Thursday, January 8, 2009

Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds: The Memphis 1969 Anthology (1999)

Happy birthday, Elvis!
"Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer, actor and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "The King of Rock n' Roll" or "The King".
Source: Wikipedia

"Suspicious Minds release contains the 33 recordings made by Elvis Presley in Memphis in January and February 1969 at American Sound Studio, 10 alternate takes and 1 incomplete recording. The CD's run for 64:13 and 71:27, thus giving fine value for the money. CD1 contains all of the tracks released on From Elvis In Memphis plus all a- and B-sides of the four singles released from these sessions. CD2 contains the remaining tracks interspersed with alternate takes, one-liners, studio talk and the anticipated, incomplete recording of 'Poor Man's Gold'. Other releases featuring this material have tended to be a bit muddy in the mix, but on this release you get pristine sound with an absolutely clear mix with Elvis' vocal up front and still lots of room for the instruments and the backing vocals".
Source: Shop Elvis Australia

"Elvis Presley never sounded better than he does on these recordings made in Memphis at Chip Moman's American Sound Studios in January 1969. The artist was still on an incredible high following the success of his legendary NBC-TV "comeback" special, which had aired a little over a month earlier. Eager to record some relevant music after a decade of horrible movie soundtracks, Presley decided to work with Moman's smash-making (122 hits in three years) Memphis house band. Indeed, four charting singles came from these sessions--"Suspicious Minds," "Don't Cry Daddy," "In the Ghetto," and "Kentucky Rain"--as well as two critically acclaimed albums, From Elvis in Memphis and Back in Memphis. This two-disc set includes all the music the King recorded during that stint at Moman's studio, ranging from Neil Diamond, Bobby Darin, and Beatles covers to current and old country hits ("Gentle on My Mind," Johnny Tillotson's "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'") to a cover of Chuck Willis's classic "Any Day Now" that tops the R&B original. Of special note is "Long Black Limousine," a song about a huge star returning to her small hometown in a hearse. All the originally released American recordings are available on the From Nashville to Memphis box set. RCA fleshes out this collection with previously unreleased alternate takes (including the in-between studio chatter), as well as the Darin tune ("I'll Be There," a hit for Gerry & the Pacemakers) and a snippet of one previously unheard tune, "Poor Man's Gold." There's been much debate about the mix, but these tracks sounded great on vinyl in the late 1960s, and they'll continue to sound great for years to come, no matter the format".
Source: Amazon.com

Disc 1: Wearin' That Loved On Look - Only The Strong Survive - I'll Hold You In My Heart - Long Black Limousine - It Keeps Right On-A-Hurtin' - I'm Movin' On - Power Of My Love - Gentle On My Mind - After Loving You - True Love Travels On A Gravel Road - Any Day Now - In The Ghetto - Mama Liked The Roses - Suspicious Minds - You'll Think Of Me - Don't Cry Daddy - The Fair's Moving On - Kentucky Rain - Stranger In My Own Home Town - Without Love.
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Disc 2: This Time / I Can't Stop Loving You - After Loving You (Alternate) - Without Love (Alternate) - I'm Movin' On (Alternate) - From A Jack To A King - It Keeps Right On-A-Hurtin' (Alternate) - True Love Travels On A Gravel Road (Alternate) - Power Of My Love (Alternate)- You'll Think Of Me (Alternate) - If I'm A Fool - Do You Know Who I Am - A Little Bit Of Green - And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind - This Is The Story - I'll Be There - Hey Jude - Rubberneckin' - Poor Man's Gold (Incomplete) - Inherit The Wind - My Little Friend - Who Am I? - Kentucky Rain (Alternate) - Suspicious Minds (Alternate) - In The Ghetto (Alternate).
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Elvis.com / Elvis @ Wikipedia / Elvis @ IMDb