Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Very well put my friend, and I was just thinking the same exact thing when I made my previous post. Just like Elvis could do Dino, but Dean could not do Elvis.

 

True enough about Dino's and Elvis' musical stylings with one caveat. I do think Dino could go toe to toe with any entertainer in the charisma department.

 

This is one of those songs that is best viewed in its proper historical context. It's about a guy who wants a divorce so he can marry his "new love" but in those days that required mutual consent of both parties unless he could show fault. So he's not asking her to release him because he's a wimp, but because she has him over a barrel legally.

 

Well said once again. Dino had both the looks and sheer charisma to match just about anybody, I guess that is one of the reasons Elvis admired him so much. I think he had a very underrated voice as well. I love that Bourbon soaked baritone of his. I can listen to Dino's voice a long time without getting tired of it, and I cannot say that about all of my favorite singers.

 

I worked with a very wise older man when I was a teenager that told me about this. He used to say that a young man had better not make hasty decisions back in those days or "his tongue could tie a knot that the sharpest teeth couldn't gnaw through".

 

Ahhh, that makes more sense

 

On Stage I always liked, great variety of songs, and pretty much everything works for me... some tracks more than others, of course. Also well-recorded, imo, it gives a real sense of the room ambiance.

See See Rider is a standout track, and rather different from the later-released Aloha and '74 versions. I think the song was first released in 1924 by Ma Rainey and Her Georgia Band: great version, Take 1 preferred. That was Louis Armstrong's first recorded accompaniment to a singer.

Release Me I find just fine, know the song but don't really have any other artist associations with it. I do remember Benny Hill singing it(!).

 

It was Dean Martin's version I was most familiar with. Humperdinck's version did not impress me. Elvis' Feb 1970 version blew me away.

 

Yep, you have to teach some of these young'uns about times BEFORE They were a-changin'.

 

Don't get me wrong; I like myself some Engelbert as well (Take My Heart, After The Loving, and Quando, Quando, Quando being particular favourites). He had a fantastic tone, but unlike Elvis, he didn't have the rhythmic sense or intensity that would have made Release Me as engaging as it could have been (imvho, of course). Along the same lines, I can't really get into anyone else's versions of What Now My Love, My Way, Padre, Bridge Over Troubled Water, etc....but I love the Elvis renditions, because they sparkle and have a natural, propulsive feel about them.

 

I do get where you are coming from here. I think Elvis took Release Me and completely took it someplace else where even the writers of the song probably never imagined it could go. Isn't that what the brilliant songwriter Doc Pomus said about Elvis singing one of his songs and adding something to it that he never even envisioned when he first wrote it?

Oh yeah, I know we are going to get to some of those songs you mention soon enough on this splendid thread, but for me personally, Elvis's version of Bridge Over Troubled Water is unmatched by anybody else, including Simon & Garfunkel or Aretha Franklin's superb renditions. I also think Elvis's versions of those three other songs are fantastic as well, even if he slightly over-sings Marty Robbins splendid classic, Padre. I also give Elvis the slight edge on My Way over Frank Sinatra's very fine version, and I am sure that is sacrilegious to most Sinatra fans, but I happen to be one of them.

 

This album is clearly highly regarded amongst many Elvis fans, but I have never been a huge fan of the LP. To be clear, I don’t dislike the album, I just don’t consider it among his best work. The vocals are very good, some are outstanding, but I find some of the arrangements too schmaltzy, overblown, and a bit pedestrian. That said, I do love Lanning’s drum work, and there are some great moments of inspiration.

 

Well, I've always thought the backing track to Yesterday sounded a bit karaokey..... But reading about how quickly some of these songs were put together for the stage a few posts back is really impressing. Man, these guys were such pros!

 

I feel the same as well.

Quotes from DJs were mixed, but all agreed; Welcome to the Vegas sound.

 

Personally, I think the On Stage album is great ~ my only problem or disappointment I have is that it was too short and also including two songs from the previous year meant the title was not true to the contents. It’s a shame that RCA and their bean counters were scrutinising the amount of recording tape being used and they should have simply recorded a few "full" shows. As much as I like the 69 Vegas shows, I found the songs he did in Feb 70 were more interesting but both of these engagements had Elvis at his peak in Vegas. Sadly, after the next Vegas engagement in Aug ‘70, things started to go toward ‘autopilot’ regarding the shows with the big bombastic Vegas sound becoming even more dominant. And don’t get me going on the JD Sumner sound. Another rut Elvis got into.

