Elvis Presley's 'In The Ghetto' Gets Matt Ross-Spang Remix

06-30-2024 12:33 PM EDT

(Shore Fire Media) Earlier this month, RCA Records and Legacy Recordings announced a new 111-track Elvis Presley set titled 'MEMPHIS' - marking the first fully-comprehensive collection of his hometown recordings; available August 9 on 5CD, 2LP and digital configurations. Celebrating the 70th anniversary of Elvis' first Sun Studio releases from the summer of 1954, the collection spans 22 years of music made in his eternal home - at legendary studios like American Sound and Stax, as well as from the stage of his '74 arena tour and in the Jungle Room at Graceland.

Much of the music has been remixed by four-time GRAMMY winner and Memphis native Matt Ross-Spang (John Prine, Al Green, Margo Price, Jason Isbell) including removing overdubs from each of the 60s/70s studio recordings - leaving the listener with only what Elvis heard live in the room at the time...as if they were standing next to him. Today, we're sharing Ross-Spang's new mix of "In The Ghetto," the chart-topping single that helped spearhead Elvis' comeback on 1969's From Elvis In Memphis.

From Elvis In Memphis marked Elvis' return to his hometown after nearly 15 years, teaming up with legendary producer Chips Moman at American Sound Studio. Far from the glitz of Hollywood or the gloss of Nashville, Elvis sought out songs that reflected a more gimlet-eyed worldview, and put down some of the greatest performances of his career.

"I was especially excited and nervous to work on the famed Elvis 'American Sessions.' The producer of these sessions, Chips Moman, was a definite hero of mine. He pulled something out of Elvis that few others have. I felt like Indiana Jones holding the holy grail! We removed all the overdubbed instruments on the sessions. For example on 'In the Ghetto,' we removed the strings, orchestral brass and backing vocals. This new mix would be the closest to being a fly on the wall in the studio and hearing the recording as it was recorded live. Chips knew what he wanted out of each instrument and Elvis, and he committed all those decisions to tape. Chips did the hard work already, I just needed to put on the white gloves and not screw it up!" - Matt Ross-Spang