I just wonder if these sell really still?
Why? No one buys cds anymore. The one store that I know of in my area says its a matter of time before they close. So who buys this stuff? The fans on this site have these songs every which way from Sunday. And to be honest, even though these recordings are from the same session, pairing Love Letters with the great Elvis Country is a disservice to that great LP. This will not sell and will not win over any new fans. The normal Elvis Country release from the late 90's was just fine, thank you, and anyone wanting more already has the FTD version. I guess someone will buy it for the packaging.
This will not sell? I already pre-ordered!..
I'm old school. I still buy CD's, but I won't be buying this one. Retail stores are falling away, but on line sales of CD's seems to be doing just fine. Amazon, eBay, CD Universe, etc. sell CD's by the millions. I doubt we'll see CD's disappear any time soon. LP's are still around. Our beloved FTD pumps them out continuously. Sony must be making money on the Legacy Edition. Money is the only reason they exist. I'm sure there are plenty of casual fans that will take home this 2 CD set for about $15, and they'll be quite happy. Sony will cash in on the low production cost, high profit turnaround. Everybody is happy. If this sort of thing keeps Elvis on the radar, then I say go for it.
Glad to see that "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago" is a track by itself. I never cared for the novalty of having snippets of the song play at the conclusion of each track. It might have been inventive in 1970, but it annoys the hell out of me.
About time. This album is not only one of Elvis Best albums, but also one of Best Albums from Rock era.
I wouldn't be sure about that Orion. My guess is "I Was Born..." is still interspersed between each track and then featured as a stand-alone track later, similar to the 18-Track 2000 release.
I am old school and still love CDs but I wont buy this. There is nothing new here. Why on earth would anyone on this site buy this? Just because its a new release? We have these songs whether it be on the original CD, the 70's box, the FTDs, etc. many many times Jerome really why would you buy this? I really want to know. And for the record, yes this was one of his greatest albums but pairing it with Love Letters (which was not) is not a good move.
I'll probably wait another year or two (when the co. wants more $) & get the deluxe Legacy Series with "upgraded" sound . Or maybe a few years more, for The Supreme Deluxe Legacy Series with ultra upgraded sound & pictures. Yes a wonderful time for Elvis collectors!
Orion, I was also annoyed with that novelty in those days. Elvis Country was a great album at the time and for sure it deserved and still deserves a lot more credit. Yet at this time for me (like it has already been stated) this is not a Cd I would buy. I liked the suggestion TheOldScudder made. Sometimes I wonder what is more than ultimate. He gave the answer Supreme version. (smile)
As much as you hate to hear this (or accept it) I will be buying it. Not for myself since I already have it. It will be a gift for a friend who is a new Elvis fan who happens to like country. And there are those who are not fortunate enough to have every CD Elvis made. That was evidenced by the number of people I saw buying CD's on my recent trip to Memphis.
Ruthie, buying this for someone who doesnt have these songs is perfectly understandable and a nice act on your part. If they like Country & Elvis I'm sure they will like it (well most of it). What I dont get is why anyone of us would buy this release yet again. That I dont get. Is it just to have new product? Of course Elvis cds sell in Memphis, thats what a trip to Memphis is all about, but I bet they stall at retail stores throughout the country, whatever stores are left. Even huge artists today like Lady Gaga dont sell cds, its all about downloading unfort.
Hello, they separated the 'Elvis Country' songs from the "10k Years Ago" segue on the 70s box. I'd like to see them do so on this release but don't doubt they'll release it instead in its original linked format. The segues were a misjudgement in 1970 since when they've become a dated misjudgement. However, I don't think BMG has released the second disc, containing the old 'Love Letters' collection, in pristine sound before so it'll be worthwhile making it available to those who can't afford or access the FTD label release. Also on a positive note, BMG seems to be in the process of releasing a huge chunk of Elvis's catalogue in terrific sound with extra tracks in these good value Legacy double disc sets.
Nothing new here but the quality of the digipacks and re-mastered CDs are bargain enough. Not everyone can afford FTD and some of my CDs are from the late 80s and early 90s and need replacing.
It will be nice to finally get the "Love Letters" (CD 2 ) in improved remastered sound. Its a CD, I will buy !
