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From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis

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From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis
The cover of side one and side two, known as Elvis In Person at the International Hotel
Studio album and live album by
ReleasedOctober 14, 1969 (1969-10-14)
RecordedJanuary, February,
August 24–26, 1969
VenueInternational Hotel (Winchester)
StudioAmerican Sound (Memphis)
GenreRock, soul, country, pop
Length32:06 (Studio LP)
36:38 (Live LP)
68:44 (Total)
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerChips Moman Studio LP
Felton Jarvis Live LP
Elvis Presley chronology
From Elvis in Memphis
(1969)
From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis
(1969)
Let's Be Friends
(1970)
Alternative cover
The cover of side three and side four, known as Back in Memphis
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1] & [2]
Robert ChristgauB+[3]
MusicHound[4]
Rolling Stone(unfavourable) [5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
Rough Guides[7]

From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis is the tenth studio album and the second live album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley. It was released on October 14, 1969, by RCA Records. It is a double album: the first album, titled In Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, contains the live recordings of Presley's hits at the International Hotel in Winchester, Nevada, while the second album, titled Back in Memphis, contains entirely new material recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis. The album peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, and was certified Gold on December 13, 1969, by the Recording Industry Association of America.[8]

Content

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Issued to capitalize upon the response to From Elvis in Memphis and its hit singles, and his newfound success as a headliner in Las Vegas, Vegas/Memphis is Presley's first double album and his first official live album.[9] Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, secured a month-long engagement at the International Hotel, and in keeping with the "clear-the-decks" philosophy of the previous album, Presley jettisoned his long-serving 1960s sidemen in favor of musicians who would become his Taking Care of Business band.[10] The musicians used on the second LP were assembled by Chips Moman dating back from early 1969 at the American Sound Studios sessions in Memphis.

The first album consisted of recordings from those shows, Elvis' first live performances since his March 1961 benefit concert in Hawaii.[11] Signature hits from his 1950s and early 1960s repertoire appeared alongside a cover of "Words" by The Bee Gees, his recent hit single "In The Ghetto" and an extended version of "Suspicious Minds", the single of which had only just been released during the engagement.

The second album consisted of ten recordings from the winter of 1969 sessions at American Sound not used for From Elvis in Memphis.[12] Although drawn from what were basically leftovers, still "Stranger in My Hometown" equaled the intensity of the already issued songs.[13] Of these remainders, "The Fair's Moving On" and "You'll Think of Me" had previously appeared as b-sides respectively to "Clean Up Your Own Backyard" and "Suspicious Minds" earlier in the year.[14]

Reissues

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In November 1970, RCA reissued the set as individual albums, only in the US, identified by the subtitles that appeared on the original double LP, In Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada as LSP 4428, and Back in Memphis as LSP 4429.[15] They have been issued separately ever since. However, the double LP LSP 6020 was also available concurrently through the 1970s. In the United Kingdom this has only ever been released as the double LP set, keeping the integrity of the original project. The entirety of Back in Memphis can be found on the box set From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential 60s Masters, and on the double-disc compilation of recordings at American Sound Studio, Suspicious Minds.

On July 28, 2009, Sony Music Entertainment issued Back in Memphis on the second disc of its Legacy Edition of From Elvis in Memphis. A similar Legacy Edition of On Stage released on March 23, 2010, features the entirety of In Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada on its second disc.

The collectors' label Follow That Dream has released several of the full performances from Presley's August 1969 season in Las Vegas. The full August 22 performance was included on a reissue of the live album, titled In Person.[16] The full midnight show from August 23 was released under the title Elvis At The International,[17] while the midnight show from August 26 was released as All Shook Up.[18] The August 24 show is available on the first disc of the 2001 box set Live in Las Vegas. In 2013, FTD released the complete midnight show from August 25.

Track listing

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Elvis in Person

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Blue Suede Shoes"Carl PerkinsAugust 25, 19692:06
2."Johnny B. Goode"Chuck BerryAugust 24, 19692:12
3."All Shook Up"Otis Blackwell, Elvis PresleyAugust 25, 19692:15
4."Are You Lonesome Tonight?"Lou Handman, Roy TurkAugust 24, 19693:16
5."Hound Dog"Jerry Leiber, Mike StollerAugust 25, 19691:53
6."I Can't Stop Loving You"Don GibsonAugust 25, 19693:19
7."My Babe"Willie DixonAugust 25, 19692:12
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Mystery Train" / "Tiger Man"Junior Parker, / Joe Hill Louis, Sam Phillips (as Sam Burns)August 25, 19693:46
2."Words"Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb, Maurice GibbAugust 25, 19692:46
3."In the Ghetto"Mac DavisAugust 25, 19692:56
4."Suspicious Minds"Mark JamesAugust 26, 19697:46
5."Can't Help Falling In Love"George Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi CreatoreAugust 26, 19692:12

Back in Memphis

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Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Inherit the Wind"Eddie RabbittJanuary 15, 19692:56
2."This Is the Story"Chris Arnold, David Martin, Geoff MorrowJanuary 13, 19692:28
3."Stranger in My Own Home Town"Percy MayfieldFebruary 17, 19694:23
4."A Little Bit of Green"Chris Arnold, David Martin, Geoff MorrowJanuary 14, 19693:21
5."And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind"Neil DiamondFebruary 17, 19693:08
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Do You Know Who I Am?"Bobby RussellFebruary 18, 19692:49
2."From a Jack to a King"Ned MillerJanuary 21, 19692:23
3."The Fair's Moving On"Guy Fletcher, Doug FlettFebruary 21, 19693:09
4."You'll Think of Me"Mort ShumanJanuary 14, 19694:01
5."Without Love (There Is Nothing)"Danny SmallJanuary 22, 19692:51

Personnel

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Elvis in Person at the International Hotel

Back in Memphis

Charts

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Charts (1969–1970) Peak
position
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[20] 20
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 6
US Billboard 200[22] 12

References

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  1. ^ From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis at AllMusic
  2. ^ From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis at AllMusic
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Elvis Presley (Consumer Guide Reviews)". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  4. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 892. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  5. ^ Leimbacher, Ed (27 December 1969). "Records". Rolling Stone. No. 49. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. p. 60.
  6. ^ "Elvis Presley: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  7. ^ Simpson, Paul (2004). The Rough Guide to Elvis. London: Rough Guides. pp. 133–34. ISBN 1-84353-417-7.
  8. ^ Sources:
    • "Pop Albums". Elvis Presley: The Official Site of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. 2013. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
    • "Searchable database". RIAA. Recording Industry Association of America. 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013. Note: Enter search for "From Memphis to Vegas"
  9. ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; ISBN 0-312-18572-3, p. 289.
  10. ^ Jorgensen, op. cit., p. 283.
  11. ^ Jorgensen, Ernst. op. cit., p. 154
  12. ^ Jorgensen, op. cit., p. 289.
  13. ^ Jorgensen, op. cit., p. 289.
  14. ^ Jorgensen, op. cit., p. 419.
  15. ^ Jorgensen, op. cit., p. 420.
  16. ^ shopelvis.com
  17. ^ shopelvis.com
  18. ^ shopelvis.com
  19. ^ "Elvis Presley Recording Sessions: September 26, 1969".
  20. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Elvis Presley – Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "Elvis Presley Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
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