More Rock songs Elvis!

[Raised on Rock]

I been hearing all day to Deep Purple early stuff, somehow this guys voice sounds so Elvishly to me, he even uses some trademark Elvis echo on his voice. Dont know what Elvis thinked of this band, but we know Elvs liked Joe South, so for sure he would have be on with Deep Purples version of Hush, but there is when I think dam movie soundtracks what a waste of talent. Man imagine Elvis doing that song, it was perfect to him, Deep Purlpe backing is nothing Elvis Band at the 68 Bubank sessions, the one with Tommy Tadesco on guitar, the one that backed Elvis at the stand up shows could have matched, what a great and underrated band Elvis has when he recorded Trouble/Guitar Man, I wish so much that he latter on same year have used it to made a full lenght rock album, Yeah! American Sessions are so cool, Nashville 70 session are great, and he made great rock songs during the 70?s, but he neve ever really returned to the rick scene, no Im not of those people who think there was something wrong about doing ballads, and country and gospel, that was great, you cant do just one kinf of music being Elvis, but I do think ELvis failed to deliver one more, just one more pure Rock album and a few tours along the same line, Ive heard that he wanted to do it early on 72, and for sure he was heavy rocking when we saw it doing See See Rider on Elvis on Tour, but the idea of really returning to rock never became a realliy, why he didnt do it, was he afraid of losing his fans, come on, thats crap, sometime I think the Colonel, and some people of the Memphis Mafia were nothing but old timers that filled with shit Elvis head, yea ELvis would have lost some Vegas bored midgets as fans, but he would have win a new generation of fans, and not only win but reconquered many many fans that were now only part time fans, the ones who sticked to the rock and roll days, and only when a single like Burnig Love or the Promised Land was released, he would have win more than what he could have lost

When I lisen to the 68 comeback special, hes so great on that one, gonne is the boring Elvis doing mediocre tunes on Double Trouble or Clambake, a soon as you put Elvis doing some Rock and Roll you see that spark in his eyes, his body all Shooked Up, full of energy, enjoying himself as he hadnt in years, and whoever how said backthen that Elvis didnt had it anymore must have beem either choking or in eccstasy, the man who started it all was back, and the same could have happended in 72' or in 73' or in 74' or even in 77' if he have taked care of his both mental and phiyical health. So whats the point of this, no Im not saying that there was something wrong with the Ballads or the country stuff, neither with vegas (at least before 73). Elvis was right about pleasing all his fans, but I do not think he was right about trying to please them all in one night or in a single album or even on a single year, I realy thing he needed so bad to focus and determine his efforts on single and defined proyects one by one, something like: lets do this country album and this country music tour playing all the country venues and all that, now lets play vegas and to this cool album about vegas shows, then lets do this Blues and R&B thing and play some gigs about it, now I Want to spend this year 72 doing hard rock cuase in 71 I was a Folk performe, but now I get tired of that. I think Elvis perfeclty knew that and it was Coloner Parker and RCA lack of vision to blame, they just wanted to sell Elvis as a conept itself, while Elvis as he probed in the 74 season when he changed all his act was so tired of that come an see the elvis circus stuff, he was encapsulated and selled as an entretainer, but he was before anything a musician, and artist, one that must have felt very very frustrated at may points in his life.

And even all that and despite all the bullshit around you, Elvis you where the greatest, you did it so good, but yes I cant helps having this feeling about, I wanted to do more rock and roll songs, why? well, you are just so f@!"#ing good doing it, (dont ban me for that)and nobody, and I mean nobody does that better than you, I guess thats why people called you THe King Of Rock And ROlland you are, among many other of course, but yes, I think thats were you shined the most.

[Raised on Rock]

Hey I Forgot to add the poll and dont know how to fix that, moderators can you help?

The poll is:

a) Do you think Elvis should have done at least one more straight Rock session- album any year after the 68 special?

b) Do you think Rock and Roll was something of Elvis past? and era to remember with the old records but no need of any new rock stuff, Elvis keep with the big Ballads, even if you want to do some rockand roll.

c) Elvis simply lost his taste for rock and roll during the 70s, he wasnt interest
on that even if the fans ask for it.

d) Appart from Elvis early records we hate rock music so Raised on Rock get the hell out of this forum.

