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Back in Memphis
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Back in Memphis
Current price: $39.99
Barnes and Noble
Back in Memphis
Current price: $39.99
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The product of the same early 1969 Memphis sessions under producer
that yielded the classic
LP in 1969,
is usually thought of as a distinctly lesser album, but that's far too simplistic and harsh a judgement. For starters, any album that contains
' rendition of
's
isn't going to be seriously "lesser" than too many albums on the planet -- that's a given. Indeed, any other singer who released an LP comprised of ten songs as good as those found here could have sat back and congratulated himself on a job magnificently done.
and
are all superb
vocal showcases, presenting him at his most powerful and expressive up to that point, with the last among the most beautiful album tracks that the King ever cut. His rendition of
is a soaring, passionate record,
' voice lofted over a
chorus and a brass- and dobro-dominated accompaniment, all carrying one of the prettiest melodies that he ever sang. And the finale,
is another
homage to
, one of the first
singers to inspire him, whose work
first embraced officially on the finale of his very first long-player (ending
with his rendition of
's hit
back in 1956). Oh, there's nothing here of the extraordinary quality of
or
-- though
come very close -- but how often does (or can) one get three records like that coming out of one place and one set of sessions? [
has appeared as a limited-edition audiophile reissue from Japan. Like
, everything on it and a lot more was compiled on the double-CD
, but LP fans,
completists, and any other interested parties would have to look long and hard to find better albums from 1970 (or any other year) by anyone else.] ~ Bruce Eder