An even lamer attempt at a Hawaiian backdrop produced a nice cover of the old
Drifters number as the title tune and "Return to Sender," an excellent mid-tempo R&B-ish hit. The ballads are pleasant, though hardly memorable.
Elvis is still singing well, especially considering the material and the arrangements. That would change shortly. While the movies
Elvis made during the '60s and their accompanying soundtracks did produce a reliable source of income, they were against
Elvis in the long run. The initial enthusiasm that accompanied even the silliest of plots in 1960-1962 was replaced by inevitable boredom. The Colonel's response to his boy's growing disillusionment was to find sillier scripts, reduce the budgets allotted for other actors and props, and accept songs the nonsense of which boggles the imagination. Still, during this time, especially those first few years when a movie meant having some fun,
Elvis also cut a number of tracks for lesser, nonmusical films, including several affecting ballads for Wild in the Country. In 1963
Elvis teamed up with the luscious
Ann-Margret, recording some of his most spirited singing in years for Viva Las Vegas. Had RCA Victor collected the best of these sessions, along with the standouts "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears," "King of the Whole Wide World," and "Follow That Dream," a surprisingly solid album could have been issued. Alas, these tracks were scattered to the winds, showing up on EPs, B-sides, and budget albums over a period of ten years. If one needs to delve into this period, an easy rule of thumb is that the further into the decade the soundtracks go, the less likely they are to please. ~ Neal Umphred