Elvis Presley: Classic Or Dud?

I suppose a thing about Elvis is, how familiar is he really? He *seems* over-familiar - we think we know it all already - and maybe many folk do, several times over. But often, when I actually go and play the stuff rather than just think about it abstractly, it surprises me. It turns out to be more exciting than I imagined, or there are great songs I'd forgotten about; etc. I mean: the reality of Elvis might, possibly, be more (rather than less) interesting than the idea.

with all due respect to little richard (who i love) and chuck berry (who i respect), elvis was rock n' roll, until those damned beatles showed up, as he epitomized what it was all about viz. white kids doing naughty things viz. commingling with blacks. he had the hair, the looks, the moves -- few people have looked as bad-ASS as the king did on his comeback special -- and most importantly the voice, the one thing he'd have after everything else was gone.

search: "mystery train," "jailhouse rock," "surrender," "can't help falling in love," "anything that's part of you," "it hurts me," "tiger man," "if i can dream," "wearin' that loved on look," "i'll hold you in my heart," "tomorrow never comes," "american trilogy," etc muthafuckin' etc.

destroy: the films and most of the concomitant music, the cult, his private life, the karate...it's not too difficult to figure out what should be discounted.

I'm like Tom, I appreciate the idea of Elvis but I can't be bothered to listen to him, like ever. I own none of his CDs, because I have no desire to turn him on. If he comes on the radio, I won't turn it off, but really it's not my cup of tea. I won't search him out, simple as that.

Elvis I think does the business, but proceed with caution. The really bad sixties movie cuts aren't even good for camp value.

DESTROY: Greil Marcus. Much of the time, he's worse than the folks who see the image of Elvis in the grease spattered on a toaster of the local Waffle House.

As for me, I would say classic. I think a lot of the mythology surrounding him has belittled the music he created.

Other than that, he never meant a thing to me. Dud I guess. I'm such a fucking kid.

No wait, that was William Lyon Mackenzie King!

Dennis Lee to thread!

I don't understand how anyone can say he's a "watered-down Little Richard" since (a) they sound nothing at all alike, even when Elvis covered Little Richard songs, and (b) Elvis started making records before Little Richard cut "Tutti Frutti," the first record he made in the style he's famous for.

Though he IS undeniably a great singer, with really terrible management, though try telling that to the billion dollar EP Estate.
Like Ali, his talent was squandered, though there are many moments of transcendence throughout his career.

Also, in Linda Gail Lewis's autobio, she claims that the time Jerry Lee stormed the gates at Graceland, it was because a doped up EP had called him to come rescue him, a claim not as preposterous as it seems.
Elvis might have been King, but Colonol Parker ruled.

Here's a question to ponder: What would Elvis's legacy be had he not been so incredible looking?

One of whom I phoned just to hear her voice after her repeating "Listen, we will invite some guys over, listen to Elvis and play some yahtzee".

truly my pleasure

hey someone sent me a request but forgot to include their email address. let me know!

Hadrian, it's awesome. Sent you a PM.

on it's way

its

Elvis Presley: The Searcher is all right, but it's no Radio Free Shake Rag

aw

hey someone sent me a request but forgot to include their email address. let me know!

― DACA Flocka Flame (Hadrian VIII), Tuesday, May 8, 2018 12:37 AM (twenty-one hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that's me! how do i do what needs to be done?

if Elvis had lived and they did American Recordings style covers album i would want to hear him do Beck's "Lost Cause" also some Nick Cave and Misfits

Maybe Sistinas by Danzig, although that might be a little on the nose

There's a whole flood of ballads from the last thirty years that flowed into my head in Presley's voice: Waits' "Downtown Train", Nina Nastasia's "How Will You Love Me", Cave's "Are You the One I've Been Waiting For", Parton's "Wildflowers", Bonnie Prince Billy "Cursed Sleep," Welch's "No One Knows My Name" and Neko Case's "Set Out Running" and "Star Witness".

i wanna hear Elvis sing "Hit Me Baby One More Time"

"My loneliness is killin' me, mama"

i suppose Fakeapp-style voice AI will make things like this possible in the near future. i can already see Stereogum in 2020 posting an Elvis version of "All Star"

Tried to email Hadrian, gave up on endless ilx captcha, oh well rock on DJ:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/elvis-presley-drummer-dj-fontana-dead-at-87-w521520

I'd love to hear Elvis with the big TCB! band doing "Black Dog". You could do a cool arrangement with the horns and all those background singers.

cool revive

RIP DJ Fontana :(

The "Hound Dog" snare, man oh man.

Ike and Tina Review circa 1972 give some idea what the TCB! band might have done with hard rock songs.

