Best track on "That´s the way it is" LP 1970

[jeanno]

I agree with you, Jules. Actually, all true record stores should have in their "Rock´n´Roll" section "Elvis Presley", "Elvis´ Golden Records", "King Creole", "50.000.000 fans can´t be wrong", "Elvis is Back!", "Elvis´ Golden Records - vol.III", "From Elvis in Memphis", "Elvis in Person", "That´s the Way it is", "Elvis Country", and "Elvis at Sun". Here, in Spain, you can only find "Elv1s" and some cheap 1954-1957 best of... Impossible to show people that Presley recorded outstanding albums. Sad.

[familyjules]

I agree with you, Jules. Actually, all true record stores should have in their "Rock´n´Roll" section "Elvis Presley", "Elvis´ Golden Records", "King Creole", "50.000.000 fans can´t be wrong", "Elvis is Back!", "Elvis´ Golden Records - vol.III", "From Elvis in Memphis", "Elvis in Person", "That´s the Way it is", "Elvis Country", and "Elvis at Sun". Here, in Spain, you can only find "Elv1s" and some cheap 1954-1957 best of... Impossible to show people that Presley recorded outstanding albums. Sad.

I don't even think Elvis should be filed away under "rock & roll" - it marginalises his music.

Jules

[lucio]

Stranger in the Crowd is my number one choice followed closely by Next Step and Believin'.
As nice as the tunes are in general I found the album to be a little too much on the ballad side. Wish El had recorded more new rockers for the film.
Lucio

[Suspicious Minds]

I voted for How The Web Was Woven.

One of my favourite tracks.

[Lennart]

You´ve lost that loving feeling but it´s not an option

Lennart

[dreambear]

You´ve lost that loving feeling but it´s not an option

Lennart

Sorry, not my fault. You can vote on it on the upcoming MSG poll.

//Björn

[Lennart]

OK drömbjörnen but that´s not my favorite on the MSG album, but I´ll promise you that I will vote Lennart

[FrankieRider2]

You´ve lost that loving feeling but it´s not an option

Lennart

There you go, buddy....

I remember when the 3CD reissue came out, that was the only song that was specifically mentioned by Entertainment Magazine in their review of the set.

[elvispresley3]

Is the live or recorded version of Just pretend better? I'm from Ireland so haven't had much opportunity to buy all these albums. I don't think i've ever heard the recored version.

[elvispresley3]

Oh, just found the recorded version on youtube. The live version is probably more powerful but the recorded version is certainly smoother.

[JerryNodak]

Myself, I prefer the studio version. But others feel differently.

[dreambear]

And the great winner is "Just pretend". 33 votes is quite much!

Thank you for voting!

//Björn

[minkahed]

Make that 34 for "JUST PRETEND" !!!

[Davy]

Patch It Up is my choice here. It's as close to The Wall Of Sound as Elvis ever got. It's a really classic little rocker that just grows and grows - an anthem!

[Inigo Montoya]

Phew...tough one. I remember, when I first got this LP, being totally blown away by it (it was an imported UK release and the levels were very low....don't know if that was the case on this LP elsewhere). It's pretty much perfection from start to finish. Yes, it's heavy on ballads, but even when I got it (don't remember exactly when, but I was still in my teens) I appreciated every nuance of every song. I mean, I'd place it perhaps below From Elvis In Memphis and Elvis Country if I absolutely had to rank these later-era albums (on second thought, in my estimation I might rank it above Elvis Country, though that may partly be because I didn't get that LP 'til a bit later), but it is a superb collection of songs -- if not a very faithful soundtrack to the movie it's named after -- and Elvis was rarely in better vocal form than on this LP.

Picking just one favorite from this album is almost impossible, and most definitely meaningless, but if I really, really had to pick one song I think it'd have to be "I Just Cant' Help Believin'." This song, in Elvis' hands, was utter perfection. What's even more impressive is that he was able to craft something like this as part of a live performance (the same is true of other songs..."American Trilogy," for example, was a brave and ambitious pick that worked perfectly from Day One). A somewhat unusual song, I think this was one of the best ballads Elvis ever tackled, with a more mature feeling (lyrically and vocally) than most of his other excellent ballad work to this date. It could be seen as the epitome of the Vegas era, as being informed by Elvis' time in Vegas, but it's really owing more to the basic essentials of the sum total of Elvis' influences and talents than it does to the Vegas cabaret tradition. Perfect, even with the flubbed lyric on this particular version. Should have perhaps been a single Stateside, as it was elsewhere.

