Elvis and Ann-Margret burn up the Las Vegas strip

There are a number of commonly held misconceptions about Elvis Presley’s film career: Elvis couldn’t act, his movies were all throwaways, and the soundtracks were populated entirely with substandard material. But key films in the King’s catalog show that he could indeed act, if called upon, there are several high-quality dramatic and musical films in Elvis’ oeuvre, alongside many good lightweight romantic musical comedies, and his soundtracks are laced with hits and terrific albums sides. To measure the highpoints of Elvis’ soundtrack catalog by virtue of the low points (of which there are admittedly many) is to miss out on a valuable dimension of Presley’s musical career.

1964’s Viva Las Vegas was Elvis’ fifteenth film, and remains a favorite among fans for the electricity generated between Elvis and co-star Ann-Margret. For once Elvis was matched by an actress who could sing and dance with the same heat he brought to the screen, and the film featured some of the best songs that had been written or corralled for an Elvis film vehicle. With all that going for it, it’s anyone’s guess why RCA so completely fumbled the soundtrack’s release. At the time of the film’s debut the title track was issued as a single, backed with Elvis’ smoking cover of Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say,” and a four-song EP whose cover is reproduced for this CD. The rest of the soundtrack’s songs were scattered among numerous Elvis albums over subsequent months and years, with several (including two duets with Ann-Margret) held in the vaults until after Elvis’ death. Ann-Margret’s two solo numbers finally turned up on a Bear Family box set of her recordings.

It wasn’t until 1993 that a soundtrack album appeared as part of a two-fer pairing Viva Las Vegas with Roustabout. An even more complete version was released in 2003 by the collector’s imprint Follow That Dream. Sony’s new budget-priced reissue includes the same twelve titles as the two-fer, but still omits Ann-Margret’s solo tracks (“Appreciation” and “My Rival”) and the Forte’ Four’s “The Climb.” Those omissions aside, what’s here is top-notch, from Pomus and Shuman’s terrific title song through the sassy closing duet “The Lady Loves Me.” In between are many highlights featuring brassy blues, tender ballads and fiery vocal performances. Elvis sounds like he was having a lot of fun singing these tunes, and the dance dynamic between he and Ann-Margret begat great foot-stompers like “C’mon Everybody” (unfortunately missing the half-tempo coda from the film).

A medley of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and “The Eyes of Texas” show Elvis could add a spark to standards, and two tunes that didn’t make the final film, the guitar rocker “Night Life” and the late-night Ann-Margret duet “You’re the Boss,” make good additions to the official soundtrack. A third non-film tune, the Latin dance tune “Do the Vega,” is more of a throwaway. The audio is reproduced in super-wide stereo with Elvis’ vocals sharp and clear at center stage. Sony’s reissue features a four-panel booklet and no liner notes discussing the music or its making. The 31-minute running time suggests that the earlier import two-fer or Follow That Dream’s collector’s edition might be more compelling to Elvis diehards. Still, the budget price and remastered sound make this reissue attractive. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Elvis’ movie music travels South of the Border

There are a number of commonly held misconceptions about Elvis Presley’s film career: Elvis couldn’t act, his movies were all throwaways, and the soundtracks were populated entirely with substandard material. But key films in the King’s catalog show that he could indeed act, if called upon, there are several high-quality dramatic and musical films in Elvis’ oeuvre, alongside many good lightweight romantic musical comedies, and his soundtracks are laced with hits and terrific albums sides. To measure the highpoints of Elvis’ soundtrack catalog by virtue of the low points (of which there are admittedly many) is to miss out on a valuable dimension of Presley’s musical career.

1963’s Fun in Acapulco was Elvis’ thirteenth film, and though set in Acapulco, Elvis’ scenes were all filmed in Hollywood. The soundtrack was likewise recorded in Hollywood with a combination of West Coast studio players (including guitarists Tiny Timbrell and Barney Kessell, and legendary Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine), Elvis regulars (Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana, and the Jordainaires), a horn section (Anthony Terran and Rudolph Loera) and the backing vocals of the Amigos (who’d previously appeared on the soundtrack of Girls! Girls! Girls!). As one might expect, the emphasis here is on Latin sounds and though the songs aren’t particularly deep, Elvis seems to have a lot of fun in this setting. The album spun off a hit with Leiber and Stoller’s “Bossa Nova Baby,” a song previously recorded by Tippie & The Clovers for the Tiger label with no chart success.

Soundtrack stalwarts Ben Weisman, Sid Wayne, Roy Bennett, Sid Tepper and Don Robertson contribute songs that give Elvis something with which to riff. They’re not always memorable, but neither are they the lackadaisically written sore thumbs of Elvis’ worst soundtracks. You won’t be brought up short by a baby shrimp saying farewell to his parents, for example, and the fuzz guitar and sensual vocal of “Slowly But Surely” is a great way to close the album. Sony’s reissue features a four-panel booklet, no bonus tracks, and no liner notes discussing the music or its making. The 30-minute running time suggests that the earlier import two-fer or Follow That Dream’s collector’s edition might be more compelling to Elvis diehards. Still, the budget price and remastered sound make this reissue attractive. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

One hit, some passable tunes and several clunkers

There are a number of commonly held misconceptions about Elvis Presley’s film career: Elvis couldn’t act, his movies were all throwaways, and the soundtracks were populated entirely with substandard material. But key films in the King’s catalog show that he could indeed act, if called upon, there are several high-quality dramatic and musical films in Elvis’ oeuvre, alongside many good lightweight romantic musical comedies, and his soundtracks are laced with hits and terrific albums sides. To measure the highpoints of Elvis’ soundtrack catalog by virtue of the low points (of which there are admittedly many) is to miss out on a valuable dimension of Presley’s musical career.

