From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
1969
Album Summary
From Elvis in Memphis is the tenth studio album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. It was released by RCA Records on June 17, 1969. It was recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis in January and February 1969 under the direction of producer Chips Moman and backed by its house band, informally known as "The Memphis Boys". Following the success of Presley's TV special Elvis and its soundtrack, the album marked Presley's return to non-soundtrack albums after the completion of his film contract with Paramount Pictures. Presley's entourage convinced him to leave the RCA studios and record this album at American Sound, a Memphis studio at the peak of a hit-producing streak. The reason for going to Moman's studio was for the soul sound of the house band, 'the Memphis Boys'. The predominance of country songs among those recorded in these sessions gave them the feel of the "country soul" style. This impression was emphasized by the frequent use of the dobro in the arrangements. The Memphis Boys had a solidly southern soul sound. From Elvis in Memphis was released in June 1969 to favorable reviews. The album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, number two on the country charts and number one in the United Kingdom, and its single "In the Ghetto" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1970. In later years, it garnered further favorable reviews, while it was ranked number 190 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
WikipediaLate era Elvis...by this time, he sounds less like a guttural, saucy rockstar and more like a Vegas pop performer. That doesn't mean the music is bad, but it sounds like the kind of music that an audience at a bar would half-listen to while ordering drinks not realizing that it's really good. The talent is still there and the lyrics are more mature than older Elvis music, but he's missing a lot of the grit and energy. Maybe Hollywood or the war took it out of him. Maybe this is just over-produced. Regardless, I did like a lot of tracks on the back end, enough for me to adjust to the style and realize this is still a great album, even if it's not what I was expecting. "In the Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds" are more than worth the price of admission. Favorite tracks: Suspicious Minds, In the Ghetto, True Love Travels on a Gravel Road, After Loving You. Album art: I like the picture, especially with what I hope is thousands of Elvis impersonators in the background. But you can tell from his outfit that this is the dawn of a new age of Elvis. He's got that ascot/scarf on, maybe a streak of grey in his hair--this is the beginning of Elvis the aging Vegas performer. 4/5
Fantastic album. Was trying to choose favourite songs, but they were all brilliant. Southern soul sound. FSs: (All), Suspicious Minds, In The Ghetto, Long Black Limousine, Only The Strong Survive, True Love Travels On a Gravel Road
Look how fit he is on that cover JESUS CHRIST. Production so crisp, like what? Is that Cello on 'In the Ghetto'? Chelloooo we got a bass. I can't tell you how long I've been looking for a good Elvis collection. Insane.
Elvis is on fire here. I had heard some songs off this album before but holy smokes I liked this record. His voice is fried but it suits the songs that he is singing very well. The playing on this album is insane for an Elvis record. The focus is supposed to be on him but I couldn’t help but wander to the bass and guitar parts holding it together. This is an incredible Elvis record and I liked it a lot. Favorite song: Suspicious Minds Least favorite song: Daddy Don’t Cry
I ain't never heard a song from this album before, and boy was I a fool for that. I thought that much of Elvis' discography was like "Hound Dog" - early rock n roll. But clearly Elvis was much more diverse, branching into blues and Western like I never imagined. This album has songs that I feel are the natural evolution of the narrators from Robbins' "Gunfighter Ballads", and I love it for that. I think it will be my next on my record hunt...
Surprisingly great album and think it's strong all around. In the Ghetto and Suspicious Minds are most popular song but others are great too. 9/10.
It's the king! Elvis has always been a part of my life, so much so I was almost named Elvis. My dad is a huge fan and I became one very quickly at a young age. This was a fantastic album with a few classics like In the Ghetto and Suspicious Minds but I found a few other gems like Wearin' That Loved On Look and True Love Travels On a Gravel Road. I thought this would be a live album but it didn't seem so despite what the title and cover show. I hope we get more Elvis because I can always listen to him.
i get why elvis was so big now. great old 50s style funky organ classic old rock. enjoyed alot
I love this project because of how much it shows off certain artists and how they are up my alley. Elvis is a perfect example of this. His voice is incredible and there is a reason he is called the King. Album starts strong even with lesser known longs. Middle gets a bit tiring, but Suspicious Minds is incredible. Side note: One of my first CDs was the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack which is half Elvis!
love how he aligns the drummer against "I said Ill hold you in my heart..." at the start cool album - love Elvis!
omg actual good music i am having such a pleasant time ☺️☺️ ok i literally love this also wearin that loved on look is code for fucked-out face, right? RIGHT?!?!? THIS WAS SO GOOD elvis slaps idgaf
I know it's cliche, but I really do love Elvis. What a voice. Great songwriting. One of my favorites is 'Suspicious Minds.' Underrated musician and guitarist. And I'm a sucker for the Hagstrom guitar he's holding in the album cover photo. So freaking cool!
excelente album, nunca habia escuchado en profundidad su música pero a raíz de este disco creo que voy a comenzar a interiorizarme un poco más..
Not a fan of some of the crooning which hasn't aged well but the more upbeat stuff is 🔥
Like most of Elvis' oeuvre, this has peaks and troughs, but because it's Elvis, on this album the troughs are still higher than many artists peaks.
Avant de démarrer la critique de cet album, il faut que je vous remette un peu de contexte. Il faut savoir qu'en plus du générateur des 1001 albums, j'ai crée 3 générateurs pirates, me proposant respectivement des albums de rap français, hard/punk rock, rnb/pop/chanson française. Dans le dernier cité, j'ai récemment découvert Elvis Presley, au cours d'un excellent album intitulé Today. C'est donc avec joie que je lançais cet album de Elvis Presley, m'attendant à aussi bien voir mieux, étant donné que Today n'avait pas été selectioné par Robert dans sa liste des 1001. Mais c'était mal connaître ce diable de Robert... Souvenez vous, Robert prend toujours soin de selectionner les albums les moins intéressants de chaque artiste. Face à cette nouvelle désillusion, j'ai décidé de partager mes générateurs pirates aux plus intéressés, plus d'informations à venir dans ma prochaine review d'Elvis Presley.
L'Eddy Mitchell américain nous prouve avec cet album qu'il peut assumer la comparaison et proposer un projet au moins tout aussi bon que ceux de son homologue.
An Elvis relic rather than a rock 'n' roll one. And one that's only good enough. No more, no less.
I get that Elvis was highly influential and popular back in his day, but not in 1969. Take a look at the list of albums released in 69, 68, 67.. Surely there are other, earlier works from him that are more essential. These songs are fine, but 1001 albums you must listen to should set the bar a bit higher than 'fine'. In 1969 Moondog released his highly acclaimed self-titled album of experimental jazz/classical and minimalist fusion. It's avant-garde, spacey, yet strangely accessible. More importantly it's significantly different from anything else on this list. Moondog is not on this list. Go listen to Moondog instead. There are 2 other better Elvis albums on here anyway.
Elvis has been one of the most surprising things I've learned from the list so far. Once you get past the hype and the stagecraft, his albums are truly dreadful. He slurs and lurches through this one, sounding just like the tuneless, aging barflies I've heard.imitate him a thousand times. No amount of hammy howling can give these songs any soul and his lyrics die the moment they leave his ludicrously curled lips. Music for annoying drunks.
Please give me early Elvis! The hungry, innovative, inspired, edgy, bluesy Elvis. The Sun Records Elvis. I can listen to THAT all day long! Not this! Uninspired, bloated, saccharine, sappy...those God-awful, elevator-music strings...mind-numbing horns....Hollywood orchestra chorus. I'm sorry, but this is just vapid and insipid....the beginnings of Elvis's eventual movement towards the sad parody of himself that he would ultimately become at the end. Don't despair, though....go listen to the good stuff. There's plenty of it! This is NOT it. 1/5
Never been an Elvis fan. This was not something I’d choose to listen to again.
My score is even for the original album (without later added singles like Suspicious Minds etc).
Discazo. No me encantan las canciones muy lentas tipo sus baladas de los primeros discos pero lo demás es excelente. Además de las obvias, Only the Strong survive y Don't Cry Daddy directo a las gustadas en Spotify. Los arreglos con cuerdas y metales son excelentes, sobre todo cuando explota su voz. Songs: Suspicious Minds, In the Ghetto, Only The Strong Survive, Don't Cry Daddy, Kentucky Rain
The king will always be the king and he shows it with these songs that many were unaware of. Great.
