Ah the wonders of modern technology! The RCA label has released another Elvis Presley Christmas album but rather than just repackaging some of his holiday hits, they decided to get a little creative. They gathered together a number of country music’s biggest female stars to sing duets with him. Such artists as Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, Leann Rimes, Wynonna Judd, Amy Grant, Gretchen Wilson, Anne Murray, and even Olivia Newton-John lend their voices to create duets on some of Elvis’ classic Christmas songs.


The original tracks have been remastered and more instrumentation has been added to create a fuller and different sound. Some of the background vocals have been changed or at least enhanced. The results add up to not only an interesting but an excellent album.

Martina McBride doe not overwhelm Elvis on “Blue Christmas” as she's been known to do with other artists. She gives a subtle performance that matches the smoothness of his vocal. The drum track is turned up to give the song a little more punch than the original.

Carrie Underwood plays it a little too conservative on the classic “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” There is just not enough of her on the track.

“Here Comes Santa Claus” finds Leann Rimes giving a perky vocal that compliments Elvis well. The instrumental backing is turned down a bit in order to focus on the purity of their voices.

“Santa Claus Is Back In Town” is probably the strongest track on the album. This is a blues rendition that fits Wynonna Judd well. She trades vocal runs with Elvis and more than holds her own. This is the track that I played over and over again.

“Silent Night” is presented in traditional style. Sara Evans vocal is excellent but I can’t help think that she and Carrie Underwood should have traded songs.

Amy Grant joins Elvis on “White Christmas.” The vocals are excellent but the tempo is faster than the original.

“Merry Christmas Baby” is a second blues outing and another superior track. A piano and drums dominate the instrumental backing with some clear harmonica added on the break. Gretchen Wilson doesn’t really duet with Elvis but rather adds phasing that enhances his vocal.

“O Little Town Of Bethlehem” is not a duet but a threesome. Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman bring their clear harmonies to this song and create a wonderful counterpoint. The three voices give this track a fuller sound than many of the others.

Anne Murray has a lower vocal register than the other singers on the album and as such creates a different sound when she combines it with Elvis’. “Sleigh Bells” is presented in traditional up-tempo form.

The Christmas hymn, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” finds Olivia Newton-John providing half of the duet. Her voice is not a match for Elvis, so she wisely stays in the background.

Also included are three bonus tracks of Elvis singing alone. “The First Noel,” "If I Get Home On Christmas Day," and “Winter Wonderland” have all been issued a number of times over the years. Here we find them remastered with extra instruments added. The sound is so clear that you can actually hear the intake of Elvis’ breath.

Christmas Duets presents some classic Elvis in a new and creative way. It is a good and fun holiday listen. Merry Christmas to all fans of the true king of rock ‘n’ roll!

Tracklist:
Blue Christmas (Duet with Martina McBride)
I'll Be Home for Christmas (Duet with Carrie Underwood)
Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) (Duet with LeAnn Rimes)
Santa Claus Is Back in Town (Duet with Wynonna Judd)
Silent Night (Duet with Sara Evans)
White Christmas (Duet with Amy Grant)
Merry Christmas Baby (Duet with Gretchen Wilson)
O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Duet with Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town)
Silver Bells (Duet with Anne Murray)
O Come, All Ye Faithful (Duet with Olivia Newton-John)
The First Noel (2008 Rere

What is everyone's thoughts on Elvis By The Presley's?I've watched it dozens of times and love it...

The British magazine ‘Record Collector’ presents in its November 2008 issue a Top 200 with the most valuable albums of all times – produced in the UK. A large amount of the positions in the list are taken by British artists but, of course, such a selection of albums can’t go without Elvis. The most pricy items according the writers are:


Nr. 178 : ‘The Legend’ – RCA 89061/2/3 3-CD (1984) -

A strange notation: the only CD box in the Top 200 list. What can be so special on a box with previously released material? If you see that the box was released in 1984 – it’s obvious it is one of the first CD releases in the UK. RCAs target audience was the serious collector and released the box on a 5000 numbered limited edition with certificate and special booklet.

Nr. 102 : ‘Rock and Roll’ – HMV CLP 1093 (1956) -

Despite the fact that most albums are not so high in value as some may think, the original fifties albums are still very popular. This one is the debut album of Elvis and reached the no 1 position in the UK in November 1956.

Nr. 101 : ‘Flaming Star And Summer Kisses’ – RCA Victor RD 7723 (1969)

Die-hard collectors – who are not well informed about the Elvis catalogue – may wonder why a re-issue can catch so much money. When the album ‘Summer Kisses’ was released in 1965, it reached the n0 1 position in the charts. RCA decided to re issue the album in 1969. Because the overload of Elvis album releases that year (at least 1 , the record sale was not as expected. The top album of that year was ‘Elvis Sings Flaming Star’ (RCA INTS 1012). Together with the re issue, it’s a rare piece of UK vinyl.

Nr. 57 : ‘Rock and Roll No 2’ – HMV CLP 1105 (1957)
This is the most valuable vinyl album in the UK and contains songs as ‘Rip It up’, ‘Ready Teaddy’ and ‘Old Shep’. The album reached a number three position in 1957 and stayed there for three weeks. This album was sold by the bucket load more than 50 years ago, but it’s nearly impossible to find a copy in mint condition.

N0 1 in the list is the album ‘The Beatles’ from The Beatles that can go to € 9000 if you own one of the numbered albums of 10.000 copy’s – with a number between 1 and 10. Numbers reaching from 1001 to 10000 will go for a large amount of cash .