Elvis At Stax: Deluxe Edition

[Rocker]

And another part of Norbert Putnam talking about Elvis, Stax etc.

Source: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2013/08/could_elvis_have_been_saved_fr.php



When Elvis Presley came into Memphis' Stax Studios in December 1973 to cut some new material, Norbert Putnam -- the experienced Muscle Shoals-born session bassist -- could tell that something was off about the King.
"He had gained a bit of weight, I noticed. And he had gone through the divorce with Priscilla," Putnam recalls. "But he was definitely there to work. And this guy could do anything vocally. He could croon with Sinatra or scream with Little Richard."


Still, the thing that Putnam says he admired most about Presley -- then and now -- was his intelligence. especially when it came to human emotions.
All of the 28 masters that Presley and his backing musicians recorded in July and December 1973 sessions -- along with multiple outtakes and alternate cuts -- are on the new 3-CD compilation Elvis at Stax: Deluxe Edition (RCA/Legacy).

Putnam played on the December sessions, which yielded material higher in quality and quantity than the July one. He says that the musicians never had any sheet music to refer to, and instead would each scratch down keys, chords, and changes on legal pads while a demo recording played in the studio. Somehow, they managed to find the right groove in short order.

And while the songs dribbled out over several LPs and singles over the next few years, it didn't provide Elvis with the commercial comeback he had hoped for.

"It didn't have a lot of chart activity at the time and that's a shame," Putnam says today. "But people have clamored for this material. When I play with the TCB Band and we go to Europe and South America, they are yelling for [the Stax] material. Those records were more popular there than in the states. I think Elvis was more appreciated around the world than he was in America."


The "TCB Band" Putnam refers to is the occasional still-touring stage show in which many of Elvis' former band and revue members play live music to the accompaniment of Elvis singing the same song on filmed concert footage that plays on a huge video screen (can the Elvis hologram be far off?).
Which, of course, makes blindingly obvious the obvious - live people are playing with movies of a dead man. Elvis' drug-and-obesity induced death in 1977 at the age of 42 has been overly documented so as not to bear repeat here. But - feasibly, had he not succumbed to his own self-destruction - could Putnam & Co. have played in 2013 with a 78-year-old Elvis?

After all, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, and others are still going. And septuagenarians Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney are still fronting two- and three-hour shows. And with 1973 being a crucial year, could Putnam or any other players have saved Elvis?

"Of course, I've thought about it a lot over the years. A lot. I was shocked when he died," Putnam reflects today. "But you have to remember that we saw him in a recording environment. I've known musicians who were drunk and stoned and crazy on the road or [at their houses], but when they came into the studio, they were ready for business. They all knew that it would be the recordings that would survive us all."

However, Putnam points to one man who could have -- should have -- seen the warning signs and done something about it but didn't: Elvis's manager/Svengali, Col. Tom Parker.



"Someone should have staged an intervention, and that someone was Tom Parker. But he didn't, and I wish I knew why," Putnam says bluntly. "But I have to add that I have a lot of respect for [Bodyguard/Memphis Mafia member] Red West. He always had Elvis' back and I think he tried to do something. But no one could get through to him with all of that medication."
Ironically, Putnam says that Elvis himself looked down upon drug users and thought of them as "second-class citizens." He once even tried to get the Nixon White House to investigate the Beatles. But as long as you had a prescription for something, then you weren't a drug addict or user.

Outside of playing bass, Putnam has also had a storied career as a record producer, working with artists like Dan Fogelberg ("the greatest singer/songwriter/player combo ever"), Joan Baez ("I got that job by accident when Kris Kristofferson decided on the first day of recording he didn't want to do it"), John Hiatt and the Flying Burrito Brothers among them.

But it was his time spent working on the records of one man -- and in particular one song -- that may be his most lasting legacy. For it was Norbert Putnam twiddling dials and calling out instructions behind the glass when Jimmy Buffett recorded "Margaritaville."

"He brought me this song and when I heard it for the first time, I thought it was one of the best-written songs ever. It was a complete story in the lyric, and day in the life of Jimmy Buffett on Key West!" Putnam laughs. "He gave you the sight, the smell, and the sound of it. And the lost shaker of salt! And he built a huge business and lifestyle off of that one song. Jimmy sure hit the nail on the head, didn't he?"

