A$# 050 Elvis Presley | Command Performances (The Essential 60s Masters II)

Up until now, I haven’t spotlighted any collections in the Album Spotlight, but this week it seems appropriate to focus on Command Performances, as it is a recent acquisition for my collection.

Command Performances, issued in 1995 as a second multi-disc set to explore the King’s 1960s recordings, features tracks from his movies from that decade.

Many of the post-army movies Elvis appeared in were entertaining enough, but they didn’t challenge him at a time when he was looking for more complex roles. The accompanying music wasn’t always that challenging either. Nonetheless, there are a lot of good songs in that body of work, and CP collects more than 60 of them on two discs.

There are some quite recognizable numbers, such as Blue Hawaii, Can’t Help Falling In Love, Return To Sender, Bossa Nova Baby, Viva Las Vegas, Girl Happy, and a rousing cover of Ray Charles’s What’d I Say. But there are also a lot of other interesting numbers such as the accordion-driven Wooden Heart, the tender Because Of Love, the racing numbers Speedway and Spinout, the island-evoking Paradise, Hawaiian Style, the catchy Clambake and A Little Less Conversation (not the remix that made the charts in 2001, though) and the moody Edge Of Reality, which I spotlighted several months ago.

Elvis wasn’t on the cutting edge of music in the 1960s as he had been in the 1950s, but the material presented here works because he brought his considerable talent and Kingliness to the songs.

Track listing, including what film each song comes from:

Disc 1:
1. G.I. Blues (G.I. Blues)
2. Wooden Heart (G.I. Blues)
3. Shoppin' Around (G.I. Blues)
4. Doin' The Best I Can (G.I. Blues)
5. Flaming Star (Flaming Star)
6. Wild In The Country (Wild In The Country)
7. Lonely Man (Wild In The Country (recorded for film but not used))
8. Blue Hawaii (Blue Hawaii)
9. Rock-A-Hula Baby (Blue Hawaii)
10. Can't Help Falling In Love (Blue Hawaii)
11. Beach Boy Blues (Blue Hawaii)
12. Hawaiian Wedding Song (Blue Hawaii)
13. Follow That Dream - (alternate take) (Follow That Dream)
14. Angel (Follow That Dream)
15. King Of The Whole Wide World (Kid Galahad)
16. I Got Lucky (Kid Galahad)
17. Girls! Girls! Girls! (Girls! Girls! Girls!)
18. Because Of Love (Girls! Girls! Girls!)
19. Return To Sender (Girls! Girls! Girls!)
20. One Broken Heart For Sale (It Happened At The World's Fair)
21. I'm Falling In Love Tonight (It Happened At The World's Fair)
22. They Remind Me Too Much Of You (It Happened At The World's Fair)
23. Fun In Acapulco (Fun In Acapulco)
24. Bossa Nova Baby (Fun In Acapulco)
25. Marguerita (Fun In Acapulco)
26. Mexico (Fun In Acapulco)
27. Kissin' Cousins (Kissin' Cousins)
28. One Boy, Two Little Girls (Kissin' Cousins)
29. Once Is Enough (Kissin' Cousins)
30. Viva Las Vegas (Viva Las Vegas)
31. What'd I Say (Viva Las Vegas)

Disc 2:
1. Roustabout (Roustabout)
2. Poison Ivy League (Roustabout)
3. Little Egypt (Roustabout)
4. There's A Brand New Day On The Horizon (Roustabout)
5. Girl Happy (Girl Happy)
6. Puppet On A String (Girl Happy)
7. Do The Clam (Girl Happy)
8. Harem Holiday (Harem Holiday)
9. So Close, Yet So Far (Harem Holiday)
10. Frankie And Johnny (Frankie And Johnny)
11. Please Don't Stop Loving Me (Frankie And Johnny)
12. Paradise, Hawaiian Style (Paradise, Hawaiian Style)
13. This Is My Heaven (Paradise, Hawaiian Style)
14. Spinout (Spinout)
15. All That I Am (Spinout)
16. I'll Be Back (Spinout)
17. Easy Come, Easy Go (Easy Come, Easy Go)
18. Double Trouble (Double Trouble)
19. Long Legged Girl (With The Short Dress On) (Double Trouble)
20. Clambake (Clambake)
21. You Don't Know Me (Clambake)
22. Stay Away, Joe (Stay Away, Joe)
23. Speedway (Speedway)
24. Your Time Hasn't Come Yet, Baby (Speedway)
25. Let Yourself Go (Speedway)
26. Almost In Love (Live A Little, Love A Little)
27. A Little Less Conversation (Live A Little, Love A Little)
28. Edge Of Reality (Live A Little, Love A Little)
29. Charro! (Charro!)
30. Clean Up Your Own Back Yard (The Trouble With Girls)
31. Change Of Habit (Change Of Habit)