Was not expecting this to be anywhere near as good as it was. Never really enjoyed the late 50s stuff which I find pretty corny, but this is on entirely different level which I think has a lot to do with the band behind him. Someone give that man on bass a medal. This is ultimate cool. Soul infused almost funk composition overlaid with perfectly delivered lyrics. The man's got a voice no doubt about it.
As with anyone who grew up in North America, I've heard Elvis songs off and on my whole life, but this is the first time I've ever listened to a full album. This is very much 'Blues-y'/slower Elvis, rather than his rock n' roll approach in the 1950's, but it's just so damn good. There's nothing quite like Elvis' soulful voice, and all of these songs are just so delightfully melodic and well-written, both musically and lyrically.
Suspicious Minds has always been my favourite Elvis song but I had never really realized that he'd done more countrysoul like that. And that it's this great. I mean, it's Elvis so there is quite a bit of unnecessary cheese here and I often find his voice a bit to smarmy but yes I will definitely come back to this one. 9/10
Probablement le meilleur j'ai entendu de Elvis. Et hé ne suis pas fan des albums live 5
You can hear that Elvis is tired in this album and his voice is not what it used to be but my goodness you can ferl the emotion in these songs. Great arrangements, superb gospel vibes in the album and great Hammond organ solos. Really loved this. Elvis is arguably the most influential popular music icon of the 20th century and he certainly reigns as The King here.
Crazy that maybe the most famous musician in our western civilization isn't even overrated at all.
really liked this album. I never considered myself an Elvis lover but he is a great musician.
Dælme lækkert album og en fed soul stil. Helt sikkert en man skal have på vinyl
I couldn't love the sound of Elvis's voice more than I do. He could sing whatever he wanted and I would listen.
A very wistful album in my mind. Early Elvis feels sexy and cutting edge. This era is reaching back to grab his childhood, and I can tell that he is basically sitting in the corner of the bar of America, weeping and playing a guitar as the bar is being renovated.
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Wearin that loved on look, Only the strong survive, In the ghetto, Suspicious minds, Don’t cry daddy, Kentucky rain
Great album, solid performance by the king, no weak tracks with great ones scattered through
I have never been a huge Elvis fan, mostly due to lack of exposure, but this album has changed that. It is truly captivating. The passionate emotion present in the songs, the theatricality, and the crooning tone make the performances and performer both larger than life and almost painfully intimate. Standout songs are Long Black Limousine and Suspicious Minds.
I dig it, and I never thought I'd enjoy Elvis. I can see myself revisiting this often now that I've given it a chance.
I am far from an Elvis Presley expert but this probably has some of my favourite Elvis Pressley standards....In The Ghetto, Suspicious Minds, (though the Allmusic reviewed version does not include this cut so not sure that I should consider it), Gentle on My Mind (not really familiar with Elvis' rendition but he absolutely kills it!). Plus there are some others that I had not heard previously that are great as well (Wearin' That Loved On Look, It Keeps Right on Hurtin', Only The Strong Survive, I'm Movin' On and others). Throughout the plaing, production, back-up vocals and production are quite simply outstanding. Even if I don't include the stellar Suspicious Minds This is still a no-brainer 5 star album.
Watched Elvis movie, then listened to this album. If movie is to be believed, a very sad story of evil and tragedy.
Elvis... There's some of his greatest songs here when he was still able to weave some kind of spell. It's always going to be about the man himself with his people around him. It's a very stylised 70's production as you might expect. No-one did it like the man.
So, in my youth, I was a strictly Sun years Elvis fan. The fat. bloated, besequinned jumpsuit Elvis karate chopping his way across the stage, sweating out 'ludes and benzedrine did not do it for me. And then I met my wife, who was quite insistent that Vegas Elvis was the most glorious incarnation of Elvis. And she won me over. I mean, he is still fat and bloated, the jumpsuits are covered in sequins, and the karate moves are ridiculous, and he is still befuddled with the drugs... but it is also glorious in its overblown . He finds the real power in his voice. he is sentimental as all hell, and he wrings every drop of melodrama out of every note. And he kept doing some truly dreadful material right up until the end. But there are moments of real magnificence, such as his gospel material... and this. How he ended up recording some decent material with a decent band in a decent material seems like a glorious accident that his manager and minders (and his own terrible instincts) didn't manage to stuff up, for once. The cornerstone of the really great material from the last decade of his life basically these sessions. It's super cheesy, and somewhat overdone (which prevents it from being quite a funky as it might be), but this is, to my mind, probably the greatest individual Elvis album, especially when the bonus tracks are included. I used to hate it, then I liked it ironically, and now I just love it.
