Elvis Presley - Elvis is Back! Legacy Edition (Sony Music Entertainment)

34 years after his passing, Elvis Presley is still relevant, even if the world no longer stops what it’s doing to observe both his birth and death days as it once did. Sure, the Elvis marathons still fly with King Creole, Kissin’ Cousins and Viva Las Vegas on the less-mainstream cable stations. Yet, as the fifties’ greasers and Boomers begin their content retreat into retirement acres, so too has the overt impact of Elvis Presley upon American society retreated.

Graceland may still be a rock ‘n roll mecca for fans of all ages and few attempt to strip Elvis of his crown, but let’s face it, sometimes it’s hard to maintain steady p.r. when you’ve long left terra firma rocka rolla. That is, unless you have a record label interested in carrying the torch forward into a world obsessed with the daily tweets of Katy Perry and how many strokes behind Tiger Woods is this week.

Elvis’ induction into the U.S. army back in 1958 carried the same buzzworthiness as Lady Ga Ga‘s up-to-the-minute look-at-me stunts. Not that rock ‘n roll stopped when Elvis Presley turned up in fatigues and bereft of his pompadour, but its cylinders slowed until his return. Elvis was back in civilian duds by 1960, already committed to three films and a to-do list of 80 songs waiting for his hunky imprint upon them. It’s likely this reason why Elvis is Back! remains one of his most personable recordings.

Sony brings us an augmented Legacy Edition of Elvis Presley’s career-boosting Elvis is Back! including the full album Something for Everybody on the second disc, plus a handful of Elvis’ hits and “I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell” from the Wild in the Country soundtrack.

With buffed-up supporting vocals from the Jordanaires and deeper low-end bass than has previously been released, the Elvis is Back! Legacy Edition sparkles at every turn and better yet, it serves as reminder that Elvis Presley was much more than a country boy with animal magnetism and one of the best back-up bands of his time.

More than a mere transitional album for Presley, Elvis is Back! is an amalgam of Texarkana, blues, bop, rock ‘n roll, rhumba and an early example of what would become known as sixties’ mod.

Sometimes this album is all cocktail hour, such as the dreamy hit “The Girl Or My Best Friend” or Elvis’ swervy and stripped take on Eddie Cooley and John Davenport‘s oft-covered “Fever.” Sometimes Elvis is Back! is the sound of a dusty country highway with “Make Me Know It” and the gorgeous Americana yodel of “I Will Be Home Again,” the latter song finding Elvis largely taking the bottom end of his duet with Charlie Hodge.

Despite a far more mature effort to his vocal delivery (Elvis bleeds all over the gospel-hinted slow jam, “Thrill of Your Love”) and a broad variety of songs Elvis nails on this album, he gets back to his sultry rock ‘n roll roots on the banging “Dirty, Dirty Feeling,” “Girl Next Door Went A’Walking,” “It Feels So Right” and “Such a Night.” He waves goodbye to the military with his sugary “Soldier Boy” but later comes back with Boots Randolph laying down some grimy sax, Floyd Price some boogie-laced piano and a roadhouse kitsch to “Like a Baby.”

While Something for Everybody may not contain the same urgency, the same verve and the same swing as Elvis is Back! it’s a cool kickback album that benefited from Elvis’ immediate ascension to popularity. It largely carries a drifty, loner feel similar to Charlie Rich. It carries the dragged, melancholic sound of country’s future (of the day) on “There’s Always Me,” “Starting Today,” “Give Me the Right,” “It’s a Sin” and the rather pretty “Sentimental Me.” At least things pick up on the uppity “I’m Coming Home” and the strutty “Put the Blame On Me.” The big draw to Something for Everybody, is Elvis’ chops. The album may hang low most of the way, but Elvis himself raises high and it makes for a dichotomous listen set behind Elvis is Back!

This Legacy Edition release includes a batch of Elvis’ midcareer staples such as “Stuck On You,” “It’s Now Or Never,” “Little Sister,” “Good Luck Charm,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” and “Surrender.” Their inclusion is less filler points than actual point makers. They’re viable post-greaser hits showing a broader dimension to Elvis Presley, who could field anything laid at his blue suede feet.

This is a historical mark in Elvis’ career, one which would quickly be exploited and flamed out by his manager Col. Parker. It’s evident Elvis had taken great pleasure and pride in laying these two albums down before hopping the carousel of unintentional self-parody beginning with Blue Hawaii and ending with Moody Blue.