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Continuing with Elvis’s LP discography, we move to the period 1961 to 1965. During it, he released a total of ten LPs. One was released in the Spring and the other in the Fall/Autumn. This chunk of the Elvis Presley discography starts with May 1961’s Something for Everyone.
*note that the LP track listings are those on the original American releases
Something for Everybody (May 19, 1961, RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2370)
Elvis’s sixth studio album Something for Everybody, is true to its name. The first side contains love ballads, appealing to sentimental types. The reverse side is more up-tempo, proper Rock ‘n Roll.
The album was pretty much recorded at RCA Victor’s Studio B in Nashville in March 1961. True to type, very few takes were needed. Elvis was recorded performing eleven of the twelve tracks over just two days. The final track, I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell had been recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood in November 1960.
I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell had been used in Elvis’s 1960 film Wild in the Country. This was intended to showcase Elvis as an actor rather than a singer, so no soundtrack album was produced. It had been intended that a twelfth song, I Feel So Bad, recorded in Nashville in March 1961, was to be included on Something for Everybody. This instead was released as a single with the title song from the film.
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Side 1 |
Side 2 |
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There’s Always Me Give Me the Right It’s a Sin Sentimental Me Starting Today Gently |
I’m Comin’ Home In Your Arms Put The Blame on Me Judy I Want You with Me I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell |
Blue Hawaii (October 20, 1961, RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2426)
Blue Hawaii was Elvis’s fourth soundtrack album. It was recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood just two weeks after the recording sessions for Something for Everybody.
The standout track is surely Can’t Help Falling in Love. Backed with Rock-a-Hula Baby, it was released as a single in November 1961 and quickly achieved number one status in the UK singles chart and a very respectable number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. Only Peppermint Twist by Joey Dee and the Starliters prevented it from reaching the coveted top spot.
As for the album itself, it was illustrative of a theme with Elvis’s albums. As with the previous year’s soundtrack album, G.I. Blues, sales were much better than for studio albums. This led to a lack of focus from a purely music career in comparison to an acting career, with associated musical output. This meant that as the 1960s progressed, Elvis’s musical career eventually lost its lustre as musical tastes changed.
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Side 1 |
Side 2 |
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Blue Hawaii Almost Always True Aloha Oe No More Can’t Help Falling in Love Rock-a-Hula Baby Moonlight Swim |
Ku-U-I-Po Ito Eats Slicin’ Sand Hawaiian Sunset Beach Boy Blues Island Of Love (Kauai) Hawaiian Wedding Song |
Pot Luck (May 18, 1962, RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2523)
Five tracks recorded as part of the Blue Hawaii sessions recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood in March 1961 are included on Put Luck. The rest of the album was recorded in June and October 1961, and March 1962 at RCA Victor’s Studio B in Nashville. Primary songwriting credits go to Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman who were responsible for five of the album’s tracks.
Again, although it sold well, the album’s sales were not as strong as Elvis’s soundtrack albums. They of course had the promotional boost of the films themselves plus the inclusion of a bone fide hit single or singles to further enhance sales.
Two tracks were released as singles (Suspicion/Kiss Me Quick), but not until 1964. This was possibly in response to Terry Stafford’s version of Suspicion. Oddly, Kiss Me Quick was the preferred side – both were Pomus/Shuman tracks.
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Side 1 |
Side 2 |
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Kiss Me Quick Just For Old Time Sake Gonna Get Back Home Somehow (Such An) Easy Question Steppin’ Out of Line I’m Yours |
Something Blue Suspicion I Feel That I’ve Known You Forever Night Rider Fountain Of Love That’s Someone You Never Forget |
Girls! Girls! Girls! (November 12, 1962, RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2621)
Another soundtrack album, Girls! Girls! Girls! was the fifth such album of Elvis’s career. Again, it sold better than his regular studio albums.
All bar one track, We’ll Be Together (recorded in May 1962), the album was recorded in late March 1962. All tracks were recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood.
