Elvis: Back In Nashville is the definitive presentation of Elvis Presley’s May-June 1971 Nashville studio sessions, showcasing Elvis and his core band as they sounded during the actual sessions without orchestral overdubs and vocal accompaniment. These revelatory sessions chronicle the last time Elvis would record in Nashville.
With Elvis’ upcoming concert activities increasing, future studio time would be limited and so the goal of these sessions was to generate perhaps a year’s worth of new songs. RCA and the Colonel let Elvis know they’d like a new Christmas album, a gospel album, a pop album, and “several new singles for summer and fall releases” and so, Elvis’ music coordinator/producer Felton Jarvis booked a whole week of all-night sessions starting March 15, 1971 and brought on the same band he’d used the year before. Overdubs removed, what’s revealed on Elvis: Back In Nashville is some of the most compelling singing of Presley’s career.
Some of Elvis’ 1971 Nashville studio recordings appeared, with subsequent orchestral and vocal overdubs, on the seasonal collection Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas (1971), the GRAMMY-winning gospel album He Touched Me (1972), Elvis Now (1972) and 1973’s Elvis.
Elvis: Back In Nashville is available as a 4CD/digital collection featuring 82 pristine original recordings. Graceland is offering an exclusive 2LP 12″ color vinyl collectors pressing. A 2LP 12″ vinyl version of the album is also available.
Recorded at RCA Recording Studios (Studio B), Nashville
Original engineer: Al Pachucki
Original A&R: Felton Jarvis
Compilation produced by Ernst Mikael Jørgensen
A&R: John Jackson & Rob Santos
Mixed by Matt Ross-Spang at Sam Phillips Recording, Memphis, TN
Mastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios, New York, NY
Take 10: Previously Unreleased
All chart information derived from Billboard magazine’s charts.
All release information refers to the original release of these recordings in their original form