From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters

From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters is a five-disc box set compilation of studio master recordings by American singer and musician Elvis Presley during the decade of the 1960s; it was released in 1993 on RCA Records, catalogue number 66160-2. In its initial long-box release, it included a set of collectable stamps duplicating the record jackets of every Presley LP on RCA Victor, and those of the singles pertinent to this box set. The set also includes a booklet with an extensive session list and discography, as well as a lengthy essay by Peter Guralnick. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on November 30, 1993, and Platinum on January 6, 2004. This set followed an exhaustive box set of Presley's 1950s output and was followed by a collection of his soundtrack work and a more selective box set of his work in the 1970s.

Contents The box comprises every master recording made by Presley during the decade and released in his lifetime, with the exception of those made at sessions for movie soundtracks or for television broadcasts, with one exception in the latter case. The set also excludes Presley's gospel recordings and live performances, but does include songs that had been recorded at non-soundtrack sessions, but which were released on soundtrack albums in order to bring the album running-time to an acceptable length, such as the sessions of May 26 and May 27, 1963. As a result of these criteria, only two of Presely's 1960s original albums are represented in their entirety in the set: Elvis Is Back! and From Elvis in Memphis; all other Presley albums of the decade, with the exception of two gospel albums, included at least one film-derived recording, or in the case of From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis, live recordings.

The first four discs and the first nine tracks of the fifth disc present the studio masters in chronological session order, with the above noted exceptions. The opening eighteen tracks of the first disc contain Elvis Is Back! and its three attendant chart-topping singles, "Stuck on You", "It's Now or Never", and "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", along with their B-sides. The remainder of disc one and discs two and three include the highlights "Surrender", "His Latest Flame", "Little Sister", "Suspicion", "She's Not You", his cover of Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time", and "U.S. Male". Disc three includes two previously unreleased recordings, an unreleased alternate take, and three unedited masters including a long version of the "Guitar Man" single that segues into "What'd I Say".

Disc four and the first nine tracks of disc five cover the entire released output of the Memphis sessions at American Sound Studio, yielding the albums From Elvis in Memphis and the studio disk of the double album From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis, along with various hit singles including his latter-day signature song, "Suspicious Minds". The remainder of disc five contains nine previously unreleased alternate takes, a version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis Tennessee" from an earlier session, an unreleased recording from the Memphis sessions, an undubbed version of his 1960 #1 hit single "It's Now or Never", and the duet medley of "Love Me Tender" and "Witchcraft" between Presley and Frank Sinatra, broadcast on Sinatra's ABC television special to welcome Elvis home after his service in the army ended by the spring of 1960.

RCA issued two similarly configured companions, a box set for the 1950s and another one for the 1970s. A separate two-disc set surveys highlights from the 1960s soundtracks. The two non-soundtrack studio albums from the 1960s whose contents do not appear on this box, His Hand in Mine and How Great Thou Art, were released in a similar two-disc set for the gospel recordings in 1994, Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Performances.

The Sinatra/Presley duet was recorded at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, Florida. All other recordings were made in Tennessee at either RCA Studio B in Nashville, or at American Studio in Memphis. Original recordings produced by Steve Sholes, Chet Atkins, Felton Jarvis, and Chips Moman.

Track listing Chart positions for LPs from Billboard Top Pop Albums chart; positions for singles from Billboard Pop Singles chart. Certain tracks listed as unreleased on the insert card of the jewel cases are unedited masters of issued tracks; those are indicated with an asterisk and listed with the original issue information for the released master. By late 1968, Billboard discontinued charting B-sides.

