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Elvis Presley (album)

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Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
MusicHound[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]
Rough Guides[4]
Sputnikmusic5.0/5[5]

Elvis Presley (released in the UK as Elvis Presley Rock n' Roll[6]) is the debut studio album by Elvis Presley. It was released on RCA Victor, in mono, catalogue number LPM 1254, in March 1956. The recording sessions took place on January 10 and January 11 at the RCA Victor recording studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and on January 30 and January 31 at the RCA Victor studios in New York. Additional material originated from sessions at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 5, August 19 and September 10 of 1954, and on July 11, 1955.[7]

The album spent ten weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in 1956, the first rock and roll album ever to make it to the top of the charts,[8] and the first million-selling album of that genre.[9] In 2003, it was ranked number 56 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[10] Elvis Presley was also one of three Presley albums to receive accolades in the reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, the others being Elvis Is Back! and From Elvis in Memphis.[11] It was certified Gold on November 1, 1966 and Platinum on August 8, 2011 by the Recording Industry Association of America.[12]

Content

By the second half of 1955, singles on Sun Records by Presley began making the national country and western singles chart, "Baby Let's Play House" and "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" going to number 5 and number 1 respectively.[13] Colonel Tom Parker, the new manager of Presley, had extensive dealings with RCA through his previous client, singer Eddy Arnold, especially with the head of the Country and Western and Rhythm and blues division, Steve Sholes.[14] At the urging of Parker, on November 21, 1955, Sholes bought Presley's contract from Sam Phillips, the head of Sun Records and Studio, for the unprecedented sum of $35,000. Presley and rock and roll were still untested properties for the major labels in the music business, but this album, along with the number 1 single "Heartbreak Hotel", proved the selling power of both: it was RCA's first pop album to earn more than $1,000,000,[9] and in 1966 it had sold over one million units.[9][15]

Presley made appearances in four consecutive weeks on the Dorsey Brothers television program Stage Show in early 1956, on January 28, February 4, February 11, and February 18.[16] RCA wanted an album in the stores fast to capitalize both on the nationwide TV exposure and the success of his first hit single on the pop charts with "Heartbreak Hotel", swiftly climbing to the top after its release on January 27. At the same time, there had only been two series of Presley recording sessions for RCA Victor by the end of the Dorsey stint, after which Presley and his band were back on the road. Those two sessions yielded an additional eleven tracks, almost enough to fill an entire LP, although some tracks had singles potential. In the 1950s, general practice dictated tracks having greater commercial potential to be released as singles, with tracks of lesser appeal placed on albums; as such, RCA Victor neither took all eleven tracks and simply made an album, nor placed the already released and briskly-selling "Heartbreak Hotel" on it. The rights to the Sun Studio tapes had transferred to RCA with the sale of his contract, so five previously unreleased Sun songs, "I Love You Because", "Just Because", "Tryin' to Get to You", "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')", and "Blue Moon" were added to seven of the RCA sessions tracks to bring the running time of the album up to an acceptable length.[9] Phillips produced the sessions at Sun, and no producer was officially listed for the RCA Victor sessions, leading to the belief that Presley himself produced them.[17]

As the Sun tracks were mostly country-styled, Elvis and RCA leavened the selections with covers of recent rhythm and blues songs. Two of these, "Money Honey" by Jesse Stone, known to Elvis from a version by Clyde McPhatter, and Ray Charles' 1955 hit "I Got a Woman", had been in Presley's live act for a year.[18] A third was the frenetic announcement to the world of the existence of Little Richard in 1955, "Tutti Frutti". A rockabilly number that was believed to be a potential hit and could hold its own with the R&B material, "Blue Suede Shoes", was not initially released as a single from a promise by Sholes to Sam Phillips to protect the career of another Sun artist, Carl Perkins, the author of the song.[19] Instead, it was diverted into being the opening track on the album.

