Elvis Presley Elvis Is Back (200g 45RPM Vinyl 2LP)

Elvis Presley Elvis Is Back! on 200g 45RPM 2LP from Analogue Productions: Mastered by George Marino, Pressed at QRP

Elvis Presley's first full-length release after leaving the Army, the aptly titled Elvis Is Back! remains one of the King’s standout album. While Presley’s records were prone to include inconsistencies, there’s not one example of musical filler or a single forgettable performance on this gem. Elvis Is Back! stood as the singer’s most complete release for years, as it presents the musician in a focused mode that would soon be derailed by his subsequent work on thematic movie soundtracks.

Demonstrating a slightly more relaxed and mature poise here than on his earlier material, Presley dives into R&B (a wonderful rendition of the Drifters’ “Such a Night”), unabated pop (an upbeat cover of Ral Donner’s “The Girl of My Best Friend”), swooning doo-wop (“Soldier Boy”), torch (Peggy Lee’s “Fever”), and authentic hard blues (a standout reading of Lowell Fulsom’s “Reconsider Baby”) as if he owns them all. And he does, his vocal performances deeper and truer, his emotional reach off the charts. Better still, he’s backed by the likes of Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana, Hank Garland, Boots Randolph, and Floyd Cramer.

Pressed at QRP on two 45RPM 200-gram vinyl LPs and mastered by George Marino, the King’s superb 1960 studio album has never sounded so intimate, detailed, present, and alive. Images are true, tones are balanced, and the unbeatable warmth that only analog provides breathes through on every cut.