Elvis Is Back! by Elvis Presley (Vinyl, 1960)

Speakers Corner

4260019712578

19050132357

Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley, The Jordanaires

Vinyl

1960

Elvis Is Back!

LP

Rock 'n' Roll, Oldies

This 1999 reissue contains six bonus tracks not on the original release. Personnel: Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar); Hank Garland (guitar, bass); Scotty Moore (guitar); Homer "Boots" Randolph (saxophone); Floyd Cramer (piano); Bob Moore (bass); D.J. Fontana, Buddy Harman (drums); Charlie Hodge (background vocals). The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker, Neal Matthews, Jr., Hoyt Hawkins, Raymond C. Walker. Producers: Steve Sholes, Chet Atkins. Reissue producers: Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, Roger Semon. Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Nashville, Tennessee between March 20, 1960 and April 4, 1960. Originally released on RCA Victor (2231) in April 1960. Includes liner notes by Colin Escott. Personnel: Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar); Scotty Moore, Hank Garland (guitar); Homer "Boots" Randolph (saxophone); Floyd Cramer (piano); Bob Moore (bass); D.J. Fontana, Murray Harman (drums). The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker, Neal Matthews, Jr., Hoyt Hawkins, Raymond C. Walker. Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Nashville, Tennessee between March 20, 1960 and April 4, 1960. Originally released on RCA Victor (2231) in April 1960. ELVIS IS BACK is a reissue of the first full-length record that Elvis Presley recorded after returning from his famous two-year stint in the U.S. Army. The disc includes a handful of tracks not included on the original, all of which seem just as strong as those that made it onto the vinyl release. The album marks something of a crossroads in The King's career. Whereas such tracks as "Stuck on You" and "Make Me Know It" are of a piece with the kind of pelvis-grinding, R&B-informed tracks that made Elvis a star in the mid-to-late '50s, a cut like "Fame and Fortune" sees the beginnings of a move more toward smoky-voiced balladeering. The song is noteworthy for its occasionally jarring swings of vocal pitch-a technique for which Elvis would later be caricaturized. ELVIS IS BACK also brought forth Elvis' indispensable interpretation of "Are You Lonesome Tonight," a track that makes it difficult for even Elvis' most ardent detractors to question the sincerity of his delivery.

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Rolling Stone (p.75) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "ELVIS IS BACK! might be the King's greatest noncompilation LP: wildly varied material, revelatory singing, impeccable stereo sound." Record Collector (magazine) (p.92) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[With] top-notch studio bands, harmony vocals by The Jordanaires, a challenging and diverse repertoire, as well as a newfound sensual, often smouldering depth to Presley's vocal approach."

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