Elvis Presley

The King’s first platter in Living Stereo was a big deal for all sorts of reasons.

When Elvis came back from two years in the army fans were starved of new material, so RCA wasted no time getting him into their newly kitted-out stereo studios to produce a comeback album. But why choose this particular title?

Outside of his explosive 1956 debut LP – a record so potent that it literally changed the fabric of the known universe – diehard fans rate Elvis Is Back as one of his best albums. Elvis was young and back doing what he loved best and you can feel him rising to the event on every track.

Couple this with the studio’s quality and killer material like Such A Night, the bluesy Like A Baby and Reconsider Baby, the impact of a clearly enthusiastic Elvis is incredible. Check out the ear-candy of Fever, a remarkably open sounding track with finger clicks, slap bass and that rich deep voice in a slightly echoed style. It’s like Aphex Twin’s Analogue Bubblebath: rich, warm and fulsome .

Other examples are the “uh-huh” opener of Make Me Know It, but even that’s trumped by the ballad I Will Be Home Again – one of the most accomplished productions of a song on record. Things go a bit Fats Domino for Thrill Of Your Love, and there’s a sleazy guitar and piano combo holding It Feels So Right together – but it’s a lethal double-whammy with Like A Baby.