The third batch of Camden Classics has been reissued by BMG, “Separate Ways” and “Burning Love And Hits From His Movies”.
Design
These budget reissues come with a very simple design, as close to the original Camden design as possible, but with a few alterations due to the copyright on the use of registered logo’s and the additional FBI anti piracy warning on the back.
I always liked the design of this album, it is so very seventies, guess they would call it “camp” these days. For a budget release it shows more creativity than the main releases on the main RCA label. Extra fun is the reissue of this album with a slightly different cover, using the same picture on a different background in which they didn’t pay to much attention on the cutting, leaving part of the wrong image in the new design. Guess that says something on the status of these releases back in the day. It would have been nice if BBMG used the inside of the two blank pages in booklet to give some (historical) background on these releases and various covers or chart results (U.S. chart position #46).
Content
These releases really are a mixed bag of goodies. This one is one of my favourites since it contains both the title track and “Always On My Mind”, two tracks I can play over and over again. In between these favourites some nice songs like “I Met Her Today” and “I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell” are nice to listen too. But the addition of “Forget Me Never” and the sad sounding “Old Shep” don’t match the “sound” of the compilation. Fortunately these two songs are the last two on the album. But skipping these means the playing time remains little under the twenty minutes, that almost feels like the old days, having to turn the vinyl over to side B.
Conclusion
Reading the reactions on the re-release of these budget compilations many fans get a bit sentimental, I can go along with that for this reissue, it brings back memories. “Sentimental Me” fits perfectly in this setting.
Separate Ways
By ElvisNews.com / Kees, July 15, 2007 | Music
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JerryNodak wrote on
July 15, 2007
Ahhhh!! The memories. Great "campy" cover. Fine music. Unlike the reviewer, I enjoy all the tracks. No need for me to hit thr skip button. Wonderful addition to my Elvis cd library. Keep those Camden releases coming, Sony/BMG. I'll buy 'em all. As I recall from my vinyl copy of this album track 5 was "What Now, What Next, Where To?" Has it been changed to "What Now My Love" or is this just a misprint?
benny scott wrote on
July 15, 2007
Hi JerryNodak, Goes for me too. I collect them all.It's nice to have them both on LP and CD. As for " What now...." i'm pretty sure it's just a misprint. Can't amagine any reason why the original tracking should have been changed; Always El
FJE wrote on
July 15, 2007
Back then we used to joke about a chimpanzee was in charge of Elvis' catalogue and album releases. Well, I never knew chimpanzees live that long!! The absolute deep end of the abyss!
Mofoca22 wrote on
July 15, 2007
what were all the camden releases anyways i know the first one was flaming star, lets be friends, almost in love, elvis sings christmas songs, sings hits from the movies, burning love and hits from the movies, and separate ways. what ones are after this? was it double dynamite and something else i know i have a cassete of love me tender from camden but not sure if that was released in the 70's or was that the 80's?
Yvonne wrote on
July 15, 2007
Ah yes...memories indeed! I remember bying those camden Lp's 30 years ago with my, for weeks saved, money. I still recall the thrill when I had enough money saved to buy another LP. It is great to have them on CD now.
see see rider wrote on
July 15, 2007
I have this same album on cassette from 1985 and on 8-track & the covers are exactly the same on those as with what you see on this re-issue CD. Also, in the "Walk a mile in my shoes" 70's box set, there are pictures of ALL the seventies albums in the back of the book and the covers are the same as well, so I don't know where everyone is getting the cover has been altered. To "Jerry Nodak", your album just has a misprint, "What now, What next, Where to" has always been on the album and it's still on there with this re-issue, not "What now my love". In any case, now we just need "I Got Lucky", "C'mon Everybody" "Hit's From His Movies" & "Elvis Christmas". The "Love Me Tender" Camden release came out in 1987, I to have that on cassette.
Jyroflux wrote on
July 16, 2007
Of all the Camden albums (and I had them all) this was my favorite. I always loved the songs Separate Ways and Always on my mind. Of course it would have been better to see these songs on a proper album with current songs of the same caliber. I guess we were just happy to get what ever RCA offered at the time.
glynalone wrote on
July 16, 2007
See see rider, over here in the UK the original Camden album cover had a picture of a real highway with a giant Elvis standing in the slow lane stumming his guitar. It was the same picture of Elvis cut out from the US cover, but they forgot the bit of sky between Elvis' arm and guitar, leaving a little bit of sky visible in the fast lane of our highway.
Iron Man wrote on
July 16, 2007
To me this one is just for the completists and those who have memories of the times when there were vinyl releases and no CDs. A 30 minutes CD is rough to me - I always was angry at BMG for not puting toghether such CDs as Fool and Raised On Rock - they can easily fit on one CD - plus the material is the same as we already have on so many releases. The songs do not sound too good toghether - I have especially put them toghether to listen in such an order..... Actually, I see no point in these Camden Classics, but I am happy for those who seem to enjoy them.
mature_elvis_fan75 wrote on
July 17, 2007
That cover was a disgrace in the 70's and it still is today!
Steve V wrote on
July 17, 2007
Ditto - total embarssment for design and content. A proper LP in 1972 with this single and the Burning Love single plus other studio tracks would have been the way to go. One of the reasons Elvis is ridiculed and not treated with proper respect were releases like these. I remember folks snickering in the record stores at these in 1972. Totally atrocious releases. Should have stayed buried 35 years ago.
FJE wrote on
July 17, 2007
Must rank as the worst cover for an Elvis album ever. Followed closely by "Elvis Sings For
Children...and Grownups Too"!
Greg Nolan wrote on
July 18, 2007
Certainly the criticisms of many of the Camdens are true and well-taken, but that said, we've had thirty-five or so years to "get over it" and just embrace the nostalgia, that is, if you got into them in the first place. After all, millions (and certainly more than a handful here) were weaned on the Camden albums, particularly the better ones like "Almost In Love," "Let's Be Friends," and, yes, "Separate Ways," which I just got today. Yes, the cover is kind of goofy but if you enjoy it from a campy vantage point (assuming you weren't in a knot about it in 1973), then you'll enjoy it.
I rather liked how these songs came together, all relevant criticisms of these releases aside. Keep in mind that these are relatively limited budget releases (from Sony/BMG's "Custom Marketing Group") and I have found them easer to buy on-line rather than to find them in Wal-Mart and K-Mart and FYE, the only outlets that are carrying them, and even then, not always. So it's not like the catalog is being totally disjointed by the Camden reissues, not that the catalog is anywhere near where it should be.
A great deal of us say: "thank you" for these releases. Hardly-essential, sure but in a way, they complete our CD collections, or at least those of us who picked up on these in the '70s and '80s. There's no doubt most of us would have prefered that Sony/BMG keep titles like 1999's do-over of "Burning Love" in print, but until then, I would say that anyone who is embarrassed to play this eclectic collection of Elvis tunes in front of a non-fan doesn't have enough faith in the man's incredibly diverse talents, whether it's a hodge-podge or not.
JerryNodak wrote on
July 20, 2007
Yes, they have been released. Your best bet is the Internet. Try Amazon or CD Universe. To name a couple.