October 6, 2003

Not No. 1? That's All Right, Elvis

lvis 2nd to None
Elvis Presley

Last year, with "Elvis 30 No. 1 Hits," Elvis Presley's top singles were repackaged for newer fans. The album hit No. 1 on the pop charts and sold millions of copies. So it comes as little surprise that a year later, the formula is repeated. On "Elvis 2nd to None" (RCA/BMG Heritage), here come the No. 4 and No. 11 hits, along with the now-traditional dance remix tacked to the end for extra value.

Of course, it's easy to be cynical about RCA's latest repackaging of its Elvis catalog. After all, with hundreds of Elvis compilations in circulation, who needs more? But as much as the CD is a forced sequel, it is also a necessary one, just as the blue album from the Beatles or the second volume of greatest hits from Bob Dylan were.

The conceit of sticking to No. 1 hits limited the selection of the first Elvis CD — though it was rather impressive that RCA found 30 No. 1 hits considering that only 18 Elvis songs hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts. On Vol. 2, in addition to classic lesser-charting songs like "Viva Las Vegas" and "Blue Suede Shoes," there are essential favorites that never hit the American pop charts, from his debut single "That's All Right" to the hardheaded "Trouble" to the softhearted "Always On My Mind."

In addition to Paul Oakenfold's remix of "Rubberneckin'," which grooves similarly to JXL's remix of "A Little Less Conversation" on the first CD, the collection features the previously unreleased (and presumed lost) "I'm a Roustabout." Written by Winfield Scott and Otis Blackwell, the song is a predecessor of sorts to "Take This Job and Shove It." Recorded as the title track of Elvis's 1964 movie "Roustabout," it is superior to the version used instead.

But it was shelved at the time, supposedly for its lyrics, specifically a portion in which Elvis, in the character of a kicked-around handyman, sings about wanting to stick his workload in the ear of his boss.

Whether it is ultimately successful or not, the campaign to extend the brand of Elvis into the 21st century has been an impressive one: it has stopped at nothing, from altering his image, putting his songs in Disney cartoons about aliens and even changing the music itself with the JXL and Oakenfold remixes.

Yet, so far, Elvis hasn't been reborn, just resuscitated. No doubt, with a catalog as immense as his, next year we can look forward to a new Elvis collection-plus-remix with a title like "Elvis: 3rd Time's a Charm" or "Elvis: 3rd Down and Forever."

Definitive Hoosier Hot Shots Collection
Hoosier Hot Shots

The 1930's music of the Hoosier Hot Shots was so ahead of its time that it still sounds strange. Music was a ripe visual gag to this talented Midwest quartet, which specialized in making novelty versions of songs that were generally novelties to begin with. They were contemporaneous with the Raymond Scott Quintette, and a precursor to Spike Jones and the City Slickers. Yet the Hoosier Hot Shots came out of another world, that of rural country and the National Barn Dance radio show.

"Definitive Hoosier Hot Shots" (Collector's Choice), a compilation of nearly 40 of the band's madcap tracks, is the best sampling of the band to date. The music is alternately fun, bizarre, shocking (though not always politically correct) and silly. The band turns the traditional ballad "My Bonnie" into a diving tragedy ("spring back my Bonnie to me") and pledges allegiance to its favorite fruit in "We Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones)." But the charm comes less from the lyrics than from the music, particularly the liberal use of slide whistle by Hezzie Trietsch (who also played washboard and horns) and clarinet by Gabe Ward. At their best, the Hoosier Hot Shots sound like a circus clown let loose on a western swing band, a barbershop quartet in a slaughterhouse, cartoon music in search of a cartoon, and often all three of these conceits at once.