By Hayden Wright
You can’t make an Elvis Presley documentary without a killer catalog of career-defining music.
As HBO prepares for the release of Thom Zimny’s Elvis Presley: The Searcher, more has been revealed about the soundtrack, which comes out April 6.
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The film will feature “Presley hits and alternate mixes,” as well as an original score composed by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready reports Rolling Stone. The soundtrack includes McCready’s score, Elvis classics and rarities.
Bonus content includes a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover of “Wooden Heart” and a collection of R&B, country and gospel music that inspired Elvis’ musical style.
The release will be available in various formats: digital, CD, double-vinyl, and a triple-CD deluxe edition featuring additional music.
“From day one I had a soundtrack in mind; one that would cover Elvis in a new way and go deep into the vault,” Zimny told Rolling Stone. “Thanks to the help of Sony Legacy and the efforts of Ernst Jorgensen, I was able to pore over thousands of recordings and Elvis Presley outtakes. I also wanted the film’s soundtrack to pay tribute to the many artists who influenced Elvis, and to incorporate their music to create a sonic landscape that I hoped would give the viewer the experiences Elvis had absorbing the many genres he was exposed to and influenced by – from gospel, to R&B, to country.”
The documentary debuts April 14 on HBO and airs in three parts. The film traces Elvis’ evolution from childhood to his final recording sessions in 1976.