I like the idea of the Legacy series because it brings Elvis albums to the casual buyer at a nice price for two albums. On another site, "For Elvis CD Moaners Only", the opinion seems to be that the series is a big failure. Not to me. For the fans who digs deeper the FTD's are the ones to get. For those who can't afford or don't bother to dig so deep the Legacy series is very nice indeed. I've collected them all so far and they are a great alternate to the FTD's. It's obviously hard to please everybody in the Elvis world!
The winds of fickleness continues to blow. For many years, there was a large population on this site that wished that more of Elvis's CDs were available in the mainstream CD markets. The legacy series seems to have answered your wishes, and yet the complaints surface. Surely, you can't bemoan the choices that have been issued as "legacy" CDs or the fact they have been issued with the latest Ansini masters ? So, why all the grumbles ?
I am and will continue to buy any of the Vic Anesini remasters. I do not download my music, I like CDs. I would have preferred that SACD and/or DVD-A would have caught on, but downloading killed those.
The all time best (non compilation) Elvis albums are Elvis Is Back, From Elvis in Memphis and Elvis Country, and I am glad Sony saw fit to give them all the Legacy treatment.
Bajo, you are so right on! I love the FTD classic album series, but I also love Sony's Legacy series. I love listening to all the outtakes the FTD issues provide, but most of the time I want to hear only the albums (and a few bonus tracks).
i wouldn say that "Got my mojo working" ( R and B ) "If I were You "( easy listening pop ) "Only believe" ( gospel ) "This is our dance" ( easy Listening ) or " Sound of your cry" ( pop ) were country songs !??!!
Call me "nuts" but I enjoy buying "new" Elvis items, even if there aren't many differences from the other similar items or releases. I like to get blasted back in time to when it was originally released, (when I was too young to go to the store and buy it), and open it up and play it like I've never heard it before and try to see it in a new light that maybe I hadn't seen before. : )
It is not a Country Legacy cd but a Legacy cd of the Elvis Country album.
I would certainly buy this but ONLY if the it's free of the snippets of I Was Born Ten Thousand Years Ago between the songs.
Where do I begin? This CD is not a compilation of country songs, it is a re-issue of an album called "Elvis Country" with material recorded at the same sessions. How would "Fairytale", "Welcome To My World", etc, fit into that concept? EPE do not have to approve releases such as this by Sony as they do not own the rights to any pre-1973 material. Sadly they also do not have to approve some of the dumb comments people put here. Yes, we all wonder.
Jean Marie - what dont u get? This is NOT a country compliation, this is the Elvis Country album in the Legacy series just like Elvis Is Back & From Elvis In Memphis was. The original album. Why would they include songs From Elvis In Memphis another Legacy series release on this one? Geez, is is that hard to comprehend?
JeanMarie, are you really saying that RCA got it wrong then when they released the Elvis Country vinyl version first time around then?....maybe they should of called it 'Elvis not quite Country but maybe we can get away with it if nobody notices'. With so many different variant releases of Elvis 's catalogue it's sometimes hard to decide just what you do need against what you have already and i fully appreciate a lot of fans comments relating to this.
As for the sales and getting a casual member of joe public to buy Elvis new albums i do have to agree here that Sony are pretty poor in pushing new releases and trying to find this in any high street outlet has become more and more differcult over the years,the good old days of going into a retail outlet and seeing rows and rows of Elvis Presley cd's are long gone and i do feel it's a matter of time before Elvis gets demoted from the popular section in the shops to some dark and dingy corner where you find the buy 2 get 1 free section.
Still after all said i will be getting this landing on my desk as all releases because i am as much a fan as a avid collector and so adds another variant of Elvis's work to my collection.......
JeanMarie - I am not sure what your point is anymore, but Elvis Country is just an LP in the catalog. I dont think they got it wrong first time around in 1971 and now they are just releasing this classic album in their Legacy series and coupling it with another album and songs from the same session as they did with their other Legacy series releases. I am not buying it as I have all these songs, but I see nothing wrong in what they are doing. They are just follwing the other Legacy series releases, and when you get down to it, there are not many classic Elvis albums left they can do this with. So why not release the best ones as they are doing.
