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Having previously released four stunning Mono > Stereo albums on the French RDM label, producer Anthony Stuchbury is back with all of RCA's pre-1960 released Elvis material in a 4-CD box-set ‘Presley: The Essential 50’s Masters’. Any real Elvis fan will remember the excitement of the RCA released “Elvis Presley"The king of rock’n’roll” - The Complete 50s Masters’ collection back in 1992, well this new collection neatly updates the same set for 2024 but this time in beautifully remastered STEREO. There is little doubt that the majority of fans who bought that original RCA box-set would have already owned most of the tracks on other Elvis releases. But we bought the songs once again because of it being a complete chronological compilation and also because of the technological upgrade that made them sound so much better, giving the classic fifties material even more impact. And listening to this new box-set I feel exactly the same. 109 classic Elvis tracks in chronological order but with a new stereo mix! Collectors may well have purchased the previous RDM Mono > Stereo Elvis releases but this set includes the new additions of Elvis’ sessions for the ‘Loving You’ album, ‘Jailhouse Rock’, Elvis’ Christmas album and ‘King Creole’ so there is still tons of new stereo material here to enjoy. The whole point of these STEREO versions are that.. The Packaging. The 8-page booklet includes a detailed essay by David Parker describing the various ways Elvis' fifties recordings have been released by RCA. To be honest I had forgotten that in 1978 /79 RCA UK released ‘Elvis’ 56 Sessions’ Volumes 1 & 2' over a decade before their ‘Complete 50s Masters’ set was issued.
These are ‘Harbour Lights’, ‘Tomorrow Night’, ‘My Baby’s Gone’, ‘When It Rains It Really Pours’, ‘Tell Me Why’, ‘One Night Of Sin’, ‘Danny’, ‘You’re Cheating Heart’, and ‘Ain’t That Loving You Baby’. On the final page Anthony Stuchbury neatly explains his role as the “stereo” producer and points out that The Jordanaires were not, as usually presumed, always panned to the right channel on Elvis’ 1960s releases. While I obviously do already have an over-abundance of Elvis images in the 1950s, one disappointment to me was that there are no photographs in the booklet that show the development of Elvis’ personal fashion and style that happened in parallel to his stunning musical progress. The Music Astonishing and Spectacular are the two words that begin to describe this journey of Elvis’ musical development from his faltering start at Sam Phillips SUN sessions to the reassured blast of Rock’n’Roll of ‘Hound Dog’ recorded just two years later. The music world totally changed from that moment on and all due to this sweaty kid from Tupelo. Kicking off with Elvis’ gentle whistle and the light, unassured ballad ‘I Love You Because’ is a treat. In STEREO Elvis’ gently strums his acoustic guitar centre channel, while Scotty Moore is on the left and Bill Black plucking his double-bass right channel. This was the soothing sound in SUN studios that Sam Phillips was listening to – they weren’t playing in mono! – before the big blast. It’s a perfect introduction. (Side Note: Interestingly the RCA ‘Complete Masters’ box-set had these tracks deliberately not in chronological order wanting to put the excitement of ‘That’s All Right’ first!) ‘That’s All Right’ that follows captures that blast of excitement that Sam Phillips would have heard (in stereo of course) when he walked back into the studio that special day as The Blue Moon Boys fooled around with an old blues number. In stereo you can hear how Bill Black’s plucking adds that additional staccato drum sound driving the song more into Rock’n’Roll territory. The mid-song break of Scotty Moore’s solo and Bill Black’s bass @01.00 now has a real studio ambience that you miss on the mono version. And while these have been released in stereo on previous RDM collections it’s great to have them all here in chronological order. There’s so many classics packed into this first CD but you can always discover something new by listening in stereo. Elvis’ acoustic guitar has never been clearer, Scotty Moore’s guitar solos even more fascinating and you begin to further understand