I just got the two CD set... FEIM & BIM... I only had a copy of "The Memphis Album" on LP back in the 90s... most of the same songs, sequenced differently... I don't remember the vocals being mixed so far in the back on that compilation... is this two-fer CD a bit odd mix-wise or is it consistent with the original albums?
From Elvis In Memphis is one of my top 5 albums, ever. More to the point, I should say it's one of my top 5 recording sessions ever. Like most of you I sought out the other albums and singles derived from the recording session. Since the FTD editions came out, I find myself listening to those exclusively. Elvis had finally came back home. He was in his element. You get the feeling that he if he had never left, this was the music he would have recorded much earlier. Peter Guralnick conveys how the session went down and what it was like at American Sound Studio in the book Careless Love, the chapter A Day at the Races pages 319-360. The sessions for Elvis Country in 1970 yield a lot more songs and filled several albums. But those sessions don't have the concentration or the edge -- or the spontaneity -- that Chips brought to American Sound. Still, it's all primo Elvis.
fantastic album. correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe elvis had finally put all the movie stuff behind him. he was inspired by a lot of the young new bands and went into these sessions with a renewed vigor that shows. perhaps his voice isn't as strong as early in his career but it is certainly effective. one of the great albums/sessions
What a great album! IIRC "In the Ghetto" was my first exposure to Elvis (that's what happens when you don't have an older brother). This is Elvis at his most soulful, IMO...and sadly, the last peak before his decline. Just listened to it straight through after seeing this thread. Thanks for the reminder!
Mucho gracias, señor. On the Legacy set, the second disc is the other album collecting songs from the same session. What is it you don't like about the rest of the session? Is it the song selection? the playing? the singing?
The song selection is definitely not to level of the first record, it feels like leftovers. And the production also feels less grand, although that could have been a mixing thing.
Elvis Presley From Elvis in Memphis 180g LP-Elusive Disc Here is a thread about the album as an added bonus: Friday Music's 180g Lp of "From Elvis In Memphis",due out soon!
Agree. Off topic for sure, but I have recently thought about all the music we missed with Elvis gone so soon. I listen to lots of Frank Sinatra. He may very well have been another Sinatra (had he stayed healthy in addition to staying alive). Like Frank, he could have had 2 or 3 careers of big success. His vocals were so good he could sing ballads and interpret them much like Sinatra. His version of Danny Boy on the recent Jungle release, among many others, proves that. Imagine what he could have done as he aged...... Sorry for wandering off topic.
Where do you place "Suspicious Minds," the hit single that wasn't on the album but is included as a bonus track on the Legacy edition's second disc?
Actually, I agree with you. Back In Memphis, the second album from the American Sound Studio sessions, is not up to the standard of the first album. Nor are the rest of songs recorded at the sessions, except for "Suspicious Minds." If "Suspicious Minds" had been added to the album I would have been fine with that, it fits right in.
Which FTD release includes the "From Elvis in Memphis" singles, B-sides and bonus tracks available in the Legacy Edition and other anthologies? Cause the FTD release of this album only comes with the 12 standard tracks, and the "Back in Memphis" by FTD only includes its 10 standard tracks plus "Suspicious Minds". And is this "Suspicious Minds" version the classic one, or it's a different version?
glad you discovered this masterpiece, its in my top 3 albums & generally my favourite though im very very fond of thats the way it is - THE FTD version - love this & back in memphis too! he most certainly never again had this voice , passion & commitment and crucially not the SONGS either ! The nashville sessions only a year later DID produce some good performances with some nice songs but it was a hell of a marathon resulting in some real crap (this is our dance!!!) they should have stopped with the elvis country & ttwii material & left the **** alone that resulted in the 'love letters' album but i do enjoy the best of these sessions a lot - worth exploring !
They both feature the same 29 songs, but the track sequence is different so I'm guessing the mastering is too. I have the Polygram release (which is from 1992 not 1994 contrary to what it says on Amazon) and it sounds good. Haven't heard the Ace version.
I actually did a little personal project with the Memphis Sessions a while ago. I feel like Elvis had two distinct strains of music he was reaching for in these sessions - contemporary folky pop rock music and more R&b driven stuff. So I went to the sessions (from the lovely FTD releases) and compiled albums that sort of clarify each musical direction. I didn't necessarily seek to put all of the tracks on the discs - or even necessarily include all of the strongest tracks - I tried to sequence it for what I felt played best if it were an actual album. These turned out amazingly well -- they're some of my favorite things to play for people who need something to break them out of the '50's Elvis was the only good Elvis' mindset. This is what I came up with: Elvis: Inherit The Wind 1. In The Ghetto (splice of take 2 &3) 2. Inherit The Wind (undubbed take 1) 3. And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind 4. Gentle On My Mind (undubbed with vocal replacement) 5. Kentucky Rain (splice) 6. My Little Friend 7. A Little Bit of Green (vocal overdub #2) 8. Don't Cry Daddy (undubbed master w/ harmony vocal) - holy s#*!, this is the only way to listen to this song. Phenomenal. 9. The Fair's Moving On 10. You'll Think Of Me Stranger In My Own Hometown 1. Stranger In My Own Hometown 2. Wearin' That Loved On Look (undubbed) 3. After Loving You (take 2) 4. Only The Strong Survive (undubbed) 5. I'm Movin' On (vocal replacement 2) 6. True Love Travels On A Gravel Road (undubbed) 7. Power of My Love (undubbed) 8. I'll Be There 9. Suspicious Minds (undubbed Take 8) 10. Any Day Now (undubbed) 11. Long Black Limousine 12. Without Love
This might be the first Elvis album I'll get. Not interested in some of his 50's stuff, I feel like might get fatigued if listen to his compilations that came from that period.
That’s a great album - my favorite Elvis Presley album. I have the 1998 CD with bonus tracks, including “Suspicious Minds” and “Kentucky Rain” - two of the King’s greatest.