these days, so I suppose that is a bonus if you're a rarities finder.

A Record a Week: Elvis - In Person/Back in Memphis

SIDE 1. (In Person)
BLUE SUEDE SHOES
JOHNNY B. GOOD
ALL SHOOK UP
ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT
HOUND DOG
I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU
MY BABE

SIDE 2.
MYSTERY TRAIN/TIGER MAN
WORDS
IN THE GHETTO
SUSPICIOUS MINDS
CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE

SIDE 3. (Back in Memphis)
INHERIT THE WIND
THIS IS THE STORY
STRANGER IN MY OWN HOME TOWN
A LITTLE BIT OF GREEN
AND THE GRASS WON'T PAY NO MIND

SIDE 4.
DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?
FROM A JACK TO A KING
THE FAIR'S MOVING ON
YOU'LL THINK OF ME
WITHOUT LOVE (There is Nothing)

This double record also has the titles 'From Memphis to Vegas' and 'From Vegas to Memphis' in small letters. Very little internet research verified this fact.

The record, each also released on their own, is half live (In Person) and half studio (Back in Memphis). The first record is the live performance that captures the raucous energy that made him so famous and helped produce large crowds during his heyday. The songs are his most famous, along with covers of already popular hits. It covers most things you would think of when you think Elvis.

The second record encompasses many unfamiliar songs, alongside some previous b-sides. The record, while still good, does not live up to the performance of earlier-years Elvis. It sort of paints a picture of what the tail end of his career was like. It is a somber feel to it and an unmistakable sadness. Not all of the songs, but certainly as a whole.

Elvis was a force in his time. Some may say he stole African-American music and popularized the style as his own. He wasn't the only one to do this, but definitely the most famous. However, it was him who brought the music into the mainstream and one could argue that made it more palatable to those who wrote off good music based solely on their own racial views. This record, while not a greatest hits, does give a sort of an overview of his career all in one shot, while also combining the essence of the live show with that of the studio.