From Elvis in Memphis overrated?

[Brian]

Hi everyone

I was wondering if any of you on this board felt that the 1969 album From Elvis in Memphis or the entire 69 Memphis sessions were overrated?

Let me explain in January of 69 Marty Lacker upset with all the bad songs Elvis was recording for the movies and Elvis going to Nashville for another average recording session suggests to Elvis that he go to American studio with Chips Moman and the American studio band to record some new songs where publishing wouldn't be an issue and extremely set of creative and innovate musicians who played on 120 chart hits over a six year period would back him up. Elvis agrees and sessions are set up.

I do agree that several good songs were recorded at the sessions like Wearin that loved on look, True love Travels on a gravel road, And the Grass won't pay no mind, you'll think of me, Little bit of green, Do you know who I am etc. but for a really creative session that it was suppose to be Elvis does record a lot of covers like Eddy Arnold ''After loving you'' and ''I'll hold you in my heart'', Johnny tillotson ''keeps right on a hurting'' and then Glen Campbells well known Gentle on my mind and Ned Millers from a jack to a king.

I actually like Eddy Arnolds versions of those 2 songs better and I think if all Elvis was going to do was record covers of country songs he could have stayed in Nashville. I read that Lamar brought Elvis 2 songs for the session Come on, Come on (slow and swampy ) and an uptempo song Memory revival that I feel that would have been good to replace I'll hold you in my heart and it keeps right on a hurtin but Elvis never recorded them.
regarding the singles I like all of them but Don't cry daddy and in the Ghetto were both written by Mac Davis who began writing songs for Elvis in 1968 and Elvis did get a piece of Kentucky rain so he probably would have recorded those songs in Nashville anyway the only song he wouldn't have recorded was suspicious minds which Chips had the publishing on.

Marty Lacker is a champion for Memphis Music and in particular the American studio band and he says that while the Nashville and L.A. studio musicians Elvis worked with were talented they were no where near as creative as the Memphis musicians. I sort of disagree with him on that I feel when the material was good anything Elvis recorded in Nashville or L.A. was equal to what he recorded in Memphis, Just like if the American studio band played on some of those movie soundtracks no matter how talented or creative they were bad material is bad material.

Don't get me wrong I like the Memphis sessions and I do own a copy of From Elvis in Memphis but I do feel the 69 sessions are a little overrated.
How do all of you feel about it?

[EnigmaticSun]

His productivity in terms of quantity seems to be remarkable to say the least, but it's not my favorite session as far as his vocals are concerned. However it's obvious that this was something fresh and Elvis enjoyed himself.

I think these sessions may be appreciated like this because it featured Elvis in good health (it's easier to confront friends, family and the "progressive" press with it) and with vigor, at least it fits the rock 'n roll image.

[MojoElvis]

ELVIS from day one with his first hit was known for remaking songs. I really love this recording session, I could only think of a few songs I'm not happy with but, in comparison to what he was doing in the late 60s and even after 1971 this session produced a lot of great material.
It also introduced the world to a more serious and mature Elvis. His new vocal style was amazing.
This was a new Elvis in the makings and that's part of what made this session so interesting.
This also proved that Elvis could re-create himself if he wanted to. I'll never forget when I first heard that LP completely, I was like, "wow his voice is so rich and expressive", to me at the age of 11 it was like a new Elvis and spoke to me personally. Elvis had that personal magic touch in his voice and I very rarely played them out loud for a reason.

Bing Crosby said it best when he said in 1970,

"Music used to be a personal thing, you went home and listened to the records in private and related to whatever song to your life. weather to cheer you up, bring you to a place of solitude or remembrance of someone. Now, it has to be played over speakers and the whole room has to be in agreement that the music playing is good".

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Hi Brian, wow what a great topic! First of all I have to say my favourite period in terms of material and voice is 1969 more specifically the Elvis In Memphis Sessions :) but I promise to be objective :blush:

You raise some great points, bad material is indeed bad material. to prove that point you have only to look one year ahead from the Memphis Sessions to see songs like "This Is Our Dance" It's miles away from something like "Any Day Now"

Perhaps there is bias towards the Memphis Sessions because of the previous material coming from Soundtrack Sessions, the quality varied a great deal with little being released as a stand alone album. The Memphis Sessions capture a sound unlike anything recorded previously or again afterwards, Elvis still had an edge to his voice as heard in the 68 Special, there is social commentary in the track "In The Ghetto" something Elvis never did before.

Like you have already commented, Elvis covered tracks that he didn't necessarily have to cover, however I believe that Elvis wouldn't have given complete control to Chips and these were either his choice or other external influences.

I also agree that Elvis was capable of sounding just as good given material that was above the usual movie standard, for instance "Change of Habit" recorded 2 months after "Long Black Limousine" sounds great which was recorded in California as was "Charro" 5 month's prior which also showcased Elvis' voice.

IMO the Memphis Sessions delivered songs that remain key highlights in Elvis' career. 1970 saw a return to the usual middle of the road play it safe material. No other sessions after the Memphis Sessions were ever as productive in terms of the amount of successful material or quality IMO. There is no other Album that is a strong as the Memphis Sessions unless you want to start talking about the Sun Sessions ;)

[MojoElvis]

Hi Brian, wow what a great topic! First of all I have to say my favourite period in terms of material and voice is 1969 more specifically the Elvis In Memphis Sessions :) but I promise to be objective :blush:

You raise some great points, bad material is indeed bad material. to prove that point you have only to look one year ahead from the Memphis Sessions to see songs like "This Is Our Dance" It's miles away from something like "Any Day Now"

Perhaps there is bias towards the Memphis Sessions because of the previous material coming from Soundtrack Sessions, the quality varied a great deal with little being released as a stand alone album. The Memphis Sessions capture a sound unlike anything recorded previously or again afterwards, Elvis still had an edge to his voice as heard in the 68 Special, there is social commentary in the track "In The Ghetto" something Elvis never did before.

Like you have already commented, Elvis covered tracks that he didn't necessarily have to cover, however I believe that Elvis wouldn't have given complete control to Chips and these were either his choice or other external influences.

I also agree that Elvis was capable of sounding just as good given material that was above the usual movie standard, for instance "Change of Habit" recorded 2 months after "Long Black Limousine" sounds great which was recorded in California as was "Charro" 5 month's prior which also showcased Elvis' voice.

IMO the Memphis Sessions delivered songs that remain key highlights in Elvis' career. 1970 saw a return to the usual middle of the road play it safe material. No other sessions after the Memphis Sessions were ever as productive in terms of the amount of successful material or quality IMO. There is no other Album that is a strong as the Memphis Sessions unless you want to start talking about the Sun Sessions ;)

I have to agree with you here. You and Brian bring out good points. The list of songs do jump around a lot in style but I agree with the track listings of this LP. Elvis gave Memphis another new sound.

[EnigmaticSun]

It looks like quantity and success seem to be key elements here.

But is it wrong to like Elvis' voice, say from 1975 on?

There's enough I like about the sessions adding up to his '69 studio albums. But I can't harmonize with the thought that it was no good afterwards.

I like the operatic and warm sound he developed later on, is this like betrayal to rock 'n roll? In some cases songs from the 70's portray a crying Elvis, expressing his pain in music and singing his heart out, which I don't find in the sessions of '69 (and that's perfectly okay, since he wasn't hurt, ill or depressed at that time). His later work is so dramatic, painful, compelling, heartbreaking.. it's what made me love the 70's.

I think the sessions from 1970 were pretty good too.. "I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water", "There Goes My Everything" are among my favorites.

Maybe I'm feeling too country here, as "From A Jack To A King" is one of my favorite songs from 1969. I wonder if there are members who understand my point of view..?

[Albert]

I believe the '69 sessions as a whole are overrated. RCA just didn't understand the way Elvis worked, and Elvis didn't understand the business.

Elvis loved to cover songs that he liked. So what better moment to sing them when in a studio with fellow music lovers? The problem was that RCA recorded everything ELvis did in the studio.....and released everything they recorded.