On August 31, 1956, RCA Victor took the unusual step of releasing the entire album as singles, which undoubtedly kept the new single released simultaneously, "Shake, Rattle and Roll" backed with "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," from reaching the charts. However, "Blue Suede Shoes", released in single form as a part of this experiment by RCA, kept the promise to Phillips and Perkins by waiting over eight months since the song's release on Sun, and made it to number 20 on the singles chart. RCA first issued the original 12 track album in reprocessed (fake) stereo on compact disc in 1984. This issue was quickly withdrawn and the album was reissued in original monophonic sound. In 1999, it was reissued with an altered running order, adding on six bonus tracks from three non-album singles, including the chart-toppers "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You." In 2005, the album was reissued again, remastered using DSD technology with the six bonus tracks appended in standard fashion. A two-disc set was released on the Follow That Dream collectors label on August 15, 2006, with bonus tracks and numerous alternate takes.

Artwork

The cover is ranked number 40 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest album covers, published in 1991.[20] The photograph was taken at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida, on July 31, 1955.[21] Initially it was thought that Popsie Randolph took the iconic image featured on the front cover, due to the fact that the album only credited one photographer. However, in August, 2002, Joseph A. Tunzi documented that the actual photographer was William V. "Red" Robertson of Robertson & Fresch. The Popsie credit attributed to the album only applied to a series of photos featured on the back cover, taken in New York City in early December, 1955, shortly after Presley had signed with RCA Victor. Tunzi was quoted in the Tampa Tribune as saying, "Forget about Popsie. Popsie did not take that photo." [22]

The graphic and photo were also used on an EP and a double-EP comprising songs from this album, also released in March 1956.[23]

The design was echoed by The Clash for the front of their 1979 album London Calling; that cover is number 39 on the list. Other acts of cover homage include Tom Waits' 1985 Rain Dogs, Distorted Dimensions by Mad Sin in 1990, F-Punk by Big Audio Dynamite in 1995, and Reintarnation in 2006 by k.d. lang. Chumbawamba's controversial single "Tony Blair" takes homage too.

Track listing

Original release

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Blue Suede Shoes"Carl PerkinsJanuary 30, 19562:00
2."I'm Counting On You"Don RobertsonJanuary 11, 19562:25
3."I Got a Woman"Ray Charles, Renald RichardJanuary 10, 19562:25
4."One-Sided Love Affair"Bill CampbellJanuary 30, 19562:11
5."I Love You Because"Leon PayneJuly 5, 19542:43
6."Just Because"Bob Shelton, Joe Shelton, Sydney RobinSeptember 10, 19542:34
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Tutti Frutti"Dorothy LaBostrie, Richard Wayne PennimanJanuary 31, 19561:59
2."Tryin' to Get to You"Rose Marie McCoy, Charles SingletonJuly 11, 19552:31
3."I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)"Howard Biggs and Joe ThomasJanuary 31, 19562:01
4."I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')"Jimmy WakelySeptember 10, 19542:24
5."Blue Moon"Richard Rodgers and Lorenz HartAugust 19, 19542:40
6."Money Honey"Jesse StoneJanuary 10, 19562:36

1999 Reissue with Bonus Tracks

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heartbreak Hotel"Mae Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley2:08
2."I Was the One"Aaron Schroeder, Claude Demetrius, Hal Blair, Bill Peppers2:34
3."Blue Suede Shoes"Carl Perkins1:58
4."I'm Counting on You"Don Robertson2:24
5."I Got a Woman"Ray Charles and Renald Richard2:23
6."One-Sided Love Affair"Bill Campbell2:09
7."I Love You Because"Leon Payne2:42
8."Just Because"Sydney Robin, Bob Shelton, Joe Shelton2:32
9."Tutti Frutti"Dorothy LaBostrie and Richard Penniman1:58
10."Tryin' to Get to You"Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton2:31
11."I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)"Howard Biggs and Joe Thomas2:01
12."I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')"Jimmy Wakely2:24
13."Blue Moon"Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart2:31
14."Money Honey"Jesse Stone2:34
15."Lawdy Miss Clawdy"Lloyd Price2:08
16."Shake, Rattle & Roll"Jesse Stone (as Charles Calhoun)2:37
17."My Baby Left Me"Arthur Crudup2:12
18."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"Lou Kosloff and George Mysels2:40

2005 Reissue with Bonus Tracks

Same tracks as 1999 reissue.The album tracks are presented in the same order as on the original LP, followed by the six bonus tracks that were included on the 1999 reissue.

