Thoughts on Elvis

[ar surround]

Love him or hate him, at least we got one surround sound album from his catalog...which is more than we can say for many other acts.

 

[Spock]

I love Elvis too, I believe my first Vinyl LP was Elvis Country (1971), still have it. Have to play some Elvis songs from time to time.

And I served 1,5 years in the Norwegian Navy

 

[EMB]

Elvis would have made it even if he'd never signed with RCA Victor; after all, his last two Sun singles were top ten country hits, so he definitely had a career beckoning.

Regardless of whether or not racism played a role in his ascension--and it is true that back then, white acts were more likely to be booked on mainstream TV than blacks--the fact remains that Elvis' acceptance by people like my mother (she was a fan in '55, and one of her fave records was always "I Forgot to Remember to Forget") also opened the door for her to finally hear R&B on clear channel radio. Elvis walked through a mystical door that also brought a lot of R&B acts with him to join the party. It's arguable but likely that his success didn't hurt anybody else and may well have enhanced that of others. Further, there is scant comparison between Elvis' covers of Little Richard and Pat Boone's, who was singing to an audience that, racist or not, had little use for 'the real deal' (or that's what they were being fed, anyway).

Over the years, I've come to see Elvis as a beacon for a music to flourish--OUR music, although I was born the year he first broke out, it became my own just as it became Keith Richards' music, John Lennon's, etc.. And I'd bet a lot of doo-wop, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, along with Chuck, Richard, Jerry Lee, Fats, and many others found it easier to get TV gigs as a result of Elvis' appearances.

The notion of Elvis being racist himself was debunked long ago, and an absurd notion on its face. This was a man whose idols included Dean Martin but also Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson, and whose Sun singles indicate a man who learned much from the men whose songs he covered in those early days. If anything, Elvis brought a lot of us together in a common cultural notion--that anything was possible in America, that a kid from Tupelo Mississippi could become the biggest new star of 1956 and one of the most influential of the century. And he brought a lot of people together, a lot of acts a better future.

ED

 

[skherbeck]

Elvis would have made it even if he'd never signed with RCA Victor; after all, his last two Sun singles were top ten country hits, so he definitely had a career beckoning.

Regardless of whether or not racism played a role in his ascension--and it is true that back then, white acts were more likely to be booked on mainstream TV than blacks--the fact remains that Elvis' acceptance by people like my mother (she was a fan in '55, and one of her fave records was always "I Forgot to Remember to Forget") also opened the door for her to finally hear R&B on clear channel radio. Elvis walked through a mystical door that also brought a lot of R&B acts with him to join the party. It's arguable but likely that his success didn't hurt anybody else and may well have enhanced that of others. Further, there is scant comparison between Elvis' covers of Little Richard and Pat Boone's, who was singing to an audience that, racist or not, had little use for 'the real deal' (or that's what they were being fed, anyway).

Over the years, I've come to see Elvis as a beacon for a music to flourish--OUR music, although I was born the year he first broke out, it became my own just as it became Keith Richards' music, John Lennon's, etc.. And I'd bet a lot of doo-wop, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, along with Chuck, Richard, Jerry Lee, Fats, and many others found it easier to get TV gigs as a result of Elvis' appearances.

The notion of Elvis being racist himself was debunked long ago, and an absurd notion on its face. This was a man whose idols included Dean Martin but also Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson, and whose Sun singles indicate a man who learned much from the men whose songs he covered in those early days. If anything, Elvis brought a lot of us together in a common cultural notion--that anything was possible in America, that a kid from Tupelo Mississippi could become the biggest new star of 1956 and one of the most influential of the century. And he brought a lot of people together, a lot of acts a better future.

ED

Well said

 

[atrocity]

Further, there is scant comparison between Elvis' covers of Little Richard and Pat Boone's, who was singing to an audience that, racist or not, had little use for 'the real deal' (or that's what they were being fed, anyway).

For the last several weeks I've been obsessed with digitizing a stack of dozens of circa 1955-62 45s my aunt gave me several years ago. Basically, the stuff she bought as a teenager. There are several Pat Boones in there, including "Ain't That a Shame". I'd always known the story of Boone (and others) covering the songs by the SCARY BLACK ARTISTS but it wasn't until I actually played the Boone record that I realized I've probably never heard any of those watered-down versions. Or maybe I had, but long ago and they never "stuck". Having listened carefully (headphones, multiple passes through ClickRepair, etc.) all I can really say about Boone is that he was...competent enough.

