RCA/Legacy will be honoring the 50th Anniversary of Elvis Presley's final recording sessions in Nashville with the release of a new album coming this fall. Elvis: Back In Nashville is set for release on Nov. 12 and will include 82 studio recordings across the 4 discs in the collection. In fact, the first track -- "I'm Leavin'" is available now!
Videos by Wide Open Country
An unboxing event will be streamed live today (Aug. 12) at 5 pm ET from the Guest House Theater at Graceland as part of 2021 Elvis Week and will be hosted by Tom Brown and mixing engineer Matt Ross-Spang. The event will be live-streamed here and here.
According to a press release, these original recordings are pristine and accurately portray the way Elvis and his band sounded live in the studio decades ago.
"Like its predecessor, From Elvis In Nashville (released November 2020), Elvis: Back In Nashville is designed to showcase Elvis Presley and his core band as they sounded during the actual sessions without orchestral overdubs and vocal accompaniment. A key difference between Elvis' 1970 and 1971 Nashville sessions is that many of the 1971 recordings included backing singers; therefore, Elvis: Back In Nashville offers a variety of song performances both with and without vocal augmentation."
Read More: Remembering Elvis Presley's Gospel Medley From His 1968 Comeback Special
These Nashville recordings came after the King's Memphis recordings and helped him make a comeback as well as introduce a new sound to his music. Across the four discs, you'll get a taste of some of Presley's country collaborations, gospel, and even Christmas songs.
Here's the breakdown of what's included
Disc One features 18 tracks and includes The Country/Folk Sides (an unrealized Elvis project featuring songs by Ewan McColl, Gordon Lightfoot, Kris Kristofferson, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Bob Dylan), The Piano Recordings (raw Elvis singing Ivory Joe Hunter with piano accompaniment) and The Pop Sides (classic pop compositions including "Padre," "Fools Rush In Where Angels Fear To Tread," "My Way," "I'm Leavin'" and more).
Disc Two features 25 tracks divided between The Religious Sides (classic and contemporary gospel) and The Christmas Sides (sacred and secular seasonal holiday music).
Disc Three features 19 tracks and picks up on the country pop repertoire of Disc One and adds some rock 'n' roll with a variety of cuts including impromptu performances of "Johnny B. Goode" and "Lady Madonna," an epic take on Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, (It's Alright)", fresh interpretations of "Help Me Make It Through The Night," "Early Morning Rain" and more.
Disc Four features 20 tracks and includes The Religious Outtakes and The Christmas Outtakes.
