And while we’re counting years, the classic recordings on this LP are 69 years old this year! So let's go back to 1956 by spinning this disc.
Design
The design of the original album was an instant classic. Elvis sitting on the floor of RCA’s Studio 1 on 155 E. 24th Street in New York on July 2, 1956, listening to the playback of the new music he just recorded, captured so well by Alfred Wertheimer. With the modern typography, simply stating his first name and half a year, no other text was needed to summarize the record's content.
The LP is a copy of the original release, including the nicely printed inner sleeves and replica label, but there are a few changes as well. A plus is the blue-colored vinyl, a nice novelty for vinyl fans. A drawback is that the first edition contained a 24-page booklet, while every re-issue since then only came with a 4-page booklet.
The cover does mention “Collector’s Edition,” but that is something we also find on all versions of this LP. Oddly enough, the year on the back is 2014, but that is probably due to the use of an older print file.
That said, this eye-catcher stood out in the record store 30 years ago, and it still does today! The packaging as a whole is attractive and a great show-off to anyone who is interested in Elvis and you want to show them just 1 album from your collection. I for one am glad to see the album back on the shelves of my favorite record store.
Content
When Elvis moved from Sun Records to RCA, the suits in New York were in a hurry to get a return on their investment, and were quick to re-issue Elvis’ Sun singles on their own label, followed by new recordings made on January 10 and 11, 1956, at the RCA studio located at in Nashville. ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ was one of the new songs with a new sound that catapulted Elvis into stardom, securing the first part of RCA’s investment and cementing Elvis musical career.
When you look at the track listing of Elvis’ debut album that followed, you will find tracks that were recorded between 1954 and 1956, so it didn’t reflect the new rock-and-roll sound, and it omitted the single hits like 'Heartbreak Hotel'. I won't say that is was a rush-release, but looking back now, some more thought could have gone into the album.
On this 1956 compilation, we get the album that perhaps should have been released to cash in on the new rock-and-roll craze. A new album with new music, recorded by a new artist who switched from the local amateur level to the major league of music, and adapted himself almost instantly without losing the raw, unfiltered energy that made him a star and a legend!
Elvis' SUN recordings may have earned him his place in music history, the first recordings for RCA, as captured on this LP, cemented his breakthrough and career.
The album is built around the A- and B-sides of his first five singles for RCA, along with another five songs from his self-titled debut album, completed with six selections from his second album. All songs featured here were recorded and released in 1956, with the exception of “Too Much’, which was released in January 1957.
If only the A-side of this record with the songs ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘My Baby Left Me’, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, ‘So Glad You’re Mine’, ‘Tutti Frutti’, ‘Paralyzed’, ‘Ready Teddy’, ‘Hound Dog’, ‘Don’t Be Cruel’, ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’, ‘Rip it Up’, ‘Money Honey’ and ‘Blue Moon’ had been released as an album, it would perhaps have made an even bigger impression and lasting impression than Elvis’ debut album did. There isn't a bad track in this side. And yes, when you turn the vinyl of this 1956 compilation around, the B-side could easily have followed in the footsteps of the A-side as a follow-up LP.
The music on this album is presented as it was recorded, in Mono, so it doesn’t get more original than this for the fans of the pure and original Elvis sound. The blue 180 gr. vinyl feels solid, is as flat as it should be, and free of noise, so the music really shines. Fans of high-resolution audio may complain that 22 tracks on 1 LP is a bit much, squeezing the music and the vinyl grooves together, but I didn't hear a "thinner" sound (but perhaps I was enjoying the songs too much).
And although it “just” encompasses the first year of Elvis' career with RCA, all the music is part of our shared history. Where his debut album featured rockabilly, rhythm and blues, tearjerking country, and ballads, this album primarily concentrates on the rocking part of his new catalog, showcasing the rebel rocker that drove both dads and their daughters crazy, albeit for different reasons.
Conclusion
The Music On Vinyl label has built a solid reputation with quality reissues, and this 'Elvis 56' album is no exception. The album collects many of the important recordings from Elvis’ first professional year at RCA, where he had to prove his worth as an artist and earn back his weight in gold. This album proves he did!
If I can make just two requests: please press more than just 2,000 copies, because this album deserves a permanent presence in music stores, because there is too much mediocre music out there that doesn’t do the legacy of our man justice. And secondly, please do a follow-up for 1957.
The album is available from the >>> Music on Vinyl webshop, and >>> Bennies Fifties webshop.