Listen to 'An American Trilogy' from the Sony Music release 'If I Can Dream'
Priscilla Presley told Rolling Stone in a recent interview how she found the song and brought it to her husband. 'I was driving down Sunset Boulevard, and I heard Mickey Newbury singing it, and I went 'Oh, my God' and made a U-turn and went back to the house', she said. 'No one usually ever brought songs to him. Elvis picked out all of his songs, with the exception of movie songs which matched the scenes. No one ever said, 'Hey, El, you got to do this song'.
'So I said, 'There's a song I think you really should listen to', ' she continued. 'And he said, 'Well, put it on'. So I did, and he just sat there at the desk. He put his head down and kind of nodded to it. He closed his eyes and said, 'Damn, damn good song'. And the next thing I know, we're back in Vegas, and he ate it up and spit it out'.
The orchestral record spans the singer's career and, in addition to the work of the orchestra and Eddy, features contributions from Michael Bublé, who sings half of 'Fever' as a duet, and opera-pop trio Il Volo, who add texture to 'It's Now or Never.'
'This is the album I think he always would have wanted to do', Priscilla said. 'The label would have never allowed him to have an orchestra. And if it was up to [manager] Colonel Parker, he would have had Elvis just singing - no background, no nothing. I think we have given him the freedom here to experiment with all the orchestras he would have loved in the pieces'.
The super deluxe version of the 'If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra' album includes 3 additional tracks on CD, 2 heavyweight LPs, a poster and a 12" booklet, all housed in a box. This is is a remarkable new album featuring classic Elvis vocal performances with brand-new orchestral accompaniment, along with a duet with Michael Bublé on Fever.An exciting revisit of Elvis' work, ‘If I Can Dream' focuses on the iconic artist's unmistakable voice, emphasising the pure power of The King of Rock and Roll. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, the album features Elvis' most dramatic original performances augmented with lush new arrangements by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 'This would be a dream come true for Elvis', Priscilla Presley says of the project. “He would have loved to play with such a prestigious symphony orchestra. The music…the force that you feel with his voice and the orchestra is exactly what he would have done'.
Buy If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Vinyl Tracklisting
1. Burning Love
2. It's Now Or Never
3. Love Me Tender
4. Fever featuring Michael Bublé
5. Bridge Over Troubled Water
6. And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind
7. You've Lost That Loving Feeling
8. There's Always Me
9. Can't Help Falling In Love
10. In The Ghetto
11. How Great Thou Art
12. Steamroller Blues
13. An American Trilogy
14. If I Can Dream
15. Anything That's Part Of You
16. What Now My Love
17. Heartbreak Hotel
Listen to 'If I Can Dream (03:13)
Latest Audio (and video) updates : Video courtesy of Elvis Presley Video Central.
An exciting revisit of Elvis' work, IF I CAN DREAM focuses on the iconic artist's unmistakable voice, emphasizing the pure power of The King of Rock and Roll. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London with acclaimed producers Don Reedman and Nick Patrick, the 14-track album features Elvis' most dramatic original performances augmented with lush new arrangements by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
'This would be a dream come true for Elvis', Priscilla Presley says of the project. 'He would have loved to play with such a prestigious symphony orchestra. The music ... the force that you feel with his voice and the orchestra is exactly what he would have done'. Don Reedman also commented, 'Abbey Road Studios and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are as good as it gets and Elvis deserves as good as it gets'.
Priscilla Presley said the disc, 'If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra', was conceived during discussions she had with producer Don Reedman while she was in London acting in a play two years ago. She admitted initial skepticism, since her role with Elvis' estate requires her to sift through a lot of lousy ideas for use of his name or music.
But it grew on her, and when Elvis' former Las Vegas conductor approached her with a similar idea last year, she saw it as validation. While Elvis was obviously known best for rock 'n' roll, he had a large music collection that encompassed many different styles, she said. And he loved the sound of an orchestra.
'Knowing him, he wanted bigness, he wanted fullness, he wanted drama', she said. 'His manager at the time, Col. Parker, said 'just have Elvis singing, that's all the people want'. But onstage, he surrounded himself with the music that influenced him - gospel singers, an orchestra, a rock band. People didn't get that'.
She and Reedman obviously include some well-known Presley songs, like 'In The Ghetto' and 'It's Now or Never'. But they also wanted some songs that may be overlooked in his catalog, like Neil Diamond's 'And the Grass Won't Pay You No Mind' or a version of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'.
The new disc will add to what is already one of the most active and successful entertainment estates, largely through the work of Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie Presley.
The album features a scintillating duet with best-selling jazz-pop singer Michael Bublé on 'Fever'. The album also includes additional contributions by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Duane Eddy adding his signature sound to 'An American Trilogy' and 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', and Italian operatic pop trio Il Volo lending their outstanding vocals to 'It's Now or Never'. As arranger Nick Patrick said, 'This is the record he would have loved to make'. IF I CAN DREAM also highlights Elvis Presley's diverse musical tastes and appreciation for great vocalists spanning a variety of genres from standards to opera.
Vinyl Tracklisting
1 Burning Love
2 It's Now Or Never
3 Love Me Tender
4 Fever (feat. Michael Bublé)
5 Bridge Over Troubled Water
6 And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind
7 You've Lost That Loving Feeling
8 There's Always Me
9 Can't Help Falling In Love
10 In The Ghetto
11 How Great Thou Art
12 Steamroller Blues
13 An American Trilogy
14 If I Can Dream
Buy If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
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Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.
