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Elvis Sings ...

April 07, 2008 | Music
A new label with the name "Inspiration" has released their first Elvis CD, a double CD set entitled "Elvis Sings…" It contains a collection of songs "themed" together.

From the press release:

Elvis sings… Beatles songs, Hawaiian songs and even Beethoven…??? Surprised? Besides recording songs that were written for him Elvis’ Elvis also covered many songs that were originally written and recorded by some of the biggest names in the entertainment field and at the same time some of the best songwriters in the world. Among them are names from different music genres like Arthur Crudup, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison from The Beatles, Kris Kristofferson and of course some of Little Richard’s songs. Little Richard didn’t write the songs himself, but he influenced the writer and made the songs his own. Just listen to the four Little Richard songs Elvis covered and you won’t be in any doubt who Elvis is trying to sound like.

Elvis also recorded quite a few songs that were built on old European or Hawaiian melodies or songs. Some even became classics like "It’s Now Or Never", "Wooden Heart", "Can’t Help Falling In Love", "Surrender" and "My Way".

The Inspiration label decided to include studio, live, rehearsal and even home recordings to make this compilation as complete as possible.

The first CD contains the cover songs. The second CD starts with the only known recording of Elvis singing bass in a trio to the tune of Beethoven’s "Moonlight Sonata". An informal home recording that wouldn’t make sense to release to the wide public, but a charming pearl for music lovers. What follows are the four musical songs that Elvis sang during his career. Only two of them were released during his lifetime. The first two are home recordings of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "If I Loved You from the musical Carousel and Make Believe from the musical Showboat. Then follows You’ll Never Walk Alone" from the musical "Carousel" also by Rodgers and Hammerstein and the last one in the musical genre is a live recording of "The Impossible Dream" from "The Man Of La Mancha". The remainer of CD 2 contains all the French, Italian, Spanish, German, Hawaiian and English songs that Elvis recorded. Some of them he sings like they originally were written and some were rewritten with English lyrics. In the situations were the lyrics were changed we have mentioned the original title right after the English title.

Elvis Sings… brings you for the first time ever a collection of all these recordings by Elvis Presley. We hope that you will enjoy Elvis Sings…!

Tracklisting:

CD 1:

Arthur Crudup songs
[01] That’s All Right
[02] My Baby Left Me
[03] So Glad You’re Mine

Bill Monroe songs
[04] Blue Moon Of Kentucky
[05] Little Cabin On The Hill (Million Dollar Quartet)
[06] Summertime Is Past And Gone (Million Dollar Quartet)
[07] I Hear A Sweet Voice Calling (Million Dollar Quartet)
[08] Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong (Million Dollar Quartet)

Hank Williams songs
[09] Your Cheatin’ Heart
[10] I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (Home recording)
[11] I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (Live)
[12] Men With Broken Hearts (Live)
[13] Jambalaya (Live)

Little Richard songs
[14] Rip It Up
[15] Ready Teddy
[16] Long Tall Sally
[17] Tutti Frutti

Chuck Berry songs
[18] Maybellene (Live)
[19] Brown Eyed Handsome Man (Million Dollar Quartet)
[20] Memphis Tennessee
[21] Too Much Monkey Business
[22] Johnny B. Goode (Live)
[23] Promised Land
[24] School Days (Live)

Ray Charles songs
[25] I Got A Woman
[26] What’d I Say

Bob Dylan songs
[27] Blowing In The Wind (Home recording)
[28] Tomorrow Is A Long Time
[29] Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right
[30] I Shall Be Released

Beatles songs
[31] Something (Live)
[32] Hey Jude
[33] Get Back
[34] Yesterday (Live)
[35] Lady Madonna

Kris Kristofferson songs
[36] Help Me Make It Through The Night
[37] For The Good Times
[38] Why Me Lord (Live)

CD 2:

Beethoven Composition
[01] Moonlight Sonata (For piano, C-sharp-minor, opus 27 no. 2) (Home recording)

Musical songs
[02] If I Loved You (From Carousel) (Home recording)
[03] Make Believe (From Showboat) (Home recording)
[04] You’ll Never Walk Alone (From Carousel)
[05] The Impossible Dream (From The Man Of La Mancha) (Live)

French songs
[06] Almost Always True (Alouette)
[07] Can’t Help Falling In Love (Plaisir d’Amour)
[08] Let It Be Me (Je T’Appartiens) (Live)
[09] My Way (Comme d’ Habitude) (Live)
[10] My Boy (Parce Que Je T’Aime Mon Enfant)
[11] What Now My Love (Et Maintenent) (Live)

Italian songs
[12] Surrender (Torna A Sorrento)
[13] No More (La Poloma)
[14] Ask Me (Io)
[15] Santa Lucia
[16] O Solo Mio (Live)
[17] It’s Now Or Never (O Solo Mio)

Spanish songs
[18] Guadalajara
[19] Alla’ en el Rancho Grande
[20] It’s Impossible (Somos Novios) (Live)

German songs
[21] Wooden Heart (Muss I denn)
[22] Tonight Is So Right For Love (Barcarolle)
[23] Tonight Is All Right For Love (Geschichten Aus den Weinerwald)
[24] Five Sleepy Heads (Wiegendlied)

Hawaiian songs
[25] Aloha Oe
[26] Drums Of The Island (Bula Lai)
[27] Hawaiian Wedding Song (Ke Kali Nei Au)

English songs
[28] Old McDonald
[29] Stay Away (Greensleeves)
Source:Email
Harvey Alexander wrote on April 07, 2008
Reminds me of one of those awful articles you used to get in Elvis Monthly.
Steve V wrote on April 07, 2008
anything to make a buck! Old McDonald? geez
Lex wrote on April 07, 2008
A totally unlistenable compilation. Well, it has a good use... if you want to get rid of visitors you get bored with.
Jerome wrote on April 08, 2008
Five Sleepy Heads? Old McDonald?..
patrikw wrote on April 08, 2008
wheres the Irish songs, Danny Boy and I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen?
Harvey Alexander wrote on April 09, 2008
Where's the 'Crap' section for 'Yoga Is As Yoga Does', 'Petunia The Gardener's Daughter', 'Padre', 'Clambake' etc?