TOO MUCH MONKEY BUSINESS: The Elvis Forum

The original version was recorded on 02-07-63 by Jerry Jackson for an album.

Here is the clip.


colonel snow

This is a fantastic version. I heard it a while back when someone else posted a link to it.

I agree, John, this is a great version. I think this is a brilliant song, anyway. It's one of my highlights from the '68 Comeback.

The Elvis single release of this song was wasted as the 'B' side of the totally undistinguished Kissin' Cousins..............

...and that clearly shows that Elvis' management "team" were slippin', to say the least!

I can't for the life of me think that Elvis himself figured out the A and B side to this particular single...!?

Speaking of...
Do we have a list of singles where we know (more or less) Elvis himself decided which song(s) to be released as single(s)?
And who actually decided his singles' A and B sides, if not himself?

It was simple - they had a movie to promote.

They sure had.
But why didn't they also pick a song from the movie as the flip-side of the Kissin' Cousins single,
and saved It Hurts Me for another single - preferably as the A-side?
I guess they didn't believe enough in the song, being a ballad and all?
After all, this was in the middle of Beatle-mania...

He had some input at times.

I know he was keen on the release of An American Trilogy as a single.

It's relatively poor performance on the charts must have been a bitter disappointment for him.................

I'm Leaving is another song I believe that he really wanted as the A side but it was another sales flop even in the soft-rock early 70's. I think the only reason Burning Love became such as hit a year later is because of the whole 50's revival that was going on (for those that remember back then). We had Rick & Chuck back in the charts, Happy Days on TV, 50's rock revival shows touring all over and American Graffiti in the movies. I think Elvis rode that wave a bit, then it all faded again.

Different strokes. To me the TV version is not a patch on the studio version. This was the first time Elvis sounded "black" to me. Fantastic rendition.

Wonderful version, this deserved to be a hit and so did Elvis'

Very nice.. I love the song and Elvis' version is superior, sung with absolute vocal perfection it remains one of my favorite Elvis songs. As mentioned by John, the NBC version isn't in the same ball park as his 1964 studio version. It does remain a mystery as to why Elvis relegated the song to the B Side of "Kissin' Cousins'". Despite what others have said on this thread Elvis approved its release as such.

"for listening to Binder's same ol' lies"

Just out of curiosity: Do you have a source for this?

I really enjoyed that, thank you!

You seem to think Elvis had control over what he released and when... ha ha ha... RCA controlled everything, The Colonel controlled RCA. Occasionally they humoured him by letting him think they cared what he thought. Shame, he had some good artistic thoughts...

Interestingly, "Trilogy" did far better in the UK charts than in America!