Elvis Presley-'The Memphis Record' 1987 CD: These Mixes Are Alive, Son!

RCA also released this 1987 collection on vinyl and tape formats. These were new mixes of the original takes from the albums From Elvis In Memphis and Back In Memphis plus assorted single sides with the exception of "Suspicious Minds" (underdub without horns) and the following four tracks which use alternate takes:

• "Only the Strong Survive"
• "Wearin' That Loved On Look"
• "I'm Movin' On"
• "Inherit the Wind"

So far, I have preferred the tracks found on The Memphis Record that are the same as the original album mixes from the From Elvis in Memphis FTD CD. I generally like the louder drums and the more balanced EQ on Elvis' voice. The original 1969 mixes tended to emphasize the upper midrange of Elvis' voice. Listening to this 1987 disc, you get these sense that the vocal tone is usually closer to the natural sound of his voice. The vocal overdubs are generally better integrated into the mix. Gone is the reverb gone overboard on the original "Wearing That Loved On Look" background vocals.

The two tracks from From Elvis In Memphis for which I prefer the original mix are "I'll Hold You In My Heart" and "Long Black Limousine". The EQ on the snare drum on the former is perfect in the original mix. RCA should have tried to match the drum EQ better on the remix. The latter song is better in the original mix due to the bass guitar presence which helps to ground the instruments and provides a thick bottom end. The remix has you wanting that feeling and doesn't really deliver a similar aura.

My CD doesn't have a specific mixing credit, but it does have a credit for "Audio Restoration": Rick Rowe. Mastering credit is to Jack Adelman.

I will continue to add to this thread as I find remixes that I prefer from this 1987 CD and original mixes that I prefer from the 3 1969 focused FTD CDs or the Elvis In Memphis Legacy CD with the mono single mixes.

The Memphis Record
1 Stranger In My Own Home Town 4:39
2 Power Of My Love 2:30
3 Only The Strong Survive 2:42
4 Any Day Now 2:55
5 Suspicious Minds 3:24
6 Long Black Limousine 3:38
7 Wearin' That Loved On Look 2:42
8 I'll Hold You In My Heart 4:32
9 After Loving You 2:58
10 Rubberneckin' 2:08
11 I'm Movin' On 2:53
12 Gentle On My Mind 3:19
13 True Love Travels On A Gravel Road 2:44
14 It Keeps On Right A-Hurtin' 2:38
15 You'll Think Of Me 4:09
16 Mama Liked The Roses 2:32
17 Don't Cry Daddy 2:48
18 In The Ghetto 2:46
19 The Fair Is Moving On 3:06
20 Inherit The Wind 3:11
21 Kentucky Rain 3:15
22 Without Love 2:55
23 Who Am I? 3:20

 

For my money, the 1969 sessions sound best (by far) on the Memphis Sessions FTD. The sound is warm and inviting, and the mixing brings out the best in the music.

IMO, the original masters suffer from poor mixing: the original stereo mixes have terrible panning, the original mono mixes sound suffocated, and the 1987 remixes tend to sound thin and distant. I do think that Power Of My Love and Stranger In My Own Hometown sound best on The Memphis Record, and the alternate vocal on Wearin' That Loved On Look is a nice curiosity.

 

While the outtakes presented on the 3 classic album FTD's covering these sessions share the panning of the vintage mixes, I find the balance to be much improved so I prefer those myself.

 

Isn’t the Memphis Record CD smothered in sound reduction?

 

Maybe? I know Rick Rowe loved his (then) new fangled digital effects.

 

Those are apples to oranges comparisons, though, as the only versions with all of the overdubs are the original mixes and The Memphis Record.

 

Is it worth picking up this old CD? Interested to hear the different mixes...

 

I'd say they're worth a listen. I don't think they've aged very well but if you can't stand the wide instrumental panning of the vintage stereo mixes these provide a decent alternative.

 

I think the recent remasters are much better.

 

I like the Memphis Record too, warts and all. It would be nice to have these mixes but with better mastering.

