Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds: The Memphis 1969 Anthology (1999)

Elvis Presley's comeback recordings from the late '60s are generally regarded as some of the finest music he ever made, not only because they proved he could still be exciting, but because they're musically diverse and emotionally rich. That was evident on From Elvis in Memphis, the first record released from his landmark sessions of 1968 and 1969, and latter-day compilations like The Memphis Record made clear how deep those recordings were. Twelve years after The Memphis Record, the double-disc set Suspicious Minds was released, and it stands as the definitive overview of these sessions. All of the familiar hits are here, of course, but for collectors, what makes this essential is that it not only contains all the master takes, but it provides nine alternate takes of classics such as "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road," "Kentucky Rain," "Suspicious Minds," "In the Ghetto," and "I'm Movin' On." None of these are particularly revelatory, but they are interesting enough to be the icing on the cake on an exceptional collection. Since they're more concise, The Memphis Record or From Elvis in Memphis remain better bets for some listeners, but any true aficionado or rock historian will need to add Suspicious Minds to their collection.~ Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine