WHAT WERE ELVIS’ BEST ALBUMS OF THE ’70s? That’s actually a fairly easy question to answer: the ones recorded in 1970. There is no questioning that the quality of Presley’s recordings diminished dramatically after 1971. This was due to his deteriorating physical and mental health along with artistic turn towards melodrama and bombast. These problems were exacerbated by his massive intake of prescription drugs.
The biggest problem with the albums issued was based on the idea that everything Presley recorded deserved to be released. Even Elvis knew that he put a lot of mediocre material on tape but bowed to the Colonel’s decisions on marketing them alongside the better recordings. This did a great disservice to his fans—we were literally ripped off having to pay for crap cut due to publishing deals—and to his image. 1
The best Elvis albums of the ’70s were all recorded in 1970, although excellent albums could have been sequenced from his 1971 and 1973 sessions.
The question as to what were the best of these albums appeared on Quora and I answered with the list below. There is no questioning that the bulk of the better ’70s albums were recorded in 1970-1971 when the energy of the 1968-1969 comeback was still a part of Presley’s make-up.
The grades below are for albums released while he was alive in the ’70s. I did not include Camden titles or other compilations. Every one of these albums features several exceptional performances (except one), but they often feature several lackluster — if not turgidly forgettable — performances.
What the grades mean:
✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ Great
✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ Exceptional
✮ ✮ ✮ Solid but unexciting
✮ ✮ Sub-standard
✮ No redeeming social value
Elvis – That’s The Way It Is consists of eight studio tracks recorded in June 1970 in Nashville plus four tracks recorded live in Las Vegas in August 1970. It was sold as the live soundtrack to the documentary film of the same title. Unfortunately, not a single track on the album appeared in the film in the version on the album! (While I ranked Elvis Country as the best Elvis album of the ’70s, this is my favorite.)
Chronologically as released
This first section lists the eighteen main catalog albums released between 1970 and 1977 in the order in which they were released. This is helpful in seeing what those of us who were buying these records in the ’70s experienced as fans and consumers. (I did not include compilations of material released prior to 1970.) 2
1970
Live on Stage – February 1970 ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮
Elvis – That’s The Way It Is ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮
1971
Elvis Country ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮
Love Letters From Elvis ✮ ✮
The Wonderful World Of Christmas ✮ ✮ ✮
1972
Elvis Now ✮ ✮
He Touched Me ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮
Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden ✮ ✮ ✮
1973
Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite ✮ ✮ ✮
Elvis (“Fool”) ✮ ✮ ✮
Raised on Rock ✮ ✮
1974
Good Times ✮ ✮ ✮
Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis ✮ ✮ ✮
Having Fun With Elvis On Stage ✮
1975
Promised Land ✮ ✮ ✮
Elvis Today ✮ ✮ ✮
1976
From Elvis Presley Boulevard ✮ ✮
1977
Moody Blue ✮ ✮ ✮
Released in 1971 as the followup to the highly praised and best selling Elvis County of 1970, Love Letters From Elvis caused every fan I knew to shudder in disbelief. Love Letters was so inferior to the albums of the previous two years it made us think that Presley and Parker had learned nothing from the failure of the later soundtrack years (1965−1968). Alas, they hadn’t.
Chronologically as recorded
This second section lists the catalog albums released in the order in which they were recorded. This is helpful in seeing where Elvis was at artistically from year to year. ELVIS NOW and ELVIS are compilations that include tracks recorded in several years; they are listed under the year where the bulk of the material was recorded.