 

I really like how "Suspicious Minds" and "In the Ghetto" sound on the DCC gold CD 24 Karat Hits! When I "remastered" my own compilation using tracks from the Memphis sessions, I tweaked the EQ accordingly to match what was done to "In the Ghetto" on the DCC gold CD. The Legacy edition CD had the best transfer, but it had a slight bump around the 8k region. The '60's box set from the mid-90's had something like a "Rhino" EQ that made everything a bit screechy and bright - until the Legacy reissue came along, I listened to this with the reverse-Rhino EQ applied.

 

Huh. "Stranger in My Own Home Town" is in my opinion one of the worst remixes on The Memphis Record. It's been years since I've listened to it, but my recollection is that it's smothered in reverb and Elvis sounds like he's singing from the bottom of a well.

The Memphis Record was actually the first version of these tracks that I heard. I don't think I really appreciated how great this material is until I heard the original mixes a few years later. The overly-loud drums on the remixes (done to make the album fit with 80s country radio) throw everything off balance, and the sound is practically mono which I also dislike. At this point I regard them as an interesting curiosity at most.

 

I don't think the issue with the drums being louder is essentially a country music issue. Rather, we should evaluate the drum sound based on how good they sound in the mix. You would be hard pressed to find a weaker drum sound on any other rock ' n roll album than you would on From Elvis In Memphis original mixes.

 

I've always liked the 'new' mixes on this disc. For me to say I like a remix is really unusual as 99% of the time I prefer the original mix (for any artist, not just Elvis), but this is one of those rare times where I find the remix to be very enjoyable.

 

Discovered through joining this forum, played a couple of times, ended up selling it, no regrets.

 

It makes you wonder how well The Memphis Record sold, as another volume would cover the rest of the 1969 American Sound sessions

 

Were the other masters remixed at the time? If so, maybe a FTD reissue (along the lines of the Guitar Man/Too Much Monkey Business release) would be a good way of releasing the remaining mixes.

 

It seems extremely unlikely they would have remixed the other tracks. The intent of this album was to compile and present a subjective opinion of the best of the sessions, in remixed form. There would be no reason to go to the time and expense of remixing the tracks they did not select for no specified purpose, only to sit on the shelf.

Interestingly, no one is specifically credited with the remixing on the album. Rick Rowe is credited with "audio restoration" so presumably it was him, I guess.

 

Definitely not smothered. Probably noise gating during mixing. "Long Black Limousine" sounds the dullest of the remixes. The original mix is superior. Some other tracks have ample hiss in the left channel on the strings or female vocals.

 

Its more than fine for one to prefer the sound of these remixes, though for my money, you can't improve on the original mixes. Just one listen to "Suspicious Minds" off of The Memphis Record, and I was pretty much disgusted. The horns are BURIED so much that they might as well not be there. Also, they didn't loop the ending as on the original release so the song is completely absent of the dramatic fade out that is one of the song's trademarks.

Sure, it's great to have drums centered but all the drum tracks on The Memphis Record seem to have some sort of terrible "big digital hallway" delay/reverb on them. It sounds like everything is being played through someone's 80's Radio Shack receiver with the Pro Logic setting turned on or something. It was attempting to make it sound modern but all it does is date it even more.

You simply can't beat the sound of "Stranger In My Own Home Town"'s original mix. You can really hear the room and how hot the band was cooking on that take. The FTD Back In Memphis 2-CD set even has the full take without the fadeout (mixed by Vic Anesini to match the original stereo mix layout sans overdubs).

But if those weird 80s remixes are more your cuppa, that's fine and dandy. Enjoy. It's great music, no matter how you slice it.

 

I like the Memphis Record mixes. To each their own I guess. Not being happy with the original mixes I did some research and found that many recommended this title. I bought a used copy on eBay and have never looked back.

 

I thought the horns WERE missing entirely from that mix of Suspicious Minds.

 

The horns didn’t fit onto the 8-track so they were overdubbed directly to the mono and stereo mixes by Bill Porter in Vegas. So they don’t exist as an isolated element for remixing.

 

I picked this up recently, just before all of the local stores were ordered closed. For 3.00 for the 2lp set I am very happy with my purchase. Yes the track versions are different, but I consider it a worthwhile addition to my ever growing Elvis LP collection.

 

Don't these mixes on ‘Memphis record’ have newer drum tracks? I remember not caring for these mixes. To each their own.