Elvis Is Back
The King's first album of all-new material following his release from the Army,Elvis Is Back!is arguably the most fully realized album of his career. It's a slightly different Elvis here than the one who was drafted, slightly tamer (though he looks like a Martian on the cover), and jumping from style to style--from R&B; (a definitive cover ofClyde McPhatter & the Drifters' "Such a Night") to pure pop (a cover ofRal Donner's "The Girl of My Best Friend" with aHank Garlandguitar sound that presaged Merseybeat) to doo-wop (the gorgeous "Soldier Boy") to some of the hardest blues of his career (several cuts here, including an incredible version ofLowell Fulson's "Reconsider Baby"). He even makesPeggy Lee's "Fever" his own here. No hit singles, just a great LP--and no indication of the "movie years" dreck soon to follow.--Bill Holdship