How can you explain this?

[ForeverTheKing]

This maybe can be a stupid thread but that's something I've always asked myself and I'd like to know you're opinion (y)

I'm listening to the album Promised Land, one of my favourites with a lot of beautiful songs ;) and I've started thinkg to this: I've heard many times rock 'n roll and Elvis Presley were both OVER the day Elvis went to the army.

Sure when he came back it wasn't the same for rock 'n roll and Elvis wanted to try new kind of songs...opera, gospel (something that in reality he had already inside himself).

But when people ask to his fans what period of his career they prefer, the most part of them (and I'm one of these) answer SEVENTIES :hmm:

The question is this...why others (not fans) don't see what we see in Elvis in this period?
I can understand that the quality of his music was law in the hollywood period (even though many songs are underrated to me) but what about the seventies? He had a powerful voice and his interpretations in studio and in live performances are amazing.

No more rock n' roll but to me Elvis gave his best in the seventies and he communicated the most in that period :clap:

I would like people stop saying Elvis music died in 1958 :mad:

What do you think?

[sasha]

I personally,have always liked the 70's.

[debtdbruno]

I love the 70's

However you can see how the jumpsuit image could overtake the seriousness of the music (re:- R&R)

[ForeverTheKing]

Yes...this is something I've always heard about the seventies...how Elvis was ridiculous with those jumpsuits :mad: :mad: :mad:

I know WE LOVE the SEVENTIES...but why critics and other people don't see the same? Maybe early rock 'n roll was over but not Elvis

[Diane]

Yes...this is somthing I've always heard about the seventies...how Elvis was ridiculous with those jumpsuits :mad: :mad: :mad:

I know WE LOVE the SEVENTIES...but why critics and other people don't see the same? Maybe early rock 'n roll was over but not Elvis

Because they never really "looked" at Elvis nor really listened!

Diane

[ForeverTheKing]

Because they never really "looked" at Elvis nor really listened!

Diane

Yes and this is a real shame :'( I know Elvis has seen as the KING OF ROCK 'N ROLL but I think they should discover the late Elvis and separate him from the early rock 'n roll (y)

[malc07]

I Personally LOVE the 70's and todays show will feature the Spotlight section on Elvis 77
Hope you can join us:)

[john carpenter]

Even non-fans say the 50's Elvis was better:mad:Believe me i've heard it all:doh: Things like..Elvis was an overrated lounge singer who wore ugly jumpsuits & sang opera like songs. They do not understand that Elvis practically invented Rock & Roll:blink: I like Elvis in all the decades ..the 50's, 60's & 70's:clap::king:

[monk37]

because Elvis as the rebel world changing rocker was over when he entered the army,

but what people don't realize is that it was by design - as the rebel rocker Elvis had a more limited audience than Elvis the all round entertainer

by moving to movies that the whole family could watch, Elvis was reaching a three generation audience

he couldn't have come out of the army and picked up where he left off

He was older, his fans were older and moving into new phases of life beyond teenagers.

Entertainers who stick with one thing, tend to be called one hit wonders

but, the 70's are underrated and Elvis was still doing rock then, but what was rock in the 70's was different than 50s - and Elvis, unlike his 50's peers, was never a nostalgia tour

He was still recording and continuously touring from 69 to 77

as for the jumpsuits - the biggest teen idols of the 70s did too to copy Elvis - David Cassidy, Donny Osmond and Leif Garret occasionally

people act like Elvis was the only one in bellbottom pants


heck, most SciFi shows use jumpsuits for uniforms

[Tommy]

If you listen to his music from 1956, and the distinct sound he had, that no one had ever heard before, which started a entirely new sound of music which was named Rock&Roll, and you will not hear that sound again, after he came out of the Army.

What happened to him I don't know, but he changed his style of singing. Don't misunderstand me, I love all of his music, but that ('56) sound was just an awesome sound, that you don't hear now or then, nobody else had that sound but Elvis.