[mn-designs]

Hey I Forgot to add the poll and dont know how to fix that, moderators can you help?

The poll is:

a) Do you think Elvis should have done at least one more straight Rock session- album any year after the 68 special?

b) Do you think Rock and Roll was something of Elvis past? and era to remember with the old records but no need of any new rock stuff, Elvis keep with the big Ballads, even if you want to do some rockand roll.

c) Elvis simply lost his taste for rock and roll during the 70s, he wasnt interest
on that even if the fans ask for it.

d) Appart from Elvis early records we hate rock music so Raised on Rock get the hell out of this forum.

Hi I've put in the poll! with the info you gave in the thread, hope it's ok this way?

[Raised on Rock]

Yeah thanks Patrik, fool of me forgot to add it before submit, yes I think you get the idea quite right, there is the long version of the poll questions on a post by myself next to the submited thread if the short version of question two is not very clear hehe... thanks a lot again.

So what do you think Patrik, should Elvis played some more hard rock after the 68 comeback special, or we had enough of that in our beloved 50's records and the few rock diamonds he recorded now and then during his last year where enough for the rock lovers?

I just one to make something clear before any misunderstanding, I do love Elvis country, gospel, pop, and big dramatic ballads sides, but I think Gospel, R&B and R&R are where he done his best, he devoted beautifully to Gospel, we had a great concept album called Elvis Country in 71' and we got tons of from ok to outstanding ballads renditions, but we never get during the 70's the R&B and R&R album and tour that I think many many silent fans expected... so what you people think?

[Tony Trout]

The simple fact of the matter is that Elvis wasn't in the frame of mind to do any kind of rock songs near the end....if you remember, Felton Jarvis had to coax him into recording "Burning Love".....

[Suspicious Minds]

I think Elvis lost interest in rock 'n' roll after recording the Elvis Country album. Elvis was more interested in country and western again in the 70's.
Elvis recorded Promised Land just to prove critics that he could still sing rock 'n' roll at age 40 but went back to C & W.

[Wendy56]

I like Elvis music just the way it is... May not be rock, but there are blues, gospel...

[EnigmaticSun]

I think that, in his heart, he liked doing gospel, ballads and country music more than rock.

Yeah, the '68 Comeback Special was great. The kind of good old timey rock 'n roll with acoustic guitars, no plastic and exagerrated electricity involved.

No, Elvis shouldn't have sung like Mick Jagger, Axl Rose or Robert Plant. He knew how to sing using his midriff, creating that strong, fiery sound instead of high screams.

[Albert]

Elvis wanted to do ballads and gospels.... but he felt that the audience wouldn't accept that and that he felt the audience expected him to do rock'n roll songs... He even said so during an interview.

I think he enjoyed doing rock once in a while, or upbeat songs. But I believe his heart was into ballads and gospels. So a pure Rock session wouldn't be something ELvis was waiting for in the 70s I guess

[EnigmaticSun]

So a pure Rock session wouldn't be something ELvis was waiting for in the 70s I guess

So the King of Rock 'n Roll 'title' is misleading or inapt. He was like a King, but not just for Rock 'n Roll.

[Joe Car]

He didn't want to become locked into being a rock&roll singer. He sang everything and great, thus the distinction of being the only person inducted into three hall of fames. I also think that music changed in the seventies, especially rock & roll, so much to the point of only being referred as rock. I really don't think it ever matched watch it had accomplished in the fifties and sixties.

[vulcandude]

I think Elvis should have done more rock n'roll in the 70s, but I'm not so sure that that was where his passion was anymore. I think, had he lived, he would have continued doing the lighter rock and country type stuff like he did on "Moody Blue". This isn't to say I don't think he wouldn't have done anymore rock. I think as he grew older, his tastes matured, so he kind of out grew stuff like "Hound Dog". Also, I don't think that as the 70s progressed, the rock material written was really suited for him. There just wasn't the big catalog of music from which he could choose from as in previous years. Either way, whether he should have or shouldn't have done more rock ends up being a moot point anyway. He died, and that ended things....it's nice to think of what the possibilities COULD have been though...

