Elvis Presley: Memphis (Box Set)

[Swedish]

I've checked the waveforms, the RCA single runs slightly faster than the Sun single and the version on the new set matches the RCA single master. However, I think it could be a fresh transfer because when lined up to the RCA single master on A Boy From Tupelo it's out of sync, the other tracks line up without any issues. Basically every track is a straight copy of the A Boy From Tupelo masters bar That's All Right.


Top is the new set.
Middle is the RCA single from A Boy From Tupelo.
Bottom is the Sun single from A Boy From Tupelo.
.

Well then, i guess lucky that Elvis Scotty Bill doesn't have to hear how Sony tampers with their recordings

[elvisalisellers]

Has anyone determined what source was used for "Mystery Train" on the Memphis set? It sounds hideous.

The online samples sound like a tape dub copy with heavy compression and additional reverb added, plus some boomy mid-bass EQ. This Memphis version, in my opinion, sounds poor due to the squashed dynamics, tubby EQ and generational fidelity loss inherent in this copy tape.

Ultimately, it's just academic because "Mystery Train" is available in superb sound on A Boy From Tupelo and Elvis At Sun. But I'm still curious why they chose to use a compressed, dubbed copy with added reverb on the Memphis box set.

For LP Fans Only mastering that added reverb and compression [more than the RCA single reissue from 1955].
It can also be heard on the Elvis On Tour soundtrack during the road/travel sequence.

On the new "Find Out What's Happening" mix, there are some previously unreleased Elvis vocalizations during the guitar break that were not included on the original 1973 mix. Nothing too earth shattering, but still fun to hear for the first time.

They can be heard on the second volume of Our Memories of Elvis released in 1979.

[Swedish]

Well, Joe Public that know nothing about E, will maybe think they hear the original hit recordings on this box
Maybe Sony's next step will be to make an acapella version of the box Or will the next release be where they electronically have change E's voice to a female one through the box. Yes, all for the money you know

[stari062]

There are such mistakes on this set. It is a shame. Have you heard for an example It keeps right on a hurtin' ? Why is the piano mixed to the right channel ? The piano is normally at the left channel. In other songs it is correct.

Maybe you should turn around

[rollinson1]

Well after waiting for what seems an age to get this, I have to send mine back as I have a faulty disc 1. Can hear clicks from harbour Lights till the end of the disc. I tried ripping the disc to hard drive neither ITunes, EAC or DbPoweramp will rip the disc. F.....G great.

[elvis-fan]

Has anyone determined what source was used for "Mystery Train" on the Memphis set? It sounds hideous.

The online samples sound like a tape dub copy with heavy compression and additional reverb added, plus some boomy mid-bass EQ. This Memphis version, in my opinion, sounds poor due to the squashed dynamics, tubby EQ and generational fidelity loss inherent in this copy tape.

Ultimately, it's just academic because "Mystery Train" is available in superb sound on A Boy From Tupelo and Elvis At Sun. But I'm still curious why they chose to use a compressed, dubbed copy with added reverb on the Memphis box set.

Certainly an odd choice. It's sounds like it's lifted right off 1959's For LP Fans Only...

[paulsweeney]

I have every release for the past decade (and everything else prior): this release has struck a chord with me and I find it excellent, bar a couple of constructively critical and personal and very slight dislikes - which is harsh enough to say when dealing with an excellent set.

We're totally lucky to still be getting new Presley product in 2024, and nitpicking without critical comment begs the question why people are posting here if not open to proper discussion.

As I expressed with my mate Geoff McDonnell last night (yes, the Pommie bastard that wrote all those Elvis Monthly articles including reviews of of then known versions of Hound Dog), I've not been more delighted or enveloped for years, maybe a decade, in an official release as I have been with Elvis Memphis. There are so many standouts, with a new way of listening to / hearing these tracks: the reality is, if you cling to the old mixes, then go back and play those!

Don't Cry Daddy is a fantastic track and a wonderful way to hear it, as is Any Day Now (especially from the falsetto part that has the rolling strumming guitar).

Personally I find the live show distracting and not in the flow of the studio tracks, and hence would have not included it had t been my choice. I generally agree about which tracks that were excluded in favour of others that some fans here have mentioned, is on the money.

There is too much goodness in this set to cover, and so little to sh*t-can the entire the release. I'd love to see a one hour documentary (like the Classic Albums documentary about the debut LP) with Matt and Ernst discussing how and why they made the decisions that they made on each of the tracks. Well done Ernst and Matt.

