Elvis

The format of this release is exactly how I would have wanted it. Obviously a difficult situation, because the session tapes have never been found. People have suggested it might be paired with the "Love Me Tender" material, but although recorded around the same time, I would prefer a separate release for the film material. Another suggestion was the Ed Sullivan "Talk of The Town" performances, but having these on DVD, do we really need their audio on another CD? Yet another suggestion was the Tupelo concerts, but I always thought the "Louisiana Hayride" performance was the way to go as it has only had limited exposure. People have taken issue with the design of many of Elvis' later RCA albums, but looking at this cover again, it is still striking even after nearly sixty years.

One of my earliest LPs I bought in the early sixties. An iconic cover, so I am pleased to observe they kept the design in tact.

love the cover but preferred the HMV cover i think i will be skipping this one as there is nothing unreleased

a true classic, one of the best rock and roll albums of all time. Agree roy, the HMV cover is my favourite cover although this one isn't bad.

"ELVIS" FTD -- Rip It Up - take 17 Unreleased Rip It Up - take 18 Unreleased

My absolute favourite of the 50's albums:-) It is a far more homogenic and complete output than his first album. A consistent feel that runs through the whole album (just like Elvis Is Back and From Elvis In Memphis). Filled with classics but also underrated treasures such as "First In Line" and "Anyplace Is Paradice". Iconic coverart too! :-)

I really don't see anything new here to be honest, but I'll probably end up buying this regardless as once an "Elvis Junkie" always an "Elvis Junkie". Most of the "Rip It Up" outtakes were released on the Platinum Box Set (Take 15) and the Today, Tomorrow & Forever Box Set (Take 14) and the Flashback Book with CD from the 1950's (Takes 10, 11, 12 & 16); so other than the 1 outtake of "Old Shep" (Take 5) from the King of Rock 'N' Roll Box Set and the live recordings from 1956 this is probably the last roundup before FTD is completely irrelevant with a grouping of 1950's outtakes that could have been included with this FTD "Elvis" CD instead of the live stuff which I already have purchased thru the years. Good run while it lasted FTD.

Um, me thinks there is something new on this upcoming release of "Elvis" by FTD. "Rip It Up", Takes 17, 18 & 19 (19 being the master). Now I definitely will purchase this FTD CD. Definitely.

Clearly there are people who seem to be wishing for the demise of FTD given some of the comments here. Obviously there was only one cover for this release - it's a classic album! - but the inclusion of the U.K. artwork on the booklet would be nice.

It's unfortunate that the FTD team didn't decide to start Disc 2 off with the Love Me Tender soundtrack & outtakes... then they could've had the 10 tracks from the December '56 Hayride show to finish things off. I don't see how FTD will justify a Love Me Tender release on its own. Perhaps a combo set with the Flaming Star soundtrack & outtakes is the way Ernst Jorgensen will go with it. Only time will tell.

This is the first (if I'm not mistaken) FTD cd that doesn't contain any material (apart from the 2 'Rip It Up' takes) that hasn't been officially released before. It's not their fault, there's very little new material available and the session tapes were probably erased after the horrible decision was made by the RCA executives to re-use the old tapes to save money! What a bunch of idiots... The cover is a classic and one of my favorites, actually most of the 50's album covers are great. I really love 'Elvis Presley', 'Elvis', Elvis Golden Records', Elvis Gold Records Vol 2' and 'A Date With Elvis'. It is interesting that a Marty Robbins album titled 'The Song of Robbins' released just after 'Elvis' in Jan 1957 has got a very similar design. I will add this release to my collection, it will be a worthy addition even though it contains very few treats for a collector like me.

Marty: actually the first one FTD that includes none of the unreleased material would have to be "Hits of the 70s". Yep, it's not their fault that they have nothing more to offer - we have to get along with this. People are criticizing the idea of secodn CD with only 10 songs. There would be a lot more complaining if this was going to be single CD release, IMO.

