Customer Reviews

Out in Hollywood

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First of all, let me say that the description of this CD above here is wrong (at the time I am writing this). This CD actually features alternate takes of songs from Elvis movies. It doesn't feature any of the best known Elvis movie songs. The quality of the songs is a mixed bag. There are good songs and there are bad songs. The best songs here are "Lonely Man", "King of the Whole Wide World", "Little Egypt", "I Need Somebody to Lean on", "Puppet on a String" and "Baby I Don't Care". "Hey Little Girl" isn't exactly a good song, but I must say that the alternate take of that song featured here is better than the official version. This CD is for hardcore Elvis fans only. It is a fun, but inconsequential CD. Here is the complete track listing:

1. Mexico
2. Cross My Heart and Hope to Die
3. Wild in the Country
4. Adam and Evil
5. Lonely Man
6. Thanks to the Rolling Sea
7. Where Do You Come From
8. King of the Whole Wide World
9. Little Egypt
10. Wonderful World
11. This is My Heaven
12. Spinout
13. All That I Am
14. We'll Be Together
15. Frankie and Johnny
16. I Need Somebody to Lean On
17. The Meanest Girl in Town
18. Night Life
19. Puppet on a String
20. Hey Little Girl
21. Edge of Reality
22. (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care

This set is mostly for the serious fan who studies all the subtleties of all the Elvis cuts - and here we have more prime examples of how an artist can take a trifle and make it...well...memorable. On one occasion (i.e., "Mexico" - spirited tune from "Fun In Acapulco") we hear different lyrics; other times, we hear a different arrangement ("Cross My Heart And Hope To Die", from "Girl Happy"); on other oaccasions, we are treated to an overall performance as strong as the originally released version, though perhaps missing that *spark* to put it over the top - in that realm, "King of the Whole Wide World", a powerful rocking theme to a rather tame drama with music, "Kid Galahad", probably the 1961 equivalent to "Jailhouse Rock", as far as the Big El cutting loose over a 2/4 beat; "Where Do You Come From?", a quiet ballad with Classical overtones, a B-side perennial as it's companion was "Return To Sender"; "All That I Am", a smooth beat ballad in the Mel Torme school, featuring strings-on-an-Elvis-record, new for the time. In another corner, we have the movie number from "Harum Scarum" called "Hey, Little Girl". A negligible little ditty, however enhanced by a mix which brings up the drums, which were not prominent on most of his '60s film tunes. It's an awkward exposition from beginning to end, though, and Elvis' holler at the end seems to be more in disgust than in an emotional climax.
One of the earlier such collections, mostly for the initiated.