Kissin' Cousins (album)

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Kissin' Cousins
Kissin' Cousins.jpg
Studio album / Soundtrack by Elvis Presley
Released April 2, 1964
Recorded May–September 1963
Genre Pop
Pop rock
Length26:15
Label RCA Victor
Producer Gene Nelson
Fred Karger
Elvis Presley chronology
Fun in Acapulco
(1963)		Kissin' Cousins
(1964)		 Roustabout
(1964)
Singles from Kissin' Cousins
  1. "Kissin' Cousins"
    Released: September 30, 1963
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Kissin' Cousins is the twentieth 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 LP's chart. [2] The album was certified Gold on March 27, 1992 by the Recording Industry Association of America. [3]

Elvis Presley American singer and actor

Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".

Monaural sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position

Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or stereo, which uses two separate audio channels to reproduce sound from two microphones on the right and left side, which is reproduced with two separate loudspeakers to give a sense of the direction of sound sources. In mono, only one loudspeaker is necessary, but, when played through multiple loudspeakers or headphones, identical signals are fed to each speaker, resulting in the perception of one-channel sound "imaging" in one sonic space between the speakers. Monaural recordings, like stereo ones, typically use multiple microphones fed into multiple channels on a recording console, but each channel is "panned" to the center. In the final stage, the various center-panned signal paths are usually mixed down to two identical tracks, which, because they are identical, are perceived upon playback as representing a single unified signal at a single place in the soundstage. In some cases, multitrack sources are mixed to a one-track tape, thus becoming one signal. In the mastering stage, particularly in the days of mono records, the one- or two-track mono master tape was then transferred to a one-track lathe intended to be used in the pressing of a monophonic record. Today, however, monaural recordings are usually mastered to be played on stereo and multi-track formats, yet retain their center-panned mono soundstage characteristics.

<i>Kissin Cousins</i> 1964 film by Gene Nelson

Kissin' Cousins is a 1964 American musical Panavision Metrocolor comedy film directed by Gene Nelson and starring Elvis Presley. Written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Gene Nelson, the film featured Presley playing two roles: an Air Force officer, with dark hair, and his look-alike hillbilly distant cousin, with blond hair.

Contents

Background

Since the sessions for Viva Las Vegas had gone way over budget, released after but completed before Kissin' Cousins , Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker determined for fiscal prudence to have the songs recorded at Studio B, away from Hollywood and its distractions, and its platoon of available on-call musicians. [4] Demand for songs to fill long-playing soundtrack albums, by now a regularity as the EP single was becoming less and less a viable sales item, strained the resources of the stable of Presley songwriters, with five songs alone originating from the team of Giant, Baum and Kaye. [5]

<i>Viva Las Vegas</i> 1964 film by George Sidney

Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American musical film directed by George Sidney and starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. The film is regarded by fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the on-screen chemistry between Presley and Ann-Margret. It also presents a strong set of ten musical song-and-dance scenes choreographed by David Winters and features his dancers. Viva Las Vegas was a hit at film theaters, as it was #14 on the Variety year end box office list of the top-grossing films of 1964.

Colonel Tom Parker Dutch entertainment impresario

Thomas Andrew "Colonel Tom" Parker was the Dutch-born manager of Elvis Presley. Their partnership was uniquely successful, Elvis being an entirely new force in popular music, and Parker an entrepreneurial genius able to market him.

Hollywood Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States

Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California, notable as the home of the U.S. film industry, including several of its historic studios. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the industry and the people associated with it.

Content

Ten soundtrack songs were recorded by Presley with members of the Nashville A-Team during two evening sessions in September, with two distinct versions by different songwriters of the title track, one (titled "Kissin' Cousins") recorded in Presley's normal voice and the other (titled "Kissin' Cousins (No. 2)") with a mock-hillbilly twang. [6] The former version of "Kissin' Cousins" would be issued as a single in February 1964, with "It Hurts Me" on the B-side. It would peak at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, its flipside making it independently to #29. [7] It became a gold record. "Anyone (Could Fall In Love With You)", included in the album, was omitted from the film. "Pappy, Won't You Please Come Home", performed by Glenda Farrell, is included in the film but omitted from the album.

The Nashville A-Team was a nickname given to a group of session musicians in Nashville, Tennessee, who earned wide acclaim in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. They backed dozens of popular singers, including Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Bob Dylan, Moon Mullican, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brenda Lee, and others.