how Bill Black really drove the beat while also adding that clever percussive sound. For instance ‘Good Rockin’ Tonight’ with Elvis’ “wellll, I heard the news...” standing dead centre in the studio before Scotty Moore starts playing left channel and Bill Black starts plucking right channel. When Elvis sings the middle-eight, “Well, we’re gonna’ rock, we’re gonna’ rock… let’s rock” @01:00 on headphones listen out for Scotty’s tight one-string plucking, Elvis’ acoustic keeping the melody while Bill Black’s hammers the beat. There are moments where Bill Black is working so damn hard that he misses a few notes and with Elvis strumming hard away, I got an emotional feeling of pushing them along - “Cmon’ Boys you can make it, there’s a classic in here if you just get to the end!” It’s a brilliant cut and in just over two minutes another life-changing record was down on tape. ‘Mystery Train’- crank it up loud to hear Elvis working hard on his acoustic guitar. Once again it was back to Bill Black alone to provide the drive and percussion. Listening to Scotty Moore’s solo going from the chugging train rhythm to a cutting solo @01:30 is sublime and check how easily he slips back into the train rhythm at the end. The stereo separation helps emphasise the individual creativity and you can appreciate what makes Elvis' whoop and giggle at the very end. Such a classic song and this is a stunning version. ‘Trying To Get To You’ was recorded at the same session as ‘Mystery Train’ so it’s a shame that Sam Phillips never put this out as the sixth SUN single. This was the debut of Elvis playing piano on a session and Phillips pulled it way down in the mix. You can now hear the piano but one wonders why Elvis didn’t choose to play guitar. The real key is the beautifully tight percussion from SUN drummer Johnny Bernero. Scotty Moore’s cutting guitar solo is one of his most distinctive and the stereo neatly showcases Elvis hungry vocal. A true stereo gem. January 1956 was Elvis' first RCA session and the clarity of their very first recording 'I Got Woman' is very impressive in stereo. When the band stops @ 01:20 leaving Elvis singing alone to DJ Fontana's snare "She's there to love me, both day and night.. " you can hear the anticipation, the studio ambience, of the other musicians waiting to burst back into the song. It is truly a neat trick to be able to listen so closely with a new clarity to a session from over 65 years ago. The almighty 'Heartbreak Hotel’ follows - Elvis' first RCA single and a song that would change pop music forever. It was described as "ghostly, ethereal, sounding like no other song had ever sounded before. Heartbreak Hotel was certainly the first thing most people had ever heard from Elvis, and it was like something from another planet"! There are of course a lot of other treats along the way in the 15 RCA recordings that complete this disc. Money Honey' has the beautiful stereo start of Scotty Moore left and tinkling Floyd Cramer piano right channel before Elvis bursts in "You know the landlord ring my front door bell.." Bill Black's bass truly reverberates plus you can check out Elvis' acoustic guitar strumming in the right channel. This was always a stunning mono recording but now there's so much more to explore. ‘I'm Counting On You’ the first ballad recorded for RCA was such a change of pace and it’s a beauty in stereo. Bill Black's double-bass is on the left channel, Scotty’s guitar is on the right, along with the Floyd Cramer's piano. What I found fascinating is how clear and defined Bill Black's double-bass is on this ballad which in the old mono was rather buried in the overall mix. With Elvis’ vocal clear in the centre you can now hear how Elvis has to work to hold his vibrato on the longer notes. At times I also spotted Floyd Cramer's stumbling a bit on piano. This was take 17, so you can imagine that some slight hesitations had to be ignored. It's a very fine version. From Shorty Long’s piano contribution on ‘So Glad You’re Mine’, Scotty Moore’s driving guitar on ‘Lawdy, Miss Clawdy’, DJ Fontana’s cracking drums on 'Shake, Rattle And Roll' or Elvis’ stunning vocal on ‘Any Way You Want Me’ whichever is your favourite track you’ll find something new to discover in these Stereo versions.