[Rocker]

There will be a 1 hour special on the new Stax release on Elvis Express Radio. It will be available on August 5th.

http://www.elvis-express.com/

[Rocker]

Review by the Guardian, 3 out of 5 stars:



"Damn, these takes are going by fast," Elvis tells the studio engineer at the beginning of one song on this 3CD set, which has been pulled together for the 36th anniversary of his death this month. And he would know: while recording at Memphis's Stax studios in 1973, he did up to 14 takes per song. So many of these unused versions survive, with jivey studio banter intact, that they make up half of the 55 tracks. (The other half is comprised of masters that were originally released on several albums of the period.) Without the cutting-room-floor extras, RCA would have had the makings of a decentish double album: among the highlights are a cover of Chuck Berry's Promised Land that drips with rockabilly sweat, and a French ballad, My Boy, that's transformed into a ripsnorting Southern tearjerker. By padding it so shamelessly, however, the label is hastening the day when there's simply nothing left to release – not even an outtake of Find Out What's Happening in which he slips in part of The Star-Spangled Banner in a jokey lisp.



Source: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/aug/01/elvis-presley-at-stax-review?INTCMP=SRCH





EDIT:

Sound samples:

http://www.amazon.com/Elvis-At-Stax-Deluxe-3CD/dp/B00COCY67A/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1375407749&sr=1-3&keywords=elvis+presley

[Rocker]

Since this is not only a topic about Elvis but also about Stax and it's legacy, I'd like to share this '94 documentary about Stax Records that I found on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfkeqbd2OCc


EDIT:


Elvis Presley – Elvis at Stax (2013)
by Nick DeRiso


So much for the long-held notion that Elvis Presley had simply thrown away his own gifts by the 1970s. In fact, these soul-soaked sessions at Memphis’ legendary Stax Studios show an artist still deeply committed — for now, at least.

How much of that has to do with working within those hallowed halls, we’ll never know. But over a dozen days in July and December of 1973, Presley managed to coax out some 28 songs — three of which became late-period Top 20 hits. Interestingly, Presley had never recorded at Stax before then, despite living less than 10 minutes away in Graceland. His 1969 comeback recordings (including “Suspicious Minds” and “In the Ghetto”) had been done at American Studios in Memphis, but Chips Morman had since closed up shop — leading Presley to new environs.

Something important happened there, a last gasp of fizzy artistry from a singer about to disappear into his own jump-suited myth onstage, though you would have been hard pressed to put it all together before now. The bulk of these efforts would be scattered about a trio of recordings beginning with 1973′s Raised on Rock/For Ol’ Times Sake, including 1974′s Good Times and 1975′s Promised Land. Presley’s Stax tracks were blended with material put to tape elsewhere, however, blunting their ultimate impact.

The 3-CD Elvis at Stax — due August 6, 2013, from RCA/Legacy — puts a frame around this special moment, then enlarges it. The sneer that seemed to be forever working around Presley’s smile fit right in, of course, with the tough, swaggering music long associated with Stax. But as this set pairs those original 28 masters with 27 interesting outtakes, it also offers new insights into just how meticulous, how lovingly crafted and focused, these seemingly care-free recordings had always been.


Sure, Presley had gotten much of the way there on instinct (just as Stax legends like Otis Redding, Booker T and the MGs, Wilson Pickett, and Sam and Dave had), but this kind of magic really isn’t magic at all. It’s work, and a lot of it. Elvis, for instance, would have a hit with Tony Joe White’s “I’ve Got a Thing About You Baby” from these sessions, but it would take 15 tries to nail it to his satisfaction.

Presley was making song selections that hit home, and working in his own backyard. That part came easy. Getting it just right often did not. “Girl of Mine” took 11 takes; “You Asked Me To” needed 6; “If You Talk In Your Sleep” was mastered from take 9. The sessions, which included guitarist James Burton and Elvis’ regular working band — though Donald “Duck” Dunn, Al Jackson Jr., Steve Cropper protege Bobby Manuel and some Muscle Shoals sidemen occasionally chipped in — would stretch into the wee hours.

Yet, it was over in the blink of an eye. The schedule came together so quickly, in fact, that Isaac Hayes — and this is an incredible image — ended up having to move his studio schedule around to accommodate things. Presley and his manager Tom Parker had recently sold the singer’s complete back catalog to RCA, for a then-whopping $5.4 million, and part of the deal called for two new singles, and two new 10-song albums — one devoted to pop and another to gospel music.


