Similar Albums:
- Artist:
Elvis Presley - Rating:
- Release Date: September 28, 1993
- Total Time: 344:14
- Type: Compilation (best of), Box set
- Genre: Rock
Review
Since The King of Rock 'n' Roll was the complete '50s masters, it was easy to assume that its five-disc '60s sequel, From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential 60's Masters, rounded up all the masters from that decade, which is simply not the case. The producers deliberately avoided the soundtracks to Elvis' movies, which perhaps makes sense, given that they are roundly and rightly disparaged as Presley's low point, which then opened the doors to presenting just what they judged as the best non-soundtrack recordings he made during the '60s. They also disregarded the gospel recordings, saving them for the double-disc 1994 collection Amazing Grace: His Greatest Gospel Songs, leaving this as an overview of the best of his pop and rock material of the '60s, all recorded after he got back from the army. Instead of being a detriment, this is a brilliant move, distilling his erratic, wide-ranging '60s recordings to their very best, providing a relatively comprehensive overview of the greatest material Elvis recorded during his most inconsistent decade. Its biggest flaw is that in its zeal to overlook the soundtracks, the box skips over even the hits from the films, so this does not have "Can't Help Falling in Love," "GI Blues," "Follow That Dream," "Viva Las Vegas," "Little Less Conversation," and "Return to Sender," as well as other, lesser hits. They are missed, particularly because there is a surfeit of pop-oriented material from the early '60s. That's one area where this box excels: It proves that Presley did turn toward pop in the early '60s. Contrary to conventional wisdom, he did not abandon rock & roll, and there are many tough performances from the early years of the decade that stand their own with the '50s RCA sides, but by the middle of the box -- which roughly corresponds with the middle of the decade -- it becomes clear that Elvis needed to change his approach, and he did with stunning power.That's where the scope of the box comes into play: By disc three, there's been plenty of good, sometimes great, music, but when Elvis gets his swagger back just before the songs that formed From Elvis in Memphis, the growing energy is kinetic, and the fourth disc, along with half of the fifth, are intoxicating in how Presley rediscovers his power and starts to not only sing songs worthy of his talents, but have productions and performances that match. This is the greatest music on this set -- "Long Black Limousine," "Rubberneckin'," "Wearin' That Loved on Look," "In the Ghetto," "Suspicious Minds," "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road," and "Kentucky Rain" are among the best of this batch -- towering over the rest of the music here and holding its own with the Sun material. This is presented in more thorough form elsewhere, but the long view and scope of this set really make his comeback dramatic on From Nashville to Memphis. That narrative makes the set essential, as does the judicious selection of his early- and mid-'60s highlights. It's done well -- well enough to almost excuse the very, very big hits that are missing, even if it doesn't completely account for their absence. That is a pretty big flaw, but even so, From Nashville to Memphis is necessary for any serious pop library, which speaks volumes for the quality of the music within the box. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Tracks
CD 1
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Make Me Know It | Otis Blackwell | (1:58) | |
| Soldier Boy | (3:04) | ||
| Stuck on You | Aaron Schroeder, |