I think it is wrong to brand RCA executives idiots for the 1959 tape clear-out. Hindsight is a very great thing, unfortunately none of us have it. The majority of RCA session tapes that Sony are sitting on have no value or use, only in very rare circumstances with artists the calibre of Elvis are they ever released. In 1959, how were they to know that Elvis would become the legend that he did and that every scrap of recorded tape would be savoured so many years later. It always surprises me that so many out-takes do still exist. It depends whether you look at a glass half empty or half full.

I agree whole heartedly "Tony C" with your remarks. Who, in their right mind would ever have imagined that Elvis Presley would turn out to be, and I use term loosely, "The King of Rock 'N Roll" literally; keeping in mind, he was in the U.S. Army in 1959 and who imagined he'd still be the phenomenon he turned out to be when he returned, in a different more toned down pop vernacular in 1960. Yes, it's a shame RCA re-used a lot of his tapes, but it's business.

Tony C: I agree that the RCA executives in 1959 might not have been able to predict the demand for any 'new' Elvis material in the future but that doesn't justify their actions. Even a fool would recognize that the music is what they were selling and the need to preserve it. Erasing recorded music of well known and even not so well known artists is simply stupid. And actually the majority of RCA tapes have since been used for re-mastering in the digital era etc. You might not get take after take released from most other artists but the original session tapes are still occasionally being used. Even in the 50's, record companies sometimes made money selling previously rejected songs of artists they weren't able to record any more because they left the label or died, Hank Williams is one example. I am not criticizing the decision to erase the recordings by Elvis, I am criticizing the decision to erase any of the music in their vaults to save just a few dollars. The fact that this was not normal practice just proves my point, if it was such a great idea why didn't they do it all the time?

Hello, there really was no way for RCA to know in 1959 that Elvis's out-takes would be sought after. Or even that a medium (ie, the CD) would exist capable of holding such a quantity of material. In an ideal world all the session reels would have survived intact. But they didn't. Happily, it is obvious from the out-takes that were retained that Elvis was very musically-literate - the master takes are - almost without exception - superior to the rejects. We also know from those surviving out-takes how Elvis worked - the gradual migration from a rough practice take to a completed master made perfect by Elvis capturing exactly the right feel. It isn't hard to imagine how the early stabs at 'Long Tall Sally' etc would have sounded - the rejects of 'Rip It Up' should make it pretty obvious. Enjoy the master takes, and be thankful so many session reels were kept that the nature of Elvis's unique talent can now reverberate through the ages.

For us fans the outtakes hold a special value as it is part of the vast legacy and how it unfolded. So in that sense it is a pity that there is not so much left of those early years. Then again, we cannot compare the fifties with these times, in which it is easy to keep it all in a small box! As someone stated RCA kept a lot of materials from other artists, so obviously they considered Elvis as a passing thing unlike those items they preserved. Unlucky as they are because a lot of those other artists were indeed passing through, whilst Elvis has been on top of it all, even decades after his early demise. But let's be fair. How many people are really interested in all those outtakes. For me it is as I like to experience the development of a song, his dedication, his drive, his fun and even his boredom with some movie songs. But I will NEVER EVER let my guests listen to it as they will not appreciate it and even get bored listening to the King. So like Jamie stated: let's be glad with what is there and let the general public enjoy the great masters, while we in our own time can enjoy that what survived.IMO at least.

I perfectly can understand marty's disillution about the erased tapes and I find it such a pity myself ! But what has been done has been done. Also have to agree wholeheartedly with Cruiser, Tony, Jamie, Natha. Meaningful comments ! Always El.

We knew for years the 50's session tapes were erased and used over by RCA, so why the outcry now? Its not news that there are no new outtakes for these session, the 57 Christmas session and most of all, the NYC session which produced Hound Dog, Dont Be Cruel, and Anyway You Want Me. Id love to hear the 30+ takes of Hound Dog but they dont exist. As for this album, it is a true classic and belongs in the FTD series of classic albums much more so than most others that have been issued. Enjoy!