Kissin Cousins (song) 1964 song by Elvis Presley

"Kissin' Cousins" is a song first recorded by Elvis Presley as the title track for the soundtrack of the 1964 motion picture Kissin' Cousins. The movie also featured a completely different song, titled "Kissin' Cousins ", written by Bill Giant, Bernie Baum and Florence Kaye.

Hillbilly derogatory term in the United States for people who live in rural areas

"Hillbilly" is a term for people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in Appalachia and the Ozarks. The first known instances of "hillbilly" in print were in The Railroad Trainmen's Journal, an 1899 photograph of men and women in West Virginia labeled "Camp Hillbilly", and a 1900 New York Journal article containing the definition: "a Hill-Billie is a free and untrammeled white citizen of Tennessee, who lives in the hills, has no means to speak of, dresses as he can, talks as he pleases, drinks whiskey when he gets it, and fires off his revolver as the fancy takes him". The stereotype is twofold in that it incorporates both positive and negative traits: "Hillbillies" are often considered independent and self-reliant individuals who resist the modernization of society, but at the same time they are also defined as backward and violent. Scholars argue this duality is reflective of the split ethnic identities in white America.

As had happened with soundtrack of Fun in Acapulco , two additional tracks, "Echoes of Love" and "(It's a) Long Lonely Highway" by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman were taken from the aborted "lost" album sessions of May 1963, and added here to bring the running order up to twelve tracks. Three selections — "Once Is Enough", "One Boy, Two Little Girls", and the single — were on the 1995 soundtrack compilation, Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II . [8]

Doc Pomus American musician

Jerome Solon Felder, known as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lyricist of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer in 1992, the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1992), and the Blues Hall of Fame (2012).

Mort Shuman songwriter

Mort Shuman was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as "Le Lac Majeur", "Allo Papa Tango Charlie", "Sha Mi Sha", "Un Eté de Porcelaine", and "Brooklyn by the Sea" which became hits in France.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Kissin' Cousins (Number 2)" Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence Kaye September 29, 19631:16
2."Smokey Mountain Boy"Lenore Rosenblatt, Victor MillroseSeptember 30, 19632:37
3."There's Gold in the Mountains"Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence KayeSeptember 29, 19631:54
4."One Boy, Two Little Girls"Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence KayeSeptember 29, 19632:32
5."Catchin' On Fast"Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence KayeSeptember 30, 19631:21
6."Tender Feeling"Bernie Baum, Bill Giant, Florence KayeSeptember 29, 19632:33
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Anyone (Could Fall in Love with You)" (omitted from film) Bennie Benjamin, Luchi de Jesus, Sol MarcusSeptember 30, 19632:29
2."Barefoot Ballad" Dolores Fuller, Larry MorrisSeptember 30, 19632:26
3."Once Is Enough" Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett September 29, 19631:55
4."Kissin' Cousins" Fred Wise and Randy Starr September 30, 19632:14
5."Echoes of Love" (bonus track)Bob Roberts and Paddy McMainsMay 26, 19632:20
6."(It's a) Long Lonely Highway" (bonus track) Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman May 27, 19632:38

Note

The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales, radio play, and online streaming in the United States.

Personnel

The Jordanaires American band

The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. They are known for providing background vocals for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972. The group has also worked in the recording studio, on stage, and on television with many other country and rock and roll artists.

Millie Kirkham was an American singer who was featured on many classic hit recordings from the mid-1950s through the 1980s.

Boots Randolph American musician

Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit "Yakety Sax". Randolph was a major part of the "Nashville sound" for most of his professional career.

Charts

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References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ "Pop Albums". Elvis Presley: Official Site of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. 2013. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Searchable database". RIAA. Recording Industry Association of America. 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2013. Note: Enter search for "Kissin' Cousins"
  4. ↑ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; p. 186
  5. ↑ Jorgensen, op. cit., pp. 186, 199.
  6. ↑ Jorgensen, op. cit., pp. 185-186.
  7. ↑ Jorgensen, op. cit., p. 415.
  8. ↑ Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II at AllMusic
  9. ↑ Guralnick, Peter, From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters (Booklet for CD box-set)
  10. ↑ "American album certifications – Elvis Presley – Kissin' Cousins". Recording Industry Association of America.If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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