FROM NASHVILLE TO MEMPHIS contains 130 tracks (19 previously unreleased) and a 94-page booklet with a complete '60s discography, session notes and many rare photos. It comes with a sheet of color stamps depicting 36 Presley album covers from the '60s.

Personnel: Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar, piano); The Jordanaires, Charlie Hodge, Millie Kirkham, Joe Babcock, The Imperials, June Page, Dolores Edgin, Sandy Posey, Mary Greene, Mary Holladay, Donna Thatcher, Susan Pilikington, Sonja Montgomery, Hurshel Wiginton, Frank Sinatra (vocals); Scotty Moore, Harold Bradley, Neal Matthews, Jerry Kennedy, Chip Young, Jerry Reed (guitar); Charlie McCoy (guitar, harmonica, organ, bass); Grady Martin (guitar, vibraphone); Hank Garland (guitar, electric bass); Pete Drake, John Hughey (steel guitar); Ed Kollis (harmonica); Gordon Stoker (accordion, piano); Boots Randolph (saxophone, vibraphone, shakers, claves); Rufus Long (saxophone); Ray Stevens (trumpet); The Memphis Horns (horns); Floyd Cramer, Henry Slaughter, David Briggs (piano, organ); Ronnie Milsap, Bobby Wood (piano); Bobby Emmons (organ); Bob Moore, Henry Strzelecki, Tommy Cogbill, Mike Leech (bass); D.J. Fontana, Gene Chrisman (drums); Buddy Harman (drums, tympani).

Compilation Producers: Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, Roger Semon.

Engineers include: Bill Porter, Ron Steele, Jim Malloy.

Principally recorded at RCA's Studio B, Nashville, Tennessee and American Studios, Memphis, Tennessee between March 20, 1960 and February 22, 1969. Includes liner notes by Peter Guralnick.

Digitally Remastered by Dick Baxter (BMG Recording Studios, New York).

Since The King of Rock 'n' Roll was the complete '50s masters, it was easy to assume that its five-disc '60s sequel, From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential 60's Masters, rounded up all the masters from that decade, which is simply not the case. The producers deliberately avoided the soundtracks to Elvis' movies, which perhaps makes sense, given that they are roundly and rightly disparaged as Presley's low point, which then opened the doors to presenting just what they judged as the best non-soundtrack recordings he made during the '60s. They also disregarded the gospel recordings, saving them for the double-disc 1994 collection Amazing Grace: His Greatest Gospel Songs, leaving this as an overview of the best of his pop and rock material of the '60s, all recorded after he got back from the army. Instead of being a detriment, this is a brilliant move, distilling his erratic, wide-ranging '60s recordings to their very best, providing a relatively comprehensive overview of the greatest material Elvis recorded during his most inconsistent decade. Its biggest flaw is that in its zeal to overlook the soundtracks, the box skips over even the hits from the films, so this does not have "Can't Help Falling in Love," "GI Blues," "Follow That Dream," "Viva Las Vegas," "Little Less Conversation," and "Return to Sender," as well as other, lesser hits. They are missed, particularly because there is a surfeit of pop-oriented material from the early '60s. That's one area where this box excels: It proves that Presley did turn toward pop in the early '60s. Contrary to conventional wisdom, he did not abandon rock & roll, and there are many tough performances from the early years of the decade that stand their own with the '50s RCA sides, but by the middle of the box -- which roughly corresponds with the middle of the decade -- it becomes clear that Elvis needed to change his approach, and he did with stunning power.

That's where the scope of the box comes into play: By disc three, there's been plenty of good, sometimes great, music, but when Elvis gets his swagger back just before the songs that formed From Elvis in Memphis, the growing energy is kinetic, and the fourth disc, along with half of the fifth, are intoxicating in how Presley rediscovers his power and starts to not only sing songs worthy of his talents, but have productions and performances that match. This is the greatest music on this set -- "Long Black Limousine," "Rubberneckin'," "Wearin' That Loved on Look," "In the Ghetto," "Suspicious Minds," "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road," and "Kentucky Rain" are among the best of this batch -- towering over the rest of the music here and holding its own with the Sun material. This is presented in more thorough form elsewhere, but the long view and scope of this set really make his comeback dramatic on From Nashville to Memphis. That narrative makes the set essential, as does the judicious selection of his early- and mid-'60s highlights. It's done well -- well enough to almost excuse the very, very big hits that are missing, even if it doesn't completely account for their absence. That is a pretty big flaw, but even so, From Nashville to Memphis is necessary for any serious pop library, which speaks volumes for the quality of the music within the box. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Unlike its predecessor THE COMPLETE 50'S MASTERS, the '60s box set FROM NASHVILLE TO MEMPHIS does not include all of Elvis Presley's recordings from a single decade. To whittle the set down to a manageable five discs, RCA reissued Presley's movie soundtracks and gospel recordings separately, focusing this set instead on Elvis' secular single and album releases. The set starts promisingly with Presley's brilliant first post-Army recordings, originally released on the album ELVIS IS BACK! The middle discs in the set, however, demonstrate that at some point in the early Sixties Elvis stopped receiving publishers' best material.

The singing is still great, but too many of the songs are as mediocre as Presley's soundtracks of the period. Fortunately, the story told by FROM NASHVILLE TO MEMPHIS has a happy ending, as the set wraps up with the King's triumphant American Studio recordings, which include the hits "In the Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds." Even Presley's lean years yielded their share of great recordings, making FROM NASHVILLE TO MEMPHIS an essential addition to any serious music fan's collection.

Rolling Stone (11/11/93, p.76) - 5 Stars - Classic - "...FROM NASHVILLE TO MEMPHIS reveals that reclaiming [his] roots meant Elvis' artistic resurrection....[it] belies any notion that only the '50s Elvis was vital....[Elvis] remains the finest singer rock & roll has ever produced..."

Melody Maker (10/23/93, p.36) - "...[FROM NASHVILLE TO MEMPHIS] is the sound of Presley calming down, recognizing his talents, acknowledging the craft of the song rather than merely the lascivious bluster..."

NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.32) - 7 - Very Good - "...These are the most majestic performances of his career, songs that stretched all his resources, the consummate artist of his era re-identifying with the very land he once sprung from like a thunderbolt...."