One of the most important rock and roll albums gets what it deserves. But When we all go back to 1956- 1958. We learn that the engineers ( not only for Elvis sessions) had a safetycopy. In Elvis Case RCA just wants to erase the tapes of the 57 sessions. But when we look on the site Keith Flynn. We learn that from 1956 till 1957. Rca recorded the sessions in binaural stereo. What is happened then. We have a few in real stereo (LMT) and jailhouse rock in Binaural. And King Creole would be also recorded in stereo.The masters and outtakes through the years are in mono. Except on some releases from 1987 ( essential ) and some boxsets ( Close up) and the FTD cd's. Few years ago there was an auctuion for some back-up tapes. These are from Jailhouse rock, christmas album, and the some of the 1957 sessions. few years ago i read about the RCA recordings. And there were told that they always had a back-up tape. But where are these tapes?. Mr Jøregensen told me in 1994 that that the first takes of Hound dog sounding like the live versions that they did on the tv shows, How did he know. What's really true is that RCA ereased a lot. But a lot was also sold on other people. I know some people who has session tapes of Jim Reeves. Also RCA recording artist. Are the story's about the back-up ( binaural stereo) true? and yes where are those tapes. One thing is for sure. The original tapes are lost and/or Erased. A shame because it was a mess in the archives. They maybe didn't know it are the Elvis session tapes. And that to save a few bucks.

Yep, full agreement Steve ! Always El.

Japio, "sold to other people" ??? If, just if, some tapes should still exist they probably were stolen. In the past a lot has disappeared from the RCA vaults. Oh well, I'll keep on dreaming , but I'm afraid in vain ! Always El.

Benny Scott. No not stolen. They sold the Jim Reeves tapes to fans ect. It was possible becuase His wife Mary sold only the rights of the masters. And RCA had not the rights for unreleased material. If you look for out-takes on RCA. You'll see only a few. ( not recorded for RCA) There are only a few overdubbed out-takes. This had not to do with the Elvis tapes.

And who knows what have been stolen or sold.

Hi Japio, I was talking about Elvis tapes, not Jim Reeves. No harm done ! Always El.

Around 20 years ago there was a rumor that Elvis (the 2nd album )and King Creole existed in binaurel stereo. However, RCA/BMG/Sony would have released them years ago if they did exist. So we have to content ourselves with this release as is . I'm looking forward to it .

Hi everybody, could it be that on the 2nd CD, the Louisiana Hayride performance, the last song & closing (i.e. "Hound Dog" & "Elvis has left the building") are missing ? Can anybody confirm (or better refute) ? I refer to the listing on the official FTD page (elvis.com/ftdreleases/50/Elvis/).

Steve is spot on, just sit back and enjoy one of the greatest albums ever. A true classic.

Marty, you have missed one vital piece of information with regard to the tapes that were destroyed. They were the session tapes which had already had the master takes removed onto what is known as a master reel. Those were kept. You also misunderstood my comments regarding other artists session tape, the majority of which are still unreleased and of no value. You stated that these would have been used for digital remastering, but I spoke of session tapes, not the masters. Big difference, the session tapes do not contain the masters. This is why the out-takes of the "Follow That Dream" songs exist in stereo but the masters do not. The session reels survived but the master reel was lost over time. All that exists is the mono mixdown of the masters. With regard to the 1957 tapes that were auctioned a few years back, people speculated that they contained "All Shook Up", "Elvis' Christmas Album", etc, but on closer examination they did not contain anything Sony did not already have. That is why they did not bid for them, a fact that Ernst confirmed at the time.

