In December 1983 the British label Everest released a double-album called "Blue Rhythms". The cover was tastefully designed and featured an older, already somewhat chubby Elvis. The pictures had been taken on July 19, 1975 in Uniondale/New York. The inner side of the gatefold-cover features liner notes and a closeup photo, also made on stage in Uniondale. I have no information regarding the sales, but they must not have been bad. Otherwise Premier Records Ltd. wouldn't have re-released "Blue Rhythms" in January 1985. Of course this compilation cannot be found on the streaming platforms, but all of the music is available. So anyone is free to create an accordant playlist.

The recordings on the album were made between 1954 and 1971 and were licenced to Everest by RCA Ltd. (Record Devision). Because Elvis had sold his rights to royalties for all songs (excluding "Fool") recorded prior to 1973 to the label, no payments had to be made to the singer's heir.

I bought the album somewhere in the mid-1980s. At the time I was about ten years old and just knew the comparatively few songs on the six or seven Presley-longplayers I owned. So this release featured quite a few tracks I had never even heared of. Besides that the cover showed an older, a bit overweight Elvis. Back then I had very few books about him (they had to be in German, you know) and they mostly featured images from the 1950s and 1960s, maybe also a few from "That's The Way It Is" and "Aloha From Hawaii". To make it short: "Blue Rhythms" seemed to be worth my pocket money.

Today I look like the chubby Elvis myself. OK, my hair is shorter, I don't have sideburns and also avoid to wear tight jumpsuits. But you know, what I mean. I have heared all songs the man ever recorded, have seen all of his movies and tv shows and experienced tons of outtakes and live recordings. I also have listened to many other artists, so I am able to compare the king's efforts. And still "Blue Rhythms" is a great compilation of r&b-based material, performed incredibly well and presented in an unusual, but stylish way. Without doubt this compilation has stood the test of time.

"If you're looking for trouble, you came to the right place". That's the first thing you hear on this record. Elvis sounds angry and dangerous and delivers the best version possible of Jerry Leiber's and Mike Stoller's "Trouble". In 1968 the king opened his tv special "SINGER presents Elvis" with this song and also performed it during the "Elvis Summer Festival 1973" at the Las Vegas Hilton. But he never surpassed his original studio recording, taped on January 15, 1958 within 5 takes. "Trouble" first appeared on the ep "King Creole - Volume 2" (1958), later it was re-issued on the boxed set "The Other Sides - Worldwide Gold Award Hits Volume 2" (1971).

It was the final song of the "Elvis Is Back!" sessions and everyone was running at full throttle. Elvis really feels the song and Homer Randolph surpasses himself with his dirty saxophone sounds. The track was recorded on April 4, 1960 within two takes and belongst to my all time favorites.

Elvis taped "A Mess Of Blues" within five takes on March 20, 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. It first appeared on the flipside of "It's Now Or Never", later RCA Victor re-released the track on the album "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4" (1968) and the boxed set "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1" (1970). It's more lightweight than "Reconsider Baby", but just as great.

The singer is courting the girl of his dreams with a bluesy undertone and nice interludes by Milly Kirkham. On March 12, 1961 Elvis needed four takes to record the song by Norman Blagman and Fred Wise. "Give Me The Right" was originally released on the album "Something For Everybody" and is one of the longplayer's highlights.

Mr. Presley was a huge fan of Clyde McPhatter and so he recorded his r&b hit "Such A Night" on April 4, 1960 for his album "Elvis Is Back!". The 5th take became the master. In 1964 RCA Victor re-released the track on a single and provided the king with another top 20 hit. Twelve years later the takes 2 and 3 of "Such A Night" were issued on the album "A Legendary Performer - Volume 2". Elvis didn't stray all that much from McPhatter's performance, but his (Elvis') version sounds more relaxed and the balance between a suggestive undertone and humorous exaggeration worked out better.

Elvis had recorded eight takes of "When It Rains It Really Pours" at SUN Records in Memphis/Tennessee in November 1955 and selected the fifth attempt for release. Because the singer moved to RCA Victor a few weeks later the track stayed in the vaults. In February 1957 Elvis recorded another eight takes of "When It Rains It Really Pours", this time at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California. Once again the recording was filed away. When RCA checked the vaults for unreleased material in 1965, they found the tapes and the king approved the 8th take to be used on "Elvis For Everyone!". The SUN recording was thought to be lost, but was found in 1982 and released on "A Legendary Performer - Volume 4" two years later. The original version is by SUN Records' Billy "The Kid" Emerson, who recorded it in 1954 as "When It Rains, It Pours". To make a long story short: It's a great track!