I fully concur with you Jim. It’s a Dandy release

I listened to the first three discs last night and I will listen to the final two sometime this weekend.

[Igotstung]

I am halfway through, and here is my non - audiophile reaction. Will post the second half once I have finished( not that anyone is waiting for it, but, ah well).

The highlight overall is the clarity, level and grain of vocals- to these ears saturated on Elvis, his vocals sparkle through. That, to me, is a highlight. This set shines a light on what a magnificent vocalist Elvis was: the texture of the voice, the subtle intonations, the emotional delivery, the drama in the phrasing is brought forth in the mix.
Overall, the sound pops and the clarity is superb.

I went back and forth on mainstream releases: American Sound 1969, Boy From Tupelo, and Elvis at Stax, for comparison. The sound here is superior. Even on normal phone/ sound system listening.

The Sun sessions have a judicious reverb, ( detailed in some of the posts here) and again, the vocals pop, which makes this a defacto version for me. Yes, even over BFT. And can I say, Elvis' Sun sessions are timeless. Oh what a wonderful, wonderful music. How lucky are we that it exists!!

The American Studio sessions are a mixed bag. Which is a disappointment, because for his legacy, these are the second most important sessions as far as this set is concerned.

Don't Cry Daddy: Elvis Harmony is an interesting choice, but it sounds cluttered and placement is distracting.
Suspicious Minds: the Guitar delay is quite frustrating, as it is so central to the song. The vocal pop is not striking enough. This track is a biggest dampener so far for me. It is the second disc and the most well known track, so really, why and how?
Power of My Love: Overwhelming Harmonica is a bizarre choice, subduing the erotic tone of the song. Very disappointing.
In The Ghetto is hauntingly beautiful and Stranger in My Hometown rocks. Any Day Now ( one of my altime favourites) mix is unique. These tracks are a winner for me. They may not replace the originals, but I am happy that they are there.

The FEIN and BIM are great to savour in their original avatar, perfect blend of great production and transcendental vocals. If pushed however, the American Sound 69 a far richer aural experience IMO.

The Stax sessions ( I am halfway through) have a great sound. The funky, retro feel is enhanced with prominent bass and Organ. I prefer this version to Elvis At Stax, which was my go to version before for these tracks ( the overdubs on the master recordings are meh at best).

Promised Land rocks and how. I always loved this recording and this version thrills like no other.
If you Talk in Your Sleep smokes with prominence given to Organ fillers. Love it.
Shocked at My Boy- the song is still very, very, very cringe, but Elvis vocals sound stronger in this mix. Shockingly, I am now a fan of Spanish Eyes and Find Out What's Happening. His vocals are very moving here. Matt Ross Spang, what are you doing??

One puzzling choice is why are there back up vocals in most of the Stax Sessions, but not in Talk About Good Times?

Anyway, looking forward to the rest of listening.

I am happy that we are still getting Elvis music reinterpreted!! How cool is that??

The rest of the Stax tracks sound crisp, and Your Love's Been a Long Time Coming benefits as does Honky Tonk Angel. The ending of disc with Three Corn Patches is absurd to say the least.

Overall, the funky, retro mix is excellent and will be my go to.


The Live Concert ( compared to the Legacy edition ) is a winner with the highlighted drums as well as crisp Elvis vocals & the audience reaction with gain. As a whole, more than vocal performance, this concert stands out for his energy , the set -list and the infectious zeal of audience- these points are wisely prioritized in this mix. ( A minor personal nit- pick: the loud reactions of a man close to the stage who enthusiasticlly responds to Elvis in early part of the concert is removed here.)

ASZand SSR makes one feel the visceral excitement - like standing next to the stage waiting for the star as the drums thunder and audience erupts. Elvis' frequent drops to lower registers throughout the concert are clearer in this mix. Overall, even with on & off nasaly tone and weak vocals, tracks which have full bodied baritone shine here. ( If only things had gone differently, his deepening baritone would have aged beautifully. Well.)

I have never been a fan of How Great Thou Art live bombast- but here the drama of the track works mainly with manic drumming brought forth. Polk Salad has Sweets almost muted, as we know from the single, which is a bit strange. The R& R Medley, Blueberry Hill/ Can't stop, American Trilogy, Let me Be There, My Baby Left Me, Lawdy Miss Clawdy are excellent mixes. Drumming, guitar, vocals with gain and audience reaction make this mix bring the concert alive, including his flirtatious interactions with audience.

