'Wild In the Country'

'Wild In the Country' is the fourteenth FTD extended movie soundtrack. Many Elvis fans would have previously purchased these songs on single & LP and again via RCA’s "Double-Feature" series. Here we continue EIN’s in-depth look at each one to see if they are worth buying again. Below reviewer Crister Berge is not that impressed with the rather weak choice of material.   For an alternate view, EIN's Piers Beagley discovers the delights of Elvis recording in this acoustic setting. Click here for his more enthusiastic in-depth review.

‘Wild In The Country’ (FTD 2008).

This is NOT a country album, folks…J

Only five songs on this, so there's a lot of repetition. Sadly, the material is also weak with "Lonely Man" being the exception, outstanding track as it is. The solo version (just Elvis and guitar) is a bore but with a full band, including wonderful vocals by the Jordanaires, it becomes a truly great number. Jimmie Haskell even gets to play a beautiful solo on his beloved accordion. "I Slipped" was tried out in a lower key and after the first attempt Elvis asks, "Is that a better key?". No, it wasn't.

The very first take of "Wild In The Country" is interesting. Here, the guitar intro is supported by drums and backing. Unfortunately it breaks down as Elvis doesn't hack the chorus (it’s too high). In the next attempt, the intro is just a guitar and in all the following takes the use of instruments is very sparse, too sparse, if you ask me. And what about the chorus? Well, from take 2 and on, Elvis started using his falsetto voice. But whatever happened to take 3-9? They're all gone with the wind! "Husky Dusky Day" is a duet with Hope Lang and it’s great fun. They both have a good laugh as it breaks down towards the end.

One thing that’s different from other studio releases with banter is that Elvis is actually corrected (by Fox producer Urban Thielmann?) on several occasions during these sessions. Sometimes he even cuts in right in the middle of a take. A few examples:
"You were a little flat on ‘always’!" ("Lonely Man" solo)
"You’re projecting too much now" ("In My Way")
"The tempo’s a bit slow!" ("Lonely Man")
He also encourages Elvis to make the absolute best effort possible: "El! Make one more for me!" ("Wild In The Country")

Lots of great photos in the booklet, although some of them are too small to be fully enjoyed. And check out the Aussie single of "Surrender" / "Lonely Man" – the drawing of Elvis looks like it’s made by a little girl! In the "Behind the scenes" section it doesn’t say what the film grossed. We’re informed that in 1961, RCA stated that Elvis had sold 75,000,000 records. Makes you wonder how anyone can suggest that Garth Brooks is the best-selling solo artist of all time…

I take my hat off to the song writing team Benjamin & Marcus for giving us "Lonely Man"!

© Crister Berge, Sweden 2008.

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For an alternate view EIN's Piers Beagley was far more impressed - Click here for his enthusiastic review.