[Raised on Rock]

I think Elvis should have done more rock n'roll in the 70s, but I'm not so sure that that was where his passion was anymore. I think, had he lived, he would have continued doing the lighter rock and country type stuff like he did on "Moody Blue". This isn't to say I don't think he wouldn't have done anymore rock. I think as he grew older, his tastes matured, so he kind of out grew stuff like "Hound Dog". Also, I don't think that as the 70s progressed, the rock material written was really suited for him. There just wasn't the big catalog of music from which he could choose from as in previous years. Either way, whether he should have or shouldn't have done more rock ends up being a moot point anyway. He died, and that ended things....it's nice to think of what the possibilities COULD have been though...

I wasnt thinking about what could have been if he had lived, but what could have been when he was still alive, but as you said, yes I guess the main point is that Elvis heart wasnt there anymore, which is not something bad at all, is just that his rock fans became hungry and there were many of them, and lots of those somehow got the feeling (I dont) of being either forgoten or even betrayed; I dont feel like that, andI actually agree with ELvis in his choice of not doing just one type of music, and I in fact love his gospel, and country and pop ballads stuff, and he was a as good as he was for rock doing them, yes, as Enigmatic Sun put it: he was King doing not just rock, but I do think he left with a debt with his rock and roll fans, just one more time Elvis, for old times sake.

I totally agree with Vulcan DUde that Elvis grew stuff like Hound Dog, but when Im saying he should have done one more rock and roll album I wasnt thinking of a collection of oldies, as John Lennon?s 75 Rock and Roll, what I do was thinking is in a lets call it, contemporary sounding rock music, just as the American Sessions provided him with a contemporary pop sound away from the pop sound of his early sixties tracks, rock stuff on the groove of early Deep Purple and Led Zeppeling, could have suited him even better than a nostalgyc 50's rock album as the Lennon master piece, and just beacuse Elvis voice have grown on such a powerfull way. Elvis wasnt gonna rock in Robert Plant skeaky voice tone, even if Plant developed his tone after Elvis early aproach for rock and roll, remember BIg hunk Of LOve? yet Elvis pull it out from lower now, and when he did his rock tone frome there, you wacht it! remember Touble Guitar Man from the 68 special. So here is my point A) in this thread, A) I dont think Elvis had lost it in the 70's for rock and roll, ELvis still had it for sure remember Whole Lotta Shakin or his live renditions of Mystery Train Tiger man even by 1976?, is just thats somehow he rarely show it, and thats what I regret, not that he also did many other kinds of wonderful music, but the fact that he cut it a lot on rock and roll. Why all those ultra short renditions of old rock stuff in the live shows? better done half of them but in a straight forward way showing that he was on to do it as he did it when he perfomed the Mystery Train medley.


Yes, the lack of material for him to choose might have been a problem, at least that what Elvis said once when somebody ask him: Why your not doing any hard rock songs any more? but he also stated that if he find one he will have done it. And here is where my concerns about the whys on this keep wondering, cause somewhere in 73 Elvis stated that he was looking forward to do a back to R&R and R&B album, (read it on Elvis Word by Word by Jerry Osborne, which is a pretty cool book by the way, a compilation of every word written or recorded by ELvis Presley) so why that album never came out? well I guess circumstances were never present for that one, part because Elvis state of mind, part and I think that this is somethin that havent been mentioned, cause Col TOm Parker and RCA executives, still saw in Rock music, and unstable bussines that could have faded away any moment, a very blind observation when you see how as ELvis singles during the 70's drasticly floped lower and even lower, as soon as a Rock song came out as a single, ELvis was back at the top 20, Steamroller BLues 14, Promised Land 13, Burning Love 2!. But RCA and even Elvis failed in one thing for sure during the 70's. studio albums never seemed to have any direction, except Elvis Country and more or less Promised Land, and that lack of direction it doesnt have anything to do with the fact that Elvis recorded diferent kind of types of music, but with a lack of vision to present it. So here is my point B), B) I dont think Elvis lost his taste for rock and roll, he may not be in the mood for that at all time which is ok, but what I think RCA lost and in away Elvis lost ot to, is the abillity to comprehend that diversity in order to both developing albums and Elvis developing him self in diferent music generes by sessions, as he did manage to do with gospel. So thats what I mean one more rock and roll session was needed.

