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