I agree with TonyC and Steve V. Coupled with a CD with songs of the same session. Nothing wrong with this release, affordable price, good soundquality, so why complain. Personally I won't buy it this time,but bought the Legacy releases of Elvis Is Back, From Elvis in Memphis and On Stage. Always El.
What is the point of these legacy releases? I thought it was showcasing the better of elvis' album releases. Elvis country a resounding yes but love letters? The inconsistency that dogged Elvis recording career couldn't be more highlighted than with this release.
I understand this coupling completely based on the previously released "legacy" CDs. What I don't get is the bashing of the the "Love Letters" CD. Is it as good as TTWII or EC ? Not at all, but I really dig "When I'm Over You", "I'll Never Know", "Heart of Rome", "Sylvia" and "Only Believe." What's left isn't really that bad (well, maybe "Cindy, Cindy"). Just a thought, but would most of you complainers been happier with a legacy of TTWII coupled with EC ?
I think this would've been a perfect opportunity to put the original album on the first CD and the songs without "I Was Born ..." on the other disc (plus a selection of bonus songs).
JeanMarie, you do not get it. It has been explained well by several members here. The Legacy series (so far) has featured a major album Like "Elvis Presley" "Elvis Is Back" "From Elvis In Memphis" "On Stage" with an appropriate companion album as a bonus. The fact that the album they chose to feature "Elvis Country" has nothing to do with its contents, but rather is significance as a landmark Elvis album. The only two logical companions to "Elvis Country" would be either "Love Letters" or "Thats The Way It Is"
It is NOT misleading to anyone who is well informed about the original Elvis LPs. It is not a Country music compilation at all. For the price of admission one could just as easily ignore "Love Letters" all together. But they threw it in as a bonus. The Legacy series is not intended to be a compilation series. But an expanded version of a Classic album. In Elvis' case, it means getting a bonus CD of the same period, which would easily stand alone as a classic album release.
The Vic Asenini remasters are being offered as individual albums, Original Album series box sets and Legacay Editions. I am personally looking forward to the possiblity that ALL of Elvis' original LP releases from 1956-1977 will eventually be offered by Sony in one of these three formats. It is not "Elvis sings Country Music" It is "Elvis Country" as in This is Elvis Country!
jeanmarie I totally understand where your coming from and agree with you. it seems alot of people here are making excuses for really bad marketing or just plain laziness when it comes to creative thinking or any thinking at all from those in charge of compiling and releasing Elvis music. Look guys the cd is called ELVIS COUNTRY now that implies elvis singing country in my books and im sure in joe publics books also.
The people here saying ahh you don"t get it jean its a legacy cd !???? What in the name of god is that supposed to mean ???? the end product is still a cd called ELVIS COUNTRY that ummm includes a lot of non country songs. It kind of reflects the standard of intelligence amongst the elvis world ... and going by the marketing of this cd.. it aint non too high. instead of creating and releasing an amazing elvis country cd that includes ALL of elvis country tracks from the 50s up until the newly descovered tracks such as "You can have her" etc they bash out this mish mash so called confusing "Legacy" cd !!! ? so lazy !.. ah well I suppose i'll just go and compile my own ... coming to download sites real soon at a computer near you ! ; )
You cannot help that RCA chose to title LP Elvis Country back in 1971. They did and it happened 40 years ago. Live with it. Now they are re-releasing that title in their Legacy series. If the public is fooled by that , too bad, but thats the idea behind the series. Perhaps they should put a sticker on it saying this is a re-release of the classic 1971 LP Elvis Country to clear up Joe Public's confusion. But what is a mistake is coupling Love Letters with this album. I do not look forward to hearing Life, Love Letters, This Is Our Dance ever again much less after hearing the great Elvis Country album. I think one cd should be the original album and the other cd ,the album without the in between snippets and a few bonus songs.
Steve V ... When RCA titled the album "Elvis Country" back in 1971 ... thats exactly what it was lol, a COUNTRY album with nothing but country tunes on it. With this so called "Legacy" album there should have been more thought put into it displaying the fact that this is not a strictly country album ... i think .
RobIreland. I put to you that "Tomorrow Never Comes" "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" and "Washed My Hands in Muddy Water" are not really country songs. Welcome to Elvis Country. At least 5 songs on "Love Letters" are country songs.
