Posted: 25 Jul 2006, 17:43
If he had died, say, after The Sun Sessions, he would be lionised around these parts as one of the greatest unsung rockabilly heroes ever. But, to the extent that he did, Elvis survived, and changed the musical world.
Let's, for a moment, forget the iconography, forget skinny-versus-fat Elvis, and just concentrate on his artistry. The guy sang rockabilly like no other, sang country beautifully, and his gospel work is nothing short of astonishing. In fact, it's mind-boggling to think that someone responsible for singing some of the most atrocious songs (those horrible, indefensible '60s soundtracks) was also responsible for some of the greatest white gospel singing ever (check out How Great Thou Art and see what I mean). And that's not even counting his unforgettable string of hits.
Yes, he made (or was forced to make - I don't care which) some very poor artistic choices. That, to me, is sometimes part and parcel of great art - sometimes one has to wade through shit to get to the gold. But that doesn't negate what he actually contributed to music, which is nothing short of amazing.
Album - The Sun Sessions
Song - 'Crying In The Chapel' or 'Blue Moon'
Let's, for a moment, forget the iconography, forget skinny-versus-fat Elvis, and just concentrate on his artistry. The guy sang rockabilly like no other, sang country beautifully, and his gospel work is nothing short of astonishing. In fact, it's mind-boggling to think that someone responsible for singing some of the most atrocious songs (those horrible, indefensible '60s soundtracks) was also responsible for some of the greatest white gospel singing ever (check out How Great Thou Art and see what I mean). And that's not even counting his unforgettable string of hits.
Yes, he made (or was forced to make - I don't care which) some very poor artistic choices. That, to me, is sometimes part and parcel of great art - sometimes one has to wade through shit to get to the gold. But that doesn't negate what he actually contributed to music, which is nothing short of amazing.
Album - The Sun Sessions
Song - 'Crying In The Chapel' or 'Blue Moon'