Elvis Presley: Memphis (Box Set)

[thatsallright]

UNLISTENABLE! Horrible mixes-Elvis' voice buried and swamped in reverb-DON'T BUY THIS DRECK!!!

[SteveT]

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.

Totally agree. The jungle room tracks are the surprise of this set. I never expected them to sound so good! Puts them in a totally different light. Moody Blue is particularly good.

[SteveT]

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

Yes it is curious,especially as Elvis stops singing in parts of the chorus because the backup vocals were originally there.

[PiersEIN]

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.

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!

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 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.

Thanks. Great enthusiasm.
i'm looking forward to it even more now.
Cheers,
Piers

[kanishknishar]

I'm curious if anyone has compared these mixes with what's available in FTD remasters/remixes. The reviews I've read seem to be comparing them with the Sony releases Stax and Nashville.

[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.

Jungle Room Sessions mix is excellent, but can not save the experience, not the least because of the vocals' instrinsic weakness. The vocals, when strong, like in Danny Boy, are brought forth to spectacular results. It is easily the best track on this disc followed by Way Down which rocks like no other version. These two tracks are going in my regular rotation, along with Moody Blue where mix is excellent. Elvis vocals strain and wobble, but the energy and his enthusiasm is obvious in this version. I had high hopes for Hurt, but this mix does nothing extra for the song and is the biggest disappointment.

For other tracks, the decay is unavoidable, but judiciously mixed with highlighted instrumentation/ back up. The loud Clapping gain on For The Heart, for example, is wonderful, elevates this otherwise below average track. Removing back- up singers makes no sense on I'll Never Fall In Love Again, as they complete the phrases, which sound incomplete in this version.

It is a depressing performance overall, but this mix manages to make it listenable. I am not sure if I will revisit this disc, excellent sound notwithstanding, but fans of these sessions will find this mix preferable methinks.


• Overall, this set manages to highlight the texture, beauty and emotional depth of Elvis' vocals - which in itself is a high achievement.
• The sound is atmospheric and superior to any other mainstream sets I have been listening to.
• The 69 disc is a regrettable miss.


I will be returning to this set very regularly. Very glad to have Elvis music reinterpreted in 2024!

[Dan_T]

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

I received my copy Friday, opened it but haven't played it yet, I've listened online and Elvis doesn't say "Lord I Hope You Never Do" on the master take on this set...where did you hear that ? (Apart from the alt take on previous releases, of course)

There's only two gripes I have with this set.
1st, Suspicious Minds sounds unbelievably CLUTTERED, and does indeed make the guitar sound out of synchronisation and ruins the drive. Not sure if that's a glitch or intended.

2nd, Don't Cry Daddy, sounds strange, but beautiful at the same time. Double tracking Elvis's vocal before he comes in on the harmony vocal was not a great idea, imo. Love the set other than those two "mishaps".

[minkahed]

So, the cd counterpart is different from the streaming platform of this set?

[kevanbudd]

So, the cd counterpart is different from the streaming platform of this set?

The following deviate From the `Memphis` CD box set, which is all `A boy from Tupelo` mastering for disc 1.

Deviations on Qobuz and maybe other platforms.

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

also
special thanks to...
Elvis2000
Claus
John from phoenix

I have notified Ernst of the issue.

Kevan Budd.

[frus75]

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

You know, “as Elvis heard it in the studio” … instead of being honest is Our Memories of Elvis again. But, of course, much better done. But there are overdubs left in and live elements left out . So no pure undubbed.

[Fabbe]

So, the cd counterpart is different from the streaming platform of this set?

The following deviate From the `Memphis` CD box set, which is all `A boy from Tupelo` mastering for disc 1.

Deviations on Qobuz and maybe other platforms.

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

also
special thanks to...
Elvis2000
Claus
John from phoenix

I have notified Ernst of the issue.

Kevan Budd.

Thank you Kevan Budd for the information - for what you know, has the issue related to the rhythmic misalignment of the guitar in 'Suspicious Minds' been brought to Ernst's attention?

[javierTCB]

"Inside the box set".

[photocollector73]

Very nice cover.
But is is a vegas shot!!!