The Stax stuff would, sadly, became grist for the mill, only notable if you listened closely on albums populated with blended sessions. Even so, “Promised Land,” “If You Talk In Your Sleep” and “My Boy” were each Top 20 smashes. “Mr. Songman” went to No. 35, “I’ve Got a Thing About You Baby” to No. 39, and “Raised on Rock” to No. 41.

Unfortunately, Presley wouldn’t return to Stax, passing away on August 16, 1977. A posthumous single, “I’ve Got a Feeling in My Body,” would follow in 1979 — providing yet another glimpse into this largely forgotten time. It’s a moment finally placed into proper perspective with the lovingly compiled, utterly revelatory Elvis at Stax.


Source: http://somethingelsereviews.com/2013/08/03/elvis-presley-elvis-at-stax-2013/

[Rocker]

I don't know where the information that the Stax material was blended on albums with material from different sessions comes from but it is wrong. Raised On Rock, Good Times and Promised Land were all completely recorded at Stax except for two songs on Raised On Rock that were recorded at Presley's Palm Springs home (I Miss You and Are You Sincere) and one was overdubbed there with Elvis' voice (Sweet Angeline), the track though was basically recorded at Stax.

[Rocker]

You can win a copy here:

http://tasteofcountry.com/elvis-at-stax-box-set-giveaway/

[Rocker]

Elvis Presley’s Stax Sessions To Be Reissued As Three-Disc Box Set

By Associated Press | August 05, 2013 1:49 AM EDT




It was 1973, and Elvis Presley's comeback was in fifth gear.

After years of making mediocre movies, he had returned to touring and performing in Las Vegas. In January of that year, he staged the "Aloha from Hawaii" concert live via satellite, viewed by a billion people worldwide.

But, due to a contractual obligation, he also needed to create new material. He and manager Col. Tom Parker decided that Presley's beloved Memphis was the place to do it.

The result was two recording sessions at Stax Records, the influential studio where Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave and others created the "Memphis soul" sound in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Presley's sessions in July and December 1973 produced country, R&B and pop songs that were released in three separate albums.

Forty years after Presley's Stax sessions, RCA Legacy is releasing the three-CD box set "Elvis at Stax: Deluxe Edition" on Tuesday. It's the first time Presley's songs recorded at Stax are together in the same release, which also includes outtakes and rare photos.

"The dissipation of the Stax recordings across three albums over 18 months provided little or no creative kudos for such deserving artistic accomplishment," wrote "Elvis at Stax" producer Roger Semon in notes accompanying the release. "The objective of 'Elvis at Stax' is to reflect the true spontaneity and musicianship of Elvis' sessions."



The release of the set comes days before the start of Elvis Week on Saturday. Thousands of the singer's devotees flock to Memphis each year for a celebration of his life and career, with a candlelight vigil serving as a memorial for his death, on Aug. 16, 1977, in Memphis at age 42.

Presley recorded his first song, "That's All Right," at Sun Studio in 1954. Fifteen years later, after making movies and staying away from the performing stage, he cut a series of hit singles at Memphis' American Studio, marking the start of his comeback. Those hits included "In the Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds."

Presley returned to touring in 1972, a year that also saw the release of the Golden Globe Award-winning documentary "Elvis on Tour."

According to author Robert Gordon, Presley and Parker wanted to build on the success in 1973 to try to re-establish Presley. Parker cut a deal with the record company RCA, selling Presley's rights to his existing song catalog for $5.4 million. Part of the deal required that Presley deliver new material, according to Gordon's notes in the box set.

With American Sound Studio closed, Presley turned to Stax.

The sessions, on July 20-23, produced "Raised on Rock," ''I've Got a Thing About You Baby," and "For Ol' Time's Sake."



But on the last night, while recording "Girl of Mine," Presley noticed a change in sound from the previous night.

He discovered that his personal microphone had been stolen, considered a virtual crime in the music business.

"The theft was a disappointing end to a good session," writes Gordon, who also authored the books "It Came from Memphis" and "The Elvis Treasures."

Presley came back to Stax on Dec. 10 for a weeklong session. By then, his divorce with Priscilla Presley had been finalized.

The session included the energetic "I Got a Feeling in My Body," written by Dennis Linde, who also had penned "Suspicious Minds."

Former Muscle Shoals keyboard player David Briggs and bassist Norbert Putnam, who recorded with Presley in Nashville, were among the session musicians.

