retro roundup
Posted: October 20th, 2025, 12:59 pm
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We now continue with the Elvis Presley hits of the 1970s that did not hit the top-10 on the Billboard pop charts. But before I proceed, let me just note something about the 13-hour Elvis box set chronicling his summer of 1969 Las Vegas residency. Many shows were recorded in stereo to get the best versions of songs that made up the live disc of the From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis 2-LP set.
I've been listening to the Aug. 21, 1969 show and it's absolutely wild — Elvis is more ribald than I've ever heard him outside his studio sessions, especially when he changes a lyric during Blue Suede Shoes, which results in him laughing throughout the song; and in his lengthy introduction to Hound Dog. RCA wasn't going to use any of that for the 1969 2-LP set, but it would have been fun if they did.
And now to the non top-10 hits:
I'm Leavin' (#36)- Elvis said that he loved this song, released as a standalone single, enough that the many takes it took to perfect it was worth the effort. Sadly, Elvis's 1971 studio sessions, with some exceptions, marked a change in the singer's performances. From the 1968 Comeback special to the September 1970 Nashville session, Elvis was on fire, and it seemed that his singing was effortless. In 1971, whether due to depression, the onset of glaucoma, increased drug intake or just plain boredom, Elvis struggled, also at RCA's Nashville studio, to garner some fire. This song, while nice in terms of lyrics, has such an awkward structure that I wonder if the Elvis of 1968-70 could have given the song some oomph, or did it require such oomph? So, perhaps, Elvis's diminished voice suited the song, during which he sounds absolutely miserable.
It's Only Love (#51)- Notwithstanding the fact Elvis struggles here to provide It's Only Love with some of his old fire, this is my absolute favourite Presley song. Not because of the quality of Elvis's singing, which is good enough, but because of the song itself, which was previously a hit by B.J. Thomas, and the way the musicians play it. Interestingly, during the sessions, the musicians attempted the same uptempo part that's on the Thomas version, but it was clear it wasn't going to work. For the version released as a standalone single, seek out, on YouTube, the mono single mix, which has somewhat more punch in the rhythm section. The string arrangement is great, too. This should have gone top-10.
Until It's Time For You To Go (#40)- This song, which was on the mishmash Elvis Now album, which contained recordings from 1969, 1970 and 1971, was written by Canadian Buffy Sainte-Marie. Elvis gives it a nice, sensitive reading and is perfect for his 1971 voice. Nothing revelatory here, though.
An American Trilogy (#68)- The fact this live recording, written by Mickey Newbury, did not hit the top-10 is quite a surprise. First of all, this live in Las Vegas performance from February 1972 is spectacular, both bombastic and sensitive, and Elvis gets back some of the fire missing in some of his 1971 studio sessions. Also, his performance of this song at his 1970s concerts inspired spontaneous bursts of patriotic fervour and weeping, and in retrospect, it's considered one of his defining live songs. For evidence, check out the YouTube reaction videos to the video performance from Elvis's January 1973 Aloha From Hawaii TV special. While it's not vocally the best of his many performances of the song, visually, it's spectacular.
Next time: The post-Burning Love songs.
By Joel Goldenberg The Suburban Oct 18, 2025 Updated Oct 19, 2025
We now continue with the Elvis Presley hits of the 1970s that did not hit the top-10 on the Billboard pop charts. But before I proceed, let me just note something about the 13-hour Elvis box set chronicling his summer of 1969 Las Vegas residency. Many shows were recorded in stereo to get the best versions of songs that made up the live disc of the From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis 2-LP set.
I've been listening to the Aug. 21, 1969 show and it's absolutely wild — Elvis is more ribald than I've ever heard him outside his studio sessions, especially when he changes a lyric during Blue Suede Shoes, which results in him laughing throughout the song; and in his lengthy introduction to Hound Dog. RCA wasn't going to use any of that for the 1969 2-LP set, but it would have been fun if they did.
And now to the non top-10 hits:
I'm Leavin' (#36)- Elvis said that he loved this song, released as a standalone single, enough that the many takes it took to perfect it was worth the effort. Sadly, Elvis's 1971 studio sessions, with some exceptions, marked a change in the singer's performances. From the 1968 Comeback special to the September 1970 Nashville session, Elvis was on fire, and it seemed that his singing was effortless. In 1971, whether due to depression, the onset of glaucoma, increased drug intake or just plain boredom, Elvis struggled, also at RCA's Nashville studio, to garner some fire. This song, while nice in terms of lyrics, has such an awkward structure that I wonder if the Elvis of 1968-70 could have given the song some oomph, or did it require such oomph? So, perhaps, Elvis's diminished voice suited the song, during which he sounds absolutely miserable.
It's Only Love (#51)- Notwithstanding the fact Elvis struggles here to provide It's Only Love with some of his old fire, this is my absolute favourite Presley song. Not because of the quality of Elvis's singing, which is good enough, but because of the song itself, which was previously a hit by B.J. Thomas, and the way the musicians play it. Interestingly, during the sessions, the musicians attempted the same uptempo part that's on the Thomas version, but it was clear it wasn't going to work. For the version released as a standalone single, seek out, on YouTube, the mono single mix, which has somewhat more punch in the rhythm section. The string arrangement is great, too. This should have gone top-10.
Until It's Time For You To Go (#40)- This song, which was on the mishmash Elvis Now album, which contained recordings from 1969, 1970 and 1971, was written by Canadian Buffy Sainte-Marie. Elvis gives it a nice, sensitive reading and is perfect for his 1971 voice. Nothing revelatory here, though.
An American Trilogy (#68)- The fact this live recording, written by Mickey Newbury, did not hit the top-10 is quite a surprise. First of all, this live in Las Vegas performance from February 1972 is spectacular, both bombastic and sensitive, and Elvis gets back some of the fire missing in some of his 1971 studio sessions. Also, his performance of this song at his 1970s concerts inspired spontaneous bursts of patriotic fervour and weeping, and in retrospect, it's considered one of his defining live songs. For evidence, check out the YouTube reaction videos to the video performance from Elvis's January 1973 Aloha From Hawaii TV special. While it's not vocally the best of his many performances of the song, visually, it's spectacular.
Next time: The post-Burning Love songs.
By Joel Goldenberg The Suburban Oct 18, 2025 Updated Oct 19, 2025