www.elvis-presley.website

The ultimate site about the king of the analogue age

 

On August 31, 1956 RCA Victor released eight singles in one swoop. Besides "Shake, Rattle & Roll" / "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" the label also issued all tracks of the album "Elvis Presley". The most successful one was "Blue Suede Shoes" / "Tutti Frutti", which didn't chart but sold more than a million copies in the US and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The other ones didn't even came close to this number, but nevertheless the label sold several 100,000 units of each single.

The single is not available on the streaming platforms since the tracks can be found on the album "Elvis Presley". In 2016 the complete Presley catalogue was restored and remastered by Vic Anesini for a boxed set of 60 compact discs called "The Album Collection". Sony Music Entertainment provides the streaming platforms with the same versions of the individual tracks, albeit in 24 bit/90 khz flac. That means, if the platform of your choice supports high resolution audio, you can enjoy the songs in the same quality Sony used to scan and master them. On Spotify, which has a market share of approximately 30% and is the only platform that publishes streaming figures, "Money Honey" accumulates 4 million streams, "One-Sided Love Affair" clocks in at 3 million.

The records were sold in simple brown paper sleeves, nobody bothered to design proper covers. The whole idea was to generate some extra money by releasing the tracks in another format.  

 

Money Honey

Even though "Money Honey" was often performed on stage Elvis didn't manage to produce a satisfactory take in the studio (January 10, 1956). So Steve Sholes created a master by splicing the takes 5 and 6. In the song the illiquid narrator asks his girlfriend for money, but is left by her for a more solvent man. His conclusion is to better check the girl's finances before starting a releationship with her. The funny uptempo song was written by Jesse Stone and released in 1953 by The Drifters. Elvis liked their lead singer, Clyde McPhatter, and would later cover some more songs of the group.

One-Sided Love Affair

On January 30, 1956 Elvis recorded "One-Sided Love Affair" within eight takes. The song was written by Bill Campbell and released by RCA Victor on the double-ep "Elvis Presley" (1956) and a single with "Money Honey" (1956). Today "One-Sided Love Affair" is overlooked by fans and critics, but I like the song very much.

 

Verdict

 Both songs sneak into your ears and are very suitable for the radio.

 (C) RCA Victor