Previous Reaction: He's alright
Post Listen: He's the King
Will I Listen Again: Possibly
Harriet's Response: "Oh yeah baby rock and roll"
Teddy's Response: Silence
"Elvis was a hero to most/But he never meant shit to me..." - Public Enemy, "Fight the Power"
I've always understood Elvis' place in the pantheon of rock and roll music. But, frankly, as a child in the 70s Elvis was just a crazy dude in a jump suit, whose younger self appeared in a whole bunch of crappy movies shown on TV on Saturday afternoons. I don't think I've ever actually managed to listen to an entire album of The King's music.
So, I put this one on thinking that it might be pretty good, but expecting it to be fairly old school and not very interesting. Turns out I was pretty much bang on. The album cover is certainly iconic having been co-opted for another iconic cover:
(Pssst: "London Calling is one of my favourite albums, more of that when we get to page 436)
It has some classic tracks: "Blue Suede Shoes", "Blue Moon" which are great. But the real winner is "Trying to Get to You", here represented in a great version from his 1968 Comeback Special:
I wish the entire "Elvis Presley" album was that good, it's amazing to hear the difference in sound quality from the 1956 studio album to the 1968 live recording.
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