Track Listing

1. Promised Land
2. There's A Honky Tonk Angel
3. Help Me
4. Mr Songman
5. Love Song Of The Year
6. It's Midnight
7. Your Love's Been A Long Time Coming
8. If You Talk In Your Sleep
9. Thinking About You
10. You Asked Me To
11. Loving Arms
12. I Got A Feelin' In My Body
13. If That Isn't Love
14. She Wears My Ring
15. My Boy
16. Spanish Eyes
17. Talk About The Good Times
18. Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16490 in Music
• Released on: 2000-05-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered

CD Description
In 1973, Elvis Presley booked sessions at Memphis' famous Stax Studios, where Booker T. & the MGs, Otis Redding, and numerous other soul stars had recorded hits. Unfortunately, initial efforts to have Presley work with the Stax stable of musicians yielded few usable tracks, and Elvis soon called inhis stage band to finish the sessions. The results can be heard on the albums GOOD TIMES, RAISED ON ROCK, and PROMISED LAND.
Like most of Elvis' 70s recordings, PROMISED LAND is an eclectic mix reflecting Presley's many musical enthusiasms. The ten songs that make up this album run the gamut from country heartbreak songs ("There's a Honky Tonk Angel", "Mr. Songman") to carnal white funk ("If You Talk in Your Sleep") to heartfelt gospel ("Help Me") to schmaltzy pop ("Love Song of the Year", "It's Midnight"). While the performances on PROMISED LAND are uniformly excellent, the material is a mixed bag of strong material and throwaways. The production is extravagant, typical of Presley recordings from this era.Those interested in hearing these songs in sparer settings might want to check out RHYTHM AND COUNTRY, a collection of undubbed alternate takes from the Stax sessions.

Customer Reviews

Outstanding
When Elvis first entered the Stax studios in Memphis, mid-1973; the session was doomed and proved very unsucessfull with all but two songs being any good (If You Don't Come Back & I Got a Thing About You Baby).

Forward a few months, and the King returns to Stax and delivers some of the performances of his life.

The Stax sessions strongly rate along side the Memphis 69 and Nashville 71 sessions as Elvis best work of the late 60s and 70s.

Tracks like Promised Land and If You Talk In Your Sleep are breathtakingly good. The entire CD is outstanding, especially for those who enjoy country tinged music, although there is rock, soul and funk here also; this cd will not fail to please.

promised is the right word
this album is an amazing feat,it has everything; sincere moments,country rockers,pure rockers and the occasional weepie moment.The album starts off with a fast and rockin version of chuck berrys "promised land" the rest of the material can be reffered to as adult but never boring.If you only buy one of elvises albums get this one you will not regret it!

ROCK, COUNTRY, SOUL, BLUES AND FUNK
This is a great re-issue of one of Elvis best albums, Promised Land(1974); plus bonus tracks from the Good Times album(1974).

None of these albums sold great, although Promised Land topped the Billboard Country charts plus the singles If You Talk In Your Sleep Promised Land and My Boy all Billboard top 20 with the latter 2 top 10 in the UK: My Boy was a huge hit in 1975.

This is brilliant music making, and as varied as anything he ever done before.

The title track is the Chuck Berry classic, but Elvis reveals more in the lyrics and performance that is twice as fast as Berry's.

If You Talk In Your Sleep is funky soul, and is one of the finest Elvis songs. I Got A Feeling In My Body is engrossing, the repetitions of I Gotta, I Gotta is riveting.

The country songs and ballads are exceptional, Loving Arms is amazing as Elvis hits the high notes 'singin somewhere in the lonely night!'

Classic country songs such as Larry Gatlin's Help Me and Waylon Jennings You Asked Me To are pure Presley. My favourite track is Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues...its a bluesy song with regretful lyrics and some fine phrasing by the man.

The only weak song is a cover of Solomon King's She Wears My Ring, it is beatifully sung, but the song is poor.

Promised Land deserves a promotional push, its that good and deserves top 10 status.