Ja det är ju förskräckligt bra. Om man sen har lyssnat sönder det från förr och känner lite gäsp bör det ju ändå inte sätta ner betyget tänker jag.
Classic Elvis. I always have loved his live version of In The Ghetto, Suspicious Minds.
What a great listen. This is my first Elvis album and prolly first time listening through one. Such relatable, beautiful stories in each song. It started out kinda slow but the music was so catching and enjoyable, you can’t help but lose yourself in it, then the hits started raining down like Kentucky rain. I was feeling a 4 at first then the album as a whole presented itself. What a perfect album. 5! 1. Suspicious Minds 2. Kentucky Rain 3. Any Day Now 4. In the Ghetto 5. Wearin’ That Loved On Look
This album is exceptional, order, flow, vibe and showcasing of a folky Elvis that is full of heart and soul. Great classics like In the Ghetto and Suspicious Minds. But quality of all the tracks are great and a relisten is worth it
I enjoyed every minute of this album. Elvis shines over incredible arrangements that manage to wrap country and soul sounds together with strings and French horns. Amazing. The backup singers are perfection. It is jam-packed with incredible songs. “Suspicious Minds” (from the CD reissue) and “In The Ghetto” are likely my favorite Elvis songs ever, with “Kentucky Rain” (also from the reissue) right on their heels. But the real surprise were how many great songs there are on this that I hadn't heard or had forgotten. I love his renditions of “Only The Strong Survive”, “Any Day Now”, and “Gentle on my Mind”. And "Power of My Love" is a sexy, swaggering new favorite. "True Love Travels On A Gravel Road" brings the country romance, while “I’ll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)” cranks up the soul. Elvis’ voice is incredible on “Long Black Limousine” with its strong gospel tones (performed with a cold no less!). “It Keeps Right On-A Hurtin’” and “I’m Movin’ On” bring on the country. "Wearin' That Loved On Look" combines both and is such a great opening to the album. If I haven't mentioned any songs on this album it is not because I didn't love them. I loved every second of this album. The production quality, the performances, the arrangements, the songs - it's all perfect. I’ve listened to this over and over for most of the day - I can’t seem to get too much of “From Elvis in Memphis.” This is Elvis at the very top of his game as he testifies, croons, wails and rocks his way through one of the best albums I've had the fortune to experience.
Well, my stars. You're gonna have to gimme a minute to recover from all this...charisma. This album is deep, soulful, sexy. I enjoyed the pants off it.
I loved this album! I mean, sure, it’s Elvis! It had me groovin’ and just put me in the greatest mood…like, giddy… for the rest of the day.
This is a great big heapin' helpin' of genuine American corn. It's fantastic.
After leaving his deteriorating acting career, and staging the successful comeback special, Elvis vowed to never sing another song he didn’t believe in. This is the album that follows that up, and you can feel that sentiment throughout. He puts every ounce of himself into these songs, and they sore because of the emotions he’s bringing to the table as he sings them. The melding of country, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll are what made Elvis so special to begin with, and it’s all on display here with the help of the equally talented and in step Memphis Boys. Can’t think of a better studio representation of what Elvis was capable of than this album, especially this late into his short lived career.
Comeback album van Elvis Presley na jaren van soundtracks opnemen. Bevat vooral covers (o.a. "Gentle On My Mind") met een sound die een mengeling van country en Memphis soul & blues. Zo mogelijk het beste album dat de "King" heeft gemaakt. leukste nummer: In the Ghetto "Only the Strong Survive" moest 29 keer overgedaan worden.
Much better than I expected. Didn't realise Suspicious Minds was by Elvis. Kentucky Rain was pretty fantastic.
Really liked it. Loved the country, soul vibe. Bit of a gospel feel. Incredible talent, never listened to a whole album from Elvis.
Solid Elvis, I think this starts to show a more individual voice than the last one I listened to.