Putnam recalls noticing that Presley had gained some weight and lost some of the infectious energy he displayed when Putnam worked with him in Nashville. But once the recordings started, Presley's voice sounded strong as ever, Putnam said.

"We started an old Chuck Berry tune, and he came alive," Putnam said. "He immersed himself in the music."





Source: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5638173/elvis-presleys-stax-sessions-to-be-reissued-as-three-disc-box-set

[Rocker]

Music on Vinyl released Elvis At Stax today.

SIDE 1
01 Promised Land
02 I’ve Got A Thing About You Baby
03 If You Talk In Your Sleep
04 Raised On Rock
05 Help Me

SIDE 2
01 I Got A Feelin’ In My Body
02 For Ol’ Times Sake
03 Talk About The Good Times
04 Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues

SIDE 3
01 You Asked Me To
02 Loving Arms
03 Your Love’s Been A Long Time Coming
04 Spanish Eyes

SIDE 4
01 It’s Midnight
02 Find Out What’s Happening
03 Three Corn Patches
04 My Boy




Source: http://elvisnews.com/news.aspx/vinyl-at-stax/14266

[Ian]

Wow-you ought to get a commission from RCA-you are really promoting this Elvis set!!! Interesting stuff.  As I said earlier though, I just am not sure I need it.  I have all the choice stuff from the sessions in the 1970s Box Set.  I also have the newer version of Burning Love and the Rhythm and Country compilation.  I do love the King, but I feel like I have everything I need from the 70s.

[Rocker]

Wow-you ought to get a commission from RCA-you are really promoting this Elvis set!!!

haha, well I could ask them.... 
But I only post updates that I find somewher else. Some of us have all the stuff but if there's just one who will get deeper into Elvis' catalog and see the great music that guy has made then I'm happy. Presley's status as a musician imo has been so destroyed by the myth and the way he is represented by ElvisPresley Enterprises so I just try to get the view back on the important thing - his music and work. I know it's not much but I can try.

Interesting stuff.  As I said earlier though, I just am not sure I need it.  I have all the choice stuff from the sessions in the 1970s Box Set.  I also have the newer version of Burning Love and the Rhythm and Country compilation.  I do love the King, but I feel like I have everything I need from the 70s.

Well, I personally won't get it. I'd rather have the FTD releases but I guess for a new fan or someone who's not into the collector-releases this could be a cool set. I only have the Madison Squae Garden shows of the Legacy releases and that one was doner very, very good. If the Stax CDs are like that I'm fine with that.

[MBE]

Hey Mike -- do you have (or can you) post any samples from the book?

Oh I didn't see this. Just because you asked I'll reveal the chapter titles.

Introduction: Do You Know Who I Am? xiii
1 Have You Heard the News: 1954 1
2 706 Union: The Birthplace of Rock and Roll 7
3 Nothing That Could Hold Me: 1955 12
4 I Forgot to Remember to Forget: A Guide to the Sun Years 17
5 One for the Money: Colonel Tom Parker 25
6 It All Happened So Fast: 1956 34
7 I Want to Be Free: 1957 45
8 I’m Not Asking Much of You: 1958–59 53
9 The Music Really Sends Me: Fifties Elvis on RCA 58
10 Doin’ the Best That I Can: 1960 79
11 Dreams Come True?: 1961 84
12 For EP Fans Only: E. P. on EP 89
13 I Don’t Want to Be Tied: 1962 101
14 Just Three Words and No More: 1963 106
15 Come Along with Me: The Discards 112
16 It Hurts Me: 1964 137
17 Long Lonely Highway: A Guide to the Hollywood Years 141
18 Hard Luck: 1965 177
19 Sweet Song of a Choir: Elvis’ Gospel Recordings 181
20 I Can’t Remember the Sound of My Own Name: 1966 191
21 Just Pretend: Borrowed Songs and Other Oddities 195
22 Suppose: 1967 198
23 Don’t Count Your Chickens: The Strange Saga of Jimmy “Orion” Ellis 201
24 Goin’ Home: 1968 208
25 Saved: The Comeback Special 214
26 Change of Habit: 1969 221
27 Standing Room Only: Elvis Live on Vinyl 1969–77 225
28 Got My Mojo Working: 1970 233
29 The Next Step: A Guide to the Comeback 239
30 Love the Life I Lead: 1971 267
31 Where Do I Go from Here?: 1972 272
32 Find Out What’s Happening: 1973 278
33 It’s Hard to Comprehend: The Satellite Special 284
34 Don’t Mention My Name: 1974 295
35 Fairytale: A Consumer’s Guide to the Later Years 302
36 If You Got a Problem: 1975 313
37 Medicine Within Me: The Effects of Drugs on the Music 319
38 I Can Roll, but I Just Can’t Rock: 1976 326
39 It’s Different Now: Covering the King 331
40 Alone, Lonely Times: 1977 338
41 You Don’t Have to Face the Crowd: The CBS Special 343
42 Who Are You, Who Am I: When Elvis Isn’t Elvis 348

