"I had to leave town for a little while," Presley sings in
the first track. Along with his 1968 TV special, this record announced
he was back. Cut at Chips Moman's American Studios, it is little short
of astounding. With help from a crack crew of Memphis musicians, Presley
masterfully tackles quality material from country ("I'm Movin' On"),
gospel ("Long Black Limousine"), soul ("Only the Strong
Survive") and pop ("Any Day Now") as well as message songs
("In the Ghetto"). The same sessions also yielded one of Presley's
greatest singles, the towering pop-soul masterpiece "Suspicious Minds."
(Rolling Stone)
Total album sales: 500,000 // Peak chart position: 13
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After a 14-year absence from Memphis, Elvis Presley returned to cut what
was certainly his greatest album (or, at least, a tie effort with his
RCA debut LP from early 1956). The fact that From Elvis in Memphis came
out as well as it did is something of a surprise, in retrospect -- Presley
had a backlog of songs he genuinely liked that he wanted to record and
had heard some newer soul material that also attracted him, and none of
it resembled the material that he'd been cutting since his last non-soundtrack
album, six years earlier. And he'd just come off of the NBC television
special which, although a lot of work, had led him to the realization
that he could be as exciting and vital a performer in 1969 as he'd been
a dozen years before. And for what was practically the last time, the
singer cut his manager, Tom Parker, out of the equation, turning himself
over to producer Chips Moman. The result was one of the greatest white
soul albums (and one of the greatest soul albums) ever cut, with brief
but considerable forays into country, pop, and blues as well. Presley
sounds rejuvenated artistically throughout the dozen cuts off the original
album, and he's supported by the best playing and backup singing of his
entire recording history.
(by Bruce Eder, All
Music Guide)
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