Raised on Rock

In July and December 1973, Elvis recorded at Stax Studios in Memphis, seeking something he couldn’t get at American Sound, where he’d been working since 1969. No surprise, then, that Raised On Rock features some of his funkiest and most soulful material, including the title track and “If You Don’t Come Back,” and some Southern-fried rock ’n’ roll (“Three Corn Patches,” “Find Out What’s Happening”). The ballads “I Miss You” and “Are You Sincere” were recorded in L.A. in September 1973, but even there, the ache in Presley’s voice is visceral. This was the beginning of a trilogy of albums that are among his strongest work of the decade.