Maps of Music

Good Times (1974)

Where the lyrics of Good Times take you, and where it was really made.

Released the same day as a live recording in Memphis, this studio album charted low at first, and its original LPs with the cover sticker now sell for large amounts at auction.

Key places

Stax Studios, Memphis: December 1973 session (1973)

Recording site Stax Studios — The album was built from the first pick of a session held at Stax Studios in Memphis in December 1973. Two songs came from an earlier Stax session in July 1973. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Good Times: twentieth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley
• Released 20 March 1974
• Title taken from the song "Talk About the Good Times"
• Songs vary in style and genre; many are covers of hits of the time, such as "Spanish Eyes" and "She Wears My Ring"
• Two singles released: "I've Got a Thing About You Baby" and "My Boy"
• Released the same day the recording of Elvis: Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis was made

Background

• Presley's main aim at the time was to meet his existing contracts with the label while making a stronger album than the previous one, Raised On Rock
• Two tracks were left over from a July 1973 session at Stax Studios
• The core of the album came from a December 1973 session at Stax

Recording

• Album built from the first pick of a December 1973 session at Stax Studios in Memphis
• Eight of the ten tracks were recorded at Stax between 10 and 14 December 1973
• Mike Leech arranged the strings and horns; Glen Spreen wrote the string arrangement on two songs
• J. D. Sumner & The Stamps provided backing vocals
• Engineers: Al Pachucki, Dick Baxter, Mickey Crofford, Mike Moran

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi; family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was 13.
• Began his career in 1954 at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring African-American music to a wider audience.
• Recorded "That's All Right" with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black in July 1954.
• A pioneer of rockabilly, a fusion of country music and rhythm and blues.

Members

• Classic quartet: Presley (vocals, guitar), Scotty Moore (lead guitar), Bill Black (bass), and D. J. Fontana (drums), who joined in 1955.

Career

• RCA Victor acquired his contract in 1955 for $40,000; "Heartbreak Hotel" hit number one in the US in 1956.
• Became a leading figure of rock and roll, though his style was considered a threat to white American youth by some.
• Made his film debut in Love Me Tender (1956) and devoted much of the 1960s to Hollywood films.
• Returned to the stage with the 1968 NBC special Elvis, followed by a Las Vegas residency and tours.
• Gave the first solo-artist concert broadcast worldwide, Aloha from Hawaii, in 1973.
• Died August 16, 1977 at Graceland, aged 42.
• Estimated to have sold 500 million records worldwide; won three Grammy Awards.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Chart performance was low when the album came out
• In Spain-language coverage, the album reached number 42 on the UK chart and number 90 on the US Billboard 200
• Sales reportedly reached around 200,000 copies
• The album charted on both sides of the Atlantic

Reappraisal

• Considered typical 1970s Elvis material
• Many of the songs are covers of hits of the time
• The album had a stronger overall character than the previous Raised On Rock

Records

• Cashbox Country Albums: number 1
• UK: charted in the Top 50
• Billboard 200: number 90
• "I've Got a Thing About You Baby": number 4 on the Country chart, number 39 on the pop chart
• "My Boy": number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, number 14 Country, number 20 Pop

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Original copies of the LP with the sticker on the cover, listing the singles on the album, are very rare and sell for large amounts on auction sites.
• Original US release pressings had orange RCA Victor labels.
• "My Boy" is a version of a French song from 1967 called "Parce que je t'aime mon enfant".
• The album's title comes from the song "Talk About the Good Times".
• Eight of the ten tracks came from one Stax session, while two came from an earlier July 1973 session.

Sources: fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · en.wikipedia.org

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