GUEST BLOG: VIVA ELVIS BY WINSTON OBOOGIE

Purists will be appalled but this CD based on the stage show, Viva Elvis by Cirque Du Solei is a worthy release of classic Elvis material with a little modern twist. It's much like they did with The Beatles, Love album several years ago and even ardent Beatle fans took to that remix, which made the much heard classics kind of fresh again.


 The Canadian producer, Erich van Tourneau had exclusive access to Elvis Presley’s extensive catalog, more than 900 recordings. His mission was daunting: Select choice cuts, deconstruct them, add new elements and put them back together while maintaining the integrity of the originals. “It was a mix of pain and pleasure,” van Tourneau said. “I had to listen to everything he did. It was really important to do that, to understand the nuances of the catalog and the changes. Elvis changed a lot during his career.”

Van Tourneau’s reimagined productions of classics such as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Love Me Tender” and others appear on “Viva Elvis – The Album,” the soundtrack to the Las Vegas show by Cirque Du Soleil.

The stage show is one thing, though but how does it work as an album? Well, mostly very well - the up-tempo numbers especially work well and Blue Suede Shoes and Suspicious Minds are excellent. Of course they'll never replace the originals but then that's not what they are intended for and instead offer a new and fun way to listen to the greatest voice there ever was.

TRACK LISTING
Blue Suede Shoes
That's All Right
Heartbreak Hotel
Love Me Tender
King Creole
Bossa Nova
Burning Love
Memories
Can't Help Falling in Love
You 'll Never Walk Alone
Suspicious Minds

To fully appreciate this album one needs to treat it as a whole and not just a collection of  tracks. It covers all Elvis eras from the hillbilly cat of 'That's All Right' to the jump-suit clad showman of 'Suspicious Minds .


(C) Winston Oboogie's shack 2010