The third (not counting "All Shook Up") in a series of 18 single re-releases is “A Fool Such As I”. Can Elvis continue his #1 chart run over 17 consecutive weeks from January 3 to April 25, starting with “All Shook Up” and ending with “A Little Less Conversation”? This single could be his third #1 in a row.
Design
This CD-single comes in the original US cover for the outer sleeve, the inner sleeve contains a copy of the original UK wrapper, a standard RCA sleeve. The vinyl edition only has the original UK sleeve, so no picture sleeve.
The back of the single shows an announcement for the “Elvis Sails” release, an early example that “anything Elvis” sells. The single also has the vinyl touch making it a real collector.
Content
This single contains the songs “A Fool Such As I” with “I Need Your Love Tonight” as the flipside and an alternate take of “A Fool Such As I” as the bonus track.
The “A” side is one of those songs that you can’t get out of your head that easily. It is a happy tune, with a nice backing by the Jordanaires, you can’t but help humming along. As with many of these songs, they are way to short, we’d like to continue humming some more.
The flip side, “I Need Your Love Tonight” is an up-tempo rocker, which just like Elvis current #1 “One Night”, perfectly describing the goal many guys had in the fifties, “do some loving tonight”. Today’s youth probably still want the same, showing that this song is still “up-to-date” still want to). The alternate take of “A Fool Such As I” gets a more jazzy approach. The single happily “bounces around” while this take sound more relaxed with a nice baseline in the break.
This impressive run masks a more worrying statistic for the record business: "Jailhouse Rock" secured the top slot by selling only 21,262 copies, the lowest tally ever and a fraction of the figure needed to reach the summit in the recent past, and the same goes for “One Night”. Usually the single sales are slow in January, but this can mask a more significant slump in business since 1999. Illegal downloading of music has sent physical singles sales into a tailspin since 1999. They were just 36.4 million in 2003, compared with 1999's 80.1 million, and declined by another 15 percent or so in 2004, industry figures show. Downloads overtook over-the-counter singles sales for the first time in the last week of 2004 according to a Reuters newsflash.
For the first time, the Top 40 chart to combine record sales with legal downloads this year in a bid to harness booming Internet interest, making the Top 40 singles chart the most reliable chart again. We will have to see how Elvis’ singles do if this new way of registering all sales comes into effect, but until then, he can set some records for others to aim at.
Conclusion
Elvis celebrated his 70th birthday on top of the charts with “Jailhouse Rock”, picked up the 1000th UK #1 one week later and will try for the 1001st. #1 spot too while he’s at it.
For those who don’t care too much about the charts, these detailed reproductions are real gems to collect on either CD-single, vinyl (or both …).
A Fool Such As I (2005 Single)
January 16, 2005 | Music
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dailyone wrote on
January 17, 2005
at the time of release this song was the most popular song in the melbourne ( australia )charts . it was this time in the 50's that people liked this type of mix and also with a fool such as i it was the first single that gave the way that elvis was to record . this song a fool such as i is a song for everybody at any age and that why it took off . that is older people listened and bought it way before stuck on you , are you lonesome tonight and surrender etc . history that changed from the youth to all .
ttwiise wrote on
January 17, 2005
got to my local virgin at 9.15 this morning and it was completely sold out. I now have a box with 1 missing. come on bmg let us the fans have enough to complete our collection this is getting silly and many people will just give up and sales will slump.
pacer1965 wrote on
January 17, 2005
I went into Ipwich this morning to get A fool such as I . I did manage to get the vinyl which i did not really want because i wanted the cd more. I did try to order the other singles from Hmv and virgin but they both said they were not taking any more orders for them. So i wont be bothering to try and get the rest of the singles because its a waste of time.Whats the point in collecting these if you cant fill the box !
RobIreland wrote on
January 17, 2005
Pacer you are right !! I was at Virgin and then Hmv for around 10.30 this morning, all sold out ! and the assistant said "Gone forever , its a limited addition", !
This whole thing is a rediculous scam to make that record company money from Elvis' fans. Well im not running around like a fool trying to spend my money on unavailable product, they can keep them. Theres more important things in life than that ! stuff them BMG!
RobIreland wrote on
January 17, 2005
Oh by the way , anyone wanna buy a black box with three Elvis singles i it ?
DDH wrote on
January 18, 2005
I tried a dozen shops & stores, plus Amazon, at lunch time today. 'A fool such as I' was sold out completely and all said that there would be no more. Another collection stops here. My 1st Elvis record was purchased in'57 {All shook up} and that's how I feel now. Thing I just stick to my E1 & E2 cd's etc. Stuff you BMG/SONNY.
Mr_DVD_Mark wrote on
January 18, 2005
I went into my local Woolworths yesterday to pick up the latest single for my wife.I was the second person in the entire shop to ask for the single and was told they only had one available! I asked when there would be further deliveries and was told there would be none.I went in again today and talked to the manageress who told me that six had been sent to the shop but only one at opening time which I find hard to believe and told her so.Two lads asked for the single before me and did not seem too bothered when told there were none.I can only assume they like lots of other people were hoping to make a quick killing by selling them on Ebay.The limited edition box & first 3 singles (Which we have) fetched £147.00 on Ebay when I looked yesterday.What chance have real fans got of purchasing a complete set unless they are made of money or camp outside stores over night ?.Even yesterdays single was around the £20.00 mark in some cases when I looked yesterday.BMG please release unnumbered copies so we can at least complete our sets.I was one of 3 disgruntled customers in the shop today at opening time.A scene repeated around the country I can imagine.If anyone working in Woolworths have family wanting copies or want them for themselves then then we have had it for a start.
derekd wrote on
January 18, 2005
Anyone unable to buy any of the #1's should write and complain to; Tim Bowen CEO Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Bedford House 69-79 Fulham High Street London SW6 3JW UK .
Perhaps if enough write the powers that be may take notice. It's worth a try, keep it clean but forceful.
DDH wrote on
January 24, 2005
Just called into our local Woolies store [9-15am] They only got 5 [FIVE] copies of Now or Never in, 3 already sold. They where unable to find covers for the other 2 and i was told they could not therefore supply me. I asked if they find the cover[s] could they keep me one. The answer was NO. No sign of the extra AFSAI copies either. NoN is waiting for me at HMV, but they did not get AFSAI either. So bmg/sony were are the copies we're promised.?
pasa-ryu wrote on
March 16, 2005
a fix!-simple as that. this single was outselling its compeitors by 9-1 and even cduk said it was no.1..so how come an abscure single managed to beat it?..it stinks.
Jumpin Jehosaphat wrote on
November 25, 2007
Great song, you should hear it by Billy Haley and the Comets released on Decca at the same time. He destroyed the song and after that he killed it,