Much to the delight of his fans, Elvis Presley is this week at number one in the UK charts with the dance track Elvis v JXL. This surprise hit is a remix of a cover by Elvis of a little known single release, A Little Less Conversation from his 1968 movie “Live a Little, Love a Little”. This CD boasts not only the original version and an “album take" of A Little Less Conversation but also 18 other recordings, many of like quality, taken from Elvis’s last four movies.

The period 1968-1970 was a particularly successful time for Elvis. During these 2 years he successfully launched a well-deserved comeback through a phenomenally successful TV Special, made an impressive return to live performances, and recorded a string of top 10 singles (including “Suspicious Minds”) and two critically acclaimed albums. Not surprising with all this going on, Elvis’s movie work from this time (there were 4 films in total) and the recordings associated with them were largely overlooked and forgotten. This is a shame as the music from these movies is some of the best of his career and, as demonstrated with the success of the remix of A Little Less Conversation, not without commercial appeal.

Fortunately, in 1995 BMG rectified this situation and through its Elvis Double Feature CD series made available all of the recordings from Elvis’s last four movies on the one CD – “Live a Little Love a Little/Charro/The Trouble with Girls/Change of Habit”. An added bonus for the hardcore fan is that the collection also includes five previously unreleased performances.

”Live a Little, Love a Little” Tracks

The CD commences magnificently with some great numbers from the 1968 movie “Live a Little, Love a Little” (1968). A highlight for many will be the two versions of A Little Less Conversation. As mentioned above, a reworked dance version of this modest 60’s hit (featured in the current Nike ad) has just been released as a single worldwide and is at number 1 in the UK chart. It has also hit the top spot in Ireland and the Netherlands, with Australia expected to follow suit. Elvis purists will most likely prefer the gritty 60’s rock renditions presented on this CD (as do I), but can be consoled by the thought of the side-burned one riding high on the charts for the first time in many years and finally defeating the Beatles for the most number 1 hits on the UK chart.

The two versions of A Little Less Conversation on the subject collection are very similar and both are driven along by some powerful drum work. The main attraction in each case, however, is Elvis’s enthusiastic and infectious delivery of the fast paced tongue twisting lyrics. His wild scream on the next to last verse is pure magic and represents the spirit of rock and roll at its finest. Unfortunately this is missing from the new dance version, which is taken from a recording of the song from Elvis’s 1968 Comeback TV Special.

As much as I have recently grown to appreciate “A Little Less Conversation”, for me the musical highlight from the film is still the dramatic often forgotten rock classic Edge of Reality. In this dark yet captivating number the main character (sung in first person) is fighting to maintain his sanity. Elvis’s vocals are rich and powerful throughout and there is an excellent mood setting use of brass accompaniment and backing female vocals. The atmosphere of the performance perfectly suits the subject matter and the move toward an up-tempo beat in the chorus complements the pleading feel of Elvis’s performance. Of interest, the accompanying film clip (like the song itself) is very much in contrast to any of Elvis’s work up to the time of its release and comprises a choreographed dream like sequence with a dog that turns half-human. Edge of Reality was a particularly successful single in Australia and made the top of our charts.

Another strong track is the environmentally friendly, big voiced ballad Wonderful World. Like the song of the same name by the great Louis Armstrong, there is an irresistible “all is well with the world” atmosphere that borders on euphoric. A nice touch is the sentiment in the repeated chorus line “heaven is found right here on the earth it surrounds us with the beautiful things that are around us” (i.e. trees, mountains etc).

The final song from the movie opens this CD and is the gentle ballad Almost in Love. Though well performed, beautifully orchestrated, and far better than the average Elvis movie ballad, it is not quite up there with the best of his ballad work (e.g. “Are you Lonesome Tonight”).

“Charro” Tracks

The title song for this at times quite violent western perfectly captures the film’s somber feel. From a musical perspective, Charro lies somewhere between Frankie Laine’s High Noon and Hugh Montenegro’s The Good The Bad and the Ugly, with a touch of the Eagles’ Desperado for good measure. This along with the combination of Elvis’s manly brooding vocals and the contributions of the Hugh Montenegro orchestra, make “Charro” a quintessential western theme song.

