Customer Reviews

From Elvis in Memphis

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This is the single best collection of Elvis' 1969 comeback recordings. The first compilation of this material, _The Memphis Record_, suffered from muddy sound quality and horrible mixing (especially in the removal of the brass and strings from "Suspicous Minds"). Last year's 2-CD _Suspicous Minds_ contained the masters in their entirety, including a handful of fairly weak tracks. The reissue of _From Elvis in Memphis_ compresses the best of these sessions onto one smokin' disc!

The original 1970 release of _From Elvis in Memphis_ contained 12 tracks, with "In the Ghetto" as the torch-bearer. The new reissue pads the original 12 tracks with another 8 which were initially released as singles around the same time. The result is perhaps the best single Elvis CD ever released.

While the King is generally regarded as a "country boy", it is the R&B tracks which are most memorable. "Wearin' That Loved On Look" kicks off the proceedings with a fiery energy which sustains itself throughout the entire CD. "Long Black Limousine" and "Power of My Love" easily justify Elvis' title as the King of Rock n' Roll. These are the performances of a man reborn; a man eager to reclaim his place in the rock and roll hierarchy.

No Elvis record is complete without a country influence. This CD does more than satisfy. "It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin'" and "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road" both come across as heartfelt performances while Glen Campbell's "Gentle on My Mind" gives this reviewer goosebumps.

The true centerpieces of this incredible CD are the three smash hits culled from the '69 sessions: "In the Ghetto", "Suspicous Minds", and "Kentucky Rain". Need I say more?

While Elvis would go on in the 70's to reach new isolated musical heights (the _Elvis Country_ album, "Burning Love", "Promised Land", "Way Down") this would be the last time that he would be so consistent in the quality of his output.

If you're an Elvis completist, you'd probably be better served by _Suspicous Minds_ or _From Nashville to Memphis_. But if you want to get to the core of what Elvis was all about circa 1969, this is the one to get!

Elvis was 34 years old when he recorded this brilliant collection of pop, country, blues and soul music. It's an eclectic mix, and probably not to all tastes, but one thing is abundantly clear - Elvis was at his peak when he set foot in the American studios in Memphis that winter of 1969.

Vocally, this is a very different Elvis from even two years earlier, when he was still producing the sweet almost-crooning sound associated with soundtracks such as Blue Hawaii. Here his voice is stronger and darker, and the raucous opening track (Wearin' that loved on look) shows he is not afraid to sacrifice beauty of sound for a more dramatic effect. That's not to say this album doesn't contain some mellow singing as well - In the Ghetto is proof of that.

But what makes this album great is the sheer individuality displayed in every track as Elvis gives each song his trademark commitment and energy. Stand-outs for me include Only the Strong Survive, in which Elvis transforms an otherwise standard song into a very personal statement; a definitive Gentle on My Mind; After Loving You (with its brilliant vocal gyrations); Any Day Now; and the haunting and moving True Love Travels On A Gravel Road.

The bonus tracks include two songs that should have been on the original album - Suspicious Minds and Kentucky Rain. It's great to have them reunited with their companion pieces from the same recording sessions.

Just one tiny criticism - why has BMG included a photo of the Hollywood Elvis on its cover? It's precisely THAT Elvis that this album seeks to escape from! Perhaps they were being ironic?

The liner notes are excellent, and complement a masterful artistic statement from pop's greatest icon.

When Elvis released From Elvis in Memphis in 1969, it marked a return to his country roots. The original album contained the first 12 songs on the cd and they were excellent. His version of Jerry Butler's "Only The Strong Survive" seems appropriate because Elvis backed up his 1968 comeback special with this album and showed not only could he survive, he could thrive. Leaving behind the awful soundtrack music he had been making for the prior 7 or 8 years, he was backed by a superb ensemble of Memphis studio musicians. Tracks like "Long Black Limousine", "Any Day Now", "Gentle On My Mind" and the haunting single "In The Ghetto" showed Elvis could make music that still mattered. What makes this re-release great is the inclusion of the singles from the sessions that weren't included on the original release. "Suspicious Minds" was the King's last number one single and one his best songs of all time. In "Kentucky Rain", he flexes his vocal muscles and he shows his tender side on "Don't Cry Daddy". "Mama Liked The Roses" is one of my favorite Presley songs and one of his best performances. Elvis released a couple more decent albums, before sliding into his Vegas persona, but this album stands as probably the final testiment to his greatness as a recording artist.

It is one of his greatest achivements but do not buy it

Purchase the new compilation:

The Memphis 1969 Anthology: Suspicous Minds

It has all 31 songs he recorded at American Sound Studios in Memphis in 1968 and they are all digitally remastered with inclusion of alternate takes.

For many, during the 1960s, Elvis Presley, after having gotten out of the Army, was MIA (Missing In Action)--submerging himself in some of the most godawful musical comedy movies ever made, with only a few of the songs ("Can't Help Falling In Love"; "Viva Las Vegas"; "Kissin' Cousins") reaching the level of what he had done in his late 1950s prime. So much had changed in the world during the Sixties, while the Colonel put his client through a terrible routine that destroyed the man's considerable acting potential and nearly ran his music career into the ground. But the monstrous success of 1968 NBC-TV comeback special gave The King a whole new lease on life.

And with this album, FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS, the man that generations had grown up with and whose 60s decline they lamented was back in full force. Elvis found himself recording material that he could invest everything he had into, and the results were spectacular. FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS encapsulates everything the man and American popular music were all about--R&B, pop, country, blues, the whole nine yards. Whether it's covers of "Only The Strong Survive" and "Gentle On My Mind", or fresh new songs like "Wearin' That Loved On Look", every bit of Elvis is in these songs. And it doesn't hurt in the slightest to have no fewer than four Top 40 hits on here either--"In The Ghetto" (#3); "Don't Cry Daddy" (#6); "Kentucky Rain" (#16); and the ever-popular "Suspicious Minds" (sadly, the King's last #1 hit), all true classics in his repertoire. Finally, one song of particular note is "Long Black Limousine", which has an almost disturbing and chilling resonance to it.

