Elvis Presley King Creole Cd Special Edition Ftd Back Cover Review
King Creole - The Music
FTD Volume/CD release
- In-depth review by Piers Beagley -
| King Creole is possibly Elvis' best film, and certainly his best "dramatic musical". Directed by Michael Curtiz and Produced by Hal Wallis it reached #5 on Diversity'south National box office nautical chart. The New York Times review noted that "Elvis can act" - praise indeed for the fourth dimension. The Single reached #2 while both EPs went to Number i and Platinum status. EIN's Piers Beagley checks out the most recent FTD Book/CD combo |  |
UPDATE - Come across below for further details and possible corrections for this book.
'Male monarch Creole' (Jan/Feb 1958)
CD. The Music, 19 tracks 36 minutes.
'King Creole' was Elvis' quaternary film. In December 1957 Elvis received his typhoon to the Usa Army but was granted a sixty 24-hour interval deferment then that he could finish his commitment to his new film. Originally from a Harold Robbin's novel called 'A Rock for Danny Fisher' ii initial pic titles were considered 'Danny' and 'Sing, Yous Sinners'. The manager Michael Curtiz had previously received four Oscar nominations including Best Picture for directing Humphrey Bogart in 'Casablanca' - often nominated for the best film of best.
| Chart releases. Hard Headed Woman/Don't Ask Me Why - #2/28 - June 1958 King Creole - LP - #ii August 1958. |  |
There is so much Elvis production nonetheless existence released - and already on the market - that several central assets need to be considered when reviewing or purchasing anything new.
With any Book/CD combination there are iv things that I hope for.
- Interesting new text, with the opportunity to learn something more about Elvis.
- Interesting & loftier quality photos, hopefully containing some heady unreleased images.
- Quality music, hopefully with some unreleased collectable outtakes or suchlike, or if not a loftier-quality sound upgrade of previously released material.
- Value for money.
This 'Rex Creole - The Music ' FTD volume/CD combo was released concluding July. With inappreciably whatever song outtakes available, it seems that FTD decided that this release could not piece of work as a 'Archetype Soundtrack Anthology' so instead take used plenty of unreleased new Elvis photos from the King Creole sessions (ex super-collector Pal Granlund) to create this deluxe volume.
The publicity notes, "Includes more than than 200 classic, rare and never before published photos from the recording session and the filming of the song scenes for King Creole. The accompanying CD includes all known surviving Elvis recordings from the session".
While it is described as an "Audiovisual documentary" sadly the CD only last 36 minutes including the 8 bonus tracks. So with no new session outtakes as a temptation and with a fairly loftier asking cost (not that much less that the recent "The Elvis Files" which included one,200 photos!) this parcel improve be stunner.
Design.
Using the same format as the other FTD books this is a similar size to 'Flashback' and 'LIVE in L.A' and sits nicely next to the others in my collection.
While the book notes that the text is "Adjusted from A Life In Music" it is in fact lifted give-and-take-for-give-and-take. There is some noted recording session data only otherwise the volume has very little new details or exciting discoveries to read near.
This is where new interviews from those involved would have made the text far more interesting. (Surely the great mag Elvis The Human being & his Music could accept provided new content here.)
In that location are several factual errors that take annoyingly crept into the book (meet comments below) perhaps the most glaring is the statement that Maxie Field'southward club is 'The Guilded Muzzle' whereas in the picture it is well-nigh definitely chosen 'The Blue Shade'.
The just other folio of text in the book is one called "Nigh the vocal scenes" which is embarrassing for its lack of description. In fact 2 songs 'Young Dreams' and 'Lover Doll' have no description at all, autonomously from their date of recording!
The pattern is a adequately standard FTD layout but, as a positive, the volume is printed on high-quality paper and as all FTD books has practiced binding. At that place are however a fair few of pages that unfortunately disappoint where the photographs would have benefited from being full-page, as opposed to half-size with huge white borders.