1962’s Girls! Girls! Girls! was Elvis’ eleventh film, the first of three with “Girls” in the title, and the only in his filmography to be nominated for an award (a Golden Globe for Best Musical, losing to The Music Man). Like most of Elvis’ soundtracks, this one was recorded in Hollywood with a mix of West Coast studio players (including legendary Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine) and Elvis regulars (including Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana, and the Jordanaires). The catchy title track was written by Leiber and Stoller and was previously a hit for the Coasters. Sped up and rearranged into smoother pop, it still has the Coasters’ characteristic bounce and a fine sax solo from Bobby Keys. The album’s standout is Otis Blackwell’s “Return to Sender,” which was also the soundtrack’s only hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard chart and hitting #1 on Cashbox.

The bulk of the album features good-if-not-great rock ‘n’ roll numbers and several forgettable ballads. The band cooks and The Jordanaires add zing to “I Don’t Wanna Be Tied,” and “Thanks to the Rolling Sea” makes up for mediocre lyrics with the energy of seafaring folk music. The otherwise bland “We’ll Be Together” is spiced with Spanish-style guitar  and backing vocals from the Amigos, but the faux-Japanese “Earth Boy” can’t be saved. Others, like “Because of Love” sound as if they were hurriedly written on the back of an envelope with a rhyming dictionary close at hand. The album closes with an Otis Blackwell tune, “We’re Coming in Loaded,” that’s more atmosphere than substance, but at least it rocks.

By 1962 Elvis movies were quickly becoming an assembly line of uninventive plots and forgettable music. The dispensability of Elvis’ movie music is highlighted by the parallel quality of his regular material, which in 1962 included “Good Luck Charm” and “She’s Not You.” Elvis rose to the occasion when given quality material, and could make magic happen with mediocre songs, but even the King couldn’t turn lead into gold. Sony’s reissue features a four-panel booklet, no bonus tracks, and no liner notes discussing the music or its making. The 29-minute running time suggests the earlier import two-fer or Follow That Dream’s collector’s edition might be more compelling to Elvis diehards. Still, the budget price and remastered sound make this reissue quite attractive. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

A few essential tunes and some soundtrack dregs

There are a number of commonly held misconceptions about Elvis Presley’s film career: Elvis couldn’t act, his movies were all throwaways, and the soundtracks were populated entirely with substandard material. But key films in the King’s catalog show that he could indeed act, if called upon, there are several high-quality dramatic and musical films in Elvis’ oeuvre, alongside many good lightweight romantic musical comedies, and his soundtracks are laced with hits and terrific albums sides. To measure the highpoints of Elvis’ soundtrack catalog by virtue of the low points (of which there are admittedly many) is to miss out on a valuable dimension of Presley’s musical career.

1960’s G.I. Blues was Elvis’ fifth film and, unsurprisingly given the film’s topic, the first feature made after his discharge from the army. Like many of his soundtracks, this set includes several eminently forgettable pop songs, many from the pen of Sid Wayne. Elvis still manages to charm, even when asked to rhyme “thrillable” and “syllable” on “What’s She Really Like.” The driving train rhythm and twangy guitar solo underlying “Frankfort Special” suggest Elvis’ early work at Sun, but the lyric quickly reveals itself as only capable of narrating the plot. “Shoppin’ Around” also has a great rock ‘n’ roll beat and weak lyrics, and the lullaby “Big Boots” has a winning vocal, but similarly vacuous words. Better is the ‘40s-styled jazz melody and the Jordanaires close harmonies on Sid Tepper’s title song.

The album’s highlight is Elvis sweet and delicate vocal on “Wooden Heart.” Based on the folk song “Muß i’ denn zum Städtele hinaus,” the lyrics retain several of the original German lines, and released in the UK it rose to #1. In the U.S. it wasn’t released until four years later, and then as a B-side, missing its chart opportunity. Interestingly, Tom Petty covered the tune on the Playback box set, revealing in the liner notes that G.I. Blues was “the first album I ever owned.” The march-tempo “Didja’ Ever” is the film’s best musical number, with the sort of stagey lyric that would play well on the boards, and the album’s sleepers are the terrific ballads  “Pocketful of Rainbows” and “Doin’ the Best I Can.”

Like all of Presley’s soundtracks, Elvis rose to the occasion when presented with quality material, and managed to sprinkle some of his artistic magic on the rest. This one has Elvis regulars Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana and the Jordanaires sitting in with the studio players. Sony’s reissue features a four-panel booklet, no bonus tracks, and no liner notes discussing the music or its making. The 27-minute running time suggests the bonus track laden import reissue might be more compelling to Elvis diehards. Still, the budget price and remastered sound make this edition very attractive. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]