Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

cheers mate

 

Interesting.
Masking pain with somewhat self deprecating fun poking. As if to take it totally seriously would give more weight to it.

 

Hurt makes for an explosive opening statement, but Elvis doesn't fully sell it for me. Conversely, I think Roy Hamilton nailed it:



Never Again is a slow burn of a song, doing a great job of building up to that climax at the end. Elvis might have some trouble holding the notes (this is most obvious on the Our Memories Of Elvis mix), but when there's this much emotion in his voice, it doesn't matter. This is also one of those cases where I think they got the master just right, overdubs and all. I love how the music starts to overwhelm you as the song goes on.

 

I have always like Elvis' version of Hurt. I think it WAS cathartic for him. If you've ever heard the x-rated outtakes I think anyone would agree. It may be more than one person or situation that he was thinking about while recording this song. But Linda Thompson was also in the process of leaving him at this point. (man, talk about "long lean and lanky, she was).

 

There is a reason that one of Elvis' favorite singers was Hamilton.

 

Before I comment on the songs, I've got to say that I've always thought this was a cool pic of Elvis. I even had a Christmas ornament that had this very pic on it for years. It is just as iconic as many of his other pics including the MSG cover. I see that he wasn't as lean and mean as 1970 but he could still wear the jumpsuits better than 98% of Elvis impersonators out there.

 

Amen to this statement. You really capture so much in your fine post that I would want to say about both the circumstances and the raw beauty of Elvis's stupendous version of Hurt. I actually put two songs from this album in my top ten favorite Elvis vocals of all time, Hurt and Danny Boy. I am not saying best overall records here, but simply greatest or most passionate vocals by Elvis. Some of these songs might have brilliant technique, flawless intonation or demonstrate remarkable range, but to make my top ten list, they also have to demonstrate a certain degree of rawness and sheer passion or emotion. These two songs qualify on the basis of those last two elements alone. Here is my personal list of Elvis's ten greatest vocal performances, and I do not believe it has changed much over 40 plus years, except for perhaps the addition of one new song to the list. There is no particular order as that would simply be too difficult for me.

1) Such A Night
2) One Night
3) Reconsider Baby
4) If I Can Dream
5) Suspicious Minds (If nothin else but for the sheer passion in the way Elvis sings the bridge of the song)
6) Bridge Over Troubled Water
7) Merry Christmas Baby
8) Hurt
8) Danny Boy
9) Rags To Riches (live version)
10) Unchained Melody

 

Even before I could really appreciate the experiences and narrative of this song, I enjoyed it. After many years, I'm still mesmerized by this. I agree that this wasn't just a song about a relationship gone bad but about his life in general.

 

Another song about being hurt and another song that is much deeper than just an expression about a lost love. John Lennon quipped that "Elvis died in the army" but I have to say that he was granted a reprieve of sorts. Elvis probably would have self-destructed much sooner had he not been yanked out of the show biz world and been grounded during that time (especially since he lost his mother during this time). When he came out of the army, he had a new resolve to "do it right this time around" only to get caught up in the craziness again. Without an outside circumstance to ground Elvis again like being physically removed from the "lifestyle", nothing was going to stop "the rockstar lifestyle" from consuming him.

 

I just cannot add anything much to Dirk's brilliant analysis here, but I will mention that this is a stellar example of conductor Bergen White's arranging skills. He is now easily the most prolific arranger in Nashville history and is still active after 50 years in the business. Mr. White is fantastic at slowly building a string and horn orchestra around a great vocalist and also knowing when to stay out of the singer's way. I also think the sequencing of this album is fantastic for a change as we open with Elvis quite Hurt, and then he professes that it will happen, Never Again.

 

Nice list! Off the top of my head, mine would look something like this (in chronological order):

Any Way You Want Me
If I Loved You (1960 home recording)
You'll Never Walk Alone
If I Can Dream
Kentucky Rain
I Really Don't Want To Know
Bridge Over Troubled Water (Platinum)
Reach Out To Jesus
How Great Thou Art (pretty much any live version)
Where No One Stands Alone (live version)

Not necessarily my favourite Elvis songs, but the ones where Elvis' voices touches me the most on an emotional level.

 

I love all your outstanding picks as well. It was very hard not to put Kentucky Rain, How Great Thou Art or Reach Out To Jesus on my list. Oh man, and I left off Any Day Now as well, which not only has a stellar vocal by Elvis, but an outstanding production component, but that is a totally separate issue from the criteria of our top ten Elvis vocal performances.

 

Greil Marcus quite accurately described Elvis's version of "Hurt" as "apocalyptic." The arrangement probably owes more to Timi Yuro's version than Roy Hamilton's:



Hamilton and Yuro's vocals are technically superior, showing more agility and range, but Elvis is the only one who sounds like a mortally wounded lion, spending every remaining ounce of life on a last roar of rage and affirmation.

"Never Again" is a teeny bit maudlin but a natural follow-up: Elvis has been hurt so badly he's sworn off love entirely. "I hope I never ever love anyone this much again" is a bleak message, all the more so because Elvis sounds dead serious, almost withered by loss. The climax is over-the-top in a good way: a farewell to love itself or a Wagnerian suicide note.

 

S'funny but I always thought this version was the one that inspired our man...







Nah, not really. Just kidding, I couldn't resist. I'm sorry, carry on...

 

lol

 

Take 69, maybe.

 

Perfect metaphor.

 

Post "Suspicious Minds" I thought Elvis's songs and their arrangements somewhat 'matured' like a fine wine.
DON'T CRY DADDY, I'VE LOST YOU, THE NEXT STEP IS LOVE and BURNING LOVE were excellent singles that charted here in Sydney. Also SEPARATE WAYS, ALWAYS ON MY MIND... gems!

 

And then, just like any fine wine that ages long enough, they turned to vinegar.

 

Great analogy! This album is not for someone looking for rocker Elvis. This was always a favorite album to play alone when I was in a contemplative mood. The only argument that I have is that I find more honesty in this album than some earlier ones. He's almost dropping the "Elvis" spin here and showing the man that's been through all of this. It's seems like the recording at home let's him drop his guard a bit and be unusually sad and reflective. Because of this, I'm glad that it was followed up by Moody Blue before he passed. Compared to this album, Moody Blue has Elvis leaving on a better and more melancholy note.

 

Hurt is most definitely a highlight of Elvis' post-1971 output. The performance is melodramatic and over-the-top, but in the context of this song and these lyrics it works for me. Wounded lion is indeed an apt metaphor... Roy Hamilton sounds sad, whereas Elvis sounds angry. I do not believe him at all when he sings "I will never, ever hurt you"... he sounds like he wants to take someone's head off, which creates some nice (probably intentional on Elvis' part) irony. While this is an effective performance and a solid record, I can't help thinking that Elvis in 1960 or 1969-70 would have employed more subtlety and finesse. He's like an aged boxer who's lost his speed and has to resort to pounding his opponents into submission. I'm not sure it was the best idea to open the album with this song either, as it's all anticlimax after this.

Never Again is (I think) the only song on the album that's not a cover. Elvis did several Jerry Chesnut songs in his final three or four years. This seems to me just an average song and an average performance.

 

This album was huge in Australia and the UK. Someone must have loved the cover shot.

 

To be fair, I do like it myself. When I was a nipper this image was on loads of posters at fairgrounds for prizes and seaside souvenir shops. It was probably after 1977 but it was knocking about a lot. It is an iconic pose, for sure...

 

People at school who were Punks or Metalheads all had that album. It had 20 tracks squeezed onto two sides of vinyl so the bass was non-existent. I think they faded Suspicious Minds early.