The second remix by Italian DJ Spankox is out; another hit?
Design
The design of this single - the version on Spankox' own Everness label - is in line with the first remix of "Baby Let's Play House". The single features the EPE and Graceland seals, so EPE apparently approved this second mix. The disc itself is another Vinyl/CD, this time black on top and silver on the flipside.
Content
The CD contains three tracks; two mixes, the original version and a ringtone. The "Re: Version" of this SUN classic is a not as extreme as the first remix. DJ Agostino mainly re-edited and re-sampled the original with an additional bass-beat not using futuristic sounds as on his first Elvis remix. The extended version of the mix is a bit too extended, so you simply don't get into the song.
As for the remastered original; for a lot of (old) fans probably the best version on this disc :-)
Conclusion
Kind of dangerous dangerous with a release like this ... just listen to the remix and make up your mind :-) It will probably a never ending discussion between the Elvis Fan vs. SPankox.
As for the opening question, the single hasn't shown up in a chart yet.
Whatever you think about the 'musical' interpretation of this great Elvis song, the video is a disaster. Overdone and showing bad taste. It would have been much nicer if the lad had tried to copy the young Elvis - that is to say with better taste. I understand this Spankox is an Elvis fan, so why not emphasize on that period in stead of the chewed out parody?
It's taken me a long time, but I've just done my own remix of Spankcox's latest single. What might surprise some people is that once I stripped away all the boom-boom, thump-thump, scratch-scratch, whoop-whoop, blip-blop, splodge-fart sound effects, there's a FANTASTIC record underneath. Shame that some of you can't hear it.
A total waste of CD space, a total waste of webspace and a total waste of a great Sun track. The only thing that is not wasted is the "talent" of this DJ guy.
With really no unreleased recordings available, remixes & duels are the best we can expect. I got this Cd last year and enjoy listening to it, more so we others are there too. Non Elvis fan's would often remark, how did Elvis recordings sound like that all those years ago {they don't know it's a remix} there so up to date. Yes, good remix, but room for improvement on some tracks.
Seriously, if people who don't like the remixes of duets THAT much still gripe and complain....why bother even commenting on them? No one is sticking a gun to your head and saying "you MUST listen to this, and you MUST accept this," and certainly no one is taking away the artistic merit of the original records, because, even if you think this remix is bunk, the original is *gasp* still there for you to listen to! You must have better things to do than continue going on every article about remixes and duets and complaining. So, instead of wasting your time bashing every remix or duet that comes out, go provide some constructive commentary on articles about releases that you actually care about, and you think are worth discussing and promoting. I know I will.
GibbersGanfa, you don't get the point. It's not for the regulars that we do this, but for the casual visitors. Otherwise they might think that everything is okay, as long as Elvis gets attention. We just want to show that there are Elvis fans with good taste.
There's nothing wrong with Elvis getting attention, and there's nothing wrong with having taste. But I can name ten songs in Elvis' repertoire that any fan, casual or not, would be hard pressed to say are better in taste than these remixes.
Barefoot Ballad, A Dog's Life, Old McDonald, He's Your Uncle, Not Your Dad, Yoga Is As Yoga Does, There's No Room To Rhumba In A Sportscar, Dominic, Queenie Wahine's Papaya, Harem Holiday, and Beach Shack.
I do get the point; that's what I mean...you just ignore the junk remixes and compilation boots that get put out and pay more attention to the good releases, so the casual visitors see what is worth listening to, or buying. If they're interested in remixes, they'll go that way. If they see others are enjoying something finer, they just might tend to go that way.
By the way, does anyone realize how much technical skill it takes to update a mono recording from 50 years ago? That's why I was so surprised about Christmas Duets: the sound of the fifties songs is matched note for note!
GibberG - Dont forget Petunia The Gardner's Daughter, Chesay, A Dog's Life, Shake That Tambourine, and others. I would not buy this remix, but I have to agree its easier on the ears and less embarrassing than those awful titles.
GibberGanfa, a lot of older fans are stuck in the past ... It isn't that Elvis really too all of his music seriously if you look at what he recorded, how he recorded it and how his producers "remixed" it with additional stings and vocals. Elvis really didn't like it, but did nothing to stop it. If he really cared he would really have taken care of business. I think about 30 percent of the recordings our man made were done 100% seriously.
This is harmless fun. It does nothing to soil Elvis' great music, it just gives it a facelift, that's all. The originals are always going to be there. I agree with some others here. Some of the garbage that Elvis recorded for the movies does more harm to his legacy than any remix. I mean do you really want a new Elvis fan to discover the classic 'Look Out Broadway', a truly barfbag of a song.
There will always be a discussion about taste related to remixes. I think this will not end. We had this discussion before. Hence I tried at the very beginning of this discussion to get to another point. Do we think the WAY it is promoted is the right way. Many react on me being a fan making references to being swollen and drugs. Though the period of being swollen is a short period of his life, it is not representative. When I show them the fifties and That The Way their attitude changes. I think this overdone video presentation is not doing anything good. Putting taste about the remixes aside (I leave that up to each and every one) I wonder: how come there are so many young fans? Is it due to these remixes? And does the general public realise they are listening to Elvis when they hear these remixes? I wonder, yes I do, but I really ...
Ernst Jorgensen nailed it when he said in an interview, "....I hope we can attract new audiences to Elvis. ....They like the music they hear today, they get interested in what was before. ....To really appreciate music; to get even more out of music, you need to know where it's coming from, and how it was created. ....I think that's the real hope. You can obviously keep remixing Elvis and make a dance mix, and this and that, and if that is a nice record, like 'A Little Less Conversation," so be it, but that was never Elvis' original intent. I think there's enough substance in Elvis' best music you should be able to get a lot of people interested, but you cannot have, 10 million, 20 million sales figures on an artist who died 30 years ago. That would be sad for music. Music should be moving on. But we should never forget our old heroes, and we should always be able to go back and listen to them."
Yeah and furthermore, Mozart’s music is still selling. Nobody has forgotten his work. And that hasn’t been achieved through remixes, duets, rubber Mozart ducks (they do exist however) or whatever, but because of his amazing music. Whether or not Elvis will still be played a hundred years from now, is not up to DJ’s, electronic gadgets or loads of merchandise to keep him “in the picture”. In the end it’s up to Elvis and his body of work.
Elvis did care at one point...ordering his "Today" album completely remixed...and it seemed extremely minor in comparison to this. Besides...nothing is wrong with a good remix...this just isn't good. "A Little Less Conversation" was good...the 'unreleased' remix of "Rubberneckin'" was good. This isn't.
Pleaße, stop the spankox releases. They harm Elvis and young people don´t seem to care.
Keep the originals the way they are. Don´t touch them...young people go for the real thing, the way it was ! Elvis should not sound like he recorded his songs last year !! That is exactly what puts him apart from all de rest of those flash-in-the-pan singers...Elvis is an Icon and deserves better, by his label and by Silvermann.
I am 100% in favor of doing remixes, but the fact is, this Spankox guy just is not very good. His remixes are not as good as several I have run across on YouTube done by supposed amateurs.
And the remixes DO bring Elvis to a broader audience--it is stupid to believe otherwise. I was in a nightclub on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Little Less Conversation came on and tons of people got on the dance floor--college kids in their late teen and early 20s! As an Elvis fan, this was a great moment for me. Too bad Spankox isn't any good