Disc one Track Song title Writer(s) Time Recorded Release date Catalogue Original LP Issue Chart peak 1. Make Me Know It Otis Blackwell 2:31 1960-03-20 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 2. Soldier Boy David Jones and Theodore Williams Jr. 1:55 1960-03-20 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 3. Stuck on You Aaron Schroeder and J. Leslie McFarland 2:18 1960-03-20 1960-03-23 47-7740 #1 4. Fame and Fortune Fred Wise and Ben Weisman 2:30 1960-03-20 1960-03-23 47-7740b #17 5. A Mess of Blues Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 2:39 1960-03-20 1960-07-05 47-7777b #32 6. It Feels So Right Fred Wise and Ben Weisman 2:31 1960-03-20 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 7. Fever Otis Blackwell (as John Davenport), Eddie Cooley 2:58 1960-04-03 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 8. Like a Baby Jesse Stone 2:24 1960-04-03 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 9. It's Now or Never Eduardo di Capua, Aaron Schroeder, Wally Gold 3:15 1960-04-03 1960-07-05 47-7777 #1 10. The Girl of My Best Friend Beverly Ross and Sam Bobrick 2:21 1960-04-03 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 11. Dirty, Dirty Feeling Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller 2:12 1960-04-03 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 12. Thrill of Your Love Stan Kesler 2:38 1960-04-03 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 13. I Gotta Know Paul Evans and Matt Williams 2:15 1960-04-03 1960-11-01 47-7810b #20 14. Such a Night Lincoln Chase 2:15 1960-04-03 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 15. Are You Lonesome Tonight? Lou Handman and Roy Turk 3:05 1960-04-03 1960-11-01 47-7810 #1 16. Girl Next Door Went A-Walking Bill Rice and Thomas Wayne 2:24 1960-04-03 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 17. I Will Be Home Again Bennie Benjamin, Raymond Leveen, Lou Singer 2:28 1960-04-03 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 18. Reconsider Baby Lowell Fulson 3:39 1960-04-03 1960-04-08 LSP 2231 Elvis Is Back! #2 19. Surrender Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 1:51 1960-10-30 1961-02-07 47-7850 #1 20. I'm Comin' Home Charlie Rich 2:20 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1 21. Gently Murray Wisell and Edward Lisbona 2:15 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1 22. In Your Arms Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold 1:50 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1 23. Give Me the Right Fred Wise and Norman Blagman 2:32 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1 24. I Feel So Bad Chuck Willis 2:53 1961-03-12 1961-05-02 47-7880 #5 25. It's a Sin Fred Rose and Zeb Turner 2:39 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1 26. I Want You With Me Woody Harris 2:13 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1 27. There's Always Me Don Robertson 2:16 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1

Disc two Track Song title Writer(s) Time Recorded Release date Catalogue Original LP Issue Chart peak 1. Starting Today Don Robertson 2:03 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1 2. Sentimental Me James T. Morehead, James Cassin 2:31 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1 3. Judy Teddy Redell 2:10 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1 4. Put the Blame on Me Fred Wise, Kay Twomey and Norman Blagman 1:57 1961-03-12 1961-06-17 LSP 2370 Something for Everybody #1 5. Kiss Me Quick Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 2:46 1961-06-25 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 6. That's Someone You Never Forget Red West and Elvis Presley 2:47 1961-06-25 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 7. I'm Yours Hal Blair and Don Robertson 2:21 1961-06-25 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 8. (Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 2:07 1961-06-25 1961-08-08 47-7908 #4 9. Little Sister Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 2:30 1961-06-25 1961-08-08 47-7908b #5 10. For the Millionth and the Last Time Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper 2:05 1961-10-15 1965-08-10 LSP 3450 Elvis for Everyone #10 11. Good Luck Charm Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold 2:23 1961-10-15 1962-02-27 47-7992 #1 12. Anything That's Part of You Don Robertson 2:04 1961-10-15 1962-02-27 47-7992b #31 13. I Met Her Today Hal Blair and Don Robertson 2:42 1961-10-15 1965-08-10 LSP 3450 Elvis for Everyone #10 14. Night Rider Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 2:08 1961-10-15 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 15. Something Blue Paul Evans and Al Byron 2:57 1962-03-18 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 16. Gonna Get Back Home Somehow Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 2:27 1962-03-18 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 17. (Such an) Easy Question Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott 2:18 1962-03-18 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 18. Fountain of Love Bill Giant and Jeff Lewis 2:12 1962-03-18 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 19. Just for Old Time Sake Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper 2:08 1962-03-18 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 20. You'll Be Gone Red West, Charlie Hodge, Elvis Presley 2:23 1962-03-18 1965-02-09 47-8500b 21. I Feel That I've Known You Forever Doc Pomus, Alan Jeffreys 1:39 1962-03-19 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 22. Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller 1:51 1962-03-19 1962-07-17 47-8041b #55 23. Suspicion Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 2:34 1962-03-19 1962-06-05 LSP 2523 Pot Luck with Elvis #4 24. She's Not You Doc Pomus, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller 2:08 1962-03-19 1962-07-17 47-8041 #5 25. Echoes of Love Bob Roberts and Paddy McMains 2:38 1963-05-26 1964-04-02 LSP 2894 Kissin' Cousins #6 26. Please Don't Drag That String Around Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott 1:53 1963-05-26 1963-06-18 47-8188b 27. (You're the) Devil in Disguise Bernie Baum, Bill Giant and Florence Kaye 2:20 1963-05-26 1963-06-18 47-8188 #3 28. Never Ending Buddy Kaye and Philip Springer 1:57 1963-05-26 1964-07-14 47-8400b 29. What Now, What Next, Where To Hal Blair and Don Robertson 1:56 1963-05-26 1967-06-01 LSP 3787 Double Trouble #3 30. Witchcraft Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King 2:17 1963-05-26 1963-10-01 47-8243b #32 31. Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers Dory Jones and Ollie Jones 1:47 1963-05-26 1965-08-10 LSP 3450 Elvis for Everyone #10 32. Love Me Tonight Don Robertson 2:00 1963-05-26 1963-11-01 LSP 2756 Fun in Acapulco #3

Disc three