Elvis Presley
Studio album by
Elvis Presley
ReleasedMarch 23, 1956
RecordedJuly 5, 1954 – January 31, 1956
Studio
Genre
Length28:03
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerSam Phillips (Sun recordings)
Stephen H. Sholes (RCA recordings)
Elvis Presley chronology
Elvis Presley
(1956)		 Elvis
(1956)
Singles from Elvis Presley
  1. "Blue Suede Shoes"
    Released: August 31, 1956[1]
  2. "I Got a Woman"
    Released: August 31, 1956[2]
  3. "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')"
    Released: August 31, 1956[3]
  4. "I Love You Because"
    Released: August 31, 1956[4]
  5. "Just Because"
    Released: August 31, 1956[5]
  6. "Money Honey"
    Released: August 31, 1956[6]

Elvis Presley (released in the UK as Elvis Presley Rock n' Roll[7]) is the debut studio album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. It was released by RCA Victor, on March 23, 1956,[8] (catalog number LPM-1254). The recording sessions took place on January 10 and January 11 at the RCA Victor Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and on January 30 and January 31 at the RCA Victor studios in New York. Additional material originated from sessions at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 5, August 19 and September 10, 1954, and on July 11, 1955.[9]

The album spent ten weeks at number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in 1956, the first rock and roll album ever to make it to the top of the charts,[10] and the first million-selling album of that genre.[11] In 2003 and 2012, it was ranked number 56 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,[12][13] and at number 332 in a 2020 revised list.[14] Elvis Presley was also one of three Presley albums to receive accolades in the reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[15] It was certified gold on November 1, 1966, and platinum on August 8, 2011, by the Recording Industry Association of America.[16]

The original 1956 UK release called Rock n' Roll on HMV Catalog Number: CLP 1093 has five different tracks.

Background

By the second half of 1955, singles on Sun Records by Presley began making the national country and western singles chart, "Baby Let's Play House" and "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" going to number 5 and number 1 respectively.[17] Colonel Tom Parker, the new manager of Presley, had extensive dealings with RCA Victor through his previous client, singer Eddy Arnold, especially with the head of the Country and Western and Rhythm and blues division, Steve Sholes.[18] At the urging of Parker, on November 21, 1955, Sholes bought Presley's contract from Sam Phillips, the head of Sun Records and Studio, for the unprecedented sum of $40,000.[19] Presley and rock and roll were still untested properties for the major labels in the music business, but this album, along with the number one single "Heartbreak Hotel", proved the selling power of both: it was the first RCA Victor pop album to earn more than $1,000,000,[11] and in 1956 it had sold over one million units.[11][20]

Content

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[21]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[22]
MusicHound[23]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[24]
Rough Guides[25]
Sputnikmusic5/5[26]

Presley made appearances in four consecutive weeks on the Dorsey Brothers television program Stage Show in early 1956, on January 28, February 4, February 11, and February 18.[27] RCA wanted an album in the stores fast to capitalize both on the nationwide TV exposure and the success of his first hit single on the pop charts with "Heartbreak Hotel", swiftly climbing to the top after its release on January 27. At the same time, there had only been two series of Presley recording sessions for RCA Victor by the end of the Dorsey stint, after which Presley and his band were back on the road. Those two sessions yielded an additional eleven tracks, almost enough to fill an entire LP, although some tracks had singles potential. In the 1950s, general practice dictated tracks having greater commercial potential to be released as singles, with tracks of lesser appeal placed on albums; as such, RCA Victor neither took all eleven tracks and simply made an album, nor placed the already released and briskly-selling "Heartbreak Hotel" on it. The rights to the Sun Studio tapes had transferred to RCA Victor with the sale of his contract, so five previously unreleased Sun songs, "I Love You Because", "Just Because", "Tryin' to Get to You", "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')", and "Blue Moon" were added to seven of the RCA Victor sessions tracks to bring the running time of the album up to an acceptable length.[11] Phillips produced the sessions at Sun, and no producer was officially listed for the RCA Victor sessions, leading to the belief that Presley himself produced them.[28]

As the Sun tracks were mostly country-styled, Elvis and RCA Victor leavened the selections with covers of recent rhythm and blues songs. Two of these, "Money Honey" by Jesse Stone, known to Elvis from a version by Clyde McPhatter, and Ray Charles' 1955 hit "I Got a Woman", had been in Presley's live act for a year.[29] A third was the frenetic announcement to the world of the existence of Little Richard in 1955, "Tutti Frutti". A rockabilly number that was believed to be a potential hit and could hold its own with the R&B material, "Blue Suede Shoes", was not initially released as a single from a promise by Sholes to Sam Phillips to protect the career of another Sun artist, Carl Perkins, the author of the song.[30] Instead, it was diverted into being the opening track on the album.

