
Elvis Presley
Released:Mar. 23, 1956Elvis’ 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.
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
I Love You Because
Leon Payne. Recorded July 5, 1954. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
Blue Moon
Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart. Recorded August 19, 1954 at Sun Records’ Studio, Memphis. Guitar: Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley. Bass: Bill Black -
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
Credits
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Elvis Presleyvocals, acoustic guitar, piano
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Scotty Mooreelectric guitar
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Chet Atkinsacoustic guitar on January 10–11 (except I Got a Woman )
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Floyd Cramerpiano on January 10–11
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Shorty Longpiano on January 30–31
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Bill Blackbass
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D. J. Fontanadrums
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Johnny Bernerodrums (on "Trying to Get to You")
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Gordon Stokerbacking vocals
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Ben Speerbacking vocals
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Brock Speerbacking vocals
What do you think?
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