Elvis Presley – Elvis Is Back! LP

Elvis Presley – Elvis Is Back!

INCLUDES 4 BONUS TRACKS

Elvis Presley entered the army on March 24, 1958, and was discharged on March 3, 1960, after two years of active service. Three words resounded from all the newspapers around the world upon his release from the military: Elvis Is Back! He had been away from the music scene for nearly 2 years and the charts were no longer full of the excitement of ‘50s rock & roll, having given way to a smoother ‘60s sound. Elvis knew too well that just one year away from the music business can kill your career and, although he had made some home recordings while in Germany, he hadn't recorded in a Studio since June 1958.

Just two weeks after coming home, Elvis Presley entered Nashville Studio B on March 20th (returning for the legendary overnight session of April 3rd-4th) to record a batch of songs that would become monumental hits worldwide. The singles "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "It's Now or Never" created a tidal wave of excitement, while LP tracks like "Fever," "The Thrill of Your Love," and "Like a Baby" demonstrated an affinity for handling a range of song styles. All of these tunes confirmed that the King was still able to deliver a whole program worth of incomparable material. For example, “Fever” (a Little Willie John cover) – which only features vocals, bass and finger-snapping – sounds incredibly dark and haunting. (It is worth noting that in the composer credits for this song “Davenport” is a pseudonym for none other than Otis Blackwell.) Though Elvis almost certainly knew Little Willie John's version (Elvis' knowledge of black music was extensive), his own version was clearly based on Peggy Lee's (from 1958), which has different lyrics and the same emphasis on the bass-line.

While the Gold singles are well known, two LP tracks also stand out as some of Elvis' most important recordings of all time. “Reconsider Baby,” recorded in one magnificent live-take, captured Elvis at his most passionate while being backed by a truly great band. The wailing sax of Boots Randolph combined with Elvis' intense vocals is hard to beat. Similarly, Elvis' growling moan on “Such a Night” pushed this lightweight Drifters song into another league all together. Here the new idea of using dual drummers (Buddy Harman and DJ Fontana) would never be bettered, helping energize Elvis on this aweinspiring performance. While Elvis was never recognized as a songwriter, his all-important contribution as an arranger/producer is perfectly demonstrated here. Elvis' whoop of joy at the end really says it all. Songs from those same recording sessions, like "It's Now or Never," "Stuck on You," “A Mess of Blues,” and “I Gotta Know” (which weren't on the original LP, but are included here as bonus tracks), still sound enthralling, but the real payoff comes in listening to Presley’s brilliance on lesserknown gems like "It Feels So Right" and Leiber and Stoller's "Dirty, Dirty Feeling." Elvis was 25 years old and at the height of his musical talents on these tracks. Even in the album's most maudlin, sentimental moments ("I'll Be Home Again," to cite one example), Presley's chief redeeming quality -his voice -saves the song. Elvis’ sound was smoother and more mature, and his voice was stronger and more beautiful here than on his recorded output of the ‘50s.

Elvis Is Back! is widely regarded as possibly the best non-compilation album Presley ever made. As Rolling Stone magazine would state in their review of the LP, “It has wildly varied material, revelatory singing and impeccable stereo sound.”

PERSONNEL:

ELVIS PRESLEY, vocals and guitar, plus:

Side 1, tracks 1 & 8 / Side 2, tracks 1 & 3:
Scotty Moore (guitar), Bob Moore (bass), D.J. Fontana or Buddy Harman (drums),

Floyd Cramer (piano), The Jordanaires (backing vocals).
Recorded at RCA’s Studio B, Nashville, Tennessee, March 20, 1960.

Side 1, tracks 2-7 / Side 2, tracks 2, 4-8:
Scotty Moore, Hank Garland (guitar), Bob Moore (bass), D.J. Fontana or Buddy Harman (drums), Floyd Cramer (piano), Boots Randolph (saxophone & claves), The Jordanaires (backing vocals), Charlie Hodge (vocal harmony on side 1, track 4).
Recorded at RCA’s Studio B, Nashville, Tennessee, April 3, 1960.

TRACKS:
SIDE 1
01. MAKE ME KNOW IT
02. FEVER
03. THE GIRL OF MY BEST FRIEND
04. I WILL BE HOME AGAIN
05. DIRTY, DIRTY FEELING
06. THRILL OF YOUR LOVE
07. IT’S NOW OR NEVER
08. STUCK ON YOU

SIDE 2
01. SOLDIER BOY
02. SUCH A NIGHT
03. IT FEELS SO RIGHT
04. GIRL NEXT DOOR WENT A’ WALKING
05. LIKE A BABY
06. RECONSIDER BABY
07. A MESS OF BLUES
08. I GOTTA KNOW

Label: WaxTime
Released: 1960/2013