Top 10 songs, vocal perf., live concerts..

[Menwithbrokenhearts]

Hey everyone! I am sure this has been posted before but I have been relistening to all my Elvis music ( so much and I still don't even have close to all that is out there) and was wondering if you could give me your opinions on your personal favorites. I'll list mine ( using what little knowledge and exposure I have ) and hope that you do the same, So I can broaden my horizons a bit . Thanks alot. Oh, categories are ( but not limited to) Top favorite studio recordings, top vocal performances and top live concert cds.( official, import or bootleg) on any of these. It's sure hard to narrow it down!

SONGS - In the Ghetto, Kentucky Rain, Suspicious Minds, Don't Cry Daddy, American Trilogy, Are you Lonsome Tonight?, Feel So Bad, Little Sister, , Marie's the NAME, Promised Land, I've Lost You,

VOCAL - American Trilogy, My Way, It's Now or Never, How Great Thou ARt, America the Beautiful, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Hurt, My Boy, Danny Boy, Surrender, Peace in the Valley, Blue Moon (from the first album. I know it's an odd choice but I love that sad eerie quality to his voice in this song. Should have been used in a David Lynch movie)

Live - Goodbye Memphis (great long cocert but mostly because I was there!), Aloha Special, 68 comback special, Madison Sq. Garden 72, Memphis 74, Memphis 75 ( I love these in Memphis, seems like he was trying real hard to please his hometown fans), Rockin' New Years Eve, Burning in Birmingham, Live on Stage '70, and I really love some of the performances in Rapid City in 77. His voice was strong and clear and had an unusual, but pleasing, quality to it. It was wierd because on some of those songs he hit notes better than he had in years, and on many he couldn't at all. I hate to watch this one though, he was obviously in pain and discomfort.

Thanks for your input!

[Tommy]

Wow this is a impressive list! I'll have to think about this a while.

Thanks for posting,

Tommy

[carolynlm]

The first two that came to my mind immediately, and I will have a think about the rest is:-
Number 1......Just Pretend from 1970 (of course) the one on TTWII SE....
then....surprisingly....
I love 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy, from the '68 Special...after the little 'conversation' with Scotty about not saying a word on stage for 12 years......'Weeeeeeelllll, lawdy, lawdy, lawdy Miss Clawdy'......great stuff.....

[Jungleroom76]

WOW!!!

What a GREAT question Menwithbrokenhearts!! Definitely a tough one, but a great one nevertheless!!! Let's see if I can answer this one...


TOP 10 FAVORITE STUDIO SONGS:

BURNING LOVE
T-R-O-U-B-L-E
PIECES OF MY LIFE
LOVE ME
JUST PRETEND
FOOLS FALL IN LOVE
WAY DOWN
IT'S EASY FOR YOU
BRINGIN' IT BACK
PROMISED LAND


TOP 10 FAVORITE VOCAL PERFORMANCES:

MY WAY (from the "Elvis In Concert" 1977 CBS Special)
FAIRYTALE (from the "Spring Tours '77 FTD CD)
JUST PRETEND (from "That's The Way It Is - Special Edition")
AMERICAN TRILOGY (from "This Is Elvis" - Recorded in Hampton Roads '72)
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER (from "Elvis On Tour")
SEE SEE RIDER (from "Elvis On Tour")
HURT (from the "Elvis In Concert" 1977 CBS Special)
WHAT NOW MY LOVE (from the "Aloha From Hawaii" special)
LAWDY MISS CLAWDY (from "Elvis On Tour")
CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE (from Largo, MD. 5/22/77)


TOP 10 LIVE CONCERT CD'S:

JAILHOUSE ROCK MAN IN CONCERT (Rochester 5/25/77 - near my home!)
AN AFTERNOON IN THE GARDEN (RCA CD)
SUMMER FESTIVAL (FTD CD)
"CLOSE UP" BOX SET - DISC 4 (San Antonio - April '72)
IT'S MIDNIGHT (FTD CD)
BIG BOSS MAN (FTD CD)
TONIGHT...8:30 P.M. (Largo, MD. 5/22/77)
HOLDING BACK THE YEARS (Cincinatti 3/21/76)
SPRING TOURS '77 (FTD CD)
A HOT WINTER NIGHT IN DALLAS (Dallas 12/28/76)


There you go...that's a tough one for sure!!

TCB!
Mike

** DISCLAIMER **
As always, these lists are subject to change on a daily basis, depending on my mood and taste at any given moment!!!

[0349054]

I love his vocals on Tommorow Never Comes

[Cryogenic]

Stellar thread!

Favourite songs are often predicated on vocal performances - the better the vocal, the more chance I'll like the song. It's hard to separate the two. Really. I'll try...

My lists are roughly in order of quality (best at top)...

VOCALS
-------------

Here are the STUDIO songs I think are sung flawlessly and showcase a supreme vocal talent:

Are You Lonesome Tonight?
Anything That's Part Of You
Indescribably Blue
It Hurts Me
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Just Pretend
Tomorrow Is A Long Time
Stand By Me
Crying In The Chapel
Something Blue
Can't Help Falling In Love/Blue Hawaii/Hawaiian Wedding Song (Blue Hawaii album)

You haven't really heard Elvis until you've heard those.

