Elvis......

[TroyD]

Time for a new thread, the Clapton one has been beat to death.

It's FUNNY to hear MC extoll the virtues of Elvis as MC damn near kicked me out of the demo room at HQ Polk for wanting to hear Elvis.

One Night With You is all you NEED to hear. That song is what people think of when they think of the '68 comeback special. That and Lawdy, Lawdy Miss Clawdy


BDT

Oh, on Hendrix....now don't get me wrong because I LIKE Hendrix, though I wonder if he had lived how popular some of his stuff would be. All Along the Watchtower, Hey Joe and Red House are the only songs that I think are REALLY worth listening to. Don't agree? Still not going to change my mind. If you want to hear Little Wing and Voodoo Child, listen to SRV.

[Micah Cohen]

See? Three songs Hendrix DIDN'T write. But he does them GREAT. End of argument.

Elvis is amazing. But you have to be careful. I submit that pre-army Elvis is the real thing, the one and only. The army did something to him, changed his perspective or rattled him or something, and when he got back, except for small exceptions (like "Guitar Man," mentioned before), he lost that certain magic that made him such a powerful force of rock and roll. Maybe times changed while he was away and he couldn't get back in the groove when he got back?

The 68 comeback special is interesting. It's chock full of bad stuff, dance numbers and crap like that, hippy crap. But the short bit of Elvis in black leather in the round seems like a revelation of a rock and roll godhead. He's amazing, intense, and special in that short (much too short) performance. It makes you cry.

But, already by 1968 the artists who were perfecting their own imitations of Elvis (homages, really) were starting to come to the fore. The best of course being Jim Morrison, who ultimately would become the Elvis impersonator that every other rock star front man would try to be. (The other one was Robert Plant, who wanted to be Elvis soooooo bad that it made him super great!)

Those guys took over the early Elvis thing and kept it from becoming a parody, in my opinion. (Only the later Elvis became the parody.)

But early Elvis... That IS rock and roll.

Didja see BUBBA HO TEP, a flick from a couple years ago? Elvis vs The Mummy? Excellent movie (seriously)!

MC

[TroyD]

Agreed on Hendrix, and this is fodder for another thread, but I still wonder, if he had lived, if some of his stuff would be as popular as it is. I sorta doubt it.

Regarding Elvis, I think the post Army letdown was mostly a function of his management. Col. Parker and his dad saw him as a cash cow, they could have cared less about his artistry. Think about it, nearly all of his post Army success is hedged on his pre-Army performances/material.

The '68 comback special, in it's entirety sucked. Those two songs made it and they were PHENOMENAL. Possibly some of the best live performances ever. The two together were probably less than 6-7 mins and people still talk about them. The 'original' Elvis could be imitated but no one since has been able to capture that sort of magic, not even close. Ask any woman in her 60's about what Elvis did to them, they don't even have to try and remember.

Didn't see that flick, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

[Micah Cohen]

Troy, listen: BUBBA HO TEP. Rent it today. It's great. Bruce Campbell is Elvis! You will believe!

MC

[mhw58]

[quote]Originally posted by TroyD
[The '68 comback special, in it's entirety sucked. Those two songs made it and they were PHENOMENAL. Possibly some of the best live performances ever. The two together were probably less than 6-7 mins and people still talk about them.

Get ahold of the 68 Comeback special box set that was released recently. It has the entire 'leather' concert which is something
like 50 minutes long. Elvis was incredible that night. 'Lawdy miss clawdy, That's allright mama, One night with you etc.
Fantastic and I love hearing him play with Scottie Moore again.
Mike

[aaharvel]

He's alive. I swear.

[audiobliss]

Originally posted by aaharvel
He's alive.

Amen.

So is Eric Clapton.

[marker]

Originally posted by aaharvel
He's alive. I swear.

Nah, if he was, don't you think Michael Jackson would have long been dead by now?

My favorite Elvis song if I had to pick one would be Such A Night.