(2:18) | |
| Fame and Fortune (Lyrics) | Ben Weisman, |
(2:29) | |
| A Mess of Blues | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (2:39) | |
| It Feels So Right (Lyrics) | Ben Weisman, |
(2:09) | |
| Fever (Lyrics) | (3:31) | ||
| Like a Baby | Jesse Stone | (2:38) | |
| It's Now or Never | (3:14) | ||
| The Girl of My Best Friend | (2:21) | ||
| Dirty, Dirty Feeling (Lyrics) | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | (1:35) | |
| Thrill of Your Love | Stan Kesler | (2:59) | |
| I Gotta Know | Paul Evans, |
(2:15) | |
| Such a Night | Lincoln Chase | (2:58) | |
| Are You Lonesome Tonight? | Roy Turk, Lou Handman | (3:05) | |
| Girl Next Door Went A'walking | (2:12) | ||
| I Will Be Home Again (Lyrics) | Bennie Benjamin, |
(2:33) | |
| Reconsider Baby | Lowell Fulson | (3:39) | |
| Surrender | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (1:51) | |
| I'm Comin' Home | Charlie Rich | (2:20) | |
| Gently | Edward Lisbona | (2:15) | |
| In Your Arms | (1:50) | ||
| Give Me the Right | (2:32) | ||
| I Feel So Bad (Lyrics) | Chuck Willis | (2:53) | |
| It's a Sin (Lyrics) | Zeb Turner, Fred Rose | (2:39) | |
| I Want You With Me (Lyrics) | (2:13) | ||
| There's Always Me (Lyrics) | Don Robertson | (2:16) |
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Starting Today | Don Robertson | (2:03) | |
| Sentimental Me (Lyrics) | (2:31) | ||
| Judy (Lyrics) | (2:10) | ||
| Put the Blame on Me | (1:57) | ||
| Kiss Me Quick | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (2:46) | |
| That's Someone You Never Forget | (2:47) | ||
| I'm Yours | Don Robertson, |
(2:21) | |
| (Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (2:07) | |
| Little Sister | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (2:30) | |
| For the Millionth and the Last Time | (2:05) | ||
| Good Luck Charm | (2:23) | ||
| Anything That's Part of You | Don Robertson | (2:04) | |
| I Met Her Today | Don Robertson, |
(2:42) | |
| Night Rider | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (2:08) | |
| Something Blue | Paul Evans, |
(2:57) | |
| Gonna Get Back Home Somehow | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (2:27) | |
| (Such An) Easy Question | Otis Blackwell, |
(2:18) | |
| Fountain of Love | (2:12) | ||
| Just for Old Time Sake | (2:08) | ||
| You'll Be Gone | (2:23) | ||
| I Feel That I've Known You Forever | Doc Pomus, |
(1:39) | |
| Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello (Lyrics) | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | (1:51) | |
| Suspicion | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (2:34) | |
| She's Not You (Lyrics) | Jerry Leiber, Doc Pomus, Mike Stoller | (2:08) | |
| Echoes of Love | Bob Roberts, |
(2:38) | |
| Please Don't Drag That String Around | Otis Blackwell, |
(1:53) | |
| (You're The) Devil in Disguise | Buddy Kaye, |
(2:20) | |
| Never Ending | Buddy Kaye, |
(1:57) | |
| What Now, What Next, Where To? | Don Robertson, |
(1:56) | |
| Witchcraft | Dave Bartholomew, |
(2:17) | |
| Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers | Ollie Jones, |
(1:47) | |
| Love Me Tonight | Don Robertson | (2:00) |
CD 3
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| (It's A) Long, Lonely Highway | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (2:20) | |
| Western Union | (2:09) | ||
| Slowly But Surely | Ben Weisman, |
(2:13) | |
| Blue River | Paul Evans, |
(1:32) | |
| Memphis Tennessee | Chuck Berry | (2:08) | |
| Ask Me | Domenico Modugno, |
(2:05) | |
| It Hurts Me | (2:27) | ||
| Down in the Alley (Lyrics) | The Clovers, Jesse Stone | (2:48) | |
| Tomorrow Is a Long Time (Lyrics) | Bob Dylan | (5:20) | |
| Love Letters (Lyrics) | Edward Heyman, Victor Young | (2:50) | |
