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33⅓ Main Series #150
From Elvis in Memphis
"I had to leave town for a little while--" with these words, Elvis Presley truly came home to rock and roll. A little over a month earlier he had staged rock's first and greatest comeback in a television program, forever known as "The '68 Comeback Special." With this show, he resurrected himself--at the age of 33, no less--from the ashes of a career mired in bad movies and soundtracks. So where to go from here?
Like a killer returning to the scene of the crime, Elvis came back home to Memphis, where it had all begun. Eschewing the fancier studios of Nashville and Hollywood, he set up shop at the ramshackle American Sound Studio, run by a maverick named Chips Moman with an in-house backing band now known as "The Memphis Boys," and made the music of his life. The resulting work, From Elvis in Memphis , would be the finest studio album of his career, an explosion of mature confidence and fiery inspiration. It was the sound of Elvis establishing himself as a true rock and roll artist--and proving his status as a legend.
Like a killer returning to the scene of the crime, Elvis came back home to Memphis, where it had all begun. Eschewing the fancier studios of Nashville and Hollywood, he set up shop at the ramshackle American Sound Studio, run by a maverick named Chips Moman with an in-house backing band now known as "The Memphis Boys," and made the music of his life. The resulting work, From Elvis in Memphis , would be the finest studio album of his career, an explosion of mature confidence and fiery inspiration. It was the sound of Elvis establishing himself as a true rock and roll artist--and proving his status as a legend.
184 pages, Paperback
First published November 12, 2020
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May 19, 2021“In 1968, Elvis Presley was worse than dead—he was irrelevant.” So begins Eric Wolfson’s brief but incisive study of From Elvis in Memphis, the 1969 album that re-established Elvis Presley’s stature as an artist.
After spending the 1960s recording mostly dreck from successful but uninspired movies, Elvis was left on the side of the road as the rock music he helped invent caught the updraft of the turbulent times and surged with integrity and emphatic messages while sacrificing nothing in terms of popular appeal. Against this dynamic backdrop and after his jaw-droppingly spectacular 1968 “comeback” television special, The King was eager to reclaim his crown.
Elvis was persuaded to record his next album at American Sound Studio in Memphis, his hometown, using the incredible session musicians assembled there by producer Chips Moman. This group had played on at least 120 hit records, sometimes including up to ten percent of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “The Letter” by The Box Tops, Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” Merilee Rush’s “Angel of the Morning,” B. J. Thomas’s “Hooked on a Feeling,” and many, many more.
Into the mix of this producer, this band, and this studio strides Elvis Presley, arguably rock’s all-time greatest singer, who hadn’t had a hit for several years, not since 1965’s “Crying in the Chapel” (recorded in 1960). Elvis immediately seized control of the song choices from the publishing shills who kept him in the dark about what material was available to him, while producer Chips Moman made Elvis reach more deeply and work more tightly with the band until each song achieved its potential.
What emerges is the best album of Elvis Presley’s legendary career. Listeners can hear early Elvis in some of the album’s vocal phrasing, but his mature voice has a conviction that is both feral and controlled. Just as he did in the 1950s, Elvis led “The Memphis Boys” in synthesizing country, rock, and rhythm-and-blues into a package of twelve songs that left no doubt Elvis Presley was back and serious about making music that mattered. The album’s only hit was “In the Ghetto,” but this song in itself was a statement of Elvis's intention to be a part of the national conversation.
These sessions also included “Suspicious Minds,” “Kentucky Rain,” “Don’t Cry Daddy,” “Mama Liked the Roses,” and enough other material for the follow-up album Back in Memphis. (Fun fact: Because it is included on the budget-priced Elvis Christmas album, which is the biggest-selling album of Elvis’s career, “Mama Liked the Roses” has the distinction of being the biggest-selling non-Christmas song recorded by Elvis Presley.)
In From Elvis in Memphis (Bloomsbury, 2021), author Eric Wolfson provides a track-by-track analysis of the songs and performances on the album. Wolfson explains the background of each song and what it meant in the context of Elvis’s repertoire. Wolfson’s dexterous, detailed descriptions of how The Memphis Boys layered their playing to complement and provoke Elvis’s vocals will have readers listening to these tracks with new awareness.
Wolfson is clearly an Elvis fan, but he doesn’t shy away from discussing the failures and missteps in Elvis’s career. Although academic in places, this From Elvis in Memphis book is essential reading for understanding Elvis Presley as an artist, especially at the pivotol moment in his evolution when the 1950s phenomenon years and 1960s Hollywood years were behind him, and the 1970s Las Vegas and touring years lay ahead of him.
After spending the 1960s recording mostly dreck from successful but uninspired movies, Elvis was left on the side of the road as the rock music he helped invent caught the updraft of the turbulent times and surged with integrity and emphatic messages while sacrificing nothing in terms of popular appeal. Against this dynamic backdrop and after his jaw-droppingly spectacular 1968 “comeback” television special, The King was eager to reclaim his crown.
