Elvis Presley discography
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| Elvis Presley discography | |
|---|---|
 Elvis in 1970 | |
| Studio albums | 23 |
| EPs | 30 |
| Soundtrack albums | 19 |
| Live albums | 7 |
| Compilation albums | 11 |
| Singles | 102 |
| No.1 Single | 33 |
The official American discography of Elvis Presley starts on July 19, 1954, with the release of his first commercial single, and ends in February 1978, with the release of "Unchained Melody" backed with "Softly As I Leave You," the final single attached to a project Presley himself knew about in the planning stages prior to his death in August 1977, the concert album Elvis In Concert. Without including album reissues, during this period American Presley releases consisted of 102 singles, 30 Extended Play singles, and 72 albums on RCA Records; four albums on the Pickwick budget label; and five singles on the Sun Records label.
Breakdown
Albums
The album list categorizes releases into the following subsets: studio albums; soundtracks; live albums; compilations; and budget issues, mostly on the RCA subsidiary label, Camden. Standard compilations sold at regular retail prices, and were often collections of singles or, in the case of A Date with Elvis, For LP Fans Only, and Elvis for Everyone, were product assembled by RCA when Presley was either performing his military service, or concentrating on his film and soundtrack work. Budget issues sold at reduced retail prices, and were of shorter than standard running time. When RCA instituted its compact disc reissue program in the 1990s, it ignored the budget issues, and realized a different series of compilations. Not included in this discography are "RCA Special Product" releases made through Time-Life, Reader's Digest, or through album clubs.
When Elvis started doing movies the usual arrangement was for Elvis to select his songs beforehand and they in turn would be put in the film to supplement the plot. Elvis would then make studio recordings before the film started shooting. While it is true that the songs were recorded for the film, the term "soundtrack" is misleading. Many of the film's titles were not soundtrack recordings but studio recordings of a song then used in the film. In addition, some films did not include all of the songs done in the studio, often released as "bonus songs" on the album. While most movie soundtracks are released as "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", it is composed of songs from different people and used in the films different ways. Also, Elvis soundtracks do not fit the description of an "Original Cast Recording". For these reasons and more, the soundtracks are being counted as studio albums.
The 1969 double album From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis was reissued one year later, separated into the studio and the concert disks, and appears on the discography in its separated incarnation. The Having Fun With Elvis On Stage album, originally on the Colonel's personal imprint Boxcar Records, is a recording of just Presley's on-stage patter and contains no music at all. Of the albums, only the seasonal album Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas and the budget LPs Elvis' Christmas Album from 1970, Pure Gold, and the Pickwick Records issues did not make the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, Presley the leader in most number of charting albums in history. He is second only to The Beatles for most weeks at #1 on the LP chart.
One notable aspect of Presley's recording career is that, unlike most of his contemporaries such as Chuck Berry, Bill Haley & His Comets, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, Presley rarely recorded new versions of any of his songs in a studio setting. A few exceptions exist such as "Blue Suede Shoes" which he recorded in 1956 and again in 1960 for the soundtrack of G.I. Blues, and "Love Letters", a 1966 single Presley later re-recorded for a 1971 album. As such, unlike his contemporaries, Presley's discography lacks any "Greatest Hits" album consisting of re-recordings, although live performances of his hits were released during and after his lifetime.
A separate section catalogues posthumous releases, confined mostly to the compact disc era. The number of Presley reissues and repackages since his death are in the hundreds, new ones being configured by RCA as old ones go out of print, and are currently beyond the scope of this discography to tally beyond the historically significant and noteworthy.
Extended plays
The EP was introduced by RCA Records in the early 1950s as part of its format war with Columbia Records, which had unveiled the LP album in 1948. EPs typically played at 45 rpm on seven-inch (18 cm) discs as did normal singles, generally with two but on occasion three songs per side, the extended playing time achieved at the loss of groove width and fidelity. The format was mostly discontinued by the mid-1960s, reappearing in the late-1970s as a ten-inch mini-LP at 33⅓ rpm.
In the beginning, extended play releases could be listed by Billboard on both its singles chart and on its album chart. From September 1957 through 1962 Billboard maintained a separate EP Chart during the commercial heyday of the format. After, EPs charted exclusively on the Billboard 200, where they are included to this day.