A million miles away is the second track recorded for the movie, Let’s Forget about the Stars. The musical accompaniment for this forgotten ballad includes some beautiful acoustic guitar playing. The success of the performance, however, can be attributed to Elvis’s fine vocal work, which comfortably relies on his strong natural middle range. Representing the perfect combination of artist and material, the track demonstrates that Elvis was one of the great ballad singers of the twentieth century. Of interest, the song was ultimately not included in the movie, probably because it did not fit in with the general feel of the film.

“The Trouble with Girls” Tracks

The lead song from “The Trouble with Girls” (1969) was the protest number Clean up Your own Backyard. On this CD we get both the dubbed and undubbed versions of this great track. The main difference is that in the latter version the funky female vocals are missing. For those not familiar with the number, it has a Gospel feel with a hint of country blues. In addition to Elvis’s defiant vocalizing, the performance is characterized by imaginative use of guitar, brass and female backing vocals (dubbed version only). In terms of subject matter, the number is a statement of the social hypocrisy inherent in our society. The message is that we would all be better off if people cleaned up their own “backyards” before interfering and criticizing those of another. When released as a single, Clean up Your own Backyard was moderately successful and peaked at #35 on the Hot 100 chart in 1969.

The well-known Gospel song Swing Low, Sweet Chariot also gets a work out in the film. Elvis gives the song a fast paced rock revivalist treatment, augmented by a Gospel quartet on backup. The quality of the performance is befitting of an artist who won three Grammy Awards in the Gospel recording category.

For the Elvis collector, there are three previously unreleased tracks on the CD namely Signs of the Zodiac, The Whiffenpoof Song and Violet. Elvis barely sings at all in the first of these, which is a traditional style “ragtime” number. The other two, though fascinating, are almost song snippets.

The music for Whiffenpoof Song dates back to 1894 and the lyrics are based on Rudyard Kippling’s poem “Gentleman Rankers”. The song is the theme for the Whiffenpoof society at Yale University. The only disappointment with the track, which features Elvis accompanied only by piano, is that it lasts for a brief 30 seconds. Strangely it also ends with a real sheep singing the last note!

In contrast, Violet like the famous Elvis hit Love Me Tender (1956: US#1) is based on the traditional song “Aura Lee”. The result is that in effect we have Love Me Tender but with different words. The performance here, much to my surprise, is certainly the equal of the hit version. Further, Elvis’s voice in this new rendition is so like that in Love Me Tender that you could easily be fooled that this is Elvis circa 1956 not 1969.

The last of the “Trouble with Girls” tracks are the dubbed and undubbed recordings of the magnificent lounge style ballad Almost. Until I heard this song I never thought of Elvis as a potential lounge singer. Given the quality of the performance here, however, it is a shame that he did not give this type of number more of an airing in his repertoire.

"Change of Habit" Tracks

“Change of Habit” was Elvis’s last film and boasted not only a strong soundtrack, but also a good story to boot (Elvis played a doctor working in a ghetto). Two of the best numbers from the film are the title track and Rubberneckin. Both are bass driven late sixties-style rock numbers and are a delight to listen too.

The social commentary and message in the almost hippy style Change of Habit is that for the world to be a better place people need to look inward and let go of their bigotry and intolerance toward others. In addition to being inspiring and thought provoking, there is a hint of Eastern philosophy in the lyrics that is immediately compelling – E.g. “Halls of darkness have doors that open, its never too late to see the light”.

In contrast Rubberneckin' is a sexually charged fast paced minor rock classic that represents a return to the menacing vocal delivery that characterized the best of Elvis’s early 50’s work. The performance is helped along by some over the top funky female backup vocals that include just about every form of grunt, “ooh” and “ahh” imaginable.

Let us Pray is another great track. It is a medium to fast paced contemporary rock Gospel number with an irresistible sing-along feel. Elvis is accompanied by a tight three-piece band and a most talented female Gospel group.

In comparison to the previous mentioned numbers, the remaining tracks Have a Happy and Lets Be Friends are closer to the typical Elvis movie songs from the mid-sixties. That being said, the numbers are not by any means tragic and it would be unfair to suggest that they are of the sub par standard so frequently evident in Elvis’s mid-sixties efforts.

Rating

4 stars.

Final word

This CD is easily the best of the Elvis Double Feature CD series and for the most part is an absolute pleasure to listen to from start to finish. I recommend it to the Elvis enthusiast and for those who enjoy slightly off center popular music with the late sixties style sound. Its music like this that makes me proud to be an Elvis fan and unsurprised that 25 years after his death, Elvis can still make the top of the music charts



Recommended: Yes