Review Piger Piger Piger LP

The Memphis Mansion seems to be on a roll when it comes to new vinyl titles with the Danish upgraded re-issue of the ‘Girls! Girls! Girls!’ soundtrack, renamed to ‘Piger! Piger! Piger!’ and the LPs ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and ‘Elvis - The Rocker Revisited’ lined up for release. 

The album received overhauls from the Danish “Grafisk Design” department and an U.K.-based audio-engineer, time to give it a spin and see if the label remained true to the original, and if it is worth upgrading your collection.

 

Design 

Søren Karstensen, the label’s designer, took all the design-element of the original soundtrack album and created an authentic looking reproduction with a modern twist, translating all text-elements and replacing the pictures with matching alternatives. He has a good eye for detail as the pictures on the back are similar, but not the same. 

What’s not the same as the original RCA design is the modern label on the pink with red splattered vinyl. But for a novelty release from the Danish “reproduction” of Elvis’ Graceland Mansion, this design fits the bill.

For the collectors, there are 300 copies available on the pink colored vinyl, and 100 copies on yellow colored vinyl. 
 
Content
 
The ‘Girls! Girls! Girls!’ tracks were originally released in both Mono and Stereo, prompting the question of whether a new stereo mix was truly necessary. Purists may answer that question with a firm “no,” believing that Elvis’ original work should remain as it was first presented.

However, there is reason to view this differently. Many of the choices we have come to accept as “-original” were shaped by the technical limitations or creative decisions of the time. These choices were made by the artist, the producer, or the engineer, all aiming for a specific sound. Thus, stereo mixing is not merely a matter of fun; it is a craft. More importantly, it is an artistic choice and has always formed part of the musical “original artwork.”

Consider, for example, Sam Phillips using a second tape recorder in 1954 to create a “bigger sound” on recordings from his small studio, or RCA adding extra reverb to those same tracks after acquiring Elvis’s contract. Or, indeed, the unusual placement of musical elements in the ‘Girls! Girls! Girls!’ soundtrack where all the instruments sit fully on the left with the Jordanaires standing on the right, and Elvis centered in the center.

 
An original mix can be technically sound or consistent with the way music presentation was thought about in 1962, when stereo systems were becoming more common in American homes. Yet, some listeners might feel that there remains room for additional refinement.

The difference today is that music producers can use digital and A.I.-driven tools instead of using a second tape recorder to create that desired and refined sound. Using Stereo versions as a source for the digital extraction also helps the technique as it is easier to separate the elements.
 
For this release, Stuchbury has done exactly that. Using both a “good ear” and the craftsmanship familiar from his previous work, he has created a new listening experience. The rhythm section is now placed behind Elvis, resulting in a balanced and immersive audio presentation in which the drums serve as the foundation for the other instruments supporting the vocals.

In some cases, Stuchbury diverged from his own set-up to create a balanced sound, for example on ‘Return To Sender,’ where Boots Randolph’s saxophone can now be heard on the left. Moving that instrument to the middle or right side would have left the left channel uncomfortably empty. This is the kind of nuanced decision-making involved in creating a pleasant and well-balanced listening experience. While some of this is certainly subjective, I for one, will probably add these new immersive versions to my summer playlist.

The newly created Stereo versions of the 13 soundtrack songs on this LP were also released as part of the ‘From Florida to Hawaii’ CD by the French RDM-Edition record label (which also includes the ‘Follow That Dream’ soundtrack EP). So you can chose if you want your upgraded music playing from pink with red splattered vinyl, or from a shiny picture disc CD. 
 
There is one difference regarding the content, the aforementioned CD includes a previously unavailable version of ‘Dainty Little Moonbeams’, for the first time with female harmony vocals included. 
 
Conclusion
 
This is a fun summer release with an extra. The concept of creating a more colorful presentation within the stereo spectrum is an audible improvement. The “extra” may very well be the next step in presenting Elvis’ music in a new - and for the purists among us, alternative - way. We have moved from Mono to Stereo to Stereo Remixing with A.I. and craftsmanship can breathing new life into Elvis’ music. The question now is: what will the next step be? 
 
The next step regarding new Stereo releases are the Mono II Stereo mixes for the ‘Jailhouse Rock’ soundtrack and ‘Elvis The Rocker Revisited’ LPs. 

A Danish Course

Here is a little Danish course for beginners:

Piger! Piger! Piger! (Girls! Girls! Girls!)

Jeg Vil Ikke Være Bundet (I Don't Wanna Be Tied)

Hvor Kommer Du Fra (Where Do You Come From)

Det Vil Jeg Ikke (I Don't Want To)

Vil Skal Være Sammen (We'll Be Together)

En Dreng Som Mig, En Pige Som Dig (A Boy Like Me, A Girl Like You)

Drengen På Jorden (Earth Boy)

Retur Til Afsender (Return To Sender)

På Grund Af Kærligheden (Because Of Love)

Takket Være Det Bølgende Hav (Thanks To The Rolling Sea)

Rejens Sang (Song Of The Shrimp)

Væggene Har Ører (The Walls Have Ears)

Vi Kommer Med Lasten Fuld (We're Coming In Loaded)

Available

You can order the album from the >>> Memphis Mansion webshop.