Well I do not care if they preserved the masters (sometimes even these were lost or erased) and just erased the session tapes or not. A record company should never erase, lose, destroy etc. the music. That's what they sell and make a living from. Interest in music from the past was already there in the late 50's, you didn't have to be a genius to realise that some of the music in the vaults could have value in the future. It's like an oil company throwing away the oil, an egg producer killing the chicken etc. It is a stupid decision regardless of the motives. It makes it worse when it's done to save just a few dollars... I am sure that even then there were people inside the company trying to prevent this from happening. But obviously the people in charge had no appreciation for what they were selling, i.e. the music.

Yes, enjoy what we have friends:-) Both the music and the iconic cover while we wait for the next classic albums release. Personally I hope for In Concert, Flaming Star (paired with Wild In The Country?) or King Creole:-)

I'll state the facts again, because the message really isn't getting through. RCA destroyed the rejected out-takes, they didn't make a living from those. Obviously if they had a crystal ball they would have seen that Elvis would die in 1977 and that fans would then clamour for the alternative tapes. The comparison to oil companies or egg producers is not like for like, you are comparing their major commodity to what in 1959, to RCA was worthless scrap. As for the future releases mentioned below, I would imagine "Elvis In Concert" is a certainty. "Flaming Star" won't be paired with "Wild In The Country" because the later already has it's own FTD release. As for "King Creole", we are in the same trap as this forthcoming "Elvis" release, there are no session tapes and the very few out-takes that did survive have already been released. I suppose when "King Creole" is mooted we will have the same comments about the stupidity of RCA, bad marketing, etc, etc.

We might not agree on the issue of session tapes getting erased, lost etc. but we might agree on what we can expect in the future. I am looking forward to there releases: Stereo '57: I do not know how much unreleased material exists but the sound quality is great. 'Jaihouse Rock' and 'Loving You' sessions have already been released but some early 1957 studio recordings might be available. On Tour: Very few recordings have been officially released to date. A lot more I'm sure is available and I hope we get some of that soon. In Concert: Apparently the tapes are in a bad condition and a lot of work is required to master them. Let's hope they'll find the time (and money) to do it. Maybe FTD keep this as their final release? Soundtracks: A few still remain unreleased on FTD, most from films like 'Flaming Star' with only a few songs. I expect them to be grouped together one way or another. NBC TV Special: A lot has been released, but is scattered here and there. Maybe more is available? I'm sure I have forgotten a few as I am away from home and I am doing it from memory! Cheers

THEMEMPHISFAN – I believe there is enough material for a ‘Love me tender’ release (1 CD set) that could also include the complete ‘The truth about me’ interview he did on the movie set. They already did ‘Wild in the country – 5 soundtrack songs’ and ‘Follow that dream – 5 soundtrack songs’ so they can release the other movie soundtracks by themselves, with the exception of Charro! having only 2 soundtrack songs. The only problem I have with this release is putting it on a 2 CD set; there is simply not enough material to warrant a 2 CD set for this release. CD 1 would have been enough, and the December Louisiana Hayride show could have been put in another release (The complete Hayride Shows). I know that FTD released all Hayride shows from 1954-1955 on ‘A boy from Tupelo’ (with the exception of the newly discovered ‘I forgot to remember to forget’), but since many people did not get this release, a nice compilation of all Hayride shows would make a great FTD release by itself. I also think they should release the 1957 Christmas album with all outtakes available, which would include the 4 gospel songs added to the album. Bonus tracks could include all remaining 1957 songs. The same thing with ‘King Creole’; although they did release the CD/Book combo ‘King Creole – the music’, it did not include all known outtakes. The ‘Crawfish’ duet was not on it even though it was released on Essential volume 3. I also agree with Marty that ‘Elvis in concert’ will probably be the last release in the ‘Classic album’ series once all others are released. TCB

Hello, FTD have been naughty releasing 'Elvis (1956)' as a double-CD set. The live recordings could have been put on the end of the Legacy version, precluding any need to shell out on this FTD release. Regarding the 1968 tv special, there is already an inclusive BMG box-set. But it's not perfect is it? The first disc - incomprehensibly - includes the original LP with all its loudness and phasing artefacts. 10/10 for historic authenticity, 0/10 for common sense and living in the digital age. The Gospel- and Road Medleys were edited too. BMG should have sorted these matters out in that 4 disc box, but didn't. So there is some scope for our friend Ernst to weave his magic.

