New fan/collector needs help!

Hi all,
I am pretty much a brand new Elvis fan, and am having a hell of a time wading through Elvis' discography and figuring out what is essential and what is not!
My main goal right now is to collect everything from the '68 comeback through Moody Blue and In Concert. I have checked out some discographies online and have run into two problems:

1) A lot of the albums (I'm not worrying about singles yet) that came out between '68 and '77 are not currently or have never been in print on CD (ie. "Separate Ways"LP). The discographies I've found don't tell you which compilation CDs have the original vinyl LP tracks (I'm looking for the same exact versions so I can burn CDR copies of the original vinyl LPs).

2) With many of the albums, I can't tell if they are original studio LPs, or simply compilations or rereleases of earlier material. For example, I'm gathering that the 1976 (or '77?) release of "Frankie and Johnny" is just a rerelease of the earlier soundtrack album with a new cover. But I'm not sure, or if it is, might it have one or two new songs? I'm having similar problems figuring out albums like "C'mon Everybody", "I Got Lucky", etc.


HELP!
Please feel free to e-mail me (jrschwartz@ucdavis.edu) or reply here if you can help me or point me in the right direction. Thanks!

-Josh

This is a list of albums that are important enough to get. I will also mail you some pictures of the album sleeves because some albums came out with a second (or even a third) alternate sleeve. I hope this list will help.

To answer some of your qustions; "Separate Ways" was released on CD but in another country. The album came out in two versions. A British release (Pickwick CDS1118) with a highway on the background and a USA release (Camden CAS-2611) with a country road on the background. The last one is the original.
The album "C'mon Everybody" was also released in two versions. The original version has a 1970 picture on the sleeve while the re-release has a wedding picture on the front cover. I'm not sure if the tracklist is exactly the same. But I will figure this out.
There was also a re-release of "His Hand In Mine" in 1976 with the same picture of Elvis but with clouds in a dark blue sky on the background.
And as you already mentioned a re-release of "Frankie & Johnny" which contains the same songs as the original but with a different cover.


Elvis Sings Flaming Star (1969)
This is a compilation of songs that didn't made it to the soundtracks.

From Elvis In Memphis (1969)
Studio album and an important one. This one marked Elvis return. The songs were recorded in January/February 1969

Elvis- From Memphis To Vegas / From Vegas To Memphis (1969)
A double album. Album 1 is Elvis In Person (live in 1969). Album 2 is a studio album called Back In Memphis (studio album recorded in January/February 1969) Both albums also came out separately in 1970.

Let's Be Friends (1970)
A compilation of "left overs" but a good one.

On Stage (1970)
A live album compiled from material from 1969 and 1970.

Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits, Vol 1 (1970) 4 Albums.
The first box with songs from 1956 to 1970.

Almost In Love (1970)
Another compilation with "left overs" from the movies "Live A Little, Love A Little", "Charro!" and "Change Of Habit".

Elvis' Christmas Album (1970)
A compilation of older songs with two new recorded songs. This album was re-released several times with slightly different sleeves. The original one has a full picture from the movie "Speedway" on the cover. This one is hard to get.

Elvis - That's The Way It Is (1970)
A combination of live songs (from the documentary) and studio takes. A superb album. This is an album I would take to a deserted island.

I 'm 10.000 Years Old - Elvis Country (1971)
A country album. Also a must have. All studio cuts from 1970 & 1971.

You'll Never Walk Alone (1971)
A gospel compilation of songs recorded between 1957 and 1969.

Love Letters (1970)
Studio cuts. Good album. Songs recorded in 1970 & 1971

C'mon Everybody (1971)
Compilation with some movie songs that first came out op ep.

Elvis - The Other Sides (1971) 4 Albums.
A compilation box set with the b-sides.

I Got Lucky (1971)
Compilation. Could have been called "C 'mon Everybody Vol 2".

Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas (1971)
A studio Christmas album and a **** good one. All songs recorded in 1971. Also released with two different sleeves. The original one is with Christmas presents on the front.


With this I would like to conclude my list up until 1971. When I will get back from work this afternoon I will continue with the list from 1972 until 1977.

Hi Leroy, thanks so much for your help! I already have "That's The Way It Is" and agree that it is a "desert island album". Your first post definitely cleared up a lot of things for me...I am eagerly awaiting your next installments!

Regards,
Josh

You're welcome buddy. I will go on with a little more.


Now (1972)
This album is regarded as a studio album which in a way is correct. But it's also a compilation of rest material from studio sessions of 1969, 1970 and 1971.

He Touched Me (1972)
Elvis third concept gospel album and good one too. Entirely recorded in 1971.

Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden (1972)
Live album contains the evening performance of June 10th, 1972. Don't let the picture on the front cover fool you. It's taken in April during the Jacksonville concert.

Elvis Sings Hits From His Movies Vol 1. (1972)
Compilation album. The only reason you should have to buy this one is to make your collection complete. It doesn't offer anything new.

Burning Love And Hit Froms His Movies Vol 2 (1972)
One of the first prictical joke's of RCA-Camden. Another compilation you have to buy because of the 1972 hit single "Burning Love" and the b-side "It's A Matter Of Time".
Was re-released with the title "Movie Rocks" with a different sleeve.