Which reminds me, it's about time to watch 3000 Miles From Graceland again.

[Micah Cohen]

I'm telling you, rent BUBBA HO TEP.

He is alive!

MC

[aaharvel]

Originally posted by Micah Cohen
I'm telling you, rent BUBBA HO TEP.

He is alive!

MC

He is alive. 'You will believe' the King is alive.

[ND13]

I'm just glad to see that Micah is a Zeppelin fan. I'd hate to have to drive all the way to Bodymore, Murderland to slap a little sense into his noggin. LED ZEPPELIN RULES, period.

[Micah Cohen]

When you get to be my age, I think, you have to simplify. You have to decide that some of the things you thought were good when you were younger suck now (like Lynyrd Skynyrd) and other things you liked have grown in your estimation, like Elvis and Led Zeppelin, and that one of the reasons those things are better is because you finally begin to see the connections that exist between great works of art.

And I think it's okay to discuss Zepp in a thread about Elvis, since Robert Plant is definitely one of the best and most influential Elvis impersonators around. (Or, he was back in the 70s. Now he's just disgusting and sold out and old and over the damned hill and should just get the hell home and shad up.)

You can watch Robert do his best Elvis in the film THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME. By then he'd already perfected it, and even added some of his own moves. And if you get a chance to ever see really early footage of Zeppelin, like on that recent 2-disc DVD set that came out, you will see him doing a straight-on Elvis impersonation that's pretty fun to watch. And backed by that band, well, he's just unstoppable.

The Beatles may have been "great innovators," but Led Zeppelin is the quintessential mysterious and evil rock and roll band, towering over all others in sheer presence. And "Presence," the secret unknown Zepp album, may be the best example of this. It also includes one of Robert's best Elvis impersonations!

MC

[marker]

Micah, speaking of Elvis and Led Zeppelin, you would probably like Dread Zeppelin. They are a black jamaican reaggie band with an Elvis impersonator for a lead singer and they do Led Zep cover tunes with a pinch of Elvis thrown in like Heartbeaker/Heartbreak Hotel and Black Dog/Hound Dog, etc.

[ND13]

I was listening to "Presence" on the way to work this morning, ha. It is the least praised of the LZ works, by far. Maybe because the radio didn't play much off it. Bonham on "Achilles Last Stand" is undescribable. Anyone that really knows LZ, knows "Presence" is their best work, IMO.

[Micah Cohen]

We used to see Dread Zeppelin at Hammerjacks all the time in the late 80s. There's a new band around now called Lez Zeppelin, which is an all-female (and I guess, lesbian) Zepp cover band. Which sounds kind of funny. (Or, I guess, sounds like the band Heart, right?)

MC

[shack]

Originally posted by Micah Cohen
You have to decide that some of the things you thought were good when you were younger suck now (like Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Ah....finally something to disagree with Micah about.

The big problem with LS is they have been adopted by every pickup truck drivin', rebel flag wavin', skoal chewin', PBR drinkin', mullet head, redneck in the world. Not only do we have to listen to "Free Bird" and "Sweet Home Alabama" on every single classic rock station but they are equally overplayed on country stations as well.

Are they the Allman Brothers? No. But they took the Southern Rock Genre the Allman Brothers started and generated some very good music (along with the Marshal Tucker). IMO they were the Southern Rock version of Led Zeppelin. LZ = British hard rock blues. LS = Southern hard rock blues. Pronounced, Second Helping and Street Surviors all are excellent albums with a lot of good stuff that never got much airplay (then or now) . These guys could jam right up there with the Allmans. I should know...I heard them both back in the day. It all changed when Ronnie Van Zant was killed. He was the heart, soul and genius of the band. Good then. Good now. Micah is wrong.

[Micah Cohen]

Nope, you're wrong.

The big problem with LS is they have been adopted by every pickup truck drivin'...

