Elvis Presley - The Home Recordings (1999)

Here's one for the cult of “Elvis Presley: 22 Home Recordings” (15 previously unreleased) of Presley and pals sitting around the piano and belting out favorites. The sound quality is often poor, but, as the notes say, "priority has been given to historic content." The historic content, besides the fact that it's Presley, is the inclusion of many songs Presley did not otherwise record, and the opportunity to hear the King in informal settings singing alone and in harmony with Red West, Charlie Hodge, and others. If you are fascinated by every detail of his life, then you will find this to be a rare and precious glimpse at the private Presley. If you are a more casual fan hoping for raw or unproduced rock & roll, the spirituals and pop ballads that comprise the majority of the tracks will be a disappointment.
This is a compilation of home recordings from 1956-66, two-thirds of which is previously unreleased. Elvis Presley is undoubtedly the artist with the largest posthumous catalog in the world. In addition to the countless recordings he made during his long, prolific career, countless repackagings of old material and the occasional bit of previously unreleased material appeared after his death. By the '90s, the bottom of the barrel had been scraped definitively dry. That's what makes THE HOME RECORDINGS such an event in the world of Elvis. True to its title, this release contains '50s and '60s recordings of Elvis just hanging around at home banging out his favorite tunes on the piano, occasionally accompanied by friends. Many of the performances are off the cuff, with Elvis frequently cutting up with his pals or forgetting lyrics; but it's a treat to hear his majestic voice in such a spontaneous, intimate setting. The song selection everything from "Mona Lisa" and "Tennessee Waltz" to "When the Saints Go Marching In" speaks volumes about both Elvis' roots and the family tree of rock & roll. Rare informal recordings & demos from the period of 1956 through 1966. 22 tracks.


01.  "When the Saints Go Marching In" (James Black, Traditional)  - 1:23  
02.  "I Understand (Just How You Feel)" (Pat Best)  - 2:12  
03.  "I Asked the Lord" (Duncan, John Lange)  - 1:44  
04.  "I'm Beginning to Forget You" (Willie Phelps)  - 2:19  
05.  "Mona Lisa" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston)  - 2:29   
06.  "Hands Off" (Priscilla Bowman, Jay McShann)  - 1:01    
07.  "Make Believe" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern, Jimmy Work)  - 1:21  
08.  "If I Loved You" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers)  - 1:49  
09.  "What Now, My Love?" (Gilbert Bécaud, Carl Sigman)  - 2:47  
10.  "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds" (Bob Nolan)  - 4:55  
11.  "San Antonio Rose" (Bob Wills)  - 1:29  
12.  "Tennessee Waltz" (Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart)  - 3:02  
13.  "Show Me Thy Ways, O Lord" (Hazel Shade)  - 2:35  
14.  "After Loving You" (Janet Lantz, Johnny Lantz, Eddie Miller)  - 2:27  
15.  "I've Been Blue" (Red West)  - 0:54  
16.  "Mary Lou Brown" (Red West)  - 2:28  
17.  "It's No Fun Being Lonely" (Red West)  - 1:37   
18.  "Suppose" (Sylvia Dee, George Goehring, Greg Goehring)  - 3:01  
19.  "Indescribably Blue" (Darrell Glenn)  - 2:49  
20.  "Write to Me from Naples" (Alex Alstone, Jimmy Kennedy)  - 2:39  
21.  "My Heart Cries for You" (Percy Faith, Carl Sigman)  - 1:50  
22.  "Dark Moon" (Ned Miller)  - 2:16 

Notes
Release Date - Mar 09, 1999
Compilation producers - Mikael Jorgensen, Roger Semon
Liner notes by - Ernst Jorgensen and Colin Escott
Liner Note Authors - Colin Escott, Ernst Mikael Jorgensen
Genre - Pop, Rock & Roll, Ballad
Duration Time - 49 minutes
© 1999 RCA Records