Elvis Presley - How Great Thou Art (1967) Vinyl LP • Gospel, In the Garden

Catalog Number: AFL1-3758

Record Grading: Very Good Plus (VG+), Sleeve Grading: Near Mint (NM or M-)

Condition Details:

Still in ORIGINAL SHRINK-WRAP (opened). Vinyl plays with occasional crackles (play-graded). Cover has a few creases near edges (front/back); tiny sections of shrink missing from top and bottom right corners on front. Inner-sleeve is original (Elvis discography). Spine is easy-to-read with little wear. Minor shelf-wear along top/bottom-edge, some wear to corners. Opening is crisp with signs of light use and a few divots. (Not a cut-out.)

Tracks:

• How Great Thou Art
• In The Garden
• Somebody Bigger Than You And I
• Farther Along
• Stand By Me
• Without Him
• So High
• Where Could I Go But To The Lord
• By And By
• If The Lord Wasn't Walking By My Side
• Run On
• Where No One Stands Alone
• Crying In The Chapel

About The Record:

Recording sessions for How Great Thou Art, by Elvis Presley, took place at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 25, 26, 27, and 28, 1966. It peaked at No. 18 on the Top Pop Albums chart. It was certified Gold on February 16, 1968, Platinum and 2x Platinum on March 27, 1992 and 3x Platinum on October 13, 2010 by the RIAA. The title song won the 1967 Grammy Award for Best Sacred Performance. How Great Thou Art would in fact be Presley's first non-soundtrack album recording of new material since Pot Luck with Elvis in 1962, and his first album release not to include any soundtrack recordings since the previous gospel album in 1960. It also introduced producer Felton Jarvis to Presley on the singer's second non-soundtrack sessions since May 1963. Jarvis would continue to work with Presley for the remainder of his career. The church and its steeple featured on the cover is that of the First Church of Christ, located in Sandwich, Massachusetts. As the sessions for the album progressed, Elvis rejected many of the planned songs for which Freddy Bienstock had obtained publishing deals, and began picking favorites of his own and those of the musicians. The five songs in the public domain were credited as "arranged by Elvis Presley" and published by Elvis Presley Music allowing Bienstock to secure the royalties for those selections. In fact, it is likely that an engaged and enthusiastic Presley indeed did the arrangements, as he certainly did with the title song, his months of practice at home on his beloved gospel songs paying off. Twelve tracks were completed for the album, including the standards In the Garden from 1912 popularized by Billy Sunday and Run On from the jubilee tradition. The 13th track, Crying in the Chapel, had been recorded during the sessions for His Hand in Mine and released as a single in 1965. The sessions also produced the single Love Letters, two B-sides, and two additional songs that would be added to the Spinout album. The Christmas single would be completed, a composition by Memphis Mafia mainstay Red West If Every Day Was Like Christmas, at the next session on June 10.