50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

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Bill Tanner
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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341163

Post by Bill Tanner »

Don't know who Al Martino is. Sounds like a cocktail.


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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341166

Post by LoverBoy »

mike edwards66 wrote:
fn2drive wrote:
mike edwards66 wrote:
Christopher Brown wrote:I believe the word "bellowing" can be more / evenly leveled against Elvis' singing in the '68 Special, which I do not particularly care for, and also rarely listen to.
You do have a point. Me too, I rarely listen to the '68 Special, his vocals are much too affected for my liking. They should have listened to the Colonel, he had the right idea.
If nothing else, we would almost certainly, have got much cleaner vocals.
Elvis is singing like his very life is on the line................
Therein lies the problem, he is trying too hard. No one can doubt he is fully engaged, his intentions are good, however, the execution not so.

The reasons for this are twofold, he wants to impress, obviously, but, he no longer digs singing rock 'n' roll. So, in an effort to convince the audience, and possibly himself, that he still does dig it, he overcompensates.

The result, his vocals are affected, strained and at times, off-key.

It's no coincidence, the track from the black leather set, that has best stood the test of time, is Memories.
Wait a minute, I think you're on to something here. But only what I highlighted in red, everything else you said is bs and you know it too. :wink:

I think he looked quite nervous at the start (which is a good thing), considering he had not performed in front of a live audience for a long, long time. And he did seem like he was trying to impress, but that is what made it great because don't forget what makes rock 'n' roll, think of three steps to heaven, I think you know the first step which is attitude.

But later he regained his confidence and looked more comfortable. I wouldn't say he no longer liked doing rock 'n' roll, but he did seem to distance himself from it after 68 Comeback. And if you listen to his performance of One Night where he sings "I did no wrong" from the heart, he might have been trying to give a message. In his later interviews he was trying to distance himself even more. Jerry lee Lewis did the same, but he actually had a good reason for doing so. And then it was all down hill for both of them.

The only reason why I listen to country music sometimes is because of love songs and high spirited music. I never liked boring people singing about their boring lives with a boring voice in front of a boring audience.



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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341180

Post by drjohncarpenter »

Bill Tanner wrote:Don't know who Al Martino is. Sounds like a cocktail.
That's funny.

Al Martino was a smooth Italian singer and actor who had MOR hits in the 1950s and 1960s with sentimental ballads like “Mary In The Morning” and "Spanish Eyes." Both of those made #1 on Billboard's "Easy Listening" chart and, unfortunately, Elvis covered both.

If you've ever seen "The Godfather," you've seen Al Martino. He played Italian singer Johnny Fontaine in that landmark film by Francis Ford Coppola.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Martino
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0553887/


The more one learns about Elvis and his music, the more interesting one's observations become. ;-)
Last edited by drjohncarpenter on Sat Nov 29, 2014 1:36 am, edited 1 time in total.


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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341181

Post by LSP-4445 »

Christopher Brown wrote:I just played MARY IN THE MORNING by Elvis, and there is NOTHING in the '50s that I would choose over Elvis' beautiful performance of this song! The album it comes from is probably my favourite Elvis album.
This could have been written by me :D
Love all versions of this song and its also one of the reasons for my username/avatar on this board.


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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341185

Post by matilda »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
Bill Tanner wrote:Don't know who Al Martino is. Sounds like a cocktail.
That's funny.

Al Martino was a smooth Italian singer and actor who had MOR hits in the 1950s and 1960s with sentimental ballads like “Mary In The Morning” and "Spanish Eyes." Both of those made #1 on Billboard's "Easy Listening" chart and, unfortunately, Elvis covered both.
)
well, in my opinion elvis' version of "spanisch eyes" is crap....."mary in the morning" is quite decent.
so i wouldn't say "unfortunately"concerning the latter.



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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341194

Post by mike edwards66 »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
mike edwards66 wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:
mike edwards66 wrote:Therein lies the problem, he is trying too hard.
He isn't, but you are.
Food for thought. ;-)
There's no effort involved in what I do ...
That is also quite obvious.
I resemble that remark.


LoverBoy wrote:Wait a minute, I think you're on to something here.
Ah, good.

LoverBoy wrote:But only what I highlighted in red, everything else you said is bs...
Oh, not so good.


>>>


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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341434

Post by Christopher Brown »

Mary In The Morning. I heard that song play as I was on FECC, I thought about how much I enjoyed it, and thinking back to discussions in Elvis Monthly of desert island songs. There's NOTHING I'd choose from the '50s over having this track on that lonely island. There are tracks from the '60s and '70s I'd choose OVER it, though.

As I've said, I appreciate Elvis' 50s work, without it, no '60s and '70s, and therefore, I would not have had a chance to be a fan. If Elvis had only recorded to 1959, I would not be a fan. Rock and roll music from the '50s is not my preference -- much prefer the rock and roll music of the '60s, and love many, many things by Elvis in the '60s (including a number of soundtrack cuts) and '70s. Having heard him in person 29 times, it's his vocals I loved till the end.

Elvis changed to the end (and I've unfortunately heard many vocally weak concerts), but his vocals on many ELVIS IN CONCERT songs I have no problem with, and the MOODY BLUE album is one of my favourite albums, along with TODAY, ELVIS COUNTRY, TTWII and the many live recordings issued by RCA during his lifetime except LIVE IN MEMPHIS, until it was fixed by FTD -- no fake applause drowning out instrumentals and making the show sound very contrived.

Complaining about Elvis' voice is really funny, as I can turn the radio on and hear MANY vocalists who, with Elvis at his worst, I would never choose instead. There's room for everyone.


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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341450

Post by dannyboy1 »

Quite right Christopher.

