Elvis Presley's 1969 Music Is "Ghetto" Fabulous
At 34 years old, Elvis Presley was riding a wave of renewed interest when he returned to Memphis for several recording sessions in early 1969. Just weeks earlier, his landmark '68 Comeback Special found him in superb voice and boisterous spirits. Suddenly, millions of curious TV viewers wondered what was coming next. Forty years later, who could forget? "In the Ghetto," "Kentucky Rain" and "Suspicious Minds" -- all recorded in Memphis -- became his first million-selling singles in nearly eight years. From Elvis in Memphis: The Legacy Edition, a two-disc set released on July 28, compiles all of the recordings from those invigorating sessions at American Studios. More importantly, it captures a moment in time when Presley took his creative direction from producer Chips Moman, who refused to back down to Col. Tom Parker or anyone else in Presley's entourage.
As was his custom, Parker wanted a portion of the publishing royalties for "Suspicious Minds." Moman not-so-politely declined. Indeed, he nearly canceled the session. If you can believe it, Presley's handlers also tried to dissuade him from recording "In the Ghetto," thinking its social commentary might lose some fans. Again, Moman prevailed with psychological trickery. (With so many colorful characters, the liner notes are a lot of fun to read. And you gotta love the photos.)
Presley's attitude and charisma in "Wearin' That Loved On Look" and "Only the Strong Survive" are completely endearing and I can almost picture him crooning "I'll Hold You in My Heart" with a smirk, taking himself only half-seriously. Country fans may recognize songs like "I'm Movin' On," "Gentle on My Mind," "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road," "Any Day Now" and "From a Jack to a King," yet nobody sings them quite like Elvis. That's why this anniversary collection is essential to anyone interested in Presley's musical legacy.
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
Redmaz says:
Can anyone tell me what brand and model of guitar that is pictured above that Presley is holding? You really need to know your guitar history for this one. They are quite rare.
Jude says:
They are indeed quite rare, it’s a Hagstrom Viking II. It didn’t belong to Elvis anyways, it belonged to one of the session players there reportedly.
Redmaz says:
…along with the Benson 200 amp. Jude is correct! Good job. Or sould I say….Good Jude
Bryan B says:
I remember buying this LP from a small record store in my little town here along the Miss. river. After listening to all the movies soundtracks that ocassionally had good
“bonus” songs, in this album was Elvis the “man”. I still have the LP with scratches and pops. Alas, Elvis did not reach for these heights again, though Elvis Country was very good. And who can forget his knocked out rock’em, sock’em Promised Land!
Redmaz says:
At first glance, most people mistake it for a Gibson “Trini Lopez” model.
Pam says:
On Scotty Moore’s web site (he was Elvis’ original guitar player) he says the 1968 Red Hagstrom Viking II was borrowed from session player Al Casey.
Dawood says:
The quote of John Lennon: “Before Elvis, there was nothing.” says it all about that great artist of all times. Here I’ve tried to collect all notable tributes paid to Elvis Presley by peers:
http://www.tributespaid.com/category/e/elvis-presley
David says:
A great album , by the greatest artist. I really like his 70s music especially around 72-73. I just read his bio on the cmt website said some pretty outrageous things.