艾维斯回来了！ (1960)

Elvis Is Back! is the fourth studio album by American singer Elvis Presley, released on April 8, 1960, by RCA Victor. It was Presley's first album of new material since 1958's King Creole soundtrack as well as his first to be recorded and released in stereophonic sound. The album marked Presley's return to music after his discharge from the U.S. Army.

During Presley's two-year military service in Germany, RCA Victor and Paramount Pictures progressively released material he had completed prior to enlistment. During his last months in the Army, Presley began preparing material and working on improving his performance for his first session in Nashville, scheduled to take place upon his return. Upon returning to the United States in March 1960, the singer reunited with guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana from his original band, the Blue Moon Boys, for two blocks of sessions in late March and early April. The material on the album has some influences from the rock and roll of Presley's early work, but it also offers a mix of sophisticated pop, blues, R&B and the "Nashville sound" production values associated with Chet Atkins, who co-produced the recording sessions with Steve Sholes.

With public anticipation high, RCA rushed Elvis Is Back! and the standalone single "Stuck on You" into release mere days after Presley finished recording. The LP topped the UK Albums Chart and reached number two in Billboard's Top LP's. Initially, the release received mixed reviews, but over subsequent years its critical reception became more positive, with critics generally praising its stylistic variety, production quality and mature sound. Elvis is Back! was certified Gold on July 15, 1999, by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Background and Army years

Following his third and last appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Presley received a notice from the Memphis draft board on January 8, 1957. The board announced his 1A classification and his possible draft before the end of the year. During the first half of 1957, Presley had three number one hits with "Too Much", "All Shook Up", and "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear". His second film, Loving You, opened on July 30 to box office success. His Christmas album was released on October 15, and his third film, Jailhouse Rock, opened on October 17.

On December 20, Presley received his draft notice. He was granted a deferment so he could finish the forthcoming film King Creole, which had already received an investment of $350,000 from Paramount Pictures and producer Hal Wallis. At the beginning of 1958, Presley's single "Don't" topped the charts.

Presley was inducted into the Army on March 24, 1958. Soon after starting basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, he received a visit from Eddie Fadal, a businessman he had met on tour in January 1956. According to Fadal, Presley "firmly believed" his career was finished. After completing training, he joined the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany, on October 1.

Media reports echoed Presley's concerns about his career, but RCA Victor producer Steve Sholes and Freddy Bienstock of Hill and Range had carefully prepared for his two-year absence. Using unreleased material, they kept up a stream of regular, successful releases. Between his induction and discharge, Presley had ten top 40 hits, including "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck", the best-selling "Hard Headed Woman", and "One Night" in 1958, and "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" and the number one hit "A Big Hunk o' Love" in 1959. RCA Victor released four albums compiling old material during this period, most successfully Elvis' Golden Records (1958) (which rose to third position on the LP chart) and 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong.

Return to music

During his final months in the Army, Presley started to experiment with new material and thinking ahead to his anticipated return to recording. For his first scheduled recording session, Presley considered The Four Fellows' "Soldier Boy", the Golden Gate Quartet's "I Will Be Home Again", The Drifters' "Such a Night" and Jesse Stone's "Like a Baby". His friend Charlie Hodge taught Presley techniques to improve his breathing and expand his range. For inspiration, Presley used Roy Hamilton's "I Believe" and his version of "Unchained Melody", the traditional Irish song "Danny Boy", and Tony Martin's "There's No Tomorrow" (an English adaptation of "'O sole mio"). Presley also studied the phrasing and notes of records by The Inkspots and the Mills Brothers. By the end of his time in Germany, Presley had added a full octave to his vocal range.