2006 FTD Reissue

Disc one
No.TitleLength
1."Blue Suede Shoes"2:01
2."I'm Counting on You"2:24
3."I Got a Woman"2:25
4."One-Sided Love Affair"2:11
5."I Love You Because"2:40
6."Just Because"2:33
7."Tutti Frutti"1:59
8."Trying to Get to You"2:33
9."I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)"2:04
10."I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')"2:25
11."Blue Moon"2:43
12."Money Honey"2:36
13."Heartbreak Hotel"2:09
14."I Was the One"2:33
15."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy"2:10
16."Shake, Rattle and Roll"2:27
17."My Baby Left Me"2:13
18."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"2:44
19."I Got a Woman" (Incomplete unknown take number)1:32
20."I Got a Woman" (Unknown take number)2:26
21."Heartbreak Hotel" (Incomplete take 4)1:07
22."Heartbreak Hotel" (Take 5)2:17
23."Heartbreak Hotel" (Take 6)2:16
24."Money Honey" (Fragments)0:08
25."Money Honey" (Take 6)0:24
26."Money Honey" (Incomplete take 10)1:27
27."I'm Counting on You" (Take 1)2:20
28."I'm Counting on You" (Take 13)2:33
29."I'm Counting on You" (Incomplete take 14)2:19
30."I Was the One" (Take 1)0:13
31."I Was the One" (Take 2 – false start)0:11
32."I Was the One" (Take 2)2:32
33."I Was the One" (Take 3 – false start)0:12
34."I Was the One" (Take 3- incomplete)0:56
35."I Was the One" (Take 7a – not master)2:41
36."I Was the One" (Incomplete unknown take)1:31
Disc two
No.TitleLength
1."I'm Counting on You" (Take 1)0:37
2."I'm Counting on You" (Incomplete take 2)1:35
3."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 1)2:40
4."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 3)2:21
5."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 4)2:17
6."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 5)2:20
7."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 6)2:19
8."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 7)1:52
9."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 8)0:59
10."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 9)2:16
11."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 10)2:27
12."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 11)0:13
13."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 12)2:20
14."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 1)0:38
15."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 2)2:34
16."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 3)0:19
17."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 5)0:47
18."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 6)0:34
19."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 7)2:41
20."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 8)2:34
21."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 9)0:20
22."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 10)0:12
23."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 11)0:14
24."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 12)1:41
25."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 12 – undubbed, unedited master)2:36
26."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"0:07
27."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 3)3:05
28."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 4)2:56
29."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 5 – fragment)0:14
30."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 13)2:57
31."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 14 – incomplete)1:50
32."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 15)2:55
33."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 16)2:54
34."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 17)2:49
35."Don Davis Interviews Elvis Presley"3:53