Singles
In the 1950s, singles were more important sales items in rock and roll than albums, Presley being the sole rock and roll performer of that era who also sold albums in great quantity. This remained the case for most rock artists until 1968, when album sales exceeded singles sales in terms of total units for the first time since the introduction of the long-playing album in 1948.[1] Shortly after acquiring Presley's contract from Sam Phillips at Sun Records, RCA reissued every one of the five Sun singles on its own label.
Of the singles, 82 appeared on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, with 71 of those making the Top 40, and with 14 topping the chart. In addition, until late 1968 when Billboard discontinued charting b-sides independently, 40 flipsides made the singles chart, with 24 of those reaching the Top 40, and one topping the charts, the b-side of "Don't Be Cruel," "Hound Dog." From 1956 through early 1962, Presley also achieved the unique distinction that, with the exception of the seven records released simultaneously on one day in August 1956, not only did every one of his first 24 major label singles reach the top five, but each of the b-sides except for three made the Top 40. This discography does not include the myriad singles released posthumously in various markets around the world, except for the two issued within a year after his death and generally considered part of his lifetime official discography by Presley biographers such as Ernst Jorgensen, the producer of his box sets.
RIAA Certifications
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) first began tracking sales of Elvis Presley in 1958, who didn't receive his first Gold Record award until 1960. On March 27, 1992, the RIAA certified (or re-certified) 37 of Elvis Presley's albums, taking his American total to 57× platinum. On July 15, 1999, based on 79 certified recordings the figure stood at 92× platinum, with an estimated 35 million albums sold in the U.S alone during those seven years between the two certifications. The most recent album sales figures date to December 13, 2005, with an additional 33 million albums sold in six years, taking his total U.S tally to 125× platinum, based on 95 certified recordings.[2]
Between 1958 and 1992, 57 million albums were shipped in the U.S. Between 1992 and 2008, 68 million albums were shipped in the U.S.; Elvis was proving even more successful as a dead icon than a live performer. With total record sales to date in all formats estimated at over 1 billion worldwide, he is the biggest selling solo artist of all time.[3]
Career releases
The following are album titles, release dates, the highest chart ranking on the Billboard Top 200 and Country album charts, and RIAA certification (if applicable)
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | RIAA | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | UK | |||
| 1956 | Elvis Presley | 1 | 1 | Gold | |
| Elvis | 1 | 3 | Gold | ||
| 1957 | Elvis' Christmas Album | 1 | 2 | 9× Multi-Platinum | |
| 1960 | Elvis Is Back! | 2 | 1 | Gold | |
| His Hand in Mine | 7 | 13 | 3 | Platinum | |
| 1961 | Something for Everybody | 1 | 2 | Gold | |
| 1962 | Pot Luck | 4 | 1 | ||
| 1967 | How Great Thou Art | 7 | 18 | 11 | 2× Multi-Platinum |
| 1969 | From Elvis in Memphis | 2 | 13 | 1 | Gold |
| From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis | 5 | 12 | 3 | Gold | |
| 1970 | Back in Memphis | ||||
| 1971 | Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) | 6 | 12 | 6 | Gold |
| Love Letters from Elvis | 12 | 33 | 7 | ||
| Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas | 13 | 3× Multi-Platinum | |||
| 1972 | Elvis Now | 45 | 43 | 12 | Gold |
| He Touched Me | 32 | 79 | 38 | Platinum | |
| 1973 | Elvis ("Fool" album) | 8 | 52 | 16 | |