[MBE]

Music on Vinyl released Elvis At Stax today.

SIDE 1
01 Promised Land
02 I’ve Got A Thing About You Baby
03 If You Talk In Your Sleep
04 Raised On Rock
05 Help Me

SIDE 2
01 I Got A Feelin’ In My Body
02 For Ol’ Times Sake
03 Talk About The Good Times
04 Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues

SIDE 3
01 You Asked Me To
02 Loving Arms
03 Your Love’s Been A Long Time Coming
04 Spanish Eyes

SIDE 4
01 It’s Midnight
02 Find Out What’s Happening
03 Three Corn Patches
04 My Boy




Source: http://elvisnews.com/news.aspx/vinyl-at-stax/14266

This would have been great had this not been a two LP set. No gatefold or booklet either, not even the die cut cover. Really wasted opportunity to do a good vinyl release. I would have gladly paid more for the whole package on LP. Worst conceived vinyl release since the Pickwick/Pair days.

[Rocker]

Thanks Mike! Sounds like some interesting chapters!

21 Just Pretend: Borrowed Songs and Other Oddities 195

I'm not sure if I understand it the right way but I guess it has to do with cover versions etc. Because of that I got the idea to post the original versions/the versions that Elvis was inspired by of the songs reorded at Stax. Of course I can only post videos to what I can find on youtube. So, let's see...



Jerry Reed - Talk about the good times
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkuTCxyCbBs


Billy Lee Riley - I've got a thing about you baby (one second and you'll know that this version was the blueprint, not Tony Joe White's original)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtdmtW1hOz8


Dobie Gray - There's a honky tonk angel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuxe6YWSewI


Dobie Gray - Loving arms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTg0aIhB3EM


Waylon Jennings - You asked me to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeZbdwr62CA


Tony Joe White - For ol' times sake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTaGxtW5WuE


The Spidells - Find out what's happening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZH8IrUsKAw


Adam Wade - Take good care of her
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4NenkB44cI


Danny O'Keefe - Good time Charlie's got the blues  (this is the original. I'm not sue if Elvis maybe took it from a different version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YP3pIPp8P8


Engelbert Humperdink - Girl of mine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QJIAJCZjmg


Chuck Berry - Promised land
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ueTLNxNrGE

Elvis knew and loved Chuck Berry's original but I have a feeling that he also knew Jerry Reed's Chuck Berry medley. The feeling is closer to Ree's "Promised land" part imo

Jery Reed - Chuck Berry medley (live)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQNiZWmi2GE


Engelbert Humperdinck - Spanish eyes  (Elvis also knew Al Martino's version I guess)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTUpWwDRrv8


Richard Harris - My boy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM1eEfwzjqA


The Rambos - If that isn't love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4srSW6jP98


Jimmy Bell - She wears my ring
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lo3UmrPeZQ


Faron Young - Are you sincere  (as with some other songs, this is just one of a few. Marty Robbins', Eddie Arnold's and Andy Williams' versions certainly were familar to Elvis)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbLRBCkDa4I



T-Bone Walker - Just a little bit, Three corn patches, If you don't come back  (this is the link to amazon Germany because there you can listen to samples)
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00004ZBZN


Couldn't find a link for Larry Gatlin's "Help me"

[Rocker]

In conjunction with the release of "Elvis At Stax," the 3-CD box set chronicling the music Elvis recorded at Stax Studios in July and December 1973, RCA/Legacy Recordings is hosting a very special listening party at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Fans will have an opportunity to stand in the very same spot where Elvis recorded the music they are hearing, in addition to witnessing stories and details behind the music and recording sessions from representatives of Sony and special guest Norbert Putnam, who recorded with Elvis at Stax in December 1973.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LDpbGrIJp8




Starts at around 6:30 mins.