| Beyond the Reef [Original Undubbed Master][#][Take] | (3:03) | ||
| Come What May [Alternate Take][#] | (1:58) | ||
| Fools Fall in Love (Lyrics) | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | (2:04) | |
| Indescribably Blue | (2:47) | ||
| I'll Remember You [Original Unedited Master][#][Take] | Kui Lee | (4:05) | |
| If Every Day Was Like Christmas | Red West | (2:42) | |
| Suppose [Master][#] | (3:01) | ||
| Guitar Man/What'd I Say [Original Unedited Master][#] | Ray Charles, |
(2:57) | |
| Big Boss Man (Lyrics) | (2:50) | ||
| Mine | (2:35) | ||
| Just Call Me Lonesome (Lyrics) | Rex Griffin | (2:05) | |
| Hi-Heel Sneakers [Original Unedited Master][#] | (4:46) | ||
| You Don't Know Me (Lyrics) | Eddy Arnold, Cindy Walker | (2:27) | |
| Singing Tree | (2:17) | ||
| Too Much Monkey Business | Chuck Berry | (2:29) | |
| U.S. Male (Lyrics) | (2:42) |
CD 4
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Long Black Limousine (Lyrics) | (3:37) | ||
| This Is the Story | (2:28) | ||
| Wearin' That Loved on Look (Lyrics) | Dallas Frazier, |
(2:44) | |
| You'll Think of Me | Mort Shuman | (3:58) | |
| Little Bit of Green | (3:21) | ||
| Gentle on My Mind (Lyrics) | John Hartford | (3:20) | |
| I'm Movin' On (Lyrics) | Hank Snow | (2:52) | |
| Don't Cry Daddy (Lyrics) | Mac Davis | (2:46) | |
| Inherit the Wind | Eddie Rabbitt | (2:56) | |
| Mama Liked the Roses (Lyrics) | (2:47) | ||
| My Little Friend | (2:43) | ||
| In the Ghetto (Lyrics) | Mac Davis | (2:45) | |
| Rubberneckin' | (2:09) | ||
| From a Jack to a King | Ned Miller | (2:23) | |
| Hey Jude (Lyrics) | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | (4:29) | |
| Without Love (There Is Nothing) | (2:51) | ||
| I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) | Eddy Arnold, |
(4:32) | |
| I'll Be There | Bobby Darin | (2:21) | |
| Suspicious Minds (Lyrics) | (3:28) | ||
| True Love Travels on a Gravel Road (Lyrics) | Dallas Frazier, |
(2:37) | |
| Stranger in My Own Home Town | Percy Mayfield | (4:23) | |
| And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind | Neil Diamond | (3:08) | |
| Power of My Love | (2:34) |
CD 5
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| After Loving You | Eddie Miller, |
(3:05) | |
| Do You Know Who I Am? (Lyrics) | Bobby Russell | (2:47) | |
| Kentucky Rain (Lyrics) | Eddie Rabbitt, |
(3:14) | |
| Only the Strong Survive (Lyrics) | Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff | (2:40) | |
| It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin' | Johnny Tillotson | (2:36) | |
| Any Day Now (Lyrics) | Burt Bacharach, Bob Hilliard | (2:58) | |
| If I'm a Fool (For Loving You) | Stan Kesler | (2:43) | |
| The Fair Is Moving On | (3:07) | ||
| Who Am I? (Lyrics) | (3:07) | ||
| This Time/I Can't Stop Loving You [Informal Recording][#] | Don Gibson, Chips Moman | (3:50) | |
| In the Ghetto [Alternate Take 4][#] | Mac Davis | (2:46) | |
| Suspicious Minds [Alternate Take 6][#] | (3:14) | ||
| Kentucky Rain [Alternate Take 9] | Eddie Rabbitt, |
(3:10) | |
| Big Boss Man [Alternate Take 2][#] | (3:36) | ||
| Down in the Alley [Alternate Take 1][#] | The Clovers, Jesse Stone | (3:11) | |
| Memphis Tennessee [Alternate Take 1 from the "1963 Session"][#] | Chuck Berry | (2:12) | |
| I'm Yours [Alternate Take 1 Undubbed Version][#] | Don Robertson, |
(2:17) | |
| (Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame [Alternate Take 4][#] | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (2:00) | |
| That's Someone You Never Forget [Alternate Take 1][#] | (2:38) | ||
| Surrender [Alternate Take 1][#] | Mort Shuman, Doc Pomus | (1:50) | |
| It's Now or Never [Original Undubbed Master][#][Take] | (3:14) | ||
| Love Me Tender/Witchcraft [#] | (1:42) |