| Raised on Rock/For Ol' Times Sake | 50 | ||||
| 1974 | Good Times | 5 | 90 | 42 | |
| 1975 | Promised Land | 1 | 47 | 21 | |
| Today | 4 | 57 | 48 | ||
| 1976 | From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee | 1 | 41 | 29 | Gold |
| 1977 | Moody Blue | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2× Multi-Platinum |
Soundtracks
| Year | Album | Chart positions | RIAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1957 | Loving You[4] | 1 | Gold | |
| 1958 | King Creole | 2 | Gold | |
| 1960 | G.I. Blues | 1 | Platinum | |
| 1961 | Blue Hawaii | 1 | 3× Multi-Platinum | |
| 1962 | Girls! Girls! Girls! | 3 | Gold | |
| 1963 | It Happened at the World's Fair | 4 | ||
| Fun in Acapulco | 3 | |||
| 1964 | Kissin' Cousins | 6 | ||
| Roustabout | 1 | Gold | ||
| 1965 | Girl Happy | 8 | Gold | |
| Harum Scarum | 8 | |||
| 1966 | Frankie and Johnny | 20 | ||
| Paradise, Hawaiian Style | 15 | |||
| Spinout[5] | 18 | |||
| 1967 | Double Trouble | 47 | ||
| Clambake | 40 | |||
| 1968 | Speedway | 82 | ||
| Elvis (NBC-TV Special) | 8 | Platinum | ||
| 1970 | That's the Way It Is | 8 | 21 | Gold |
Live albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | RIAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1970 | On Stage: February 1970 | 13 | 13 | Platinum |
| Elvis in Person at the International Hotel | Gold | |||
| 1972 | Elvis: As Recorded At Madison Square Garden | 22 | 11 | 3× Multi-Platinum |
| 1973 | Aloha From Hawaii: Via Satellite | 1 | 1 | 5× Multi-Platinum |
| 1974 | Elvis: As Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis | 2 | 33 | Gold |
| Having Fun With Elvis On Stage | 9 | 130 | ||
| 1977 | Elvis in Concert | 1 | 5 | 3× Multi-Platinum |
Compilations
| Year | Album | Chart positions | RIAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1958 | Elvis' Golden Records | 3 | 6× Multi-Platinum | |
| 1959 | For LP Fans Only | 19 | ||
| A Date with Elvis | 32 | |||
| Elvis' Gold Records Volume 2: 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong | 31 | Platinum | ||
| 1963 | Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 | 3 | Platinum | |
| 1965 | Elvis for Everyone | 10 | ||
| 1968 | Elvis' Gold Records Volume 4 | 33 | Gold | |
| 1974 | Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 1 | 1 | 43 | 2× Multi-Platinum |
| 1976 | Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 2 | 9 | 46 | 2× Multi-Platinum |
| The Sun Sessions | 2 | 76 | ||
| 1977 | Welcome to My World | 4 | 44 | Platinum |
Budget issues
| Year | Album | Chart positions | RIAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1969 | Elvis Sings Flaming Star | 96 | Platinum | |
| 1970 | Let's Be Friends | 105 | Platinum | |
| Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits Vol. 1 | 25 | 45 | 2× Multi-Platinum | |
| Almost in Love | 65 | Platinum | ||
| Elvis' Christmas Album | 9× Multi-Platinum | |||
| 1971 | You'll Never Walk Alone | 69 | 3× Multi-Platinum | |
| C'mon Everybody | 70 | Gold | ||
| The Other Sides - Elvis Worldwide Gold Award Hits Vol. 2 | 120 | Gold | ||
| I Got Lucky | 104 | Gold | ||
| 1972 | Elvis Sings Hits from His Movies, Volume 1 | 87 | Platinum | |
| Burning Love and Hits From His Movies, Volume 2 | 10 | 22 | 2× Multi-Platinum | |
| 1973 | Separate Ways | 12 | 46 | Platinum |
| Almost in Love | ||||
| 1975 | Pure Gold | 5 | 2× Multi-Platinum | |
| Double Dynamite | Platinum | |||
| 1976 | Frankie and Johnny | Platinum | ||
Extended plays
| Year | Album | Chart positions | RIAA | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US EP | US Hot 100 | US 200 | |||
| 1956 | Elvis Presley | 24 | Gold | ||
| Elvis Presley | |||||
| Heartbreak Hotel | 5 | 76 | Gold | ||
| Elvis Presley | 6 | 55 | Gold | ||
| The Real Elvis | Platinum | ||||
