Elvis Presley-How Great Thou Art (1967)
Artist: Elvis Presley
Title: How Great Thou Art
Label: RCA Victor
Format: LP
Cat: LSP 3758
Year of Release: 1967
Country and Year of Edition: US Stereo
Listed Condition: VG/VG
Sell Date: 8/2/22
Sell Price: $4.99
Discogs Last Sold: 7/30/22 NM/VG+ $10.00
Low: $3.00 VG/VG
Median: $8.25
Average: $13.43
High: $60.00 M/M
Current low price:$1.00 G+/VG+
Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 36
Have/Want: 1137/78
Where Sold: Burbank, CA
Time it took to sell: 7 years
Where and When Bought: Worcester MA Al Bums used $3.99
Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-
Sad To See It Go: No
Elvis Gospel albums tend to be the most critically revered of his post-Army years, up there with Memphis recordings and the '68 Comeback. How Great Thou Art directly preceded his return to "respectable" Rock 'n' Roll, but it's more along the lines of his Christmas album. The Jordainaires are on board the Jesus train along with the Imperials Quartet. Although I had this and the other Gospel classic He Touched Me from 1972, I didn't spend as much time on them as I did with Ain't That Good News on Specialty.
Mostly these are piano Gospel ballads, but there is one rouser that veers toward Black Gospel, the side 2 opener "So High" where his voice goes so low. "If The Lord Wasn't Walking By My Side" and "Run On" were more along the lines of what you'd expect from a more rocking Elvis doing gospel. They are plopped in the middle of Side 2.
As for hits, there is one, "Crying In The Chapel" closes the album, but it was a #3 Billboard hit in 1965. There's a big fat note in a box on the back cover "By Request! In this album Elvis Single Hit Crying In The Chapel."
Of the ballads, my favorite is the side one closer "Without Him." If you are going to sing plaintively about Jesus, you might as well be explicit about it. Worthless and enslaved, not to mention drifting like a ship without a sail. Why don't you tell us how you really feel? So direct, I can't help but respect his point of view. The writer, Mylon LeFevre was only 20 when he released the song in 1964 with his group The Lefevres. He led an early 70's Southern Christian rock group named Mylon that was good enough for Clydie King to sing all over 1970's We Believe.
The song didn't convert my heart of stone, but neither did Sam Cooke or Slow Train Coming.
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