CD2: ‘Love Me Tender’ to Jan 1957 ‘Loving You’ Paramount sessions – 76 minutes Kicking off with the lesser movie song ‘We’re Gonna Move’ I am surprised how enjoyable this is in Stereo. This was not Elvis’ studio band but musicians supplied by 20th Century Fox. With guitar left channel, backing vocals and handclaps on the right, it actually sounds like Elvis might have been enjoying the session - in truth, highly unlikely! Elvis’ September 56 session for his second RCA album gets us back on track. ‘Playing For Keeps’ featured Elvis on piano, previously buried in the mono mix now you can hear his playing on the left channel with Bill Black’s lovely double-bass (right) neatly matching Elvis’ piano-work. ‘Love Me’ in stereo is super-cool again letting you listen to Bill Black’s lovely walking double-bass (right) and DJ’s tender percussion (left). Elvis’ vocal is sublime with The Jordanaires singing right behind him. ‘When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again’ is fascinating in stereo letting you listen to all the various parts that made up the delightful original. Gordon Stoker’s piano (left) sounds way too basic while the middle break with Scotty Moore left, Bill Black centre and DJ hitting the hi-hat right channel, all sound superb. Elvis’ vocal (dead centre) sounds clearer now as The Jordanaires harmonise. The stunning thing with ‘Mono > Stereo’ is that you can now tune in to parts you have never heard before. Fans need to check out Scotty Moore’s playing around 01:53 as he is all over the place! The harder rocking tracks like ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Reddy Teddy’, and ‘Rip It Up’ all feature Elvis’ hard-vocal dead centre, with Bill Black, Scotty Moore and Gordon Stoker, working hard on piano, all nicely separated creating fine rock’n’roll which sounds great in stereo. Listening carefully in stereo and you can spot both the exhilaration and bumps along the way with Scotty Moore’s wild solos and DJ’s full-on percussion. It is all part of the ELVIS 1956 excitement and why spontaneity always trumped over perfection. Another thing that these new stereo mixes achieve are to drag the musicians out of the mono messy-echo of the original releases. Tracks like ‘First In Line’ or ‘Anyplace Is Paradise’ really benefit from this with Elvis’ vocal much clearer as well as each solo shining in its own right. ‘Too Much’ is also a true stereo gem with Elvis and The Jordanaires sparing off each other and that out-of-sight Scotty Moore guitar solo here on the left channel making it even more enjoyable. DJ’s tight drumming – right - immaculately keeps the beat. There is a real attraction in that Elvis has to really push his vocal, however in this mix you can notice that his voice nearly cracks @01:56 and there is feeling of relief when he gets to the final sign-off. January 1957 started with Elvis cutting his ‘Peace In The Valley’ EP plus some singles. ‘I Believe’ was a fascinating start to the session and a complete change of feeling. With Elvis’ voice and Jordanaires harmonising dead centre, Bill Black double-bass left channel (he stumbles around the 1.40 mark!) and Gordon Stoker again on piano (right) this demonstrates Elvis dedication to recording religious music for the very first time. And what a contrast to ‘Got A Lot A’ Livin’ To Do’ and the fabulous ‘All Shook Up’ (with delightful Elvis intro “I got it swinging” and count-in) that followed. ‘All Shook Up’ with its beautiful simplicity of rolling piano (left channel), Bill Black driving bass centre plus Elvis’ guitar back-slap on the right channel, along with gorgeous Elvis and Jordanaires vocals demonstrates how a masterpiece can be so effortlessly created. It’s a similar feel listening to the stereo version of ‘Teddy Bear’ later on. All so smooth and effortless with Elvis in-the-zone creating perfect million sellers. ‘Peace In The Valley’ is stunning in stereo, as is ‘Take My Hand Precious Lord’ and ‘That’s When Your Heartaches Begin’. It’s so good to hear all of Elvis’ ‘Loving You’ LP tracks in stereo here and ‘Party’ - the shorter alternate movie version - is the first of the tracks recorded at Paramount’s soundstage and captures the fun of Elvis knowing he was at last making a more suitable film-score. More treats added to this set are the ‘Loving You’ movie version with orchestral overdubs which as far as I know has not been officially released yet. And this version is in immaculate stereo. Very nice. The delightful movie version of ‘Mean Woman Blues’ with its fabulous extra intro DJ Fontana and hand-claps left channel, Dudley Brooks piano and Scotty Moore right, with Bill Black’s bass driving the beat, ends this CD on a very fine note. Once again you can easily hear Scotty Moore’s guitar-picking wandering all over the place!
