Tag: Elvis Presley

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Music Stunt 2009

Stunt 2009: Week 4 – Elvis Presley

*This is a companion piece to a similarly-themed article on Karen’s site which, all things being equal, should be published at roughly the same time.*

I’m a little bit torn. Should I be evaluating these songs, or should I just be evaluating Elvis Presley’s contribution to them?

This week, Lady P has helpfully generated a Spotify playlist so that you can listen along. If you use Spotify. Which I don’t.

1. **Lawdy Miss Clawdy** from Elvis Presley – only two minutes long, but after a minute of listening to this song you’ve already absorbed everything that it has to offer. It’s catchy, but shallow. I think that this song must be quite an early Elvis song, as his trademark vocal style is totally absent. It reminds me of the demo version of “Live Forever” where Liam Gallagher’s voice doesn’t sound like a sack of gravel down a blackboard.

2. **Mystery Train** from Elvis At Sun – Probably a bit better than last week’s version, but I still don’t find it terribly interesting.

3. **Long Black Limousine** from From Elvis In Memphis – I love the sentiment behind this song, the story that it tells. Nice gospel choir too. But I hate that the bass and drums have been panned hard right. I know that back then, nobody really thought that anybody would be listening to these songs through headphones, but that doesn’t make it any less uncomfortable to listen to.

4. **His Latest Flame** from No1s – This song has been in my head quite a lot this week, but not in an annoying way. Which is quite a compliment, if you think about it.

5. **Tomorrow Is A Long Time** from Tomorrow Is A Long Time – A rather dull ballad which doesn’t have any kind of development or dynamic.

6. **Good Rocking Tonight** from Elvis At Sun – almost as brain-dead as your average song about cars. If you just wanted something to dance to then it would probably be fine, but it doesn’t bear up to any level of scrutiny.

7. **I’m Leavin’** from Burning Love – I wouldn’t say that it’s my kind of song, but I can appreciate what went into it.

8. **In The Ghetto** from From Elvis In Memphis – I wish I knew how I felt about this song. It’s a “protest” song, of sorts, and they fill me with such conflicting sentiments. On the one hand, I hate being pontificated at by a wealthy pop singer. But on the other hand, if you feel strongly about something, why should you stay silent? Anyway, leaving all that guff aside, good song. Though the bass guitar has been panned hard right again. Stop that shit.

9. **Heartbreak Hotel** from No1s – magnificent song, it’s ever so satisfying to listen to a song that’s barely over two minutes, and justifies every single second of it.

10. **One Night** from No1s – not really fussed about the song, but the vocal performance is exceptional. There’s a non-zero quantity of DaveGrohlishness in there, dare I say it.

So, in conclusion: it’s improving, and I’m grateful of the opportunity to sample some Elvis. I’m wondering if my enjoyment of these playlists is being impaired by the fact that I’m listening to them with an ear to reviewing them later. I’ve always felt that most things are spoiled by over-analysing. What can I do?

The next week’s playlist

Random number: 341
Two options, random selection is the second – Sly Stone. The book says:

> The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Temptations and James Brown may have had more hits, but no-one epitomized the late 1960s/early 70s more than Sly & the Family Stone. While other bands paid lip service to such 1960s ideals as racial integration, sexual equality and fighting the establishment, the erstwhile Sylvester Stewart and his clan of brothers, sisters and ofays put the rhetoric into practice with some of the most radical, perfectly crafted, galvanizing music ever.

Categories
Music Stunt 2009

Stunt 2009: Week 3 – Memphis

*This is a companion piece to a similarly-themed article on Karen’s site which, all things being equal, should be published at roughly the same time.*

1. **John Henry** Furry Lewis – historically significant it may be, but the song bores me. It’s one of those blues songs that chunders round in a circle for six minutes.

2. **When The Levee Breaks** Memphis Minnie – see above. I can appreciate that this song may have been great in 1929, but I just don’t find it very interesting to listen to.

3. **No More Doggin’** Rosco Gordon – okay, it’s just another blues song, but there’s something about this song that I find a bit more bearable. The pace, the vocal melody, the syncopated piano – it’s got a bit more going for it.

4. **Mystery Train** Junior Parker – yawn blues.

5. **Rocket 88** Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats – yet another blues song, indistinguishable from the rest. Apparently this song is notable for containing one of the first recorded instances of a distorted guitar, and is considered by some to be the first true rock’n’roll song. I’ve been Wikipeding, can you tell? It has to be said, I have an anti-soft spot for songs about cars. I’ve never understood why people feel this need to glorify driving. “Hey look, I’ve got a car.” Wow, aren’t you a big boy? What’s more, they are always inevitably full of a very dull shopping list of things that you do with your car, and then padded out with some nonsense in order to make the whole thing rhyme. Let’s see if I can write one right now. Ahem. “Hey look, here’s my Astra, it’s got seats in the back // I drive it to the movies, I drive it to the track // I put my bass guitar in the boot or the footwell // Gee my Vauxhall Astra is so incredibly swell //// They see me driving past, they say who’s that sexy guy? // I like his Vauxhall Astra, indeed it is so fly // I stop at the garage, to put some petrol in // I like driving my Vauxhall Astra, it might be my favourite thing.” I think I’ve made my point.

6. **Green Onions** Booker T and the MGs – needs no introduction. It’s a memorable song, but I don’t think I have ever thought to myself “ooh, I’d really like to listen to Green Onions right now.”

7. **Wooly Bully** Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs – dumb song.

8. **Suspicious Minds** Elvis Presley – I think that the first time I heard this song was in the 1983 film Breathless so I think it will always remind me of that film, specifically one particular scene. Ahem. The song also reminds me of days of adolescence, when this used to be my karaoke song. Ah, memories.

9. **I Can’t Get Next To You** Al Green – I’ve quite enjoyed having this song on the playlist, as it’s pretty groovy, but it’s a temporary kind of pleasure. I don’t think it’s a song that has an awful lot to offer me.

10. **It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp** Three 6 Mafia – ah yes, those poor pimps. I don’t understand why society views them so dimly. They have my every sympathy. We should throw a charity concert or something, so we can raise awareness of their plight. We can call it Pimp Aid.

So, in conclusion: I’m starting to wonder if this blog stunt was a good idea. Actually, I’m coming to the conclusion that a healthy musical diet consists of taking each genre in moderation, and grumpy old folk who say “all the music that the kids these days are making sounds the same” are forgetting that the same has been true since they were kids too.

The next week’s playlist

Random number: 286
Two playlists, random selection is the first one – Elvis Presley. The book says:

> Rock’s one essential star, without whom so much else, such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Cliff Richard, might never have come to pass. Uh huh huh.

Well well, there’s a little segue for you. Suspicious Minds isn’t on the playlist, but Elvis’ version of Mystery Train is. Let’s see how they weigh up.