"Trying To Get To You" was written by Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton and released in 1954 by The Eagles. In January or February 1955 Elvis tryed to record his own version at SUN Records, but Sam Phillips wasn't convinced by the results. On July 21st the Hillbilly Cat tried again and the master was selected for the a-side of a single. When RCA Victor bought the contract the plan was burried. However, when the label released all the tracks his first album in the single-format, "Trying To Get To You" was coupled with "I Love You Because". Elvis himself must have liked this song very much, because live versions can be found on "A Legendary Performer" (1974), "Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis" (1974) and "Elvis In Concert" (1977). Even though I like the studio recording very much, my favorite is the one released on "A Legendary Performer", which was recorded in 1968 for the tv special "SINGER presents Elvis".

Vikki Nelson had recorded this song by Jesse Stone in 1957 and there was also another version by Tony Arden. Elvis recorded "Like A Baby" on April 3, 1960 and approved the 6th take for release. The king almost seems to loose himself in this edgy r&b song and delivers one of his best blues performances ever. Great, great stuff!

"I Want To Be Free" was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and taped by Elvis on May 3, 1957. First he recorded 11 takes, after that two additional pick up-takes of the songs' finale were produced. Further the king recorded five pick up-takes of an alternate finale. For the master take Jeffrey Alexander (the producer of the sessions) used take 11 and pickup-take 5 (alternate finale). If first appeared on the soundtrack-ep "Jailhouse Rock" (1957) and later was re-released on the album "A Date With Elvis" (1959).

Elvis recorded Claude Demetrius' song on January 13, 1957 at Radio Recorders and needed 14 attempts to do so. Jerry Lee Lewis covered "Mean Woman Blues" the same year, in 1963 Roy Orbison followed with another version. The combination of the ironic lyrics and the king's snotty performance is nothing but great and turns the 12 bar blues into a true highlight. The song was released on the extended player "Loving You - Volume 2" and the accordant longplayer (1957). Later it was included on the boxed set "The Other Sides - Worldwide Gold Award Hits Volume 2" (1971).

Even though the single was released in late 1964, Elvis already had recorded the song on June 10, 1958 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee. After eleven attempts without a satisfactory result the king simply decided to file "Ain't That Loving You Baby" away. When the label searched for unreleased tracks six years later, they selected take 4 as the master and released it after Elvis had given his permission. Later the song could also be found on the album "Elvis' Gold Records - Volume 4" (1968) as well as on the boxed set "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1" (1970). The rocker was written by Clyde Otis and Ivory Joe Hunter and released for the first time in 1956 by Eddy Riff. "Ain't That Loving You Baby" is a great track, much better than most of the songs Elvis was recording in the mid-sixties.

The single peaked at number 4 of the Billboard Charts and sold four million units. The track was also featured on the lp "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2" (1959), ep "A Touch Of Gold - Volume 2" (1959) and on the boxed set "The Other Sides - Worldwide Gold Award Hits Volume 2" (1971). A live recording can be heared on the longplayer "Elvis" (1968). On January 18, 1957 Elvis recorded "One Night Of Sin" at the Paramount Soundstage in Hollywood/California. The decision makers at RCA thought, the song by Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King was way too raunchy and so the lyrics were changed. The rock'n'roll king taped the new version on February 23, 1957 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood/California. Even though he already knew the song, he needed ten takes to get it right. While the narrator was blaming himself for a night of excesses in the original version, he now simply wants to spend a night with his loved one. Back in the 50s of the previous century even this was a risky statement, but at least more acceptable than a report of sexual escapades. It took RCA until the early 1980s to finally release "One Night Of Sin" on the album "A Legendary Performer - Volume 4".

"Little Sister" was recorded on June 25, 1961. Elvis taped 11 takes and approved the 4th one for release. The song is dominated by a (for the time) hard played electric guitar, but I still regard "Little Sister" to be a popsong rather than rock'n'roll or r&b. In 1961 the track became the b-side of "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame", two years later it was re-released on the album "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3". The studio recording later also appeared on the boxed set "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1". A live version can be found on "Elvis In Concert" (1977).

This song was written and recorded by Arthur Crudup in the 1940s, Elvis covered it on January 30, 1956 at the RCA Studio in New York City/New York within ten takes. Originally "So Glad You're Mine" was taped for the king's first album, but even though it would have been one of its strongest songs it was left out at the time. Of course it wasn't just included on the longplayer "Elvis", but also on the extended player "Elvis - Volume 2".

