Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Unchained Melody
Written By :
Alex North & Hy Zaret

Recorded :
Live Recording, Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan, April 24, 1977 : April 24, 1977. Live Album Master Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan, April 24, 1977

Weirdly enough for those unaware. Unchained Melody was the theme song to a 1955 prison movie called unchained. Ironically enough Elvis was a prisoner of his medications, a prisoner of his fame and a prisoner of his recording contract.
Here we have a good version of the song, that has an almost free form delivery. Elvis does a good job of the vocal, and I think for the purpose of a studio album with some live tracks the arrangement works very well.
I love the passion in the vocal, and I think for the most part it is excellent. I think it is possible with a lot of these songs to overthink them, and we can easily get drawn in by all the things surrounding the songs. I know the first time I heard this version of the song, it gave me chills and I thought the vocal was sensational. I first saw it on a documentary ... and I can't even pinpoint which one. The thing is though, over time with a mindset autogeared into Elvis is unwell, Elvis died not long afterwards ... we almost get programmed to look for the weakness, as if it must be flawed, because no man on his death bed could sing this the way it is sung..... I think unfortunately just about everything Elvis recorded from 76-77 seems to pass under this microscope, rather than merely be held up on face value ... and as I write this, I wonder if I am understating how good this is, based entirely on the mentality one has to fight to try and think about it.... and I think that is why I say "Elvis does a good job of the vocal", rather than, "Man the first time I heard the vocal I almost cried"

 

Not sure if this is the single version. If it isn't, if someone could post the correct single version, that would be cool. Cheers

 

Beautifully put! I also like the version used In Concert, especially the visual. It great to see how into it Elvis is, despite the fact that he's obviously not well.

 

If You Love Me
Written By :
John Rostill

Recorded :
Live Recording, Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan, April 26, 1977 : April 26, 1977.

Whether Elvis should have done this song or not seems to be a question that will never receive a good answer, and I know that it bothers many that he did. I don't think that it is so much the song itself, but what it represents. It was put in Elvis' live shows, and so many of us would have preferred him to do one of his own songs, and so this poor song seemed to get a little resentment based on that.
Elvis' version is fine.
When I was a young pup around this time, I was in love with Olivia .... and Elvis doing two of her hits, makes me wonder if he was too I certainly wouldn't blame him.
I have no problem with this song on here, just like I have no problem with it being in the live sets ... sure I wish he had done one of his own masterful songs, but he didn't.

 

Here's Olivia ... just because it's Olivia

 

Undubbed master

 

Undubbed master

 

That's a pretty decent vocal range in one song, but who joins him for the very high note at the end? It was quite effective for a live concert.

 

Sherrill Nielsen did the high note at the end.

 

I think this is the single version. The easiest way to tell is by the drum overdub after "wait for me":

 

Unchained Melody is Elvis at his melodramatic, majestic best. Mark nails it perfectly with his description of Elvis' performance as "almost free form." It blows every other version out of the water (including the Righteous Brothers version, which is better as a pure pop record, but has none of the emotion or vulnerability of the Elvis version). I might even argue that it's his best album opener (if not his best, then surely a close contender for that title).

I know some people prefer the undubbed version, but I think that this is another one of those cases where the post-production turned a great performance into a great record. Or at least it's the case for the Moody Blue master. Although I have a perverse fondness for the sloppy overdubs on the single version, the undubbed Rapid City performance has so much passion (rough, yes, but passion nonetheless) that it needs to be heard as it was originally performed.

If You Love Me (Let Me Know) is a perfect comedown after the intensity of Unchained Melody. It's uptempo, it's catchy, Elvis sounds like he's enjoying singing it...what's not to love?

I know a lot of Elvis fans like to laugh at the very idea of Elvis covering ONJ, but I loved his covers so much that I picked up ONJ's Gold comp and ended up listening to it non-stop for a week, after which I promptly bought every album that I could find. I love pretty much everything about her work from the start up through Don't Stop Believin', and some odd tracks/albums after that.

