Customer Reviews

Burning Love

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The budget album released under the big hit title was pretty o.k. - remove about three negligible numbers and you've got a decent collection (including a powerful track that even the most supportive critics always seem to miss, "Tonight Is So Right For Love"). Anyway, this CD comes about 27 years later and contains more than enough for a great record - strong material, well produced, well performed. But we have to eliminate six tunes for the '72 album that shoulda been.
It's unusual to begin by listing these tracks which ofcourse stand alone mightily - the brilliant, patriotic "An American Trilogy", probably his best rendition, could have been saved for an *Inspirational* l.p., along with "The Impossible Dream", a compelling workout, which unfortunately reveals some small inconsistencies in Elvis' vocal. He may have bitten off more than he can chew on this soaring ballad. "Never Been To Spain" is one of Presley's best lesser-discussed set pieces but it would belong in a more typical, eclectic E. P. record at that time. "Hound Dog", "A Big Hunk...", and "Little Sister"/"Get Back" are engaging but also would belong elsewhere.
Now we are left with space for 12. And "Burning Love" would naturally lead off. It seems Elvis himself did not care much for the song or for singing it, but it became a late-career classic. The bass run at midsong is irresistible. Red West's ballad "Separate Ways" still sounds great, and still is Top Ten material. "I'm Leavin'" also missed the Top Ten slot it deserved. Perhaps the unusual "beat ballad" was...too unusual. It is a tribute to the man that he could effortlessly transform his own voice for the sake of the song. "It's A Matter Of Time" could be described in the same way - more commercial (in the Country-pop direction) but no off-hand B-side. "It's Only Love" landed even farther away from the vaunted area of the chart than did "Leavin'" but here we have another fine vocal over an insistent rhythm.
The less familiar "You Gave Me A Mountain" found here is really a masterpiece. It must have been a challenge for Elvis to deal with some of the lyrics which must have had a biographical significance for him. "Always On My Mind" succeeded as a *global* hit and is another gem which warrants more spins - in '72 record business jargon. "Fool" and "It's Over" may been a bit overproduced but are consistent with the Presley '70s sound.
The atmospheric "Where Do I Go From Here" is B-side/album-filler material with interesting use of echo. Some may find his voice too far back - but there are indications that the artist preferred this kind of mix.
Good to great songs and attractive packaging and terrific booklet notes make for a pleasant musical experience.

Until the mid-'90s, the great "Burnin' Love", Elvis' last top-ten hit, could only be found on the skimpy and misnamed _Gold Records, Volume 5_ or the utterly wasteful and wretched _Elvis Sings "Burning Love" and Hits From His Movies_. This compilation is designed to replace the later and represents the first concerted effort to compile all of his 1972 recordings on one CD. The concept alone warrants this collection four stars. The quality of the music, however, keeps this from being five stars.

For example, do we really need yet another one-minute throwaway live version of "Hound Dog"? What about "Little Sister" or "A Big Hunk O' Love"? The answer to all of these is a resounding "NO!" The other live tracks (all recorded in Feb. 1972) included in this collection benefit from the fact that they were relatively new to Elvis' set list at the time. This results in performances of "You Gave Me a Mountain", "Never Been to Spain", and "An American Trilogy" which are vastly superior to the later versions of these songs included on _Live at Madison Square Garden_ and _Aloha From Hawaii_.

As for studio cuts, they range from abolutely outstanding ("Burning Love", "It's Only Love", "Always on My Mind) to forgettable ("I'm Leavin'", "For the Good Times", "It's a Matter of Time")

At the time the studio tracks were cut, Elvis' personal life was in the embryonic stages of the downward slide which would finally end on August 16, 1977. Not the least of these problems was the fact that Elvis' marriage was in deep trouble. Tracks such as "Fool", "Seperate Ways", "Always on My Mind", and especially "You Gave me a Mountain" brilliantly illustrate the pain that Elvis must have been feeling at the time. On the other hand, Elvis seems extremely distracted by these same problems on the weaker cuts on the CD.

Over all, this is easily the best overview of this period of Elvis' life.

Back in March of 1972, Elvis went into the recording studio and taped seven new songs. Seven songs isn't enough for an album, so there was never a proper album featuring the material from that recording session. Instead, the March '72 songs were released on various singles and "budget" albums. This CD brings all those songs together for the first time. Of course, seven songs still isn't enough for an album, so the CD is padded out with songs recorded live in Las Vegas in February of 1972. Plus, there are two songs that were recorded in May of 1971 included (good songs, but I'm not sure they really belong here). March of '72 produced Elvis' last big hit, "Burning Love", which is a great rocker. All the other songs he recorded at the session were ballads about love gone sour (obviously a personal topic to him at the time). These ballads are of a high quality, especially "Seperate Ways" and "Always on My Mind". As for the live Vegas material, it's enjoyable enough, but it includes a lot of the same songs he played over and over again live. Elvis fans should enjoy this CD.

This is an attempt to recreate (in spirit if not exact tracklisting) a nearly-released 1972 Elvis LP "Standing Room Only". And it's nearly a great job. It collects together all of Elvis's '72 studio masters for the first time, plus a good selection of stuff from a February '72 stint in Las Vegas. Unfortunately all but 3 tracks can be found on the "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" box and the compilers have drafted in two 1971 cuts (which kinda spoils the concept) and guess what? Yeah, they're on the 'Shoes' box too. If they'd hunted out a few more live '72 tracks and left off the two '71 cuts, I'd haven given this CD 5 stars for the concept alone, because there never was a genuine 1972 LP except the Madison Square Garden concert until now - but fans who've bought the 'Shoes' box will find it hard to splash out more dollars for 3 songs.

