I'm a Roustabout vs Roustabout

[JerryNodak]

Which do you prefer? For me it's Roustabout. Prefer the smoother singing style and carefree lyrics.

[Juan Luis]

Same here ....the other one is cool also and should have been included as well ala Kissing Cousins with 2 versions.

[drjohncarpenter]

Neither is really any good, especially for an artist as great as Elvis Presley, and in an era -- the 1964 "British Invasion" -- when Presley should've been cutting nothing but top-drawer tunes.

That said, the somewhat gritty Blackwell song is far superior to what ended up on the 1964 soundtrack LP.

[elvissessions]

I like them about equally, actually. If I could pick only one, I'd have to go with the original, though I know the consensus at the time of I'm a Roustabout's release was that the newly discovered one was the better of the two.

As the Doc says, neither is great art. But like many of the soundtrack songs, they have a peculiar, undeniable charm and I get a kick out of them every time I listen to them.

[TJ]

I prefer the original. The arrangement fits the lyric very well and it's nicely performed. The vocal on the new song is excellent though. A case of the performance being of far higher quality than the song.

[KiwiAlan]

What an original poll Jerry....wish I could think of something like that

[JerryNodak]

Hey, I saw the Clambake poll so I figured why not? Ease up and have a little fun, Kiwi.

[minkahed]

"I'm A Roustabout" by a long shot...

Great lil tune, shoulda been a 1964 single.

[dl]

Elvis definitely choose the right "Roustabout"....

[Keith Richards, Jr.]

I like them both. I am becoming more and more a fan of the 60s soundtrack recordings. "I'm A Roustabout" may not be a great song per se, but like many other soundtrack songs it's FUN and I sure am glad that Ernst found it!

When will Kevan Budd improve the sound on the "I'm A Roustabout" acetate? And when will FTD rescue the song from the pointless "Second to None" CD and give it a new home? If FTD can't find enough outtakes to justify releases of all soundtracks in the expanded soundtrack series, they could always do a kind of follow-up to "Out In Hollywood" and "Silver Screen Stereo", and I'd love to hear an improved "I'm A Roustabout" on such a CD.

Keith Richards, Jr.