Recently we received a copy of the 1953 El Origen release on the Discmedi label from Spain. Is it worth a buy?
Design
The package we received contained the whole thing: a book with 2 CDs and two double CDs: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. The drawings does not really resemble Elvis, but you recognize the meaning. Actually I like this style better than a failed attempt to make it really look a like. The color setting of both the book and CDs gives them a kinda 50s feeling (at least what I imagine it to be, since I never experienced it ;-)).
To each his own, but I happen to like this style.
Content
Why they chose the title “1953 – El Origen” is not completely clear to me. I just understand enough Spanish to be able to follow the storyline (probably the fact that I’m familiar with that story helps a lot too). I guess they did it since Elvis first recording My Happiness was done in 1953 (it does get extra attention in the book) . Anyway, the cartoonist David Morancho and the text write Miquel Jurado follow the story of Elvis life pretty factual.
The book starts with a picture that is really a mile stone in Elvis’ career: Dewey Philips promising Sam to give Elvis playtime on the radio. The story told it that of Elvis’ youth, the move to Memphis, the Sun years and 1956 until the Steve Allen show. There the comic ends more or less and in two pages text the remaining of Elvis’ life is told. I didn’t recognize major mistakes, but then again – my Spanish is not as good as my Dutch.
The CDs are more interesting to me: the first CD of the set carries Elvis’ versions of - of course – pre 1958 recordings, nearly all Sun recordings are present. I guess they made one mistake here, since A Fool Such As I is also available on Volume 2. The second CD gives the original (often) versions of those songs. All together a CD with music I love brought by great musicians: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Big Joe Turner, Lloyd Price and Fats Domino to name a few.
Conclusion
The book is fun to browse once or twice if you don’t understand much of Spanish, but the CDs (especially the non Elvis versions) will find their way to my player regularly.