Those songs have country roots, surely, but have been popularized in different forms, such as pop or rock.
personally i think it's a stretch calling it a great album never mind a country one. There are some real middle of the road songs on there that are not my cup of tea. Maybe it just shows the lack of quality releases in the 70's that makes this one stand out. Not one i really listen to. Coupled with the dire Love Letters i think i'll pass.
"Tomorrow Never Comes" was written and first recorded by country and western singer Earnest Tubbs. That would make this tune as country as country can be.
I'm looking forward to what JeanMarie has to say when Elvis Now and Elvis Today get a Legacy release.
Totlly disagree. Remember when Elvis gave his TTWII concerts he mentioned he just recorded a lot of his favorite county songs and an album should be coming out. Well this is the album! Every song on here can be considered a country song and has a country feel to it except maybe Whole Lotta Shakin. Even I Washed My Hands was done by Stonewall Jackson, so whats the problem? This is a country album for the most part. Love Letters is the mistake here. Not a country album and not even a good album. This will drag this release to a screaming halt.
Yeah a CD containing: Stay Away, Joe / All I Needed Was The Rain / Dominic / Too Much Monkey Business / Goin' Home / Stay Away / U.S. Male / Wonderful World / Edge Of Reality / A Little Less Conversation / Almost In Love / Let's Forget About The Stars / Charro / Clean Up Your Own Back Yard / Swing Down Sweet Chariot / Signs Of The Zodiac / Almost / The Whiffenpoof Song / Violet / Let Us Pray / Change Of Habit / Let's Be Friends / Have A Happy / If I Can Dream / Kentucky Rain / I'm Leavin' / It's A Matter Of Time / Separate Ways / Always On My Mind / Burning Love. Sounds winning to me. Oh…wait a minute! :-)
So the proposed anthology of material recorded between 1967 and 1969, as mentioned below, should include "I'm Leavin", "It's a Matter of Time", "Separate Ways", "Always on My Mind" and "Burning Love". Really? This is from the person that thinks the folks at Sony/FTD are dumb!
Kink no offensive but I think your talking complete rubbish ! The songs you chose to call not country songs are all very much country songs . Rockabilly dont forget is a cross of country and rock n roll.
Jean marie I think you have completely strayed off what you originaly said by agreeing with kink. i was agreeing with you but ah what the hell !
So as it seems people here just seem to like to nit pick and disagree just for the hell of it ! thanks steve b for pointing out that TNC is a country song. Every song on the original elvis country song is a country song with some boardering on Rockabilly depending on how its sung. Anyway I give up on this, elvis fans bicker far too much !
Country songs with horns? No thanks. The undubbed versions are streets better. Felton Jarvis didn't have a clue.
Rob - Rockabilly is a cross between rock n roll and Hillbilly not country which is why it's called Rockabilly. Not in a million years can Whole lotta shakin be called a country song, it's a flat out rock n roll song. And with There goes my everything and make the world go away Elvis is giving Engelbert and Tom a run for their money so to me not so much a country album. I confess to hating country music so i'm no expert on it but to me country is Kenny Rogers, Glen Campbell and Dolly. This album sounds nothing like them.
Rob - the facts disagree with you. "Whole lotta Shakin' Goin' On" was a number 1 country song in 1957 for good ol' pistol waving Jerry Lee. In fact it was number 1 for two weeks in Billboard. As far as if this is indeed a country album, the title says it all. After all it ain't Eddy Arnold country - it's "Elvis Country." Country heartache doesn't get any better than his version of "I Really Don't Want To Know." A great CD that I'm glad SONY realized needed to be in their Legacy series.
Orion Heartbreak Hotel was number one on the Country chart, the Pop chart and the Rhythm and Blues chart. Does that make Heartbreak Hotel a country song? Just because a song is on the Country charts, does not make it a country song. Many of Elvis' hits charted on more than one catagory of charts.
Yes, "Elvis Country" is basically a country album. And "Love Letters" and "TTWII" are the two companion albums. SONY probably has bigger plans for TTWII, so they are left with Love Letters as a bonus disc for the Legacy Edition. Why has no one made just a big deal about the "Elvis is Back" legacy paring with "Something for Everybody"? By the time Something for Everybody came out, Elvis had been back for a year or so. Should they have renamed it "Elvis is STILL Back"?