Even listening to the 1956 songs today, still brings back that great part of Elvis. Haunting melodies, like Blue Moon, First In Line, I'm Counting On You, I'm Playing for Keeps, How's The World Treating You, etc. Groundbreaking stuff.

Raw, rough, exciting songs, like Trying To Get To You, Good Rockin' Tonight, One-Sided Love Affair, Lawdy, Miss Clawdy, Shake, Rattle and Roll, Ready Teddy, Jailhouse Rock, I'm Left, Your Right, She's Gone, I Got A Women, Rip It Up, must I go on.

I always wondered what would have happend to his style of singing if he had never gone into the Army.

[shelley.m.]

Elvis had to appeal to a wider audience after he came out of the Army.Even other rock and roll singers changed their styles of singing too.

[ForeverTheKing]

because Elvis as the rebel world changing rocker was over when he entered the army,

but what people don't realize is that it was by design - as the rebel rocker Elvis had a more limited audience than Elvis the all round entertainer

by moving to movies that the whole family could watch, Elvis was reaching a three generation audience

he couldn't have come out of the army and picked up where he left off

He was older, his fans were older and moving into new phases of life beyond teenagers.

Entertainers who stick with one thing, tend to be called one hit wonders

but, the 70's are underrated and Elvis was still doing rock then, but what was rock in the 70's was different than 50s - and Elvis, unlike his 50's peers, was never a nostalgia tour

He was still recording and continuously touring from 69 to 77

as for the jumpsuits - the biggest teen idols of the 70s did too to copy Elvis - David Cassidy, Donny Osmond and Leif Garret occasionally

people act like Elvis was the only one in bellbottom pants


heck, most SciFi shows use jumpsuits for uniforms

I completely agree (y)

[ForeverTheKing]

If you listen to his music from 1956, and the distinct sound he had, that no one had ever heard before, which started a entirely new sound of music which was named Rock&Roll, and you will not hear that sound again, after he came out of the Army.

What happened to him I don't know, but he changed his style of singing. Don't misunderstand me, I love all of his music, but that ('56) sound was just an awesome sound, that you don't hear now or then, nobody else had that sound but Elvis.

Even listening to the 1956 songs today, still brings back that great part of Elvis. Haunting melodies, like Blue Moon, First In Line, I'm Counting On You, I'm Playing for Keeps, How's The World Treating You, etc. Groundbreaking stuff.

Raw, rough, exciting songs, like Trying To Get To You, Good Rockin' Tonight, One-Sided Love Affair, Lawdy, Miss Clawdy, Shake, Rattle and Roll, Ready Teddy, Jailhouse Rock, I'm Left, Your Right, She's Gone, I Got A Women, Rip It Up, must I go on.

I always wondered what would have happend to his style of singing if he had never gone into the Army.

I wonder the same...sure he couldn't sing rock 'n roll forever and he would have grown up musically all the same :lol:

Anyway I can understand what you mean...yesterday I was listening to his first sessions, especially the Sun years and I can imagine how much innovation Elvis could have brought. My feet can't stand still listening those songs...there's so much energy. His voice is immature but it's like a bomb:clap:
I've grown up with rock music and it's hard to imagine a world without it...as it was in the 40's and early 50's.
Music started to belong to young people, not only to adult...he was the first one to have such numbers of crazy fans..;)

Anyway, after the army, with much maturity he managed to reach a new audience...not only teenagers but adults too, that started to appreciate and not to fight him as they did before (y)

What I don't understand is why people don't recognize that Elvis was great in all the 3 decades, maybe in a different way (y)

When I watch his live concerts in the seventies and see children, teenagers and adults of every age I see his biggest SUCCESS...reach everyone with his music, just because it came from his heart :P

[sasha]

because Elvis as the rebel world changing rocker was over when he entered the army,

but what people don't realize is that it was by design - as the rebel rocker Elvis had a more limited audience than Elvis the all round entertainer

by moving to movies that the whole family could watch, Elvis was reaching a three generation audience

he couldn't have come out of the army and picked up where he left off

He was older, his fans were older and moving into new phases of life beyond teenagers.

