After three extended players by the name of "Elvis Presley" RCA Victor finally presented "The Real Elvis". At the time the record didn't chart on the "Hot 100", but on June 16, 1958 it entered the by now established "Best Selling EPs Chart", had a run of five weeks and peaked at number five. Because of the constant demand RCA Victor kept "The Real Elvis" on the catalogue until the 1960s and sold more than a million copies in the US alone. The RIAA honored the sales with a Platinum Award. The amount of physical sales equals 150 million paid streams of the complete record.

Once again the cover was made up with photos, that had been shot during one of the king's appearances on "The Stage Show". But this time Colonel Parker made sure, that only his client was shown.

The ep is not available on the streaming platforms, because the songs can be found on the albums "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958) and "For LP Fans Only" (1959).

RCA Victor compiled the singles "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" / "My Baby Left Me" and "Don't Be Cruel" / "Hound Dog" on an extended player. So the package was attractive for all the fans, who hadn't bought the 45s.

On July 2, 1956 Elvis recorded "Don't Be Cruel" at RCA Studio 1 in New York City/New York. He worked hard on the track and needed 28 takes before he reached a satisfactory result. The song was written by Otis Blackwell, but Colonel Parker was able to deal out a 50% share of the royalties for his client. Therefore Elvis was also listed as composer. Mr. Blackwell obviously wanted to write a hit and so he took many bits and pieces of other popular songs. But regardless the authenticity "Don't Be Cruel" is one of the best recordings of the "early" Elvis and a highlight of his catalogue. RCA Victor also released the track on the single (1956), the albums "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958), "A Legendary Performer" (1974) and Pure Gold (1975) as well as on the boxed set "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1" (1970). Live performances can be found on "Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden" (1972) and "Elvis In Concert" (1977).

This schmaltz was recorded on April 14, 1956 at the RCA Studios in Nashville/Tennessee. Because no satisfactory take could be archived, Steve Sholes created a master by splicing takes 14 and 17. The song was written by Maurice Mysels and Ira Kosloff, RCA Victor released it on the single (1956), the album "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958) and the boxed set "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1" (1970). Take 15 was released on the album "A Legendary Performer - Volume 2" (1976).

"Hound Dog" was also recorded on July 2nd, but this time the rock'n'roll king needed 31 attempts to get it right. At first the song was credited to Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Johnny Otis, but after a legal dispute it became just Leiber/Stoller. Originally "Hound Dog" was recorded and released in 1952 by Willie Mea "Big Mama" Thornton, later Jack Turner and Eddie Hazelwood also recorded the song. Elvis performed it much faster and harder than his predecessors and turned it into an iconic rock'n'roll song. RCA Victor also released it on the single (1956), on the album "Elvis' Golden Records" (1958) and the boxed set "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits - Volume 1" (1970). Live versions can be found on "Elvis" (1968),  "From Vegas To Memphis / From Memphis To Vegas" (1969), "Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden" (1972), "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" (1973). "Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis" (1974) and "Elvis In Concert" (1977). However, the king never even came close to the greatness of his original recording.

RCA Victor released "My Baby Left Me" on the single (1956), the album "For LP Fans Only" (1959) and the boxed set "The Other Sides - Worldwide Gold Award Hits Volume 2" (1971). A live version can be found on "Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis" (1974). The song was written by Arthur Crudup and is basically a copy of his own "That's All Right". To me "My Baby Left Me" is better, because D.J. Fontana's drums provide a lot of drive and Elvis sings with more energy. The studio version was recorded on January 30, 1956 at the RCA Studio in New York.