Verdict
The medley mirrors the taste of the time, but isn't all that creative. The same applies to the album, which was simply filled with the songs of the medley and some bonus tracks.
(C) RCA Victor
In November 1982 RCA released "The Elvis Medley". The album entered Billboard's "Top LPs Chart" on the 27th of the month, had a run of five weeks and peaked at number 133. On the "Hot Country LPs Chart" the longplayer stayed for 14 weeks and reached number 29. In it's initial sales period the album moved 150,000 copies. The lp was accompanied by a single, but it stagnated at number 71 of the "Hot 100" and was already gone after seven weeks. On the "Hot Country Singles Chart" the 45 was listed for twelve weeks and peaked at number 31. In Belgium "The Elvis Medley" became a top30 hit, in Australia it reached the top20. Worldwide the single sold 250,000 copies, which translates to 37.5 million paid streams.
To sell the product to a younger audience, the cover was designed in a very modern way. It displayed the king in all phases of his career, but for some reason the main picture showed the singer looking overweight and a tad disheveled.
The Elvis Medley
The medley is a combination of "Jailhouse Rock", "Teddy Bear", "Hound Dog", "Don't Be Cruel", "Burning Love" and "Suspicious Minds". It was produced by David Briggs and engineered by Gene Eichelberger. The recording session took place on June 21, 1982 at The House Of David, the studio of Mr. Briggs. The band consisted of Reggie Young (guitar), Dennis Linde (guitar), Larry Londin (drums), Bob Ray (bass) and David Briggs himself (piano). The harmony vocals were provided by Ginger and Mary Holladay.
Jailhouse RockOriginal recording.
Teddy BearOriginal recording.
Hound DogOriginal recording.
Don't Be CruelOriginal recording.
Burning LoveOriginal recording.
Suspicious MindsOriginal recording.
Always On My MindOriginal recording.
Heartbreak HotelOriginal recording.
Hard Headed WomanOriginal recording.