Elvis – Way Down in the Jungle Room

For you youngsters out there at Elvis’ Graceland mansion there was a room called the Jungle Room. At first it was a den filled with shag carpets and kitschy décor then towards the middle of the Seventies it was converted into a home studio. The last stuff the King recorded before his death was done here. Way Down in the Jungle Room features sixteen masters of tracks recorded for his last two albums. Rather than being an example of his supreme talent it is a picture of how the man went about making music with its behind the scenes moments. You see that a big part of his success comes when he connected with the song he was singing. Elvis becomes very average when he tries too hard and it does not come naturally. When he is on, however, it is magic. “Way Down” and “For the Heart” work better than “Solitaire” and “She Still Thinks I Care”. With his masterful phrasing and swagger it is a killer combination. Missteps and even jokes during the recording sessions are all there on the second disc of the collection. Give those interested in the artist and the history of music a chance to hear what was going on at the time. A fly on the wall relationship is possible. Amazing that it was roughly forty years ago that these songs were recorded.