That's not the problem. The problem is, their songs SUCK. Sure, they were all awesome musicians. (And don't think I just came up with this thought to appease you. I was a HUGE Skynyrd fan when I was a tot. Tomorrow is Allen Collin's birthday, for goodness sake... I know when the guitar player's birthday is!) But they were shitty songwriters. All those songs you like, that were played to death on radio? They suck.

Here's what happened: I grew up LOVING "One More From The Road." GREAT live album, I knew every note, I swore by it. But it never came out on CD in its full form till just last year or so, that "Deluxe Edition." I SNAPPED IT UP! I COULD NOT WAIT TO HEAR THIS GREAT ALBUM AGAIN! SKYNYRD!

The album sucked. The production and musicianship was pristine, just as I remembered it. But the songs have not stood the test of time. Because they're wimpy.

I resent that I spent a good part of my childhood totally digging them. Look, they have these evil crossed guns and skulls on their logo! And then I start re-listening to them and I hear (again, for the first time) "Saturday Night Special." It's a song about how much THEY HATE GUNS. What's up with that? "Tuesday's Gone"? What a wimpy song! "Travelin Man"? "Simple Man"? This stuff is GARBAGE! I want my money back! I want the time back!

Skynyrd is wimpy crap. There's more concentrated evil and overwhelming songsmanship -- I mean GREAT SONGWRITING -- in five seconds of Little Feat's amazing "Waiting For Columbus" than on the whole boring live Skynyrd LP. And the Allmans... Well, comparing The Allmans on "Fillmore East" to Skynyrd is like comparing prime rib to lunch meat.

I have spoken.

MC

[Micah Cohen]

Even just talking about crappy, wimpy, nostalgia-tour LS in a thread about ELVIS should be punishable by a wet noodle beating.

MC

[ND13]

LZ and Elvis in the same thread=okay
LS in a thread about LZ and Elvis=not okay

With that said, I like LS, but they aren't even in the same universe.

[marker]

Tom Jones kicks all their asses!

[shack]

Originally posted by Micah Cohen
I have spoken.

MC

Yes you have....but you're still wrong.

Originally posted by ND13
LZ and Elvis in the same thread=okay
LS in a thread about LZ and Elvis=not okay

With that said, I like LS, but they aren't even in the same universe.

You too.

Elvis was a great showman with a good/great voice. So what...I still don't like his music. Never bought an Elvis album...never will.

And talk about nostalgia...you did see Elvis in his later years as a Vegas act...Right? pfft...................... Jerry Lee Lewis was a better talent, abetter showman and more pure rock and roll than Elvis!

[Jstas]

Wow! Another thread about guitar players!

The thing that amazes me is that everyone extoles the virtues of thier favorite rock band but so many miss the real greats that are hidden in other genres. Sure there are the greats from blues and jazz but there are others out there that have a stigma attached to them because they don't meet mainstream appeal for one silly, blind reason or another. Want to see some spectacular guitar players? Check out some other genres that you think suck. Don't shy away from country, folk or even ska. There are players out there whose fingers can work the frets with the best of them.

[ND13]

Without the "BALLS" Elvis Aaron Presley had, there'd be no LZ, LS, Clapton, etc, etc...... We'd all still be listening to big band, country, and crooners, not that there's anything wrong with those types of music. Elvis broke down racial barriers. He made it okay for whites and blacks to mix and share music. Yes, "FAT ELVIS" sucked, he was a hollow shell of what he once was(thanks Dr. Nick), but that shouldn't overshadow what he did for music in general. I'm a big LS fan, but, imo, they don't hold a candle to Led Zeppelin or "Early Elvis".
They were/are, other than the Allman Bros, the best southern rock band. They are part of the soundtrack of my youth and I'll always keep their music in my heart and collection. Zeppelin is, by far, my favorite group. LS is in my top 20.

[shack]

Originally posted by ND13
Without the "BALLS" Elvis Aaron Presley had, there'd be no LZ, LS, Clapton, etc, etc......

