Tracks: 1) Blue Suede Shoes; 2) Iʼm Counting On You; 3) I Got A Woman; 4) One Sided Love Affair; 5) I Love You Because; 6) Just Because; 7) Tutti Frutti; 8) Tryinʼ To Get To You; 9) Iʼm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You); 10) Iʼll Never Let You Go (Little Darlinʼ); 11) Blue Moon; 12) Money Honey; 13*) Heartbreak Hotel; 14*) I Was The One; 15*) Lawdy Miss Clawdy; 16*) Shake, Rattle And Roll; 17*) My Baby Left Me; 18*) I Want You, I Need You, I Love You.
I have never been a member of the Elvis Cult, but the value of this record from a musical perspective cannot be overstated. Strip all of the gyration, Col Tomposity, Vegas jumpsuits, etc, and the man was a generational talent, and this disc, covers and all, is an amazing document of his gifts in a very specific yet timeless place. I do prefer ol' Carl's Blue Suede, it's punchier, redneckier (one of your old terms), and just more fun. Elvis is no shirk, but it's a little too slick and uptown for my taste.
I feel like this review also shows why you’re my favorite reviewer: you always keep an objective stance to the music you review and use your own head rather than blindly follow critical trends like so many listeners. Too many listeners are quick to dismiss the covers of I Got A Woman and Tutti Frutti as “cultural appropriation” and “stealing the black man’s thunder” when they are far from it: they both totally reinvent the songs in the way you noted, which is why I love both covers. I wouldn’t go so far as to call them definitive (you can’t beat the vocal prowess of Ray or Little Richard at their best in my book), but you perfectly describe why they are worth listening to. That’s all I wanted to say here, love the review!
I have never been a member of the Elvis Cult, but the value of this record from a musical perspective cannot be overstated. Strip all of the gyration, Col Tomposity, Vegas jumpsuits, etc, and the man was a generational talent, and this disc, covers and all, is an amazing document of his gifts in a very specific yet timeless place. I do prefer ol' Carl's Blue Suede, it's punchier, redneckier (one of your old terms), and just more fun. Elvis is no shirk, but it's a little too slick and uptown for my taste.
I feel like this review also shows why you’re my favorite reviewer: you always keep an objective stance to the music you review and use your own head rather than blindly follow critical trends like so many listeners. Too many listeners are quick to dismiss the covers of I Got A Woman and Tutti Frutti as “cultural appropriation” and “stealing the black man’s thunder” when they are far from it: they both totally reinvent the songs in the way you noted, which is why I love both covers. I wouldn’t go so far as to call them definitive (you can’t beat the vocal prowess of Ray or Little Richard at their best in my book), but you perfectly describe why they are worth listening to. That’s all I wanted to say here, love the review!