Not everything prior to 1959 is godlike.
Not everything after 1969 is garbage.

Only those with extreme views would think either of those things are true.

To get back to earlier posts and the focus of the thread...

Yes, "Old Shep" is enlightening, well delivered, incredible, autobiographical, very personal and all of that.

But I still usually skip it. Everyone has their own listening preferences.


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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341473

Post by lucio »

Christopher Brown wrote:Mary In The Morning. I heard that song play as I was on FECC, I thought about how much I enjoyed it, and thinking back to discussions in Elvis Monthly of desert island songs. There's NOTHING I'd choose from the '50s over having this track on that lonely island. There are tracks from the '60s and '70s I'd choose OVER it, though.

As I've said, I appreciate Elvis' 50s work, without it, no '60s and '70s, and therefore, I would not have had a chance to be a fan. If Elvis had only recorded to 1959, I would not be a fan. Rock and roll music from the '50s is not my preference -- much prefer the rock and roll music of the '60s, and love many, many things by Elvis in the '60s (including a number of soundtrack cuts) and '70s. Having heard him in person 29 times, it's his vocals I loved till the end.

Elvis changed to the end (and I've unfortunately heard many vocally weak concerts), but his vocals on many ELVIS IN CONCERT songs I have no problem with, and the MOODY BLUE album is one of my favourite albums, along with TODAY, ELVIS COUNTRY, TTWII and the many live recordings issued by RCA during his lifetime except LIVE IN MEMPHIS, until it was fixed by FTD -- no fake applause drowning out instrumentals and making the show sound very contrived.

Complaining about Elvis' voice is really funny, as I can turn the radio on and hear MANY vocalists who, with Elvis at his worst, I would never choose instead. There's room for everyone.
The 1950s rock and roll is my favourite genre of music though I prefer Elvis' voice of the 60s and 70s (Big Hunk O Love by El in 1972 if far more enjoyable to me than 1958). Same with Jerry Lee, Rick Nelson, Chuck, Cash, Perkins. I can't imagine how it would be possible not to love 50s rock and roll yet the music died soon after it started while rap is pounding away more than 20 years later.
Chris, I'm sure if you had seen Elvis live on tour in the 50s, your opinion would be much different. Of course based on your post, you probably would not have attended an Elvis concert in the 1950s.
Lucio




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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

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Post by stevelecher »

Elvis has many, more casual, fans who don't care for his 1950's output. They are people who didn't really "get" him in the 1950's. He has such wide appeal and he was such a great balladeer that he gained a whole new, different audience after 1960. That's great and I have no problem with that.

Al Martino is a fine singer and his hit versions of Mary and Spanish Eyes are great. My mother played his Spanish Eyes over and over again and Elvis did not equal his version of it. Quite unusually, Elvis did not just duplicate Martino's record of Mary, coming up with a much slower, pretty arrangement and transforming the song. Nothing wrong with that. It's what he did when he was on top of his game.




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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341487

Post by Eggrert »

I love both Al Martino and Chuck Berry. I love both Mary In The Morning and Dixieland Rock. Can't say that I particularly care what motivates any artist to sing a particular song, or how influential a given piece of work is. That's not why I listen to music.




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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341489

Post by memphisound »

I will say as a younger fan, it was his more modern 1970's records that got me into his music, TTWII SE exactly.


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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341490

Post by Christopher Brown »

Spanish Eyes by Elvis was average, and the live versions (with the extra verse) are superior -- and I don't mind the horns.


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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341492

Post by medleyofcostumes »

When reading this kind of threads, it becomes obvious how varied are the fans' views on Elvis' career overall. You ask what are Elvis' best songs / movies / shows to 10 people you get 10 different answers - the 10 worst you get 10 different answers. The truth is there is no best or worst song - it's up to the individual. There are songs you like, songs you can appreciate even though not a fave, songs that leave you indifferent and songs you dislike. If I like a song for whatever reason (tune, lyric, reminds me of something, etc) there is no one that can say I'm wrong. It's subjective.



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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

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Post by SteamrollerBlues »

memphisound wrote:I will say as a younger fan, it was his more modern 1970's records that got me into his music, TTWII SE exactly.
Same here. But I have grown quite fond of his 1950s output. Absolutely stunning and groundbreaking.




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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1341499

Post by memphisound »

SteamrollerBlues wrote:
memphisound wrote:I will say as a younger fan, it was his more modern 1970's records that got me into his music, TTWII SE exactly.
Same here. But I have grown quite fond of his 1950s output. Absolutely stunning and groundbreaking.
Oh absolutely, the Ed Sullivan dvd set that came out back (06?) is one of my favorite Elvis items I have!


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Re: 50's songs I usually skip - do you have any?

#1342007

Post by drjohncarpenter »

stevelecher wrote:Elvis has many, more casual, fans who don't care for his 1950's output. They are people who didn't really "get" him in the 1950's. He has such wide appeal and he was such a great balladeer that he gained a whole new, different audience after 1960. That's great and I have no problem with that.

Al Martino is a fine singer and his hit versions of Mary and Spanish Eyes are great. My mother played his Spanish Eyes over and over again and Elvis did not equal his version of it. Quite unusually, Elvis did not just duplicate Martino's record of Mary, coming up with a much slower, pretty arrangement and transforming the song. Nothing wrong with that. It's what he did when he was on top of his game.




Actually, all Elvis did was adopt the much slower, pretty arrangement released by another singer the same year, 1967.




Glen Campbell "Mary In The Morning" Gentle On My Mind (Capitol ST 2809, September 2, 1967)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentle_on_My_Mind_(1967_Glen_Campbell_album)


Elvis admired Glen, and there are other examples of "Campbell borrowing," such as the Presley cover of "Tomorrow Never Comes."


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