1969 marked a turning point in the eventful life of the Elvis Presley, the King of Rock. While John Lennon stated that “without Elvis, there would be no Beatles”, the King was no longer at the forefront of rock’n’roll in 60s America where the Fab Four reigned supreme along with the Stones, Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys et al… However, in December 1968, Elvis was back. In a one-man show broadcast on NBC, the King resurfaced classier than ever sporting a black skin-tight leather coat and surrounded by faithful musicians and friends from his career’s beginnings, headed by D.J. Fontana and Scotty Moore. On the show, Presley performed refined and exquisite renditions of some debut tracks, singing incredibly well while daring to incorporate a little self-deprecation. The following year, Elvis rode the wave of this Comeback Special and decided to record new songs with a more contemporary sound. In January 1969, he entered the studio with Chips Moman and released fantastic tracks such as Suspicious Minds, In the Ghetto, Don’t Cry Daddy, Long Black Limousine, Inherit the Wind, Rubberneckin, and Without Love… Such were the sessions that produced the two final opuses from the King: From Elvis in Memphis and From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis, which were released in 1969.
As indicated in its title, American Sound 1969 deals vigorously with this magical time in Elvis’ career. A copious quintuple album of 90 tracks mixing studio masters with demos, rehearsals, rarities and some unedited material from sessions in Chips Moman’s American Sound studios. It was Moman who had the idea of returning Elvis to soul, country and blues. The King proves with this record that his talent for interpreting was still intact despite the fact he hadn’t released a hit since 1965 and was somewhat displaced by the upcoming generation. This massive offering released in August 2019 is of course tailored for Elvis buffs (it includes nine version of In the Ghetto and seven of You’ll Think of Me!) who will delight in witnessing the step by step conception of such marvelous, sometimes deeply moving songs. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz