Elvis Presley “From Elvis in Memphis”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#330 in the Series) is Elvis Presley, From Elvis in Memphis.
1969. To the record buying public , the general perception was that Elvis’ career as a recording artist to be taken seriously was all but over. There’d simply been too many over sentimental ballads, too much pop/pap soundtrack dross and far too many terrible movies. He was a man out of step with the times , overtaken by the counter-culture , left behind by the likes of Dylan, The Beatles and The Stones. The ’68 Special had helped a bit but not nearly enough. He knew it, everyone around him knew it. Something had to change.
A planned Nashville session for January was switched (after a bit of subtle persuasion) to a location just down the road in Memphis, American Studios.
Run by producer Chips Moman, American was one of the hottest places you could go if you wanted a hit in the late 60’s. Home to a bunch of tremendous session players and run to meticulous standards by Chip, it had provided recent hits for the likes of The Box Tops, Dusty Springfield and Wilson Pickett, amongst many.
Maybe it was the change of location or Chips’ working methods which were a bit different from what Elvis was used to. Maybe it was just the need to come back in style.
Whatever the reason, Elvis raised to the occasion , turning in some of his finest vocal performances in years. He sung with a passion and enthusiasm that had been absent for far too long .
The end product was a masterful return to form and, album wise, probably his crowning glory. Highlights are many including ……well , the full album really. There’s simply not a bad track on it.
Against the odds an essential release was delivered. Just like 9 years earlier, on his first post-Army sessions, The King was back !
— Stephen Dalrymple, Glasgow, Scotland
Track Listing
Side One
- “Wearin’ That Loved On Look” (Frazier/Owens) – 2:46
- “Only The Strong Survive” (Gamble/Huff/Butler) – 2:42
- ” I’ll Hold You In My Heart” (Dilback/Horton/Arnold) – 4:32
- ” Long Black Limousine” (Stovall/George) – 3:38
- “ It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin” ( Tillotson) – 2:36
- ” I’m Movin’ On” (Snow) – 2:52
Side Two
- ” Power Of My Love” (Giant/Baum/Kaye) – 2:36
- ” Gentle On My Mind” (Hartford) – 3:21
- “After Loving You” (Miller/Lantz) – 3:06
- ” True Love Travels On A Gravel Road” (Owens/Frazier) – 2:38
- “Any Day Now” (Hilliard/Bacharach) – 2:59
- ” In The Ghetto” (Davis) – 2:45
Main Personnel
- Reggie Young – Guitar
- Mike Leech – Bass
- Tommy Cogbill – Bass
- Gene Chrisman – Drums
- Bobby Wood – Piano
- Bobby Emmons – Organ
- Ed Kollis – Harmonica
- John Hughey – Steel Guitar
- Elvis Presley – Vocals , Piano
Credits
- Produced by Chips Moman and Felton Jarvis
- Engineered by Al Pachucki
Links
- More Cool Albums from members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- More Cool Albums from “Early Rock and Roll.”
- Listen to From Elvis in Memphis via the Cool Album MySpace Page
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I was so much older then , i'm younger than that now.........
This is a great collection of songs from probably the most famous and influential rock star of all time. It includes many hits, several groundbreaking recordings from his Sun days, and a few lesser known songs. While this is a great set of music, I can’t help but ask why was this released? These songs have been released numerous times through the years and most avid Elvis fans already have them. Casual fans would probably appreciate the “Elvis 30 Number 1 Hits” CD better.
Don’t get me wrong, this is another great collection of Elvis songs, but nothing that you can’t already get on other collections. If you want an “essential” 2 CD Elvis set you can get both “Elvis 30 Number 1 Hits” and “2nd to None” for almost the same price that you can get this collection, and you would get 61 songs instead of just 40. Or if you wanted to spend a few more bucks, you could get the 3 CD “Hit Story” release.
Instead of coming out with “new” compilations every few months, I think BMG/RCA would do better by pushing some of the excellent releases they already have on the market and re-releasing some of his albums that are out of print domestically with some rare bonus tracks. Or why not release the next “Gold Records Volume 6” to catch the songs that were left off the first 5 volumes of that series? If they want to keep releasing compilations, they should at least include a remix of a song to try to attract the interest of potentially new and younger fans. Just re-releasing “new” collections of the same songs that have been released numerous times is not cutting it. They need to come up with a better marketing strategy for Elvis’ outstanding library of music! It appears some of the poor management practices that hurt his career and legacy have continued after his passing!