Most Elvis fans have their favorite "Elvis" period, the time in his life when they most connected to him and his music. For me this is my favorite time of his musically, as he was reeling from the breakup of his marriage, adjusting to the post-comeback let down and looking for another mountain to climb.

With this release, which collects the seven songs he recorded in 1972 with others found on cut-outs, cheapie collections, or singles released during that period, finds a mature and reflective Elvis, alternately brash and confident and solemn and introspective, singing on some of the best material of his career. Sure, there's some schmaltz in there as well, but it's perfectly enjoyable -- tell me his version of "Never Been to Spain" won't put a smile on your face -- as well as the title track, 70s concert faves "You Gave Me a Mountain" and "American Trilogy," and the break up songs "Separate Ways" and "Always on My Mind" (later reclaimed by Willie Nelson). In all, a consistently superior collection of early 70s Elvis, before the sadness overwhelmed him, the drugs kicked in, and the endless tours and hard-living took him so tragically.

RCA/BMG's "Burning Love" compilation is a telling example of how erratic Elvis Presley's music had become in 1972. Though the CD includes a few classic songs, it also has some forgettable tracks such as "It's a Matter of Time" and "Fool." With the exception of "Burning Love" and "I'm Leavin," most of the studio recordings from 1971-72 do not feature Elvis at his best. As a whole, the 1973 studio sessions at Stax are far superior to the material on "Burning Love." Nevertheless, it's an improvement over the 1972 budget album - and the live performances are a welcome addition.

This CD will have heavy rotation on my cd player at home, and a copy I made from it will be played in my car. This is the material that made me a fan to begin with. This CD is a perfect match of studio and live cuts, with classics and must haves such as Burning Love (the title track), Separate Ways, Always on My Mind, American Trilogy, and The Impossible Dream. It also has the beautiful Fool and Where Do I Go From Here.

This CD is a must! Perhaps the best release RCA has ever put out. I just wish they would make a set like this out of the 1976 Graceland Sessions and the 1977 tour material.

Don't hesitate! This CD is well worth the money!!!

Lon Roberts Atlanta, GA

Most of the already written reviews have covered all critical aspects of this cd. I want to add (or repeat): this is the album that should have been (um, replace a few songs here, tho). If this had been a proper album THEN (in 1972-3), a lot of non-elvis fans would have enjoyed having a record to play that also included Burning Love. maybe it would have been as good a time capsule as From Elvis in Memphis was in 1969. i can only imagine the disgust some people had finding Burning Love on the 'hits vol 2'. heck, notice how manager colonel parker enticed us big elvis fans to buy the lp back then by inserting a promo photo! :). the first edition of the LP with the promo material is now a collector's item!

as for me, i enjoy this cd because it comprises the 45s and popular concert songs elvis was doing at that time. as the songs play on, i remember the 45s as i bought them (and i liked them *all*), and the good times i was having seeing elvis live at the hilton.

the first time i played this, i didnt want my trip down memory lane to end and i shed a few tears when the cd was finished. it was so nice to feel like a teenager again while it played...

this is a cd i play often enough, especially when i am in a 70s elvis mood. i am very glad it is in my elvis music collection.

What if RCA had built an album around Elvis' classic hit Burning Love?It probably would have ascended to the top of the charts and given the gold standard yet another gold record and very easily could have been maybe his best album ever...we'll never know for sure.But thanks to this amazingly awesome CD...what we have is the next best thing.The gem of this set is the seldom played I'm Leavin.It's hauntingly beautiful.Elvis' voice is dramatic on Never Been to Spain,You Gave Me a Mountain,Seperate Ways and Always on my mind.I love the inclusion of his live version of Hound Dog...Elvis literally re-made the timeless classic for his live shows and its great.And how can you not love An American Trilogy and Impossible Dream.Another solid number here is It's Only Love.I love this disc and have almost worn it out.This is the album that should have been.

This is a solid collection that I think highlights the argument that Elvis' management did not understand how to package and promote his albums. This collection leads off with Elvis' biggest hit of the 1970's and one of his best songs "Burning Love", which went to number 2 on the Billboard singles chart and all the way to number 1 on the rival Cashbox singles chart. Instead of taking advantage of this hit by putting out a high quality album with contemporary recordings such as some of the songs included here, Elvis' management packaged it with some leftover songs from his movies to put out the mediocre "Burning Love And Hits From His Movies, Volume 2", which understandably failed to crack the top 20 on the US album charts.

This CD shows what could have been had Elvis had better management. In addition to the outstanding title track, this CD includes several other songs that were hits in the early 1970's including "I'm Leavin'" (36 on the Billboard singles chart and number 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart), "It's Only Love" (51 on singles chart, 19 on the Adult Contemporary chart), "Separate Ways" (Top 20 hit, 16 on country and 3 on AC charts), "An American Trilogy" (66 on singles chart and 31 on the AC chart), "Fool" (which was a b-side that made the country and AC charts), "It's A Matter Of Time" (another b-side that made the country and AC charts), and "Always On My Mind" (a b-side that was a minor country hit but was a big hit in Europe). This material packaged with a few other songs would have made a very strong album that would have been a big hit! Instead these songs would dribble out on other low-budget albums, certainly not they way to treat material recorded by the 20th Century's pop icon! Elvis' management seemed to be stuck in a 1950's mindset where singles were the primary way to promote an artist and albums were an after thought. Makes one wonder what might have been had he had better management!