Memphis Sessions
is quite clearly
one of the best
Elvis Presley FTD /
Sony CD releases ever!
'Memphis Sessions'
represents the first CD
from BMG
with outtakes and
alternative versions
from the
American Sound studios.
This fact makes the
CD highly valuable
even though most of the content
is very familiar to
most Elvis fans.
The sound is of course
very good and in stereo.
The mixing done by
D. Ferrante however
is almost perfect.
The Memphis Sessions
strips these
landmark recordings
bare of their
orchestral and
backing vocal tracks.
With Elvis
singing alone
and backed by
excellent session musicians
well-versed in a
variety of musical styles,
the emotional impact
and intimacy of
these recordings
is greater than on
the original 1969 releases.
Although Elvis'
vocal chords served
him very well in the
'50s and '60s,
he never sounded as
confident and majestic
as he did during
his 'comeback' period
(1967-1970),
from which
these recordings
were made.
The 1969
Memphis sessions
are now legendary,
revitalizing Elvis' career
and providing him
with some of the
best songs and
performances of his
entire recorded output
three of his
best-loved singles,
'In the Ghetto',
'Suspicious Minds'
and
'Kentucky Rain'
came from
these sessions
and can be found here
in alternate form,
alongside
17 other studio outtakes.
It's a measure of
just how powerful
and charismatic
a singer Elvis was
that these undubbed
and unfinished masters
make better and
more potent listening
than 99%
of the completed,
fully polished,
and released work
by almost any
other artist
that you might
care to name.
The previously
unreleased recordings
feature plenty of
overlooked
Elvis gems like
'Any Day Now',
'Only the Strong Survive',
'You'll Think of Me'
and the glorious
'True Love Travels on a Gravel Road'
and while it is obvious
that the
officially released versions
of these tracks
constituted the superior takes
though sometimes only
by the merest wisp of a nuance
it is fascinating and sometimes
downright spellbinding
to hear Elvis in raw
and primitive form,
having fun in the studio
and working out
the song arrangements
with the band.
What's more,
the nature of these tapes
as unfinished,
undubbed takes
gives them a compelling edge
all their own
listeners are at least
two layers deeper
into the sound
of his work
than any finished master
(which would have involved
one or two layers of overdubs
and a reduction to
three-track
and then
to two-track
for the production master)
would ever allow.
So listening to this CD,
you are not
only hearing Elvis
working on
and working out
the songs in
intermediate and
alternate versions
and approaches,
but you're a good deal
more up close
and personal
with that voice
than you could ever get,
short of being in the studio at the time
and make no mistake,
you know you're in the presence
of an awe-inspiring talent
and instrument from
the first moment
he does a straight take
(after flubbing the opening)
on
'After Loving You'
and it only gets
better from there.
It could also turn the
uninitiated and unconvinced
into serious Presley fanatics
listening to him
in this setting and
these sessions
is a lot like
mainlining the man's voice,
and that's an
experience every bit
as addictive as
it's meant to sound,
and worth the asking price
and then some.
This CD is highly Recommended!
BUY YOURSELF
A COPY IF YOU CAN !!!
BUT FOR NOW
CHECK THIS OUT
TRACKLIST
After Loving You
(take 3)
Stranger In My Own Home Town
(undubbed master**)
In The Ghetto
(take 11)
A Little Bit Of Green
(take 1)
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