It's very common that artists fool around in a studio in way to relax, create a vibe or just to expirement. But normally the recordcompany understands that. And the artist or group see into it that the released album has a good selection of the songs. Sometimes half of the songs they've recorded are dropped during this selection. Those dropped songs are used as b-sides or bonustracks for compilations.

The covers and some of the poor songs never should have been released on an album. Songs like "From a Jack to a King" is wonderfull for us as a hidden gem, but was really out of place in 1969 when ELvis tried to come back as legit artist and entertainer.

Same goes for the 1970 Nashville Marathon: drop half the songs and you have 2 great albums for 1970 (which was already way too much: popular acts in that time released 1 album a year maximum).

[EnigmaticSun]

Seems like a form of miscommunication between Elvis and his record company. I think you're right, as a lot of releases by RCA look rather silly and out-of-place to me.

And those terrible overdubs.. I'd call it over-overdubbing. I've often wondered whether Elvis wanted to have that.

[Joe Car]

Elvis From Memphis is one of the great recordings of all-time, overrated, I have to disagree.

[hounddog]

i think Elvis In Memphis is one of his underrated albums. I say this because it's only fans that know about this wonderful album. It covers so many styles and it really shows Elvis' abilty and musicianship to take any genre of song and make it his own.

Soul, country, rock and blues it's all on this album

[pat10]

overrated hell no

[Cryogenic]

Overrated? No. Underrated? Yes.

Firstly, let it be said that I *love* Rolling Stone's 2001 remark about this album, and for me, it sums the entire achievement up: "new as polyester yet old as leather". I love the tactile feel (haha) of that phrase. And I think it says something about the power of the recordings that someone could make that comment over 30 years after it came out.

Start the album up and hear the first bars of the first song. It is fresh and invigorating with a world weary Elvis validating the whole body of work the moment he begins to sing "Wearin' That Loved On Look". Yet there's this remarkable warmth and familiar personality even with this new sound, too. To get both of these strands at the same time, and with such energy and vivacity by Elvis, does, in many ways, make "From Elvis in Memphis" his finest work. Even the title reads like a gift tag.

But the voice leaves me with mixed feelings.

It's not that Elvis has a bad voice here -- on the contrary, it's brilliant. I hear a conscious choice to return to the more spontaneous sound of his 50's persona, using whoops and trills, embracing a slightly wobbly-at-times vibrato and a number of other vocal ticks and mannerisms, all subtly and enigmatically blended as only Elvis could blend them. It's an interesting choice in light of the fact that Elvis was mounting his artistic comeback here. It's like he was trying to convey his energy and enthusiasm to the listener by drawing on his original "energetic" period for inspiration. It's a kind of self-referentiality, even.

What's the problem, then? Four digits: 1970. In this year, Elvis had a new approach entirely, and it's this voice out of all his "adult" voices I love the most. His voice in 1970 had a darker, more chocolatey quality, being both incredibly husky and very controlled. I know some hate these songs, but point me to a performance in 1969 -- or anytime, for that matter -- with the same vocal style as "Heart of Rome" or "Sylvia". To say he "belts" these out barely begins to cover what I want to say, but there is a kind of passion in these numbers I don't hear anywhere else. All his vocals from 1970 have this richer sound. Maybe the ultimate recording from this period is his studio master of "Just Pretend". Again, point me to something comparable from 1969. Maybe you can, but you'd be missing my point. The timbre of his voice is different and he puts it across in a different way, much more closer to Tom Jones than anything he'd ever done before.

It boils down to this: Every time Elvis entered into a recording studio, I think he was going for something different. He really has a multitude of feels. How does one connect the dots between "My Happiness" in 1954 and "Unchained Melody" in 1977? I'm not talking theme or motif or anything like that; I mean vocally. How can you describe in a non-demonstrative form (i.e. not with samples of Elvis singing) the sound and texture of his voice and the way he delivers both songs? How, in words, can you get from Elvis A to Elvis Z? And what about all the other Elvi in between?

Brian started this thread talking about material. I half agree with his sentiments. For example, I also prefer the original version of "From A Jack To A King" -- it has a kind of slow burning richness I like. Elvis' version is very expressive and a little over-the-top for me, though still cool and unusual and by no means bad (to my subjective opinion). But I also think Brian misses the point of a choice like "I'll Hold You In My Heart", which Elvis makes into a private meditation and sublime work of art (again, to my subjective opinion). Some songs may have been stronger than others, but the overall focus and ethic at American Sound Studios not merely overcame defecits, it more or less made the issue of them irrelevant.

Elvis knew he had to leave Nashville out this time and head straight for the hottest producer and recording studio in town. While song selection is not unimportant, interpretation is key. Chips Moman was a headstrong producer with a signature style. Elvis was a headstrong singer with a signature style. So why not marry the two? If Chips stuck to producing and Elvis to singing, they'd find perfect partners in each other and make some of the most outstanding popular music of all time. And that's exactly what they did.

The material of 1970 may be less challenging, but the voice is not. And I take objection to the idea of weaker material, too. Overall, nothing can beat the freshness of the 69 material, in my book. But Elvis cut some radically different stuff in 1970, which should be acknowledged. "The Next Step Is Love". A contemporary pop song. "This Is Our Dance". A waltz. "Heart Of Rome". A dance-pop number. All totally new for Elvis. And the voice from that year is a real thrill. As much as I love "Long Black Limousine", hearing him arc his voice up at the end of "Heart of Rome" kinda grabs me more. Name me one other singer who has ever had that specific sound. There isn't one. Keep listening to the music, for that's what it's all about.

[Brian]

.



Brian started this thread talking about material. I half agree with his sentiments. For example, I also prefer the original version of "From A Jack To A King" -- it has a kind of slow burning richness I like. Elvis' version is very expressive and a little over-the-top for me, though still cool and unusual and by no means bad (to my subjective opinion). But I also think Brian misses the point of a choice like "I'll Hold You In My Heart", which Elvis makes into a private meditation and sublime work of art (again, to my subjective opinion). Some songs may have been stronger than others, but the overall focus and ethic at American Sound Studios not merely overcame defecits, it more or less made the issue of them irrelevant.






I don't think I miss the point about I'll hold you in my heart my point was if Elvis was going to record in a new studio with new musicians he should've recorded more original material. I know that Elvis covered the song because he liked it and he gave it a different arrangement and interpretation but I was saying I liked Eddy Arnold's version better. I know a lot of fans like it but I know a lot of people who don't, he could've recorded the same song in Nashville with the same arrangement.

[SeeSeeRider777]

Overrated, I dont think so. It was a great session. IMHO Any Day Now should have been a bigger hit.

[KPM]

I don't think I miss the point about I'll hold you in my heart my point was if Elvis was going to record in a new studio with new musicians he should've recorded more original material. I know that Elvis covered the song because he liked it and he gave it a different arrangement and interpretation but I was saying I liked Eddy Arnold's version better. I know a lot of fans like it but I know a lot of people who don't, he could've recorded the same song in Nashville with the same arrangement.
Why?
Elvis sang originals when he wanted to, and he sang covers when he wanted to. By 1969 there were more singer/songwriters than ever before and a lot of the good ones were doing their own songs. Also lets not ever forget that the new material was limited to writers who would give a cut to the publishing companies associated with Elvis/Col. After the mid 60s that list became smaller and smaller.
I was always so excited to hear Elvis do songs I had heard by others and wanted to hear his take on. He very seldom let me down with his versions.
As far as Eddy's version as opposed to Elvis's-I like Elvis's because it has an excitement, a fire which just is not in Eddy's. Eddy was a mellow singer and I am not knocking his sound. To me he is a country version of Perry Como and Dean Martin.

