That is a wonderful version, thanks for highlighting it! While my assessments of the films can be a bit harsh at times, I’ve always enjoyed the soundtracks (some more than others) and find even the weak ones have notable moments.
If only they had added an instrumental break in between... That song is way too short! It still remains my second favorite track from the whole album.
Oh yeah, I really dig We're Coming In Loaded as well. There really are some fine songs on the Girls! Girls! Girls! soundtrack. I also love Where Did You Come From, which features some truly evocative vocals from Elvis and some gorgeous piano playing from Dudley Brooks, who also did that fantastic bluesy piano work on Elvis's terrific original version of Santa Claus Is Back In Town a few years before. I'll even speak up for the often ridiculed Song Of The Shrimp, which is actually kind of clever and Elvis's gives us his best version of a Harry Belafonte styled Calypso vocal. I guess we have to address the elephant in the room as well, Lol. I really like The Walls Have Ears as well, but it also features a slightly more revealing and excited version of Elvis than the producers had attended. Apparently, Elvis pants were too tight fitting or the dance scenes too intimate with his co-star, but somehow this scene made it past the sensors. It is actually pretty funny and Elvis and his buddy Joe Esposito had a few laughs about it after the fact. Here is the scene in question, which is still pretty well done, if you can just try to ignore the intrusion in Elvis's pants, Lol.
I really like take 10 (movie version) of Thanks To The Rolling Sea - it’s worthy of the Robert Shaw Chorale:
While I’ve grown a bit tired of the song (the song is great, I’ve just heard it too much) visually this is a fantastic clip!
Elvis is moving weird in this clip. Strange switch up from a sort of twist into a crane position for a second then look at his watch. He claps his hands with no sound.....
I love the clip as well, but strangely, I too find that Return To Sender is not a song that wears very well over time. It's a very decent record, but there are just not enough dynamics on it for me to enjoy repeated listening. I often list it as one of Elvis's most overrated hits. Again, I like it, but I hardly think it was worth its number 2 placement on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. And to think the vastly superior Such A Night and Kentucky Rain only made it to number 16 on the very same chart, Lol.
I've always loved Return To Sender, so much ear candy going on but I'm with you on Kentucky Rain. By the end of the 60s, Elvis had managed to pull himself out of the morass of uninspired tunes he was mired in during the better part of that decade and actually became a force again in music and you can count KR as one reason why.
Elvis does Jackie Wilson moves! Clearly the highlight of the film soundtrack, despite the familiarity. I guess having lyrics not tied so closely to the film and fishing helps!
It doesn't come out until 2022, but Baz Luhrmann will be releasing his Elvis Presley movie with Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker. I was pleased to discover that the British singer Yola will be portraying Elvis's favorite guitar player, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. If you're not familiar with her, this woman invented rock and roll guitar.
First thing I thought of about Jackie Wilson. Elvis is definitely doing Jackie Wilson moves, and doing them extremely well. I've felt that way for decades....
I wonder if there was a choreographer or someone similar in role who instructed Elvis how to move in this scene. Same with Bossa Nova Baby in Fun In Acapulco. Anyone know?
It Happened At The World's Fair Year of release: 1963 Studio: MGM Director: Norman Taurog Plot: Elvis plays Mike Edwards, a pilot-for-hire, whose hopes for starting a new flying business are grounded when his partner's gambling debts catch up with him. They hitch a ride to the World's Fair in Seattle where Mike falls for a nurse and finds himself looking after a young child. Songs: Beyond The Bend Relax Take Me To The Fair They Remind Me Too Much Of You One Broken Heart For Sale I'm Falling In Love Tonight Cotton Candy Land World Of Our Own How Would You Like To Be Happy Ending Trailer:
Not much to say about this one except that it's a significant drop in quality, specially musically speaking: the soundtrack was the worst one to that point with some terrible sound (where the hell was Porter when you needed him?!) and uninspired music (what the hell was Presley thinking about?!) The movie is harmless, fluffy, not really funny and, worst of all, boring as absolutely nothing happened at the world's fair (whatever Kurt Russell may say.) Elvis certainly diserved something better. What a waste! TOP#12 ----------------------------------- 12. It happened at the world's fair (1963) 11. Wild in the Country (1961) 10. G.I. Blues (1960) 9. Love Me Tender (1956) 8. Girls, girls, girls (1962) 7. Kid Galahad (1962) 6. Blue Hawaii (1961) 5. Loving you (1957) 4. Follow that Dream (1962) 3. King Creole (1958) 2. Jailhouse Rock (1957) 1. Flaming star (1960)
Well, ONE good song. One Broken Heart For Sale was a good one. Short, but good. And it establishes the Kurt Russell connection.
I watched the new Blu-ray of this one a few weeks ago so it’s still fresh in my mind. Initial thoughts (may write more later) - a very mediocre film with a very mediocre soundtrack, outside of the excellent One Broken Heart For Sale and They Remind Me Too Much of You. Bizarre plot points - the father of the little girl 1) picks up hitchhikers with daughter in the truck, 2) allows his young daughter to sit in the back of the truck with said hitchhikers, and 3) allows those hitchhikers to take his daughter off to the World’s Fair. What parenting skills!