Elvis Is Back!

*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE 2011 'LEGACY' REISSUE ***

Conscripted into the American Army in March 1958 and discharged two years later, Sergeant Presley was a mere 18 days back in the USA when RCA practically frogmarched him into their Nashville Studios to cut some new material for a highly-expectant public. So it's perhaps strange now in hindsight to think that 1960's "Elvis Is Back!" - his most beloved of studio albums - only went to Number 2 on release. But I can assure you that there is nothing second-place about this 50th Anniversary reissue. It's a gem. Here are the details...

Released 8 March 2011 in the USA (28 February in the UK) - RCA/Legacy 88697 85300 2 contains 2 whole albums and 12 x 7" single-sides (5 of which reached Number 1). Its 36 STEREO tracks break down as follows:

Disc 1 (50:43 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 12 are the US LP "Elvis Is Back!" - released 8 April 1960 on RCA Victor LPM-2231 [Mono] and LPS-2231 [Stereo]
Tracks 13 and 14 are "Stuck On You" and "Fame And Fortune" - the A&B-sides of RCA Victor 47-7740 - released 23 March 1960
Tracks 15 and 16 are "It's Now Or Never" and "A Mess Of Blues" - the A&B sides of RCA Victor 47-7777 - released 5 July 1960
Tracks 17 and 18 are "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and "I Gotta Know" - the A&B sides of RCA Victor 47-7810 - released 1 November 1960
Track 19 is "Surrender" - the A-side of RCA Victor 47-7850 - released 7 February 1961

Disc 2 (39:23 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 12 are the US LP "Something For Everybody" - released 17 June 1961 on RCA Victor LPM-2370 [Mono] and LSP-2370 [Stereo]
Track 13 is "I Feel So Bad" - the A-side of RCA Victor 47-7880 - released 2 May 1961
Tracks 14 and 15 are "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame" and "Little Sister" - the A&B-sides of RCA Victor 47-7908 - released 8 August 1961
Tracks 16 and 17 are "Good Luck Charm" and "Anything That's Part Of You" - the A&B sides of RCA Victor 47-7992 - released 27 February 1962

The really big news in 2011 is a new VIC ANESINI remaster with truly BEAUTIFUL sound quality. Anesini is not new to Elvis reissues; he handled the 2CD 'Legacy Editions' of "Elvis Presley" and "From Elvis In Memphis" as well as the 4CD set "The Complete '68 Comeback Special" - with unanimous praise heaped on all three.

Musically - like Sam Cooke's "Night Beat" (1963 on RCA) and Roy Orbison's "Lonely And Blue" (1961 on Monument) - these Elvis Presley 'Living Stereo' recordings have long been the stuff of audiophile wet dreams. The previous reference point is the 2005 "Follow That Dream" 2CD reissue where the sound quality is superb - and yet here - it is somehow elevated even further. The effect is instantaneous - Otis Blackwell's "Make Me Know It" is the album opener and every instrument is wonderfully clear and full of HUGE presence. That's followed by Presley's stripped-down version of the Little Willie John/Peggy Lee classic "Fever" - with razor sharp audio on Bob Moore's Double Bass and Buddy Harmon's Percussive shuffles and snare-drum whacks.

I love "It Feels So Good" with the sexy slink of Scotty Moore's guitar and the schmooze of Floyd Cramer's piano tinkling. It all leads up the big-duo finishers - "Like A Baby" (lyrics above) and "Reconsider Baby". In his musical and vocal element - Elvis lets rip on these stunning bluesy workouts. The effect has always removed the pain of the Vegas years for fans and will instantly stop any Presley sceptic within a ten-mile radius. And by the time you reach the saxophone of Boots Randolph half way through "Reconsider Baby" - the audio onslaught is just incredible. Never mind 'living stereo' - you'll think these guys are in your living room...

The 2nd album is a bit of a forgotten gem too. Tracks 1 to 6 are "The Ballads Side" with 7 to 12 being "The Rhythm Side". Highlights include his chipper version of Charlie Rich's "I'm Coming Home" while "Put The Blame On Me" is great Sixties pop. And it all sounds wonderful. The singles too are embarrassingly strong - the sexy strut of the kissing song "Stuck On You" and the reworking of the Clovers hit "There's No Tomorrow" which would eventually became the huge Salsa hit "It's Now Or Never". Brilliant.

The packaging is lovely to look at. A 3-way card digipak features the gorgeous "Elvis Is Back!" colour artwork on the front with the "Something For Everybody" full-colour sleeve on the inside flap. There are full-colour repros of the US pictures sleeves for "His Latest Flame" and "It's Now Or Never" (a contender for his best ever picture sleeve) featured beneath the see-through CD trays - while the 24-page booklet is crammed full of spot-on discography stuff by lifetime fan and keeper of the flame - ERNST MIKAEL JORGENSEN - a name Presley fans will be comfortable with (even if his wording is a little flowery here and there). There are the 'bonus' G.I. snapshots that came with original gatefold albums, snaps of Elvis with Frank Sinatra about to do the Timex TV Special, more US 7" picture sleeves, trade adverts, holding his Army discharge papers up etc. Jorgensen also rightly praises behind-the-scenes heroes like Producer STEVE SHOALS and RCA's perfectionist Studio-Engineer BOB PORTER and his Telefunken U-47 microphones. It's very nicely done...

