Customer Reviews

Gi Blues

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This soundtrack to the Elvis Presley movie, " G.I. Blues " in my opinion is one of the best! And it is no wonder that it spent over twe years on the Billboard charts! with such great songs as: Tonight Is So Right For Love, Wooden Heart, the title song G.I. Blues, Shoppin Around, with its upbeat lighthearted Rock and Roll sound, the softly sung lullaby, Your Dady Big Boots. And then of course Blue Sueda Shoes, and the list could just go on and on and on! Elvis definitely hit a home run when it comes to the songs that he sang on G.I. Blues! If you do not already have this CD? I can certainly recommend it! And I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Elvis returns with his his first post-Army soundtrack. Wonderful music and incredible sound. When it was first released in 1960 in was at 10 weeks at #1, and spent 111 weeks on the charts. The top-selling soundtrack album! You know it's essential if you're a true and big Elvis fan like me. You'll be marching along to "Did'ja Ever". The new bonus tracks are a treat for the ears. On "Pocketful of Rainbows" take 2, Elvis stops at the beginning. He says something about his throat and sings a little bit of "Doin' The Best I Can" and says "I'll tell you what: let's try it one more time, and if she meant--I mean, if I crack, well uh--" One of the studio personnel says, "You crack, you got a new world's record. It's 29." Elvis coughs and clears his throat. "I did 60 one time, and the record never came out." They go one with the next take. With rare hearings of behind-the-sessions takes, and great soundtrack "G.I. Blues" is an essential edition to your Elvis library.

"GI Blues" has stayed in my CD changer for months, as my two year-old boy never tires of dancing to the lead track. And I never tire of the album as a whole. Elvis' voice is great, and you can tell from the outtakes that he really put his best effort into singing each song as he strove to re-establish himself post-Army.
For me (a big Elvis fan, but not someone who likes every song he made), there's not a dud on this album. Most of the songs were unknown to me before I bought this disc, as none get airplay on oldies stations or elsewhere. Great songs that I had never heard before include "Pocketful of Rainbows," a lovely, upbeat song with great vocals, recently featured in the film "The Five People You Meet in Heaven."
Unlike many cds with bonus tracks, most of the outtakes are also good. Some have completely different tempos than the originally published versions. For example, "Big Boots" is a sleepy lullaby on the soundtrack, but the fast bonus version is a lively little finger-snapper.
The overall tone of this cd is that of a "rocking" Broadway musical from the Rogers & Hammerstein era (I'm not an expert on Broadway, but that's what it makes me think of): Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, and the corresponding combination of fast and slow songs that follow that script.
If that doesn't sound interesting, the title track and "Blue Suede Shoes" are basic must-haves for anyone who loves rockin' Elvis.
Summary: I love this album (as does my wife and little boy).

What is there to be said about Elvis? His music was great & so is this CD. You have the original cover art along with alernate takes not available on the LP release. A must have.

Pocket Full of Rainbows is one of those make you feel good songs that can lift you out of the dump blues and make you think of the good things in life. I reccommend this CD to everyone that enjoyed Elvis and to young kids who didn't know him. The whole CD is worth while owning.

I play the CD daily....LOUD....VERY LOUD!!
Without a doubt, this is my favorite Elvis movie/CD for many reasons. Being the 1st movie made after his military stint, Elvis is very unpretentious and actually looks like he's having FUN. (We all know how much he disliked his own movies, which makes this one even extra special). When I play the CD...I can picture the scenes from the movie.
The "Special Edition" CD was also a bonus with tid-bits about the making of the movie and great pictures. Have even been thinking about getting another one because I'm wearing the original out!!

This was one of Elvis' biggest hit albums, staying at number 1 on the US album chart for 8 weeks. It did this despite not producing a big hit single in the US (although "Wooden Heart" was a huge hit internationally, it never charted in the US). In my opinion, it is his best 1960's movie soundtrack (though not quite as good as some of his groundbreaking 1950's soundtracks). "Shopping Around" is an underapreciated rocker and I also really liked "Pocket Full of Rainbows" and "GI Blues". It is a shame that this CD has to be imported. A superior collection of early 60's pop and rock!

Ditto to Colorado fan comments. Searched years to find the alternate take of pocketful of rainbows, love it better than the normal version,background more crisp. Excellent drum work on all tracks.

1960 was a red letter year for Elvis: "Elvis Is Back", "It's Now or Never/A Mess of Blues" and "His Hand In Mine" represent a high quality collection of recordings. While "G.I. Blues" isn't in the same class it contains four songs which highlight Elvis's willingness and ability to branch into new musical fields: "Tonight Is So Right For Love", with its Neapolitan-flavoured arrangement perfectly adapted to Elvis's smooth vocal delivery; "Wooden Heart" - a German folk tune cum children's novelty; "Pocketful of Rainbows" - Elvis reaching into light tenor territory; and "Doin' the Best I Can", a softly spoken mood ballad sung without affectation.

Also of note on the expanded CD version are alternative versions of "Pocketful Of Rainbows", which is sung in a bluesier vein, and lower key, than the film version, and a supper-club styling of "What's She Really Like?" with softer phrasing and a subtle jazz influence.

G.I. Blues was Elvis' first movie after he got out of the Army. The soundtrack is not as good as the soundtracks from his 1950s movies, but it's better than most of his later soundtracks. There are some good songs here, and there are also some silly novelties. But even on the goofier songs here, Elvis does a good job of singing them. The best know song here is "Wooden Heart", which was a #1 Hit in almost every country except America. It would have been a hit in America, too, except it wasn't released as a single here. This CD version includes several alternate takes, some of which are better than the "official" versions. Recommended to fans of the King.