1st post and a few grumbles.

[acmilan]

Hi all.
1st post and hope to be of many more to come as I learn more about the man himself and his music. I don't know too much really compared to many on here but always learning as I read these posts.
I really like his music (more tracks I've not heard too). Yet what I hate is the "jokes" and criticism EP seems to take just because he was at the top of his game. Similar to Michael Jackson where people will make fun of him because of his appearence (as people did about EP's weight and medication habits). These guys will have there faults there not angels there just regular guys with extra ordinary talents in my view.
With the election just gone in the UK I was looking at the results of my local election and came across this "political party"
http://www.theplace4.co.uk/elvisseeninbaghdad/
I know its a monster raving loony party style organisation but this is just making fun of Elvis to carry a joke message across. Its just things like that, that irritate me when people make fun of him. The record sales etc speak for itself he was great at what he did. Yet because he was top of his game people feel the need to knock him down which isn't right and wouldn't be accepted if he wasn't famous and had put on the weight etc People would of said they were cruel calling someone because of health problems yet cos he was a global superstar it was seemed funny or acceptable.
I don't want to dwell on the negatives as I love his music and I like his films
(sorry to rant on)

[Albert]

I like to watch MTV and know quite much about the modern days "stars". Compared to them Elvis looked extremely humble and down to earth (even with his flashy suits and clothing). Every interview with people that knew Elvis or worked with him shows that Elvis was a very friendly and honoust person.

Knowing that, it's tough to see and hear all those "jokes" about Elvis and the lack of respect for his work and achievements. Especially disgusting when you consider how sick/ill Elvis physically and mentally exhausted he was during the last part of his life.

People seem to forget that Elvis was the first real solo superstar. Nowadays artists can do good what Elvis did wrong. Even the music industry didn't knew than how to handle millionselling superstars throughout a career.

A shame that people lower themselves to make cheapshots to someone who did basicly nothing wrong to other artists or persons (AND who can't defend himself). His life was life a Greek tragedy... His death (or the road to it) is nothing to make jokes about.

[Elvisgirl]

there will always be *****s making jokes, they don't care about if Elvis deserves it or not...and sometimes you can't avoid them, you can only do what you can to avoid them. the best thing to do is to ignore them. if someone says something disrespectful to me about Elvis or Michael Jackson i turn the other way

[thefrankfortspecial]

Sadly these days, in a world of music where 6 months , two singles and a flop album, constitutes fame, we have to expect that a majority of people are never going to be able to feel the sheer passion, listening to E's voice, especially from the concert years, feels like. They as a rule pick on his mid to late seventies era as a time to point ridicule at, probably E should have held back on some tours during that period, resting up, for the sake of his health, he did'nt.He performed, even with his changing weight up's and down's, and his fans still adored him, his voice was always superb.So, when ridicule of him hit's your ears, pass it on through, his quality and amount of work speak for themselves, and if your still in doubt pull out one of those little yellow label 45's possibly sun 209, sit back and savour, the beginning of a sound that would change the direction of popular music.

[TCE]

It's a sad fact that people make fun of others. Mostly I think it's of jealousy or because they want to hide their own weakness. Afterall nobody's perfect, but Elvis came very close to it.


Christel (TCE)

[vulcandude]

I like to watch MTV and know quite much about the modern days "stars". Compared to them Elvis looked extremely humble and down to earth (even with his flashy suits and clothing). Every interview with people that knew Elvis or worked with him shows that Elvis was a very friendly and honoust person.

Knowing that, it's tough to see and hear all those "jokes" about Elvis and the lack of respect for his work and achievements. Especially disgusting when you consider how sick/ill Elvis physically and mentally exhausted he was during the last part of his life.

People seem to forget that Elvis was the first real solo superstar. Nowadays artists can do good what Elvis did wrong. Even the music industry didn't knew than how to handle millionselling superstars throughout a career.

A shame that people lower themselves to make cheapshots to someone who did basicly nothing wrong to other artists or persons (AND who can't defend himself). His life was life a Greek tragedy... His death (or the road to it) is nothing to make jokes about.

I agree Albert. Elvis seemed much more reachable than the singing stars of today. And here we are in a culture, where 30 years after losing Elvis, we have no real singing superstars to look to. Michael Jackson has fallen from his pedestal, and we now tune in weekly to "American Idol" to find the next "great one". But there won't be. Never can be. With Elvis you had everything in a complete package...R&B, Country, Gospel, Rock, Ballads......we haven't had anyone that talented since he died. It is unfortunate that the music industry, among others, took advantage of Elvis, because I fully believe, if he had had control of his own destiny, he might still be here......

[srj1967]

People seem to forget that Elvis was the first real solo superstar.

Have to disagree with you on this one. Enrico Caruso was the world's first genuine singing superstar. And if we're talking music in general, a lot of people came before Elvis.

But Elvis certainly was, I think, the "biggest" single superstar of all time.

[vulcandude]

Have to disagree with you on this one. Enrico Caruso was the world's first genuine singing superstar. And if we're talking music in general, a lot of people came before Elvis.

But Elvis certainly was, I think, the "biggest" single superstar of all time.

I always thought in terms of the use of the word "superstar", Frank Sinatra was the first before Elvis. Elvis just so happens to be the biggest selling superstar is all.

[jak]

In my opinion Elvis was the first worldwide superstar with mass appeal.Elvis created a cultural shift when he came along.It's often said he changed the way music was bought and sold.He revolutionized the business side of music like no other.Caruso was legendary but it's obvious he didnt have the crossover appeal that Elvis had.Elvis' arrival was like a bomb exploding.
Jak

[vulcandude]

In my opinion Elvis was the first worldwide superstar with mass appeal.Elvis created a cultural shift when he came along.It's often said he changed the way music was bought and sold.He revolutionized the business side of music like no other.Caruso was legendary but it's obvious he didnt have the crossover appeal that Elvis had.Elvis' arrival was like a bomb exploding.
Jak

But didn't Sinatra have that same kind of effect on the industry like Elvis? From everything I ever read on him, he had. Just wondering.

