Elvis Presley

INCLUDES 4 BOBNUS TRACKS

This quintessential collector’s edition includes Elvis Presley’s sensational debut LP, Elvis Presley, originally released by RCA-Victor in 1956. Widely regarded as one of the best albums of the Fifties and of his entire career, also was the first rock album to reach number one in the charts. Intriguingly, this debut long play demonstrates that RCA had no idea of what to do with Presley, even though it had paid what was then a king’s ransom to buy his contract from Sam Phillips’ Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee.

The album was produced by Steve Sholes (head of RCA’s Country & Western and Rhythm & Blues division) and released in mono in March 1956. The recording sessions took place on January 10 & 11 at RCA recording studios in Nashville, and on January 30 & 31 at the label’s studios in New York. Additional material originated from sessions at Sun Studio in Memphis, on July 5, August 19, and September 10, 1954, and on July 11, 1955.

In addition to the original masterpiece, this release also includes 4 bonus tracks, consisting of singles from the same period – the great “Heartbreak Hotel” (also cut in Nashville, during the January 1956 sessions, but not included on the original album), the smash hit “Don’t Be Cruel”, the classic rocker “Shake, Rattle and Roll”, and Elvis’ second single for RCA, “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You”.

PERSONNEL:

ELVIS PRESLEY, lead vocals, guitar and piano, plus:

Scotty Moore, Chet Atkins (guitar), Bill Black (bass),
Floyd Cramer, Shorty Long or Marvin Hughes (piano),
D.J. Fontana (drums, out on “Trying to Get to You”),
Johnny Bernero (drums on “Trying to Get to You” only),
Gordon Stoker, Ben Speer and Brock Speer (backing vocals), among others.

Recorded in Memphis, Nashville, and New York, between September 1954 and July 1956.

SIDE 1

01. BLUE SUEDE SHOES
02. I’M COUNTING ON YOU
03. I GOT A WOMAN
04. ONE-SIDED LOVE AFFAIR
05. I LOVE YOU BECAUSE
06. JUST BECAUSE
07. DON’T BE CRUEL(*)
08. HEARTBREAK HOTEL (*)

SIDE 2

01. TUTTI FRUTTI
02. TRYING TO GET TO YOU
03. I’M GONNA SIT RIGHT DOWN AND CRY (OVER YOU)
04. I’LL NEVER LET YOU GO (LITTLE DARLIN’)
05. BLUE MOON
06. MONEY HONEY
07. SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL (*)
08. I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I LOVE YOU (*)

(*) BONUS TRACKS