Kink - Seriously? You really think Sony has bigger plans for TTWII again? They did a fine 3 disc Special Edition in 2000 and how did that work out? Dismal sales. The CD will be totally the way of the 8 track by time they even think about.
"Elvis had machine guns and probably rocket launchers stashed away in Graceland and all Jerry Lee had was a lil olde pistol." Can you imagine if Elvis had gone down to the gates in one of his drug-induced rages. It would've been a shootout at the gates between a stoned Elvis and a whiskey guzzling Jerry Lee. Whew ! Thank God for the moment that never was.
Kink - When you state that "Just because a song is on the Country charts, does not make it a country song." I have to agree in principle. There are songs on the country charts right now that would've been pop hits in the 80's just as "Heartbreak Hotel" might have made the R & B charts (or whatever the listing was for black music back then) and we know Elvis wasn't black. So, as far as what's country and what isn't, all I know is I dig Elvis' version of country - hence "Elvis Country"- the disc in question.
To say that Felton Jarvis was not a professional is one of the most stupid comments I have ever read here, which is saying something indeed! Felton Jarvis was a record producer by trade, hence he was a professional. Elvis was credited as Executive Producer on the latter day sessions and always did that job uncredited even before then. He helped to select what would be the master takes, would anybody consider him an amateur?
This argument gets sillier & sillier. The album was called Elvis Country and now Sony is re-releasing it thier Legacy series. Horns or no horns the album is still called Elvis Country. Get it? OK. It is NOT a freaking country compiliation. Did I mention the album was originally called Elvis Country? Should they re-release it and call it 'An Album We Should Have Never called Elvis Country'? Geez people.
Steve I promised myself I would not comment any more on this BUT lol .... Elvis country was originally meant to be and actually was a "country" album ... so i really dont get where you got the idea that 1971 release of "Elvis Country was never meant to be a country compilation !! ... LOl, of course it was , umm thats the rason its called "Elvis Country" DOH! lol
Rob - You misinterpreted my thoughts. What I meant was, its not being marketed today to be a country compilation as some in this thread seem to think the public will see it or it should be. You know a bunch of Elvis' country songs he sang through out his career. Of course I know it was a themed country flavored album in 1971 with songs cut at the same session. Thank goodness it was because it became the only Elvis album that had a theme unless of course you count Paradise Hawaiin Style!
Wouldn't it be cheaper for BMG or Sony to market the existing double album in Australia "Country side of Elvis" !? Why re-invent the boumerang (aussi wheel...)???? Doesn't make any sense at all. Fans will NOT buy such product---it's that simple. What's next in line ? Double Legacy : Moody Blue & Fool OR Now & Raised on rock? Loooosers ! Who wants to get rid of Elvis catalog ? What commercial reasoning is behind this ? A bunch of... it seems. I'm appaled as a fan !
Andy2 in true elvis fan style i must dissagree with you ; ) ... Any song, even if not written as a country song can be sang and performer in country style and there for becomes a country song in that performace. See, it isnt all black and white ; ) Anyway A cd called elvis Country should contain elvis singing songs in country style which I do believe occured in the original Elvis Country album . Hey, maybe we should all just enjoy elvis whatever ! GO see the new STAR production of the dvd Viva Elvis .. it wil blow your mind ! Amazing !
Ok Steve, no worries . No matter how we look at it, this new release will still be a good listen .... although we do have them all over and over and over etc .....
Rob,how right you are about enjoying Elvis' music in general ! A nice weekend to all of you. Always El.
The title might have misled people about the content but Elvis being Elvis, everybody must know now that "it doesn't have to be strictly country" I'm sure it reminds something to the true fans. Anyway, this release like all the legacy series are kind of "classic" Elvis album presented to the public nothing more nothing less. One album, wich was never done, should be presented to a large audience today it's a Blues oriented compilation, maybe rytm n' blues, that would be the reference. Seems Sony doesn't believe in such a product. Sad
I am so thrilled about the (I'm ten thousand years old) "Elvis Country" CD being re-released, in January 2012, in a new 2 CD pack, along with the "Love Lettters CD" . This will be the first time the "Love Letters CD" is being remastered. RCA is doing a great job, with the Legacy series. The bonus songs, make this package, even more special. Keep the Legacy series coming, I Love em !