But Elvis was one of a kind. He's generally not someone who gets stuck in my head and makes me listen repeatedly and compulsively, but every time I hear his stuff I Get It, if that makes any sense. He may not have been someone who really spoke to me (no doubt an age thing as much as anything else), but his talent was obvious and undeniable.

Wandering a bit off-topic, the stack of records is fascinating, partly just for its breadth (Elvis and...Doris Day?!) but also because for me it's been a peek into something of an alternate universe. For every song and/or artist that everyone still knows today, there seem to be two or three that are completely unknown to me but, when I look them up, turn out to have been hits--even number ones--but have since fallen out of public consciousness. Sometimes (arguably) understandably, other times unfairly.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Well said

+1

 

[EMB]

The racism of the 1950's tends to skew toward the southern states, which were still in large part segregated, a fact not lost on the major network people. Looking back at the history of R&B and Rock'n'Roll of that time, I've never had the impression that the execs were racist in any way, but they did have to factor in those parts of the country where white supremacy and other vile things still ruled; ratings ruled, and advertisers tended to go the path of least controversy. Further, I don't think attitudes had much to do with why bland white pop artists covered R&B songs. Easy to forget is that artists had been covering each other for decades before Rock'n'Roll rose in prominence. There is also cultural miscegenation, too: white acts did cover R&B acts, but R&B acts also covered white pop. What else would you call a beauty like the Flamingos' "I Only Have Eyes for You"? In pop music terms, Tin Pan Alley and movie music were highly influential to anyone interested; race really had nothing to do with who covered what. I don't think it did in the '50s beyond the fact that certain radio stations (again, think the South, mainly) simply would not put on a black R&B record, but would find Pat Boone, Gale Storm, or any number of mainstream white acts acceptable regardless of how a record actually sounded--whether the performance was good, bad or indifferent was likely beside the point.

History and the passage of time have brought the original artists to the fore, the cream rises to the surface and most folks understand who the real avatars of Rock'n'Roll were. But I hate to see a guy like Pat Boone dismissed because he blandly covered R&B hits. He knew his versions couldn't match the originals, they were there to satisfy a certain segment of the audience, many of them teenagers who may not have gotten a chance to hear the originals at the time; education would come later.

ED

 

[Clint Eastwood]

The racism of the 1950's tends to skew toward the southern states, which were still in large part segregated, a fact not lost on the major network people. Looking back at the history of R&B and Rock'n'Roll of that time, I've never had the impression that the execs were racist in any way, but they did have to factor in those parts of the country where white supremacy and other vile things still ruled; ratings ruled, and advertisers tended to go the path of least controversy. Further, I don't think attitudes had much to do with why bland white pop artists covered R&B songs. Easy to forget is that artists had been covering each other for decades before Rock'n'Roll rose in prominence. There is also cultural miscegenation, too: white acts did cover R&B acts, but R&B acts also covered white pop. What else would you call a beauty like the Flamingos' "I Only Have Eyes for You"? In pop music terms, Tin Pan Alley and movie music were highly influential to anyone interested; race really had nothing to do with who covered what. I don't think it did in the '50s beyond the fact that certain radio stations (again, think the South, mainly) simply would not put on a black R&B record, but would find Pat Boone, Gale Storm, or any number of mainstream white acts acceptable regardless of how a record actually sounded--whether the performance was good, bad or indifferent was likely beside the point.

History and the passage of time have brought the original artists to the fore, the cream rises to the surface and most folks understand who the real avatars of Rock'n'Roll were. But I hate to see a guy like Pat Boone dismissed because he blandly covered R&B hits. He knew his versions couldn't match the originals, they were there to satisfy a certain segment of the audience, many of them teenagers who may not have gotten a chance to hear the originals at the time; education would come later.

ED

Black artists weren't the only one's that faced obstacles...white acts trying to play rock n roll met plenty of resistance...and not only in the South...

 

[John Svensson]

Like GOS, my love of Elvis mainly extends to his pre-Hollywood recordings. In case no one mentioned it in the artist comparisons bicker....he could also sing far better than most, that must have played some small part in his success. For Atrocity....folks were not so much strictly into their "genre" in the 50-60's era, I love to check out the Billboard Top 100 lists from those years, its an eye-opener as to the breadth of styles.

 

[Fourplay]

No denying that Elvis was both a musical and cultural force. And even though he admittedly got a leg up by virtue of the lack of pigment in his skin, there was no denying that he was a talented musician. Like anyone else, he was just trying to make it, and he did.

For those interested in surround Elvis, here is a previous thread:

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...resley-quad-lps-are-the-mixes-worth-it.21723/