[poormansgold]

It's one greatest Lp all times, Overrated no, I agree that Any Day sure had An Hit and same for Gentle On My Mind.. Gentle On My Mind Is One Old Time Classic, I listen To Glen Campell version before I Was A Elvis fan.. I think That Elvis is power version , it miss good Guitar work liked Glen Version , That's I think .. The "From Elvis In Memphis also miss hits liked "Suspicious Minds" And "Don't Cry Daddy"
If We Have Gentle On My Mind and True Love TRavels On Gravel road as Single , maybe That another Hit for Elvis.
Tom

[Brian]

Why?
Elvis sang originals when he wanted to, and he sang covers when he wanted to. By 1969 there were more singer/songwriters than ever before and a lot of the good ones were doing their own songs. Also lets not ever forget that the new material was limited to writers who would give a cut to the publishing companies associated with Elvis/Col. After the mid 60s that list became smaller and smaller.
I was always so excited to hear Elvis do songs I had heard by others and wanted to hear his take on. He very seldom let me down with his versions.
As far as Eddy's version as opposed to Elvis's-I like Elvis's because it has an excitement, a fire which just is not in Eddy's. Eddy was a mellow singer and I am not knocking his sound. To me he is a country version of Perry Como and Dean Martin.

That's your opinion and I have mine. Elvis recorded there so he could get more original and better material and to work with an exciting creative musicians but didn't do that all that much, there were still many songwriters Elvis never cut songs from. I think I'm movin on'' was the best of the country covers. I would have dropped I'll hold you in my heart, After loving you, it keeps right on a hurtin and Gentle on my mind for more original material.

I agree with your opinion about Eddy Arnold's sound that's one of the reasons why I like him.

[KPM]

That's your opinion and I have mine. Elvis recorded there so he could get more original and better material and to work with an exciting creative musicians but didn't do that all that much, there were still many songwriters Elvis never cut songs from. I think I'm movin on'' was the best of the country covers. I would have dropped I'll hold you in my heart, After loving you, it keeps right on a hurtin and Gentle on my mind for more original material.

I agree with your opinion about Eddy Arnold's sound that's one of the reasons why I like him.
I thought Elvis recorded there because he wanted to try and get a more contemporary sound and to try and make some good hit records-it was a studio which was hot in 1969 and it was in his own backyard so to speak.
I don't think anyone cared if the songs were covers, or originals-IMO they wanted to make great music which would sell. If that music was an original fine-if it was a cover fine.
To me good music is good music no matter who recorded it first or who covered it.
I like Robbie Robertson and the Bands version of "Mystery Train"-its a cover of Elvis's (and his is a cover of Junior Parker), I like them all and bought them all.
I like Elvis's "Hound Dog" but also like Big Mama Thorntons.
I like "My Way" by Elvis and Frank for different reasons.But they are both good.
If Elvis had only done originals I think he would have grown bored of recording way before the mid 70's-it seems he needed to sing what appealed to him, what touched him in some way.
I like Eddy Arnold-but can't listen to him as often as I listen to Elvis. I like a little Perry Como also-but only when I'm going to sleep.;)

[kathy parkinson]

i think Elvis In Memphis is one of his underrated albums. I say this because it's only fans that know about this wonderful album. It covers so many styles and it really shows Elvis' abilty and musicianship to take any genre of song and make it his own.

Soul, country, rock and blues it's all on this album

Agree with you on this, love this album.(y)

[Trelane P]

This should have been the album tracklist for Elvis In Memphis. I suggest it would be hailed as the greatest album ever made leaving the likes of Sgt Pepper and Pet Sounds in it's dust:

1. Wearin' That Loved On Look
2. Only The Strong Survive
3. I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)
4. Long Black Limousine
5. I'm Movin' On
6. Power Of My Love
7. Gentle On My Mind
8. After Loving You
9. Any Day Now
10. In The Ghetto
11. Suspicious Minds
12. You'll Think Of Me
13. Kentucky Rain
14. Stranger In My Own Home Town
15. From A Jack To A King
16. Do You Know Who I Am
17. A Little Bit Of Green
18. And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind
19. Rubberneckin'
20. Inherit The Wind

RCA should release this album and delete previous 69 American releases. While I am at it they should also release a definitive Stax album. Elvis At Stax, another gem.

[Brian]

I thought Elvis recorded there because he wanted to try and get a more contemporary sound and to try and make some good hit records-it was a studio which was hot in 1969 and it was in his own backyard so to speak.
I don't think anyone cared if the songs were covers, or originals-IMO they wanted to make great music which would sell. If that music was an original fine-if it was a cover fine.
To me good

That's another reason but like I said he also went there to get new fresh contemporary material but did a lot of covers of old country songs I like the
R&B songs Any day now,only the strong survive, long black limousine but don't really like the country covers except i'm movin on. Elvis did a bunch of Eddy Arnold songs from the beginning of his career and he could've stayed in Nashville and recorded them. I like hound dog and mystery train as well when he took those songs he was taking two obscure blues songs by two not very well known blues singers and making them rock n' roll that's not the case with the country songs at American because he's taking well known country songs by country singers and covering them, like Gentle on my mind by Glen Cambell was very well know because he featured it on his t.v. show and it also had been covered by Aretha Franklin,Dean Martin and Sinatra I like Elvis soul interpretation of it but he could have done it on stage and got another original song for the album. Regarding new material Mac Davis said that he sent Elvis a tape with 19 songs on it but Elvis only recorded 2 of them and I know that Mann and Weil sent Elvis the song Angelica but he gave it to Roy Hamilton. Someone put Angelica on youtube it was an operatic ballad that would have suited Elvis well I don't think it was as good as it's Now or never but it would have been a good B side. Dan Penn had ties to American but Elvis never recorded any of his songs and another songwriter that I would've liked Elvis to use is Jimmy Webb. I don't know about you but I think it would have been great for Elvis to get a hold of Me and Bobbie Mcgee by Kris Kristofferson before Roger Miller. I think Elvis would have done a great job just imagine him singing it and the American band playing on it I think it would have been a hit for sure.

[KPM]

That's another reason but like I said he also went there to get new fresh contemporary material but did a lot of covers of old country songs I like the
R&B songs Any day now,only the strong survive, long black limousine but don't really like the country covers except i'm movin on. Elvis did a bunch of Eddy Arnold songs from the beginning of his career and he could've stayed in Nashville and recorded them. I like hound dog and mystery train as well when he took those songs he was taking two obscure blues songs by two not very well known blues singers and making them rock n' roll that's not the case with the country songs at American because he's taking well known country songs by country singers and covering them, like Gentle on my mind by Glen Cambell was very well know because he featured it on his t.v. show and it also had been covered by Aretha Franklin,Dean Martin and Sinatra I like Elvis soul interpretation of it but he could have done it on stage and got another original song for the album. Regarding new material Mac Davis said that he sent Elvis a tape with 19 songs on it but Elvis only recorded 2 of them and I know that Mann and Weil sent Elvis the song Angelica but he gave it to Roy Hamilton. Someone put Angelica on youtube it was an operatic ballad that would have suited Elvis well I don't think it was as good as it's Now or never but it would have been a good B side. Dan Penn had ties to American but Elvis never recorded any of his songs and another songwriter that I would've liked Elvis to use is Jimmy Webb. I don't know about you but I think it would have been great for Elvis to get a hold of Me and Bobbie Mcgee by Kris Kristofferson before Roger Miller. I think Elvis would have done a great job just imagine him singing it and the American band playing on it I think it would have been a hit for sure.
Here is an excellent example of my point about who records what first
Roger Miller has a country hit with it-but for most the definitive version is not the one by Miller, nor Kristoffersons version-its the Janis Joplin cover in 71 which most remember. Her version went to #1 on the pop charts, sold way better than either of the others and was a very interesting interpretation. If she had said,
"I won't do it because its a cover"
we would have never had the fantastic bluesy version she did.
As far as the Memphis sessions and the song which came from them it peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200, and is considered by many critics to be his best album.
In 2003, From "Elvis in Memphis" was ranked number 190 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The reviews for the album were great, and if it was cover heavy-is that really surprising since Elvis loved doing them. Each artist is different, they get where they are in a different way and Elvis got to the top by his interpretation of songs in his style, he did have many hits which were his and his alone-but he also in the 50s did "Blue Suede Shoes" right after writer fellow Rockabilly artist Carl Perkins did and it is as associated with Elvis as it is with Carl. That was Elvis he liked the song-so he did it.
The idea that we should downgrade the great eclectic mix of songs which were mainly covers because of that fact says- the end product does not count. The idea only originals can be great music-sorry I just don't buy that.
I agree there are songs which his covers of were unwise choices IMO (Hey Jude comes to mind) but the extra fire in the covers IMO was because he loved the songs. He had an emotional contact with most of them on some level and anytime anything has true meaning to someone-it brings out the best.
Should he have looked for more originals-sure! Should he have been totally supported from day one on looking for originals no matter where they came from-sure! Was there some type of fight everytime he wanted to do something through channels which were not officially acceptable-pretty much.
His greatness was "interpretation of different styles of music" and making them his. To a large degree I think he succeeded in this in most songs he interpreted. I think "From Elvis in Memphis" with its sales and critical acclaim proves that.