The album's #13 posting on the Billboard Top 200 during the summer of 1969, coming off the #8 charting of the comeback special album, was a remarkable feat, given how turbulent pop music was back then, and it showed Elvis still had the goods when he trumped his manager's fast greasy buck approach. It is a tragedy, of course, that Elvis was never totally able to escape the Colonel's pull because that, along with the terrible abuse he did to his body, was what led to his early demise. But when the King was at his best, as he certainly was here and would be more than half the time in his final eight years of life, he was untouchable. He was, to put it delicately, extraordinary, and this great 1969 album, arguably the finest of his career, is solid proof.

From the 'marriage on the rocks' urgency of "Suspicious Minds" to the social commentary of "In the Ghetto" -- FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS is without a doubt his best long player. A little more than one month after his earth shattering performance on NBC simply titled "Elvis '68" (with performances of his classic material and the stirring "If I Can Dream") he was poised for a comeback.

Recorded at American Studios, in Memphis, throughout the winter of 1969, Elvis reaches for and climbs back to the top of the ladder of what he so desperately desired -- the worlds greatest pop singer; equal parts balladeer, soulster and sex symbol. Having said that, some of the material on FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS isn't all that revealing or thought provoking. However, what you are left with is raw performances by Presley and the various session players (The Memphis Horns, Mary Greene, et al.)

This record above all of his best LP's (namely the self-titled ELVIS PRESLEY) evokes all that the man was: a lethal soul, country and rock stew.

(Note: I've also owned the SUSPICIOUS MINDS 2 disc that covers these sessions in total.)

First of all, let me say a big Thank You to the previous reviewers. It was YOUR reviews that overwhemingly swayed me to purchase this fine album. As the title of my post states, if Elvis ever had a masterpiece, this album is it. AWESOME. I got this album just last week, and already I am in love with it. This is quintessential late 60's Elvis. For those of you who think Elvis Presley was just 'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'Hound Dog', you have NO IDEA what you're missing. I think this was the album that showed Elvis's music was changing with the times. This album shows his maturity. From the opening of Wearin' That Loved On Look and Only The Strong Survive, the listener is hooked. Then the awesome bluesy feel of I'll Hold You in My Heart makes you feel you're in an underground, smokey blues club, with the man himself leading the festivities. There is NOT ONE bad song on this fine album. Any Day Now is MAGNIFICENT. This has quickly become one of my favorite songs (not just Elvis songs) of all time. The original album closes with In The Ghetto, my favorite Elvis Presley song of all time. It's also probably Elvis's darkest and most socially conscious song. A GREAT ending to the original record.
The Bonus Tracks are, you guessed it, outstanding. The hits Suspicious Minds and Kentucky Rain are songs I don't think I'll EVER get tired of hearing. Don't Cry Daddy is absolutely superb. And Mama Liked the Roses is a very mellow and fitting end to the album.
Besides Elvis's outstanding vocal delivery, his band, (like all of his musicians during late 60's and 70's era), is HOT! For people who think Elvis lost something after his Army years, THIS is the album that redeemed him. By the way, did I mention that I'm only 24 years old? That just goes to show the awesome power of Elvis and his music....to cross multiple generations. Although I'm a big Elvis Presley fan, I'm far from the BIGGEST. But this album makes me look at him in a totally different way. So, for all of you out there that think Elvis was a marginal artist at best (especially you people out there around my age), I almost guarantee this album will change your view about Elvis Presley. Bottom line, buy this album. You will NOT be dissapointed.

I really enoyed the cd i play it over and over again.I was not awaer that this cd was released until i went to amazon and found it.Thank You amazon for caring hard to find produts.

I first heard this album almost 20 years ago...I was in Grade Nine. I had bought the vinyl at a second hand record store - and dubbed it onto a cassette to listen to during a school trip. From the moment "Wearin' That Loved On Look" started, I knew this was not a typical Elvis album. It remains quite frankly the best Elvis album of all-time. The rich rawness of his voice, the vulnerability of his career at the time, the classic arrangements by Chips Moman, the brilliant Memphis sound - are clear with each track. I fell in love with this album and this era of his recording history. I even had a gold album specially made of this record to hang on my wall. Simply the best the King had to offer. Better than Sun, RCA, Hollywood and Vegas, "From Elvis in Memphis" is not only my top choice, it deserves to be one of the greatest achievements of the American songbook.

A classic Elvis Presley album, and indeed one of his all-time greatest, "From Elvis in Memphis" presents the harvest of two recording marathons in early 1969 at Chips Moman's American Studios in Memphis. Following hot on the heels of the '68 Comeback Special, the Memphis sessions produced a string of hits and sterling cuts, which helped to reestablish Elvis as one of the leading figures in rock culture. Even now, some 35 years after date, there isn't a weak number on this disc, with Elvis returning to his roots of blues, rhythm 'n' blues, country and gospel, and blending it all into his charateristically eclectic mix, as only he could, yet with a force and conviction which hadn't been heard for years. The way he turns the old Eddy Arnold country hit-tune "I'll Hold You In My Heart" into a powerful blues cut which doesn't let go, is just one example. The opening "Wearin' That Loved on Look", "Long Black Limousine", "Power Of My Love", and "Any Day Now" are by any standards magnificent achievements.
For the current CD release six more songs from the Memphis sessions (the hits "Suspicious Minds", "Kentucky Rain", "Don't Cry Daddy", among others) were added.
Highly recommended.