The French LMLR / V.P.I. record label announced the May 2023 release of colored vinyl re-issues of the 7-inch singles ‘Any Way You Want Me’ (South Africa) and ‘Kid Galahad’ (Peru). All singles are limited to a one-time-run of 200 copies.‘Any Way You Want Me’ will be available on off white, silver, red and black colored vinyl. ‘Kid Galahad’ comes on clear, red, off-white, gold and blue colored vinyl.
Mobile Fidelity Vinyl and SACD
The Mobile Fidelity high end record label released the Super Audio CD and 180g 45RPM 2LP Box Set of the classic ‘From Elvis In Memphis’, the latter limited to 10,000 copies.
Description: ‘From Elvis in Memphis’ retains the distinction of being the most cohesive, passionate, mature, and emotionally invested record Elvis Presley ever made.
Named one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone, the white-soul landmark features backing by "The "Memphis Boys" and teems with rhythm-heavy country, gospel, R&B, and blues. Lauded for its natural, open sonics, the 1969 set now comes across with remarkable clarity, presence, and warmth courtesy of a premium restoration befitting a king.
Tracks: Wearin' That Loved On Look / Only the Strong Survive / I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) / Long Black Limousine / It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin' / I'm Movin' On / Power of My Love / Gentle on My Mind / After Loving You / True Love Travels on a Gravel Road / Any Day Now / In the Ghetto / Suspicious Minds.
Sourced from the original master tapes and housed in mini-LP gatefold packaging, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition hybrid SACD of From Elvis in Memphis unearths the ravishing inner detail, sticky rhythms, and brilliant arrangements of Chips Moman’s inspired production. This reissue unlocks the spirit and gestalt of the recording and takes you inside American Sound Studio. It also brings you up close and personal with Presley's singing – widely considered by many to represent the finest of his career – located dead-center amidst the instrumental hurricane. Equally impressive are the contributions of the aforementioned Boys, and how their Southern-brewed playing – a balance of leisure with swiftness, grandiosity with concision, freedom with control – dovetails with Presley's vernacular.
Sharing much in common with the full, rich, orchestrated Stax Records sound, From Elvis in Memphis oozes with choice nuances and distinctive flourishes that on this SACD not only arise with previously unheard transparency and sharpness, but complement and serve the whole. Take the specific tonalities and blending of violas, cellos, and horns that communicate mood and serve as counterpoints. Or lively performances of the backing quintet, and how the piano and Hammond organ trace the lines of the melodies and Presley's lead. Listen to the uplifting support provided by the cadre of backing vocalists (more than a dozen credited), unrivaled in Presley's canon and a precursor to the approach he'd soon adopt in Las Vegas.
Writing about the work's 40th anniversary for Rolling Stone, James Hunter correctly observed: "From Elvis in Memphis represented the full-on immersion in the Memphis idea of Elvis Presley, the American singer second only to Frank Sinatra for the ability to conjure a particular sonic universe with his merest vocal utterance. And from the album's first song, in which a bluesy Elvis espies a woman 'Wearin' That Loved On Look,' to its last, in which a more straight-up-pop Elvis regrets the injustices of life 'In the Ghetto,' his fully engaged, newly energized voice finds its most logical album setting in years."
Incredibly, Presley and company completed more than two dozen cuts for From Elvis in Memphis. One, "Suspicious Minds," turned into the vocalist's final chart-topping single and lingers as one of his most beloved rock n' roll numbers. Even though it never formally appeared on the record, the non-album song is included on here as a bonus track and attains newfound depth, energy, and swagger. Coupled with the other dozen tracks – including the sultry 'Power of My Love', balladic take of Dallas Frazier's 'True Love Travels on a Gravel Road', and driving cover of Hank Snow's 'I'm Moving On' – it makes for an unforgettable listening experience.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called "converts") are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity's UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.
Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analog lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.
More info on the >>> Mobile Fidelity site.
Congrats!
Glen D. Hardin, Elvis former arranger and pianist, celebrated his 84th birthday today! Congrats!
Off The Record, We're The Greatest
The new Elevated Stage Sound Records import record label released 'Off The Record, We're The Greatest' volume 1 and 2. These CDs contain 2 completely unknown Las Vegas shows: the August 28 1972 Dinner Show and the August 29 1972 Evening Show.
These two CDs are the start of a new series from a well-known import record label, focusing on rare, exceptional or unreleased recordings which won't be released on the main record label. These releases come housed in a CD-sized mini gatefold LP with inner sleeve.
Publicity stated: Elvis is bringing the house down, the audience is singing along and fans get crazy. And best of all, it’s never been available in any form until now!
We hope it brings you joy that we bring new material and not neglecting rare and beautiful audience recordings. These audience recordings often capture the essence of an Elvis Show better than a soundboard or Multi track recording. They may surprise you with crazy and funny facts and impressive performances and more banter. The title for these two CDs are literally taken from an advertisement from the seventies by RCA Magnetic Tape and somehow this suits Elvis in a cheeky way!
At Better Sound Studio they restored the audio from the original tapes. The recording itself was damaged, but offered a good base to work with. The rarity and the high-quality of the performances made us proceed to achieve a good result. For the purists, we did not remove all noise since it would also remove music detail and loses dynamic of the performance.
Overall we tried to get the audio balanced, cleaning up where possible, in some cases it was impossible without degrading the audio, so we left it as it is. We raised the spoken parts to hear Elvis talking which was a challenge at some parts, his banter is fun at times and makes the whole show even better. We consider this a better-quality audience recording despite the limitations of the source tape.
(Source: Mobile Fidelity / Pascal Matteo / Elvis My Happiness)
