Jailhouse Rock

Release Date- Oct. 1957 (Jailhouse Rock) Nov. 1956 (Love Me Tender) Aug. 1997 (Re-release)

Peak Chart Position- #1 (EP)

Track Listings- Jailhouse Rock / Treat Me Nice / I Want To Be Free / Don't Leave Me Now / Young And Beautiful / Baby I Don't Care / Jailhouse Rock (movie version) / Treat Me Nice (movie version) / I Want To Be Free (movie version) / Young And Beautiful (movie version) / Don't Leave Me Now (alternate version ) / Love Me Tender / Poor Boy / Let Me / We're Gonna Move / Love Me Tender (movie version) / Let Me (alternate) / We're Gonna Move (alternate take) / Poor Boy (stereo version) / Love Me Tender (stereo version) /

Recorded- Aug-Oct. 1956 at 20th Century Fox Studio Stage 1, Hollywood (Love Me Tender)
April 1957 at Radio Recorder, Hollywood

Musicians- (Love Me Tender)
                         Guitar: Vito Mumolo
                         Bass: Mike Rubin
                         Drums: Richard Cornell
                         Banjo: Luther Rountree
                         Accordion: Dom Frontieri, Carl Fortina
                         Vocals: Rad Robinson, Jon Dodson, Charles Prescott

                  (Jailhouse Rock)
                        Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley
                        Bass: Bill Black, Elvis Presley
                        Drums: D.J. Fontana
                        Piano: Dudley Brooks, Mike Stoller
                        Vocals: The Jordanaires

In 1997, 40 years after the fact, RCA finally got their act together by releasing all the songs from Jailhouse Rock on one album (it was previously only an EP with songs missing). And it only makes sense. These are some of the greatest rock & roll songs ever recorded. Many feel this was his best film, with his best songs. The title track is legendary and is pure Elvis. One of the all-time greats. All the songs from Jailhouse Rock are excellent, with "Young And Beautiful" being the best and one of Elvis' greatest ballads. In order to put the running time up to album length, several alternate takes are included as well as the soundtrack to Love Me Tender. The alternates are fun to hear if unspectacular (with again "Young And Beautiful" a standout), but the songs from Love Me Tender are sadly quite average. The Title track is of course wonderful, but the others were filler for the film and the EP. The alternates aren't much better so really, the album only hits the mark about 50% of the time. But its a very good 50. **** out of *****

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