Hello Smile, FTD already put out Wild In The Country on a single disc

I recall Essential Elvis 3 having some overal sound issues so if that was resolved a King Kreole set would be very appealing.

I completely forgot about WITC...:-) And yes, both Flaming Star, Roustabout, Kissin Cousins and maybe Speedway may have the same challenges as the upcoming "Elvis" release. But I'm confident that they eventually will be released in the classic albums series. At least as single discs. King Creole and In Concert should not be a "headache" for FTD though:-)

Hello, there's no shortage of 'Flaming Star' archive material in the vault. And the 1957 Christmas LP can easily be padded out with binaural out-takes from the 'Peace in The Valley' EP. There is a dearth of unreleased material from the soundtrack sessions for 'Roustabout', 'Kissin' Cousins' and 'Speedway'. All 3 films fall into the bracket of low budget musicals, and were unsuitable projects for a bona fide artist such as Elvis. Obviously, we fans can get caught up in our enthusiasm. But surely we can deal with the likely absence of rejected takes of 'Fort Lauderdale...' etc by sticking on 'In The Ghetto' or 'Reconsider Baby' instead! By the way, fascinating though the out-takes may be, (rhetorical question) how many surpass the master take? Some of the early takes of 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy' are terrific, and the run through with reprise of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' is great, too. But none of the endless takes of, eg, 'A Fool Such As I' are as polished as the master. It seems to me that in most cases the chief value of the rejects is an insight into Elvis's process. That process is now perfectly well understood. And 5 out-takes of 'It's Carny Time' certainly won't help us comprehend Elvis's artistry any better. And who's going to truly listen to them often enough to warrant the outlay?

Nice info Jamie:-) I was sure that i.e. Roustabout had absolutely nothing else to offer than the original album. The mentioned albums are a part of the classic albums and are welcome even if the outtakes won't be listened to a zillion times;-) I agree that Elvis' Christmas Album from 1957 would make a nice release towards Christmas (this or next year). But what about new vinyl releases? Nothing has been announced so far...

Hello Smile, I think there are 3 bonus recordings available for a 'Roustabout' release. Singular out-takes of the title track and 'Little Egypt' have emerged in box-sets; and the alternative theme song 'I'm A Roustabout' turned up on the '2nd To None' compilation. It looks like there are no more than 2-3 dregs that could be scraped out of the barrel for 'Kissin' Cousins' and 'Speedway', too. But that's about it. Me, I'll stick on 'One Night Of Sin' or 'Mystery Train', and try to imagine that Elvis's low brow musicals were just a nightmare I had.

With the album, 'ROUSTABOUT' (hate it or love it) having been #1 on the Billboard chart, it certainly deserves to be issued as a classic album on the FTD label. It could be released as -- ELVIS' 1964 Albums: Disc 1 = ROUSTABOUT original stereo album & original mono album (plus the alternate takes mentioned below by Jamie), Disc 2 = KISSIN' COUSINS original stereo album & original mono album, plus any scraps of alternate takes that exist. As for the 1956 album, 'ELVIS', someone on another forum has suggested that Ernst Jorgensen might be deliberately holding back information that the REHEARSAL RECORDINGS of the December '56 Shreveport show will be included on disc two. All I can say to that is... hearing/seeing is believing!

I'm in agreement that all of Elvis's LP's that were released during his lifetime shoud make it to the 7" Classic album series , but what about albums like Elvis For Everyone , A Date With Elvis, and For Elvis Fans Only? They've been out of print for quite a while . But I'm wondering how they could be "fleshed out" to be included in that series. Then again there's also the Camdens . You can make a case for Flaming Star and Let's Be Friends , even albums like I got Lucky , but Certainly NOT Hits from Movies or Burning Love. Any thoughts anyone ?

