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Raised on Rock / For Ol' Times Sake (1973)

Where the lyrics of Raised on Rock / For Ol' Times Sake take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded in a Memphis studio and at Presley's home in Palm Springs, this album was one of the few that failed to chart in the United Kingdom.

Key places

Stax Studios, Memphis: July 1973 sessions (1973)

Recording site Stax Studios — The album was recorded at Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee in July 1973. Initial vocal tracks were also recorded in July 1973. Two songs from these sessions were later kept for the Good Times album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Presley's Palm Springs home: September 1973 sessions (1973)

Recording site Madison Club — Part of the album was recorded at Presley's home in Palm Springs, California, in September 1973. The point marks the city centre, not the exact house. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Raised on Rock / For Ol' Times Sake is the nineteenth studio album by Elvis Presley
• Released in 1973
• Recorded in two places: Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, and Presley's home in Palm Springs, California
• Its only single was "Raised on Rock", backed by "For Ol' Times Sake"

Background

• Some tracks are well-known covers, such as "Are You Sincere", which had been around for many years
• Some new songs were written for Presley, and others were written by writers he had recorded before, such as Mark James
• The title single tells of a child discovering rock and roll through records, even though Presley was a contemporary of the artists he cites
• Historians Roy Carr and Mick Farren noted the title single as odd lyrically in Elvis: The Illustrated Record

Recording

• Initial vocal tracks were recorded in July 1973 in Memphis
• Further sessions took place at Presley's home in Palm Springs in September 1973
• Two songs from these sessions were kept for release on the Good Times album the following spring

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi; family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was 13.
• Began his career in 1954 at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring African-American music to a wider audience.
• Recorded "That's All Right" with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black in July 1954.
• A pioneer of rockabilly, a fusion of country music and rhythm and blues.

Members

• Classic quartet: Presley (vocals, guitar), Scotty Moore (lead guitar), Bill Black (bass), and D. J. Fontana (drums), who joined in 1955.

Career

• RCA Victor acquired his contract in 1955 for $40,000; "Heartbreak Hotel" hit number one in the US in 1956.
• Became a leading figure of rock and roll, though his style was considered a threat to white American youth by some.
• Made his film debut in Love Me Tender (1956) and devoted much of the 1960s to Hollywood films.
• Returned to the stage with the 1968 NBC special Elvis, followed by a Las Vegas residency and tours.
• Gave the first solo-artist concert broadcast worldwide, Aloha from Hawaii, in 1973.
• Died August 16, 1977 at Graceland, aged 42.
• Estimated to have sold 500 million records worldwide; won three Grammy Awards.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album was one of the few that failed to chart in the United Kingdom
• The single "Raised on Rock / For Ol' Times Sake" did enter the British charts
• The single "Raised on Rock" reached No. 41 on the Billboard chart and No. 42 on the Country chart in September 1973

Reappraisal

• Historians Roy Carr and Mick Farren, in Elvis: The Illustrated Record, found the title single's lyrics odd
• The oddity lies in Presley singing in the first person about discovering rock and roll as a child, while he was a contemporary of the artists he cites

Records

• Billboard chart: "Raised on Rock" single No. 41 (September 1973)
• Country chart: "Raised on Rock" single No. 42 (September 1973)
• UK: album did not chart; single entered the British charts

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Two songs from the 1973 sessions were kept for the Good Times album released the following spring
• The album was recorded in two places within one season: Memphis in July and Palm Springs in September
• Some new songs were written for Presley, and others by writers he had recorded before, such as Mark James
• The title single was the only single released from the album
• The title single reached No. 41 on the Billboard chart in September 1973, the same month the album's sessions in Palm Springs took place

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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