[Moon Dawg]

  ELVIS AT STAX is an interesting set but I may not buy it. (Will likely recant.) 

  In general, the Dec 73 sessions are undervalued and some of that comes from RCA scattering the best cuts over several albums. (GOOD TIMES and PROMISED LAND.) An excellent 12 song LP could have been assembled. RCA was playing this outmoded game as late as 1976 when "Moody Blue" was left off FROM ELVIS PRESLEY BOULEVARD MEMPHIS TN. Good old RCA.

[alf wiedersehen]

Aquarium Drunkard(.com) has a write up of the album over on their site.

There's also a download of "If You Talk in Your Sleep," if you want a preview of the album.

[Jay]

I'm not all that familiar with the material, but I'm considering getting it eventually if I can get it for a good price. Is it worth getting? Or should I start out with a more "simple" disc with the highlights of the material for this era?

[MBE]

Jay I like Elvis' music of this era, but it really varies person to person. Check out a few cuts on youtube on see what you think. As far as post Aloha stuff it's a good place to start. I must be weird but I like the Raised On Rock stuff best in general, I also like things like Thinkin About You which go against type.

[Rocker]

Or should I start out with a more "simple" disc with the highlights of the material for this era?

Do you mean the 70s periode or the Stax recordings?
If you're talking the 70s in general, there's a great FTD called "Hits of the 70s" which iirc collects all single a- and b-sides of the 70s.

Look here:

http://www.elvisoncd.com/frame.htm?http://www.elvisoncd.com/EIGENECD_a-z/ftd-label/hitsofthe70s.htm




BTW I don't know about the U.S. but the single Stax-disc charted in quite a few european countries. It is #47 in Germany I believe.

[Moon Dawg]

Hey Mike -- do you have (or can you) post any samples from the book?

Oh I didn't see this. Just because you asked I'll reveal the chapter titles.

Introduction: Do You Know Who I Am? xiii
1 Have You Heard the News: 1954 1
2 706 Union: The Birthplace of Rock and Roll 7
3 Nothing That Could Hold Me: 1955 12
4 I Forgot to Remember to Forget: A Guide to the Sun Years 17
5 One for the Money: Colonel Tom Parker 25
6 It All Happened So Fast: 1956 34
7 I Want to Be Free: 1957 45
8 I’m Not Asking Much of You: 1958–59 53
9 The Music Really Sends Me: Fifties Elvis on RCA 58
10 Doin’ the Best That I Can: 1960 79
11 Dreams Come True?: 1961 84
12 For EP Fans Only: E. P. on EP 89
13 I Don’t Want to Be Tied: 1962 101
14 Just Three Words and No More: 1963 106
15 Come Along with Me: The Discards 112
16 It Hurts Me: 1964 137
17 Long Lonely Highway: A Guide to the Hollywood Years 141
18 Hard Luck: 1965 177
19 Sweet Song of a Choir: Elvis’ Gospel Recordings 181
20 I Can’t Remember the Sound of My Own Name: 1966 191
21 Just Pretend: Borrowed Songs and Other Oddities 195
22 Suppose: 1967 198
23 Don’t Count Your Chickens: The Strange Saga of Jimmy “Orion” Ellis 201
24 Goin’ Home: 1968 208
25 Saved: The Comeback Special 214
26 Change of Habit: 1969 221
27 Standing Room Only: Elvis Live on Vinyl 1969–77 225
28 Got My Mojo Working: 1970 233
29 The Next Step: A Guide to the Comeback 239
30 Love the Life I Lead: 1971 267
31 Where Do I Go from Here?: 1972 272
32 Find Out What’s Happening: 1973 278
33 It’s Hard to Comprehend: The Satellite Special 284
34 Don’t Mention My Name: 1974 295
35 Fairytale: A Consumer’s Guide to the Later Years 302
36 If You Got a Problem: 1975 313
37 Medicine Within Me: The Effects of Drugs on the Music 319
38 I Can Roll, but I Just Can’t Rock: 1976 326
39 It’s Different Now: Covering the King 331
40 Alone, Lonely Times: 1977 338
41 You Don’t Have to Face the Crowd: The CBS Special 343
42 Who Are You, Who Am I: When Elvis Isn’t Elvis 348

 Can't wait to read this. When does it come out?