1970
Live on Stage – February 1970 ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮
Elvis – That’s The Way It Is ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮
Elvis Country ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮
Love Letters From Elvis ✮ ✮
1971
The Wonderful World of Christmas ✮ ✮ ✮
He Touched Me ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮
Elvis Now ✮ ✮
Elvis (“Fool”) ✮ ✮ ✮
1972
Elvis as Recorded at Madison Square Garden ✮ ✮
Having Fun With Elvis On Stage ✮
1973
Aloha From Hawaii ✮ ✮ ✮
Raised on Rock ✮ ✮
Good Times ✮ ✮ ✮
Promised Land ✮ ✮ ✮
1974
Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis ✮ ✮ ✮
1975
Elvis Today ✮ ✮ ✮
1976
From Elvis Presley Boulevard ✮ ✮
Moody Blue ✮ ✮ ✮
I have been a fan of Elvis Presley for almost sixty years. I bought my first Elvis record in 1963. I may not have bought my last one yet. 3
The best Elvis albums of the ’70s were all recorded in 1970, notably On Stage February 1970, That’s The Way It Is, and Elvis Country. Click To Tweet
FEATURED IMAGE: This photo of Elvis is from the rehearsals he and his full band did at the International Hotel in Las Vegas in August 1970. Parts of these rehearsals were used in the documentary film Elvis – That’s The Way It Is, released in November 1970.
FOOTNOTES:
1 Apparently, Presley felt obligated to record songs that his buddies pitched him as representatives of a music publisher.
2 I would have included the fifth volume of Elvis’ Golden Records had anyone had the sense to release it in the ’70s.
3 Although with new LPs costing around $25, any albums that I do purchase may be used …
Elvis Country is the one. In my humble opinion, it should rank as one of his best albums ever. Up there with Elvis Is Back. I may also be one of the few who thought that the Boulevard album was brilliant if not exactly rock n roll. “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” to this day is in my Elvis Top 10.
D
I also love “Blue Eyes Cring in the Rain” along with “Hurt” and “For the Heart” but some of the tracks on Boulevard sound like they were recorded posthumously.
N
I think that “Hurt” was probably the last really great Elvis performance in the studio. I think it meant a lot to him personally. He would have had so much more to offer if he could have pulled himself out of the pit he seemed to be in the end. So sad.
D
Had he lived a little longer, he might have discovered Prozac …
N
That’s the Way It Is is my personal favorite from 1970. “How the Web was Woven” is my absolute favorite Elvis vocal of the ’70s. On Stage ranks a close 2nd with his best versions of “Polk Salad’ and “See See Rider.”
Just for the record, I love Love Letters from Elvis.
TERRY
Thanks for the comment.
When I bought That’s The Way It Is in 1970 and saw that the opening track was “I Just Can’t Help Believing,” I was prepared for the worst. Well, “I Just Can’t Help Believing” has been a personal fave for almost fifty years, just like the album.
I agree: “How The Web Was Woven” is an extraordinary vocal! I don’t know why more critics/writers haven’t pointed its brilliance out or why RCA hasn’t found a way to promote it as the title and lead track of an album.
I like “Twent Days and Twenty Nights” and “Just Pretend” almost as much!
As for the Love Letters album, keep your eyes peeled as I am working on an article about it right now …
NEAL
TERRY
First, my apologies for the delay in responding to your comment!
Second, That’s The Way It Is is also my fave of the ’70s but as for a fave track, I couldn’t choose between “How the Web Was Woven,” “Just Pretend,” and “I Just Can’t Help Believin’,” on this album let alone bringing in my other faves from the ’70s.
We will no doubt eternally disagree on Love Letters from Elvis …
Rockahula, baby!
NEAL
1. One of the things I appreciate about the FTD versions of Elvis’ 70’s albums (as well as his 1969 Memphis albums) is that the masters are available without the overdubs. I think the masters are so much better without the strings and voices that were added later that many of his 70’s albums would be more highly regarded if they had been released in this form.
2. The albums from the 70’s most affected by the overdubs appear to be Love Letters, Elvis (“Fool” LP), Good Times, Promised Land, Today, and From EP Blvd as well as sporadic songs on other albums (T“here Goes My Everything,” “Mary In the Morning,” “Sylvia,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “Girl of Mine,” and several others). The sound (and generic cover art) of the aforementioned LP’s affects their overall quality but I believe these are stronger albums than they generally get credit for.