2011 Legacy Edition Reissue

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Blue Suede Shoes"Carl Perkins1:58
2."I'm Counting on You"Don Robertson2:24
3."I Got A Woman"Ray Charles and Renald Richard2:23
4."One-Sided Love Affair"Bill Campbell2:09
5."I Love You Because"Leon Payne2:42
6."Just Because"Sydney Robin, Bob Shelton, Joe Shelton2:32
7."Tutti Frutti"Dorothy LaBostrie and Richard Penniman1:59
8."Tryin' to Get to You"Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton2:33
9."I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)"Howard Biggs and Joe Thomas2:05
10."I'll Never Let You Go (Lil' Darlin')"Jimmy Wakely2:25
11."Blue Moon"Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart2:43
12."Money Honey"Jesse Stone2:36
13."Heartbreak Hotel"Mae Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley2:08
14."I Was The One"Aaron Schroeder, Claude DeMetrius, Hal Blair, Bill Peppers2:34
15."My Baby Left Me"Arthur Crudup2:12
16."Lawdy Miss Clawdy"Lloyd Price2:08
17."Shake, Rattle & Roll"Jesse Stone2:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rip It Up"Robert Blackwell and John Marascalco1:50
2."Love Me"Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller2:41
3."When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again"Gene Sullivan and Wiley Walker2:18
4."Long Tall Sally"Robert Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, Richard Penniman1:51
5."First in Line"Aaron Schroeder and Ben Weisman3:21
6."Paralyzed"Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley2:18
7."So Glad You're Mine"Arthur Crudup2:18
8."Old Shep"Red Foley4:10
9."Ready Teddy"Robert Blackwell and John Marascalco1:55
10."Anyplace is Paradise"Joe Thomas2:26
11."How's the World Treating You?"Chet Atkins and Boudleaux Bryant2:23
12."How Do You Think I Feel"Webb Pierce and Wiley Walker2:10
13."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"Lou Kosloff and George Mysels2:40
14."Hound Dog"Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller2:16
15."Don't Be Cruel"Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley2:30
16."Anyway You Want Me (That's How I Will Be)"Cliff Owens and Aaron Schroeder2:13
17."Too Much"Lee Rosenberg and Bernard Weinman2:31
18."Playing for Keeps"Stan Kesler2:50
19."Love Me Tender"Vera Matson and Elvis Presley2:41

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[24] Platinum 1,000,000[9]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b AllMusic review
  2. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 892. ISBN 1-57859-061-2. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ "Elvis Presley: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  4. ^ Simpson, Paul (2004). The Rough Guide to Elvis. London: Rough Guides. pp. 109–10. ISBN 1-84353-417-7.
  5. ^ Sputnikmusic review
  6. ^ a b "Chart Stats – Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley Rock n' Roll". chartstats.com. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  7. ^ "Keith Flynn's Elvis Presley Pages". RIAA. 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  8. ^ Billboard, v. 108, Nr. 21, p. 106, May 25, 1996, retrieved on September 13, 2012
  9. ^ a b c d e Victor, Adam (2008). The Elvis Encyclopedia. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-7156-3816-3.
  10. ^ Rolling Stone | News
  11. ^ "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". RIAA. Retrieved May 17, 2013. Note: Enter search for "Presley, Elvis"
  12. ^ "Searchable datebase". RIAA. 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013. Note: Enter search for "Presley, Elvis" and go to pages 1 and 36
  13. ^ Sources:
    • Burke, Ken; Griffin, Dan (2006). The Blue Moon Boys - The Story of Elvis Presley's Band. Chicago Review Press. p. 47. ISBN 1-55652-614-8.
    • Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 272.
  14. ^ Nash, Alanna. The Colonel. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2003; ISBN 0-7432-1301-7; pp. 107–111.
  15. ^ "Searchable Database". RIAA.
  16. ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley, A Life In Music. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; ISBN 0-312-18572-3, p. 41
  17. ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley, A Life In Music. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; ISBN 0-312-18572-3, pp. 35 and 38
  18. ^ Guralnick, Peter. The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters, 1992, insert booklet, p. 20.
  19. ^ Guralnick, Peter. The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters, 1992, insert booklet, p. 24.
  20. ^ "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Album Covers". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  21. ^ "Armory shook up history of Tampa" – The Tampa Tribune, Dec. 11, 2011
  22. ^ Tampa Tribune, Steven M. Weaver, August 16, 2002, Greg Williams, Forever Elvis In Tampa
  23. ^ Elvis 1956 Discography. sergeant.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  24. ^ "American album certifications – Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley". Recording Industry Association of America.

References

Preceded by
The King and I by Original Soundtrack
 UK Albums Chart number-one album
10 November 1956 – 17 November 1956 		Succeeded by
The King and I by Original Soundtrack
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
5 May - 7 July 1956 		Succeeded by
My Fair Lady by Original Broadway Cast
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