Title: Too Much Monkey Business (released in 2000)

Label: FTD

Date: Tracks overdubbed with new instruments in 1980

Sound Quality: * * * * * / * * * * * +

Compilation Rating: * * * / * * * * * +

Tracks: 1.Burning Love 2.I'll Be There 3.Guitar Man 4.After Loving You 5.Too Much Monkey Business 6.Just Call Me Lonesome 7.Lovin' Arms 8.You Asked Me To 9.Clean Up Your Own Backyard 10.She Thinks I Still Care 11.Faded Love 12.I'm Movin On 13.I'll Hold You In My Heart 14.In The Ghetto 15.Long Black Limousine 16.Only The Strong Survive 17.Hey Jude 18.Kentucky Rain 19.If You Talk In Your Sleep 20.Blue Suede Shoes (Duration: 61 min. 48 sec.)

Elvis: You have heard all this vocals before and if you are reading this you probably know it by heart. They are all flawless (with the exception of Hey Jude, probably).

Review: It seemed to be a fresh idea to overdub classic Presley performances in 1980, since there was no other way of putting new material at the time. It was already 2 years since Elvis' passing and it seemed like producers were only starting to get aware of the gold mine RCA had in the vaults with all the numerous outtakes and live recordings. The album didn't get the expected reaction, however, the Guitar Man single climbed to the very number 1 on the country charts. Felton Jarvis died on January 3 of that year never ever to see the result of his job.

This material has never been released on CD before, and you can guess why. It has nothing to offer to a regular music-lover and BMG chose a great option by putting it out on the collector's label. Maybe just a bit to early with all the quality releases that have seen the light of the day ever since? Okay, we will just shut up and go through the tracks.

We'll try to be objective though we have to admit that it's very hard to do. Everybody's got their own opinion about the JXL remix and this particular session. We prefer the original stuff with the original band doing the kind of arrangement that Elvis as the band's leader likes most. We like to see the progress of the music as Elvis Presley goes take through take and it's not too enjoyable when somebody (even if it is Felton Jarvis) changes anything without the Artist's agreement. BUT since we are reviewing this CD we'll try to close our eyes on this for a while and concentrate on the music.

Burning Love sounds a bit like home made work 'till we get to hear the refrain. The guitar (besides the voice) is the only thing that sounds professional on this recording. I'll Be There sounds quite unusual in the beginning, but is so distant from anything Elvis had ever done, that it hurts our ears. Guitar Man sounds like a fine soundtrack to a computer game or something, but is no good to the real fans' ears. Same goes to the following After Loving You. An unsuccessful attempt to do a funky arrangement for Too Much Monkey Business follows, but at least the guitar solo sounds fine. Just Call Me Lonesome is so close to master arrangement-wise that it it only makes us wonder what was the reason of redoing it? Loving Arms begins with a beautiful slide-guitar thing, sounds simply like a contemporary ballad with an Elvis sounding arrangement. Thinking About You sounds familiar as well, but a bit silly. A very country-sounding Clean Up Your Own sounds I Got A Feeling In My Body - like with the rhythm guitar player emphasizing that he's playing a minor chord in the beginning.

Felton surely knew about the existence of a blues version of She Thinks I Still Care, so he leads the band to follow a bluesy arrangement. At least this arrangement doesn't seem miles away from what Elvis could have done with the song. The slide-sounding solo in the middle of Faded Love is the best thing in this song, as the arrangement is very close to Just Call Me Lonesome. We always had concerns about the horns in the middle of I'm Moving On, but the up-tempo thing in this new arrangement (is it because of the bass or the drums?) is simply terrifying... Had Elvis spent more time time on I'll Hold You In My Heart it probably could have come to such an arrangement, a fine bluesy song.

In The Ghetto lacks the drama it had with the original arrangement which is a real pity. Long Black Limousine gets a very silly sound with this overdubs. A well amplified guitar doesn't save the situation on the following Only The Strong Survive. Hey Jude was probably the weakest performance of the American Studios 69' recording session, the overdubs only make it worse. There is something strangely affecting in the following Kentucky Rain - it appears to be a fine choice for a movie theme. A bluesy sounding If You Talk In Your Sleep follows, a guitar solo in the middle could have been a fine decision, but the producers chose otherwise. Save the worst for the last - Blue Suede Shoes seems to be a kind of a joke...

With all our respect to Felton Jarvis - this release will gather dust on our shelves for a long period of time. It's the right time to understand that nobody needs this silly remixes and stuff like that. We are talking about the music legacy of one of the finest musicians that ever came to Earth. We fully understand that things like the JXL remix make big bosses at BMG donate money to FTD to release this limited-edition CDs, which we all like in their most. But it kills the music. Nobody ever made music like Elvis Presley himself. It doesn't matter whether we are talking about the great Memphis Sessions of 1969 or some poor Tuscaloosa show of 1976 - it's pure Elvis Presley. When it comes to all the remixes and stuff like that - it's just money making. Unfortunately, that was the goal in 1980, when this sessions happened. However, the Follow That Dream label matches it's goal - they bringing rare stuff to the real Presley fans. Thanks for that!

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