| Anyway You Want Me | 74 | ||||
| Elvis Vol. 1 | 4 | 2× Multi-Platinum | |||
| Love Me Tender | 10 | 35 | 22 | Platinum | |
| Elvis Vol. 2 | 47 | Gold | |||
| 1957 | Strictly Elvis | ||||
| Peace in the Valley | 3 | 39 | 3 | Platinum | |
| Loving You, Vol. I | 1 | Gold | |||
| Loving You, Vol. II | 4 | 18 | Platinum | ||
| Just for You | 2 | Platinum | |||
| Elvis Sings Christmas Songs | 2 | Platinum | |||
| Jailhouse Rock | 1 | 2× Multi-Platinum | |||
| 1958 | King Creole Vol. 1 | 1 | Platinum | ||
| King Creole Vol. 2 | 1 | Platinum | |||
| Christmas with Elvis | |||||
| Elvis Sails | 2 | ||||
| 1959 | A Touch of Gold Vol. 1 | ||||
| A Touch of Gold Vol. 2 | |||||
| 1960 | A Touch of Gold Vol. 3 | ||||
| 1961 | Elvis By Request/Flaming Star | 14 | |||
| 1962 | Follow that Dream | 5 | 15 | Platinum | |
| Kid Galahad | 15 | ||||
| 1964 | Viva Las Vegas | 92 | |||
| 1965 | Tickle Me | 70 | |||
| 1967 | Easy Come, Easy Go | ||||
| 1973 | Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite | ||||
Box Sets
| Year | Album | Chart positions | RIAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1980 | Elvis Aron Presley | 8 | 27 | Platinum |
| 1984 | A Golden Celebration | 55 | 80 | |
| 1992 | The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50's Masters | 159 | 2× Multi-Platinum | |
| 1993 | From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential 60's Masters | Platinum | ||
| 1995 | Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential 70's Masters | Gold | ||
| 1997 | Platinum: A Life in Music | 80 | Gold | |
| 1999 | Artist of the Century | 163 | ||
| 2000 | Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings | |||
| 2001 | Live In Las Vegas | |||
| 2002 | Today Tomorrow and Forever | 21 | 180 | |
| 2003 | Elvis: Close Up | 41 | ||
| 2005 | Elvis 18 UK Number 1's | |||
| 2007 | Elvis The King | |||
| 2008 | The Complete '68 Comeback Special | |||
Select Compilations
| Year | Album | Chart positions | RIAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1978 | He Walks Beside Me | 6 | 113 | Gold |
| Mahalo from Elvis | ||||
| Elvis: A Canadian Tribute | 7 | 86 | ||
| Elvis Sings For Children and Grownups Too | 5 | 130 | ||
| 1979 | Our Memories of Elvis | 6 | 132 | Gold |
| Our Memories of Elvis Volume 2 | 12 | 157 | ||
| Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 3 | 10 | 113 | Gold | |
| 1981 | Guitar Man (remix) | 6 | 49 | |
| This Is Elvis | 115 | Gold | ||
| Greatest Hits Volume 1 | 47 | 142 | ||
| 1982 | The Elvis Medley | 29 | 133 | |
| Memories of Christmas | 48 | Gold | ||
| 1983 | I Was the One | 35 | 183 | |
| Elvis: A Legendary Performer Volume 4 | ||||
| 1984 | Elvis: The First Live Recordings | 163 | ||
| Elvis: The Hillbilly Cat | ||||
| Elvis' Gold Records Volume 5 | Gold | |||
| 1985 | A Valentine Gift for You | |||
| Reconsider Baby | ||||
| 1987 | The Number One Hits | 143 | 3× Multi-Platinum | |
| The Top Ten Hits | 117 | 4× Multi-Platinum | ||
| The Complete Sun Sessions | Gold | |||
| Love Me Tender | Gold | |||
| 1988 | Essential Elvis | |||
| Elvis in Nashville | ||||
| 1989 | Elvis Presley Stereo '57 (Essential Elvis Vol. 2) | |||
| 1990 | The Great Performances | |||
| 1991 | Hits Like Never Before (Essential Elvis Vol. 3) | |||
| Elvis Presley Sings Leiber & Stoller | ||||
| Collector's Gold | ||||
| The Lost Album[6] | ||||
| 1992 | Blue Christmas | Gold | ||
| 1994 | If Everyday Was Like Christmas | Platinum | ||
| Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Performances | 2× Multi-Platinum | |||
| 1995 | Heart and Soul | 61 | Gold | |
| Command Performances: The Essential 60's Masters II | ||||
| 1996 | Elvis 56 | |||
| Heartbreak Hotel (CD single) | ||||
| A Hundred Years from Now (Essential Elvis Vol. 4) | ||||
| Great Country Songs | 73 | |||