3. While it’s hard to separate the nostalgia value of these albums for me as I acquired these and heard them first as a kid in the 70’s, I still find that an album like Raised On Rock is much better than it gets credit for. There are a few clunkers on Raised On Rock (title song, “Girl of Mine,” “Three Corn Patches”) but there are some strong R&B performances (“Find Out What’s Happening,” “If You Don’t Come Back,” “Just a Little Bit”), terrific ballads (“Are You Sincere,” “I Miss You,” “Sweet Angeline”) and one of Elvis’ best ballads of the decade (“For Ol’ Times Sake”).
4. Good Times is another excellent LP (IMO) but the released version is marred by the overdubs and having one of the worst opening songs on an Elvis album (“Take Good Care of Her”). “Loving Arms,” “If That Isn’t Love,” “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” are all excellent while the two uptempo numbers (“I Got a Feeling In My Body,” “Talk About the Good Times”) are wonderful, spirited performances. “Spanish Eyes” and “My Boy” are OK but are better without the overdubs, in my opinion, which leaves one clunker (“Take Good Care of Her”). Take away the overdubs and the opening song, change the front and back cover and this would be a 4-star album…to me, anyway.
5. My point is that some of Elvis’ least regarded 70’s studio albums are actually excellent records but are not as highly regarded because of awful overdubbing and the cover art. If someone looks at the songs on the albums rather than thinking of the album as a whole, there is an incredible amount of strong material there; Elvis was definitely a song and singles artist. I don’t believe Elvis and/or his management ever thought of albums as more than a collection of singles, as they were when he started in the 50’s, Elvis Country being an anomaly.
CRAIG
First, I added numbers to each of your paragraphs so it will be easier for me to respond.
Second, I made some editorialish changes to your comment to make it easier to read (mostly italicizing album titles and placing song titles in quotation marks).
Third, overall, I am in agreement with what you are saying but I seem to place more weight on the weaknesses of the Presley product of the ’70s than you do. So, point by point:
1. A agree that Elvis without overdubs is almost always preferable to Elvis with “sweetening” added. My major issue with the FTD releases is they’re too damn expensive! All that fine, fine superfine Elvis music that is never ever gonna be heard by the masses because we won’t pay FTD’s asking price.
2. I think there is enough good to great material on those six albums to boil them down to three albums that I could probably give 4-star reviews to each.
3. Three clunkers on an album with only ten tracks means that we can dismiss 30% of the album as crap. Who wants to buy something that is 30% crap? Every Elvis album released should have been as good as it was possible to make and they weren’t. (Plus, on the Raised On Rock album, the lead singer sounds like he’s on drugs.)
4. I had originally defined 3-stars as “Par for the course,” which in golf terms means a good game. The Google dictionary defines it as “what is normal or expected in any given circumstances,” which also works. Unfortunately, it can sound negative so I changed 3-stars to “Solid but unexciting.”
I gave Good Times three stars because it is a good, solid album but lacking a spark to make it exciting. If we took the best of the thirty tracks recorded in 1973 and assembled the best into two albums with twelve tracks each, those two LPs would make 1973 appear to have been an exceptional year. (And that sounds like the foundation for another article!) (After all the Gold Standard articles, of course.)
5. I heartily agree that less overdubbing would have helped most of the ’70s albums. (Of course, then Felton Jarvis wouldn’t have had much to do, but that’s another story.) You said, “If someone looks at the songs on the albums rather than thinking of the album as a whole, there is an incredible amount of strong material there.” Agreed, but most of the people who bought most of the albums post-1967 looked at albums as a whole, not as a collection of unrelated tracks.
Elvis recorded enough material in the studio that he could have released a string of strong albums from 1970 through at least 1974. If he used That’s The Way It Is as a template and included four exceptional live songs on each album, he could have kept it up through 1977.
But he didn’t.
Rockahula, baby!
N
PS: I will do an article on the 1973 sessions and the three albums that were released along the lines of the article “An Alternative Love Letters From Elvis Album:
https://www.elvis-atouchofgold.com/love-letters