Elvis Presley - So many albums - like an insane amount of albums!

nice!
the albums that i know i would tend to agree with your reviews and that makes me more excited about the ones i do not. thank you

 

Some of the tracks like "Snowbird", "Make the World Go Away", and "There Goes My Everything" definitely fit the countrypolitan label, but his take on "Faded Love" is in a country rock vein with a blues feel, and "Mansion On the Hill" is borderline bluegrass. "I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water" (my favorite version of the song) and "Whole Lotta Shakin' " rock out with reckless abandon. They have that raw live in the studio feel. "It's Your Baby, You Rock It" is pure blue-eyed soul. It has its glossy moments, but overall, I would say it's his rootsiest album since the early '60s. I don't think he was ever quite this rootsy again.

 

very likely

 

The Beatles would agree.

 

Someone made the observation in another post that Elvis recorded songs, and wasn't really into, or possibly not even in touch with, crafting an album as a full artistic statement. As a result, a number of the albums are uneven with tracks left over from earlier sessions, and in some cases, a mix of live and studio tracks. Elvis Now is pretty patched together (and his cover of "Hey Jude" where he didn't even get the words right is the second worst Beatles cover ever, the worst being Jim Carrey's butchery of "I Am the Walrus"). There are exceptions to the rule, however. In addition to his gospel and Christmas albums, From Elvis In Memphis and Elvis Country are both quite cohesive. I'm not sure how much of that came from Elvis and how much was the vision of the producer, but those albums hang together remarkably well.

 

I'm really looking forward to hearing Elvis country, there seems to be a consensus about its quality. From Elvis In Memphis rivals the early recordings for me and the studio cuts off Memphis to Vegas ... are its equal in my mind/ear.

 

Well, I think that the Walk A Mile In My Shoes 1970s box does a pretty good job overall of condensing an output of wildly varying quality into five very listenable and enjoyable CDs.

I’m sure we’d all disagree about which essential tracks it’s missing, but I suspect that most of us would agree that what’s included* should be included.

* apart from Life, that is.

 

That's cool, i wasn't really criticising the box. it was just that a quick look showed that it was missing quite a few songs that i personally would want. the fifties and sixties boxes not so much, although the sixties box is missing some good movie songs

 

I didn’t think you were criticising, just expressing reservations we all feel!

 

If I was starting out again buying Elvis stuff I think I'd buy the 60 album CD box (which is a lovely piece of work) and then once I'd worked my way through that I'd pick up the corresponding FTD titles that I'd enjoyed the most.

That is what I've got although I've also got a million other things picked up on the way as they weren't around when I started buying his stuff. Having said that despite any 'upgrades' I've never got rid of anything Elvis nor will I.

 

A good way for someone to dig deeper into the Elvis catalogue would be to pick up the six volumes of Essential Elvis. Although they sound like useless compilations, they're actually albums of outtakes (well, the first two volumes have some masters, and the sixth has one, but other than that...). If the FTDs are out of one's price range, the Essential Elvis albums are pretty easy to find secondhand for reasonable prices. Volume 2 (containing binaural outtakes from the 50s) and Volume 4 (covering the "Nashville Marathon") are my favourites.

The Platinum boxset is also an excellent way to explore Elvis' work past the masters. Actually, I'd probably recommend picking it up along with the decade boxes; it's that good. Not only do you get a bunch of choice outtakes, home recordings, and live material, but you also get a real sense of the scope and trajectory of his career.

 

Tbose Essential titles are great, a kind of pre-FTD, you get some Boppin' Bob Jones mastering too. I still play them.

 

for us ignorant folks, what is FTD please?

 

Good for you!

Now set aside some quality time to fully immerse in it.

 

I will....
it's weird I have always liked Elvis, but I have never had a real album of his ... My parents had the UK golden records 1 when i was a pup and i probably played it more than them lol ... I got the complete 50's masters when it was released in 92 and the 60's box soon after.
I'm listening to some albums on youtube, while I do my paperwork, and I know I'm going to love it

 

Follow That Dream series of releases. I'm sure someone else here can give more info on it as that's all I know about it

 

cheers mate

 

It stands for Follow That Dream. It's basically a collector's label for Elvis. They're a bit pricey (especially once they go out of print), and some of the early titles have some truly dreadful mastering, but for the most part, it's a gold mine for hardcore Elvis fans. They're definitely not the place to start, but once you're hooked, they're a dream: home recordings, outtakes from your favourite sessions, live recordings, etc.

 

cheers mate. i ended up going to the site to see what they have. i have the gospel 2 disc collection, but nothing else. there looked to be some interesting stuff though ... and yea i noticed the prices lol

 

Check this thread, should keep you busy for a bit - Elvis Presley FTD CD reissues (part 6)

I buy mine here - The Elvis Shop London Home

 

Cool factor.
Didn't Robert Plant mention Elvis Is Back?

 

I found this Wiki list amazing:

Studio albums 24
Live albums 6
Compilation albums 5
Eps 29
Soundtrack albums 20
Box sets 21
Posthumous compilations 92

 

The live portion of "From Memphis to Vegas from Vegas to Memphis" is essential.

 

i understand that, i meant as a studio album essentially

 

I have often wondered just how critics would have looked at From Elvis In Memphis if it had included Suspicious Minds in its original incarnation and if the Elvis Back In Memphis portion of his double album had included Kentucky Rain, Don't Cry Daddy and Rubberneckin' for instance.

I know that From Elvis In Memphis was well reviewed at the time, but its true iconic nature really has grown in time. A lot of non-Elvis fans, who do like some of his most well known music and especially In The Ghetto, do not even know of its existence. Furthermore, this album, which included the iconic hit In The Ghetto, has only achieved gold status in nearly 50 years of circulation. How is this even possible? Arguably his best album ever, along with perhaps Elvis Is Back! and including a major platinum selling single, and all we get is a paltry 500,000 and change in sales.

I just have to believe that if you had added Suspicious Minds to this already nearly perfect album, it would have sent it over the top historically and commercially. I would venture to say it would have achieved multi-platinum status easily and made it near the top of any pop critic lists of best albums ever. Anyway, thats my two cents on the matter. The way RCA treated his stellar singles in these hits compilations drove me nuts at the time. It really drove the historic value of what could have been some of his most iconic albums down to say the least. Thank God Sony Legacy and FTD have done a lot better job with packaging this material as cohesive units of work than RCA did back when Elvis was still alive.