| 1997 | An Afternoon in the Garden | |||
| Greatest Jukebox Hits | 75 | |||
| 1998 | Love Songs | |||
| Rhythm and Country (Essential Elvis Vol. 5) | 57 | |||
| Tiger Man | ||||
| Memories The '68 Comeback Special | ||||
| 1999 | Sunrise | |||
| Suspicious Minds | ||||
| Tomorrow Is a Long Time | ||||
| Burning Love | ||||
| It's Christmas Time | 2× Multi-Platinum | |||
| 2000 | Such a Night (Essential Elvis Vol. 6) | |||
| That's the Way It Is (Special Edition) | ||||
| The Elvis Presley Collection - Country | 19 | 159 | ||
| White Christmas | ||||
| 2001 | Country Side of Elvis | 51 | ||
| 2002 | ELV1S | 1 | 1 | 5× Multi-Platinum |
| 2003 | 2nd to None | 3 | Platinum | |
| Christmas Peace | 30 | 175 | ||
| 2004 | Ultimate Gospel | 30 | ||
| Elvis at Sun | 37 | |||
| 2005 | Love, Elvis | 120 | ||
| Elvis by the Presleys | 15 | |||
| Hitstory | 47 | |||
| 2006 | #1 Singles | 62 | ||
| The Complete Million Dollar Quartet | ||||
| Elvis Christmas | 14 | 69 | ||
| 2007 | The Essential Elvis Presley | 72 | ||
| Viva Las Vegas | 54 | |||
| Home for the Holidays | 81 | |||
| The Very Best of Love | 181 | |||
| 2008 | Playlist: The Very Best of Elvis Presley | 188 | ||
| Christmas Duets | 3 | 17 | ||
| Collector's Edition: Elvis Inspirational Memories | 51 | |||
| 2009 | I Believe: The Gospel Masters | 54 | ||
| The U.K. Sun Sessions | ||||
| Elvis: Love Me Tender - The Love Songs | ||||
Singles
 |
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion with: Country music chart positions. You can help by adding to it. (December 2008) |
The 1950s
The 1960s
The 1970s
The 1980s-Present
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Country | US AC | |||
| 1981 | "Guitar Man" | 28 | 1 | — | Guitar Man |
| "Lovin' Arms" | - | 8 | — | ||
| "You Asked Me To" | - | flip | — | ||
| 1982 | "There Goes My Everything" | - | 73 | — | Greatest Hits Volume 1 |
| "The Elvis Medley" | 71 | 31 | — | single only | |
| "I Was the One" | - | 92 | — | ||
| 1996 | "Heartbreak Hotel" (re-release) | — | — | — | Heartbreak Hotel (CD single) |
| 1998 | "Blue Christmas" (re-release) | - | 55 | — | Blue Christmas |
| 2002 | "A Little Less Conversation" (JXL remix) | 50 | — | — | ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits |
| 2003 | "Rubberneckin'" (remix) | 94 | — | — | ELV1S: 2nd to None |
| 2008 | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (with Carrie Underwood) | - | 54 | 14 | Christmas Duets |
| "Blue Christmas" (with Martina McBride) | - | 36 | 22 | ||
See also
- Elvis Presley hit singles
- Elvis Presley's Sun recordings
- Alphabetical list of all of Elvis Presley's songs
- Million Dollar Quartet
References
- ^ MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1994; ISBN 0-8050-2780-7, p. 296
- ^ "Gold and Platinum Records". Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ "Status of Elvis' record sales and gold & platinum record award certifications". Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ Half soundtrack album/half compilation of previously issued non-movie recordings.
- ^ Partial soundtrack album; approximately one-third of the album consists of non-movie studio recordings
- ^ Consists of recordings from 1963 that were originally intended for album release but were, instead, released piecemeal by RCA on singles and as soundtrack album "bonus tracks".
Further reading
- Guralnick, Peter and Jorgensen, Ernst (1999). Elvis: Day By Day - The Definitive Record of His Life and Music. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-42089-6
- Jorgensen, Ernst (1998). Elvis Presley: A Life In Music - The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-18572-3
External links
- Complete list of Elvis Presley Sessions
- Elvis Discography
- Elvis Presley lyrics
- Elvis Discography and Gallery