The album’s stand-out track is Return to Sender which, backed with Where Do You Come From, was released as a single in October 1962 and made number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Side 1 |
Side 2 |
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Girls! Girls! Girls! I Don’t Wanna Be Tied Where Do You Come From I Don’t Want To We’ll Be Together A Boy Like Me, A Girl Like You Earth Boy |
Return To Sender Because Of Love Thanks To the Rolling Sea Song Of the Shrimp The Walls Have Ears We’re Coming in Loaded |
It Happened at the World’s Fair (March 15, 1963, RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2697)
Another film soundtrack album, Elvis’s sixth of the type, It Happened at the World’s Fair, was released in March 1963. Continuing a busy year of recording, the first session for this album took place at Radio Recorders on August 30, 1962.
In the event, only two tracks were recorded due to an illness Elvis had suffered, which had already forced the postponement of recording from August 28 and 29. The remaining ten tracks were recorded on September 22.
Only two tracks, One Broken Heart for Sale b/w They Remind Me Too Much of You, were released as singles. One Broken Heart became the first single of Elvis’s not to have made the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 when it reached number 11.
Why not treat yourself to an orange vinyl copy of this album?
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Side 1 |
Side 2 |
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Beyond The Bend Relax Take Me to The Fair They Remind Me Too Much of You One Broken Heart for Sale |
I’m Falling in Love Tonight Cotton Candy Land A World of Our Own How Would You Like to Be Happy Ending |
Fun in Acapulco (November 15, 1963, RCA Victor, LPM/LSP- 2756)
Elvis’s seventh soundtrack album was initially recorded over two sessions in 1963. Most tracks were recorded over the first which took place at Radio Recorders on January 22 and 23. One track, Guadalajara, was completed on February 27.
Fun in Acapulco had not been intended for release due to the relative failure of It Happened at the World’s Fair. This led Colonel Tom Parker to decline to release another short album (It Happened at the World’s Fair only had ten tracks and was only 21 minutes long).
Consequently, a third session saw Elvis return east to record at RCA Victor Studio B in Nashville on May 26 and 28. This resulted in the last two (non-soundtrack) songs, Love Me Tonight and Slowly but Surely.
Bossa Nova Baby, the last of Leiber and Stoller’s songs recorded by Elvis to chart, was the only track released as a single and it reached number eight in the Billboard Hot 100.
Continuing the theme, why don’t you treat yourself to a green copy of this album?
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Side 1 |
Side 2 |
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Fun in Acapulco Vino, Dinero Y Amor Mexico El Toro Marguerita The Bullfighter Was a Lady (There’s) No Room to Rhumba in A Sports Car |
I Think I’m Gonna Like it Here Bossa Nova Baby You Can’t Say No in Acapulco Guadalajara Love Me Tonight Slowly but Surely |
Kissin’ Cousins (April 1, 1964, RCA Victor, LPM/LSP-2894)
Yet another soundtrack album, Elvis’s eighth, Kissin’ Cousins was recorded solely at RCA Victor’s Studio B in Nashville. Ten soundtrack songs were recorded on September 29 and 30 1963. Colonel Tom Parker had decreed that recording would happen there because of budget issues. Recording in Nashville kept the team’s focus on the music and not on the myriad distractions of Hollywood.
In common with Fun in Acapulco, the tracks were a mixture of soundtrack songs, plus two ‘filler’ tracks. The soundtrack songs were recorded last, in September 1963 and the fillers were taken from the sessions in May 1963 that had yielded the two extra tracks for Fun in Acapulco.
On this album, five songwriting credits go to Bernie Baum, Bill Giant and Florence Kaye. These included the first track Kissin’ Cousins (Number 2). However, another songwriting team, duo Fred Wise and Randy Starr, had the honour of their track, the similarly named Kissin’ Cousins, chosen as the only track released as a single.