I will definitely listen to this concert regularly with this mix.

I am bracing myself for the Jungle Room Sessions now.

[Elvis2000]

I have put together a quick fix for Any Day Now, think it turned out pretty good.

Any Day Now (Fixed)

[monkboughtlunch]

Has anyone determined what source was used for "Mystery Train" on the Memphis set? It sounds hideous.

The online samples sound like a tape dub copy with heavy compression and additional reverb added, plus some boomy mid-bass EQ. This Memphis version, in my opinion, sounds poor due to the squashed dynamics, tubby EQ and generational fidelity loss inherent in this copy tape.

Ultimately, it's just academic because "Mystery Train" is available in superb sound on A Boy From Tupelo and Elvis At Sun. But I'm still curious why they chose to use a compressed, dubbed copy with added reverb on the Memphis box set.

For LP Fans Only mastering that added reverb and compression [more than the RCA single reissue from 1955].
It can also be heard on the Elvis On Tour soundtrack during the road/travel sequence.

On the new "Find Out What's Happening" mix, there are some previously unreleased Elvis vocalizations during the guitar break that were not included on the original 1973 mix. Nothing too earth shattering, but still fun to hear for the first time.

They can be heard on the second volume of Our Memories of Elvis released in 1979.

Thanks @elvisalisellers !

[skabillyrebels]

I have put together a quick fix for Any Day Now, think it turned out pretty good.

Any Day Now (Fixed)

You beat me to the punch i was just going upload it. we did exactly the same edit.

[Elvis2000]

I have put together a quick fix for Any Day Now, think it turned out pretty good.

Any Day Now (Fixed)

You beat me to the punch i was just going upload it. we did exactly the same edit.

Great minds think alike

[kevanbudd]

Two versions of Memphis box being sold.

It seems there are two versions of the set being sold,

1. the CD set and
2. the download set from Qobuz(which may explain some of the Youtube versions?

The Qobuz download set uses -
1. 'That's all right' (RCA 50s box/90s mastering, reverb master)
2. 'Mystery train'. '(For LP fans only' compressed reverb copy)
3. Blue moon (compressed noisy older master) - special thanks to Claus.
4. I love you because (Different copy) - special thanks to Claus.

The CD set uses 'The boy from Tupelo' versions on all tracks.

Special thanks to --

Elvis2000
Claus
John from Phoenix

what a headache!

Kevan Budd.

[skabillyrebels]

Thank you Kevan,

[ForeverElvis]

Two versions of Memphis box being sold.

It seems there are two versions of the set being sold,

1. the CD set and
2. the download set from Qobuz(which may explain some of the Youtube versions?

The Qobuz set uses the 'That's all right' RCA 50s box reverb master
and the 'For LP fans only' compressed reverb copy for 'Mystery train'.

The CD set uses 'The boy from Tupelo' versions on all tracks.

Special thanks to --

Elvis2000
Claus
John from Phoenix

what a headache!

Kevan Budd.

Thank you.
My cd set is waiting for dispatch.
If I download the songs off of YouTube, maybe at the link a few posts ago, am I getting the online version you pointed to in 2. ?

[JimmyCool]

Two versions of Memphis box being sold.

It seems there are two versions of the set being sold,

1. the CD set and
2. the download set from Qobuz(which may explain some of the Youtube versions?

The Qobuz set uses the 'That's all right' RCA 50s box reverb master
and the 'For LP fans only' compressed reverb copy for 'Mystery train'.

The CD set uses 'The boy from Tupelo' versions on all tracks.

Special thanks to --

Elvis2000
Claus
John from Phoenix

what a headache!

Kevan Budd.

How crazy! I can't remember this ever happening before. I wonder if there are more differences on the other four discs.

Thanks for the update, Kevan and team.

I listened to it on Qobuz, so I'll wait for my physical copy to arrive before sharing more detailed thoughts.

[RickGreekElvis]

It seems all streaming services have That's All Right and Mystery Train using the reverb versions. This is just how they were uploaded. People who just stream or purchase digital downloads have a unique version of the box set to check out.

[RickGreekElvis]

Two versions of Memphis box being sold.

It seems there are two versions of the set being sold,

1. the CD set and
2. the download set from Qobuz(which may explain some of the Youtube versions?

The Qobuz set uses the 'That's all right' RCA 50s box reverb master
and the 'For LP fans only' compressed reverb copy for 'Mystery train'.

The CD set uses 'The boy from Tupelo' versions on all tracks.

Special thanks to --

Elvis2000
Claus
John from Phoenix

what a headache!

Kevan Budd.

Sorry Kevan, I didn't see your post. So I'm wondering if this was done on purpose or possible the wrong files were uploaded for streaming and digital purchase.

[elvisjock]

Loving the Jungle Room tracks. Lots of surprises in the new mixes.

There's a never-before-heard instrument in parts of Bitter They Are. Maybe an organ?

Several seconds of silence at the end of He'll Have To Go, followed by a comment from a familiar voice.

Great to have the Solitaire master sound as great as the outtakes. Finally. The strings, the reverb, the noise reduction, gone.

Moody Blue is fantastic. So much better than the unofficial releases of the original length master. Lots of Briggs revealed in these tracks.

Speaking of, you might think you're listening to an "Electric Hairnet" solo on Way Down. No dog, though!

Elvis and the group jam away on Pledging My Love. The 2+ minutes RCA gave us took the energy and feel away.

It's Easy For You now sounds as clean and interesting as the alternate take.

I am one happy sumbitch today.

[elvisalisellers]

Curiously, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" is the sole Boulevard track in which the backing vocals have been removed.

[vinelvis]

Two of my favourites:-



Andy

.
OK why do I hear 2 Elvis' singing on Don't Cry Daddy??? I thought it was an error on Spotify but it's not...

That's not good... I get the harmony part but why leave the two vocals in during the verses? Sounds bizarre...

Completely agreed. Elvis' harmonies being as loud as the lead can be an artistic choice that's albeit rare, somewhat cool to hear. Kinda refreshing to hear this "acoustic" version. The only really really big downside is Elvis' double voice on the verses. It's so weird and eerie. Sometimes the timing seems slightly off too. It gives me the ick. Kinda like an amateur accidentally recording in mono and then just doubling the track to sound like stereo. It sounds really amateurish and bad. Worst post mortem track of Elvis I've heard since the dreadful and plain wrong What Now My Love RPO version.

[pmp]

Two of my favourites:-



Andy

.
OK why do I hear 2 Elvis' singing on Don't Cry Daddy??? I thought it was an error on Spotify but it's not...

That's not good... I get the harmony part but why leave the two vocals in during the verses? Sounds bizarre...

Completely agreed. Elvis' harmonies being as loud as the lead can be an artistic choice that's albeit rare, somewhat cool to hear. Kinda refreshing to hear this "acoustic" version. The only really really big downside is Elvis' double voice on the verses. It's so weird and eerie. Sometimes the timing seems slightly off too. It gives me the ick. Kinda like an amateur accidentally recording in mono and then just doubling the track to sound like stereo. It sounds really amateurish and bad. Worst post mortem track of Elvis I've heard since the dreadful and plain wrong What Now My Love RPO version.

This reminds me of leaving the ghost of the backing vocals on the Back in Nashville release. Utter bizarre, completely avoidable - but most such issues with Elvis releases are.

[RKSNASHVILLE]

Is “You Asked Me To” an alternate take? I didn’t think Elvis sung the line “Lord I hope you never do” at the end of the second verse on the master take.




RKS

[Robert]

Has anyone determined what source was used for "Mystery Train" on the Memphis set? It sounds hideous.

The online samples sound like a tape dub copy with heavy compression and additional reverb added, plus some boomy mid-bass EQ. This Memphis version, in my opinion, sounds poor due to the squashed dynamics, tubby EQ and generational fidelity loss inherent in this copy tape.

Ultimately, it's just academic because "Mystery Train" is available in superb sound on A Boy From Tupelo and Elvis At Sun. But I'm still curious why they chose to use a compressed, dubbed copy with added reverb on the Memphis box set.

For LP Fans Only mastering that added reverb and compression [more than the RCA single reissue from 1955].
It can also be heard on the Elvis On Tour soundtrack during the road/travel sequence.

The "EOT" reverb drenched Mystery Train version will always be my go to version.
Watching EOT as a kid probably was my introduction to the song and the Scorsese movie segment was iconic in every aspect.

[elvisjock]

the 76 masters are my favourite on this set, they sound absolutely amazing and for the most part so does Elvis!.

I can finally retire Elvis Among Friends as my source for Graceland undubbed masters.