Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender: The Love Songs

It must be love

Well, it’s another telling of the Presley tale but this time concentrating on the tender times, the heartfelt bits and the vulnerable side of the man. A total whitewash, of course, but the angle of love songs as the central part of Presley’s career is a welcome and positive one. You might feel it schmaltzy – and in places it is – but the fact that this is an officially-endorsed release by Elvis Presley Enterprises means that there’s loads of actual archive footage, which gives it more weight than most.

For Elvis fans, there’s nothing new under the sun and anyone looking for particular insight here is bound to be disappointed. On the other hand, the script is great and the eyebrow-acrobatic narrator Ashley Judd is an engaging host throughout. Various Jordanaires, Sweet Inspirations and Imperials chip in too, while there’s also a bonus half-hour of interviews.

The familiar story rolls on, through some horrible films and dodgy songs, to the triumphant 1968 special and performances from the early 70s. The footage, and therefore time, stops around 1972, insinuating that the decline of the latter years never happened – a statement of love back to Presley’s occasionally-tainted and tawdry-headlined final legacy.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

Coming Home Music/EMI | 8460179

Reviewed by Joe Shooman
<< Back to Issue 369

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