Regarding albums, after On Stage, there were only a few more that contained strong material that would be delivered well too. After Elvis Country, and apart from a couple of peaks, the slide began starting with the disappointing ‘leftovers’ album "Love Letters from Elvis", and there was nothing that could match the sessions that took place the previous year in Memphis or the two albums that came from those sessions.

 

Sweet Caroline
Written By :
Neil Diamond

Recorded :
Live Recording, International Hotel, Las Vegas, February 15-19, 1970 : February 16, 1970

This has always been a great song, it seems very seventies now, but that is what it was. I like the balance in the instrumentation, and the spaces and how there is still a good dynamic build into the chorus. One thing that strikes me here, is how easy and relaxed Elvis' vocal is.
A very good version/

 

Runaway
Written By :
Del Shannon & Max Crook

Recorded :
Live Recording, International Hotel, Las Vegas, August 21-26, 1969 : August 25, 1969

I am coming around to this version, but it needs to be understood that I grew up with Del Shannon's version of this song. His version of the song was apparently what my parents considered to be "Their song". Idky, perhaps they first danced to it or something, but anyhow....
I like this version and I think the guitar break works, although it took me dozens of listens to get past the fact that the screaming organ (or whatever it was is missing)
So this is an excellent version, but it is hard for me to be objective about it, due to having a big history with the original.

 

I really like Elvis' cover of Runaway, and love the gritty sound James Burton has on his Telecaster during the solo (which I think was overdubbed later?). Of course, the Del Shannon original is in another league altogether, but Elvis puts in an admirable live performance. Heck, I'm just happy Elvis chose it as a cover to get this great song more exposure.

 

Oh if only Elvis used his falsetto like Del Shannon did instead of relying on the Sweets. THAT would have been killer.

 

As much as I enjoy Elvis' versions of Sweet Caroline (I probably prefer some of the TTWII performances to the On Stage version), the Neil Diamond version is the definitive one for me. The Elvis versions are beefier-sounding and exciting, but the stately pace of the Diamond arrangement and Neil's unmistakable vocals are pop perfection.

Runaway isn't great, but it's enjoyable enough as a filler track. In the context of the album, it does a great job of setting up the drama of The Wonder Of You.

 

Agreed

 

I'm the opposite - the first time I heard it I was worried I'd be cringing at a live attempt at the falsetto part. Very glad he didn't tackle it.

 

I thought differently. It was different and the ladies could sing the part full voice. Great.

 

I really dig the whole On Stage album, and it really was a great concept at the time. Jerry Hopkins following quote from his outstanding Elvis biography really explains, in real time, how well those covers would come across on this live album. It also mentions Dean Martin being in the audience as well.

Elvis had decided, wisely, that for his August performances he would concentrate on his own hits, songs that were immediately recognizable as his--perfect for a return. The second time around much of the emphasis was shifted to songs made popular by other vocalists. So on opening night, a Monday, January 26, after he'd sung "All Shook Up" and "That's All Right [Mama]," Elvis said he wanted to sing songs not his own. He glanced at Dean Martin, seated in the booth next to that occupied by his family, and mimicked him: "Everybody needs somebody..." and then--bang!--into a version of "Proud Mary" that came on with the power of a trainload of gospel singers. (The Sweet Inspirations and the Imperials were back, along with the predictable Sammy Shore.) And later in the show he sang "Walk A Mile In My Shoes," Sweet Caroline" and "Polk Salad Annie"--hits in the past year for Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joe South, Neil Diamond and Tony Joe White, respectively. The rest of the songs were from his own catalogue, but the manner in which he sang these four--strongly, dramatically--made them the most memorable. Put simply, when Elvis sang them, it was difficult to recall the originals.

 

RUNAWAY is the perfect example of a great cover with Elvis doing tremendous use of the Sweets, plus a nice guitar solo from James Burton. OK, the song was actually not from february 1970 and, yes, Burton overdubbed his part later in Nashville. Still, the whole thing really rocks and that is all I was asking for at the time.

SWEET CAROLINE is one of those few tracks I always skip: KENTUCKY RAIN should have been there instead.