What would be the perfect compilation for Elvis' 70th Anniversary?

[Albert]

Next year the world will celebrate Elvis' 70th Anniversary. BMG will take their part by releasing three horrible compilations and re-re-releases (read this topic)

So it's obvious that BMG still doesn't want to show the world that Elvis was more than only Teddy Bear and Don't Be Cruel.

If you were in charge of BMG and you could decide what ultimate compilation would be lying in the shops next year, what would it look like? It has to appeal to fans and non-fans, and be a massive succes.

[Albert]

Artwork:
perhaps a compilation of Elvis throughout his career: 1956, army, Blue Hawaii, NBC Special, TTWII, Aloha and 1975.

Content:
The main goal would be to make a compilation that stands out between all other Elvis CD's. So it has to have a mixture of big hits, non-hits and rarities/outtakes. It should cover all eras and styles.


"The Other Side Of Elvis" would have a tracklist with songs like this:

1956-1958
Doncha Think It's Time
I Believe
I Got Stung
I Was The One
King Creole
Lawdy Miss, Clawdy

1960-1963
a Mess Of Blues
Ask Me
Boss Nova Baby
(Such an) Easy Question
Fountain of Love
GI Blues
Girls, Girls, Girls
Hawaiian Wedding Song
(Mary's The Name) Of His Latest flame
I Feel So Bad
I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell
I Want You With Me
It's Now Or Never
Such a Night

1964-1968
Big Boss Man
Down In The Alley
Fools Fall In Love
Hi-Heel Sneakers
Mamy Liked The Roses
Somebody Bigger Than You And I
Stand By Me
Suppose

1968-1971
Baby What You Want Me To Do
Any Day Now
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Change Of Habits
Early Morning Rain
Faded Love
The Fool
Got My Mojo Working
Heartbreak Hotel (live '68 or '69)
I'm Leavin
Lead Me, Guide Me
Long Black Limousine
The NExt Step Is Love
Polk Salad Annie
Stranger In My Own Home Town
Suspicious Minds
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me

1971-1977
American Trilogy
Are You Sincere
Can't Help Falling In Love
Danny Boy (undubbed)
For Ol' Times Sake
How Great Thou Art (live '77)
Hurt (live)
Let Me Be There
Moody Blue
My Way (live '77)
Never Been To Spain
Proud Mary
Steamroller Blues
Promised Land
Seperate Ways
Talk About The Good Times
Thinking About You
Unchained Melody


This is my list of available songs. Now I "only" have to narrow it down to a 2CD version. And that one could very well be a hit CD that introduces non-fans (an perhaps also fans) to 'the other side of Elvis'

[jbgude]

I would put out a

1 Blues Compilation ( for contents see the topic discussed on this board
earlier this month.....)
2 Love compilation - Partial Track listing:
Gently
Love me tonight
Tender Feeling
Im falling in love tonight
Never Ending
Untill its time for you to go
For the good times
Just pretend......

and if you just "got to have it "then Are you lonesome tonight/ Its now or Never....


3 The Other side of Elvis - Alternate takes w/o Overdubs " Pure and Naked "

I have a 20 track compilation playing right now, starting with Just cant help belivin/ Its your baby you rock it/ 20 day & 20 nights/ Susan when she tries/Promised Land /stranger in the crowd/ Syvia/Fairytale/Ive lost you among others ....

jb

[JerryNodak]

Jbguide: If you are going to put together a compilation and expect the general public to buy it in mass quantity 50% of the tracks better be familiar to them or forget it. So, yes, you must have It's Now Or Never; Are You
Lonesome Tonight?; Can't Help Falling In Love and others. John Q. Public
craves familiarity. A compilation composed mostly of songs that are unfamiliar to the general public would be welcomed by the "educated" Elvis
fan, but the general public would take one look at the track list and put it back in the rack.

[Albert]

Jbguide: If you are going to put together a compilation and expect the general public to buy it in mass quantity 50% of the tracks better be familiar to them or forget it. So, yes, you must have It's Now Or Never; Are You
Lonesome Tonight?; Can't Help Falling In Love and others. John Q. Public
craves familiarity. A compilation composed mostly of songs that are unfamiliar to the general public would be welcomed by the "educated" Elvis
fan, but the general public would take one look at the track list and put it back in the rack.

I disagree: the mass public can buy E1 and E2 for the hits, but there never ever has been a compilation that can give them some of that other side of Elvis.

[jbgude]

Jerry, that is the idea : present a "new" unknown Elvis. Like you have never heard him before. I go to a movie sometimes, just because there is star that I like in it - sometimes I try out a movie on a reccomendation.

So if you have some really great tracks and do something that BMG almost never does ie. promote Elvis aggresively, you will have results. A recent classic case was just a few months back : did you notice how the Eva Cassidy set of albums were (re) released ? It seemed to get positive reviews from almost any newspaper and magazine I opened, shops had it prominently displayed - do you think she moved the volume an unpromoted Elvis CD normally does ?

There is market for good music and there is plenty of it from the lesser known Elvis albums.

[JerryNodak]

Okay, Albert, I concede to your point(sort of). But we've already had comprehensive box sets. '50s-70s, Platinum, Close Up, etc. All of them looked at Elvis' career from one angle or another. If you could get 70-80%
of the general public to buy the 50s-70s boxsets they would be exposed to all the "unfamiliar" Elvis songs they'd ever want.

[EP4MEUK]

Jbguide: If you are going to put together a compilation and expect the general public to buy it in mass quantity 50% of the tracks better be familiar to them or forget it. So, yes, you must have It's Now Or Never; Are You
Lonesome Tonight?; Can't Help Falling In Love and others. John Q. Public
craves familiarity. A compilation composed mostly of songs that are unfamiliar to the general public would be welcomed by the "educated" Elvis
fan, but the general public would take one look at the track list and put it back in the rack.

