Elvis Presley "The Wonder Of You: Elvis Presley With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra"

Now there is no doubt, the Wonder of You album every bit as good as the If I Can Dream album....maybe even better.
I started with the duet, then back to the top and all the to the duet again.
Just Fanstatic.

 

It just dawned on me, I only have the vinyl on pre-order which doesn't come out until, December! Translation - need to rectify this fast so I can listen today! Anyone have any idea when the HDTracks will be available?

 

HDtrack downloads aren't really any better.....I have a couple of albums duplicated, one from iTunes, one from HDtracks.....there is no sonic difference. The iTunes ACC is lossless, the only diff between ACC and AIFF (what I download to a Mac from HDtracks) is the size of the file. And I'm using a damn good ESS DAC.

 

Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do is spark a 24bit vs redbook vs MP3 debate on this thread.

It would have helped if I checked HDtracks before asking, it's available for purchase.

 

Well, I'm not starting any debate, only telling you what I hear via my system.
I don't do MP3. If a DL is lossless, nothing is lost. I've combined two DL of the same album, to the same folder listened to any of the songs, first the ACC, then the AIFF, right after, I could hear no diff. That's all I'm telling you.

 

Just bought & played it. Great album. I didn't buy the first one but from the Amazon reviews of this one this one is better. We don't get the bonus track, that duet of Just Pretend here in the U.K & it seems I'm not missing much.

 

If anyone here purchases the HDtracks version, please let me know if yours is as screwed up as mine! The tracks are all labeled incorrectly, some songs repeat or are missing, one song is labeled .FLAC (which is the 3rd time Just Pretend makes an appearance) and even though the download is listed as 24/96, many tracks are 24/44. I emailed HDtracks asking whats up with this.........

JQ

 

Well, that statement will make you totally wrong......that duet is the crowning jewel of the album and the price of the album is worth it just for the duet.

 

Real nice.

 

Ok, listened last night and really enjoyed this. I can't agree that it is better than the first album (simply for "Bridge" and "Trilogy") but it sure is good. Some minor quibbling: "I Got A Thing About You Baby" sounds like Viva Elvis stuff which I despise, however - they managed to make a dull song a toe tapper. "Starting Today" is an odd choice to say the least. To my ears, the jury is still out on whether or not "Suspicious Minds" works with a swirling string section

I am sure that many fans will complain that they used the 1970 vocal for "Love Letters" but I am the guy that actually prefers that one to the 60s versions even though consensus considers it inferior.

Can't comment on sound quality (my HDTracks download is screwed up) so I listened on my IPOD docking station.

JQ

 

If you like this one, you owe it to yourself to check out If I Can Dream, which I think is brilliant. The version of Bridge Over Troubled Water on that record brings me to tears.

I think The Wonder of You is almost as good, but I prefer IICD. This one starts off with three in a row that I'm not crazy about but when we get to Don't it really begins to soar. I still think Elvis' voice is perfectly suited for the warmth of an orchestra. Very enjoyable!

 

Im glad that Elvis is being treated to such a classy project. Such a great singer that may be a legend but seems to have been sort of forgotten by many. Projects that go well like these two bring him back into the spotlight.

Elvis should never be out of the spotlight.

 

It would make zero sense to use the same versions of songs over and over, on multiple albums.
I like having different versions of songs, from one album to another.....and also using songs that were on albums only, never released as singles.

 

I've given this album 4 listens now, and love it. When I seen the tracklist I didn't think I would care for the songs, or didn't see how they would work with this concept. Then I seen the album cover and really started to worry, but after the first listen I was left with that same warm, happy feeling that I had last year, like I had heard a "new" Elvis album. The strings just add so much to the songs, without interfering, Elvis' vocals are still the star of the album. Even songs that I haven't been that crazy about, like "Memories" or "The Wonder Of You" feel like they have a new life, and these songs already had strings. I love what they did with "Big Hunk O' Love", it works as great as Burning Love did on If I Can Dream, a perfect album opener that lets you know you are in for a treat.

If you liked If I Can Dream, this album should be a delight, they could be double albums for as consistent as they sound. Really recommend this album to anyone, but especially Elvis fans.

 

Still the King, baby. Set to debut at #1 in the UK outselling Michael Buble and Lady Gaga. The latter by 3 to 1!

Elvis Presley set to become most successful solo artist in UK chart history »

 

Helene made the statement, Elvis' voice gave her the experience as if they had been singing together forever.
Most certainly sounds like it to me. Their voices were made for each other's.

 

A very pleasant surprise. The first album was way more successful in the UK than the USA and having listed to the new album a few times thought that it should do as well. The UK charts now come out on a Friday so it will be interesting to see if the initial sales hold up over the course of the week.

 

Just saw a :15 - :20 commercial on Fox News for the new CD. It featured "I've Got a Thing About You, Baby", "Suspicious Minds", "and The Wonder Of You".

 

Love the way the orchestra adds the swells to the song. Im a big fan of this stuff. I think Elvis would have flipped over the orchestrational additions.

 

Yes. The hits outweigh the misses by a great deal. From these two albums there are only a couple that I don't like.

I hope they do a third volume and that album tracks from 1960-1962 keep getting used. His voice was at its best and those songs are ripe for an orchestral arrangement.

 

Elvis is at 40K, Buble at 36K, Gaga at 17K.
(All rounded to nearest thousand)

 

Why are the vocals on "Starting Today" distorted like they were red-lined when recorded? No other song has this problem. I went back to the original and cranked it up to see if I could hear any evidence of it on the original and it is just not there (like "Steppin' Out of Line", for example). What happened here?

 

Not getting any distortion on the DL.
I do get some distortion on the LP, on the backup singers, though.

 

On the CD the vocals are severely "red-lined" on that one track.

 

Im making a country comp with the philharmonic stuff peppered in. I think it has potential. There is a good country album in Elvis' songs somewhere.

"Elvis Country"

Promised Land (new edit version)

I Really Dont Want To Know

Kentucky Rain (Philharmonic version)

Green Green Grass Of Home

Funny How Time Slips Away (70s boxset)

I Just Cant Help Believin' (Philharmonic version)

There's A Honky Tonk Angel

Just Pretend (Duet Philharmonic version)

Always On My Mind (Philharmonic version)

American Trilogy (Philharmonic version)

Bonus/hidden track:

Im So Lonesome I Could Cry (outtake with just Elvis on guitar from the From The Vaults cd)



What do you guys think? Additions? Subtractions? Replacements? Suggestions?