[kathy parkinson]

KPM i so agree with you, it's a fantastic album, Elvis did a great job.

[utmom2008]

Perfect post KPM!!(y)(y)(y)(y)

[Brian]

Here is an excellent example of my point about who records what first
Roger Miller has a country hit with it-but for most the definitive version is not the one by Miller, nor Kristoffersons version-its the Janis Joplin cover in 71 which most remember. Her version went to #1 on the pop charts, sold way better than either of the others and was a very interesting interpretation. If she had said,
"I won't do it because its a cover"
we would have never had the fantastic bluesy version she did.
As far as the Memphis sessions and the song which came from them it peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200, and is considered by many critics to be his best album.
In 2003, From "Elvis in Memphis" was ranked number 190 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The reviews for the album were great, and if it was cover heavy-is that really surprising since Elvis loved doing them. Each artist is different, they get where they are in a different way and Elvis got to the top by his interpretation of songs in his style, he did have many hits which were his and his alone-but he also in the 50s did "Blue Suede Shoes" right after writer fellow Rockabilly artist Carl Perkins did and it is as associated with Elvis as it is with Carl. That was Elvis he liked the song-so he did it.
.

Hi Roseanne
If you liked her version of the song I think that's great that's why I started this thread to start a good discussion and debate here at tcb-world but I
Never liked Janis Joplin and didn't like her version of Me and Bobbie Mcgee I thought Roger Miller's was a lot better I even thought Jerry Lee's version was also good. I know Elvis liked doing covers and I like some of them but I would have got rid of the Eddy Arnold songs, it keeps right on a hurtin and Gentle on my mind. I would also replace From a Jack to a King with If I'm a fool from Back in Memphis as I never liked that song from Ned Miller or anyone else.
I liked Eddy's ballad style on I'll hold you in my heart and After loving you better than Elvis versions. Elvis began covering Eddy Arnold going all the way back to 1956 and did a bunch of Arnold covers through the years even recording Just call me lonesome at the Guitar man sessions and I was thinking since he was working in a new studio with a red hot producer and a new rhythm secion he should have cut a little bit more original material and if he was going to record just old country songs he could have done it in Nashville or L.A. I know there are other Elvis fans that like some of the covers he did like me but they do agree with me that Elvis should have recorded some more original compositions and that the sessions were good but overall a little overrated. Is there anyone on this board who agrees with me?

[beckelvis]

I agree with you Enigmaticsun in 69´s belive that was better with the same one,and relaxed and border to enjoying it.
But the epoch of them 70´s say very much of ELVIS as singer and especially as person.
I belive that the express thing everything singing as if about opera it was trreating itself for the stages all the epoch were good,bad...ect,everu songs was or a praise or a weeping depends on the song he was interpreting with an intensity,that wise that it was what i pass or it the was happening to him.
For my it is epoch that affects me very much for that there it is where one sees really that ELVIS,was more fragile os what I manage to think nobody.
And sorry my english is very small.

[KPM]

Hi Roseanne
If you liked her version of the song I think that's great that's why I started this thread to start a good discussion and debate here at tcb-world but I
Never liked Janis Joplin and didn't like her version of Me and Bobbie Mcgee I thought Roger Miller's was a lot better I even thought Jerry Lee's version was also good. I know Elvis liked doing covers and I like some of them but I would have got rid of the Eddy Arnold songs, it keeps right on a hurtin and Gentle on my mind. I would also replace From a Jack to a King with If I'm a fool from Back in Memphis as I never liked that song from Ned Miller or anyone else.
I liked Eddy's ballad style on I'll hold you in my heart and After loving you better than Elvis versions. Elvis began covering Eddy Arnold going all the way back to 1956 and did a bunch of Arnold covers through the years even recording Just call me lonesome at the Guitar man sessions and I was thinking since he was working in a new studio with a red hot producer and a new rhythm secion he should have cut a little bit more original material and if he was going to record just old country songs he could have done it in Nashville or L.A. I know there are other Elvis fans that like some of the covers he did like me but they do agree with me that Elvis should have recorded some more original compositions and that the sessions were good but overall a little overrated. Is there anyone on this board who agrees with me?
First off-you have confused me with Roseanne.
Secondly he chose Memphis and specifically American Studios because they were turning out hits and had a great house band who could play anything.
It was a move which could be called a return to his roots-Memphis was the home for many forms of music all of which Elvis loved. As far as Roger Millers Bobby McGee-it was country and if you lean country its the version you will like.
Rogers version is mellow-I prefer the grit and fire of Janis on this song-and judging by the sales and recognition it gets so do most.
This is another subject you and I will disagree on-this was some of the best music Elvis made-more emotion, more fire, more commitment of self to the recording process. That he did not record more originals can not negate that-nor diminish the great music they made in those sessions. The raw emotion which comes through in these recordings is there whether its a cover or new song.
The work ethic was the same on these recordings whether it was a cover or new song. That is what makes these sessions great-because he was fully engaged. A fully engaged Elvis who strived to make great music was present at these sessions thats why they are great. Overrated? Not in the slightest.

[kathy parkinson]

Once again KPM, you are spot on, this album is one of his best, just my opinion.

[SleepyJack]

I love everything about the `69 sessions...the sound,the songs,the musicianship..the whole package.Elvis went there for a more contemporary sound and found it...I think it worked far better than anyone involved had even hoped.As for the country songs..there was a great interest in country music at the time,there is at least a hint of country in a lot of the music...bands like the Byrds and Creedence made it all pretty cool again...and it was. For Elvis it must have felt like 1955 again after all the soundtracks and fluff.

[Brian]

First off-you have confused me with Roseanne.
Secondly he chose Memphis and specifically American Studios because they were turning out hits and had a great house band who could play anything.
It was a move which could be called a return to his roots-Memphis was the home for many forms of music all of which Elvis loved. As far as Roger Millers Bobby McGee-it was country and if you lean country its the version you will like.
Rogers version is mellow-I prefer the grit and fire of Janis on this song-and judging by the sales and recognition it gets so do most.
This is another subject you and I will disagree on-this was some of the best music Elvis made-more emotion, more fire, more commitment of self to the recording process. That he did not record more originals can not negate that-nor diminish the great music they made in those sessions. The raw emotion which comes through in these recordings is there whether its a cover or new song.
The work ethic was the same on these recordings whether it was a cover or new song. That is what makes these sessions great-because he was fully engaged. A fully engaged Elvis who strived to make great music was present at these sessions thats why they are great. Overrated? Not in the slightest.

Hi Ken

sorry about confusing you with Roseanne I could have swore that was her post maybe I need reading glasses?

I still think Elvis should have got more original material out of American
like 8 songs on From Elvis in Memphis were covers I think the Nashville pickers could have done a great job on the material Elvis chose to record and don't forget about the L.A. studio hot shots.
I never liked any song Joplin sang and I like the uptempo feel of Roger Miller it's a song I think Elvis could have done a good job if he was offered.

No one on this particular board agrees with me?
p.s. tommorow I might start a thread on the stax 73 sessions?

[KPM]

Hi Ken

sorry about confusing you with Roseanne I could have swore that was her post maybe I need reading glasses?