 

The best thing about the ONJ covers is that Elvis seemed to actually WANT to sing them, and enjoyed doing so (and if that wasn't the case, he definitely fooled me). I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm glad he introduced new songs into the setlist rather than just sticking to his own recorded catalogue. I'm glad he expanded the scope of his music by performing You Gave Me A Mountain, Let Me Be There, Steamroller Blues, etc. Honestly, the main reason I listen to Elvis' live releases is to hear the "new" songs. Maybe it's because we don't have studio performances to compare them to, or maybe it's because the mere fact that they made the set indicates that Elvis was engaged with them, but they almost always receive better performances than the "Elvis songs," imo.

 

For a bit of fun if anyone is interested
Elvis - the favourites lists

 

Once again, I agree with every single word of Dirk's very boisterous post. Spot on to me, and apologies to Righteous Brothers fans, and count me in as one of them, but Dirk is absolutely right, they made a splendid "pure pop record," but it does not begin to have the power and passion that Elvis demonstrates in his version. Bill Medley (baritone singer of the famous duo) noted himself that their version of the song was not Elvis's favorite version, but instead that honor went to Roy Hamilton (no real surprise there). I think Elvis's live single version was also a slight mixture of Roy and John Gary's version, whom Priscilla mentions was a big favorite of the King's as well. I put Elvis's version of Unchained Melody in my top ten greatest vocals of all time. If you think Dirk and I are alone in our enthusiasm for Unchained Melody, author Mark Duffett, in his splendid book, Counting Down Elvis/His 100 Finest Songs, puts Unchained Melody at number 12 on his all time favorite list, just ahead of King Creole, Blue Suede Shoes and That's Alright Mama. Here is a synopsis of his splendid review of why Elvis's version of Unchained Melody is so spectacular, taken directly from his fine book:

Like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Hurt," "Unchained Melody" was, in a sense, a "feat" song for Elvis. It marked a place in each concert where he could show his exceptional vocal ability. Presley turned North and Zaret's (the songwriter's of the standard) composition into a a one-man opera. He performed what had already become the ultimate example of blue-eyed soul in a way that showcased his vocal prowess and gymnastic style. His interpretation is complete with mesmerizing aural moves: making his voice sound plaintive or understated, repeating himself, changing tempo, belting, hitting highs, and holding notes. He uses them to convey a range of moods and emotional tones. In short order, his truly breathtaking performance of "Unchained Melody" expresses tenderness, pleading, hesitation, emotional pain, bravura, an almost metaphysical yearning, and, finally, a sense of deep, existential heroism... What "Unchained Melody" showed was that he was, in the final analysis, a superhuman singer.

Yes indeed, once again, perfectly stated for me by Dirk.

 

Not sure if that was a good thing or not. The argument can certainly be made that Elvis had lost the plot if that was the case.

 

I do not mind either of the ONJ songs when performed by Olivia Newton-John. But by Elvis? hell no!

 

I like them, and I think Olivia is great. I don't mind Elvis doing them, but I can think of dozens of other songs I would have preferred him to do.

 

For years I marvelled at Elvis' vocal on this, particularly that ending. And so this is one recording I wish I had never heard undubbed, or had any indication the ending is a studio trick.

 

Agree on all counts. And knowing you're a fellow musician, curious if you'd agree that these two songs are just fun to play (as a performer)?

 

I have to confess, I simply do not like the song Unchained Melody. At it's core it strikes me as bombastic and melodramatic rather than powerful or moving. Most singers invariably take the song as a challenge to show off their prowess rather than just sing, and even those who try to do something different with it (like Charlie Rich or Willie Nelson) still don't end up with a record that really works well for me. Apologies to those who do like the song. So I guess I'm not really qualified to critique Elvis' version, other than to say he does just about exactly what I'd expect him to do with it.

