Best track on "Elvis is back" LP 1960

[ColinB]

There was only ever one contender, wasn't there ?

Reconsider Baby is the stand-out track.

Still, it's surprising that Thrill of Your Love didn't get any support.............

[William]

It looks like the poll is closed. That's too bad because I absolutely love "Such a night" ! You can hear how much he enjoys singing it. I know that it is a cover of the old Drifters with Clyde Mcphatter tune, but Elvis gives it his own unique stamp(as always). Perhaps if there had not been the Johnny Ray version Elvis's would have been a bigger hit as a single.
Sincerely, William

[Davy]

Reconisder Baby would be my pick here. It's not just the best track on the album, it's maybe the best blues Elvis ever cut.

[Rtn 2 Sndr]

"Reconsider Baby" may very well be one of the top ten performances in Elvis' recording history. One complete take, the Nashville session musicians (especially Boots Randolph) played like they had never played before, and Elvis' vocal performance is outstanding. No question in my mind this is thebest track on the LP.

My second favorite is pretty much a tie between "Make Me Know It" and "Thrill Of Your Love".

This is my favorite Elvis album--without question.

[Rob]

One of my favorite albums that Elvis ever did, and my absolute favorite studio FTD.

Oh, bullshit!

I'll bet you don't even have the FTD, ya tosser!

[Angles]

Even though I can sympathise with where it's coming from, I don't quite agree with the criticism for "Girl Next Door Went A Walkin'". I implore everyone to give this a closer listen. Wrapped up in this superficially sweet ballad is a savage piece of criticism. Elvis takes a relatively ordinary -- though, even in its pregant state, by no means meagre song -- and, backed and spurred on by that incredible band and personal thirst of his, transforms it into social protest. Or does he? Listen to the way he allows his baritone voice to sound fatigued and exasperated, especially on the line: "Settle down to life." He drags out the word "life" so it sounds more like: "liffffffe". The "fffff" sound conjures images of the singer turning away in a mix of distaste and sarcasm. He cannot believe that such a young woman -- the eponymous "girl next door" -- has gone off and gotten locked into a marriage so soon. Hasn't she paid attention to the rock 'n roll revolution -- *the* social revolution of the time (paving the way for others) -- that he has spearheaded? Hasn't she learnt anything from what's been happening around her? Indeed, the song ends with the line, "Settle down to life," where Elvis bears all his disdain, crystallising the record's theme, recited four times.

I really like "Girl Next Door Went A'Walkin". Another interesting feature -- again, in that all-important line -- is Elvis' ambiguity with the actual wording: is it, "Settle down for life," or, "Settle down to life"? Elvis seems to opt for the latter, but it's hard to say. The latter seems to carry greater irony -- how does one settle down "to" life? Does that even mean anything at all? Is it as meaningless as a rushed marriage? Of course, this girl may truly love "the boy she likes". The onus may be on the singer himself: he is the one "surprise[d]" that the girl thought that love was "paradise". Perhaps this has nothing to do with social criticism; perhaps the singer and the girl are merely different people. Perhaps we're only getting the biased interpretation of the singer's own appraisal of the situation. In any case, there is a frustrated idealism at stake here. Some of that same frustrated idealism and skewed perspective on marriage would come back to haunt Elvis later on. This song is more important to the culture of the time and the life of EP than it's credited for. Afterall, a piece's relevancy to culture and the artist is our compass for great music -- and I submit, without recourse to irony, that "Girl Next Door Went A Walkin'" is a great song on a great album.

I do love Girl Next Door Went a Walkin' - it's got a lovely tempo and is actually an excellent song to play at an Elvis disco (particulary after a more obvious Elvis rocker like Such A Night). Primarily I listen to Elvis songs and can't always put into writing why I love them but as always there are people on this message board far more articulate than me.

With regards to The Girl Of My Best Friend, I do have soft spot for this song. I love the Jordanaires backing and just find this song to be very relaxed with a composed Elvis well on top of his game. (his voice is so versatile in this period its's no surprise he deals with a basic song structure like this so comfortably).

It's a beautiful and I think criminally under-rated period of Elvis' career when arguably he had the most concentrated creative spell of his career.

[KevR]

An old poll with a low number of votes but the popularity of Dirty Dirty Feeling surprised me which I've never taken to. It always sounds out of place and doesn't fit with the rest of the tracks, possibly due to the song's age at the time of recording.

Reconsider Baby, Like A Baby, Girl of My Best Friend and Make Me Know It would all compete for my vote.

[eric c]

reconsider baby.

just a brilliant album.
so many great vocal performances.
but reconsider baby is the stand out for me.
probably the closest thing to a blues album we'd ever get.
he really took hold of these sessions.
he shoulda been proud of that album.