Elvis Presley Albums (45)
'Live at the Louisiana Hayride'
Release Date 4/29/2003
Tracks 14
Label Dynamic
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What The Critics Say
King Creole was the last movie that Elvis Presley made before he entered the army in the spring of 1958 -- it was also his last film in black-and-white, as well as his final effort directed by a serious old-time filmmaker (Michael Curtiz); and, apart from a few isolated, quirky efforts like Flaming Star, Change of Habit, and Charro, this was the last of his serious movies, in which Presley was trying hard, pushing himself as an actor and, really, all through the score, as a musician. This is reflected in the soundtrack, which is one of the stronger film-related releases of his career. The original 11 songs included a hot title track by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that was a dazzling showcase for Scotty Moore's and Tiny Timbrell's guitars as well as Elvis' intense, exciting lead vocal. Leiber and Stoller's "Trouble" and Claude Demetrius' "Hard Headed Woman" have Moore's and Timbrell's electric guitars competing successfully with a five-man brass and reed section. Even "Dixieland Rock," if not up to the level of those other two numbers, features good playing and a strong performance by Presley, and "Young Dreams" is a decent midtempo number. The slow ballads are where the soundtrack falls flat, "As Long As I Have You" coming up to standard but "Lover Doll" and "Don't Ask Me Why" failing to excite or maintain interest; "Crawfish" can only have been included to bring the album up to the minimum acceptable length for an LP. [The 1997 remastered CD features rather upgraded sound and seven additional numbers that are outtakes from the score; these include two alternate takes of "King Creole" with considerably different guitar and brass parts, and two superior alternate versions of "As Long as I Have You," both in a much more spare arrangement -- basically just Elvis and a single piano accompanying him -- plus a discarded alternate title track ("Danny"). The undubbed "Lover Doll" is superior to the released version, featuring Presley accompanied by a single acoustic guitar. Even with the bonus cuts, this CD only runs 34 minutes and change.] ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The last Elvis Presley album released in the singer's lifetime, Moody Blue has a somewhat checkered history, especially among fans. Issued two months before Presley died, the album sold moderately well until Presley died -- then it soared up the charts to number three, as his most current album, and it ultimately sold two million copies. As to the music, the original ten-song album was a mixed bag of live recordings, interspersed with new studio work from the previous fall at Graceland. For all of its slapped-together feel, however, Moody Blue held up. The title song, authored by Mark James (who'd previously written "Suspicious Minds"), was just about as good a single as Elvis released in the 1970s, topping the country charts earlier in 1977; additionally, he did a superb reinterpretation of the George Jones hit "She Thinks I Still Care." "Little Darlin'" was almost more of a burlesque of the '50s rock & roll standard than a real performance, but it is more than made up for by the presence of the Johnny Ace classic "Pledging My Love," done with depth and sincerity. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Astonishingly, given Elvis Presley's physical condition, he (or his management) agreed to film a TV special in June 1977 at two concerts held in Omaha and Rapid City, SD. There was no soundtrack album scheduled, and it's hard to believe that CBS-TV actually would have aired the show if Presley hadn't died two months later, making it his final recorded performance, and making his records big sellers again. CBS showed the one-hour special on October 3, 1977, and RCA released this double-LP set, in which Presley walks through some of his best-known numbers, his fans are heard praising him, and his father signs off mournfully (in the middle of the album). "My Way," released as a single, made the Top 40 and went gold, and it and "Unchained Melody" made the Country Top Ten, while the album was platinum within two weeks. But it is Elvis Presley's least as well as his last. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee'
Release Date 1/1/1976
Tracks 10
Label RCA
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What The Critics Say
Elvis Today is often cited by writers as Elvis' uncertain return to his Sun origins. There really isn't that much difference from the trio that resulted from 1973's Stax sessions, with the lesser tracks being a bit more substantial. The sound is better but the packaging had become, at this point, practically offensive: One color close-up after another, almost all from the Aloha from Hawaii special (or that pre-bloated period), back covers with no notes or technical data, just ads for other Presley Product. Still, an album with "Susan When She Tried," "T-R-O-U-B-L-E," and a hilariously appropriate reading of "I Can Help" is worth listening to any time. ~ Neal Umphred, All Music Guide
'Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis'
Release Date 1/1/1974
Tracks 15
Label RCA
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This oft-ignored album, recorded in March 1974 at Memphis' Midsouth Coliseum (formerly the center of controversy when the proposed title, the Elvis Presley Coliseum, was rejected), is easily the strongest live package of the '70s, the one worth having. Elvis is in exceptional vocal form and, amidst all the usual stuff that showed up on every other live album of the period, there is a great "Trying to Get to You," along with strong versions of "My Baby Left Me" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," material he otherwise rarely revisited. ~ Neal Umphred, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Promised Land came from the last recording sessions that Elvis Presley ever had in Memphis, the city where his fame and his legend started. The December 1973 Stax Records studio sessions showed him, as he had on From Elvis in Memphis, reaching out to publishers other than those he owed for songs, and the repertory embraces material by Chuck Berry, Waylon Jennings, and Larry Gatlin, among others. With the best players on hand and an upbeat mood when these songs were cut, and the singer himself lean and rested after a couple of years of concertizing, the vibes throughout this album were positive and then some. Elvis sounds bold and confident in ways that make this album a diverting, if not profoundly exciting experience. It's not as distinctive or as involved a personal document as Elvis Country or the concentrated soul workout of From Elvis in Memphis, but it does feature some fine, passionate singing throughout (most notably on "It's Midnight," a wrenching performance). ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
No one could have known it at the time, but Elvis Presley had only a tiny handful of studio albums left ahead of him when Good Times showed up in the late winter of 1974. Recorded in the summer and fall of the previous year at Stax Studios in Memphis, this ten-song album caught the artist near his late-career peak -- he still had better, greater records left to do, but there's nothing here that mars the image or the legend. Whether trading in rock & roll or soul sounds or accompanied by a full-blown gospel choir on "If That Isn't Love," he's in great voice, and with the likes of James Burton and Norbert Putnam playing with him, it's hard to find any fault with Good Times, except perhaps its brevity. It wasn't necessarily what longtime fans or potential listeners among younger audiences were looking for, but the album has more than stood the test of time, even if it isn't his best work of this period. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In July 1973 Elvis returned to Memphis, this time to the justly famed source of Southern soul, Stax Studios. After a couple of days, several of Stax's most famous musicians came in, including the marvelous rhythm section of Donald "Duck" Dunn, bass, and Al Jackson, drums. Apparently, the very idea of working with Elvis was intimidating and the group couldn't overcome their awe, so Elvis had to leave the building. In his absence, rhythm tracks were laid down. He then returned to add his vocals, a practice only used during the last few years of the soundtracks, when he was too bored to show up and work. From all of this five songs were attempted, one completed, and it's instantly forgettable. Elvis returned in December to Stax and with a mix of his band and some Nashville cats, recording eighteen tracks in a week. In between, he had tried a session at his Palm Springs home that didn't work, although three almost ponderously sincere ballads were completed. All in all, RCA had thirty new Elvis songs, enough quality material for two strong albums of twelve tracks each, which would have restored Presley in the sight of critics and record reviewers and, hopefully, the increasingly apathetic consumer. Unfortunately, the material was issued as three cheesily packaged albums of a mere ten tracks each. Raised on Rock, Good Times and Promised Land all have something to offer: "I've Got a Thing About You, Baby" is Raised on Rocks's standout; "Loving Arms" is Good Times"; while the roaring "Promised Land" kicks off the album of the same name. But the lesser material dilutes the impact of the strong, the sound ranges from okay to atrocious, thus producing more evidence of Presley's growing mediocrity. ~ Neal Umphred, All Music Guide
