The second album released by Elvis Presley simply self titled Elvis debuted in 1956 and spent a month in the number one slot on the Billboard Top Pop Albums that year and reached sales in the millions. It was the first gold album for the artist. The album followed his debut album 2 years earlier That’s Alright Mama and such hugely successful singles as Heartbreak Hotel and Blue Suede Shoes. The year 1956 finds Elvis Presley as a dashing and dynamic 21 years of age and recently signed by RCA. He is just beginning his career with enthusiasm and his remarkable talent as a musician is turning heads everywhere. He starts acting on the big screen starring in films such as Love Me Tender and scores a number one hit song Jailhouse Rock, King Creole, and Loving You are to follow along with a 7 year contract with Paramount Pictures. He makes his first television appearance on Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey’s Stage Show however it was his performance of Aint Nothin But A Houndog on the Milton Berle Show which earns him the nickname Elvis The Pelvis due to the sexual nature of his moves on stage and the controversial nature of his performance. The girls are driven crazy. His future appearances on the Ed Sullivan show are censored from the waist up. This is where the young man who loves to make music with strong family ties ends and the Legend ….The King of Rock and Roll begins.
Elvis, the album had a lot to live up to after the release of That’s Alright Mama. He became hugely successful during this period. American music was being looked upon differently as a result. There were some who would denounce his music, burn his records and accuse him of corrupting teenagers everywhere however this wouldn’t stop him for when he came on the scene it was like an explosion, it was epic, and left his fans in a frenzy.
Elvis appeals to me largely in part of the up-beat tempo of songs such as Rip it Up. The Rockabilly Sound of Rip It Up, the first song on the album is a popular song for its time having been covered by such artists as Little Richard and The Everly Brothers. It is a rocking and rhythmatic song which has a bit of swing style to it making it easy dance to. Elvis features the kind of fun and upbeat music that makes you want to grab your partner and hit the dance floor.
Interestingly the melodic sounds of Paralyzed feature one of the few songs of the time for which Elvis was actually given writing credit for his rework along with Otis Blackwell. It is a slow paced tune and much like a lot of music on this album has blues and country overtones and a consistent beat. Old Shep tells the story of Red Foleys dog when he was a child. Foley who wrote the song saw it covered by many artists including Presley such as Hank Snow. It became a successful recording on the Country scene. At ten years old it was Presley who sang Old Shep for the first time before an audience at The Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. Long Tall Sally is a “rock and roll 12 bar blues song”. It is featured on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time. It is a bluesy up tempo tune with a shuffle beat and falls into the Rhythm and Blues genre which Elvis so gracefully had begun to master.
Ready Teddy is another song which had been done by Little Richard. I liked this song, and in watching him perform it for his second appearance on the Ed Sullivan show it is easy to see how he beckons the audience with the song as he sings “He is ready ready ready to rock and roll”. It seems as though the crowd is too, “The joints really jumpin and the cats are going wild”, these lyrics are the dynamic of the song and fit the swing style for which was beginning to develop through his songs with a four beat measure for which many feature a steady and swinging groove. What do you think I feel has a Latin vibe. One can imagine the song being sung to the object of his affection, a Spanish girl for whom he feels there is no hope in winning back and who has not been true. It is a fun and playful tune without being too heavy on the lyrics and is more of a catchy instrumental song than it is a ballad as he asks over and over “How do you think I feel… Well I know your loves not real…Well you’ve included three and that’s too much for me...How do you think I feel.” Anyplace is Paradise… (when I’m with you) is a sweet song where he sings the praises of the girl by his side. It is very Rockabilly and the signature love tune on this album. It is a beautiful song with the piano sections and a little Honkey Tonk mixed in. I also enjoy the piano in So Glad Your Mine. The piano flows along with the bass drums and guitar and the result is smooth , low key blues as he croons about “When she kisses me I get high every time”. It is easy to see why the women were driven wild. Presley was consumed by his music and during this period he showcases his full creative ability as an artist through these songs. He becomes one of the most popular entertainers in the world. 1956 was a period, a crossroads of sort, which saw this transition.
At 21 years of age Elvis found great success and went on to become an icon, a legend as an entertainer as he captivated his audience throughout the rest of his career and achieved almost a god like status with his fans after his death. Elvis the album represents him in control of his abilities as an artist. 1956 was the year that he no longer became the local hotshot his name was now known nationwide, it became part of a revolution of sorts with the youth of America and Rock and Roll would never be the same again.
No comments:
Post a Comment