"Without Love ( There Is Nothing)" was written by Danny Small, and first recorded by the great Clyde McPhatter on October 10, 1956. It was originally released as the main side of Atlantic single 1117 in November 1956, and it became a Top 10 R&R hit and a Top 20 Pop Hit.
The song was covered over the years by many artists, including other R&B greats such as Ray Charles, Little Richard and Irma Thomas, but it's probably mostly remembered for the versions Elvis and Tom Jones recorded in 1969. Elvis' version was buried as the closing track of side two of his 1969 "Back In Memphis" album (originally a part of a double album with "Elvis In Person"). Jones, however, had a big hit with the song when he had it released as a single that same year.
Great as some of those recordings are, none of them comes close to Clyde's original, for my money. It's a damn masterpiece, and the definitive recording of this song. McPhatter's stunning performance even manages to makes us forget the somewhat over-the-top arrangements of the record.
The original, of course, has been reissued many times, on McPhatter anthologies and Atlantic compilations of various artists, but to date I haven't found an album that contains the exact same recording that became a hit originally, the one that was released as a single, back in 1956, and probably the one that first inspired a young Presley, who would record it at the end of the next decade. For some strange reason, an alternate take has always been used.
Here's the REAL original versiom of "Without Love (There Is Nothing)" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtB0LOJhbHQ