Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt2 The Sixties

I really enjoy this thread. It has inspired me to listen to the period 1963-1966 which I have avoided before. I cannot say that it has been a revelation, but at least I discovered the great little song Tender Feeling on Kissin' Cousins, that has a rare contemporary sound with its mixolydian instrumental hook (also reminding me of Move over Darling by Doris Day from the same period). Since I am late in the game, I will only make som relatively brief comments about this period.

1. Since Elvis always worked with brilliant musicians and had a great voice, I could not imagine what would be so off-putting with the '65 stuff. I mean, I am not really a fan of the type of music Elvis recorded during the 60's, save for some ballads, but I could not see how it could be much worse than the preceding soundtracks.

2. But when Harem Holiday started I thought I got it. The sound quality, and even more chocking: he comes in wrong both in pitch and rhythmically, at the very start of the first track on the album! I can see why he prefered to record together with the orchestra, because this did not seem to work at all.

3. BUT: this is mostly an issue with the first track. The rest of the album execute the whole oriental show tune thing in a reasonably enjoyable way. As a whole, the album is more fun than the majority of his albums from the period.

4. Frankie & Johnny, as well as Paradise, Hawaiian Style, takes us to other specific (times and) places, and while I think that the former is really dull musically, it is consequent enough for earning at least some small amount of credibility. PHS may be a little better, even if it has some cringeworthy tracks.

5. To me it seems like Elvis voice changed a lot in this period. One of my first reactions when listening to Harum Scarum was that it was the "old" Elvis singing: his effortless voice from the early decade hade become thicker and somewhat strained. It seems to have happened a lot in the course of a few years.

6. Spinout is neither better nor worse than the other albums from the period, I think. His performance in Tomorrow is a long time is great, but the bluesy harmonies in this version do not do much for me and I prefer other versions of the song.

 

Fair Comment, but I think it's about the songs. I think a lot of the soundtrack stuff is trapped in the movie it was made, and it is debatable whether Elvis should have been making these movies, but was trapped by a contract. To a degree you can hear the defeat in Elvis' voice, which is as much a factor as anything else in whether folks can connect to the songs or not.
It seems from reading people's posts, that many like different things about these albums, and in fact prefer different albums to each other during this period, but on the whole, are just somewhat disappointed that the same guy that recorded and released the magnificent Elvis Is Back etc is stuck singing second rate songs, in budget movies.

 

Mostly I think you are right, and in fact it makes me sad just to hear his voice on these records, although I tried to stay as positive as possible in my previous post. It is such a difference compared to, e.g., That's Someone You'll Never Forget.

But this is mostly a tragedy on the personal level, I think. Music listeners today may have missed out on a few great songs or albums, but I cannot imagine anything earth shaking. Of course this has everything to do with musical taste, and I am speaking as a casual fan of Elvis.

 

Great Christmas song. But it sold poorly.

 

I see that Elvis wore his black plastic wig to the Christmas single photo shoot.

 

Playing a bit of catch-up here, I like Down In The Alley and If Every Day Was Like Christmas. They're not knock-out performances, but you can see that the fire was re-lit as he starts getting in to songs with more substance. I'm not as big of a fan of I'll Remember You but he certainly puts in a nice vocal; the song itself just isn't my cup of tea.

As we've revisited this mid-60's era, I'm wondering what the heck DJ and Scotty (who, IMO somewhat surprisingly play on most of this material) 1) thought of it, and 2) ever took Elvis aside and said something like 'hey Elvis, Petunia The Gardner's Daughter is about a million miles away from what we were doing 5-10 years ago, what gives?'.

Did DJ or Scotty ever comment publicly about any of these specific albums? The thought of Scotty working on, say, coming up with a guitar part for Queenie Wahine's Papaya is a really bizarre thought.

 

His singing is pretty fine on IEWLC but he had already recorded his very best christmas song 10 years before: "Santa Claus is Back in Town". And that was something!

 

"If Every Day Was Like Christmas" is one of my favorite Christmas songs! I don't recall hearing it over the airwaves much at all in '66, but heard it a lot in record shops. DJs were wearing out their "Santa Claus is Back in Town" and "Blue Christmas" record.

 

It's worth noting that someone thought 'I'll Be Back' was worthy of 'Academy' consideration, and produced a promo single to promote its chances. I assume they mean Academy Awards.

I'll Be Back | elvisrecords.com

 

The Jordanaires, Millie Kirkham and Elvis RCA Studio B, Nashville,Tennessee May 28,1966

 

So 1966 comes to an end and things are starting to look up a little....
We see somewhat of a continued upturn in 67, and I doubt that I am the only one looking forward to 68/69

 

Thank goodness it didn't get an Academy Award, we may have got another ten years of movies lol

 

The Guitar Man session in 1967 was a big step in the right direction.

 

I have always loved If Everyday Was Like Christmas as well. Elvis seems fully invested in his overdubbed vocals surprisingly enough, and I always got a kick that his bodyguard, Red West, wrote three of his better songs in the last decade of his career; If EveryDay Was Like Christmas, Separate Ways and If You Talk In Your Sleep. I believe that Red also did the guide vocals for the track when Elvis was too sick to record for the session.

I think that the single might have earned some pretty decent sales over the years as Christmas albums and singles tend to do. We know it went to number two on the Billboard "Best Bets for Christmas" survey in 1966 and also to number 9 on the British Singles chart. I thought I read somewhere about it achieving worldwide sales of a million somewhere over the years, but I cannot remember the source. I think it might have also contributed some significant sales over the years to the success of the Diamond selling RCA Camden version of his Christmas album as well.

 

DJs were playing albums a lot more by '67. When I called into Radio Stations to have them play Guitar Man, some would ask which album its on. When I'd said its on "Clambake" to one local DJ, he said, "You're kidding me, right?"

 

And not only is Santa Claus Is Back In Town his finest Christmas song ever, especially written for him on the spot by Leiber & Stoller no less, but it is also one of his finest blues performances ever. I think top five easily.

 

Imagine had been released on a proper lp; instead it was used as a "bonus track" on one of the worst soundtrack. Ever.

SIDE A
1- Big Boss Man
2- Guitar Man
3- Tomorrow Is A Long Time
4- Down In The Alley
5- Just Call Me Lonesome
6- I'll Remember You

SIDE B
7- Too Much Monkey Business
8- Love Letters
9- All I Needed Was The Rain
10- Hi-Heel Sneakers
11- Tiger Man
12- Stay Away

(OK, that was my useless what-if moment.)

 

I took a stab at creating a Guitar Man album awhile back: Albums Back from the Dead: Elvis Presley's "Guitar Man"

 

i like that track listing, except I'd want to squeeze "U.S. Male" in there somewhere.

 

Now that is a great album you have put together, my friend. Where were you when RCA needed you the most?

 

Yep, next to Trouble, When It Rains It Really Pours, Reconsider Baby, I Feel So Bad, Baby What You Want Me To Do and Stranger In My Own Home Town.

 

if anyone from elvis's estate is reading this thread, I vote for a record store day "Elvis w/ Jerry Reed" e.p.:

1--Guitar Man
2--Too Much Monkey Business

3--Big Boss Man
4--U.S. Male

 

How could I forget US Male! Maybe instead of Just Call Me Lonesome...