In the Ghetto: the Songs of Elvis Presley

The compilers regarded any song recorded by Elvis as eligible, so there are a few songs that aren't really Elvis songs, one example being The last farewell. Despite spreading their net so widely, they still included two versions of some songs - indeed, Hound dog appears in three versions, one of them being in a medley with Jailhouse rock. I suspect that there are enough recordings in the Pye vaults to have avoided this situation.

Female singers are represented here by Frances Gilvray (a bluesy version of Hound dog), Gale Warning (a strange version of Heartbreak Hotel), Petula Clark (Prends mon coeur - a French version of Fool such as I), Candi Staton (Suspicious minds), Lena Martell (In the ghetto), Julie Rogers (Crying in the chapel), Vera Lynn (Until it's time for you to go) and one half of Miki and Griff (There goes my everything). If you are thinking that this is an eclectic mix of singers for a collection of Elvis songs, look at the list of male artists here.

The male artists are a very diverse bunch including the Alexander brothers (a Scottish folk-country duo), Max Bygraves (easy listening), John Holt (reggae), Kenny Ball (jazz) Chairmen of the board (soul), Joe Dolan, Emile Ford, Mungo Jerry (who does a really strange version of Baby let's play house), Joe Brown, John Leyton, Frankie Vaughan, Mike Reid and Dickie Valentine are among them. There are four tracks here by the Wild Angels but I would not have been so generous. Of the tracks presented here, I like All shook up best.

You need to have very eclectic tastes to appreciate this collection but even so you are unlikely to enjoy everything here.


Suspicious Minds, But Not Quite A Hound Dog   February 17, 2003
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

When I picked up this collection of Elvis covers, and saw that it included singers like Max Bygraves and Dame Vera Lynn, I had my doubts. However the end result isn't all bad. The 2 discs contain a variety of styles, including reggae versions of Wooden Heart and Suspicion, as well as trad jazz arrangements of Love Me Tender and Wooden Heart (again). There are also more conventional cover versions from bands like The Wild Angels, and Dickie Rock and The Miami Showband. Two versions of Old Shep is a bit over the top though, particularly the one from cockney comic Mike Reid. If you're wondering when Max and Dame Vera come in, the link is rather tenuous. This collection includes songs which Elvis covered, and so we get Max singing The Last Farewell (Roger Whittaker), and Vera crooning Until It's Time For You To Go (Buffy St. Marie). If you want straight Elvis, then buy the Number 1s compilation, but if you are a Presley completionist, or just have a sense of humour, then this might be for you.