1970 Elvis Presley: The Wonder Of You

His last UK number one while still among the living, 'The Wonder Of You' is a live recording (Presley never cut this track in a studio) of a 1959 ballad that had been a minor hit for Ronnie Hilton. And 'live' for Presley in 1970 meant the pop orchestration of Las Vegas cabaret and all that it entailed.

And fitting to where it was recorded, 'The Wonder Of You' is dressed up in a spangly rhinestone suit and given the full Vegas makeover. But alas, the suit is ill fitting and, like the man wearing it, carries way too much slack around the middle. Presley's voice is in good enough form, but those opening 'woah woah's are there to get the crowd going rather than stress any emotion, and that awkward, ascending note that closes may have made sense on stage with Presley raising a clenched fist in a supper room doused with spotlights and mirrorballs, but on record it heads down a road to nowhere.

For the bits in-between, it's a chicken and egg scenario - was the pumped up orchestral pomp scored to match Presley's histrionic mugging, or did he feel obliged to deliver such an over egged vocal to keep up with the bombast? It's not as if the song needs it anyway, it's meant to be an expression of gratitude rather than a declaration of enduring love, though look closely and it's obvious that Presley is aiming the:

"When no-one else can understand me
When everything I do is wrong
You give me hope and consolation
You give me strength to carry on"

lyrics to the devoted fans who turned up night after night to chuck their knickers at him. The back to basics rawness of his '1968 Comeback Special' already seemed a distant memory, and by 1970 Presley had accepted his place in the popular culture pecking order. No more new ground was to be broken and he was savvy enough to know which hands to keep sweet if he wanted to be fed. 'The Wonder Of You' is essentially a souvenir for the faithful, but shorn of the concert dimension it's too heavy handed by half and rather a sycophantic and unappealing affair when all's said and done.