"Twenty Days And Twenty Nights" and "How The Web Was Woven" are also beautiful, and perfectly rendered 'adult' ballads that fit the kind of songs popular then but also have a timeless quality about them. Both are underappreciated gems.

"Patch It Up" is a very cool, soul-rock stomping barnburner of a song. I love it. I like the studio version best, especially the undubbed master as first heard on LPs like Rough Cut Diamonds, but it was also great live and would have been a nice addition to more concerts. The live version though, works best when coupled with visuals of Elvis doing his thing in that wild performance seen in That's The Way It Is.

"Mary In The Morning" is yet another perfectly-realized ballad, a folk song that's -- typical of Elvis -- turned, in Elvis' hands, into a heartfelt ballad infused with equal doses of the blues, country, and pop influences that started the whole thing for Elvis and set against a rock beat. Always thought that was interesting, actually, to have a song like this with such a smooth and slow balladic whole with the drummer in the background basically playing a brisk rock beat. Elvis strikes again! I love this song.

"I've Lost You" and "The Next Step Is Love" seem to me to somehow go together even apart from their single coupling. Both are stellar examples of Elvis' early '70s style even if they fall a little short of being among the very best from that period. I like both, very much, and the melody of "The Next Step Is Love" and Elvis' voice absolutely compensates for the somewhat goofy (in parts...don't get me wrong, I like 'em for all their eccentricity) lyrics. The FTD One Night In Vegas release confirmed that it wasn't really suited to the stage, though...some songs, even great ones, just don't make that transition so well ("Promised Land" often fell short in concert, too, and his studio version of that song was incredible). On the other hand, I think the live versions of "I've Lost You" have a bit of an edge on the studio version.

"Just Pretend" is perfection right from that first piano note. This is another song that's kind of unusual in its structure and in Elvis' capable hands it's a masterpiece. It was also a highlight of live concerts where he included it, of which there were far too few. Songs like this and "I Really Don't Want To Know," along with several others from these sessions, were made for the stage. I always thought this was a massively underrated song and it's nice to see it becoming more familiar to more people as a result of its inclusion in the recut documentary. Of course, like "Twenty Days And Twenty Nights," there's no trace of this song in the original version of That's The Way It Is, but in this instance I'm glad that RCA didn't let authenticity get in the way of compiling an excellent album.

"Stranger In The Crowd" has a cool, driving beat and I love both the instrumentation and Elvis' vocal. I could listen to songs like this one for days on end and be happy. It's yet another song that's kind of different for Elvis, but the results are fantastic.

"Bridge Over Troubled Water," in Elvis' hands, was a true masterpiece. I'd have voted this one the best of the LP, perhaps, but I prefer other versions. At first I recall this being cited as a live recording from August 15, later as the studio version with applause overdubbed, and later still as a splice of the studio version with the tail end of a concert version. I don't have Ernst's book handy so I'm not sure what the current thought is on it, but it sounds great and nicely finishes the album. I only have this record on vinyl and all my LPs are in storage so its been years since I heard this version (was it on the 3-CD release?). In my opinion, the live version of this song in the original film is far weaker than those later in the engagement (indeed, weaker than the studio master) and in subsequent years, though it's still a very nice go at this song.

Man, what an excellent LP this was!

[eric c]

what a brilliant...well thought out album.
one of his best.
hard stuff here.
if the studio track of i've lost you was used...i'd be inclined to go with that.
love bridge.
i just can't help believin' is a great cut.
but forced to choose...
just pretend.

[eric c]

Phew...tough one. I remember, when I first got this LP, being totally blown away by it (it was an imported UK release and the levels were very low....don't know if that was the case on this LP elsewhere). It's pretty much perfection from start to finish. Yes, it's heavy on ballads, but even when I got it (don't remember exactly when, but I was still in my teens) I appreciated every nuance of every song. I mean, I'd place it perhaps below From Elvis In Memphis and Elvis Country if I absolutely had to rank these later-era albums (on second thought, in my estimation I might rank it above Elvis Country, though that may partly be because I didn't get that LP 'til a bit later), but it is a superb collection of songs -- if not a very faithful soundtrack to the movie it's named after -- and Elvis was rarely in better vocal form than on this LP.