There is no doubt that the selling point has to be the unpublished photos and a brand new chance to see an Elvis recording session in great item - and to be honest there are some true gems here.
| Elvis appears very relaxed and in control and looking surprisingly non-stressed knowing that his time with Uncle Sam was looming shut. Not to forget that Elvis looked so damn handsome during this period -somewhere between the Punk of 1956 and the ironed-out Army recruit of late 1958. Seeing Elvis at work during recording sessions is a total TREAT – Elvis' creation of swell music is the key for me - and while in that location are a few session photographs that are familiar, there are plenty of others that are new. There are 92 pages of Elvis recording, playing the piano, talking with the band, Charles O'Curran and Hal Wallis etc. Some of them are truly fascinating. You lot tin can feel the music beingness created – information technology is near a movie with enough of images plain taken seconds apart. |  |
Merely that is perhaps some other disappointment since all of the recording session photos are from the same day and within a very shut time period (Elvis' turned-upward shirt collar never varies).
However the images of Elvis concentrating at the piano and singing his middle out in his striped socks (see beneath) are absolute gems.
The "Who'due south who" index showing pictures of all musicians and arrangers is a nice idea.
| The 2nd department of the book is "Vocal Scenes" from the movie and here the quality of the pictures vastly diminishes and several are very blurry. On a positive it'due south nice to see Charles O'Curran rehearsing Elvis in the 'Dixieland Rock' shoot simply once more some more explanatory text would have been of involvement. There's some brilliant 'King Creole' operation shots as well where you can feel (& meet!) the sweat from Elvis' performance. (Photograph right) And one time again 1 has to be stunned that Elvis' operation of the single 'Difficult Headed Adult female' was filmed but and so cutting from the flick release! Other highlights are the photos from the filming of the original theme vocal 'Danny' which again was cut from the final print. (Are these photos the offset 18-carat proof that 'Danny' was actually filmed?). |  |
The Backside The Scenes sections are particularly constructive many of them capturing Elvis not only enjoying himself on the moving-picture show ready but as well having fun with the bandage and crew.
At that place are images of Elvis performing to the motion-picture show crew – one wonders what he chose to sing when off-set – likewise every bit some great photos of Elvis getting close with his female co-stars! (run into below)
However another disappointment is the lack of colour photos in the volume, I was hoping for more than from the King Creole cover photo session at the very least. Apart from the book cover - 3 pages of the regular picture poster and singles covers - there is only ane other colour photo in the book except from the well-known single publicity shot at the starting time.
The Music
While the real positive has to be the Vic Anesini and Sebastian Jeansson audio upgrade on all the songs the disappointment has to exist the lack of anything new.
This is where the FTD 'Flashback' - a similar Acoustic documentary - was more engrossing since it covered a larger period, featured a good selection of colour photos, too as some slap-up unreleased music.
| Equally we all know the music itself is one of Elvis' best soundtracks encapsulating the excitement of Elvis in the fifties but combined with the southern jazz-experience of New Orleans. The sound quality here is the best we have had, with a beautifully clear, yet warm, audio nosotros expect from audio engineer Anesini. The top end is squeamish and shiny albeit with the expected slight increase in record-hiss. The King Creole soundtrack features a great mix of music, the ballads are effective, 'Dixieland Rock' and 'New Orleans' (how fascinating that Tepper/Bennet 'Ito Eats'/'Petunia' etc contributed this gem) accept a great jazz feel while 'Hard Headed Woman' was a real rocking unmarried. Finally, the classic 'Trouble' a song that would come to define "leather Elvis" until the end of his career. The Bonus Songs are the aforementioned as featured on the expanded 'Male monarch Creole' BMG 1997 soundtrack CD with the one addition of the undubbed 'Steadfast Loyal and True'. |  |
Here for the kickoff time nosotros also get some Take number announcements at the start. The real bonus treat for collectors is the extra 10 seconds at the start of 'As Long Every bit I Accept You' Take eight where Elvis is mucking effectually and sings (just) one line "Every bit Long As I" in a slurry Deano voice. It's very cute.