Entertainers who stick with one thing, tend to be called one hit wonders

but, the 70's are underrated and Elvis was still doing rock then, but what was rock in the 70's was different than 50s - and Elvis, unlike his 50's peers, was never a nostalgia tour

He was still recording and continuously touring from 69 to 77

as for the jumpsuits - the biggest teen idols of the 70s did too to copy Elvis - David Cassidy, Donny Osmond and Leif Garret occasionally

people act like Elvis was the only one in bellbottom pants


heck, most SciFi shows use jumpsuits for uniforms

I agree with this too. It's just the stories & snide remarks that's been made.
We can & I do point this out. Especially the "jumpsuits." So many teen idols started wearing them, not just Elvis. :)

[rickb]

The 70s produced some of Elvis' greatest music, right up to the final session. The jumpsuits were fine for the time and looked great up till 1975

[LuckyJackson]

The jumpsuits get blamed for Elvis being ridiculed, when in fact, its the IMPS who wear the jumpsuits that have turned them into a joke.

[debtdbruno]

The jumpsuits get blamed for Elvis being ridiculed, when in fact, its the IMPS who wear the jumpsuits that have turned them into a joke.

very true. So many artists wore jumpsuits in the 70's, but it's Elvis that gets condemned for it.
Such a pity he didn't stick to the suits that he wore in 72.........he looked fantastic in them!!!!

[elvisia]

When I talk to people, my feeling is that the older generation likes the early stuff best while the younger gereration likes the later stuff better....but ofcause we(Fans) mostly like "it ALL" the best:D, (at least I do)maybe because we listen to EVERYTHING Elvis and therefor finds something for everybody in it all somehow.......

I`m sure that IF all people would sit down for days like we do, and listen to Everything Elvis, everybody would find something they like from each decade......

[Elizasong]

My opinion, Elvis's music had to change and evolve whether he went in the army or not.
The 50's he was the raw new rock n roll that everyone was getting into. When he got out of the army the times changed and so did he. He mellowed coming out of the army and I read that the army training toned him down somewhat and he matured. Taking out all the goofy movie songs, look at the 60's music. It's brilliant and really shows the quality of his voice! Moving on the the 70's he was really singing songs that were personal experiences in his life and again showed the quality of his voice. he still had some rockers like Way Down and Burning Love. They were just rocking songs for that time period. Only ignorant non-fans focus on his jumpsuit and turn him into joke. True Elvis fans know his music is the most important thing and Elvis fans who have seen him live experienced the energy he gave no matter what he was wearing!

[Elizasong]

Ok, not to bash all the movie songs he did have some great movie songs too.

[hounddog]

I like his 70's music a lot, as i was born in 1970 this era of his music what was Elvis to me.

I love For the Heart, If you Talk in You Sleep, Way Down, Burning Love and I'm Leavin, Polk Salad Annie.

I think for some they see the jumpsuits and forget how many other people wore them and then they disreguard the music.

Elvis was still rockin in the 70's and right up to the end.

But throughout his career he sang a broad range of songs. He sang gospel on Ed Sullivan as well as rock and ballads.

Variety was always a part of Elvis' repitore

[ForeverTheKing]

My opinion, Elvis's music had to change and evolve whether he went in the army or not.
The 50's he was the raw new rock n roll that everyone was getting into. When he got out of the army the times changed and so did he. He mellowed coming out of the army and I read that the army training toned him down somewhat and he matured. Taking out all the goofy movie songs, look at the 60's music. It's brilliant and really shows the quality of his voice! Moving on the the 70's he was really singing songs that were personal experiences in his life and again showed the quality of his voice. he still had some rockers like Way Down and Burning Love. They were just rocking songs for that time period. Only ignorant non-fans focus on his jumpsuit and turn him into joke. True Elvis fans know his music is the most important thing and Elvis fans who have seen him live experienced the energy he gave no matter what he was wearing!

