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Spinout (FTD)

June 06, 2004 | Music
The seventh “original soundtrack” has just been released by FTD. This time the immortal “Spinout” saw the light of day.

Design

As we are used to by now, the coverart is marvelous. The original album cover, nice pictures and a booklet with quite some background information, on both the movie as the session. The booklet has a great picture of Elvis with the Jordanaires in the studio, which we saw for the first time on the popular For Elvis CD Collectors site not so long ago.

Content

Spinout is certainly not one of the worst soundtracks, a nice combination of fun up tempo songs (e.g. “Adam And Evil”, “I’ll Be Back”, “Never Say Yes”) and a couple of beautiful ballads like “Am I Ready” and “All That I Am”. The bonus songs made the original soundtrack album something special compared to other soundtracks.

Dylan’s “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” can’t be heard enough, the same can be said of the bluesy “Down In The Alley” and “I’ll Remember You” is certainly one of Elvis’ better efforts in the mid sixties.

The outtakes shows the great fun Elvis had during this session, clearly not taking the material seriously. But most of us knew that already from the various bootleg outings with songs from these sessions. It’s good to have them in this quality anyway, and for those that do not know the bootlegs at all it will be fun to listen to for the first time.

Conclusion

One of the more pleasant soundtrack releases that will find its way to our CD player more often than most of the others.

Related links


Buy at OEPFC

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JerryNodak wrote on June 18, 2004
I've always loved this soundtrack since I first bought it on vnyl back in '66. It's so much fun to listen to. I've never grown tired of it. Vastly underrated/ underappreciated. Love all the outtakes. Thanks Ernst & Co.
CD King wrote on June 06, 2004
This is definately one of Elvis' Better Soundtrack album. I love it. Great cover artwork, booklet with rare photos and info,etc Many of the songs are extremely good - my favorites being NEVER SAY YES, STOP LOOK AND LISTEN, ALL THAT I AM, I'LL BE BACK and more.. A Wonderful Release from FTD --Highly recomanded! Get your copies today.
CD King wrote on June 08, 2004
I hope FTD will also release the great ELVIS TODAY album on 7" format with some unreleased alternate takes, outtakes etc RECORDED LIVE IN MEMPHIS was really good on 7"
CD King wrote on June 16, 2004
SPINOUT was re-titled California Holiday in England. HARUM SCARUM was re-titled Harem Holiday in England. I guess the British just loves Holidays. British Pop Idol CLIFF RICHARD made a movie in the 60s entitled Summer Holiday. There's another British pop movie by a pop group, was it Freddie and the Dreamers? Can't remember BUT the title is IF EVERYDAY'S A HOLIDAY.
Marten wrote on June 28, 2004
I guess the British distributors didn't like titles without any proper ordinairy English words. Thus, Viva Las Vegas was retitled Love In Las Vegas, Spinout got the California Holiday title and Harum Scarum became Harem Holiday.
dismas wrote on June 08, 2004
I agree wholeheartedly with CD King. I would also like to see "Elvis Today" on an FTD 7". And maybe along with some alternate takes it could also include the 1975 studio workout on "Tiger Man." In my opinion, "Today" remains one of Elvis's best (if generally overlooked) later-career albums.
dismas wrote on June 11, 2004
Finally received my copy in yesterday's mail. I'm very happy with it -- great packaging, once again. Two gripes though: Is it me, or is there an awful lot of obvious tape hiss on this soundtrack? Also, in the liner notes it's stated that "Spinout" did "poorly" at the U.S. box office with only a $1.77 million gross. Nearly two million in receipts in only one month of release was hardly a poor showing in 1966, when a $1 million return was the generally accepted benchmark of success for a star vehicle of this sort. Add to this a quarter-million bump in soundtrack LP sales over the previous two movie albums, a double-sided hit single (400,000 sales and "All That I Am" going top 10 on the "Easy Listening" charts), additional 1967 theater business and the eventual tv showing rentals, and you've gotta see that "Spinout" did indeed do very well for M-G-M, RCA, and Elvis & the Colonel. Was it a "Viva Las Vegas"-size blockbuster? No, of course not. But it was a mid-sized box office hit that deserves a better reputation than "it did poorly..." And it still rocks!
dismas wrote on June 14, 2004
Just a clarification: I meant to write that the "Spinout" soundtrack LP bumped past the quarter-million U.S. sales of the two previous 1966 soundtrack releases ("Frankie & Johnny" and "Paradise, Hawaiian Style"). It actually coasted past the 300,000 copies mark. That was still a pretty good number of LPs sold by 1966-67 standards. And I'd think it would be pretty close to the gold level 500,000)after all these years. At any rate, as a film and an album, "Spinout" did much better than "poor" business.
Mark S. wrote on June 09, 2004
circleG, RCA has already released an Elvisalbum called "Hits of the 70's" in 1974. Tracklisting: The Wonder of You / I'm Leavin' / Burning Love / Always on My Mind / I Just Can't Help Believin' / You Don't Have to Say You Love Me / There Goes My Everything / Rags to Riches / Until It's Time for You to Go / Kentucky Rain / I've Lost You / An American Trilogy. All the A and B-sides have been released on the Walk A Mile In My Shoes box-set.
Remco Aland wrote on June 09, 2004
Can anybody tell me why this movie was released as California Holiday outside the U.S. ? Couldn't find that information in the booklet...
circleG wrote on June 08, 2004
Yup! i'm with dismas and cdking. 'Today' with extra tracks would make a great FTD release. What about 'Hits of the 70's'? How come thats never been released with all A and B sides?
Elvisftdfan wrote on June 14, 2004
Spinout is one of Elvis's better soundtrack. I love his voice on All That I Am and Am I Ready. The bonus tracks are a standout with his classic interpitation of Dylan's Tommorow Is A Long Time, and Down In the Alley. The original version of I'll Remember You is Elvis in his prime. The new bonus tracks are cool too.
pasa-ryu wrote on July 11, 2004
an amazing f.t.d. release and i love the booklet(especially the photo of elvis standing in the recording studio wearing his sun-glasses) it even more enjoyable to hear all the outtakes..real funny and shows elvis' true personality-a real down to earth person with a great sense of humour.10/10
King77 wrote on June 07, 2004
Spinout now sits on my CD rack with the other 6 movie releases. They will soon need to design a new CD rack for these 7" treasures! Can't wait for future releases in this series. Also the concert editions - Recorded live On Stage in Memphis is a MUST for your collection also. Great releases worth every dime! Don't miss out! Order yours NOW!
rovinroustabout wrote on June 12, 2004
Has anyone else noticed a glitch on take 3 of 'Beach Shack' when there's a brief drop in the sound (on my copy at least)?