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The ultimate site about the king of the analogue age

 

In May 2002 BMG (Bertelsmann Music Group) released "Elvis vs JXL - A Little Less Conversation". In the US the track stagnated at number 50 of the Billboard Charts, but in 20 (!) other countries it became a number one hit and earned quite a few Gold and Platinum Awards.

Contrary to the previously released remixes and remakes, this one is available on the streaming platforms. But until now Sony hasn't produced a Hi-Res version. On Spotify the track clocks in at around 225 million streams and is one of the ten most requested Presley tracks.

The man behind this track was the Dutch musician Tom Holkenborg, who also was known as "Junkie XL". Because the king's management didn't want the late singer to be connected with the word "junkie", Holkenborg changed his name for this project to "JXL". 

 

A Little Less Conversation

On March 7, 1968 Elvis recorded "A Little Less Conversation" at Western Recorders in Hollywood/California. The song belonged to the soundtrack of the MGM production "Live A Little, Love A Little" and was released on the b-side of the single "Almost In Love". Even though the record sold poorly, the king re-recorded the tune on June 24, 1968 for his television special "SINGER presents Elvis". Finally the track wasn't used and went into the vaults. It stayed there, until Tom Holkenborg used it for a tv commercial of the sporting goods manufacturer Nike. He emphasized the drums, the guitar and the horns and added various electronic effects. The "unknown" song from the commercial became so popular, that BMG released it on this single and also produced a video.

 

Verdict

With "Elvis vs JXL: A Little Less Conversation" BMG finally managed the stunt to make the king hip again. The track itself still is fun to listen to, at least if you grew up with stuff like that (like me).

 (C) BMG - Bertelsmann Music Group