[Ian]

If you are an Elvis fan-I think the 3 Box sets RCA put out are indispensable (Those being- The King of Rock N Roll: The Complete 50s Masters,  From Nashville To Memphis: The Essential 60s Masters I and Walk A Mile In My Shoes: The Essential 70s Masters).  You could stop there but if you want more than there is The Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II.  This collection is more hit and miss, as it collects the "best" of his soundtrack recordings-all EP fans admit that pickings got increasingly slim as the years went by.  By 1965-66 most soundtracks were pretty dire, but there are some great songs on there.  There are also excellent collections of his gospel material and live material. 

[Rocker]

Here's another reviw:




Good-time Charlie’s got soul

Elvis Presley Elvis At Stax: Deluxe Edition

Ridiculously, some have complained that this comp milks the catalogue too far. Nonsense. Elvis at the landmark studio of the 60s and 70s in the pivotal city of his life? How could it not be vital? The three CDs divide into 27 tracks in which you find the relaxed Elvis trying tunes in the company of some of America’s greatest musicians and singers, and 28 masters dating from July and December ’73. Fusing R&B (ie soul) and country in equal measure, this is top-quality stuff straight from the tunin’-up opener, I Got A Feelin’ In My Body. The outtakes come first, so you hear songs taking shape prior to the finished article.
Elvis’ main gig may have been Vegas but, in the right company, spirit was on tap. Find Out What’s Happening, Promised Land, Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues… all beautiful, honest performances, even in the learning. If the quality flags on Spanish Eyes or Girl Of Mine, that’s down to oversentimental material. And when the completed versions kick in with Raised On Rock, it ain’t hard to see why Elvis was still scoring hits amid glam, metal and Philly soul; class wins out. Never loved Elvis? Play it on a Sunday morning and find out what was happening.
4 stars  4 stars  4 stars  4 stars
RCA/Legacy | 88883 72418 2 (3CD)



Source: http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/elvis-presley-elvis-at-stax-deluxe-edition

[Bean Bag]

 ELVIS AT STAX is an interesting set but I may not buy it. (Will likely recant.)  

  In general, the Dec 73 sessions are undervalued and some of that comes from RCA scattering the best cuts over several albums. (GOOD TIMES and PROMISED LAND.) An excellent 12 song LP could have been assembled. RCA was playing this outmoded game as late as 1976 when "Moody Blue" was left off FROM ELVIS PRESLEY BOULEVARD MEMPHIS TN. Good old RCA.

Elvis really couldn't get a break.  He could have pulled up to a McDonald's drive-thru -- and if someone knew in advanced he was gonna be there -- and thought ahead enough to record his order over the speaker -- BAM! We'd have an album "Double Shakes (and Two Large Fries!!)" two weeks later.  

Other than what happened at the sessions themselves, I get the feeling he had little control over "what" got released -- and how it was presented.  I suppose if he made his plans clear beforehand, he had a lot of control -- but these Stax sessions, which I freakin' LOVE btw, are a good case-in-point.  It was only a few days.  That's it.  And basically everything was used.  Three albums.

The few days that made up the July sessions, which were kind chaotic with a numbed up Elvis, produced an entire album.  Imagine if The Beach Boys had that same pressure.  We'd have Adult/Child and everything in between (and I'd be a fcking happy camper).  But everything was used.

I'm not complaining since I love Elvis and cherish every second he recorded in the 70s -- which wasn't nearly enough.  And when he did record, he was beat, tired, drugged and rushed.  But he was such a hot fcking commodity, that all of it was used.  And it all sold.  He was milked dry.



EDIT:  This Stax Boxset btw, is pitch-perfect.  Totally badazz.  Three discs, great sound, nice packaging, and under 30 bux.  I got mine for like $23!  Hardcore fans like myself, can (also) get the individual FTDs 2 disc sets that cover each album (for a total of 6 discs) -- but this set nails it.  It condenses it down to a succinct three discs -- making it a homerun, slamdunk super-deal -- and a fantastic listening experience. A BRAZILIAN STARs.

[Lonely Summer]

It's nice to see these sessions finally getting the proper appreciation. As noted above, if RCA had been patient, and chosen the best of these tracks for a couple strong studio albums, public perception would've been much different. Strangely enough, the best album of the bunch, Promised Land, was the last released from the Stax sessions, while the weakest was the first, Raised on Rock.

[hypehat]

Am I right in recalling that Elvis was getting increasingly reluctant to go into the studio around this time in spite of RCA/The Colonel signing contracts demanding a lot of material?