Ok so maybe the general public would put it down but to the true Elvis fan a compliation of unfamiliar tracks would be a great treat, after all I think they should be the ones it should be for. I hate the thought that all new releases should be made only for profit and no thought for the long time fans. I know they have a buisness to run but without us they would have no profits, it is time we had some say in these things after all we are his fans.

just my opinion :D

love and peace,
Susan.

[Deke Rivers]

Personally I would like to see a 5 CD set of 125 or more previously unreleased performances. Mostly studio, some rare acetates, some rare live performances. Some '70s studio masters without all the overdubbing. The preferred presentation would be like the 5 CD Box sets of the '50s, '60s, & '70s. Complete with book, but I would settle for the way "Close Up", "Today, Tomorrow, & Forever" were presented (I've grown acustomed to these.)

[Albert]

Okay, Albert, I concede to your point(sort of). But we've already had comprehensive box sets. '50s-70s, Platinum, Close Up, etc. All of them looked at Elvis' career from one angle or another. If you could get 70-80%
of the general public to buy the 50s-70s boxsets they would be exposed to all the "unfamiliar" Elvis songs they'd ever want.

The boxsets were pretty good, but because of the pricetag many shops didn't bother to order it. And because of the size it can't be stored between all normal cd's. And because of the pricetag a non-Elvis fan isn't really invited to buy it. And many times the boxsets didn't cover the 'unknown' part of Elvis, but more the unknown takes of wellknown songs.

I'd like BMG to release a CD (preferably a 2CD) with 'The Other Side Of Elvis' at a good price: $20 (or 20 euro).

[Rich_TCB]

I will agree about the "Love, Elvis" CD - it definately should NOT be released. I can't believe they are yet again, releasing another love song compliation. This will now be, the 5th love song CD released in the stores. That is just a joke.

However, I couldn't disagree more about the album re-releases. These are the CD's we need to support. These are the CD's that should always be available to the public, especially for anybody that's "new" to the Elvis catalogue.

I was fortunate enough to get an e-mail, which was a very nice surprise, from someone that actually worked on the album re-releases. Yes, they will be in DSD sound, and is very, very pleased with how they turned out (Please don't ask me who it is, I cannot tell you.)

An important point also, is that "Loving You" will be available again for purchase - which is currently NOT in the catalogue. When I was ready to buy it before, they deleted it from the catalogue.

So I hope this continues, and the other deleted releases will be available again ("King Creole", "Elvis Is Back", "Elvis Country", etc.)

Rich

[rockinrebel]

BMG could and should be more imaginative with their mainstream releases. If the material on the albums is good, and the disc is properly promoted it will sell. An album of lesser-known songs may not shift as many units as “ELV1S”, but I doubt “Love, Elvis” will either. Exactly half of the 24 tracks on “Love, Elvis” have just been issued on “ELV1S” and “Second To None” and both of these albums are currently being re-promoted for the Christmas market as the double set “Elvis Forever”. Taking this into consideration I don’t think “Love, Elvis” will have much of an impact when it is issued in January.

A definitive blues compilation or a follow up to “Second To None” using stand out tracks from the rest of the catalogue would have been a better idea in my opinion, and the mainstream catalogue really does need streamlining.

BMG claim to have done this already, but effectively they have just made it worse. As Rich says all the major titles should be on general sale, and there really is no excuse for deleting titles like “Elvis Is Back” or “Elvis Country”. These two titles say more about Elvis Presley than “Love, Elvis” ever will.

[jbgude]

Since BMG do not seem to have a clue on finding alternate Elvis " love" songs, I sat right down and made myself a compilation - and to cater for the crowd that will want some "familiar titles" I have included some of the big **** tracks :

1 Lover Doll
2 Gently
3 Today tomorrow and forever
4 In my way
5 Angel
6 Love me tonight
7 Tender Feeling
8 Im falling in love tonight
9 Never Ending
10 Puppet on a string
11 Tender Feeling
12 All that I am
13 Please dont stop loving me
14 Love letters
15 Are you lonesome tonight
16 Hawaiian Wedding Song
17 Cant help falling in love
18 Untill its time for you to go
19 Just Pretend
20 For the good times

jb

[Kayley]

Hi everyone! I've been having some problems with my computer recently,so i haven't visited the board for a while.Here are 20 songs I'd like to see on a compilation cd.If you ask me the same question tomorrow,it would probably be a different 20.

Kentucky Rain
Loving Arms
Suspicious Minds
Good Time Charlies got the Blues
Always on my mind
Any Day Now
Just Pretend
I've got a thing about you baby
Wearin that loved on look
Promised Land
T-R-O-U-B-L-E
There's a honky tonk Angel
Power of my Love
How the web was woven
Burning Love
I just can't help believin'
If you talk in your sleep
I'm movin on
Whole lotta shakin goin on
Stranger in my own home town

[curtis simpkins]

How abou't an Elvis video a 2 dvd set of Elvis in concert's from,
That's the way it it and Elvis on tour.

having 2 complete concert's from two of these films.
and maybe some more goodies.

[curtis simpkins]

to me to make a perfect Elvis 70th Anniversary.
it has to be an dvd video With 2 Elvis concert's
one from "that's the way it is" & "Elvis on tour"

On the on tour dvd it would be nice to see a video from the close up cd set
the texas concert and on the "That's the way it is' concert from the las vegas
box set aug-11-1970 this show has an great version of "just pretend" :D

[mn-designs]

Hi Albert: take a look in the alt. artwork work in progress...i think this cover i made fitts perfectly...