On August 31, 1956, RCA Victor took the unusual step of releasing the entire album as singles, which undoubtedly kept the new single released simultaneously, "Shake, Rattle and Roll" backed with "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", from reaching the charts. However, "Blue Suede Shoes", released in single form as a part of this experiment by RCA Victor, kept the promise to Phillips and Perkins by waiting over eight months since the song's release on Sun. It had however, been the lead song on two earlier EPs which sold well enough to make it to number 20 on the singles chart the week of April 28.[31]

Artwork

The cover is ranked number 40 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest album covers, published in 1991.[32] The photograph of Elvis was taken at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida, on July 31, 1955.[33] Initially, it was thought that Popsie Randolph took the image featured on the front cover, since the album only credited one photographer. However, in August 2002, Joseph A. Tunzi documented that the actual photographer was William V. "Red" Robertson of Robertson & Fresch. The Popsie credit attributed to the album only applied to a series of photos featured on the back cover, taken in New York City in early December 1955, shortly after Presley had signed with RCA Victor. Tunzi was quoted in the Tampa Tribune as saying, "Forget about Popsie. Popsie did not take that photo."[34]

The graphic and photo were also used on an EP and a double-EP comprising songs from this album, also released in March 1956.[35]

The design was echoed by the Clash for the front of their 1979 album London Calling; that cover is number 39 on the Rolling Stone list of 100 greatest album covers noted previously. Other acts of cover homage include F-Punk by Big Audio Dynamite in 1995 and Reintarnation in 2006 by k.d. lang, and Chumbawamba's controversial single "Tony Blair".

Reissues

RCA first reissued the original 12 track album on compact disc in 1984. This issue, in reprocessed (fake) stereo sound, was quickly withdrawn and the disc was reissued in original mono. In 1999, RCA reissued the album with an altered running order, adding on six bonus tracks from three non-album singles, including the chart-toppers "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You". In 2005, the album was reissued again, remastered using DSD technology with the six bonus tracks appended in standard fashion. A two-disc set was released on the Follow That Dream collectors label on August 15, 2006, with bonus tracks and numerous alternate takes.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Blue Suede Shoes"Carl PerkinsJanuary 30, 19562:00
2."I'm Counting on You"Don RobertsonJanuary 11, 19562:25
3."I Got a Woman"
January 10, 19562:25
4."One Sided Love Affair"Bill CampbellJanuary 30, 19562:11
5."I Love You Because"Leon PayneJuly 5, 19542:43
6."Just Because"
  • Bob Shelton
  • Joe Shelton
  • Sydney Robin
September 10, 19542:34
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Tutti Frutti"
January 31, 19561:59
2."Tryin' to Get to You"
July 11, 19552:31
3."I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)"
January 31, 19562:01
4."I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')"Jimmy WakelySeptember 10, 19542:24
5."Blue Moon"
August 19, 19542:40
6."Money Honey"Jesse StoneJanuary 10, 19562:35
UK edition - side one
No.TitleLength
1."Blue Suede Shoes" 
2."I Got a Woman" 
3."I'm Counting on You" 
4."I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" 
5."That's All Right" 
6."Money Honey" 
UK edition - side two
No.TitleLength
1."Mystery Train" 
2."I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)" 
3."Trying to Get to You" 
4."One Sided Love Affair" 
5."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" 
6."Shake, Rattle And Roll" 
1999 edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heartbreak Hotel"
2:08
2."I Was the One"
2:34
3."Blue Suede Shoes"Perkins1:58
4."I'm Counting on You"Robertson2:24
5."I Got a Woman"
  • Charles
  • Richard
2:23
6."One-sided Love Affair"Campbell2:09
7."I Love You Because"Payne2:42
8."Just Because"
  • B. Shelton
  • J. Shelton
  • Robin
2:32
9."Tutti Frutti"
  • LaBostrie
  • Penniman
1:58
10."Tryin' to Get to You"
  • McCoy
  • Singleton
2:31
11."I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)"
  • Biggs
  • Thomas
2:01
12."I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')"Wakely2:24
13."Blue Moon"
  • Rodgers
  • Lorenz Hart
2:31
14."Money Honey"Stone2:34
15."Lawdy Miss Clawdy"Lloyd Price2:08
16."Shake, Rattle and Roll"Charles Calhoun2:37
17."My Baby Left Me"Arthur Crudup2:12
18."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"
  • Lou Kosloff
  • George Mysels
2:40
2006 FTD edition (Disc one)
No.TitleLength
1."Blue Suede Shoes"2:01
2."I'm Counting on You"2:24
3."I Got a Woman"2:25
4."One Sided Love Affair"2:11
5."I Love You Because"2:40
6."Just Because"2:33
7."Tutti Frutti"1:59
8."Trying to Get to You"2:33
9."I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)"2:04
10."I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')"2:25
11."Blue Moon"2:43
12."Money Honey"2:36
13."Heartbreak Hotel"2:09
14."I Was the One"2:33
15."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy"2:10
16."Shake, Rattle and Roll"2:27
17."My Baby Left Me"2:13
18."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"2:44
19."I Got a Woman" (Incomplete unknown take number)1:32
20."I Got a Woman" (Unknown take number)2:26
21."Heartbreak Hotel" (Incomplete take 4)1:07
22."Heartbreak Hotel" (Take 5)2:17
23."Heartbreak Hotel" (Take 6)2:16
24."Money Honey" (Fragments)0:08
25."Money Honey" (Take 6)0:24
26."Money Honey" (Incomplete take 10)1:27
27."I'm Counting on You" (Take 1)2:20
28."I'm Counting on You" (Take 13)2:33
29."I'm Counting on You" (Incomplete take 14)2:19
30."I Was the One" (Take 1)0:13
31."I Was the One" (Take 2 – false start)0:11
32."I Was the One" (Take 2)2:32
33."I Was the One" (Take 3 – false start)0:12
34."I Was the One" (Take 3- incomplete)0:56
35."I Was the One" (Take 7a – not master)2:41
36."I Was the One" (Incomplete unknown take)1:31
2006 FTD edition (Disc two)
No.TitleLength
1."I'm Counting on You" (Take 1)0:37
2."I'm Counting on You" (Incomplete take 2)1:35
3."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 1)2:40
4."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 3)2:21
5."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 4)2:17
6."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 5)2:20
7."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 6)2:19
8."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 7)1:52
9."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 8)0:59
10."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 9)2:16
11."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 10)2:27
12."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 11)0:13
13."Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" (Take 12)2:20
14."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 1)0:38
15."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 2)2:34
16."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 3)0:19
17."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 5)0:47
18."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 6)0:34
19."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 7)2:41
20."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 8)2:34
21."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 9)0:20
22."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 10)0:12
23."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 11)0:14
24."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 12)1:41
25."Shake Rattle and Roll" (Take 12 – undubbed, unedited master)2:36
26."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"0:07
27."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 3)3:05
28."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 4)2:56
29."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 5 – fragment)0:14
30."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 13)2:57
31."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 14 – incomplete)1:50
32."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 15)2:55
33."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 16)2:54
34."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" (Take 17)2:49
35."Don Davis Interviews Elvis Presley"3:53
2011 Legacy edition (Disc one)
No.TitleLength
1."Blue Suede Shoes"1:58
2."I'm Counting on You"2:24
3."I Got a Woman"2:23
4."One Sided Love Affair"2:09
5."I Love You Because"2:42
6."Just Because"2:32
7."Tutti Frutti"1:59
8."Tryin' to Get to You"2:33
9."I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)"2:05
10."I'll Never Let You Go (Lil' Darlin')"2:25
11."Blue Moon"2:43
12."Money Honey"2:36
13."Heartbreak Hotel"2:08
14."I Was the One"2:34
15."My Baby Left Me"2:12
16."Lawdy Miss Clawdy"2:08
17."Shake, Rattle and Roll"2:37
2011 Legacy edition (Disc two)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rip It Up"
1:50
2."Love Me"
2:41
3."When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again"
  • Gene Sullivan
  • Wiley Walker
2:18
4."Long Tall Sally"
1:51
5."First in Line"
3:21
6."Paralyzed"
2:18
7."So Glad You're Mine"Arthur Crudup2:18
8."Old Shep"Red Foley4:10
9."Ready Teddy"
  • Blackwell
  • Marascalco
1:55
10."Anyplace Is Paradise"Joe Thomas2:26
11."How's the World Treating You?"
2:23
12."How Do You Think I Feel"
2:10
13."I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"
  • Lou Kosloff
  • George Mysels
2:40
14."Hound Dog"
  • Leiber
  • Stoller
2:16
15."Don't Be Cruel"
  • Blackwell
  • Presley
2:30
16."Anyway You Want Me (That's How I Will Be)"
  • Cliff Owens
  • Schroeder
2:13
17."Too Much"
  • Lee Rosenberg
  • Bernard Weinman
2:31
18."Playing for Keeps"Stan Kesler2:50
19."Love Me Tender"
  • Vera Matson
  • Presley
2:41

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[39] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley Official Web Site Elvis The Music". elvisthemusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  2. ↑ "I Got A Woman - Elvis Presley Official Web Site Elvis The Music". elvisthemusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  3. ↑ "I'll Never Let You Go | Elvis Presley Official Web Site Elvis The Music". elvisthemusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "I Love You Because - Elvis Presley Official Web Site Elvis The Music". elvisthemusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "Just Because - Elvis Presley Official Web Site Elvis The Music". elvisthemusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "Money Honey - Elvis Presley Official Web Site Elvis The Music". elvisthemusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  8. ↑ "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
  9. ↑ "Keith Flynn's Elvis Presley Pages". RIAA. 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  10. ↑ Billboard, v. 108, Nr. 21, p. 106, May 25, 1996, retrieved on September 13, 2012
  11. 1 2 3 4 Victor, Adam (2008). The Elvis Encyclopedia. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-7156-3816-3.
  12. ↑ "Music News – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone.
  13. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  14. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  15. ↑ "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". RIAA. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013. Note: Enter search for "Presley, Elvis"
  16. ↑ "Searchable datebase". RIAA. 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013. Note: Enter search for "Presley, Elvis" and go to pages 1 and 36
  17. ↑ Sources:
  18. ↑ Nash, Alanna. The Colonel. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2003; ISBN 0-7432-1301-7; pp. 107–111.
  19. ↑ "Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator". United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, (Nov. 1955-July 2017).
  20. ↑ "Searchable Database". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2015-09-04.
  21. ↑ AllMusic review
  22. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  23. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 892. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  24. ↑ "Elvis Presley: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  25. ↑ Simpson, Paul (2004). The Rough Guide to Elvis. London: Rough Guides. pp. 109–10. ISBN 1-84353-417-7.
  26. ↑ "Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (album review 2) - Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com.
  27. ↑ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley, A Life In Music. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; ISBN 0-312-18572-3, p. 41
  28. ↑ Jorgensen, Ernst. Elvis Presley, A Life In Music. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998; ISBN 0-312-18572-3, pp. 35 and 38
  29. ↑ Guralnick, Peter. The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters, 1992, insert booklet, p. 20.
  30. ↑ Guralnick, Peter. The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters, 1992, insert booklet, p. 24.
  31. ↑ Billboard April 28, 1956, p. 42
  32. ↑ "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Album Covers". RateYourMusic.
  33. ↑ "Armory shook up history of Tampa" – The Tampa Tribune, Dec. 11, 2011 Archived 2012-10-21 at the Wayback Machine
  34. ↑ Tampa Tribune, Steven M. Weaver, August 16, 2002, Greg Williams, Forever Elvis In Tampa
  35. ↑ Elvis 1956 Discography. sergeant.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
  36. ↑ "From The Beatles to Kanye West & Beyond: Artists With the Most No. 1 Albums on the Billboard 200 Chart". June 10, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  37. ↑ Hoffmann, Frank; Albert, George (1988). The Cashbox Album Charts, 1955–1974. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-2005-0.
  38. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  39. ↑ "American album certifications – Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley". Recording Industry Association of America.
Sources
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