| Elvis By Request | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | April 21, 1961 | |||
| Recorded | April 3 – October 7, 1960 | |||
| Studio | Radio Recorders (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 11:02 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Urban Thielmann | |||
| Elvis Presley chronology | ||||
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Elvis by Request: Flaming Star and 3 Other Great Songs is anEP by American singerElvis Presley, containing two songs from the motion pictureFlaming Star[1] ("Flaming Star" and "Summer Kisses Winter Tears", the latter cut from the final print)[2] and two of his earlier hits on the reverse side.
Recording sessions took place on August 8 and October 7, 1960, atRadio Recorders in Hollywood. Initially, four songs were composed for the movie, but "Britches" and "Summer Kisses Winter Tears" were dropped.[3] The soundtrack music in the film consists of only two songs, "Flaming Star" and "A Cane and a High Starched Collar." An early version of "Flaming Star," using the film's working title "Black Star," was recorded by Presley and later released in the 1990s. The lyrics of the "Black Star" version were seen by some commentators as part of the reference ofDavid Bowie'sBlackstar.[4] Both Presley and Bowie share the same birthday (January 8).
Two months after the film's premiere, RCA released theextended play singleElvis By Request – Flaming Star, catalogue LPC 128, which peaked at No. 14 on theBillboard Hot 100.[3] It contained the title track and one of the rejected songs, "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears," along with two of Presley's chart-topping 1960singles, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and "It's Now or Never." "Summer Kisses" would appear on the anniversary compilation albumElvis for Everyone five years later, and "A Cane and a High Starched Collar" would be released onElvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 2. Finally, "Britches" saw release onElvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 3 in 1979.
The song "Flaming Star" would be the title track ofElvis Sings Flaming Star, available at first only through select retail stores featuring products by theSinger sewing machine company as a promotional tie-in with Presley's 1968Christmas television special, which Singer had sponsored. This album would begin the series of Presley budget releases on theRCA Camden subsidiary label.
Elvis by Request is the only Presley EP to play at 33⅓rpm. All of his other EPs were 45 rpm.[5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Flaming Star" (from the filmFlaming Star) | Sherman Edwards andSid Wayne | October 7, 1960 | 2:25 |
| 2. | "Summer Kisses Winter Tears" (unused song from the filmFlaming Star) | Ben Weisman,Fred Wise, Jack Lloyd | August 8, 1960 | 2:17 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" | Lou Handman andRoy Turk | April 4, 1960 | 3:05 |
| 2. | "It's Now or Never" | Eduardo di Capua,Aaron Schroeder,Wally Gold | April 3, 1960 | 3:15 |
Credits for “Flaming Star” and “Summer Kisses, Winter Tears” only.
Spurred by radio broadcast of a bootleg recording of the songs from the movie, RCA creates an aptly named "request" EP Both Elvis and the Colonel feel the soundtrack material is unsuitable for record release but swallow a healthy dose of reality agreeing to put out the two best songs
... tracks recorded off the screen, Elvis was persuaded to allow "Flaming Star" and a ballad cut from the final print, "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears," to be released ...
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