| Elvis' Greatest Shit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album (bootleg)by | |
| Released | July 1982 |
| Recorded | Various |
| Genre | Pop |
| Label | RCA Victim Dog Vomit |
| Producer | Various |
Elvis' Greatest Shit is a bootleg recording of Elvis Presley, released in July 1982. [1] It assembles a number of studio recordings (largely from Presley's film soundtracks), [2] live recordings, and outtakes intended to represent the worst recordings that Presley made in his career. [3]
The disc was assembled by a bootlegger known simply as "Richard", who thought some fans were overenthusiastic to the point of deification, and wanted to show that Presley, like most other artists, could not produce exclusively critically acclaimed work throughout his lengthy career. [1] The tracks are mostly recordings from film soundtracks, along with a few outtakes of well-known songs; one is an aborted take of "Can't Help Falling in Love," in which, at the breakdown of the take, Presley exclaimed, "Aw, shiiiiiiiit!". [3]
This "poor taste" concept did not merely extend to the album's contents but continued on the cover, which contained a photo of Presley shortly after his death, lying in a coffin. The photograph was allegedly taken by Presley's cousin and subsequently sold to the National Enquirer . [4] The subtitle, "50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can Be Wrong", parodied the compilation album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong, and the packaging included a reproduction of a prescription from George Nichopoulos, one of Presley's doctors. [1]
The album's putative label was not RCA Victor, for which Presley recorded for almost his entire career, but "Dog Vomit" or "RCA Victim", [5] and featured a parody of Nipper, the dog in the RCA Victor "His Master's Voice" logo, vomiting into a gramophone, captioned "He Makes Me Sick". [1] [6]
Most of the tracks are diegetic music from the following films starring Presley: [upper-alpha 1]
Of the choice of tracks, Lee Cotten, author of several Presley books, said, "Elvis would probably have approved of the song selection. It is truly Elvis' greatest shit." [1] One critic agrees that at least five of the songs are among Presley's worst. [7] On the occasion of Presley's 75th birthday, another suggested that recording these songs should have made Presley self-destructive. [8]
Presley himself was known to have disliked at least two of the songs on the album. He walked out of the recording studio upon learning that he would have to sing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" for the movie Double Trouble. [9] At the end of the recording session for "Dominic the Impotent Bull" from Stay Away, Joe, Elvis made his producer Felton Jarvis promise never to release the song outside of the film; Jarvis kept his word, and it was not made available on any record while either of the two were alive. [10] Elvis' Greatest Shit was released after both of their deaths, and was the first time that the song was on any record. The song's official title was thus unknown to Richard. It was first officially released in 1994 on the Kissin' Cousins/Clambake/Stay Away, Joe CD soundtrack compilation, where its official title was revealed as simply "Dominick."
There have been four pressings of the album; the album covers vary in detail, [11] as do the disks—different color, design, and words, but the audio material is the same. [12] One version has a white cover and the photo is relegated to the interior. [6] The bootleg vinyl album has since been reissued as a CD. [13] Whatever the format, "It is guaranteed that this CD probably gathers dust on collector's shelves instead of being played—the content definately[ sic ] makes a strong statement of the 'situation songs' that Elvis had to perform." [12]
Side one
| Side two
|
Elvis' Greatest Shit does not fully encompass the 1974 spoken word album Having Fun with Elvis on Stage , which "is still widely considered to be the worst record ever officially released by a major artist," although excerpts from it appear in between songs. [8]
"Richard" followed up Elvis' Greatest Shit with The Beatles vs. the Third Reich , containing a selection of recordings of the group's December 1962 appearance at the Star Club in Hamburg, and The Dark Side of the Moo , a compilation of rare or unreleased tracks by Pink Floyd, before exiting the bootleg industry. [1]
Stay Away, Joe is a 1968 American comedy western film with musical interludes, set in modern times and starring Elvis Presley, Burgess Meredith, Katy Jurado and Joan Blondell. Directed by Peter Tewksbury, the film is based on the 1953 satirical farce novel of the same name by Dan Cushman. The film reached number 65 on the Variety weekly national box office chart in 1968.
50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong: Elvis' Gold Records, Volume 2 is the fourth compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, issued by RCA Victor in November 1959. It is a compilation of hit singles released in 1958 and 1959 by Presley, from recording sessions going back as far as February 1957.
Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 is a greatest hits album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor as LPM/LSP-2765 on August 12, 1963. The album was the third volume of an eventual five volume collection, and his eighteenth altogether. It is a compilation of hit singles released in 1960, 1961, and 1962.
Elvis for Everyone! is a compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, issued by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3450, on August 10, 1965. Recording sessions took place over a ten-year span at Sun Studio in Memphis, RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, and Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California. It peaked at number 10 on the Top Pop Albums chart.