CD 3: 'Loving You’ RCA LP sessions to Christmas album 1957 sessions – 56 minutes On January 19 1957 Elvis went in to RCA Radio Recorders to cut the last track for his religious EP and also to cut some tracks that would be used for his RCA ‘Loving You’ album. ‘It Is No Secret’ kicks off this disc but for me the delight is having all of Elvis’ ‘Loving You’ tracks in stereo. ‘Blueberry Hill’, never a particularly inspirational version at least sounds more interesting in Stereo with Dudley Brooks piano trills left channel and nice bass work from Bill Black on the right. Elvis’ guitar back-slap (right channel) nicely drives ‘Have I Told You Lately That I Love’ along while Elvis' vocal soars delightfully above the gentle Jordanaires backing. ‘Is It So Strange’ is sublime with Scotty Moore gentle picking left channel, Dudley Brooks piano right. Jordanaires left channel and Elvis’ passionate plead… “If you tell a lie, you know that I’ll forgive you” - just wonderful. ‘Don’t Leave Me Now’ includes the lovely Elvis intro “Let’s get it this time. D.J. give me a heavier beat, I feel like I’m dragging.” This was Take 29 so you can understand Elvis’ concern. This is a lighter version than the later Jailhouse Rock version and in stereo gives one more of a chance to check out the reason Elvis would want to re-record it 3 months later. ‘One Night’ was so good that it was held back for a future single and in stereo it really shines. Scotty Moore’s guitar is clear on the left channel with DJ drums placed on the right. With Elvis’ powerful vocal in the centre you can hear more of how this deceptively simple arrangement created such a stunning Number 1. Listen for Elvis’ amazingly pleading “has been too lonely too long….” @01:57. This is great. Both ‘True Love’ and ‘I Need You So’ are magnificent in stereo, the piano and DJ’s tight drumming on the later really standing out. By now Elvis was assured and had no problem letting his voice soar. Elvis’ ‘Jailhouse Rock’ sessions prove that in 1957 he was unstoppable. As noted in our RDM’s ‘Golden Elvis!’ review, the new stereo ‘Jailhouse Rock’ gives fans plenty to explore on a song you have heard a thousand times before! Scotty Moore rocks on the left channel, the tinkling piano of Dudley’s Brooks on the right with the rhythm section of DJ Fontana and Bill Black centred really powering along this classic rocker. Elvis’ vocal is super clear and you can observe how hard he had to sing to get to the end of the track. Once again you can notice @2:12 when Bill Black stops playing for a moment which you wouldn’t notice on the old mono version (but no doubt Thorne Nogar in the control room would have). This again proves how spontaneity can beat perfection. ‘Young And Beautiful’ is another highlight for me and sounds exquisite with Dudley Brooks’ wonderful piano placed on the right channel and for the first section of the song with Elvis singing alone so beautifully. ‘Treat Me Nice’ – one of my all-time favourite Elvis songs is brilliant in stereo. The percussion and bass placed left channel, Scotty Moore and Dudley Brooks’ piano on the right with Elvis and the Jordanaires centred. The intro where the piano is purely right channel and then the rhythm section bursts into action is sensational. There’s also a lovely deep Bill Black bass-line emphasised on this mix. And here Elvis’ clean vocal delightfully exposes his cool vocal mannerisms of the time such as @01;36 “whoa, whoa, whao, whaao’ know I’ll be your-a slave, ah h’if you-a-ask-a me to”! This is fabulous. Elvis’ ‘Stereo’ 1957 Christmas album sessions then follow which for me is an interesting comparison to the MRS set that I recently reviewed in detail. Without going into finer details, this stereo set by Anthony Stuchbury is similarly impressive although, of course, the musicians’ placement is different on this release. Here The Jordanaires are sometimes centred with Elvis’ vocal but on other tracks are placed right channel - whatever Stuchbury considered the bettter overall sound. ‘White Christmas’ also includes Elvis’ funny, “It’s Greek to me” count-in this time – still not officially released by RCA /FTD. For fans that bought the RDM ‘Elvis Golden Records!’ compilation ‘Don’t’ is an interesting addition as on this stereo version The Jordanaires are harmonising on the right channel whereas on the earlier RDM release they were centred with Elvis’ vocal. This version certainly leaves Elvis’ vocal more exposed which at times possibly sounds too vulnerable - which one do you prefer?