Elvis was persuaded to record his next album at American Sound Studio in Memphis, his hometown, using the incredible session musicians assembled there by producer Chips Moman. This group had played on at least 120 hit records, sometimes including up to ten percent of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “The Letter” by The Box Tops, Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” Merilee Rush’s “Angel of the Morning,” B. J. Thomas’s “Hooked on a Feeling,” and many, many more.
Into the mix of this producer, this band, and this studio strides Elvis Presley, arguably rock’s all-time greatest singer, who hadn’t had a hit for several years, not since 1965’s “Crying in the Chapel” (recorded in 1960). Elvis immediately seized control of the song choices from the publishing shills who kept him in the dark about what material was available to him, while producer Chips Moman made Elvis reach more deeply and work more tightly with the band until each song achieved its potential.
What emerges is the best album of Elvis Presley’s legendary career. Listeners can hear early Elvis in some of the album’s vocal phrasing, but his mature voice has a conviction that is both feral and controlled. Just as he did in the 1950s, Elvis led “The Memphis Boys” in synthesizing country, rock, and rhythm-and-blues into a package of twelve songs that left no doubt Elvis Presley was back and serious about making music that mattered. The album’s only hit was “In the Ghetto,” but this song in itself was a statement of Elvis's intention to be a part of the national conversation.
These sessions also included “Suspicious Minds,” “Kentucky Rain,” “Don’t Cry Daddy,” “Mama Liked the Roses,” and enough other material for the follow-up album Back in Memphis. (Fun fact: Because it is included on the budget-priced Elvis Christmas album, which is the biggest-selling album of Elvis’s career, “Mama Liked the Roses” has the distinction of being the biggest-selling non-Christmas song recorded by Elvis Presley.)
In From Elvis in Memphis (Bloomsbury, 2021), author Eric Wolfson provides a track-by-track analysis of the songs and performances on the album. Wolfson explains the background of each song and what it meant in the context of Elvis’s repertoire. Wolfson’s dexterous, detailed descriptions of how The Memphis Boys layered their playing to complement and provoke Elvis’s vocals will have readers listening to these tracks with new awareness.
Wolfson is clearly an Elvis fan, but he doesn’t shy away from discussing the failures and missteps in Elvis’s career. Although academic in places, this From Elvis in Memphis book is essential reading for understanding Elvis Presley as an artist, especially at the pivotol moment in his evolution when the 1950s phenomenon years and 1960s Hollywood years were behind him, and the 1970s Las Vegas and touring years lay ahead of him.
April 14, 2024
1968 was a strange year for Elvis: he was slowly becoming irrelevant , he was one year into his marriage with Priscilla and he was still mourning his mother, who died in 1957. From Elvis in Memphis was to be his comeback album, backed by a star studded band and a top producer, he gave it his all and it paid off for From Elvis in Memphis is one of his best albums, A masterpiece in fact.
Eric Woltson approaches this volume in a traditional way: A brief bio of Elvis and why he changed music forever to his late sixties decline, There's some trivia about the recording of the album and the cultural impact of Elvis after, notably the release of Suspicious Minds (which is on this album) , his last great single before his decline , divorce and death.
Solid as they come.
Eric Woltson approaches this volume in a traditional way: A brief bio of Elvis and why he changed music forever to his late sixties decline, There's some trivia about the recording of the album and the cultural impact of Elvis after, notably the release of Suspicious Minds (which is on this album) , his last great single before his decline , divorce and death.
Solid as they come.
February 15, 2021
Wonderful book. Kimley and I for our podcast, BOOK MUSIK, interviews Eric Wolfson, the author of "Elvis Presley's From Elvis in Memphis." Listen to it here: Book Musik podcast.
July 2, 2022
Thoughtful, engaging...almost a 'what if' - what if Elvis had stayed true to the style he returned to for this album, what if he finally broke with Parker, what if, what if? My favorite Elvis album fully explored.
December 30, 2020
He just gets it all right. And, hence, it is as moving and exciting as the album itself.
November 19, 2020
I am a fan of this series and have a short list of albums I would write about or like to see in this series.
One of those albums was this particular Elvis LP. This was a great read. Took me inside the sessions with first-hand accounts of what went on. I will listen to the American Studio sessions to further enhance the read.
The good news was this was Elvis coming back home to Memphis to rediscover who he was and shake off the dust of poor movie soundtracks. He is challenged by the folks at American Studios, Chips Moman and the Memphis Boys, to sing his ass off (which he does) and Elvis selects material that speaks deeply to him. The author does a great job of fleshing this out and getting inside Elvis's head as best he can.
The bad news is that these sessions, coupled with the "Comeback Special" showed Elvis he did not necessarily need the Colonel to call the shots in his career, but the Colonel countered with the Vegas treadmill and that was that. Still, for these 12 songs Elvis dared just as he did as a younger man walking into Sun Studios.
Great addition to a great series!
One of those albums was this particular Elvis LP. This was a great read. Took me inside the sessions with first-hand accounts of what went on. I will listen to the American Studio sessions to further enhance the read.
The good news was this was Elvis coming back home to Memphis to rediscover who he was and shake off the dust of poor movie soundtracks. He is challenged by the folks at American Studios, Chips Moman and the Memphis Boys, to sing his ass off (which he does) and Elvis selects material that speaks deeply to him. The author does a great job of fleshing this out and getting inside Elvis's head as best he can.