Lou, you probably meant 'For LP Fans Only' ? Always El.

Right benny, For LP Fans Only. A little bit of an "early onset senior moment " there!

Hi Lou, no harm done ! As for the albums you mentioned : good remark ! Take care. Always El.

Lets Be Friends is a personal favourite of mine, great cover and songs mostly from '68 and '69. It would be great to flesh it out with the movie songs and outtakes of the movies from those yaers.

It's very nice that FTD is releasing the classic albums. But i think it's very strange to release a second disc with only 9 songs on it.

Lou I would like to see the following as part of the Classic Album Series: Elvis Golden Records King Creole Elvis Christmas Album For LP Fans Only A Date With Elvis Flaming Star (EP) Elvis Golden Records Vol 3 Kissin' Cousins Roustabout Elvis For Everyone Elvis Gold Records Vol 4 Speedway Let's Be Friends* Almost In Love* Elvis In Concert (take out the fan comments and have the two concerts in their entirety) *These to have bonus songs of outtakes from Live A Little-Love A Little, Charro, The Trouble With Girls and A Change Of Habit And for Sony to release C'mon Everybody to round out their Camden releases started a few years ago.

KinK56 – I agree with most titles on your list with the exception of the Camden albums; they were mainly a mixed bag of soundtrack songs with unreleased (at that time) leftover studio recordings from 68 – 69. They also contained songs (Stay away, Joe, I’ll be there, US Male, Mama, My little friend, Stay away, If I’m a fool for loving you) that already appear on other FTD releases. Since FTD already released ‘Wild in the country’ and ‘Stay away, Joe’ as ‘Classic albums’ on their own (even if no LP or EP was ever released for these movies), they can probably do the same with the other movies: Flaming Star, Live a little, love a little, The trouble with girls and Change of habit. The only exception would be Charro! since only 2 soundtrack songs were made. I know there are enough outtakes for Flaming Star and Live a little, love a little to make a release by themselves. If there are not enough outtakes available for the 1969 movies, I would prefer having them all together on one ‘Classic album’ then spread out on Camden releases. TCB

Nice to have this real classic album in the ftd serie, my wish list would be king creole, the 3 camden flaming star, let's be friends, almost in love, the soundtracks roustabout, speedway, k cousins, and then, elvis for everyone, in concert, this is elvis and for lp fans.

I dont get the Camdens being on people's FTD wishlist. I really dont.

Also I think its only fair that FTD should give us loyal fans a chance to own a classic album version of A Boy From Tupelo. It was very expensive first time around and I am sure it would sell well. Whats the point of these recordings just lying in a vault someplace when they could be making money and at the same time pleasing a large number of the FTD buying public.

Steve. The early Camdens are a good why to address the late soundtracks. And, if you think about it, going by the Golden Records vol 2-4 criteria, where hit singles or flipsides were used that have never been on LP before, the Camden Almost In Love could qualify for Gold Records Vol 5! The Almost In Love Camden is one of my favorite Elvis LPs (the RE version with Stay Away) I would rather have seen either Come What May, High Heel Sneakers or Fools Fall In Love replace Long Legged Girl though, and then included the remaining two for a 12 track LP. And YES, I want Sony to reissue C'mon Everybody, and fill a gaping hole in my CD collection.

Only on here can you go from discussing maybe his greatest album to talking about crap like the Camden releases. Respect please.

His greatest album would have to be either Elvis Is Back or From Elvis In Memphis. Had this album been recorded in Nashville or even New York, it probably would not have the poor, thin, echoey sound it has. I consider Elvis and Loving You to be the bottom of the barrel as it comes to 50s material. (notice I did not say of ALL his material, just 50s) I would much rather listen to the Almost In Love Camden!

Kink, seriously, Elvis and Loving you bottom of the barrel. Ok, not sure what to say to that. As for From Elvis in Memphis, I like it but coming after all the crap that had gone before for the last 7 years or so anything would be an improvement. FEIM is a bit overrated for me. As for Elvis is Back, yeah def contender for best album.

Andy I said bottom of the barrel for the 50s LPs. They are my least favorite of his first 9 LPs. They each are still much better than Harum Scarum or Frankie And Johnny!! ;-) None of the other 7 50s LPs let me down like Elvis or Loving You did. I just had such high expectation of the 50s material, I was surprised by these two. All the other LPs from the 50s were so fantastic and the bar was set quite high. But I WILL buy this FTD, as I want to collect ALL from the Classic Album series. I will probably play it once, UNLESS the sound is dramatically improved (I don't see how though) But the general sound or atmosphere on Elvis is probably my main problem with it. It just was not produced or engineered to my liking. And Old Shep REALLY is a drag.

CircleG I agree about Let's Be Friends and Kink 56 I agree with your list of potential FTD cadidates. Now that they've gone this far with the series , they should go all the way. Re . the 1957 Christmas album though , theres not much to add to that album , and no alternates at all of the Christmas songs that I know of .

Ok kink I understand you now. Sound has never been a problem for me although I agree they are different to the rest. Thing is anything between 54-58 is so good (apart from the odd clunker like True Love) I don't have a bottom of the barrel.

Hello, I really think Andy2 has emerged as the voice of sanity in this thread. 'Elvis' was a problematic album. They had such a dearth of good material that they had to pad the LP out with 3 Little Richard covers. Arguably those were the highlights. 'First In Line', 'Any Place Is Paradise' and 'Old Shep' all give the impression of being filler. The sound quality isn't great either. However...those Little Richard tunes, 'Paralysed' and 'Love Me' are all terrific examples of The King in his prime. And the bonus tracks on this release show that Elvis was in very good form, and that the LP would have been far, far better had commercial sensibilities allowed the inclusion of contemporary singles. Which brings me to the Camden/Pickwick releases. Some of these are fondly remembered solely out of sentimentality and what I would call a contrast effect - a handful (eg 'You'll Never Walk Alone') seemed okay because they were more coherent than the others. In fact, all those budget releases were shocking. A feeble and obscure movie soundtrack song was never too far away. And the vinyl and tape quality was lousy. BMG/Sony and FTD have put enormous resources into rationalising Elvis's back catalogue - do we really need to hanker for an era of shoddy product and fan exploitation? And does the reissue of a piece of history like 'Elvis' really necessitate a debate about these awfully cynical and tacky albums from over a decade later

Anyplace Is Paradise filler? Now I think Ive heard it all. One the coolest things he ever put on wax, listen to that jazzy bass & piano break and a throbbing Elvis 50's vocal, especially how he opens the song. To me, its his most underrated 50's track. I think the Little Richard covers are good, but except for Ready Teddy, dont top the originals.

I totally agree with you Steve, Anyplace Is Paradice is an underrated classic. A fantastic recording that really gives this marvellous album some of it's special atmosphere and feel:-) Regarding the budget Camden releases I really hope FTD doesn't include them in the classic's series. They were albums released during Elvis' lifetime alright, but released as cheap records with a mixed bag of second choices, they were never intended to be a "classic album" alongside Elvis' original outputs. Even if some of the Camdens dit very well on the charts and many of us have strong feeling for some of them. The songs on the Camden releases will be covered elsewhere by FTD. Lrt the bootleggers make their so called "re-relesaes":-)

I follow Steve and Smile ! I really dig Anyplace is... and imho the original Little Richards are unbeatable. No need for Camdens in the 'Classic Series' either. The way they were released originally is good enough for me. Just my personal opinion. Always El.