CD4: Elvis’ Christmas album, King Creole, to the final June 58 RCA sessions – 56 minutes Splitting the RCA Christmas album session in half gives a fabulous start to the final CD with ‘Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me’ and a powerful ‘Santa Claus Is Back In Town’ (Jordanaires right, piano left channel, thumpin’ rhythm section centre) kicking off the disc and both sounding fabulous in stereo. But for keen collectors it will be the highly anticipated Stereo ‘King Creole’ session that will be the best part of this collection. Previous attempts to release this set in "stereo" have only disappointed with the musicians' placement, particularly the horn section, moving around within the stereo spectrum. Thankfully that does not happen with this set. A raucous ‘Hard Headed Woman’ kicked off the 1958 session and it sounds so fine here. DJ and Bill Black drive the beat with Scotty Moore on the right channel and the brass section placed across the mix. It’s as if Elvis and the band were standing in front of the horn-section, which in the movie they were! ‘Trouble’ is sensational with Elvis’ vocal demonstrating even more fury being separated from the musicians. Elvis’ solo “If you’re gonna’ start a rumble, don’t you try it all alone” is even more powerful before the band burst back in. A sweet trombone being played, left channel, starts ‘New Orleans’ with Dudley Brooks once again tinkling the keys, right channel. Elvis’ vocal is again clearer and for the first time I really noticed how Elvis used similar phrasing to Louis Armstrong to bolster the overall jazz feel. This is the delight you get from these new mixes, the “totally fresh perspective” as mentioned in the sleeve notes. Two superb stereo versions of ‘Crawfish’ follow, the record version plus the movie version with Kitty White adding extra vocals throughout. With Bill Black’s bass left channel and Scotty Moore strumming right, percussion centre, these are so, so good. ‘Dixieland Rock’ with its fabulous trombone, ‘Lover Doll’ and ‘Don't Ask Me Why’ with great Jordanaires harmonies right channel are impressive while ‘As Long As I Have You’ - a track Elvis thought worthy of single release – is so good that I immediately played it again. In stereo Elvis’ vocal sounds even more exquisite and Dudley Brooks piano (left channel) is amazingly similar to the future ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love.’ The fast-paced ‘King Creole’ was acknowledged as being extra hard for DJ Fontana, Bill Black and Scotty Moore and in this stereo version you can easily discover why. Luckily Paramount's Ray Siegel was at the session and could fill in for Bill Black, while jazz drummer Bernie Mattinson would help out D.J. The troubles that Elvis’ original Blue Moon Boys would have with these more complicated arrangements would cause RCA producer Steve Sholes to reconsider who to hire as Elvis' future session musicians. The February 58 session, including the next two songs, would be the last time they would actually work together. Both Single and Album versions of ‘Doncha' Think It's Time’ are included. The 45rpm release with the first "Love me honey, tell me you're mine" chorus and less-assured guitar backbeat is followed by the "Kiss me honey” album version. Both sound cute in stereo. The undubbed ‘Wear My Ring Around Your Neck’ follows and then the final, more powerful back-slap and piano overdubbed single version. These stereo versions neatly demonstrate how important the piano overdub (right channel) was to the stronger 45rpm release. The disc ends with the stunning June 10 1958 sessions where Hank Garland (guitar, left channel), and Bob Moore on bass guitar took over from Scotty Moore and Bill Black. Four Gold singles recorded in one night. ‘I Need Your Love Tonight’, ‘A Big Hunk O' Love’, ‘A Fool Such As I’ and ‘I Got Stung’ all packed full of creative energy that would help keep Elvis’ legacy burning bright while he was away in the army. ‘A Big Hunk Of Love’ is a stereo gem with Elvis and the rhythm section truly powering this classic #1 along. The piano is on the right channel, guitar left, and here you can really feel how much Ray Walker’s (his first session) deep-bass contributed to the overall feel. When Hank Garland plays his solo, left channel, now you can clearly hear every part of Elvis joyfully singing along. This sounds fantastic. Similarly ‘A Fool Such As I’ features a great stereo intro with guitar left, Floyd Cramer’s piano vamp on the right, drums centred. Again during the solo @1:35 listen out for Elvis’ encouraging hand- claps. Yet another brilliant stereo version. And this is what this ‘Presley: The Essential 50s’ box-set is all about, listening to Elvis’ most creative period with a “totally fresh perspective” and discovering all the small bits and pieces that were pulled together through Elvis’ innovative brilliance to create life-changing music. From now on I will certainly be playing this 2024 Stereo set when I want to check out Elvis' fifties sessions. Nothing has been added, nothing taken away, it's pure Elvis but in stereo, just like it was when the musicians were recording in the studio! Go here to RDM to order only 45.00€ (reduced price) and check the great STEREO audio samples Review by Piers Beagley. Click here to comment on this review and don't miss our interview with Anthony Stuchbury discussing this set and so much more..
See EIN review of 'Young Man With The Big Beat'. See EIN review of 'Elvis Is Back!' Legacy Edition review: See EIN review of 'On Stage' 40th Anniversary LEGACY in-depth review: See EIN review of From Elvis In Memphis (40th Anniversary Legacy Edition) EIN Website content © Copyright the Elvis Information Network.
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