Tried to email Hadrian, gave up on endless ilx captcha, oh well rock on DJ:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/elvis-presley-drummer-dj-fontana-dead-at-87-w521520

― dow, Thursday, June 14, 2018 9:14 PM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

aw dow I've been awol try me again

I might be able to assist to help you guys connect without robomail if captcha was the problem. Check your emails in a few.

Got it got it got it, thanks so much Hadrian &/via James!!!

if Elvis had lived and they did American Recordings style covers album i would want to hear him do Beck's "Lost Cause" also some Nick Cave and Misfits

― Hazy Maze Cave (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, June 5, 2018 8:41 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Hahahaha

Also a duet with Bob Plant on “kashmir”

Thus Sprach Zarasthrutha / Kashmir” (Overture)

Finally reading Careless Love and jfc those “movie gulag” years from like 63-67 really are way more grim than I realized. By the time they’re down to 14-day shoots it’s like wtf is even happening anymore. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that the 68 Special is on the horizon

My favorite thing is how every time he gets obsessed with something (motorcycles, horses) he makes sure EVERYONE has one too. It’s bananas. That whole cowboy ranch sidetrack was so weird, him wearing chaps & a cowboy hat on the regular LOL (but also oddly endearing)

Have you finished it? If you think the mid sixties are grim, just wait...

As bad as you think it could be, it's worse.

i’m about 1/3rd of the way in

i realize it gets way worse :)

but i don’t think I realized the true extent to which the 60’s was such a creative vacuum. there’s that sad revelation in the leadup to the 68 special & Elvis “busting loose” where it’s clear that the true chasm of understanding between them was that Parker thought Elvis’ voice *alone* was the key to it all, when Elvis saw that it was his voice & the music combined that created the electricit. All those recordings where the music gets pushed down & his vocals get pushed up to sell something that no-one’s even buying anymore. A decade’s worth of talent mostly wasted because of that. Among other things. It’s maddening to see it laid out in such minute detail.

HI DERE

:D

And it's weird when you hear recordings he did during movie gulag time of songs he actually liked and cared about - generally the ones not intended for movies - there's a night and day difference in the performance. Thinking of, for example, the 2nd gospel album and "Tomorrow Is a Long Time."

For sure

wow this is quite a read, fascinating:

https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/pain/other/brain-injury/elvis-presley-head-trauma-autoimmunity-pain-early-death

Heartbreaking.

Very interesting, thanks

Mac Davis just passed away after heart surgery. Probably best-known for this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdXKk8dcfqM

Coincidentally, I watched Elvis's comeback special yesterday. I hadn't seen it in a while, and it's pretty amazing - the CD's and LP's don't do it justice, you really need to get the DVD and watch both the TV special itself and the informal "sit down" session. His movies aren't exactly a favorite, but you can see why he was able to make so many - he really had a tremendous screen presence.

Of course Elvis in Memphis came next, and IMHO it's really the one truly great LP he made that wasn't a compilation. There was still more great music to come and the experimentation on Elvis Country is commendable, but it's a shame he slipped back into complacency soon after.

(*a favorite of mine, I should say)

RIP Mac! wrote quite a few Elvis hits including Memories & Little Less Conversation

also did a perfect Elvis voice impression, as heard on a recent ep of Gilbert Gottfried's podcast

Of course _Elvis in Memphis_ came next, and IMHO it's really the one truly great LP he made that wasn't a compilation. There was still more great music to come and the experimentation on _Elvis Country_ is commendable, but it's a shame he slipped back into complacency soon after.

Suspicious Minds is great right
But can it be great if it’s so damn depressing?
Dude is simply sobbing out the verses

He’s sabotaging its greatness and doesn’t give a damn

yes, it totally can still be great!

my favorite sub sub genre is upbeat songs with sad lyrics/delivery

bridge over troubled water is the most mounful secular gospel song you ever heard

send one up for Ronnie Tutt

ty for taking care of business, drumwise.

Imagine living your life thinking Elvis is anything but a classic.

Tutt was so great. Knew exactly how to exploit the dynamics and subtexts of every song, no small feat for an Elvis collaborator.

I hope Baz Luhrmann’s take isn’t popular. He has a way of cheapening everything he touches.

Ronnie Tutt was the rhythmic pulse connected between Elvis, Neal Diamond and Jerry Garcia. That is crossing a couple different worlds.

Obviously Neil...must have had Cassady on the brain.

If not Patricia.

Now imagining Elvis as Hud.

“They call it polk…salad” *rimshot* “Hud!”

Listening to Tutt & the band on those early Vegas shows & it’s stunning AND entirely believable that they could do what, three shows a day? and just holding it down in the most incredible ways

like sure you prob have to take a ton of uppers to do it but you still have to play like a motherfucker to meet Elvis where he’s at and goddamn they all could, but especially Tutt

also loved his playing on the Roy Orbison black and white night concert