The magnificent Anyplace Is Paradise was on Artist of the Century, a release containing nearly all top quality tracks and one I would use to try and convert a hesitant potential fan. However the most underrated track on the ELVIS album has to be So Glad You're Mine, one of the best of his career, and possibly the best kept secret in the Presley portfolio

Hello, I can't believe I didn't ackowledge the glory that is 'So Glad Your Mine' - easily one of Elvis's best ever. I always thought 'Any Place Is Paradise' had an awkward, stuttered meter and a simplistic hook, and that Elvis swamped it with his peculiar vocal mannerisms. Just my 2 cents. Balancing my ommission of 'So Glad...', I forgot to say how awful 'How's The World Treating You?' is.

Hi Jamie, it's OK ! Personally I wouldn't call 'How's The world...' awful, it's a matter of taste I guess, but yes, I prefer by far Jim Reeves' version to Elvis'. Always El.

Quite simply, I love this album, it is one of his best and one of a handful that actually feel like a cohesive album, all songs recorded for the purpose of the album (soundtracks not incl). So Glad Youre Mine, Paralyzed, When My Blue Moon, and Anyplace Is Paradise are stand outs as is Hows The World Treating You, one of the saddest ballads of his career sung beautifully. I have heard many fans put this album down for one reason or another and I could never understand that. Sure Old Shep is kind of weak, but every album has a weak track. THis is long overdue on a classic FTD release, it is a shame there are no outtakes though. As for the Camdens, they were simply budget albums comprised of leftover or unreleased tracks with no theme and to fill the gap between album releases. Some are good, some awful, but I could never justify paying 35.00 for an FTD version of these albums. Thats they were released on CD in retail should be good enough for those that want them on CD.

Steve V, I agree with your last statement. Elvis is just a great album. One of his top albums. As for the 'little richard songs', as you know all recorded those songs in the fifties, each artist giving them their own feel to it. And that makes them all a matter of taste. I like the rhythm of the LR version, but not the voicing. In that sense I like Elvis, Gene V and Eddy C more. But that's just a matter of taste.

So Glad You're Mine is an oddball, in that it was not from the same sessions.

I'm with Steve V 100%, it's quite simply one of the best albums of his career and in my opinion the greatest rock n roll album ever. There's no filler and every song fits in perfectly with each other. Even Old shep is ok and doesn't detract from how great the album is. T

I'm with Steve V 100%, it's quite simply one of the best albums of his career and in my opinion the greatest rock n roll album ever. There's no filler and every song fits in perfectly with each other. Even Old shep is ok and doesn't detract from how great the album is. The ballads are classic 50's ballads and the rockers have never been bettered. This is what caused the revolution. Agree with everybody else here, So glad you're mine is without doubt one of his best ever.

Hi again gang, you know the more I read this thread the more I think I've been guilty of neglecting this LP. I do think it tapers off. But the Little Richard tunes, 'So Glad...' and some of the others championed here, are all pretty amazing. And he was only 21, too - unbelievable.

Jamie - reconnect with it again, and you''ll see how great it is. It has always been in my top 3 Elvis albums along with Elvis Is Back and FEIM. An album I have not stopped playing for over 50+ years lol. Anyway, the liner notes on the original US version are fabulous and depict Elvis as an unique new artist who can virtually sing any kind of music. This album proves it, and yes it is pretty amazing for a 21 year old to have that much versatility. As Andy says, even Old Shep doesnt drag it down.

SteveV I'm going to give both my vinyl and Cds of this album a spin. for what its worth I like every track on here, even old shep ... and yes, he was only 21 ... I agree we don't have to revisit the Camdens, the good work of the 90s has come undone enough as it is without FTD resorting to them.

Hi everybody, could it be that on the 2nd CD, the Louisiana Hayride performance, the last song & closing (i.e. "Hound Dog" & "Elvis has left the building") are missing ? Can anybody confirm (or better refute) ? I refer to the listing on the official FTD page (elvis.com/ftdreleases/50/Elvis/).

Now that this has been released, we know that it does not contain the much speculated Louisiana Hayride rehearsal. Do we know that this recording exists, because other than a listing on Keith Flynn's site, I don't think it has been discussed before.