Search - Elvis Presley :: Frankie & Johnny & Paradise Hawaiian Style

Elvis for all tastes

04/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a hard core Elvis fan, this double feature albun could bring you back a lot of good memories from Elvis in the sixties.
Forget about the Elvis with sideburns and blue suede shoes; forget about the white jumpsuits. Here is Elvis with a touch of Dixieland and the South Pacific.
I wonder why RCA has not reissue all the double feature Elvis soundtracks. I'm sure there are a lot of Elvis fans out there who missed the first outting of these CD's and would like to get a copy at a reasonable price."

Somewhere between *** and ****

Phil S. | USA | 09/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Here are two albums of 1965 recordings for a couple of atypical and typical Elvis movies of the sixties. Atypical - FRANKIE AND JOHNNY - in that it's a costume picture set in the 1900s and based upon an old folk-blues tune. Typical - PARADISE... - a return to the site of past successes like BLUE HAWAII and GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! (Not the Motley Crue number..JK).

FRANKIE AND JOHNNY was a better movie with better songs; the title number, though perhaps not in the best sound balance, is a swingin' number which deserved to reach higher on the charts. It's something one of Presley's reported favorites, Bobby Darin, would have enthused over. Elvis really gets into it. And except for "Shout It Out", it's about the only one he seems excited about. There are some very strong, though slight, love ballads, the best of which is the film single B-side, "Please Don't Stop Loving Me", followed very closely by "Beginner's Luck"; both are sensitively sung by a true master of the soft ballad. It's a little strange that EP did not do a better job on the medley "When The Saints Go Marching In"/"Down By The Riverside" - it's interesting to compare these mid-60s treatments to informal performances from the '50s. "Come Along" and "Everybody Come Aboard" are Broadway quality songs - well, maybe they needed a bit more development for that. Good tunes...but it's sad that Elvis sounded just a little bored at this stage in his (at the time) going nowhere [but "to the bank"]? career. Add a tinny, flat sound and a real chance to produce a great album went by the boards.

PARADISE, HAWAIIAN STYLE was a light film with a light soundtrack, but that's not bad in itself, in fact, they managed (somehow) to produce a record which sounded like it was recorded right on location: instrumentation and atmosphere work together nicely on the better engineered session - what's that? - echo on "Scratch My Back"? Presley sings out on the title tune, showing off his power and operatic vibrato, though in a few spots sounds like he's struggling to stay on pitch (or stay interested). Ofcourse this song was used on the '73 TV Special, which shows that it was not another throw-away. An interesting song is "A Dog's Life", seemingly based upon 1930s novelty blues; Elvis sings well. "Drums of the Islands" has an insistent rhythm and effective use of background singers, an entertaining entry (if you're not looking for "Jailhouse Rock" or "I Got Stung"). "House of Sand" has a terrific bridge and supported a good production number. By far the best track is the one not used in the movie: the children's song with mandolin, exceptional lyrics, and a plaintive vocal. I wouldn't touch the mix on this one, which belongs in a special collection demonstrating the "art" of Presley.

It's too bad that the novelty "Queenie, Wahine's Papaya" was placed as the number two song on the album. The song which actually picks up speed seems to put the star (and the listener) on edge.

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