Would love to rant on about Elvis for ages but loads of work to do before I leave tonight so I'll just quote Andrew from way up thread:
"above all else he's a great singer, of all different kinds of material - country, r'n'b, rockabilly, gospel, soul, torch songs, etc. Contrary to all that 'creatively dead after leaving Army' bollocks, he made fine records at every point in his career"
― James Ball (James Ball), Friday, 24 January 2003 16:33 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 24 January 2003 16:34 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ken, Friday, 24 January 2003 18:23 (twenty-one years ago) link
Sadly, Jerry Lee has had very bad management and frequent bad health for the last 15/20 years. His 95 or 96 album Young Blood was decent, but not what it could have been.
Plus, Elvis had many successful imitators, but Jerry Lee has none. Nobody dared. Partly this has to do with the expense and imcompatibility of travel intrinsic in being a piano man. But nobody has used the piano as the primary instrument ni Rock/Roll since JLL and Little Richard.Elton John/Ben Folds/Billy Joel all play pop, not rock/roll.
― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 24 January 2003 18:31 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ken, Friday, 24 January 2003 19:20 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 24 January 2003 19:31 (twenty-one years ago) link
And as for JLL: Nobody cuts the Killer, baby, NOBODY!
― Jim M (jmcgaw), Friday, 24 January 2003 21:35 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ken, Friday, 24 January 2003 23:13 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ken, Friday, 24 January 2003 23:28 (twenty-one years ago) link
Classic.
Plus now he's droppin' some lite techno! "A Little More Conversation" is what Bob Mould's new shit SHOULD sound like.
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 24 January 2003 23:44 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Saturday, 25 January 2003 00:14 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 15:33 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 15:37 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 15:38 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 15:41 (twenty-one years ago) link
The point about Sam Phillips is probably true, but I see no reason to think your first point is. If it wasn't Elvis it woulda been -- who?? Jerry Lee? He's great but he seriously doesn't have more than a fraction of Elvis' talent, let alone his ability to connect with such a broad swath of the population. That's the thing about Elvis: He really was unique. There's NO ONE else who could have done what he did in the mid-fifties.
― Burr (Burr), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:10 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:13 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:23 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:24 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:26 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 16:30 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 19:58 (twenty-one years ago) link
Wuh-huh I don' know whether tuh thank ya or hate ya Geir!
― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 20:07 (twenty-one years ago) link
I find EP, even at his best, almost always lacking in some kind of telling detail/nuance/aesthetic distance, blah blah, that for me is necessary--his music just seems one-dimensional to me. Occas. it does not, but only seldom. There's something great about him but his "art" seems smug, involuted, airless...his presence is something else entirely, and he did have a good voice...I dunno, it just doesn't move me, I want to get real gone for a change but EP don't do it, not like the greatest man to ever record for Sun, Howlin' Wolf.
― Jess Hill (jesshill), Thursday, 8 May 2003 18:21 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Sean (Sean), Thursday, 8 May 2003 18:47 (twenty-one years ago) link
― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 20:01 (twenty-one years ago) link
interview snippet ("Rock and roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I can't help it.")That's All RightMystery TrainHeartbreak HotelBlue Suede ShoesBlue MoonI Want You, I Need You, I Love YouHound DogDon't Be CruelLove Me TenderAll Shook UpTeddy BearJailhouse RockLove MeIt's Now Or NeverAre You Lonesome TonightHis Latest FlameCan't Help Falling In LoveReturn To SenderDevil In DisguiseViva Las VegasGuitar ManIn The GhettoSuspicious Mindsinterview snippet (Elvis leaves for Germany "I am going away...")
(this one's only about 60 minutes long so I've got about 20 extra minutes for more stuff. Anybody want to finish it for me? Also, try to place any contributions chronologically)
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 00:12 (twenty years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 00:17 (twenty years ago) link
"Help Me Make It Through The Night" - token C&W choice
― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 00:20 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 00:27 (twenty years ago) link
― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 00:36 (twenty years ago) link
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 01:27 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 01:28 (twenty years ago) link
― Daniel_Rf & death is a hedgehog (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 01:51 (twenty years ago) link
Spencer, does this mean that you don't own an original copy of The Memphis Record??????
― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 02:08 (twenty years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:37 (twenty years ago) link
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:42 (twenty years ago) link
In "Return to Sender" when he says "I took it to the mailbox, I sent it 'Special D'" it's so great, you just want to hang out with him all day and get him to teach you all the other slang he knows.
So, so true.
― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:44 (twenty years ago) link
When you left you know you told me That some day you'd be returnin' In a fancy car, all the town to see, oh yea, Well now everyone is watching you You finally had your dream, yea You're ridin' in a long black limousine
You know the papers told of how you lost your life, oh yea The party, the party and the fatal crash that night Well the race along the highway, oh the curve you didn't see When you're riding in that long black limousine
Through tear filled eyes I watch as you pass by oh yea A chauffeur, a chauffeur at the wheel dressed up so fine Well I never, I never, never, never Oh my heart, all my dreams yea, they're with you In that long black limousine
Yea, yea, they're with you in that long black limousineYea, yea, they're with you in that long black limousine
----
great call Matos. it's like "Will the Bitterness Be Unbroken," basically
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:46 (twenty years ago) link
Should I go for the 50s, 60s, and 70s box sets? Or is there another tack I should take? (Amst highly recommended at least the 70s set.) Also, what about the live recordings box sets? What is recommended in that area? (I am partial to the Las Vegas concerts.)
What is a good Elvis gospel compilation? Or should I just let this be taken care of by the box sets?
Finally, what are your favorite LPs? 50,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong looks enticing.
― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 17 June 2004 07:42 (twenty years ago) link
Not sure about the box sets since I've never had any of them, but one great sleeper album you might try is Tomorrow Is a Long Time, which is 18 tracks from 1966-68, most of which is terrific. As I said upthread, the title cut vies for best Dylan covers ever--reeeeal slow and bluesy, just devastating, pure torch.
― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 17 June 2004 07:58 (twenty years ago) link
― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 17 June 2004 07:59 (twenty years ago) link
― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Thursday, 17 June 2004 12:41 (twenty years ago) link
I'm obviously not talking about his early breakthrough and image; of course he's by far the ultimate rock and roll star, but even then, in the more limited context of Memphis/the South, he's still a reference for other music and a super-fan.
One Elvis song no one talks about much is "How Can You Lose What You Never Had," which is on the double CD I have of "Speedway" and "Clambake" (it also contains his very generic but nicely retrospective and self-referential--he's his own super-fan here) "Guitar Man," which is really referential to Jerry Reed, and that's odd, shows how willing EP was to reference anything that caught his ear.
Anyway, check out "How Can You Lose What You Never Had," which is nicely Band-esque. I'm surprised this reissue of his two best movies left off the incredible "Who Needs Money" from "Clambake" in which he sings a duet with a guy who looks a lot like Jerry Reed while riding a motorcycle thru Florida.
― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Thursday, 17 June 2004 14:08 (twenty years ago) link
― charltonlido (gareth), Sunday, 17 April 2005 21:54 (nineteen years ago) link
but this might be total bullshit
― anthony, Sunday, 17 April 2005 22:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 17 April 2005 22:45 (nineteen years ago) link
― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 17 April 2005 22:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Monday, 18 April 2005 01:04 (nineteen years ago) link