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Side 1 |
Side 2 |
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Kissin’ Cousins (Number 2) Smokey Mountain Boy There’s Gold in The Mountains One Boy, Two Little Girls Catchin’ On Fast Tender Feeling |
Anyone (Could Fall in Love with You) Barefoot Ballad Once Is Enough Kissin’ Cousins Echoes Of Love (filler #1) (It’s a) Long Lonely Highway (filler #2) |
Roustabout (October 19, 1964, RCA Victor LPM/LSP-2999)
Elvis’s ninth soundtrack LP was released in October 1964. Ten of the eleven tracks were recorded in March of the same year, with Baum, Giant and Kaye’s title track recorded at the end of April. All sessions took place at Radio Recorders.
Roustabout would be the last of Elvis’s soundtrack albums to reach number one in the Billboard LPs chart and his last album until 1973’s Aloha from Hawaii: Via Satellite.
Elvis was becoming an industry at this point. Films would be produced in less than a month, with around half of the budget paid to him as an upfront fee. Soundtrack albums were churned out with just a two-week turnaround from the whole process, from writing to recording.
As a result, talented songwriters such as Pomus and Shuman, [Otis] Blackwell and [Winfield] Scott plus Don Robertson became disillusioned with the process. Blackwell and Scott were especially put out to learn that their submitted title track, [I’m a] Roustabout had been passed over for Baum, Giant and Kaye’s Roustabout. Even Elvis and his backing musicians gave off “going through the motions” vibes.
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Side 1 |
Side 2 |
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Roustabout Little Egypt Poison Ivy League Hard Knocks It’s a Wonderful World Big Love, Big Heartache |
One Track Heart It’s Carnival Time Carny Town There’s a Brand New Day on the Horizon Wheels on My Heels |
Girl Happy (March 1, 1965, RCA Victor LPM/LSP-3338)
Still, the money kept coming in, so Elvis kept churning out the films and their associated soundtrack LPs. Girl Happy was his tenth soundtrack album. Eleven of the twelve tracks were recorded at Radio Recorders between June 10 and 12, 1964. The final track, You’ll Be Gone, written by Elvis with his bodyguard Red West and Charlie Hodge, was taken from the March 1962 Pot Luck
sessions at Studio B in Nashville.
Legend has it, that on playing You’ll Be Gone to Priscilla, Elvis was so upset by her reaction to it that he didn’t write another song in his career. That said You’ll Be Gone was released as the b-side to Do the Clam in February 1965. Puppet on a String was also released as a single.
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Side 1 |
Side 2 |
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Girl Happy Spring Fever Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce Startin’ Tonight Wolf Call Do Not Disturb |
Cross My Heart and Hope to Die The Meanest Girl in Town Do the Clam Puppet on a String I’ve Got to Find My Baby You’ll Be Gone |
Harum Scarum (November 1, 1965, RCA Victor LPM/LSP-3468)
Yet another soundtrack album, Harum Scarum was Elvis’s eleventh album of the type. Another eleven tracks were summarily dashed through over three days at the end of February 1965.
Nine of the eleven were used in the film but the last two Animal Instinct and Wisdom of the Ages were not. None of the tracks were issued as singles, which is a good job because Tell Me Why b/w Blue River, released in December 1965 reached only number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album is considered a low point in Elvis’s career and it’s not difficult to hear why.
At this point, Elvis needed to deviate from the established formula because sales were on the slide. Innovators such as the Beach Boys and the Beatles, with 1965 albums such as Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) and Rubber Soul respectively, were setting the bar ever higher. What’s more, with Pet Sounds
and Revolver to come in 1966 the writing was on the wall for Elvis.
If you are an Elvis Completist and you haven’t got this one, you would do well to treat yourself here.
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Side 1 |
Side 2 |
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Harem Holiday My Desert Serenade Go East, Young Man Mirage Kismet Shake That Tambourine |
Hey Little Girl Golden Coins So Close, Yet So Far (From Paradise) Animal Instinct Wisdom of the Ages |
There we have it. Elvis’s LP Discography for US releases between 1961 and 1965.
If you have enjoyed this article or have anything you would like to add to the debate, please leave me a comment below.