I have the same thoughts (y)

[dj_ethan]

Oh Maybe And Certainly Cause We Have Many Videos Of The 70's Great quality
(1968-1977) The People Can Watch The great Entertainer Of all Times In Action...
The NBC TV SHOW, TTWII, ON TOUR, ALOHA Maybe More...
From Sixties Only Typical American Movies For Teens And Don't Talk About the Fifties!!!!
The Americans And The Rest Of The world Seen first Elvis Debut In The Movie "This Is elvis" ( It's true )

[Dino78]

For me it's caused by the fact that people prefer to think in categories. Once something is sirted into one category it has to be a part of it for the rest of its days. Elvis started as a Rock 'n' Roll singer, so he got this mark on. It doesn't matter how he developed or what great work he did. Everything was measured on that "RnR singer" thing.
Another problem for the seventies is that the critics always compared the "old" with the "young" Elvis or the good work by others with the not so good things by him.
It might be a part of the human nature to make a idol out of somebody and when he reaches that status to try everything to cut him back to size.

[Tommy]

I would like to make one point here, Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, never changed his style of singing to gain a broader audience.

[Diane]

I would like to make one point here, Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, never changed his style of singing to gain a broader audience.

Because he can't sing in all the different styles that Elvis could. I don't know of any other singer who could do that.

Diane

[ForeverTheKing]

Because he can't sing in all the different styles that Elvis could. I don't know of any other singer who could do that.

Diane

I agree...don't forget that Elvis was interested in different kind of music and he had the possibility, I mean vocally, to do different things.
This doesn't mean he never found his "style" or "prefered genre" but he was too unique to be closed just in one category of music (y)

[debtdbruno]

Because he can't sing in all the different styles that Elvis could. I don't know of any other singer who could do that.

Diane


I agree...don't forget that Elvis was interested in different kind of music and he had the possibility, I mean vocally, to do different things.
This doesn't mean he never found his "style" or "prefered genre" but he was too unique to be closed just in one category of music (y)

Amen to that:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy

[KPM]

I think they listen to the Sun sound of 54-55, raw, unpredictable, fresh and then they hear the sound of Elvis out of the Army-Its Now or Never, Surrender, Girl Next Door Went a Walking and they see the huge difference in delivery-1960 his voice was smoother, more polish, more range less raspiness and grit-I think a lot of that was due to Elvis was not 19 he was 25and his voice was more mature. Now even though Elvis had grit in songs like "Reconsider Baby" out of the Army-he was much more pop in 1960 than cutting edge rock. Perhaps because while in the Army Bobby Darin, Rick Nelson, the Everlys had kinda of taken rock in that direction or maybe because Elvis himself felt the need to improve his voice and in doing so his sound became less raw and more smooth.
I never thought Elvis left rock-thru out his career when he wanted to sing hard and raw he could-but because he was not the "controversial wildman of 1955" I think in 1960 many thought he had left rock behind.

[ForeverTheKing]

I agree...and we can't forget Elvis from the beginning loved slow songs and ballads...it was just for case (thanks also to his big musical backgroud) that started that day to sing "That's All Right".
I think Sam Phillips saw in those energic performances something really new and innovative respect to ballads that many others had sang before.
But Elvis had more than rock 'n roll in his veins (y)

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Rock 'n' Roll had a shelf life in my opinion, it changed and moved with the times just as Elvis did. It would be impossible for Elvis to have sang in the same style and continued to grow.

I believe that Elvis changed his style to broaden his appeal to a wider fan base, it would have been a great shame had he just stuck to a narrow audience who would have become disenfranchised after a couple of years. You only have to look at other artists who were big at the time to see that fame can be fleeting.

Elvis had a range that was second to none, thank god he gave us that range.

[SleepyJack]

I think that Elvis always sang with his soul,always from somewhere deep inside,he probably did,at certain times,make decisions about changing his "sound"...but it was always about the "soul" of the song...not the category that it might have belonged to,it had to stand on its` own as a song,as something that Elvis would listen to himself...just as most of his musical knowledge came from listening,not from studying. Many of the weaker recordings,movie songs or otherwise,didn`t have that "soul" and it showed,they were done more out of obligation than interest.By the same reckoning the songs that did have his soul in them are timeless and great,even the most hardened of critics could hear the passion and involvement in the music and in the performances...and it it goes a long way to explaining why we still love him.

