| features in: Album Chart of 1957 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1950s |
The 4th Elvis album was issued in October 1957 and gave him his 4th consecutive Billboard chart topper. Leiber and Stoller provided “Santa Claus Is Back In Town” and Elvis chose to select it as the album opener. Alas, the great start is not maintained – groan – if only he had commissioned them for a full on bluesy Xmas. “White Christmas” follows as Elvis falls somewhere halfway between Bing Crosby and Clyde McPhatter’s Drifters version, ultimately pleasing neither camp. Songwriter Irving Berlin called for this entire album to be banned from radio airplay, labelling Elvis’ version a “profane parody of a cherished yuletide standard”. What a silly old fool. A version of Doye O’Dell’s “Blue Christmas” toughens up an otherwise drippy side 1. Best on a disappointing Side 2 is “Silent Night” arranged by Elvis himself. The final 4 tracks are gospel songs which had been previously released on the EP “Peace in the Valley” back in March. Not great, but well worth some cherry picking.
The Jukebox Rebel
11–Aug–2008
| Tracklist |
| A1 | [02:22]  Elvis Presley - Santa Claus Is Back In Town (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A2 | [02:23]  Elvis Presley - White Christmas (Irving Berlin) Pop Ballad |
| A3 | [01:54]  Elvis Presley - Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) (Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman) Pop |
| A4 | [01:53]  Elvis Presley - I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Buck Ram, Kim Gannon, Walter Kent) Pop Ballad |
| A5 | [02:07]  Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas (Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A6 | [01:54]  Elvis Presley - Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) (Aaron Schroeder, Claude DeMetruis) Rock n Roll / Rockabilly |
| B1 | [02:35]  Elvis Presley - O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Phillips Brooks, Lewis H. Redner) Pop Ballad |
| B2 | [02:23]  Elvis Presley - Silent Night (Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr, John Freeman Young) Pop Ballad |
| B3 | [03:22]  Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires - (There’ll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me) [album version ’57] (Thomas A. Dorsey) Pop Ballad |
| B4 | [02:05] Elvis Presley - I Believe [album version ’57] (Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl, Al Stillman) Pop Ballad |
| B5 | [03:16]  Elvis Presley - Take My Hand, Precious Lord [album version ’57] (Thomas A. Dorsey) Pop Ballad |
| B6 | [03:53]  Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires - It Is No Secret (What God Can Do) [album version ’57] (Stuart Hamblen) Pop Ballad |
