The two ballad tracks from this album were issued as singles. For the album, the musical format presented Presley in three different settings: production numbers featuring medleys of his material an informal small band featuring full songs in front of a live audience and the two original numbers with Presley backed by an orchestra in front of a live audience. Unlike the drudgery of the feature film soundtrack recordings, Presley was genuinely excited by the project. The live album from the Elvis special is the audio-only version of the special, and consists of a mixture of studio and live recordings, the live material itself a mixture of 'sit-down' tracks with a small group and 'stand-up' tracks with an orchestra.
It was certified Gold on July 22, 1969, and Platinum on July 15, 1999, by the RIAA. 8 on the Billboard 200 along with the TV special, it revitalized Presley's career after years of diminishing commercial and critical success. It was recorded live at NBC Studios in Burbank, California, with additional studio work taking place at Western Recorders, in June 1968.
Elvis is the soundtrack album for American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley's 1968 television special of the same title, released by RCA Records.