Elvis covering ONJ? That's really not any weirder than him covering the Statler Brothers or the Pointer Sisters. It demonstrates that at this point in time, Elvis' knowledge/interest in new music was pretty much limited to what was getting played on country radio. The problem with this track isn't so much the choice of material as the fact that Elvis gives a lackluster, tossed off performance. If he'd been motivated and in good condition, he could have come up with a decent performance of this, as it's not a bad song by any means.

 

I guess they may be fun to play ...
Of the more simple stuff out there - Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion was fun for me to play. It is just a cool groove with a riff interlude ... plus the drummer sang it, so I got to get away from the mic for a while lol
If You Love Me and Let Me Be There aren't songs I would generally gravitate to. I like them well enough, but I seemed to enjoy playing other stuff a lot more.... in fact I don't think i have ever played either. I did play Banks Of The Ohio occasionally.
My favourite cover songs to play in the pubs back in the day were
Pink Floyd Comfortably Numb
Deep Purple Highway Star (mainly because I transcribed the organ and guitar solos for my guitar, and it kind of felt like an achievement)
Jimi Hendrix Hey Joe ( I love playing bluesy stuff)
Gerry Rafferty Baker Street
Led Zeppelin Stairway To Heaven (yea I know, everyone does it, but we did the whole song, not just the intro in a guitar shop LOL)

I like playing Elvis stuff on my own at the house, even though that rarely happens these days, and I would go for
After Loving You
His Latest flame
I Forgot To Remember to Forget
Anyway You Want Me
Love Me
I Want You I Need You I Love you
stuff like that, because the fun for me in those is singing them

Now I'm more familiar with the later stuff I might have to pull the guitar out and try some of those some time

 

I am curious too to read what Mark says about the matter, but I think you bring up a very relevant point here regarding the sheer fun of the song for both performer and audience members alike. Once again, a quote from Mark Duffett, who actually earned a PhD for his research on Elvis Presley and his relationship to his fans, is warranted, I do believe. Duffett also surprisingly rates If You Love Me (Let Me Know) at a rather high ranking of #63 on his Finest 100 Songs list. This is far higher than I would even rank the song, but that is the fun part of Duffett's top 100 list, he often chooses songs outside of the conventional thinking by both critics and fans alike. You do not have to agree with him to admire his temerity to pick songs outside of the mainstream thinking from Elvis's vast recording catalogue.

One reason that "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" established itself as such a favorite before joining any compilations or box sets was that it also appeared on the posthumous double album from the CBS television documentary, Elvis In Concert. While the song was not featured on the TV special itself, the album went top five after its release in October 1977. The chart success was not surprising. "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" effortlessly merges the communal feel of quartet gospel singing with the accessibility of easy listening pop. It was a prime opportunity for a collective sing-along - a sonic walk in the park.

 

I never minded Elvis's covers of ONJ songs cause I did not know any of Olivia's repertoire. So I liked them, as I still do today.

 

Think of how much fun the audience would have had if Elvis had performed one of the many overlooked classics from his own deep catalogue of music in a focused and committed manner? That is the point so many defenders of the ONJ covers miss.

 

That's interesting to read.
I was listening to Olivia's version this morning, and for the first time it struck me that there is a bass vocal in there, and of course as mentioned, that sort of gospel quartet thing.... we can't forget that originally Elvis wanted to be in a gospel quartet when we think about these things. I reckon Elvis more than likely liked the idea of singing it with the Stamps.
I have no doubt Elvis enjoyed singing it ... as a reference to above ... just because it is something that I wouldn't probably enjoy playing that doesn't for one minute mean Elvis wouldn't/shouldn't.
One thing that has struck me over the years is, we all have different things we enjoy playing, and listening to, and they don't necessarily always crossover.
If I had ever had the opportunity to see Elvis, I would have just enjoyed whatever he did ... that could also be based in the regret that it was never possible.