19 Elvis Fans Can Be Polled: The ILM Elvis Presley poll roll out thread

oops forgot the bold

One of the things I was wondering about during the Jarecki film was whether or not Elvis was in Germany at the same time as the Beatles. They missed each other by a few months: Elvis left in March 1960, the Beatles arrived in August 1960. Not sure how close Elvis was to Hamburg...take some Llewyn Davis-like liberties there and you've got a great movie scene: Elvis gets bored and leaves his post one night, wanders into a club...

The Beatles were pretty green at the beginning of their Hamburg residency, though; Elvis would've wondered why those skinny kids weren't getting booed off the stage.

(In 1962 they played Hamburg with Little Richard, who was sufficiently impressed that he said he'd go back to the States and tell Elvis that the Beatles were the best band in the UK.)

https://i.imgur.com/qedVhSs.jpg

45. Elvis Presley - “Crawfish” 132 points, 5 votes, 1 first place vote

lol 1 #1 vote

Wow

I was surprised! But then I'm currently listening to the drugs dialogue from Vegas, 2 September 1974, so to each her own...

Crawfish RULES! but I didnt have as my 1, i had it a fair way down my list iirc

https://i.imgur.com/3t1Nl8h.jpg

44. Elvis Presley - “True Love Travels On A Gravel Road” 136 points, 5 votes

so good

i love this one

I see that I had that one at 35.

(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear: my #34
True Love Travels On A Gravel Road: my #37

I didn't vote for anything else that's popped up so far

https://i.imgur.com/kTM5yaA.jpg

43. Elvis Presley - “Polk Salad Annie” 142 points, 5 votes, 1 number one

I voted for this one too (#47). I don't even think he ever recorded this in the studio, did he? Only live versions.

Two of mine placed so far 'True Love Travels...' (#3) and 'Always on my Mind' (#13) which I expected to be much higher. Didn't vote for 'Teddy Bear', but pleased to see it, light as candyfloss and almost as sweet.

I was the #1 for “Polk Salad Annie.” To me it’s his quintessential live number- suspenseful intro, spoken not sung most of the time, all kinds of rhythmic and lyrical adlibs or interludes, lyric not heartbreak-related so can be listened to in any mood.

Is there a Spotify playlist?

https://i.imgur.com/BpWrmun.jpg

42. Elvis Presley - “Any Day Now” 145 points, 4 votes, 1 number one

I'm not a Spotify user, so I won't be making a playlist, but it would be cool if someone did. We'll have had our own take on Elvis' top songs and there's a certain vibe I think you'll recognize as we continue (though that may just be me).

I was surprised by how high "Any Day Now" placed, but a #1 will do that. I think of it more as a Ronnie Milsap song.

One of my least favorite tracks on From Elvis In Memphis. But I voted for some pretty gooey early '70s stuff, so we'll see what happens as we go on.

https://i.imgur.com/L9uMnnz.jpg

41. Elvis Presley - “Baby What You Want Me To Do” 153 points, 5 votes

Another one where I figure the votes are for the '68 comeback special versions, which are admittedly incredible. As we talked about yesterday, though, it's hard to decide which songs are "enough" Elvis' to vote for them, and like "Any Day Now", this isn't enough his for me to vote for it. But those '68 versions are spectacular, so I understand voting for it.

I didn’t vote for Polk Salad Annie but it is one of his A+ live songs for sure

Was thinking there's not many people who could cover "Polk Salad Annie" and do any kind of justice to Tony Joe White's original. Bobbie Gentry would be one of the few.

Other than Elvis, I mean

https://i.imgur.com/hmYvNTA.jpg

40. Elvis Presley - “Trouble” 159 points, 8 votes

some votes for "Trouble" included "Guitar Man", from the '68 comeback special version. I put those votes all into "Trouble, since it's the first song of that melody. "Guitar Man" is #56 as it is.

"Trouble" was in my top ten (#9, to be exact). Didn't vote for "Baby..."

