Elvis

[Ram1]

In honor of the 25th anniversary of Elvis's death, I thought I would re-post a message that I wrote from a little while back....

Liam--agree with you there about Elvis. Well, I actually have mixed feelings....

Cons--
*He didn't write his own songs. (Except a few on which he "co-wrote." H. Hotel being one I think.)

*Although he was largely influential, he didn't even hold a "fried peanut-butter and banana sandwich" to The Beatles.

*He became popular mostly off of black artists' songs and moves, because of racist deejays and America in general. (Not that I'm faulting Elvis himself. At least he seemed to give credit to those artists from what I hear.)

*He was so grossly jealous of The Beatles that he tried to get them deported.

*He was appointed a DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) Special Agent by the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, yet he was one of the biggest pill-poppers around. (And yet he called The Beatles and other groups the "bad influences on America.)

Pros--
*Say what you want, the man could put on a show! Especially late 60s/early 70s. Take a look at the films 'Elvis on Tour' or 'That's The Way It Is'. you'll see why.

*The man had one of the most amazing voices in rock history. Most people say they like the "early" Elvis. But I actually prefer "later" Elvis because his voice really developed. Check out any of his 70s material. His voice just SOARS!! Especially on Gospel tunes.

*He was a cool mamma jamma. I may not like him for a variety of reasons, but there's no denying the man was just plain cool! The way he walked, the way he talked, the way he dressed, just everything.

*He had a black belt in karate. (Which for some reason I always thought was cool.)

*Even though he didn't write his own songs, he was a hard worker. He was a poor boy from Tupelo who everybody laughed at. He went to school wearing pink silk shirts and long sideburns. People thought he was a freak, but he had the courage to dare to be different. They told him he wouldn't make it. Well, he proved everybody wrong and became the "King." (Even though I personally dispute that term.)

*Music history wouldn't be the same without him. Without him, even our Lads from Liverpool may not have happened.

Wow, I can't believe I just went on this long talking about Elvis!!



I'd like a Macca shake and Macca fries please....

[Ram1]

Just to update, I've been watching a couple Elvis concert videos the past day or so. Say what you want, the man was awesome. His voice was just amazing, and when he performed, you couldn't take your eyes off him. I always have mixed feelings about Elvis, but whenever I pop one of those videos in, I'm just blown away. If you haven't seen 'Elvis on Tour', 'Elvis: The Lost Performances', or 'That's The Way It Is', you're missing out.

I'd like a Macca shake and Macca fries please....

[Len]

A black belt? Have you ever seen him do those kicks? He looks like he has a live lobster tucked in his flared pants. I recently heard that someone just gave him the black belt, simply because he was Elvis, not because he actually earned it.

[dsnito]

The remake of "Little Less Conversation" is cool, an obscure good Elvis rock song that was digged of some late 60s album. I´m sure that you guys heard it already.

Peace.

[dsnito]

It´s a pity that great Pelvis ended his life that way... That was a sad way to die, and think that the major blame is for his doctor that did prescribe all those medicines and drugs for him. But also Elvis himself was quite depressed with his own life, without sense to live it, just seeing his late images we could feel it. Really melancholic...

Peace.

[Ram1]

Len, no from what I understand, he actually earned it. If you've seen 'Elvis on Tour' there's a bit where he goes wild and starts doing all this karate stuff. He's really good. Or was, I mean. I took karate for a while myself, and he definitely does the work of a black belt. He took it really seriously.

I'd like a Macca shake and Macca fries please....

Edited by - Ram1 on 08/14/2002 08:57:06

[Ram1]

Nito, yeah it was pretty sad. Like Ringo said on Anthology, they always felt sorry for Elvis because at least they, (The Beatles), had each other to experience the highs and lows of fame with. Elvis was basically all alone to deal with all those stresses. Sure, he had his big entourage and everything, but only he could really understand and feel the pressure he was going through.

I'd like a Macca shake and Macca fries please....

[Steve-o]

I was a huge fan until around 1964, for some reason . I like the 50's Elvis before the Army--before the stupid silly movies. I enjoyed his "comeback", and actually went with my Mom to see his at OSO in Sept of 1973. Great show. It was for her, like me seeing Macca. Too bad about the precription drugs ect, but I was more into the early music and his return to touring. The dude had some pipes.

Sooner or later we all will be there....

[Ram1]

Yeah, I like the early return to touring too. (Like between '68-'72.) He really put on great shows then. (Before he got way too heavy and couldn't hold the notes for long.) I could have done without most of the movies. There are only a couple I really enjoy. But acting made him happy. He took it really seriously.

Speaking of the '68 Comeback special, it was great, EXCEPT for those really cheesy musical skits they had him do. But the "jam session" in the round was excellent.

I'd like a Macca shake and Macca fries please....

[dsnito]

Yeah Ram, I saw that Comeback, that was of him in black leather clothes, wasn´t that??? There were chairs on a small stage and Elvis and his mates(Scotty Moore was one, wasn´t?)sitting in and playing several songs...That was a great show indeed!! That was kinda MTV Unplugged show of that time, don´t you think??

Peace.