[Raised on Rock]

I also think that music changed in the seventies, especially rock & roll, so much to the point of only being referred as rock. I really don't think it ever matched watch it had accomplished in the fifties and sixties.

About the point of rock and roll music stop being what it was in the 50's and 60's your totally right, and becomse very clear when you take a look at the work of other artists, John Lennon by example, you see how he also during the the 70' cut out rock music almost to the degree of none by 74, and are ballads and mid tempos what he does the most, same did McCartney, and gonne where the times of SHes a WOman, Day Tripper and ROck and ROll music for both of them, so ELvis wasnt a total weird out there, in fact he was clever when we come in terms of being stubbborn, while by 75 Lennon did grease nostalgya, and The ROlling STones and Led Zeppelin rock started to became flacid, ELvis better went for rough country and keep it rocking in atittude, yeah I rather see ELvis doing "Pieces of My Life", "WOman Without Love" "She thinks I Still Care" or "Pleding My Love", than Zeppelins booring! later albums (the early ones are so good!) or MIck Jagger and Keith RIchards doing "Undervocer of the nIght" what a load of shit.

[ELV1S]

although there is no Elvis song i dont like, maybe with the exception of a few movie soundtracks, my favourite Elvis music is by far the Rock N Roll so naturally i would love to have more!

[EnigmaticSun]

What a nice and well-formulated opinion you've got there, Raised On Rock!

It's just that rock from the 70's is fundamentally different from the rockabilly 20 years prior.

The rock from the 70's give me the feeling of 'I'll f*** anything that moves' and the rockabilly-stuff was rather gentle.. It's so sweet and easy to love you, you're my baby, you're my sugar and all that jazz..

I don't think Elvis liked the aggressive hard rock sound. So if he did an upbeat song, it came from the past or it was a song like 'Way Down', which doesn't even come close to hard rock or heavy metal.

[Raised on Rock]

What a nice and well-formulated opinion you've got there, Raised On Rock!

It's just that rock from the 70's is fundamentally different from the rockabilly 20 years prior.

The rock from the 70's give me the feeling of 'I'll f*** anything that moves' and the rockabilly-stuff was rather gentle.. It's so sweet and easy to love you, you're my baby, you're my sugar and all that jazz..

I don't think Elvis liked the aggressive hard rock sound. So if he did an upbeat song, it came from the past or it was a song like 'Way Down', which doesn't even come close to hard rock or heavy metal.

Yeah I agree with you, Im not into that kind Violence, Rape, Drugs, Crime rock stuff with demons and tons of blood al over the cover, I find it supid and rather inmature, but you see not all of the hard rock bands are like that and actually thas is more from the crappy eighties, and thats why I make emphasis on the early Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple sound, casue it is basically nothing but an update of The Elvis Presey SUn Session and early RCA sound, what Zeppeling did was nothing but a blend betweeen blues stuff with sixties rock with losts of cool gain and presence on their amps, they did lots of reference to Elvis music, remember the: sixteen couches long on Whole Lotta Love? they even covered Thats All right Mama and A Mess of BLues in good style. And what about early Deep Purple Joe SOuth cover, "Hush" Elvis must have dig that, and the sound is not really far away from the one Elvis delivered on the stand up concerts and studio sessions at the 68 comeback Have you ever heard the Stone 72 album "Exile on Main Steet" thats one of the most outstanging rock albums ever, and again is just an update of the earlier Evlis sound, the blend of country, blues, and gospel in perfect style, there is a track on that one: RIp this Joint, its so good, its ELvis in 56, so anyway, Elvis could mach anything of that, in fact they all adore him when he did it, with Elvis Country and some spare singles once in a while, so again, so when your that good about something, you got to give them more, I just think ELvis could have blown away all rock band if he only, just once, had make one more rock music session.

PS. HOw the do they Stones, after rock and roll masterpices like "Exile on Main Street" could have come to do "Undercover of the night" it is a monstrouocity, its so awfull, it sounds almost like Viva Las VEgas to me hhaha...

[vulcandude]

I wasnt thinking about what could have been if he had lived, but what could have been when he was still alive, but as you said, yes I guess the main point is that Elvis heart wasnt there anymore, which is not something bad at all, is just that his rock fans became hungry and there were many of them, and lots of those somehow got the feeling (I dont) of being either forgoten or even betrayed; I dont feel like that, andI actually agree with ELvis in his choice of not doing just one type of music, and I in fact love his gospel, and country and pop ballads stuff, and he was a as good as he was for rock doing them, yes, as Enigmatic Sun put it: he was King doing not just rock, but I do think he left with a debt with his rock and roll fans, just one more time Elvis, for old times sake.

I totally agree with Vulcan DUde that Elvis grew stuff like Hound Dog, but when Im saying he should have done one more rock and roll album I wasnt thinking of a collection of oldies, as John Lennon?s 75 Rock and Roll, what I do was thinking is in a lets call it, contemporary sounding rock music, just as the American Sessions provided him with a contemporary pop sound away from the pop sound of his early sixties tracks, rock stuff on the groove of early Deep Purple and Led Zeppeling, could have suited him even better than a nostalgyc 50's rock album as the Lennon master piece, and just beacuse Elvis voice have grown on such a powerfull way. Elvis wasnt gonna rock in Robert Plant skeaky voice tone, even if Plant developed his tone after Elvis early aproach for rock and roll, remember BIg hunk Of LOve? yet Elvis pull it out from lower now, and when he did his rock tone frome there, you wacht it! remember Touble Guitar Man from the 68 special. So here is my point A) in this thread, A) I dont think Elvis had lost it in the 70's for rock and roll, ELvis still had it for sure remember Whole Lotta Shakin or his live renditions of Mystery Train Tiger man even by 1976?, is just thats somehow he rarely show it, and thats what I regret, not that he also did many other kinds of wonderful music, but the fact that he cut it a lot on rock and roll. Why all those ultra short renditions of old rock stuff in the live shows? better done half of them but in a straight forward way showing that he was on to do it as he did it when he perfomed the Mystery Train medley.


Yes, the lack of material for him to choose might have been a problem, at least that what Elvis said once when somebody ask him: Why your not doing any hard rock songs any more? but he also stated that if he find one he will have done it. And here is where my concerns about the whys on this keep wondering, cause somewhere in 73 Elvis stated that he was looking forward to do a back to R&R and R&B album, (read it on Elvis Word by Word by Jerry Osborne, which is a pretty cool book by the way, a compilation of every word written or recorded by ELvis Presley) so why that album never came out? well I guess circumstances were never present for that one, part because Elvis state of mind, part and I think that this is somethin that havent been mentioned, cause Col TOm Parker and RCA executives, still saw in Rock music, and unstable bussines that could have faded away any moment, a very blind observation when you see how as ELvis singles during the 70's drasticly floped lower and even lower, as soon as a Rock song came out as a single, ELvis was back at the top 20, Steamroller BLues 14, Promised Land 13, Burning Love 2!. But RCA and even Elvis failed in one thing for sure during the 70's. studio albums never seemed to have any direction, except Elvis Country and more or less Promised Land, and that lack of direction it doesnt have anything to do with the fact that Elvis recorded diferent kind of types of music, but with a lack of vision to present it. So here is my point B), B) I dont think Elvis lost his taste for rock and roll, he may not be in the mood for that at all time which is ok, but what I think RCA lost and in away Elvis lost ot to, is the abillity to comprehend that diversity in order to both developing albums and Elvis developing him self in diferent music generes by sessions, as he did manage to do with gospel. So thats what I mean one more rock and roll session was needed.

I only agree with what you replied with in part. I think as Elvis grew older, his tastes matured, and thus, less rock he did. I also don't think Elvis would have done more rock despite what he might have said in public, or to his friends. He always recorded what was in his heart. By the 70s, Elvis' rock music wasn't really considered rock for that period of time, it was more or less adult contemporary. This isn't to say that songs like "Burning Love" or "Promised Land" weren't great rock songs, and they are definite classics, but they didn't stay long on the charts. This was because rock was being defined by other artists and groups, and the nation as a whole listening audience just wasn't listening. And this despite how many sold out concerts Elvis had, or how many albums he sold. Rock was just simply headed in a diffrent direction.
I don't think RCA or Elvis lost their vision when it came to his albums. I think Col. Parker got in the way a bit too much, just as he did during Elvis' movie career. I think instead, Elvis envisioned what lie ahead for him AND the music industry. I think he probably foresaw the country music expolsion that later happened. A good example of this is how long his album "Moody Blue" spent on the country charts. Elvis was always able to change with the times, just as he had upon his return from the Army and again in 68 when the movies were no longer viable options, and so, he was changing once again.
Rock n' roll will always be what Elvis is remembered for most, and probably why most people wish he had done more of it in the 70s. But, I think the thing to remember most is not whether he should have done more rock or not, but the fact that he always did every kind of music great. And that's why he's Elvis.