Oh, and "Guitar Man" was my #23, at least half because of the Jesus & Mary Chain's cover version. They've rarely sounded this alive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wr-ufpIhmo

I'm gonna hurry up the last three for the day so that I can get off my computer for the day & move onto phone as needed

xp yes I love the JAMC cover, it's what I think of when I think of "Guitar Man". I wish ZZ Top had covered it too.

https://i.imgur.com/8ufuyl3.jpg

39. Elvis Presley - “(You're the) Devil in Disguise” 171 points, 7 votes

https://i.imgur.com/C8Bjt0w.jpg

38. Elvis Presley - “(You're so Square) Baby I Don't Care” 180 points, 8 votes

Trouble is great - one of my favorite performances from the movies

oh actually that's the last for today

I'll continue the roll out tomorrow!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaKds2nev-k

Looking up "You're So Square..." I had no idea Buddy Holly had done it before Elvis. (It's a Lieber/Stoller song.) I've never liked Holly, so have only ever heard his four or five biggest hits.

In the early days of MTV that was the one Elvis "video" they would always show (the clip from Jailhouse Rock Probably the introductory Elvis tune for a lot of '80s kids.

Looking up "You're So Square..." I had no idea Buddy Holly had done it before Elvis. (It's a Lieber/Stoller song.) I've never liked Holly, so have only ever heard his four or five biggest hits.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/cryptosicko/playlist/15K0ZzVnHRRa3a95ZqLNZz?si=NQL5hJJqQRWp2JGNFvKMzg

I've tried my best to get original studio versions of everything, but the Elvis discography is often confusing (including a few things that only appear to be available on compilations). Please let me know if I've grabbed the wrong version of something if you catch it.

Jackie DeShannon did a great version of Trouble. Embarrassingly I didn't even know it was an Elvis song (well it's Leiber/Stoller, but Elvis did it before Jackie)

And it's very similar to Leiber/Stoller's later hit, "I'm a Woman" by Peggy Lee. Those guys loved Muddy Waters riffs.

I voted for "You're So Square," and always thought it was a Buddy song first, but James Redd is correct.

Did not know Holly recorded it, will have to check it out. Such a funny, silly song can't listen without raising a smile.

You’re So Square was actually played a lot on early MTV, there was a black and white video for it. Great song.

With regard to Spotify playlist, I’m sure all the votes for Baby What You Want Me To Do are from comeback special, released as the Tiger Man album.

I know mine was. Was it released in some other configuration?

Where did you get this information, Phil? Pretty sure it was written for the film Jailhouse Rock.

I must have just misread the dates. That, plus thinking Holly died pretty early on led me to assume he must have gotten to it first. Either way, Elvis's version is the one.

Any Day Now was my #1. For me it's the pinnacle of the American Studios sessions. The band came up with an unbeatable arrangement (I love Reggie Young's descending intro lick), and Elvis's vocal is impeccable. BTW, Ronnie Milsap was working out of Memphis at the time, appearing nightly at a club called TJs, and Elvis went to see him several times. Milsap recorded over a dozen sides at American and was also a background singer on the Elvis sessions. He did a fine version of the song but doesn't communicate anguish like Elvis does.

I’ve always preferred the first version by Chuck Jackson, never even listened to Ronnie Milsap, will listen again to Elvis’s version.

47. Elvis Presley - “It's Now Or Never” 128 points, 7 votes

― droit au butt (Euler), Monday, July 30, 2018 3:22 PM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

couldn't fit this on my ballot, i love his wannabe mario lanza phase. there are a couple of other tunes that edge it for me in that regard.

actually am posting after seeing a lot of the rollout so far and worried/perplexed that my choices aren't making it, particularly my no.1.

was looking forward to seeing your no.1 james redd. great rationale for it. he never (or very rarely) failed to use it in live concerts, like it was a kind of 'tuning up' exercise to get into a groove.