Here are some more LIVE songs:

American Trilogy (Aloha concert - rehearsal and main)
How Great Thou Art (various)
Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Comeback Special sitdown - 2nd show)
Trying To Get To You (Comeback Special sitdown - 2nd show)
Hurt (Elvis In Concert - worth it for the ending!)

Again. Elvis. Haven't heard. Until. Those.

SONGS
------------

**** Bridge Over Troubled Water: An absolute masterpiece. Flawlessly mixed/arranged. This song really makes a dent in my consciousness every time I hear it. ****

Reconsider Baby: Another masterpiece. I only rank it below Bridge Over Troubled Water since, by design, it's not the emotional powerhouse that the former is. But in every other conceivable way, this song... rocks. Or should that be... blues?

A Mess of Blues: Reconsider Baby... now this? Yep... blues, baby. Elvis absolutely OWNED at this style. "Too bad you can't come home..." And too bad you couldn't sing more of this stuff, Elvis! A great, great tune.

Blue Moon: Oh... here we go! Pattern forming? Nah... I agree with you on how HAUNTING this sounds. It really is a spectacular "mood" song - it transports you to another place, and in this case, almost another plane.

In The Ghetto (Alternate Take 4): This version has to be heard to be believed. No strings, no Sweets/Stamps etc - just simple backing and Elvis. I swear. Put this on through a good pair of speakers and crank it up. You will believe Elvis is in the room. His voice has an eerie spiritual quality here - like he never died and is permanently moving through the air. I don't know how else to describe it.

American Trilogy: This song *is* Elvis.
.
How Great Thou Art: See above. I'm not religious - but the power Elvis puts into this is enough to stop you in your tracks.

Are You Lonesome Tonight?: Beautiful w/ an awesome monologue (Elvis makes it sound easy; try rattling that off - it's hard to not sound goofy).

Edge of Reality: A bit psychedelic. A bit different. And a little bit of difference is always good. Lovely warmth to Elvis' voice on this one, too.

Charro: Great lyrics. An honest rawness to Elvis' voice. He seems like Elvis and Jess Wade at the same time here. This song really evokes the plains, the dust, the danger - in short, I picture an alternate reality; the reality of the movie. One flaw: I find Elvis' voice mixed a tad too low.

Let's Forget About The Stars: Also from "Charro". Lovely arrangement and vocal on this one. Again, Elvis' voice has a slightly unusual quality I can't put my finger on. It's not Comeback Special, Memphis or Vegas. Again, however, Elvis' voice is also sadly mixed a tad too low (evidently a problem with this particular film soundtrack album).

Mr Songman: A current obsession of mine. I was rewatching "Elvis by the Presleys" the other day and heard it on there. Been listening to it ever since. Quite a short, insignificant song in many ways - but the lyrics have a poetic simplicity to them. Plus, I love the way Elvis' voice is mixed in with the other singers. A bit like "Edge of Reality" - this one's a little different.

Green, Green Grass of Home: The emotion laced in every note Elvis delivers is amazing. Tom Jones might have a commanding baritone - but this version blows his out of the water. Love it.

It's Easy For You: Sadly, I only have the pathetic original - where Felton Jarvis mixed Elvis' voice down and then obstructed it with strings and other "aural wallpaper". But this is an emotional performance. Perhaps a little too heavy at times - but at least the emotion feels honest. Love the deep quality of Elvis' voice when he employs it, too. The way Elvis sounds as he sings "Even though I am... shattered" through bassy speakers has to be heard to be believed!

That's me done!!!!

I have only minimal knowledge of live material outside of the Comeback Special, That's The Way It Is, Aloha From Hawaii and Elvis In Concert. I've only heard bits and pieces of "Elvis On Tour" and even less of everything else! I'm looking forward to making more discoveries as I go. But I'm in no rush. I've heard most of the good stuff already, and the more remaining good stuff I hear, the fewer "first time" experiences I'll have - and nothing beats a first time.

[boogie]

let's see, difficult to choose

1)Songs. -Suspicious minds
-How great thou art
-Long lonely Highway
-Ghetto
-Trilogy
-Promised land
-You'll never walk alone
-My Boy

2)Live songs vocal - My Way (cbs)
-Trilogy (aloha main perf)
-How Great thou art (1974-1977-like them both)
-Fairytale (spring tours)
3) concerts -Memphis 1974
-All the TTWII shows
-Hot winter night Dallas 1976
-San antone 1972
-Memphis 1975

[iloveelvis05]

My Top 10

1) Just Pretend (That's The Way It Is)
2) Polk Salad Annie (That's The Way It Is)
3) Baby What Do You Want Me To Do (68' Comeback Special)
4) Lawdy Miss Clawdy (68' Comeback Special)
5) Fever (Aloha from Hawaii)
6) Little Sister/Take It Back (That's The Way It Is rehearsals)
7) Hurt (Last concert in Indianapolis)
8) One Night (68' Comeback Special)
9) Tigerman (That's The Way It Is)
10) In The Ghetto (That's The Way It Is)

[Menwithbrokenhearts]

Thank you so much. Some of these I have not heard and some I will give a good Re listen. Thanks again. Oh, just got "On Tour the rehearsals" and it is my current favorite. Love the different stripped down sound on these songs.