 Elvis Presley The shock-value Elvis had at the beginning of his career is well-entrenched in the critical mythos – how he fused the bold sexuality of R&B with mainstream white rockabilly arrangements to "invent rock & roll," bla bla bla. Listening to him now, it's hard to see where all the panic was coming from. Certainly there had never been a performer like Elvis (and in many respects, there has still never been); his style is instantly identifiable. But his records aren't a far cry from Sinatra's of the same period, in terms of overall sound. Elvis is undeniably a "golden oldie." His music exists in and of itself only … I don't think it's possible for "Jailhouse Rock" to be covered with any success at all (with the possible exception of Stephen Hawking). Appreciation of Elvis really depends on your love of the man as an icon and your ability to listen to dated records. Sure, they're "timeless classics." But they are inextricably bound up with the 50s, and not only that, they were some of the biggest records of that decade. Anything that gets "too big" is subject to be criticized simply because it's achieved mainstream popularity. In the cases of Elvis and Sinatra, assessing the music seems to be actually beside the point. It's difficult to sit down and hear their records purely in terms of how effective they are as records because you keep getting images of sock-hops and drive-ins in yer head. So how are Elvis' records as records? Pretty incredible, for the most part. Elvis' Golden Records collects twenty Elvis hits from 1954-57, the bulk of them being from 1956 & 57, when Elvis was almost as big as the Backstreet Boys! (Aimed at 11 year olds with no sense of perspective.) It kicks off with "Hound Dog" which is best skipped, as it won't become freshly listenable until 3025. Some of the other tracks which should seem lame but actually don't are "All Shook Up," "Don't Be Cruel" (a cover of the Cheap Trick song), and "Heartbreak Hotel." The best tracks are "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," "Too Much," "Any Way You Want Me (That's How I Will Be)," and "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You." These are great, great performances – the ones that make you understand Elvis' greatness apart from the legend. The man has been a punchline for so long that it takes hearing him in the original to make you realize that in his prime, he really was awesome. Elvis' voice elevates songs like "Teddy Bear" and "Love Me" above their almost barbershop arrangements, and shines on rockers like "Mystery Train" and "That's All Right." For single-disc collections of Elvis' 50s period, it'd be hard to beat this CD. Part of the problem with Elvis is if you are interested enough to get one CD, you're probably interested enough to get all of them. People don't seem to want just one Elvis CD; either they don't want any, or they want as many as get released. I'm sort of in the middle, I suppose. Honestly, I'd say that his three 5-disc box sets are all worth owning, and there are probably an additional 10 or 15 discs that round out a thorough perspective on Elvis. The Golden Records series (5 discs available separately) might be the best place to start if you don't have any Elvis, as well as the Suspicious Minds disc from like '99. The big question is: is Elvis "all that"? He's certainly about as important as most of the rock critics argue, although I wouldn't say the quality of his music follows the conventionally-accepted trajectory (great in the 50s, lousy in the 60s except for the very end, and then spotty in the 70s). Some of his lesser material is much more interesting to listen to because it's not so familiar, and also because his early stuff sounds so old. As an icon, he's a confusing figure, because he doesn't really stand for anything. He's just Elvis, this concept of a tortured artist/man who had everything. He'll continue to fascinate the rabble until he's officially declared a religion. At that point, I'll be ordained as a priest in the Church of His 70s Period, and take gluttony to a glorious new level.
Review by Ian Pampon |