[debtdbruno]

some fantastic posts guys:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy:notworthy

[ForeverTheKing]

Rock 'n' Roll had a shelf life in my opinion, it changed and moved with the times just as Elvis did. It would be impossible for Elvis to have sang in the same style and continued to grow.

I believe that Elvis changed his style to broaden his appeal to a wider fan base, it would have been a great shame had he just stuck to a narrow audience who would have become disenfranchised after a couple of years. You only have to look at other artists who were big at the time to see that fame can be fleeting.

Elvis had a range that was second to none, thank god he gave us that range.

I completely agree (y)
He was able to show himself and his talent to every kind of audience. He loved many kind of music and changed with the time as he grew up (y)
Now we have the fortune to love a singer who sang rock 'n roll, gospel, r&b, ballads, opera...........not many arstist could and can do the same :lol:

This is the reason why I hate when people reduce Elvis as a rock 'n roll singer :mad: and say he was dead musically after the military service

[debtdbruno]

I completely agree (y)
He was able to show himself and his talent to every kind of audience. He loved many kind of music and changed with the time as he grew up (y)
Now we have the fortune to love a singer who sang rock 'n roll, gospel, r&b, ballads, opera...........not many arstist could and can do the same :lol:

This is the reason why I hate when people reduce Elvis as a rock 'n roll singer :mad: and say he was dead musically after the military service

(y)(y)(y)(y)this is what makes him special

[Diane]

There is no way that Elvis would have been satisfied with singing Hound Dog and Blue Suede Shoes ad infinium. He had too much waiting to burst out of him and thank god as even I might have lost interest in his music.

He was no Chubby Checker sitting on his laurels with the same few songs that he started out with.

Diane

[debtdbruno]

going slightly off topic............is it today Buddy Holly, Bopper and Richie died?

[TTWII2001]

Well, my humble thoughts over that discussion is that Elvis like everybody else went trough the years over a kinf of evolution in his style and in his voice...the 50's he change the world with the way took a bluesy tune like that's all right...and invent a style , then the army...well during those 2 years we were blast with hits like one night, I got Stung, Big hunk and so many more..and then he was back...more mature with a voice mor powerfull, he gave a shot to a classic like it's now or never....and guess what it was amazing....but it was no rock and roll....but still it was amazing....the why not movie time..they were not all great but he made a living out of them, and they make the Elvis for the 70's he became what he was in the 70's because he went trough lots of experience...and movie were I think a good school for the way to act and perform in front of an audience...and the voice became more powerfull and and unique....I too love everything he did in that period...any thing from rock and roll, to gospel , country ( I think in the last year he made sound some tune in a little country spirit), and of course ballads....and like others said before....too many of those records were not recognize to there value....and that's why , WE the fans are there to give regards and promote in a way..our king.

thanks for reading me....Adios

[EnigmaticSun]

I agree...and we can't forget Elvis from the beginning loved slow songs and ballads...it was just for case (thanks also to his big musical backgroud) that started that day to sing "That's All Right".

And this was understandable for a larger crowd. It's physical and gets you moving.

I don't quite nail myself to Elvis the way some here do. But I don't hide away the affection either.

In the 70's Elvis fell short of maintaining his image as it was hard to put up shows of constant quality. I like the 70's as life experience is something you can't make up for with talent, not even hard work. I was drawn to his grief the way I was drawn to Cash and Hank Williams. The happy songs are for beginners.

Elvis was involved with singing more than anything else. He didn't get a proper singing education, so when he found some technical room for improvement it was a big step forward and the effect all the more noticeable.

You never heard Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra sing rock like that. Elvis covered many a style during his life, but one period at a time. Rock in 1968 was very different from rock in 1976, if any. It reflected changes in his life too.