The bad news is that these sessions, coupled with the "Comeback Special" showed Elvis he did not necessarily need the Colonel to call the shots in his career, but the Colonel countered with the Vegas treadmill and that was that. Still, for these 12 songs Elvis dared just as he did as a younger man walking into Sun Studios.
Great addition to a great series!
December 5, 2020
The album "From Elvis in Memphis" encapsulates Elvis and Memphis because it is a blend of country, R&B, blues, and rock. It is a great album and Wolfson's book is a great book about said album. I can not recommend this book highly enough for anyone who is a fan of Elvis, American Sound Studios, Chip Moman, the Memphis Boys, or music in general.
I have read hundreds of book about Elvis over the years and this book is filled with lots of insightful tidbits about the sessions, the musicians, the history, etc. I thought there wasn't anything left for me discover when it came to Elvis, but after reading this great book I learned I was wrong.
I have not read other books in this series and I'm not sure if the follow the same structure, but Wolfson devotes each chapter to each song on the album. Although the book is not lengthy, around 160 pages), it took me awhile to read because I found myself before, during, and after each chapter I would not only listen to Elvis' master take, but all outtakes and other artist recordings (if any).
Wolfson brings the album to life. Although there are a few instances where I disagree on his opinion. Most notably in regards to "After Loving You", which is one of my favorite Elvis songs.
After reading Wolfson's book you will have a new, fuller appreciation of Elvis, the songs, and the musicians. Highly, highly recommend.
I have read hundreds of book about Elvis over the years and this book is filled with lots of insightful tidbits about the sessions, the musicians, the history, etc. I thought there wasn't anything left for me discover when it came to Elvis, but after reading this great book I learned I was wrong.
I have not read other books in this series and I'm not sure if the follow the same structure, but Wolfson devotes each chapter to each song on the album. Although the book is not lengthy, around 160 pages), it took me awhile to read because I found myself before, during, and after each chapter I would not only listen to Elvis' master take, but all outtakes and other artist recordings (if any).
Wolfson brings the album to life. Although there are a few instances where I disagree on his opinion. Most notably in regards to "After Loving You", which is one of my favorite Elvis songs.
After reading Wolfson's book you will have a new, fuller appreciation of Elvis, the songs, and the musicians. Highly, highly recommend.
December 31, 2023
This is a good analysis of a record that shows what Elvis could do with a real band and music he committed to. After reading this, I can see it’s no coincidence that some of my favorite Elvis songs — Suspicious Minds, Kentucky Rain, In the Ghetto — came from these recording sessions. I am also reading the second volume of Peter Guralnick’s biography of Elvis, so some of this material sounds familiar, but Wolf adds enough of his own analysis to keep the book fresh. If you are a nerd like me, I recommend listening to the album while you read.
November 28, 2022
There feels like there's a lot of behind the scenes value in this writing, but there's just something that struck me from the get-go...what on Earth is the purpose? Some of the series often present an idea, or post some sort of reactionary piece to open, but this just felt like a behind the scenes. It's an easy read, and an avid Elvis fan will appreciate having some of the finer details of the story replayed, but by and large, it just didn't go much further than that.
November 15, 2022
Informative, but rarely interesting. The reader gets fly-on-the-wall journeys through various takes, the history of different versions of the songs, and gushing over Elvis and the Memphis Boys' every move. That said, the author argues this album made Elvis relevant to the 60's that hd left him behind; to my ears, it ushers in the early-to-mid 70's.
January 18, 2021
The author clearly knows his Elvis and does an excellent job of building the King's life story around the Memphis Sessions. One of the best, most concise biographies I've read about Elvis, and I've read everyone I can find.
February 15, 2021
Tosh and I discuss this with author Eric Wolfson on our Book Musik podcast.
Elvis is a paradox who became the mold for all rock stars to follow. He was the King of Rock in the 50s and then the king of schlock in the 60s but made an impressive comeback with the release of this album in 1969 that reinforced his place in the rock ‘n’ roll pantheon. Going back to Memphis where he started and working at the gritty, down-to-earth American Sound Studio helped him create what is considered by many to be his best studio album.
Elvis is a paradox who became the mold for all rock stars to follow. He was the King of Rock in the 50s and then the king of schlock in the 60s but made an impressive comeback with the release of this album in 1969 that reinforced his place in the rock ‘n’ roll pantheon. Going back to Memphis where he started and working at the gritty, down-to-earth American Sound Studio helped him create what is considered by many to be his best studio album.
May 16, 2021
A lovely and thorough book, soaked in love and stacked with facts.
June 30, 2022
I liked Wolfson’s level of analysis of the music and his attention to context. I’ll never be a fan of Presley’s music, but I now have a better understanding of his particular gifts.
February 22, 2023
Pretty good, but anyone interested in Elvis should read Peter Guralnick’s masterpiece.
June 22, 2023
Really liked learning about this album, which I had not known much about. My favorite tune is Wearin' that Loved on Look!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews