The second release from the Hotdog import label is out. Is it as glorious as the title wants us to believe?
Design
The design has a nice “touch of the fifties”, too bad the big hotdog from the logo is featured so prominently on the cover. The very short liner notes inform us that the producers edited, remastered and remade some binaural tracks. It would be nice if the one-page booklet would have been a two-pages booklet with information on the editing of the individual tracks so I know what I got on this CD.
Content
With two to nine (surround) speaker stereo sets available in stores the producers decided to go back to the original one speaker glorious mono sound. Playing this CD I must say the sound isn’t what I’m used too; Elvis, the band and backing vocalists are everywhere … I want them back where they belong, the right and left corner of my living room! I’m so used to the binaural sound with Elvis’ vocal on one channel and the band and vocalists on the other channel that I actually have a “hard time” listening to this reprocessed compilation.
This limited edition run of 500 copies features 28 alternate tracks. And all out-takes are edited; so no no false starts, no endless studio chatter, just complete alternates versions. On "Treat Me Nice" they forgot to edit the studiochatter which ends the song though.
Unfortunately these alternate verions are very close to the masters that I know that there isn't the amusement of a different sounding take that makes a compilation sound different from a standards SONY BMG compilation.
Conclusion
Let’s go back to glorious binaural!
Tracklisting:
I Got A Woman (take 7) - Heartbreak Hotel (take 6) - I´m Counting On You (spliced take) - I Was The One (take 2) - Lawdy Miss Clawdy (take 3) - Anyway You Want Me (take 12 master) - Anyplace Is Paradise (take 22 master) - Rip It Up (take 14) - Peace In The Valley (take 7) - I Beg Of You (take 6) - Loving You (take 22) - Got A Lot A Livin´ To Do (take D 17) - It Is No Secret (take 3) - Blueberry Hill (take 7) - Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (take 3) - Is It So Strange (spliced take) - Mean Woman Blues (take BX 7) - I Need You So (take 8 master) - Jailhouse Rock (take 4) - Treat Me Nice (take 3 first movie version) - I Want To Be Free (take 11 record version) - My Wish Came True (take 8 master) - King Creole (take 18 alternate master) - Doncha Think It´s Time (take 48) - Danny (take 10 master) - A Big Hunk O´ Love (take 2) - A Fool Such As I (take 5) - I Got Stung (take 20).