[Dovey]

I only agree with what you replied with in part. I think as Elvis grew older, his tastes matured, and thus, less rock he did. I also don't think Elvis would have done more rock despite what he might have said in public, or to his friends. He always recorded what was in his heart. By the 70s, Elvis' rock music wasn't really considered rock for that period of time, it was more or less adult contemporary. This isn't to say that songs like "Burning Love" or "Promised Land" weren't great rock songs, and they are definite classics, but they didn't stay long on the charts. This was because rock was being defined by other artists and groups, and the nation as a whole listening audience just wasn't listening. And this despite how many sold out concerts Elvis had, or how many albums he sold. Rock was just simply headed in a diffrent direction.
I don't think RCA or Elvis lost their vision when it came to his albums. I think Col. Parker got in the way a bit too much, just as he did during Elvis' movie career. I think instead, Elvis envisioned what lie ahead for him AND the music industry. I think he probably foresaw the country music expolsion that later happened. A good example of this is how long his album "Moody Blue" spent on the country charts. Elvis was always able to change with the times, just as he had upon his return from the Army and again in 68 when the movies were no longer viable options, and so, he was changing once again.
Rock n' roll will always be what Elvis is remembered for most, and probably why most people wish he had done more of it in the 70s. But, I think the thing to remember most is not whether he should have done more rock or not, but the fact that he always did every kind of music great. And that's why he's Elvis.

I wasn't going to post on this topic but I agree with you 100% and believe that you are soooooo right!!!!!! Thanks for posting Dovey

[EnigmaticSun]

I think that it's a shame he's being remembered most for rock 'n roll. Elvis the image, yeah that's rock 'n roll, but Elvis the soul is first and foremost about gospel and ballads (can be 'black' ballads, like Roy Hamilton or the Platters, or 'white' ones, like Ernest Tubb or Hank Williams). Doncha forget rock music sprang from the religious styles and don't ever conclude white people don't know any rhythm, and all that jazz..

I don't hate 'Burning Love', but I do think Elvis wasn't in charge and not satisfied (he even admitted not liking this song). 'For The Good Times', 'He Touched Me', 'It's A Matter Of Time', those are the true classics from that particular era.

The movie years did bring some nice tunes, but all in all didn't give Elvis a true challenge and neither did Las Vegas. The same goes for all the drowning overdubs on the albums and the trouble he had with Kathy Westmoreland and the Sweet Inspirations.

Maybe he shouldn't have made those remarks in 1975 and just have them fired instead. Kathy is bearable to listen to on the Hawaiian Wedding Song, but often tried to blow away & drown Elvis. The Sweet Inspirations are terrible on anything that is a big ballad. I'm not saying they can't do it, but it's not that being black justifies those tremolo's. If they put their minds to it, they can learn not to pretend being the solo artist(s), which after all was Elvis himselvis. It's being strict, it's not a 'below the belt' comment. It's pointing out technical errors, not making insults.

If I add all these things up, I must admit that Johnny Cash was right when he mentioned 'the sound I missed through all the years after he became so popular and made records full of orchestration and overproduction'.

So what it comes down to, yeah Elvis matured, but on the other hand he was too generous, too shy and some people took advantage of it. So if he would have taken more autonomy, maybe there would have been more upbeat material (good old blues, rockabilly and rock 'n roll), but I don't think he would have sounded like Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple.

The roughest I heard him do was the Comeback Special and the first Las Vegas season. And even that material doesn't come close to the high screams other rock stars were doing. Not to trash the other guys, it's just saying that Elvis had a very rare and specific vocal quality.