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Elvis Presley

Released:Mar. 23, 1956

Elvis’ first album was rapidly assembled to capitalize on the gathering success of the single (which was excluded from the LP by managerial fiat). The album included three tracks from the Nashville session, four more from a follow-up series in New York, and five previously unreleased Sun sides, including everything from decorative ballads like “I Love You Because,” “Blue Moon,” and “I’ll Never Let You Go” (which Sam Phillips had thought would never have a chance in the crowded pop marketplace) to “Trying To Get To You,” which might well have been the A-side of Elvis’ next Sun single, had he remained with the company. It is on balance a phenomenally diverse group of songs, and while it was almost entirely ignored by the cultural mainstream (it would be hard to find a single review that recognized its musicality, eclecticism or ambition – it might in fact be hard to find a single serious review), it went straight to Number One on the charts, eventually selling more than 300,000 copies and becoming RCA’s all-time best-selling album up to that time. Even the cover was an almost immediate iconic classic, showcasing a tonsils-out publicity photo that Colonel Parker had commissioned in Tampa in July 1955.

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Tracklist

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  • Blue Suede Shoes

    Carl Perkins. Recorded January 30, 1956 at RCA Studios, New York. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black. Drums: D.J. Fontana. Piano: Shorty Long
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  • I'm Counting On You

    Don Robertson. Recorded January 11, 1956 at RCA Studios, Nashville. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black. Drums: D.J. Fontana. Piano: Floyd Cramer. Vocals: Gordon Stoker, Ben Speer, Brock Speer
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  • I Got a Woman

    Ray Charles. Recorded January 10, 1956 at RCA Studios, Nashville. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black. Drums: D.J. Fontana. Piano: Floyd Cramer
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  • One-Sided Love Affair

    Bill Campbell. Recorded January 30, 1956 at RCA Studios, New York. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black. Drums: D.J. Fontana. Piano: Shorty Long
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  • I Love You Because

    Leon Payne. Recorded July 5, 1954. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black
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  • Just Because

    Bob Shelton/Joe Shelton/Sid Robin. Recorded September, 1954 at Sun Records’ Studio, Memphis. The most likely dates are in mid-September. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black
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  • Tutti Frutti

    Dorothy LaBostrie/Richard Penniman. Recorded January 31, 1956 at RCA Studios, New York. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black. Drums: D.J. Fontana. Piano: Shorty Long
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  • Trying to Get to You

    Charles Singleton/Rosemarie McCoy. Recorded July 21, 1955 at Sun Records’ Studio, Memphis. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black. Drums: Johnny Bernero
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  • I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)

    Joe Thomas/Howard Biggs. Recorded January 31, 1956 at RCA Studios, New York. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black. Drums: D.J. Fontana. Piano: Shorty Long
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  • I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')

    Jimmy Wakely. Recorded September, 1954 at Sun Records’ Studio, Memphis. The most likely dates are in mid-September. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black
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  • Blue Moon

    Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart. Recorded August 19, 1954 at Sun Records’ Studio, Memphis. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black
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  • Money Honey

    Jesse Stone. Recorded January 10, 1956 at RCA Studios, Nashville. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black. Drums: D.J. Fontana. Piano: Floyd Cramer
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Credits

Artist
Credit
  • Elvis Presley
    vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
  • Scotty Moore
    electric guitar
  • Chet Atkins
    acoustic guitar on January 10–11 (except I Got a Woman )
  • Floyd Cramer
    piano on January 10–11
  • Shorty Long
    piano on January 30–31
  • Bill Black
    bass
  • D. J. Fontana
    drums
  • Johnny Bernero
    drums (on "Trying to Get to You")
  • Gordon Stoker
    backing vocals
  • Ben Speer
    backing vocals
  • Brock Speer
    backing vocals
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Elvis Presley
Buy Album Now
Stream this Album