I agree it’s one of his weaker efforts but yes still some great songs.alexv wrote:I’ve been a fan since 78, own every record (although I gave away WIWC
I could talk about 200 or more songs that I don’t like but I’d rather dwell on the 700 or more I think are good or the 300 or more that are better than that..
All of these are among my favourites too ! I think TDM and SPS are great too. These together with KOA make a fantastic “American Trilogy”alexv wrote:I do know that there are certain records of his that I really love (MAIT, TYM, GH, AF, IB, TL, KOA, PFM) and I think are just about perfect EC records. Not perfect records, not the greatest records ever made, just perfect EC records.
I could also moan about other things…Why are the best shows always in The States ? Why can’t I see Spectacle 2 here ? Why does he hardly play in the UK, and never in Ireland ? Why does my copy of Get Happy have a stain on the cover ? Etc Etc.
I could also moan about all the things that EC is not..I don’t particularly think he cuts it singing some jazz standards. He doesn´t have the same seemingly effortless vocal ease as a Tony Bennett or Willie Nelson or James Taylor.
But hey if I want to hear these people I just pull out one of their records.
One of the best things about Elvis is the breadth of his influence and styles. It’s probably his Achilles heel too, as he probably isn’t the greatest in any single genre. Nevertheless each album sounds different to me and it’s always interesting at least.
I agree he’s not the greatest songwriter that ever lived either. I deliberately compared him with people who also emerged around 1977-78, a period in which I think he has no serious competition. The people I mentioned are all great songwriters but none has the same longevity or range of styles. Costello for me belongs in the in the company of writers like Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Springsteen..(list not exhaustive) This is also acknowledged by Costello's high placing in various greatest songwriter lists of this type.alexv wrote:What's so good about the guy? I think he's a great songwriter, primarily. A little quirky, but really original and with an inimitable style. Not the greatest songwriter in the world, but one of the greats. I think the Beatles were better, Dylan, Van, the Stones, Serrat and quite a few others are ahead of EC in the songwriting dept. as far as I'm concerned (key condition there, it's all subjective).
I didn’t compare him with The Beatles who are in a league of their own. It would be almost impossible to over estimate their influence not just on music but popular culture in general. Maybe Elvis is the best songwriter from Liverpool who didn’t happen to be in The Beatles !
Dylan too has no equal in that respect. Incidentally there are also many who dislike his vocal style too, and rather like on this board, had to suffer enormous criticism from his own fans when changing to an electric sound!
The Stones? Although I love many of their singles and own all of their albums, at least up until Steel Wheels. I think they’re sometimes guilty of making the same album over and over and they’re more than a bit sexist at times. Nowadays they’re a bit of a caricature of themselves but granted..It’s a strange mix of people and nobody sounds like them. They are also incredibly important to popular culture.
Van ? I know he has made some brilliant records, but I just have an intense dislike for his attitude and personality.
Interesting you mention Serrat. There is quite literally a world of great songwriters in different cultures. Sometimes the language is a barrier. I speak reasonable Spanish so I also love people like Victor Jara, Chavela Vargas, Ruben Blades, Joaquín Sabina, Camarón and lots of traditional Cuban songs.
All of the above are fantastic but Alex, I think you have also nailed the reason why you & I both like Elvis so much in identifying the relation his career has had to our own life experiences.
Most people tend to like the music from around their teenage years best for this reason. I’ve grown up with Elvis’s music and followed his career closely for about 25 years now, so there is a connection there.alexv wrote:But,and this is the key, regardless of where I put the guy in the pantheon, for whatever reason EC is my personal favorite. Something struck me back in the day, when I was young and so was he that established a connection that doesn't exist, and never existed, with Dylan or any of the others. Have no clue how that happened. And that's why i'm here. It certainly has nothing to do with how much I love a particular record, or a particular stance he takes, or whether his singing is better or worse, or whether he says something nasty about a particular person or group of people.
My 1st memory of Elvis was hearing “Oliver’s Army” aged 8. Next I remember my mum liking “Good Year for the Roses” My brothers owned a couple of his records but I wasn’t buying records until I was about 11.
The 1st single I bought, well that was Squeeze “Cool for Cats” on 7” pink vinyl. 1st Elvis record : “The Man” compilation from 1985. From then I was hooked, first checking out his earlier albums then buying each new release from Spike onwards and attending concerts from 1989.
Strangely though, Elvis apart, I don’t like much else from that era. Obviously there are exceptions. I loved The Jam then later The Smiths, but nowadays I tend to listen to stuff mainly from between 1955 and 1975. Helped by trusted recommendations and also signposts from Elvis, much of this is stuff relatively new to me, still sounds fresh and is probably the greatest music around. This has nothing to do with nostalgia as it was made before I was born. I’m still blown away by Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” which has become possibly my favourite album. ( replacing The Beatles White Album”)
Interesting point, Probably true for me. Not much in the last 20 years or more excites me much.alexv wrote:And if I was 20 today, and my introduction to EC came via these more recent records (the records i'm not crazy about tend to be more recent), I'm not sure I would be the rabid EC fan I am. I suspect that I would need to be guided to the earlier stuff, for an appreciation of how he came to be thought of as a great songwriter, and I would probably think of him as yet another old fogey I'm being asked to appreciate when I should be paying attention to my own generation. But, luckily for me, that's not my issue.
See I think most of the best music ( but not necessarily lyrics) has already been written long ago. The songwriters listed above probably had the advantage that they were working with a blank canvas and also music is not as important now to most peoples lives. But as Elvis said, “There is always a new story to tell.”
And I’m more than looking forward to the next chapter.
.