Picking just one favorite from this album is almost impossible, and most definitely meaningless, but if I really, really had to pick one song I think it'd have to be "I Just Cant' Help Believin'." This song, in Elvis' hands, was utter perfection. What's even more impressive is that he was able to craft something like this as part of a live performance (the same is true of other songs..."American Trilogy," for example, was a brave and ambitious pick that worked perfectly from Day One). A somewhat unusual song, I think this was one of the best ballads Elvis ever tackled, with a more mature feeling (lyrically and vocally) than most of his other excellent ballad work to this date. It could be seen as the epitome of the Vegas era, as being informed by Elvis' time in Vegas, but it's really owing more to the basic essentials of the sum total of Elvis' influences and talents than it does to the Vegas cabaret tradition. Perfect, even with the flubbed lyric on this particular version. Should have perhaps been a single Stateside, as it was elsewhere.

"Twenty Days And Twenty Nights" and "How The Web Was Woven" are also beautiful, and perfectly rendered 'adult' ballads that fit the kind of songs popular then but also have a timeless quality about them. Both are underappreciated gems.

"Patch It Up" is a very cool, soul-rock stomping barnburner of a song. I love it. I like the studio version best, especially the undubbed master as first heard on LPs like Rough Cut Diamonds, but it was also great live and would have been a nice addition to more concerts. The live version though, works best when coupled with visuals of Elvis doing his thing in that wild performance seen in That's The Way It Is.

"Mary In The Morning" is yet another perfectly-realized ballad, a folk song that's -- typical of Elvis -- turned, in Elvis' hands, into a heartfelt ballad infused with equal doses of the blues, country, and pop influences that started the whole thing for Elvis and set against a rock beat. Always thought that was interesting, actually, to have a song like this with such a smooth and slow balladic whole with the drummer in the background basically playing a brisk rock beat. Elvis strikes again! I love this song.

"I've Lost You" and "The Next Step Is Love" seem to me to somehow go together even apart from their single coupling. Both are stellar examples of Elvis' early '70s style even if they fall a little short of being among the very best from that period. I like both, very much, and the melody of "The Next Step Is Love" and Elvis' voice absolutely compensates for the somewhat goofy (in parts...don't get me wrong, I like 'em for all their eccentricity) lyrics. The FTD One Night In Vegas release confirmed that it wasn't really suited to the stage, though...some songs, even great ones, just don't make that transition so well ("Promised Land" often fell short in concert, too, and his studio version of that song was incredible). On the other hand, I think the live versions of "I've Lost You" have a bit of an edge on the studio version.

"Just Pretend" is perfection right from that first piano note. This is another song that's kind of unusual in its structure and in Elvis' capable hands it's a masterpiece. It was also a highlight of live concerts where he included it, of which there were far too few. Songs like this and "I Really Don't Want To Know," along with several others from these sessions, were made for the stage. I always thought this was a massively underrated song and it's nice to see it becoming more familiar to more people as a result of its inclusion in the recut documentary. Of course, like "Twenty Days And Twenty Nights," there's no trace of this song in the original version of That's The Way It Is, but in this instance I'm glad that RCA didn't let authenticity get in the way of compiling an excellent album.

"Stranger In The Crowd" has a cool, driving beat and I love both the instrumentation and Elvis' vocal. I could listen to songs like this one for days on end and be happy. It's yet another song that's kind of different for Elvis, but the results are fantastic.

"Bridge Over Troubled Water," in Elvis' hands, was a true masterpiece. I'd have voted this one the best of the LP, perhaps, but I prefer other versions. At first I recall this being cited as a live recording from August 15, later as the studio version with applause overdubbed, and later still as a splice of the studio version with the tail end of a concert version. I don't have Ernst's book handy so I'm not sure what the current thought is on it, but it sounds great and nicely finishes the album. I only have this record on vinyl and all my LPs are in storage so its been years since I heard this version (was it on the 3-CD release?). In my opinion, the live version of this song in the original film is far weaker than those later in the engagement (indeed, weaker than the studio master) and in subsequent years, though it's still a very nice go at this song.

Man, what an excellent LP this was!

I almost agree on everything Inigo Montoya posted in 2008. For me it's very hard, no it's impossible to choose between "I Just Can't Help Believin'" and "Just Pretend". So I'll stay with both

2 great songs from just a brilliant album.