For The Asking (The Lost Album)

Rating:

4.4 / 5

Released: 1991/11

by BMG

This is a must for all the fans, no matter what period you like best, it belongs in every collection.

ElvisNews review

Looking into my collection I came across this old CD 1991 release “For The Asking”. The subtitle: “The Lost Album” makes you think there are some strange songs upon it…but no, this album contains songs that were used as b-side for some singles. All the songs were recorded 1963 and 1964 in Nashville. It’s the same concept as the “Burning Love” album. That’s an album that should have been released during Elvis lifetime too.

Cover Art

BMG used various covers for this release around the world. One with a picture of Elvis and a real sixties style lay-out. Well chosen when looking at the songs. The other version is has a torn open paper wrapping, probably referring to a “find of something that was lost”.

Content

Let’s listen to those recordings with the headset on…Long Lonely Highway. The rhythm is there right from the start…thanks to D.J. Fontana…and the Jordanaires are doing their best too. But most important is Elvis’ voice, smoothly as ever on this one…. Western Union follows…the tune is easy to listen to, but a bit too much like Return To Sender. Witchcraft: I don’t know why, but this song is not very special…the only reason I do like it, is because of the sax solo of Boots Randolph, which is lovely to listen to. Love Me Tonight starts”.. with the very recognizable piano playing of Floyd Cramer in it. Elvis’ voice is warm and sincere as ever…What Now, What Next, Where To, lovely lines, but a bit boring melody, so to use the title of the next song “Please Don't Drag that String Around”, This song is kind of up tempo again… although not the most inspiring song of this release, but cheerful enough.

Blue River, hard to sing along, because it is real up tempo song…but Elvis manages to sing it with an easiness that surprises me. Ah, Never Ending is next…a true favourite of me. Elvis’ voice is so beautiful on this one, the warmth in his voice brings tears in my eyes….no matter how many times I hear this song. Listen to the guitars… lovely! Devil in Disguise, the changing of tempo in this song is nice to listen to. Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers goes on in the same way….although the lyrics are not very special. The tempo decreases with Echoes of Love, a lovely ballad, in which the Jordanaires are a pleasure to listen to. A real beauty follows……Slowly but Surely, the music is as good as Elvis’ voice: so nice and easy. It Hurts Me got a real special place in my heart. Here the voice of our hero got its strength which I love so much. The warmth is astonishing… The real up tempo Memphis Tennessee is next…….this is the Elvis I wanna hear. Beautiful lines and my fingers can’t stop drumming here. A real dated song Ask Me follows. The organ bothers me a bit….why not a piano here ..but who care. It is beautifully sung and a real good ending to this CD.

Conclusion

This is a must for all the fans, no matter what period you like best, it belongs in every collection. You won’t be sorry to spend your money on this one.

Tracklisting

Mystery Rider wrote on April 01, 2007

Now this is an album that gets 5 stars. It would pass any crash test.

Rating: 5 / 5

OtisBlue22 wrote on July 12, 2007

While this is undoubtedly a relief when set in the context of Elvis’ 60’s soundtrack output, the album is too short. Sure, Elvis is in fine voice and the cuts (notably "the mad professor" Ben Weisman’s Slowly But Surely) are upbeat and frivolous. As he often did in the studio, Presley turns his mind back to records he himself listened to as an adolescent. The Spiders’ Witchcraft is certainly playful and his band really gels together here. However, the songs lack substance and conviction. This would explain why Blue River, which barely stretches to 2 minutes, was edited to lengthen its playing time. The sound meanwhile, given that this release dates back some 16 years, leaves a lot to be desired.

Rating: 3 / 5

ext_mnx wrote on October 01, 2007

Is one of my favorite. Iwant this cover. I have the simple cover without the beautiful face of Elvis Presley

Rating: 5 / 5

jomuziek42 wrote on February 14, 2022

Hello Elvis fans. I would like to give my reaction to this beautiful collector's item. Personally, I find the opinion of the review mentioned here to be a bit of a negative touch at times. Why? Because I am of the opinion that it is always a matter of taste what you think is a nice song and what you like or dislike how the accompaniment is played on certain songs. Elvis is just great, but also the music, I share the opinion of the positive reactions mentioned in the review, but have a little trouble with the reaction of the songs that are put down here negatively such as What now, what next, where too, just sounds nice, boring or not, that's a personal opinion. Also Ask me with the organ.. it's a warm Hammond sound that I think also fits the song, although a piano like the one mentioned in the review would also sound nice. It's just a matter of taste what people think of the songs and I respect everyone's opinion of course, but as a musician I think the setup how the original songs were played with this choice of instruments is very nicely done, but it remains also a matter of your taste. The whole album just sounds great, the sound is great too.

Rating: 5 / 5