Do You Prefer Elvis in the ’60s or Elvis in the ’70s?

The movie years (“do the clam”) vs. the concert years (“glory glory hallelujah”)

This photo was used on ’68 Comeback Special — 50th Anniversary Edition, a boxed set of five CDs and two BluR-ray DVDs issued in Europe in 2018. (Image: personal collection)

THE QUESTION ON QUORA was “Which was better, 60s Elvis or 70s Elvis?” I was surprised to see that the first two answers were “70's” as I can’t imagine any serious student of Presley’s recorded output would prefer his declining years over his mature middle years. Oh well, that’s why Wholly Grommett gave us free will and individual taste. My initial answer was, “I wouldn’t trade Elvis Is Back and From Elvis In Memphis for Elvis’s entire ’70s catalog.”

Then I thought of a better idea: List the 10 Best Elvis Albums of the ’60s and ’70s and let the readers figure out what I meant and argue with my choices and what they imply.

So here are the best Presley albums 1960–1977 with the year each was recorded in parentheses:

1. Elvis Is Back (1960)
2. Elvis — NBC-TV Special (1968)
3. From Elvis In Memphis (1969)
4. Golden Records Volume 3 (1960–1962)
5. Elvis Country (1970)
6. That’s The Way It Is (1970)
7. His Hand In Mine (1960)
8. How Great Thou Art (1966)
9. He Touched Me (1971)
10. Elvis Live On Stage At The International Hotel (1969)