[Harty]

I await a statement from Ernst on the disaster of CD2. He is the producer and bears the responsibility. It is incomprehensible why the numerous mistakes were not noticed. In places, overdubs were used after all. The undubbed take of Power of my love has no harmonica. The harmony vocal by Elvis on Don't cry daddy is an overdub sung days later after Elvis' vocal. Strictly speaking, the harmony vocal is not part of it.

[JeroenNL]

I await a statement from Ernst on the disaster of CD2. He is the producer and bears the responsibility. It is incomprehensible why the numerous mistakes were not noticed. In places, overdubs were used after all. The undubbed take of Power of my love has no harmonica. The harmony vocal by Elvis on Don't cry daddy is an overdub sung days later after Elvis' vocal. Strictly speaking, the harmony vocal is not part of it.

Ahmmm…. Power Of My Love has a very distinct harmonica….?!?!

Didn’t hear anyone ever complain about certain overdubs being present on the ‘Memories Of Elvis’ volumes albeit being presented as ‘pure and undubbed versions’. Don’t Cry Daddy is a wonderful version: a great hommage to Elvis’ fantastic voice. It’s a real treat to get to hear Elvis duetting with himself.

[A. C. van Kuijk]

The much discussed "Don't Cry Daddy" is a bold remix, obviously Matt tried to do something vastly different.

You don't think a mistake was made? It really sounds like a work in progress. Like an unfinished mix. Real bad actually. If they'd fix the vocal issue, these would've been the definitive version, for me.

I am pretty sure it sounds the way Matt Ross-Spang wanted it to sound. It's supposed to be a duet.

[A. C. van Kuijk]

I await a statement from Ernst on the disaster of CD2. He is the producer and bears the responsibility. It is incomprehensible why the numerous mistakes were not noticed. In places, overdubs were used after all. The undubbed take of Power of my love has no harmonica. The harmony vocal by Elvis on Don't cry daddy is an overdub sung days later after Elvis' vocal. Strictly speaking, the harmony vocal is not part of it.

Matt Ross-Spang did similar things on "Back In Nashville". These remixes are no documentary about what was going on in the studio. Here you have to wait for FTD's session boxes.

[norrie]

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

You know, “as Elvis heard it in the studio” … instead of being honest is Our Memories of Elvis again. But, of course, much better done. But there are overdubs left in and live elements left out . So no pure undubbed.

Yeah,that's rather dishonest and disappointing.
Hyping it up to be "as Elvis heard it himself in the sudio" and it's not.Just like the last set

norrie

[elvisalisellers]

I await a statement from Ernst on the disaster of CD2. He is the producer and bears the responsibility. It is incomprehensible why the numerous mistakes were not noticed. In places, overdubs were used after all. The undubbed take of Power of my love has no harmonica. The harmony vocal by Elvis on Don't cry daddy is an overdub sung days later after Elvis' vocal. Strictly speaking, the harmony vocal is not part of it.

Same with the Sherrill Nielsen harmony vocal overdub on "Help Me" from Stax.

[frus75]

Don’t cry daddy without live drums

Power of my love with overdubbed harmonica

Good time Charlie’s got the blues with overdubbed guitar

Talk about the good times without vocalists

I’ll never fall in love again without vocalists

I got a feeling in my body (parts without backing vocalists).

[bill77]

While I have some issues with the concert, I still think it is a win! I wonder what MRS could do with 1977...

[steve in sc4]

Seems to me Lisa Marie is on Don’t Cry Daddy track?

[Elvis2000]

When we (hopefully) get the Jungle Room sessions in a few years time, I do hope it's mixed similarly to how it's mixed on disc five of this set.

[Rockin_John]

The much discussed "Don't Cry Daddy" is a bold remix, obviously Matt tried to do something vastly different.

You don't think a mistake was made? It really sounds like a work in progress. Like an unfinished mix. Real bad actually. If they'd fix the vocal issue, these would've been the definitive version, for me.

I am pretty sure it sounds the way Matt Ross-Spang wanted it to sound. It's supposed to be a duet.

The problem isn't when he sings on both tracks, it's when he's not singing on the harmony track...

[Rockin_John]

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

Any Day Now (Fixed)

What was wrong with that track?