I still think Elvis should have got more original material out of American
like 8 songs on From Elvis in Memphis were covers I think the Nashville pickers could have done a great job on the material Elvis chose to record and don't forget about the L.A. studio hot shots.
I never liked any song Joplin sang and I like the uptempo feel of Roger Miller it's a song I think Elvis could have done a good job if he was offered.

No one on this particular board agrees with me?
p.s. tommorow I might start a thread on the stax 73 sessions?
Well pal you have a right to your opinion, you are correct it could have been done in LA or Nashville-or New York even.
The location of the session was not picked in my opinion because it would have lent a better chance to do originals or covers either way-it was chose because its where Elvis felt he wanted to record. It was after all Elvis's recording session and he wanted the the return to Memphis. I see no reason he had to record at any place he did not want to in 1969, especially 69 with a resurgence of his creative juices from the 68 Special and the hit singles "If I Can Dream" and "Memories" .
He cut covers in Nashville- but also new songs, same with LA sessions so the location had little to do with access to new songs or covers IMO.

IMO Janis Joplin was a true real talent, check her out at the "67 Monterey Pop Festival" where she was still pretty unknown-she spellbound the audience (which had as many musicians in the audience as on the stage each night) She has a large following even today- she attracts new fans so that says something I think.
In her filmed version of "Ball 'n' Chain" you can see the audience mystified by her performance in the video and the responce she got. I like some of her music but there is no denying how talented a singer she was.
But we can't all like the same things.

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

What's the problem, then? Four digits: 1970. In this year, Elvis had a new approach entirely, and it's this voice out of all his "adult" voices I love the most. His voice in 1970 had a darker, more chocolatey quality, being both incredibly husky and very controlled. I know some hate these songs, but point me to a performance in 1969 -- or anytime, for that matter -- with the same vocal style as "Heart of Rome" or "Sylvia". To say he "belts" these out barely begins to cover what I want to say, but there is a kind of passion in these numbers I don't hear anywhere else. All his vocals from 1970 have this richer sound. Maybe the ultimate recording from this period is his studio master of "Just Pretend". Again, point me to something comparable from 1969. Maybe you can, but you'd be missing my point. The timbre of his voice is different and he puts it across in a different way, much more closer to Tom Jones than anything he'd ever done before.


Very nice post.

I am in agreement with most of your post, I especially connected with the 1970 references, Elvis did indeed have a voice that was just pure mature perfection in 1970.. I suppose therein lies the problem for me! Don't get me wrong there isn't much that I don't like about 1970, however it just doesn't have the edge that 1969 has for me.

Elvis could sing anything and knock spots off any singer out there, he could have gone to chips and said I'm going down the power ballad road and recorded any or all of the tracks from 1970 and gave it the same chocolatey texture IMO, but he didn't. Charro has that velvety texture to it and others prior the Memphis Sessions, so it would seem that Elvis or chips wanted to give these sessions a harder edge that was evident in the 68 Special. There does seem to be a concious decision to hark back to the 50's and recapture an essence of the raw energy within the Memphis Sessions. The 68 Special IMO sounds like Elvis is forcing his voice too much, whereas the Memphis Sessions seems to be somewhere in-between and delivers a better sound although probably still not natural. This is not the case for all songs from these sessions some sound like the could have come from 1970 for instance "In The Ghetto".

Obviously these things are subjective and will invariably lead us all to different conclusions.

[utmom2008]

First off-you have confused me with Roseanne.

:lmfao::lmfao::lmfao::lmfao:

As far as Roger Millers Bobby McGee-it was country and if you lean country its the version you will like.
Rogers version is mellow-I prefer the grit and fire of Janis on this song-and judging by the sales and recognition it gets so do most.


I totally agree with this point. I never think of the song as belonging to anyone but Janis Joplin.(y)



Once again KPM, you are spot on, this album is one of his best, just my opinion.

(y)(y)(y)(y)(y)

[Brian]

Well pal you have a right to your opinion, you are correct it could have been done in LA or Nashville-or New York even.
The location of the session was not picked in my opinion because it would have lent a better chance to do originals or covers either way-it was chose because its where Elvis felt he wanted to record. It was after all Elvis's recording session and he wanted the the return to Memphis. I see no reason he had to record at any place he did not want to in 1969, especially 69 with a resurgence of his creative juices from the 68 Special and the hit singles "If I Can Dream" and "Memories" .
He cut covers in Nashville- but also new songs, same with LA sessions so the location had little to do with access to new songs or covers IMO.

IMO Janis Joplin was a true real talent, check her out at the "67 Monterey Pop Festival" where she was still pretty unknown-she spellbound the audience (which had as many musicians in the audience as on the stage each night) She has a large following even today- she attracts new fans so that says something I think.
In her filmed version of "Ball 'n' Chain" you can see the audience mystified by her performance in the video and the responce she got. I like some of her music but there is no denying how talented a singer she was.
But we can't all like the same things.

Hi Ken

I believe the reason according to Marty Lacker (he reportedly set up the sessions so I'll take his word for it in this case) that Elvis recorded in Memphis in 69 was to work with talented diverse musicians along with Chips Moman where he could get access to songs he couldn't get in Nashville but in the end he didn't really record as much original compositions as he could have and I think he should have recorded a bit more but like I said I do like the album and do own a copy of it. I am surprised more people don't agree with me on this as I've read conversations on other message boards where fans talk about the 69 sessions being overrated in their opinion and that there are other sessions that they like better.

[rickb]

Good point - instread of splitting the best songs the top tracks from the session would have made one of the great albums of all time.
Still From Elvis In Memphis is superb. The only slight let down for me is It Keeps Right On A Hurtin'
Stranger or one of the singles would have made it even better.
These were his greatest sessions, productive and full of quality with a strike rate for material far superior to the 1970 sessions

[utmom2008]

I am surprised more people don't agree with me on this as I've read conversations on other message boards where fans talk about the 69 sessions being overrated in their opinion and that there are other sessions that they like better.

Good grief!!!! I can't imagine anyone thinking the 69 sessions are overrated.:blink::blink::blink::blink:

[Diane]

Neither can I........:doh:

I have this album in vinyl and it's one of my favorites.


Diane

[jak]

The 69 sessions are not overrated.I think they are the most passionate recordings Elvis ever produced.His vocals are beyond description.Those sessions showcase Elvis' greatest talent.The ability to express himself through his music.They may not have been all original songs,yet his interpertation of them is so dramatic it doesnt matter.Considering what he was recording leading up to those sessions,only makes it that more amazing.

[REDLO]

One Of The Best Album Ever !!!

[Lorna]

Hi everyone

I was wondering if any of you on this board felt that the 1969 album From Elvis in Memphis or the entire 69 Memphis sessions were overrated?

Let me explain in January of 69 Marty Lacker upset with all the bad songs Elvis was recording for the movies and Elvis going to Nashville for another average recording session suggests to Elvis that he go to American studio with Chips Moman and the American studio band to record some new songs where publishing wouldn't be an issue and extremely set of creative and innovate musicians who played on 120 chart hits over a six year period would back him up. Elvis agrees and sessions are set up.

I do agree that several good songs were recorded at the sessions like Wearin that loved on look, True love Travels on a gravel road, And the Grass won't pay no mind, you'll think of me, Little bit of green, Do you know who I am etc. but for a really creative session that it was suppose to be Elvis does record a lot of covers like Eddy Arnold ''After loving you'' and ''I'll hold you in my heart'', Johnny tillotson ''keeps right on a hurting'' and then Glen Campbells well known Gentle on my mind and Ned Millers from a jack to a king.

I actually like Eddy Arnolds versions of those 2 songs better and I think if all Elvis was going to do was record covers of country songs he could have stayed in Nashville. I read that Lamar brought Elvis 2 songs for the session Come on, Come on (slow and swampy ) and an uptempo song Memory revival that I feel that would have been good to replace I'll hold you in my heart and it keeps right on a hurtin but Elvis never recorded them.
regarding the singles I like all of them but Don't cry daddy and in the Ghetto were both written by Mac Davis who began writing songs for Elvis in 1968 and Elvis did get a piece of Kentucky rain so he probably would have recorded those songs in Nashville anyway the only song he wouldn't have recorded was suspicious minds which Chips had the publishing on.

