Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

no I don't think so. He had some short ones lol

 

It does make you wonder why they held back the two 1973 tracks when the album was so short! I guess 'value for money' was never the Colonel's motto

 

The combination Elvis / Stax should have brought a classic album but the result was terrible.
10 songs, 1 highlight (FOR OL' TIMES SAKE), 2 good (IF YOU DON'T COME BACK, JUST A LITTLE BIT). The rest was mediocre at best. Elvis is simply not into it. In july 1973, most of the magic was gone. The comments from the musicians - many of them had already recorded with him during the 1969 Memphis sessions - are heartbreaking. Sad.

 

The idea to record at Stax and the material they tried to do wasn't that bad. Alas, the execution was poor. Elvis was in a bad spot in the summer of 1973, with the impending divorce and an out of control drug use (IIRC, 1973 saw one or two instances of near fatal overdosing by Elvis). Things would be much better in December. I agree that For Ol' Times Sake is a highlight. Elvis should have recorded much more Tony Joe White material.

 

All of this. The existence of these tracks was a complete revelation to me. I sort of like them better without the bass overdubs...? ("Kathleen" doesn't speak to me quite as much, possibly also due to the Star Trek connection )

The idea seems to have come from nowhere and gone away just as quickly, relegated once again to Elvis' private time. A great reminder that Elvis had it in him to be a musician, not just a singer that passes off the prop guitar after two songs.

 

Like the other piano songs, I love I Will Be True without any reservations. The intimacy is almost painful to hear.

DTT isn't one of my favourite Dylan songs, but Elvis does an interesting job with it. I'm not sure I've heard another interpretation quite like it, with a bounciness that recalls For Lovin' Me more than the more weighty/bitter/angry dismissal you'd expect from a reading of Don't Think Twice, It's Alright. It somehow works, though, because Elvis delivers the lyrics with just the right amount of informality to make them seem secondary to the particular mood he's trying to convey with his performance.

On another note, the unedited jams go on too long to for me; I prefer the edits on the 70s box and the original album. Either way, it makes for a nice closer to the Fool album, particularly after the darkness of the previous three tracks.

 

Raised On Rock is an enjoyable little album, and I think it's actually one of Elvis' better-sequenced lifetime releases. Songs that I don't usually care for (mostly) sound good in this context, and the album has a relative consistency of sound and mood. Regardless of the merits of the second set of Stax sessions, I like the darkness of the Raised On Rock-era material and performances. The later Stax performances are sharper, but they don't have the mysteriousness of the first set.

All of that having been said, the rough mixes section on the FTD shows just how much energy was dulled in the mixing process, and I wish we had the entire album in that form. I also really like The Wonders You Perform for some reason, and I wish we had an Elvis vocal to go along with it.

 

The premise of Raised On Rock (song) is simply silly. Elvis was raised well before there was Rock n Roll. One could say Elvis raised rock n roll itself, not the other way around.

For Old Times Sake is a STANDOUT on this LP, although there are a few (about 1/2 again) other decent recordings on this LP.

Hey, we made it through both Elvis Now and Elvis Fool without a meltdown. Should be easier sailing from here on out.

 

Indeed. More a premise for any Elvisaholics since rather than the man himself.

 

@mark winstanley it looks like we forgot this one:



I know it's not a critically important album, but for several of us on the forum it was our introduction to Elvis (seeing that TV commercial).

 

You may have to give us a run down of that one mate. I can't find anything about it on three sites, and I have never heard of, or seen it before .... sorry

 

I think that one's floating around my house somewhere. It's real!

Elvis Presley - Elvis

DPL2-0056 (e) Elvis | elvisrecords.com

Kinda of a screwy compilation (of Elvis' music? say it ain't so! ), looks like.

Also, somewhat fitting, the sleeves as shown in an Amazon listing contain a nice rundown of the LP catalog so far:

 

It is the first of a string of "TV offer" albums, made possible by the 1973 back catalog buyout. RCA Record Club was also free to offer Record Club versions of some LPs, such as WWGAH parts 1 & 2 and WWGAH parts 3 & 4.

 

Found the commercial too. I think.

 

The first Stax session has some musicians from the Moman sessions, whereas the December Stax sessions do not. The first session has some pretty funky playing on a few songs. That funkiness was absent in the second Stax sessions, but Elvis' voice was in better form.

 

So that's what, four "Elvis" albums now?
1957
NBC-TV Special
1973 compilation
the "Fool" album

Again, creative bunch at RCA there.

 

Love those TV commercials that make it seem like you are getting WAY more than the measly 20 songs that could have almost fit on one LP.

 

It was this TV ad that really started the whole Elvis thing for me:



I was 5 years old and will never forget that ad coming on the TV. After a stream of kiddie-type records, Elvis' voice was like a bomb went off. I'd watch TV just in the hopes of this ad coming on. Off course I begged my parents for the album but of course they said 'no'. A consolation was my Dad giving me his three Elvis LPs - Loving You, King Creole and Golden Records Vol.1 - which I still have to this day.

I few others on this Forum over the years mentioned how they got in to Elvis due to this LP too. If you're reading this thread please chime in!

Also, the album was reissued on gold vinyl in 1978. More info than you could ever want about this album here:

DPL2-0056 (e) Elvis | elvisrecords.com

 

Well I would easily trade the TV Elvis LP for Golden Records, Loving You and King Creole! Lucky kid!

 

Oh yeah, I definitely lucked out! Original 1950's pressings too.

 

That's a really nice commercial! Love it.

 

Very cool. Thanks for the input guys. I have never seen that before. US exclusive?

 

The lyrics to Raised On Rock have never bothered me. I mean, they're simple and somewhat silly, but the fact that it's Elvis singing them doesn't matter a whit to me. He's singing in character. Anyway, the track is all about that cool groove and the little touches throughout (the high voices on the bridge, that little lick after "I was in the back room rocking on," etc). The lyrics don't even really matter.

 

Yes, I am pretty sure it was a US exclusive.

 

Are You Sincere is another gem buried in a mediocre album. This is why I say his 70s albums remind me of his soundtrack albums. On the whole I do not care for them, but the hidden gems are what makes them worthwhile.