After having been released on a single in 1967, RCA put "Big Boss Man" on the soundtrack album "Clambake" as a bonus song. In 1972 CAMDEN used the recording on the budget album "Elvis Sings Hits From His Movies - Volume 1". The song was written by Al Smith and Luther Dixon and released by Jimmy Reed in 1960. Elvis recorded his version on September 10, 1967 within eleven takes. The narrator confronts his boss and tells him that he slave-drives him by letting him work all around the clock. The king sounds quite aressive and performs the r&b styled number extremely well. For his television special "SINGER presents Elvis" he re-recorded "Big Boss Man" and also performed it during his concerts from 1974 to 1977.

This is one of the highlights of the "Something For Everybody" album. The original was released in 1958 by Bobby Darin, the writer of "I Want You With Me" is Woody Harris. Elvis presents the uptempo popsong with a touch of blues, which I like very much. The song obviously wasn't a challenge for the group, because they taped it within two attempts.

The song was written by Jimmy Reed, who had released it back in 1959. Elvis' performance was taped on June 27th, 1968 during the first "informal" session for his tv special "SINGER presents Elvis". He sounds rough and full of power. Great stuff.

In this great, bluesy song Santa arrives in a black Cadillac and it's up to the imagination of the listener what is meant by "Hang up your pretty stockings and turn off the light - Santa Claus is comin' down your chimney tonight". Obviously Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller completely satisfied the wish to deliver a song suitable for the image of the king of rock'n'roll. "Santa Claus Is Back In Town!" was recorded on September 7, 1957 within seven takes. RCA Victor released the track on the lp "Elvis' Christmas Album" (1957), the ep "Elvis Sings Christmas Songs" (1957) and the single "Santa Claus Is Back In Town!" / "Blue Christmas" (1965).

Elvis himself is said to have disliked "Stuck On You" and calling it "Stuck IN You". However, it's a great song and a great performance. The king sings it with a touch of blues in his voice, but it's not really a blues song. I would say it's popmusic. "Stuck On You" was written by Aaron Schroeder and Leslie McFarland and was recorded by Elvis on March 20, 1960 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee within just three takes. In the spring of 1960 the single became a number one hit and sold 3.5 million copies. RCA Victor later re-released the track on the album "Elvis' Golden Records - Volume 3" (1963) and boxed set "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1" (1970).

The song was written by Chuck Willis, who also released it in 1954. On March 12, 1961 at RCA Studio B in Nashville/Tennessee the king needed just two takes for his cover version, mainly because he copied Willis' performance almost note for note. RCA Victor re-released the track on the boxed set "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1" (1970). Even though the king delivers a great performance of this fast blues song, it doesn't meet my taste. Maybe the fans from that period thought in a similar way, because the single "only" peaked at number 5 and sold 2.5 million copies. 

In 1964 "What'd I Say" was released on the b-side of "Viva Las Vegas", but turned out to be more popular and charted higher. The song was recorded on August 30, 1963, Elvis needed four takes to reach a satisfactory result. "What'd I Say" was written by Ray Charles, who scored his first major hit with it in the summer of 1959. Back in those days Elvis would have produced a steaming r&b performance, too, but in 1963 the result wasn't much more than an uptempo popsong with the backup singers sounding a tad hysterical.

The song is from the musical "Nights", which premiered in 1939. Elvis recorded "Tomorrow Night" on September 10, 1954 at SUN Records in Memphis/Tennessee, but it was filed away and stayed in the vaults until it was used to fill the compilation album "Elvis For Everyone!". To modernize the track Steve Sholes added a guitar overdub and harmony vocals by The Anita Kerr Singers on March 18, 1965. The recording was also slowed down a bit to match the pitch of Elvis' voice to its current sound. The result is nothing but stunning.

The bluesy "It Feels So Right" was written by Fred Wise and Ben Weisman and recorded by Elvis on March 21, 1960 within five takes. The king worked himself up into the song and delivered one of his classic performances. The track first appeared on the album "Elvis Is Back!", five years later "It Feels So Right" also was used in the movie "Tickle Me" and was re-released on the b-side of "(Such An) Easy Question".

 Without doubt "Merry Christmas Baby" is one of the best blues recordings Elvis has ever done. The song was put on tape on May 15, 1971 within a single take. The man is on fire and the band is playing at full throttle. It's almost a jam and it's a joy to hear how the guys were reacting to each other and how much fun they had. Felton Jarvis shortened the recording and had Eddie Hinton add a guitar solo on July 26, 1971. To promote the album "Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas", RCA Victor released "Merry Christmas Baby" on a single, which barely sold 100,000 units - worldwide! Why this great track turned out to be a commercial disaster cannot be explained. By the way: The song was written by Johnny Moore and Rou Baxter and recorded for the first time in 1947 by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers.