No. 190: From Elvis In Memphis

Band: Elvis Presley
Album: From Elvis In Memphis
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: Widely considered to be Elvis' best proper album, "From Elvis in Memphis" had The King going back to his Southern roots. More soulful than his soundtrack work, the record had Elvis adapting to a Stax-type sound with resounding results.
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: I'm not personally a huge fan of this sort of thing, though I understand its appeal.
Best song: "In The Ghetto" is pretty great and is a signature Elvis track.
Worst song: "Gentle On My Mind" isn't fantastic.
Is it awesome?: It's not my style, but people seem to love it.

In the late 60s, Elvis Presley was stuck in a cycle of movie making that left him precious little time to record anything other than soundtrack albums. So, in 1968, he produced his Elvis comeback special and later hauled to Memphis in order to get back to his music-making roots.

The result? A much less rocking affair. certainty influenced by the Stax sound being produced from Memphis at the time, Elvis' band is much more soulful. In contrast to his rock and roll work of the '50s, "From Elvis In Memphis" shows Elvis with his lower register, destroying the songs chosen for him.

His gospel-tinged "Long Black Limousine" is moving and great, while his attempt at Stax soul, "Only The Strong Survive" is surprisingly good. The standout track, "In The Ghetto," is a great look at Elvis' voice telling a story, albeit something of a protest story.

"From Elvis In Memphis" isn't made for me. It's a cool record, but I think its audience is for someone decidedly not me.

No. 55: Elvis Presley

Band: Elvis Presley
Album: Elvis Presley
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: Elvis' first proper record, "Elvis Presley" collected Elvis' early work for easy teenage consumption. It's a nice piece of work.
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: In my eyes, this is a more important set of recordings than "The Sun Sessions." These are the songs that mattered, not the ones that came first ("Sun" has those), though some of the Sun songs are on here.
Best song: Three words: Blue. Suede. Shoes.
Worst song: Elvis' version of "Tutti Frutti" isn't 1/100 as good as Little Richard's.
Is it awesome?: Sure.

From Rolling Stone's writeup for the 2003 list:

In November 1955, RCA Records bought Presley's contract, singles and unreleased master tapes from Sun Records for $35,000. His first full-length album came out six months later, with tracks drawn from both the Sun sessions and from further recording at RCA's studios in New York and Nashville.

I wasn't sure where to put that, but it's important information. So, there it is.
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Elvis Presley is the window through which America saw rock and roll music in the '50s. He was white, Southern, handsome and just dangerous enough for teenagers to love him. His voice, though, was great for the time and the place. It was a near perfect instrument for the burgeoning black music coming from the South based on gospel, blues and country music.

His first proper album shows the various covers he made his own during this period. Most of the time, the songs soar, as evidenced by "Blue Suede Shoes" and "I Got A Woman." It's not as good on "Tutti Frutti." Still, one can listen and imagine Presley's hips swaying and his lip sneering in a way no one had seen before and has been often imitated since.

No. 11: The Sun Sessions

Band: Elvis Presley
Album: The Sun Sessions
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: Elvis needs to be here and this is Elvis at his rawest. It has some of the great old Elvis covers like "Baby, Let's Play House" and, of course, "That's All Right."
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: This record brings up the question of "import" versus "awesome record." Elvis is certainly important, but it's early rock and roll. It's not a perfection of the form.
Best song: "That's All Right" and it's not even close.
Worst song: "I Love You Because" is kind of stinky.
Is it awesome?: Basically, yes.

Elvis is the king of rock and roll, but he's still an early rock and roller. The Sun Sessions are basically the beginning of the art form and they're probably the most important records of all time. "That's All Right" is widely considered the first popular rock and roll record and it's amazing. Listening to it, you can hear the rawness of the records, though they're not half as raw as the early rock and roll by black artists.

Look, this is what made rock and roll important. The black subculture was not recognized by most white consumers and certainly not on the scale that country singers were. Elvis (and Sam Phillips) could bring this black music to the mainstream.

Are these Elvis' best songs? I'd argue "no." But, this is the infancy of the form and the songs that made the form into what it is today. It's "important" in the same way that "Sgt. Pepper's" is important. For that, the record deserves to be on the list. And high.