Analogue Productions - CAPP 2231 SA - Hybrid SACD Stereo
Mastered By Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound - Limited Edition
Hybrid SACD Plays on All CD Players
This has been reissued so many times that I stopped counting versions still available when I reached 15. Of greatest relevance to HFN readers is the late-1990s gold CD on DCC which, while good ... doesn't hold a candle to this SACD. A perfect companion to last month's hits collection, this release proved that the U.S. Army robbed Elvis of none of his remarkable talent. His take of 'Fever' is one of the greatest recordings of all time, while 'Reconsider Baby' begged an LP of blues numbers." Sound Quality: 92% — Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News
Elvis Presley's first full-length release after leaving the Army, the aptly titled Elvis Is Back! remains one of the King’s standout albums, and might be his all-time best. While Presley’s records were prone to include inconsistencies (mostly, songs he recorded at the behest of others’ suggestions, either to appeal to a certain audience or tie-in with a film), there’s not one example of musical filler or a single forgettable performance on this 1960 gem.
Ironically, Elvis Is Back! stood as the singer’s most complete release for years, as it presents the musician in a focused mode that would soon be derailed by his subsequent work on thematic movie soundtracks. Demonstrating a slightly more relaxed and mature poise here than on his earlier material, Presley dives into R&B (a wonderful rendition of the Drifters’ “Such a Night”), unabated pop (an upbeat cover of Ral Donner’s “The Girl of My Best Friend”), swooning doo-wop (“Soldier Boy”), torch (Peggy Lee’s “Fever”), and authentic hard blues (a standout reading of Lowell Fulsom’s “Reconsider Baby”) as if he owns them all.
And he does, his vocal performances deeper and truer, his emotional reach off the charts. Better still, he’s backed by the likes of Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana, Hank Garland, Boots Randolph, and Floyd Cramer. Mastered by George Marino and presented here on Hybrid SACD from Analogue Productions, the King’s last truly superb studio album has never sounded so intimate, detailed, present, and alive!
• Stereo SACD
• This Hybrid SACD is playable on ALL CD Players!
Musicians:
Elvis Presley, vocals, guitar
Scotty Moore, guitar
Hank Garland, guitar
D.J.Fontana, durms
Murray Harman, drums
Floyd Cramer, piano
Bob Moore, bass
Homer "Boots" Randolph, sax
Selections:
1. Make Me Know It
2. Fever
3. The Girl of My Best Friend
4. I Will Be Home Again
5. Dirty, Dirty Feeling
6. Thrill of Your Love
7. Soldier Boy
8. Such a Night
9. It Feels So Right
10. Girl Next Door Went A'Walking
11. Like a Baby
12. Reconsider Baby
We use the Original Tapes and work with only the Best Mastering Studios
LIMITED EDITION
Released in Limited Quantities