Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

Roustabout sold better than World's Fair, Acapulco or Cousins too. This and Girl Happy were a temporary upswing in soundtrack sales. This would be his last number one LP of the 60s and the second to the last of his lifetime career.

 

I was surprised how well it sold ... Was that on the strength of Little Egypt?

 

I really do not know. It also never had a single, so quite the mystery. Maybe the movie was quite well liked.

 

I'd say the Roustabout album is a notable decline from Viva Las Vegas in terms of songwriting and performance quality. But it's about equal to Kissin' Cousins, so in terms of the actual recording chronology it's not truly a decline but treading water.

I completely agree... it's certainly a better song than the Giant/Baum/Kaye "Roustabout" that was used in the film, and also better than most of the other tracks. It's puzzling they didn't put it on the album since there are only eleven songs and they had established precedent (on GGG and KC) of putting unused soundtrack recordings on the records.

With this track, we say goodbye to Otis Blackwell... Elvis never recorded another Blackwell song after this. I'm not sure why he stopped writing for Elvis, but his departure was another big blow to the Presley songwriting corps. Otis was not the most prolific Elvis songwriter, but he was certainly one of the best, writing three iconic hits and always delivering consistent quality. He never submitted a bad song (something even Leiber/Stoller can't say... "Hot Dog" anyone?) and often his songs were the best things on uneven soundtracks. Blackwell certainly belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of Elvis songwriters.

 

IMO, "I'm A Roustabout" is pretty cool to hear only because it was unreleased. I dislike the train type Jordanaires background singing, and the "stick it in your ear" line. Very far from "Return To Sender" quality writing.

 

Roustabout is indeed an enjoyable listen. I too wish that I'm A Roustabout had been included on the original album as it is a fine number and as @Skatterbarane says, maybe the best song from the whole venture. I really love Little Egypt, Hard Knocks and Big Love Big Heartache as well.

 

It is about a guy who resents his boss, but can't allow those feelings to be expressed.

 

I am wondering if the fact that Elvis was teamed up with such a Hollywood legend like Barbara Stanwyck had something to do with the success of the movie and indirectly the success of the soundtrack. It really is remarkable that this album got to gold status even many years later, without having a single hit on it.

 

As for gold records:

Presently, an American RIAA-certified Gold record is a single or album that has sold 500,000 units (records, tapes or compact discs). The award was launched in 1958;[3] originally, the requirement for a Gold single was one million units sold and a Gold album represented $1 million in sales (at wholesale value, around a third of the list price).[4] In 1975, the additional requirement of 500,000 units sold was added for Gold albums.[4] Reflecting growth in record sales, the Platinum award was added in 1976 for albums selling one million units, and singles selling two million units.[4][5] The Multi-Platinum award was introduced in 1984, signifying multiple Platinum levels of albums and singles.[6] In 1989, the sales thresholds for singles were reduced to 500,000 for Gold and 1,000,000 for Platinum, reflecting a decrease in sales of singles.[7] In 1992, RIAA began counting each disc in a multi-disc set as one unit toward certification. Reflecting additional growth in music sales, the Diamond award was instituted in 1999 for albums or singles selling ten million units.[3] Because of these changes in criteria, the sales level associated with a particular award depends on when the award was made.

 

I agree. It almost verges on annoying at times. It certainly has more attitude than the rest of the soundtrack, but it does so at the expense of a tune.

All of that having been said, I think it would have made a better closer than the wretched Wheels On My Heels, which has a similar tone, but is even less successful.

 

You have to remember it was a mono acetate. It wasn't even a test pressing. So, had they wanted to use it they probably would have given it a different mix. It sounds rather raw as it was left.

 

Hey, for once we completely agree. The above-listed tracks are my favorites on the album too.

 

At least Roustabout does not have a terrible song (Barefoot Ballad) that weighs down the rest of the album.

 

I have to admit that you do have fine discriminating taste in your music choices, even when I sometimes disagree with them, and at least I know where you are coming from.

 

According to wiki, the film grossed 3 million on initial release, which is the same as Kissin' Cousins and less that Viva Las Vegas (5 million). So the success level of the film doesn't explain why the soundtrack outperformed sales of other Elvis releases from the same era.

Here's a theory: perhaps in a weird way Roustabout's success was reactive to the Beatles/British Invasion phenomenon. Perhaps there were enough older first-generation Elvis fans out there who didn't like the Beatles and the big changes in pop music, and they turned out in force to buy the new Elvis album as a reaction to that?

 

True, though I think "Once is Enough" is better than anything on Roustabout, so KC has (to me) higher highs and lower lows.

 

Okay. I'll take Big Love, Big Heartache over anything on either album except Long Lonely Highway. (which was not in Kissin Cousins movie, but was in Tickle Me).

 

Oh man, you guys have gotten me stoked on this Big Love Big Heartache song. Please remember that I am the guy who use to avoid the soundtracks like the plague, except of course for the well known singles or album cuts. Wow, does this country-pop beauty sound like a Roy Orbison number or what? Couldn't this gem have been a hit single at the time? I am digging this soundtrack a lot so far, and it was one I have never even pulled out of my RCA Album collection to play yet until recently. Thanks kindly, everybody!

 

I love the Roustabout soundtrack. Held up against the standard of other soundtracks, its one I always enjoy listening to, as I do with Spinout which is my favorite. (Discounting stuff like non-narratives like the incredible "That's The Way It Is.") I like pretty much all of the songs, though Little Egypt, Its A Wonderful World, and Carny Town I find to be the lesser of the bunch. At least the album version of Little Egypt excises the cringey sound effects added to the movie. In the part where they sing "Ying-Yang," some doofus says, "Gitchee gitchee gitchee." Its embarrassing.

I don't remember if the film has the song sped up as much as this clip does, but here the crappiness in all its glory. (I hate it so much.)

 

Back cover of Music Business Vol. IX, No. 9 (October 3rd, 1964):

https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-Business/Music-Business-1964-10-03.pdf

 

This single was released the day after the Roustabout album, so presumably Mark intends to cover it after the track-by-track of Roustabout...

 

Yea Ask Me and Ain't That Lovin You is the next single release

 

Roustabout
Written By :
Bernie Baum, Bill Giant & Florence Kaye

Recorded :
Radio Recorders, Hollywood, March 2-3, April 29 and May 14, 1964 : May 14, 1964. take 17
Personally I like this song. It would have been nice to have both versions, especially with the album being so short, but there seems to be little rhyme or reason for some of the release choices around this time. This song has a rolling down the highway feel that reflects it's subject matter well. I think he melody is good and I think that is moves along nicely. So for me this as a really good song and one I have enjoyed since I saw the movie. It is songs like this that I remember from movies that solidified my want to get the Rca album collection. With the sixties box having no movie track representation, it felt essential to me to get the RCA collection, although I do understand their reasoning for not putting soundtrack material in the sixties box.
Anyhow a great opening to the album for me.

 

Little Egypt
Written By :
Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller

Recorded :
Radio Recorders, Hollywood, March 2-3, April 29 and May 14, 1964 : March 2, 1964. take 15

When I was young this was my favourite song of his. I can't really explain why, but I just thought it was the coolest song in the world. It has this cool feel and really excellent phrasing in the lyrics, that really cool sax part ... I don't know, perhaps it is a somewhat silly song, but I still reckon it is great.