Marty Lacker is a champion for Memphis Music and in particular the American studio band and he says that while the Nashville and L.A. studio musicians Elvis worked with were talented they were no where near as creative as the Memphis musicians. I sort of disagree with him on that I feel when the material was good anything Elvis recorded in Nashville or L.A. was equal to what he recorded in Memphis, Just like if the American studio band played on some of those movie soundtracks no matter how talented or creative they were bad material is bad material.

Don't get me wrong I like the Memphis sessions and I do own a copy of From Elvis in Memphis but I do feel the 69 sessions are a little overrated.
How do all of you feel about it?

This was my fav album for a long time. I love the huskiness in his voice and I think some of the songs are quiet under-rated i.e not many outside the Elvis world know about them. 'wearin that loved on look' and 'long black limousine' are fab and 'Power Of My Love' always gives me goosebumps! :blush::lol: I love them all really and its such an easy listening album that no matter my mood I can put on the CD and get lost in Elvis's singing until the last song. Ahhhh :wub::wub::wub:

[EnigmaticSun]

I agree with you Enigmaticsun in 69´s belive that was better with the same one,and relaxed and border to enjoying it.
But the epoch of them 70´s say very much of ELVIS as singer and especially as person.

That's so nice of you to give an answer to my post! I understand you get the point regarding this emotional power of the 70's.

That's okay if your English is pequeño. You probably don't have a lot of experience, it's muy bueno. Spain should remain a country proud of it's language and culture. I actually enjoy studying Spanish music.

Well, I don't think From Elvis In Memphis is overrated, as it is a good album. However, it is being used a smoke-screen to cover up some fine recordings of the 70's. I suppose many would like to banish Elvis' personal issues and declining health, keeping it away from the public.

[KPM]

Hi Ken

I believe the reason according to Marty Lacker (he reportedly set up the sessions so I'll take his word for it in this case) that Elvis recorded in Memphis in 69 was to work with talented diverse musicians along with Chips Moman where he could get access to songs he couldn't get in Nashville but in the end he didn't really record as much original compositions as he could have and I think he should have recorded a bit more but like I said I do like the album and do own a copy of it. I am surprised more people don't agree with me on this as I've read conversations on other message boards where fans talk about the 69 sessions being overrated in their opinion and that there are other sessions that they like better.
Curious what sessions they like better than 69? They all included covers of one type or another-Elvis's voice was in the best form of his career in 69 (and it did improve into the 70s but his excitement for recording declined)
I think the 1960 sessions were some of his best in experimenting with styles and working hard but there were many covers done- "Its Now or Never" which you know had been adapted from the 1898 Neapolitan song "O Sole Mio"(and Tony Martin had it adapted in 1949 into "Theres No Tomorrow" which Elvis heard in Germany) and "Are You Lonesome Tonight?," a ballad from 1926. "Such a Night" cover, "Fever" a cover, "I Will be Home Again" a song written in 1944, "Reconsider Baby" a cover of bluesman Lowell Fulsons song. I did like to hear a new original from Elvis-but for me when he did covers it was as good (90% of the time I liked his better than the originals)

[Brian]

Curious what sessions they like better than 69? They all included covers of one type or another-Elvis's voice was in the best form of his career in 69 (and it did improve into the 70s but his excitement for recording declined)
I think the 1960 sessions were some of his best in experimenting with styles and working hard but there were many covers done- "Its Now or Never" which you know had been adapted from the 1898 Neapolitan song "O Sole Mio"(and Tony Martin had it adapted in 1949 into "Theres No Tomorrow" which Elvis heard in Germany) and "Are You Lonesome Tonight?," a ballad from 1926. "Such a Night" cover, "Fever" a cover, "I Will be Home Again" a song written in 1944, "Reconsider Baby" a cover of bluesman Lowell Fulsons song. I did like to hear a new original from Elvis-but for me when he did covers it was as good (90% of the time I liked his better than the originals)

They like Nashville 1970, TTWII album has 8 originals compared to FEIM having 4 original songs.They also like Loving you, King Creole and Something For Everybody and pot luck because they like his early 60's ballad voice, as far as I can remember those 4 albums have mostly original songs.
I do like the Elvis is Back sessions and so do they but what I was saying is that since Elvis was doing something different by going to a new studio in a city where he hadn't recorded in for 14 years with very creative musicians and a great producer where he would have access to a lot of new material but in the end he did a lot of covers instead despite this and I was saying if he was mostly going to do covers of well known country songs he could have recorded it in Studio B or L.A. and the album would have been just as good.

[Teddy]

I certainly don't think it's overrated but it's possible that the reason it is so frequently discussed and casually referenced by Elvis-scholars is because it is a rare example of an Elvis record which can be appreciated conceptually as an 'album' at all.

While Elvis was unquestionably the greatest and most pioneering popular music artist of all time, the whole craft of 'the album' as a cohesive collection of mutually complimentary tracks is not something with which he is commonly associated.
When artists such as the Beatles and the Beach Boys began defining 'the album' as an artistic medium in the mid-60's, Elvis was firmly established on the movie soundtrack treadmill. While the LPs he was delivering at this stage may well have had some vague continuity of theme (in their relation to the film they were tied-in with), no one would argue that they were being assembled in that form for the greater artistic good of their content.

Prior to the sixties, of course, his long-playing records were simply an interchangeable collection of tracks which could be repackaged and re-sold in another form or compilation multiple times (as were everyone else's).

When Elvis made the bold decision of leaving his comfort zone and recording From Elvis in Memphis in the unfamiliar surrounding of American Sound under the sonic umbrella of Moman and his assembled musicians, he unwittingly created a situation where he was not only making recordings with more continuity of sound and personnel than he had experienced since the Sun days but on an artistic level he had consciously decided to regain control of his output and open his mind to change. Add to this the fact that he gained access to the best material available to him for roughly a decade and the overall effect is one of a singer who is celebrating his own rebirth.
It's easy to see why people like it!

If it can be accused of being overrated, I imagine that it's because it is discussed so exhaustively (largely for the above reasons) and may run the risk of becoming a tired subject for some folks.
However, it remains one of his greatest artistic statements and is certainly the most significant watershed in his recording career. It's difficult to overrate something that important.

[JerryNodak]

I wouldn't call it overrated, but it's far from my favorite album. There are any number of Elvis albums in my collection (including certain movie soundtracks) that I have played much more through the years than FEIM.

[ehollier]

I think that the recording sessions of 1969 were a different style, both with the material and musically, than those of 1970 (but that is another thread, Brian!).

No doubt, that after making a decade of tired soundtracks, Elvis had to be starving artistically, like a man in the desert dying of thirst, and to finally be in a studio recording material that was fresh and different, had to be incredibly fulfilling for him, for which he rises to the challenge. Some will argue that Chips being the producer on these masters was taking away from Elvis' artistic control (which can be heard in the in-between chatter on Kentucky Rain), but I think that the final product speaks for itself - Elvis gives himself completely to the music and it is very apparent that the final product is far superior to anything he had done since 1963/64 save and except his gospel album in 1966.

I also believe that due to the relative unsucessful album that he did in 1967 (where he recorded with Jerry Reed), Elvis had to be feeling a little unsure of himself going into an unfamiliar recording studio with an unfamiliar producer (Chips Moman) and unfamiliar musicians and he had to have been feeling that he had lots to prove and the burden was on his shoulders to prove that he could still make great music. No doubt, he took the challenge firmly by the horns and proved that he still could make the magic.