There were plenty of artists at the time doing their thing to birth what we know as rock and roll. Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, the afore mentioned Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, Fats Domino, etc, etc.... Elvis influenced some and pushed others, but if he never cut the first track R&R would still be here. Chuck Berry at that time may have had as much influence as Elvis.

Granted Elvis definitely played an important roll in the development of R&R as we know it today...He brought "Sex Appeal" to R&R which made his music a must for every giggling teenage white girl in the 50s and therefore every teenage white boy that wanted to get into her pants wanted to be like Elvis. This sped up the advancement of R&R (especially in the white communities) but the seeds were already planted and growing. He had talent..obviously quite a lot...but it was his looks TOGETHER with his bad boy persona that made him a star.

And Elvis was a performer...not a composer or writer.

Credit is due....but to say the above artists wouldn't exist without Elvis is a huge stretch.

[ND13]

Let's just say that we're all right to a certain degree , and let's not forget about Elvis' voice, either. Maybe it's that I grew up in Memphis. You're right R&R would have eventually come about, but it would have taken alot longer to go mainstream without the King breaking down the racial barriers and making it okay for "black" music to be played on the radio and for white kids to listen to it.

[Roy Munson]

Originally posted by ND13
Let's just say that we're all right to a certain degree , and let's not forget about Elvis' voice, either. Maybe it's that I grew up in Memphis. You're right R&R would have eventually come about, but it would have taken alot longer to go mainstream without the King breaking down the racial barriers and making it okay for "black" music to be played on the radio and for white kids to listen to it.

While Rock and Roll would have eventually come about it might have been a lot longer than people think if Elvis hadn't come along when he did. Black acts simply weren't allowed on the radio in the early fifties and that is exactly why Sam Phillips was looking for a white person that sounded black, he knew that R&B was great music and he had been recording black artist for some time but his acts weren't played on white radio! That changed however slowly because kids wanted more. If you want to hear some real early Rock and Roll that was never played on the radio check out some of Little Richard when he was recording for Specialty Records around 1954! Don't hold me to the year because I'm going on memory with the date. These records predate Elvis and Rock and Roll but it is Rock and Roll none the less. Racism played a big part in not allowing black artist to succeed as their music was often ripped off, I'm not talking about covering another's song, I'm talking about stealing writing credits! Even as late as the early and middle 60's Black acts weren't shown on album covers for fear that they wouldn't sell. A good example would be the Marvellets Mr. Postman cover had a picture of a mailbox on it and no where was there a picture of the group. This wasn't the exception! There's a lot more but I have probably bored everyone already. lol

[Micah Cohen]

I'm not bored.

MC

[ND13]

Originally posted by Roy Munson
While Rock and Roll would have eventually come about it might have been a lot longer than people think if Elvis hadn't come along when he did. Black acts simply weren't allowed on the radio in the early fifties and that is exactly why Sam Phillips was looking for a white person that sounded black, he knew that R&B was great music and he had been recording black artist for some time but his acts weren't played on white radio! That changed however slowly because kids wanted more. If you want to hear some real early Rock and Roll that was never played on the radio check out some of Little Richard when he was recording for Specialty Records around 1954! Don't hold me to the year because I'm going on memory with the date. These records predate Elvis and Rock and Roll but it is Rock and Roll none the less. Racism played a big part in not allowing black artist to succeed as their music was often ripped off, I'm not talking about covering another's song, I'm talking about stealing writing credits! Even as late as the early and middle 60's Black acts weren't shown on album covers for fear that they wouldn't sell. A good example would be the Marvellets Mr. Postman cover had a picture of a mailbox on it and no where was there a picture of the group. This wasn't the exception! There's a lot more but I have probably bored everyone already. lol

Thanks

[TroyD]

While I agree that rock and roll would have happened anyway, Elvis gave folks like Jim Morrison, Plant et al a benchmark. That's the whole point.

BDT

[marker]

Uh-huh-huh! Thank ya very much!