Niggles - a look at the total playing time of each disc and RCA is not exactly pushing the digital boat out here. And when you reference the incredible 53 tracks of the 2005 "Follow That Dream" 2CD reissue - some may feel it would have been better to do 2 separate Legacy Editions - one for "Elvis Is Back!" and another for "Something For Everybody" - both featuring copious amounts of 'outtakes' and the elusive LPM MONO mixes of both albums. There are two B-sides missing when there was plenty of room to include them. But like the Legacy Edition of "Elvis Presley" (his explosive 1956 debut album) which is presented in a similar way - you could also argue that what you've actually got here is less fussy and more defined. It's a matter of personal opinion I suppose.

To sum up - "Elvis Is Back! Legacy Edition" is a timely reminder of his genius and a STEREO gem in his otherwise patchy Sixties catalogue. It boasts a fabulous new remaster, affectionate presentation by a man who cares and isn't going to break your bank balance either. I'd say snap it up and proceed with haste to the MONO "Elvis Presley" to see what all the fuss is about.

I'd better go now because I can feel a need to tame "...a team of wild horses..."

The King folks. Remember him this way...

PS: For other Vic Anesini Remasters - see my reviews for "Be What You Want..." the 4CD Box Set by HALL & OATES, the Legacy Edition of "Couldn't Stand The Weather" by STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN and the Legacy Edition of "Tomorrow The Green Grass" by THE JAYHAWKS. He has also done the much-praised Columbia issues of Simon And Garfunkel's back catalogue and the already mentioned Roy Orbison album "Lonely And Blue"

To follow the recent Legacy Editions of FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS and ON STAGE comes this fulfilling coupling of the triumphant ELVIS IS BACK! from 1960 partnered with 1961's less well-acclaimed SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY, both albums being fleshed out with related singles, including 'It's Now Or Never' and that stonking double-sided hit 'His Latest Flame'/'Little Sister'.

Admittedly, if you've already bought the single CDs of these two albums, you may not really want to invest in this, as apart from a brand new booklet, there is nothing in the way of session outtakes or unreleased masters included. However, what this set does deliver is a compact snapshot of Elvis Presley at the top of his game, which might also encourage you to take a closer appreciation of the SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY album, which I personally have overlooked in the past.

ELVIS IS BACK!, Presley's first album released after his army discharge, is a recognised classic, within which he tackled a bewildering array of material with disarming ease. From the upbeat 'Make Me Know It'; through to the slinky, sultry 'Fever'; and on to the suggestive 'Such A Night'; before closing out with the bluesy 'Reconsider Baby', Presley covered all the bases. Even the single B-sides 'Fame And Fortune', 'A Mess Of Blues' and the jaunty 'I Gotta Know' were far from throwaways, providing beautifully contrasting accompaniments to 'Stuck On You', 'It's Now Or Never' and 'Are You Lonesome Tonight?' respectively. Arguably, perhaps not until the Memphis sessions in early 1969, would Presley ever have quite such a productive and thoroughly rewarding time in the studio.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY on the other hand, although perhaps not quite as strong as its predecessor, is nevertheless a decent piece of work - and all the result of just one night in the studio! True, it was padded out with a tune from his WILD IN THE COUNTRY movie, but overall Presley's commitment on this album is once again palpable, particularly on the slower numbers like 'Give Me The Right' and the winsome 'Gently'. A conceptual direction is evident in the division of the material between 'The Ballad Side' and 'The Rhythm Side' - almost fifteen years before Rod Stewart got the same idea for his ATLANTIC CROSSING album - while the addition here of such classic singles cuts as the aforementioned 'Little Sister' and the bluesy but often neglected 'I Feel So Bad' were proof that Presley hadn't forgotten how to rock and roll.

To sum up, what this Legacy Edition of ELVIS IS BACK! provides is a clean and tidy appraisal of Elvis Presley's music at the dawn of the 1960s. Both albums included here are hallmarks of his versatility as a singer, while highlighting further how awful some of those subsequent soundtrack albums were in comparison.

'Elvis is Back' along with 'Elvis in Memphis' is the holy grail of the Elvis catalogue the two CD special edition on the FTD collectors label is on the stunning 7" sleeve format with all the original artwork from 1960, Elvis never sounded better than on this album which was his first post army recording session and he had a lot to prove after being away from the public for two years this really was a make and break situation and he really came up with the results listen to 'Reconsider Baby' 'Like a Baby' and 'Dirty Dirty Feeling' to understand how determined he was, also included on this wonderful package are the singles recorded at these sessions like 'It's Now or Never' 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' and 'The Girl Of My Best Friend' also included are outakes false starts and breakdowns as well as alternate takes, never before have we had the complete 'Elvis is Back' sessions Fans have been waiting for this for years, go out and support this release so FTD can release the other early sixties albums like 'Something For Everybody' 'His Hand in Mine' and 'Pot Luck' The 'Elvis is Back' sessions returned Elvis to the top of his game and came back greater than ever.