Elvis' Gold Records Volume 4 is a greatest hits album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, issued by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3921, in January 1968, with recording sessions taking place over an eight-year span at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, and at RCA Studios and Radio Recorders in Hollywood. It is a compilation of hit singles released between 1961 and 1967, peaking at number 33 on the Billboard 200. It was certified Gold on March 27, 1992, by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Let's Be Friends is a compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records CAS 2408, in April 1970. It is the second Presley budget album to appear on the low-priced RCA Camden label. It peaked at number 105 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It was certified Gold on June 15, 1999 and Platinum on January 6, 2004 by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 4 is a compilation album featuring recordings by American singer Elvis Presley. It was the last in a series of albums that began with Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 1 in 1974, and the first since Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 3 in 1979. It was also the final album by any artist in the RCA A Legendary Performer series to be issued. This album was made up entirely of heretofore unissued recordings by Presley, with the exception of one track that was previously released in the Elvis Aron Presley boxed set in 1980.
"Tomorrow Is a Long Time" is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan. Dylan's version first appeared on the album Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II compilation, released in 1971. It was subsequently included in the triple LP compilation Masterpieces.
Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II is a two-disc compilation of studio master recordings by American singer and musician Elvis Presley during the decade of the 1960s, released in 1995 on RCA Records, catalogue number 66601-2. It also includes a booklet with session details and an essay by Susan M. Doll.
G.I. Blues is the third soundtrack album and seventh (overall) album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2256, in October 1960. It is the soundtrack to the 1960 film of the same name in which he starred. Recording sessions took place on April 27 and 28, and May 6, 1960, at RCA Victor Studio C and Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California. The album topped the Billboard Top Pop Album chart. It was certified gold on March 13, 1963 and platinum on March 27, 1992 by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album remained at the #1 spot for ten weeks.
"You'll Be Gone" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and released in 1965 on the Girl Happy soundtrack album and as a 45 single. The song was recorded in 1962 and was one of very few which Presley was involved in writing; his co-writers were his bodyguard Red West and Charlie Hodge. The other song that Elvis Presley composed was "That's Someone You Never Forget" in 1961 with Red West, which was on the Pot Luck LP released in 1962. The song was recorded on Sunday, March 18, 1962, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee.
Girls! Girls! Girls! is the fifth soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2426, in November 1962. It accompanied the 1962 film of the same name starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on March 26, 27, and 28, and May 23, 1962. It peaked at number three on the Top LPs chart. It was certified Gold on August 13, 1963, by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Fun in Acapulco is the seventh soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2756, in November 1963. It is the soundtrack to the 1963 film of the same name starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on January 22 and 23 and February 27, 1963; and at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 26 and 28, 1963. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart.
Kissin' Cousins is the eighth soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2894, in April 1964. It is the soundtrack to the 1964 film of the same name starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 26 and 27, and September 29 and 30, 1963. It peaked at number six on the Billboard Top LPs chart. The album was certified Gold on March 27, 1992 by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Girl Happy is the tenth soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3338, in March 1965 – the March 1 date is disputed. It is the soundtrack to the 1965 film of the same name starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California, on June 10, 11, 12, and vocal overdubs by Presley on June 15, 1964. It peaked at number eight on the Top LP's chart. It was certified Gold on July 15, 1999 by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Clambake is the sixteenth soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3893, in October 1967. It is the soundtrack to the 1967 film of the same name starring Presley. He entered RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee on February 21, 1967, for recording sessions for his twenty-fifth film. Supplemental material sessions took place on September 10 and 11, 1967. It peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200.
Speedway is the seventeenth soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3989, on June 25, 1968. It serves as the soundtrack album for the 1968 film Speedway starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Hollywood, California, on June 20 and 21, 1967. It peaked at number 82 on the Billboard 200.
Elvis is the soundtrack album for American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley's 1968 television special of the same title, released by RCA Records. It was recorded live at NBC Studios in Burbank, California, with additional studio work taking place at Western Recorders, in June 1968. The album peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200; along with the TV special, it revitalized Presley's career after years of diminishing commercial and critical success. It was certified Gold on July 22, 1969, and Platinum on July 15, 1999, by the RIAA.
Follow That Dream is an EP by American singer Elvis Presley, containing four songs from the motion picture of the same name. The EP was released by RCA Victor in May 1962.
Viva Las Vegas is an EP by American singer Elvis Presley, containing four songs from the 1964 motion picture, Viva Las Vegas. It was released by RCA Victor in May 1964 to coincide with the film's premiere. The soundtrack EP made the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 92, the lowest-charting release of Presley's career to this point. RCA had not released a Presley EP single in two years; given the format's decreasing popularity in the United States and the disappointing chart performance of Viva Las Vegas, the company would only issue two more for the remainder of Presley's career.
elvis greatest.
elvis greatest shit.
