When did Elvis Presley hit his vocal peak?

a bit like a moose....

 

No, I'm saying that you can't take the Elvis In Concert performances as a straight forward example of his vocal abilities in 1977. You need to view them in the context of a seriously ill man doing the last thing he should've been doing.. Strip away the shortness of breath and other ill effects, and the inherent nature of his voice was grand.

 

Rock Years

57-58

Vocal Peak - If I had to choose one time period, it would be 60-64.


For me, the most incredible performance has to be the 68 Comeback Special.

 

yes the inherent nature of his voice was grand even on Jungle Room Sessions, but there were many sessions where Elvis did NOT want to be recording, whether he was bored or wasn't feeling the material, and there are many lackluster, or downright bad vocals in his catalog.

I'm a huge fan and listen to plenty of stuff from 50s, 60s and 70s but man, anyone who loves, every single one of those, good for them!!!...I'm not sure that's really possible for a music fan to enjoy everything by the king.

I for one, can't take several of the Moose vocals...some I like of course in that style anyway. he's got so many great songs...plenty of bad ones too...but with my new Franklin Mix box set, I now got it all...

 

C'mon, Rambo, you're drinking the cool-aid again. By that time he couldn't hold a note or carry a tune in a bucket. That doesn't diminish in any way the greatness that once was. Let there be no doubt as to the sincerity of my "love" for the king. I'm old enough to have seen him on those famous "first" tv shows -- The Dorsey Brothers Shows in 1956 and later when Ed Sullivan wouldn't show him from the waist down. I grew up with his music literally. All I'm saying is that the greatness DID wither in the end.
In fact, the actual beginning of the "moose" period was It's Now or Never, when he wanted to sound like an opera singer. Anyway, if you still think he was great in 1977, enjoy it.

 

Thanks, I will. When you're making enough to afford a human mike stand let me know!

 

Yikes! "If I Can Dream" is a Presley vocal tour de force.

 

I don't think there's a better vocal in his catalog than "Known Only To Him" from His Hand In Mine, and everything else from around that time is very close.

 

So, how many Moose vocals are in the Franklin box set?

 

Absolutely! "If I Can Dream" is my single favorite Presley performance.

Yikes is right...

 

To suggest his singing on the 1968 NBC special is grating or subpar shows a poor understanding of his body of work an inability to recognize an artist in full control and at the peak of his abilities. This is the most impassioned music he ever delivered.

 

I disagree with your assessment of "It's Now or Never." Yes, it represented a more dramatic singing style, but Elvis took breath control lessons from Red West? while in the Army in Germany, and came out of the Army singing at an all-time technical peak, imho (the 1969-70 period was his emotional peak).

 

Amen.

 

Elvis peaked vocally in 1970, from an all round perspective. He was 35 years of age, in great physical condition and could cover all ground during this time, subtle singing, power singing, raw singing - he had it all this year. However, I find great delight in the early 60s period where we find a star that has developed considerably in under 2 years.

After 1970 he became very hit and miss. Arguably his worst vocal years are by no coincidence 1976 and 1977. Yes, he could still muster the odd power ballad showcase but any real control that he had that was once effortless has gone. There are however some decent studio recordings from 1976.

It's a shame - for a man who was only 41-42 years old we hear singing 20 or even 30 years his senior. We hear his health decline in his singing, which is sad.

 

I believe it was Charlie Hodge - whom Elvis met in the service - who coached him with vocal techniques.

Charlie gets a lot of slack in the Elvis world and it is often overlooked that he was a positive influence on Elvis musically from time to time.

 

You are probably right about that. Just sitting here typing from memory of the Guralnick biography. For whatever reason, he came out of the Army singing better than he ever had before.

 

Even until the very end, i always thought Elvis still maintained a great, powerful voice. Unfortunetly, he was too drugged out to use it like he could have during his last couple years. But for me, 1968 comeback special is the best of the best for Elvis. Physically and vocally. He never looked better either.

 

All Elvis' periods had their strengths. The 70s Elvis is not even the same singer as the 50s. It's pointless to compare his different voices. I will always prefer the gravely R+B shouter of such hard rockers as 'Hound Dog'. I don't know of any other singer whose voice and style changed so dramatically over the years.

 

Regardless of what one thinks of the performance linked earlier to "Unchained Melody", there's one part in there (roughly 1:45 in the link given in this thread) where he gives this great smile that - for a far too brief few seconds - takes me right back to the smiles he gave on those great 1956 TV performances.

 

It's the same man.

 

During his '68 Comeback!

 

1977. Moody Blue and My Way are extraordinary!

 

why it's got all of em...

and I love "If I Can Dream" its an amazing vocal...I wasn't knocking it...I love many songs when he's doing that operatic sort of dramatic vocalization...

on some tracks it gets to me a bit, but i love IF I Can Dream...sorry to have made you all think otherwise, i was giving it an approximate time line for where I notice that particular vocal style starting was all.

 

I agree, 100,000.00 times, I can't be wrong.

I love the Gold Records Vol. 3 era for vocal quality AND recording quality.

this is the stuff I play mostly around the house, gold vinyl Canadian pressing to boot!

It's Now or Never, Stuck on You, Fame and Fortune, I Gotta Know, Surrender, I Feel So Bad, Are You Lonesome Tonight?, Little Sister, Good Luck Charm, Anything That's Part of You, She's Not You, and of course Crying in the Chapel. That must be 60 to 64 era but I am guessing I was way too young to know for sure.

 

I agree that his voice was still "there" even in 77. It was just often lost in the shortness of breath and other issues from his bad physical condition. If he had gotten clean, gotten back in shape, and gotten together mentally I think his voice would have still sounded very good. I don't hear some dramatic change like current day Dylan that is irreversible.