Elvis's "Moody Blue" 1978 album of the year award

"Cover award" does not refer to album cover art, but magazine...
I think it is neat, and it is now in my collection. Hoping some will find this interesting.

 

Nice to see Elvis' work receive another accolade, but the album was hardly among the best of any genre from the 1977/1978 period.

 

I don't know why a lot of folks down "Moody Blue". It was a fine Elvis album especially as a final LP. I put it on a while back and listened to it for the first time in over decade. With the exception of a couple of tracks, the music has aged well in my opinion. There's a lot of popular music from that time period that the decades have been very unkind to.

 

The album competed with Marty Robbins and others in the country field. It did well, reaching #1 in the country chart (including the title track in February of 1977). Surely Elvis's death sealed the deal for the posthumous award.
I've always enjoyed this album since its release.

 

I agree. Not that strong at all. It’s ok, but just and only.

 

With respect, I'm not sure this is fair. I think a lot of people recognise that the "Moody Blue" album is nowhere near his stellar best work. This is not to say it's among his worst albums - it is far from that.

Most reports I'm familiar with look at it as being a "good" and competent Elvis album. And "good" for Elvis is a lot better than many artist's "best".

 

Much to the chagrin of many Elvis experts, I love Elvis's Moody Blue album despite its imperfections, which are particularly evident in a couple of the live cuts. This album actually sealed the deal with me becoming a full fledge Elvis enthusiast after falling in love with his stupendous version of Hurt on his previous studio album and also enjoying his Today album, but it was Moody Blue and its fantastic lead single that sealed the deal for me. Now, the song that really blew me away was Elvis's spectacular live version of Unchained Melody off that multi-platinum selling Moody Blue album.

I loved the follow-up single as well, Way Down, which has some of the verve and pulse of Burning Love as Los Angeles Times music critic Robert Hilburn noticed at the time. Moody Blue of course was written by Mark James, the man responsible for writing Elvis's iconic quintessential hit of his modern era, Suspicious Minds as well as co-writing the lovely ballad, Always On My Mind. The Moody Blue album also included his fantastic covers of She Thinks I Still Care and Pledging My Love. I am also a big fan of the Andrew Lloyd Webber original, Its Easy For You, despite what I think was a less than stellar orchestral accompaniment. In fact, there was no real orchestra at all, but some synth strings as the version appeared to be rushed from the studio to the album instead of getting the usual grand treatment from string arranger Bergen White, who was a favorite of Elvis's and requested by name to arrange his iconic live version of Polk Salad Annie back in 1970.

Yes indeed, this album does not really get of lot of love in Elvis circles and I do understand why, but it does not make me love it any less. I really appreciate what could of been for this album when Way Down In The Jungle Room came out. When you eliminate most of the live cuts besides the gorgeous Unchained Melody, the fine studio cuts can really shine, along with the best cuts on the From Elvis Presley Boulevard album.

 

I'm not saying everyone has a low opinion of Moody Blue but I have read some opinions elsewhere knocking it. I agree that it's a good but not stellar album. I think as a last album, it's fitting since it seems melancholy and even contemplative at times. That vibe is surely colored by his death soon after it was released. Some reviews elsewhere have suggested that it was forgettable other than his death soon after that made it noteworthy. I know in reality it was cobbled together studio and live tracks but it worked well then and has aged pretty well overall.

 

Do you have the FTD release that preceded this by 16 years ? : Elvis Presley - The Jungle Room Sessions

There's some duplication, but that's to be expected. Not needing every take, and every note, I passed on the later release.
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Agree, but always loved "Way Down"

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How did you get it dawg?

 

This was my first Elvis studio album, so I have quite the soft spot for the little fella. That being said, "If you Love Me", "Let Me Be There", the title track and "Way Down" are the only tracks I return to with any regularity. I suppose this is as good a time as any to revisit it. As far as I can remember, it had a good version of "He'll Have to Go", though Jim's is obviously better, in retrospect.

 

I listened to it recently after not hearing it for years and thought it was better than I remember. Always thought it being called Moody Blue and being originally released pressed in blue vinyl was cool.

 

No, Mike, I do not have that release, but I am tempted to get a copy, but I am so pleased with Mr. Anesini's remastering on the main album that I have been hesitant to get the FTD. What do you think about the sound quality on the FTD release? Should I bite the bullet and get that one as well and maybe you should get the new release as well?

 

I have thought that it is good that Moody Blue had reasonable quality for his "last" album (before the posthumous releases).
It would have been a tragedy for his legacy if his last album was a dud.

 

My grandpa used to have "Moody blues" on compact cassette in his car. I didn't notice it at the time, but the cassette ran way too slow. It ran for 10 seconds longer on a 3 minute song. Since this was my introduction to the album, it's almost the way I think it should sound nowadays.

 

It's Easy For You is one of my favorite Elvis songs across the board.

 

Way Down was #1 for a month here in the UK in September 1977. I still love that song.

Didn’t find out Elvis covered the 2 Olivia Newton-John songs on Moody Blue for years

 

It seems that the only worthy genres from that era are punk and new wave

 

SQ is clear, sounds great to me. I compared both track-by-track before posting last night, and all I'm missing are some different takes here, and there, so no, I have no need of both sets. I already have much more (over 2,250 pieces) in my 54 year-old collection. On a fixed pension, and to the point of literally forgetting what I already have, having to check Discogs' database to remind myself constantly.

 

The fact Felton recycled Let Me Be There from Elvis' 1974 LP Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis was inexcusable. Felton recorded several 1977 concerts in search of songs Elvis never recorded before to fill out Moody Blue, since he could not get him back in the studio. He couldn't so he chose not only to include a song Elvis HAD recorded before, but to actually use a recording/performance previously released! If he was so hung up on using material from that Memphis concert, he could have used the ones that were left off the original LP (although they were all songs Elvis had previously recorded).

I guess Felton thought Let Me Be There would compliment If You Love Me (Let Me Know) which WAS a "new" recording by Elvis.

Here is a very short list that would have worked nicely on Moody Blue in place of 1974's Let Me Be There:

For The Good Times--1972 (Although not a Stax recording, I have wondered why it was not put on Good Times LP, as this fine studio recording was never released during Elvis' lifetime).
Tiger Man (Jam)--1975
Stranger In My Own Home Town (Jam)--1970
Softly As I Leave You (soundboard recording to cassette released on a single after Elvis' death)--1975
My Way (released on a single after Elvis' death, differing from the EIC version)--1977
America (soundboard recording to cassette released on a single after Elvis' death)--1975

There were other possibilities.

 

There is no question in my mind that Elvis was more than a little smitten with Olivia Newton-John as she had all the qualities he admired in a performer; a great voice, fantastic looks, and a lovely personality. He also was drawn to her great upbeat country-pop material and mentioned her by name in some of his 70's concerts.

 

Can't fault him for that!

 

I agree and I also think it was unfortunate that he used Let Me Be There on the Moody Blue album even though it was a great version, it had already been released on his great live concert album in 1974. It was a darn shame that they could not get Elvis into the studio to record those original songs or Rainy Night In Georgia for that matter that were waiting for him in Nashville, which would have made for a stronger and more coherant Moody Blue album.

 

I did read in an article just before he died that she was his (current) favourite singer.

Not sure if they ever met... Olivia was going to see him with Tim Rice in Vegas one night, but something went wrong. Whether Elvis cancelled the show or Olivia couldn’t make it, I can’t remember now.

I’ll have to try and find the story.

Edit. This seems to be it.

Olivia Newton-John and the King (almost)