Five years before his untimely death, Elvis Presley entered the Stax recording studios in Memphis to record a series of tracks over the stretch of 12 days split into two sessions in July and December of 1973. Those tracks were never realized as an RCA album, but, instead, were farmed out over several albums. From those noted sessions came six singles that included:
- "Raised On Rock" b/w "For 'Ol Time Sake" (#41 - Hot 100, #42 - Country)
- "I've Got A Thing About You Baby" b/w "Take Good Care Of Her" (#39 - Hot 100, #4 - Country)
- "Promised Land" b/w "It's Midnight" (#14 - Hot 100, #9 - Country)
- "If You Talk In Your Sleep" b/w "Help Me" (#17 - Hot 100, #6 - Country)
- "My Boy" b/w "Thinking About You" (#20 - Hot 100, #14 - Country)
- "Mr Songman" (the charting B-side of "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" (#35 - Hot 100, #11 - Country)
- In 1979, RCA issued "I Got A Feelin' In My Body" for the pop charts from these Stax sessions as a posthumous single release.
For many, the importance of these songs as they historically mark the final studio works of Elvis Presley are without question essential to the memory of "The King." For this reason, Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, a chief RCA hawk over the Presley catalog, felt that the masters and outtakes from these sessions should be given light to shine with.
On August 6, RCA teams with Legacy Recordings to assemble a three-CD box designed to hold 28 of those respected pop and country masters, as well as the 27 "outtakes" that were recorded during those 12 nights. The box will be known as Elvis at Stax: Deluxe Edition. This set will gather all those revered tracks into one comprehensive collection. The presented discs will sort the tracks into pop sessions and country sessions for the outtakes, with the masters presented by recording periods. An extensive booklet with new liner notes will be included.
In addition, RCA/Legacy will issue a two-LP, 180g-weight set as well as a single CD of highlights from the box called simply Elvis at Stax.
Disc 1: The R&B and Country Sessions - The Outtakes: 17 tracks
Disc 2: Part 1 - The Pop Sessions - The Outtakes: 10 tracks
Disc 2: Part 2 - The July 1973 Masters: four single sides and six album tracks, and
Disc 3: The December 1973 Masters: seven single sides and 11 album tracks.
Fans of Elvis Presley continue to be serviced with the wealth of music he left behind. Elvis at Stax: Deluxe Edition is another jewel for the faithful.
Elvis at Stax: Deluxe Edition (RCA/Legacy 88883 72418 2)
Disc 1: The R&B and Country Sessions - The Outtakes: Selections - 1. I Got A Feelin’ In My Body - take 1 (I) • 2. Find Out What’s Happening - takes 8-7 (B) • 3. Promised Land - take 4 (I) • 4. For Ol’ Times Sake - take 4 (I) • 5. I’ve Got A Thing About You, Babe - take 14 (I) • 6. It’s Midnight - take 7 (F) • 7. If You Talk In Your Sleep - take 5 (J) • 8. Loving Arms - take 2 (I) • 9. You Asked Me To - take 3A (F) • 10. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues - take 8 (I) • 11. Talk About The Good Times - take 3 (I) • 12. There’s A Honky Tonk Angel - take 1 (I) • 13. She Wears My Ring - take 8 (I) • 14. Three Corn Patches - take 14 (I) • 15. I Got A Feelin’ In My Body - take 4 (J) • 16. If You Don’t Come Back - take 3 (I) • 17. Promised Land - take 5 (H).
Disc 2: Part 1 - The Pop Sessions - The Outtakes: Selections - 1. Mr. Songman - take 2 (F) • 2. Your Love’s Been A Long time Coming - take 4 (I) • 3. Spanish Eyes - take 2 (I) • 4. Take Good Care Of Her - takes 1,2,3 (D) • 5. It’s Diff’rent Now (unfinished recording) (G) • 6. Thinking About You - take 4 (I) • 7. My Boy - take 1 (D) • 8. Girl Of Mine - take 9 (I) • 9. Love Song Of The Year - take 1 (F) • 10. If That Isn’t Love - take 1 (I) • Part 2 - The July 1973 Masters: • 11. Raised On Rock (Hot 100 #41, country #42) (A) • 12. For Ol’ Time Sake (charts same as track 11) (A) • 13. I’ve Got A Thing About You Baby (Hot 100 #39, country #4) (C) • 14. Take Good Care Of Her (charts same as track 13) (C) • 15. If You Don’t Come Back (A) • 16. Three Corn Patches (A) • 17. Girl Of Mine (A) • 18. Just A Little Bit (A) • 19. Find Out What’s Happening (A) • 20. Sweet Angeline (A) .
Disc 3: The December 1973 Masters: Selections - 1. Promised Land (Hot 100 #14, country #9) (E) • 2. It’s Midnight (charts same as track 1) (E) • 3. If You Talk In Your Sleep (Hot 100 #17, country #6) (E) • 4. Help Me (charts same as track 3) (E) • 5. My Boy (Hot 100 #20, country #14) (C) • 6. Thinking About You (charts same as track 5) (E) • 7. Mr. Songman (Hot 100 #35, country #11) (E) • 8. I Got A Feelin’ In My Body (C) • 9. Loving Arms (C) • 10. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues (C) • 11. You Asked Me To (E) • 12. There’s A Honky Tonk Angel (Who Will Take Me Back In) (E) • 13. Talk About The Good Times (C) • 14. She Wears My Ring (C) • 15. Your Love’s Been A Long Time Coming (E) • 16. Love Song Of The Year (E) • 17. Spanish Eyes (C) • 18. If That Isn’t Love (C).
Album source index:
A - from Raised On Rock/For Ol’ Times Sake LP (RCA APL1-0388, released October 1973)
B - from Raised on Rock CD (FTD 86971 28432, released July 2007)
C - from Good Times LP (RCA CPL1-0475, released March 1974)
D - from Good Times CD (FTD 50602 09750 0 3, released December 2012)
E - from Promised Land LP (RCA APL1-0873, released January 1975)
F - from Promised Land CD (FTD 50602 09750 1 9, released December 2011)
G - from Walk a Mile in My Shoes - The Essential ’70s Masters 5-CD box set (RCA 7863-66670-2, released October 1995)
H - from Platinum - A Life In Music 4-CD box set (RCA 67469, released July 1997)
I - from Rhythm and Country CD (RCA 07863-67672-2, released August 1998)
J - from Today, Tomorrow and Forever 4-CD box set (RCA 07863-65115-2, released June 2002)