Vocally, he sounds a little rougher than he would in 1970 in Nashville, but the rawness and edge in his voice are wonderful compliments to the genre of music that was made at American. The fact that he suffered with a cold during the first week of recording only added to that roughness, but by the time he recorded "Do You Know Who I Am" in February, 1969, he finds that smoother, more caressessing voice that lends itself to this particuliar tune. He recorded "Suspicious Minds" on the same evening that he gave his impromtu performance of "I'll Hold You in My Heart". If you listen carefully to the richness in his voice, he finds the appropriate sound for each of these two songs - a certain rawness in the former that seems all but to appropriate as he is certainly into the song, whereas the latter song sounds like warmed honey as he gets lost in the melody and music.

Overrated? No.

[ehollier]

Marty Brown, music critic for CultureCartel.com, reviewing "From Elvis in Memphis", on 15 August 2002 says:


"As a vocalist, Elvis Presley possessed the rare ability to give the melodramatic a genuine authenticity; it's easy to take Elvis Presley for granted and yes, we all know that Elvis had a huge role in defining rock in the beginning, but few of us really know what that means; but then there's that voice, which Elvis uses to cut through to the most complex meaning of the song — the meaning that the song's writers might not even know exists — and lay it bare"

[utmom2008]

Well, I don't think From Elvis In Memphis is overrated, as it is a good album. However, it is being used a smoke-screen to cover up some fine recordings of the 70's. I suppose many would like to banish Elvis' personal issues and declining health, keeping it away from the public.

Why do you think anyone would want to cover up Elvis' good recordings that came out of the 70's?? And what does FEIM have to do with his "personal issues and declining health"?:doh::doh::doh:

[Brian]

[B][SIZE=3][COLOR=darkorange]I think that the recording sessions of 1969 were a different style, both with the material and musically, than those of 1970 (but that is another thread, Brian!).


Hi ehollier

All I was doing was answering a question that Ken asked about what sessions fans who don't think the 69 memphis sessions were the best for Elvis like more.

I'm surprise that their aren't any fans on here that think the 69 sessions are a tad overrated.

[ehollier]

Hi ehollier

All I was doing was answering a question that Ken asked about what sessions fans who don't think the 69 memphis sessions were the best for Elvis like more.

I'm surprise that their aren't any fans on here that think the 69 sessions are a tad overrated.

I think I mentioned in my post that the style of the music is a personal choice of the fans, and I, personally, enjoy the style of music, its raw, powerful sound of the American Sessions to that of the Nashville sound of 1970.

[utmom2008]

I am surprised more people don't agree with me on this as I've read conversations on other message boards where fans talk about the 69 sessions being overrated in their opinion and that there are other sessions that they like better.



I'm surprise that their aren't any fans on here that think the 69 sessions are a tad overrated.

Well Brian, you sound very disappointed that you can't find anyone here that thinks the 69 sessions are overrated.;);):lol::lol::lol:

[ehollier]

Well Brian, you sound very disappointed that you can't find anyone here that thinks the 69 sessions are overrated.;);):lol::lol::lol:


Yes, its unfortunate that you're so disappointed by the reaction to your thread. In fact, the recordings on this album is on Rolling Stone Magazine list of the best 100 list of all time, although, all of the songs from this session were my favorites before I realized that Rolling Stone thought so, too.

[Brian]

Yes, its unfortunate that you're so disappointed by the reaction to your thread. In fact, the recordings on this album is on Rolling Stone Magazine list of the best 100 list of all time, although, all of the songs from this session were my favorites before I realized that Rolling Stone thought so, too.

Hi ehollier

No not disappointed just surprised I think it's great everbody thinks so highly of this particular album. I have heard and talked with fans who really love Elvis movie music and specifically the Harem Scarem and the Fun in Acupalco soundtracks and I think that's great fans can like whatever albums or songs they like and dislike the songs they don't like, opinions can't be right or wrong. I started this thread to start a good discussion that's what I came here for. I knew that most die hard Elvis fans love FEIM but when I was visiting a couple of different message boards a few years ago some people were talking about how they thought the album and the 69 sessions were good but overrated because for a comeback album the majority of FEIM were covers an opinion I shared I wasn't surprised that most people at tcb-world
love the album I was just surprised there isn't a couple of people on this board that share my thoughts but that's okay.

[Teddy]

I think this is a particularly interesting thread and I'm also able to appreciate the merits of many of the soundtrack albums, such as Roustabout and even Clambake. FEIM was intended as a much more heartfelt artistic statement than those, of course.

You could even argue that FEIM is a more significant artistic recovery than the '68 'Comeback' TV special which immediately preceded it. That's another thread right there. :)

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

If it can be accused of being overrated, I imagine that it's because it is discussed so exhaustively (largely for the above reasons) and may run the risk of becoming a tired subject for some folks.
However, it remains one of his greatest artistic statements and is certainly the most significant watershed in his recording career. It's difficult to overrate something that important.

Agreed, it seems to be a habit that they overall shine on Elvis' great accomplishments are being eroded :blink:

When you see a well constructed critique like that from Cryogenic (and others) you can see that FEIM and the material from 1970 is reasoned without exclusion of the other in a derogatory fashion.



I knew that most die hard Elvis fans love FEIM but when I was visiting a couple of different message boards a few years ago some people were talking about how they thought the album and the 69 sessions were good but overrated because for a comeback album [1] the majority of FEIM were covers an opinion I shared [2] I wasn't surprised that most people at tcb-world love the album I was just surprised there isn't a couple of people on this board that share my thoughts but that's okay.

I have to say Brian if your only concern for FEIM was the amount of covers, you fears should be assuaged as the majority of posts in this thread some unconcerned of the matter, they seem more impressed with the quality of Elvis' voice.

As for your second comment, well, I'll try to take that as a positive ;)

[utmom2008]

As for your second comment, well, I'll try to take that as a positive ;)

(y) (y) (y) (y) (y)

[EnigmaticSun]

Why do you think anyone would want to cover up Elvis' good recordings that came out of the 70's?? And what does FEIM have to do with his "personal issues and declining health"?:doh::doh::doh:

Lo siento if I don't seem to be making any sense.

It comes down to the importance of maintaining an image. I think record companies and individual fans in general would like to maintain a view on Elvis that would fit in a commercial for toothpaste or cigarettes: happy, healthy and smiling 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In our modern society suffering is banished from everyday life and restricted to hospitals and such.

Even during his lifetime most (of the people who got to be around him) didn't realize what was going on, except for people such as aunt Delta:

"you're a son of a *****. I don't like you... You ain't no **** friend of his. And I got a good mind to take this .38 I got in my purse and just shoot you dead. And you ain't worth a **** either, you walleyed sonofa*****. All you sonsof******* are here for the same thing. You just want his **** money. Here's this god**** jeweler and Elvis has to buy you some of his ****."

So in general FEIM is very suitable since it presented a healthy Elvis being in a good mood. All in all it's hard to live up to an image or even impossible.

[Brian]

Lo siento if I don't seem to be making any sense.

It comes down to the importance of maintaining an image. I think record companies and individual fans in general would like to maintain a view on Elvis that would fit in a commercial for toothpaste or cigarettes: happy, healthy and smiling 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In our modern society suffering is banished from everyday life and restricted to hospitals and such.

Even during his lifetime most (of the people who got to be around him) didn't realize what was going on, except for people such as aunt Delta:

"you're a son of a *****. I don't like you... You ain't no **** friend of his. And I got a good mind to take this .38 I got in my purse and just shoot you dead. And you ain't worth a **** either, you walleyed sonofa*****. All you sonsof******* are here for the same thing. You just want his **** money. Here's this god**** jeweler and Elvis has to buy you some of his ****."

So in general FEIM is very suitable since it presented a healthy Elvis being in a good mood. All in all it's hard to live up to an image or even impossible.

If you say so EnigmaticSun

[Donut]

Overated??? No way, it's one of my favorites of Elvis...

[EnigmaticSun]

If you say so EnigmaticSun

No no, disagree if you want to..:xmas:

Agreeing just because I say so? That's not how an Englishman would do it!