However with the CD running only 36 minutes I cannot fathom the reason for leaving out the extended 'Crawfish – total length version' (one of my favourites) as well as the instrumental 'King Creole - Main title' that were both previously released on Essential Elvis Vol.3.
Overall Verdict: Of course information technology has to depend on one's desire for rare Elvis photos and your love of Rex Creole. Some of the FTD books ie. 'Writing For The Male monarch' and 'Rockin' Across Texas' are real gems with plenty to read, heed to and explore. While this "Audiovisual documentary" certainly has its claim, I would basically recommend this volume/CD combo only to neat collectors and King Creole fans where it has to exist a must for the quality press and unreleased photos. Afterward all if you lot like the expect of our featured photo-scans in this review then, with 200 pages of similar photos, this book is for you lot. The problem for FTD is that without any new outtake material it would have been a piffling hard to present this in the "Classic soundtrack" format. Still for the insufficiently high cost (I see some dealers advertising it for over $120!) I feel that the average Elvis fan might expect more from the text and CD.
Review by Piers Beagley.
-Copyright EIN November 2010
EIN Website content © Copyright the Elvis Information Network.
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Further details and possible corrections for this book.
Elvis fan Glen Johnson contributes this neat boosted information to our review..
I'1000 one of those keen "King Creole" fans y'all mentioned in the review above - and I would like to add a few actress points to the review that were missed out.
Please don't credit me with this "King Creole" information, the real star of this evidence is 'Elvis: Frame By Frame' author Beak Bram.
As you said, the new audio is wonderful, but afterward almost 53 years, I was astounded to hear reverb on Kitty White's 'Crawfish' vocals!!!
(EIN Notes: This master of 'Crawfish' is indeed a little strange having slightly more reverb on Elvis' vocal merely a totally different sound to Kitty White's song.)
As for the book, over again, thanks to that damned "Elvis A-Z" from 30 years ago, page 12 in the FTD King Creole volume refers to "The Gilt Cage." In the movie Elvis walked past a building with that name (which was enough for the authors!) before going into the bar side by side door. The guild'southward real name "The Blue Shade" is mentioned at least three times in the film!
As for the and so-called dates stated in the book that the songs were filmed, according to Nib Bram'south film production notes, a lot of them are incorrect. Several were supposedly filmed on Sundays, whereas Bram's notes country that product took place on only one Lord's day and that was on location in New Orleans.
Possible Date Corrections.
Page 126: "Lover Doll" was filmed on Monday Jan. 27 & Tuesday Jan. 28.
Page 130: "Young Dreams" was filmed on Friday. Jan 31.
Page 146: "King Creole" was filmed on Wed. Feb. five, (AND re-shot ?) page 180: Thurs. February. xiii.
And so the pictures on page 152 would as well be from Feb. 5.
Page 154 "Don't Ask Me Why" was just filmed on Thursday Feb. 6.
Folio 160 'Behind The Scenes' would therefore exist either Feb. 5 or 13
- EIN Notes- This is true since Elvis and The Jordanaires are all wearing their 'King Creole' number phase clothes - meet image below
Page 164 Should say "As Long Equally I Have You" instead of "Don't Enquire Me Why".
Page 174 "Equally Long Equally I Have You" is incorrectly dated, it was actually filmed on Mon. Feb. 10.
Page 178 As shown in a higher place in the review "Behind The scenes" shot with Elvis in the same clothes, should likewise state Feb. x.
Page 182 & 183: "Danny" was filmed Thursday February. 13.
Page 184 "Trouble" was filmed Friday Feb. fourteen.
Folio 192 "Trouble" Behind The Scenes shots - also Feb. 14.
When I asked about all these discrepancies I was told those were the dates on the back of the photos. Maybe so, but moving picture companies are pretty scrupulous about accurate production schedules, so I tend to believe Bill Bram's notes.
- Regards, Glen.
EIN Thank you Glen Johnson for his fabled input to this review,
Please click here to comment if you accept spotted other discrepancies
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