For LP Fans Only is a compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on February 6, 1959 by RCA Victor. It compiled previously released material from an August 1956 recording session at 20th Century Fox Stage One, a September 1956 session at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, sessions on January 10 and 11 at the RCA Victor Studios in Nashville, two more at the RCA Victor Studios in New York, and multiple sessions at Sun Studio. The album reached number 19 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart.[5]
| For LP Fans Only | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | February 6, 1959 | |||
| Recorded | July 1954 – October 1956 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | Rock and roll[1] | |||
| Length | 23:28 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Sam Phillips (Sun recordings) Steve Sholes (RCA recordings) | |||
| Elvis Presley chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from For LP Fans Only | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| MusicHound |  [3] |
| Rough Guides |  [4] |
Content
editAfter Presley's induction into the United States Army on March 24, 1958, RCA Victor and Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, were faced with the prospect of keeping his name before the public for two years with no possibility of live performances or movies, and few unissued marketable recordings in the vault. A recording session was arranged for two days in June, which yielded enough items for five more single sides, singles being the commercial focus for rock and roll in the 1950s. Four of those tracks would be issued on 45s in 1958 and 1959 during his absence while doing military service.
Presley, however, also did well in the albums market. Each of his previous six LPs charted no lower than number three, and RCA wished to continue to release albums by their hot commodity given his sales record. Much of Presley's material had been issued on single records, not on LP. For this album, RCA Victor collected nine tracks previously available in single form only, as well as "Poor Boy" from the Love Me Tender EP. Four of the tracks had been issued on Sun Records with limited release, and were very difficult to come by outside of the south. However all 5 Sun singles were reissued by RCA Victor in November 1955 and remained in print through the 1970s.
"That's All Right (Mama)" was never issued as a single in the UK during Presley's lifetime.
Reissues
editRCA first reissued the original 10 track album For LP Fans Only on compact disc in 1989. The album is included in a 25 disc package, "The Perfect Blues Collection", released by Sony in 2011. The album is also available in the 2016 60 CD boxed set Elvis Presley – The Complete RCA Album Collection.
Collective personnel
edit- Elvis Presley – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Scotty Moore – lead guitar
- Chet Atkins – rhythm guitar
- Floyd Cramer – piano
- Shorty Long – piano on "My Baby Left Me"
- Gordon Stoker – piano, backing vocals
- Bill Black – bass
- D.J. Fontana – drums
- Jimmie Lott – drums
- Johnny Bernero – drums
- The Jordanaires – backing vocals
- Ben Speer – backing vocals
- Brock Speer – backing vocals
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That's All Right" | Arthur Crudup | July 5, 1954 | 1:55 |
| 2. | "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" | Lloyd Price | February 3, 1956 | 2:08 |
| 3. | "Mystery Train" | July 11, 1955 | 2:24 | |
| 4. | "Playing for Keeps" | Stan Kesler | September 1, 1956 | 2:50 |
| 5. | "Poor Boy" |
| August 24, 1956 | 2:13 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Baby Left Me" | Arthur Crudup | January 30, 1956 | 2:12 |
| 2. | "I Was the One" |
| January 11, 1956 | 2:34 |
| 3. | "Shake, Rattle And Roll" | Charles Calhoun | February 3, 1956 | 2:37 |
| 4. | "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" |
| March 5, 1955 | 2:36 |
| 5. | "You're a Heartbreaker" | Jack Sallee | November 12, 1954 | 2:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That's All Right" | Crudup | July 5, 1954 | 1:55 |
| 2. | "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" | Price | February 3, 1956 | 2:08 |
| 3. | "Mystery Train" |
| July 11, 1955 | 2:24 |
| 4. | "Playing for Keeps" | Kesler | September 1, 1956 | 2:50 |
| 5. | "Poor Boy" |
| August 24, 1956 | 2:13 |
| 6. | "Money Honey" | Jesse Stone | January 10, 1956 | 2:36 |
| 7. | "I'm Counting on You" | Don Robertson | January 11, 1956 | 2:24 |
| 8. | "My Baby Left Me" | Crudup | January 30, 1956 | 2:12 |
| 9. | "I Was the One" |
| January 11, 1956 | 2:34 |
| 10. | "Shake, Rattle and Roll" | Calhoun | February 3, 1956 | 2:37 |
| 11. | "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" |
| March 5, 1955 | 2:36 |
| 12. | "You're a Heartbreaker" | Sallee | November 12, 1954 | 2:12 |
| 13. | "Trying to Get to You" | July 11, 1955 | 2:33 | |
| 14. | "Blue Suede Shoes" | Carl Perkins | January 30, 1956 | 1:58 |
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 19 |
References
edit- ^ "For LP Fans Only - Elvis Presley - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 892. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
- ^ Simpson, Paul (2004). The Rough Guide to Elvis. London: Rough Guides. p. 113. ISBN 1-84353-417-7.
- ^ "Pop albums". Elvis Presley: The Official Site of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. 2013. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
- Jorgenson, Ernst (1998). Elvis Presley: A Life In Music - The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-18572-3
External links
edit- For LP Fans Only at Discogs (list of releases)
- LPM-1990 For LP Fans Only Guide part of The Elvis Presley Record Research Database