[KPM]

They like Nashville 1970, TTWII album has 8 originals compared to FEIM having 4 original songs.They also like Loving you, King Creole and Something For Everybody and pot luck because they like his early 60's ballad voice, as far as I can remember those 4 albums have mostly original songs.
I do like the Elvis is Back sessions and so do they but what I was saying is that since Elvis was doing something different by going to a new studio in a city where he hadn't recorded in for 14 years with very creative musicians and a great producer where he would have access to a lot of new material but in the end he did a lot of covers instead despite this and I was saying if he was mostly going to do covers of well known country songs he could have recorded it in Studio B or L.A. and the album would have been just as good.
This is very true but he chose to do what he chose to do-he is the one who has sold around a billion units worldwide. So to the world-the -public at large his doing more covers did not seem to matter. Quality singing comes through whether it is a cover or original. You seem to downgrade covers as if it is second class music (and in some instances it is).
If I light a couple of fires it doesn't matter if I use a match on one and a lighter on the other-heat still gets produced. Elvis lit a fire on just about everything he sang on those sessions-he produced the heat-not the material.

[KPM]

[QUOTE=Jumpsuit Junkie;243456]Agreed, it seems to be a habit that they overall shine on Elvis' great accomplishments are being eroded :blink:
I have had that feeling for several years-that even the great things which 20years ago everyone seemed to point at as huge accomplishments are slowly being chipped away at. By contrast the accomplishments of the Beatles, or Frank Sinatra for example seem to get more dignified treatment "in and outside" their scopes of fandom. I have my own ideas of why-and have voiced them before so I won't repeat them.

[john carpenter]

:mad:I can't really say From Elvis in Memphis is overated! Elvis was IMO underated as a singer and actor. For cyring out loud he is the only singer to have hits (Gold & Platinum) records in Gospel, Rock, Country, Pop, ect, He could act just watch King Creole! It was Colonel Parker who kept him back..just think of his achievements then!(n)

[Brian]

:mad:I can't really say From Elvis in Memphis is overated! Elvis was IMO underated as a singer and actor. For cyring out loud he is the only singer to have hits (Gold & Platinum) records in Gospel, Rock, Country, Pop, ect, He could act just watch King Creole! It was Colonel Parker who kept him back..just think of his achievements then!(n)

Thank you for your opinion David.

[1100ccRider]

Overrated? Not even. Underrated? Yep, quite heinously. Much of the latter relates to how little anyone who isn't a hard-core Elvis fan knows about the 1969 sessions. Ironically, it seems that many people not that much into Elvis (including those who invariably say something like "I don' really like Elvis but I really like (this song)") name as their favorite Elvis song "In The Ghetto" or "Suspicious Minds," or sometimes "Kentucky Rain." These American sessions were among the best Elvis ever did, arguably -- leaving aside the Sun sessions, that are off in some other galaxy of their own -- vying with the spring, 1960 Nashville sessions as the best overall sessions Elvis ever did.

And from those great sessions came an excellent album:

"Wearin' That Loved On Look"
This one's a rock-solid rock song that takes full advantage of Elvis' more raw rock-blues voice around this time. As has been pointed out to me by more than one person, it's not unlike a Springsteen kind of job. egardless, it's a very much underheard piece of more modern rock from the man the called the King of the whole thing and it was a great way to start the LP.

"Only the Strong Survive"
Sure, it's a cover that's not all that different from the original in its arrangement or phrasing, but listen to the man's voice. I think this song distills down a fair bit of what Elvis' voice was about, and its connection to what I guess you'd call soul, and that's without even considering that this song helped me make it through age 20 and thereabouts.

"I'll Hold You In My Heart"
In one take -- a jam, really -- Elvis said it all with this one. It's possible that everything you need to know about Elvis is in this song, mixing as it does a country tune with gospel and blues approaches (in turn, pretty much mimicking the same miscegenation that Elvis naturally accomplished back at the beginning of it all, that led to "That's All Right"and "Blue Moon Of Kentucky") and highlighting his passion as a vocalist, a performer, and a person. Maybe part of it stems from this being a jam, but this cut is perhaps Elvis at his most honest, musically. I find this track no less than transcendent, but I think within it you can also find the key to Elvis Presley. This unplanned gem should rate among the finest few minutes' work that Elvis ever accomplished in a recording studio.

"Long Black Limousine"
Ethereally beautiful and moving, sung with raw passion, this song is another that should be on Elvis' A-list but that is relatively obscure to all but the more dedicated fans. Not only does it tend to surprise people that the voice they're hearing is Elvis' but it's a brilliant attack on a newer approach to music that, at the same time, skillfully (but, more importantly, naturally) blends and showcases some of the oldest musical forms that contributed to American popular music. Again, blues, gospel, country and whatever pop-Americana-folk bits and pieces fill the gaps are all gumbo'd together as Elvis once again defies compartmentalizing and turns out a classic recording. He goes back to his roots -- never a far journey for him, musically -- to bring forth something completely new to him and to us. Perhaps the song has a degree of added poignancy after the events of August 16, 1977, but this was a masterpiece long before that date.

"It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'"
A more obvious country performance here, and a great and pristine example of it. It's Elvis, so it's still going to owe as much to the black traditions of the Delta as to those of Nashville or the piedmont and mountains of the southeast.

"I'm Movin' On"
Country sure never used to sound like this. This is an excellent fusion of old-time country, rock, soul and blues, and even gospel. It's a perfect Memphis mishmash, not only a melange defined by the town but one inside of Elvis Presley, too. A little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll...but saved from Osmondization by the driving bass and all the other musical accoutrements that the experts at American brought to the studio with them (Elvis included).

"Power of My Love"
Down and dirty (really dirty) heavy blues-rock from the man who did it way less than I'd have liked but, when he did it, did it really well. So well, in fact, that no less than Joe Cocker proclaimed him the finiest white blues singer. And he does it so well here that he easily fulfills the proclamation made by an early Memphis newspaper review of the Hillbilly Cat: "He's SEX!" There's power, and there's playfulness...and there's even a hint of subtlety, setting it apart from what many of Elvis' peers might have done with the song.

"Gentle On My Mind"
This is an excellent song -- I mean, the song itself , lyrically -- that Elvis did as a sumptuous contemporary pop ballad, again bringing in very obvious blues and gospel influences (native to Elvis, of course, but very much brought to the forefront during these Memphis sessions). It's laid back and, if you listen to it closely, perfectly executed and probably worked out in painstaking detail, not least because of the somewhat complex lyrics. Regardless, it's a lot more than simply 'album filler.' It's so different to Glen Campbell's version, in delivery, that comparison is almost meaningless...as a piece of listening, though, I'd probably take Elvis' even if I weren't so obviously and monumentally biased toward him.

"After Loving You"
Gospel blues! This is the type of material that Elvis excelled at, as did few others (Ray Charles -- whose accomplishments, genre bending and blending, and artistic and commercial success with radically disparate types of music is much like Elvis' -- is one other who springs to mind). I think "depths of his soul" is an expression that'd fit in explaining where Elvis' voice came on this one. It sure takes me way back to the mother...

"True Love Travels On A Gravel Road"
As is really true of most of these songs, I'd have to throw in the towel on really categorizing this song (except to venture that perhaps it's a contemporary-pop-country-rock ballad) but, whatever it is, it's beautiful. It's an unusual song, and it's perfectly executed. Elvis (along with Chips Moman and the house band) created a lot of atmosphere on songs during these sessions -- "Kentucky Rain" is one very obvious example -- and this song is sure well stocked with it.

"Any Day Now"
Elvis again goes for something very different and he nails it, showing off with vocal gymnastics all the way. Again, straight ballads of the kind he so perfectly rendered in the early '60s Nashville sessions, proving himself as a ballad singer without peer, were ditched in favor of more ambitious arrangements, some of them especially challenging to a singer. This song was sure one of them, and the results are fantastic.

"In the Ghetto"
In danger of not receiving the respect it deserves because we're so familiar with it -- the "Hound Dog" Effect, let's call it -- this song succeeds on every level, in terms of social commentary and most definitely musically. It really is a great song and, like "Suspicious Minds," had greatness written all over it right from the earliest takes. It's a worthy end to the LP, and a hard act to follow.