Dad's Take:
You might think that only a year and a half after Elvis's first Golden Records collection, there wouldn't be enough hits for a second.
You'd be wrong.
Sure, this album with a long, funny title contains mostly second-tier hits, but this is Elvis Presley. His second-tier hits include great songs like "I Got Stung," "One Night," "Big Hunk O' Love," "Don't," and plenty more. Even though it doesn't have most of Elvis's biggest hits, this is in some ways more satisfying, because it contains great songs that you don't hear quite as often.
Elvis is at his peak here. He is confident and a little crazy. He doesn't hold back like he did on some of his earlier records. He's on top of the world, and he sounds like he's loving it. This album might not have "Hound Dog" or "Jailhouse Rock," but it has an energy that surpasses even that of those earlier hits.
Great stuff!
Brad's Take:
Since we listened to the first Elvis record, I get excited every time I see another Elvis album come up on our list. I'm really starting to become a fan.
This album has some awesome songs on it. "One Night" and "Big Hunk O' Love" were early favorites.
One thing that kind of bothers me a little bit on this album is that on some songs there's someone singing bass backup vocals... Normally, it would be cool. Like if it was a Frankie Valli song or something, but the mix of this guy's vocal track is just too loud, and sometimes even a bit delayed. Meaning, sometimes his vocals don't match up with Elvis' when they're singing the line. The bass guy's vocals start a little too early or a little too late. It's a little bit irritating to me, especially since it's so loud. It makes it even more noticeable. Oh well, just a small technical recording problem. Let's get back to what really matters...
Elvis sounds great on this album. You can tell he had a blast singing these songs. One thing that I especially love about this particular Elvis album is the fact that it's almost all fast-paced and energetic. That's the version of Elvis I like the most. But of course, like every Elvis album, there are some ballads, such as "My Wish Came True" and "Don't." They aren't bad, by any means, they're just not as fun as the fast songs. During his slow songs, I just wait for them to be over so I can enjoy the faster songs that will for sure follow. I bet if oldschool Elvis fans read this, they're thinking, "Oh great... Brad's one of these kids... Ugh!" But really, I can appreciate the slow songs, but if I had the choice, I'd tell Elvis to stick with the upbeat songs so I can dance with my girlfriend, rather than watch my girlfriend drool all over his shoes.
All in all, I really like this album. These are great songs that many casual listeners most likely don't know, but should know.
Brad's Take:
Since we listened to the first Elvis record, I get excited every time I see another Elvis album come up on our list. I'm really starting to become a fan.
This album has some awesome songs on it. "One Night" and "Big Hunk O' Love" were early favorites.
One thing that kind of bothers me a little bit on this album is that on some songs there's someone singing bass backup vocals... Normally, it would be cool. Like if it was a Frankie Valli song or something, but the mix of this guy's vocal track is just too loud, and sometimes even a bit delayed. Meaning, sometimes his vocals don't match up with Elvis' when they're singing the line. The bass guy's vocals start a little too early or a little too late. It's a little bit irritating to me, especially since it's so loud. It makes it even more noticeable. Oh well, just a small technical recording problem. Let's get back to what really matters...
Elvis sounds great on this album. You can tell he had a blast singing these songs. One thing that I especially love about this particular Elvis album is the fact that it's almost all fast-paced and energetic. That's the version of Elvis I like the most. But of course, like every Elvis album, there are some ballads, such as "My Wish Came True" and "Don't." They aren't bad, by any means, they're just not as fun as the fast songs. During his slow songs, I just wait for them to be over so I can enjoy the faster songs that will for sure follow. I bet if oldschool Elvis fans read this, they're thinking, "Oh great... Brad's one of these kids... Ugh!" But really, I can appreciate the slow songs, but if I had the choice, I'd tell Elvis to stick with the upbeat songs so I can dance with my girlfriend, rather than watch my girlfriend drool all over his shoes.
All in all, I really like this album. These are great songs that many casual listeners most likely don't know, but should know.
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