Separate Ways (1973)
Same story as above. A collection of movie songs with the addition of a recent hit single. In this case "Separate Ways" and "Always On My Mind". Was released with two different front covers.

Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite (1973)
A live double album with the registration of Elvis satellite show on January 14th, 1973. There was a small quantity pressed for promotional purposes with the "Chicken-Of-The-Sea" company insignia incorporated into the sleeve.

Fool (1973)
A strange album which contains a compilation of songs recorded in 1971 and 1972. A must have.

Raised On Rock (1973)
A studio album which promised to be a blues album but wasn't. Although there are some good songs on it Elvis sounds uninterested. All songs are recorded in July 1973 in the Stax Studio in Memphis. But it still is an important album to have.

Elvis-A Legendary Performer Vol 1 (1974)
The first edition of a serie that's still going on. A compilation but a very strong one.

Good Times (1974)
A second studio album with songs from the July 1973 Stax sessions. Also some songs Elvis recorded at his home in Palm Springs in December 1973. Much better than "Raised On Rock".

Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis (1974)
Again a live album which contains the closing performance of his March 1974 tour in his hometown on March 20th.

Having Fun On Stage (1974)
A weird album without songs. An idea of Elvis manager Colonel Tom Parker. Only bits of in between songs chatter over the period 1969 - 1974. You really should have this one.

Promised Land (1975)
A superb studio album with material recorded at the Stax Studio on December 10th, 11th, 12th and 15th, 1973.

Pure Gold (1975)
A compilation you can afford to miss. It has a beautiful cover though.

Today (1975)
The title covers the cargo. A superb up to date studio album recorded in March 1975. Only the front cover is not good because it shows an Elvis from 1973.

Double Dynamite (1975)
Forget this one if you can.

Elvis-A Legendary Performer Vol 2. (1976)
The same quality as the first one. Superb.

The Sun Sessions (1976)
For the first time all of Elvis' early songs on one album.

His Hand In Mine (1976)
Re-release of the 1960 gospel album with a different sleeve.

From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (1976)
Although the sleeve information says "recorded live" this is in fact Elvis last studio recording. Recorded in February 1976 in the Jungle Room of Graceland. Special warning: Don't play this album while you're depressed!

Frankie And Johnny (1976)
You've already mentioned this one. A re-release. Just pass this by.

Welcome To My World (1977)
If you have all the 70's releases you will only buy this one because of its sleeve.

Moody Blue (1977)
Elvis deserved better than this. Although it's regarded as a studio album it is in fact a compilation of left overs from the February 1976 session with the addition of a couple of songs recorded in October 1976. There are also four live recordings on it. The first releases were pressed on transparent blue vinyl.

Elvis In Concert (1977)
Soundtrack album of the 1977 Elvis In Concert TV Special. A good one.




This concludes the list of 70's material of Elvis while still alive (with the exception of "Elvis In Concert")
There are some albums I did not review yet. I will come around that soon. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

And here are some double (or triple) releases in pictures. First of all "Almost In Love". The second version with the 1968 picture is the rarest. The one with the yellow background is the original and the one with the picture in the white framed circle is the re-release from 1973.

These are the two different releases of "C' mon Everybody". The one with the black & white 1970 picture is the original release.

Thank you so much Leroy, you are my hero! All this information will definitely help me get my collection started. At first I was frustrated that a lot of the '70s albums were not available on CD, but now I realize that it is mostly the compilations that were never printed on CD. I am going to start tracking down all the real studio albums and live albums on Amazon and E-bay.

Thanks again,

Josh

I completely agree with your frustration as a new fan. It's stupid that no official channel (BMG or EPE) tries to explain the fans what were original, new albums throughout Elvis' carreer and what were compilations.

What also missing is a summary of what original albums are available on CD and which albums aren't. And if they are not available (anymore) on CD, then on what other albums are the songs that are missing because of that.

Right on the money! It seems like it would be really easy and fast to create a simple web page or site, espcecially since a lot of long time Elvis fans know all of that information off the top of their heads. Maybe someone should create a simple text page (like what Leroy posted above) and convince an Elvis site like TCB-World to give it a permanent home on the web. Speaking from personal experience, new fans could really use that kind of information to help get oriented!

-Josh

While I do not know the logic behind your decsion to get the 68-77 material -if you are a new fan - and if you really wanted to get to know Elvis' music I would start by getting these box sets:

50's Masters - The King of Rock n Roll
60's Masters - From Nashville to Memphis
70's Masters - Walk a mile in my shoes
To this, I would add :

His hand in Mine
How great thou art
He touched me
The Wonderful world of Christmas and
Memories the 68 special 2 disc edition

Sure there are quite a few gaps to fill in, especially with the 70's albums/ trackss - but these sets /albums would give you a pretty comprehensive picture of the Elvis music and keep you busy for months or more.!

The problem with the 70's masters is that it's mixed the wrong way. A lot of background vocals (essential for the real Elvis-sound) are missing or too far in the background. Not something I would recommand.