[0349054]

I see you point Vulcandude.

I look at it this way.

Elvis was not just a musical force, he was a cultural force.

He changed the face of popular music forever, something Sinatra was not capable of doing. Although Sinatra was talented, the rest of the Rat Pack were doing exactly the same thing.

Elvis was in my opinion the first worldwide superstar. He is a cultural icon in a way Sinatra never was or ever could be.

Elvis has become a symbol of American freedom - both the liberties and the excesses of it.

I just think Elvis created a much larger impact upon the world as a whole than Sinatra. I also believe that due to Elvis's immense appeal - far greater than Sinatra on a global scale - that Elvis was the first real superstar, he is after all one of the most photographed people of all time.

[vulcandude]

I see you point Vulcandude.

I look at it this way.

Elvis was not just a musical force, he was a cultural force.

He changed the face of popular music forever, something Sinatra was not capable of doing. Although Sinatra was talented, the rest of the Rat Pack were doing exactly the same thing.

Elvis was in my opinion the first worldwide superstar. He is a cultural icon in a way Sinatra never was or ever could be.

Elvis has become a symbol of American freedom - both the liberties and the excesses of it.

I just think Elvis created a much larger impact upon the world as a whole than Sinatra. I also believe that due to Elvis's immense appeal - far greater than Sinatra on a global scale - that Elvis was the first real superstar, he is after all one of the most photographed people of all time.

Ok, granted that Elvis changed the face of music as we knew it then. But like the Rat Pack with Sinatra, Elvis wasn't alone either. There was Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Bill Haley, to name a few creating the new rock sound. Elvis just leads the pack, as Sinatra led the Rat Pack. Sinatra was loved by teens and also later considered a "crooner", and loved by adults. Elvis was loved by teens, and by the 70s, everyone loved him. Both men are cultural/musical icons, but each in their own right. Sinatra is "Chairman Of The Board", Elvis is "The King Of Rock N' Roll".......

[0349054]

More people will recognise Elvis's name than Sinatra's - worldwide. Elvis's music was smuggled into communist Russia.

What im getting at is; Elvis is instantly recognisable in name, image and voice. Sinatra certainly is not - especially if you were to break it down into percentages.

[vulcandude]

More people will recognise Elvis's name than Sinatra's - worldwide. Elvis's music was smuggled into communist Russia.

What im getting at is; Elvis is instantly recognisable in name, image and voice. Sinatra certainly is not - especially if you were to break it down into percentages.

I see your point. However, Elvis did pay homage to Sinatra by doing "My Way"......

[0349054]

Maybe, maybe not. Sinatra didn't write My Way and wasn't the first to perform it.

If we are to take that, then every cover Elvis did was to pay homage.

I doubt Elvis was paying homage to Carl Perkins with Blue Suede Shoes or Big Moma Thornton or Neil Diamond or......you see what im getting at!

Elvis saw a good song and sang it, he also sang rubbish.

I think people tend to read too much into what Elvis sang, Elvis didn't write songs, he co-wrote a song and that was it, and that song really wasn't up to much.

All this stuff that when Elvis recorded the Las Farewell that it was a hidden message during the Jungle Room sessions, in my opinion is up there with him faking his death and being abducted.

I don't recall Elvis ever saying this is Frank Sinatra's song before performing My Way. Sinatra was an old rat who had a go at Elvis in the begininng before licking his a** later.

Elvis didn't use the mob to get into movies or save his career, Frank did.

[vulcandude]

I don't recall Elvis ever saying this is Frank Sinatra's song before performing My Way.

I can recall several instances where Elvis had introduced the song "My Way" as a song originally done by Sinatra.....most notably, if I remember correctly enough in "Elvis In Concert", because he tells the audience he has to read the words, and hopes they don't mind. He had also said "Runaway" was by Del Shannon, and "Sweet Caroline" was Neil Diamond. So by mentioning the artists who recorded the songs, is that not paying homage to them?

[Sonny]

That is right, vulcandude.

Sonny

[Tony Trout]

He may have been paying homage to the original artists but I still think he took songs like "My Way", "Proud Mary", "Runaway" and "Sweet Caroline" and made them his own.....

[vulcandude]

He may have been paying homage to the original artists but I still think he took songs like "My Way", "Proud Mary", "Runaway" and "Sweet Caroline" and made them his own.....

That's true Tony, but every artist who covers someone else's song strives to make it their own. Elvis just so happened to be better at it than everyone else. (Excluding The Beatles' cover of "Twist And Shout" I think.)

[srj1967]

That's true Tony, but every artist who covers someone else's song strives to make it their own. Elvis just so happened to be better at it than everyone else. (Excluding The Beatles' cover of "Twist And Shout" I think.)

I don't believe Elvis was better at covers than anyone else. Can you honestly say, for example, that he improved on the Beatles' classic Yesterday? I think not. As much as I love Elvis' version, the original was better.

Same with the (studio version of) My Way. Sinatra's was the best. Can't say I've heard many live versions of Frank's, but Elvis' was the superior live version.

There are other examples as well, eg Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel's studio version was the best IMO, Elvis' the best live version); and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Sorry, but Elvis ruined this: the sensitivity of Roberta Flack's version all but disappeared. Way too over the top).

But there are plenty of examples where Elvis improved on the original. I'm thinking first and foremost of Dylan's Tomorrow Is A Long Time. Ever heard Dylan's version? Ugh!