Journey Of The Elvii

With a Christian name cribbed from Stiff Records finest angry singer-songwriter and an LP cover which is a clear homage to The Clash London Calling, I am afraid that there is little originality to commend Elvis Presley to you all.

However, after a few listens I would urge you to overlook this plagiarism and not condemn this young man out of hand; with a little luck and the right career breaks he could aspire to be as big as Shakin’ Stevens one day.

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Okay, okay, some records are a bit too own-gravitational-pull big to approach head on, Elvis Presley is one of those. Short review: it still sounds great, even the outdated bits.

Skinny, sexy Elvis has always been my bag, I have very little time for own-gravitational-pull-in-a-jumpsuit Elvis, no matter how great a few of those songs were that people had written for him. It doesn’t get skinnier or sexier Elvis than Elvis Presley, his first long player.

After buying out Elvis’ Sun Records contract for $40k, RCA Records made a cool $1m from Elvis Presley, released in 1956 to capitalise on the success of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’*. Taking the more country styled tunes he had cut for Sun a number of R&B covers were added into the mix and the resulting gumbo poured into this spiral scratch.

It is difficult to even pretend to be objective about a LP that starts with ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, Mr Presley vamping it up all over the Carl Perkins penned stop-start rhythm. There is still something wonderfully dandified and cuddly-menacing about it all, especially those of us rather partial to drinking liquor from an old fruit-jar.

‘I’m Counting On You’ is also quite wonderful, the King emoting like never before, all black velvet and grown Irish men with quiffs crying in dingy London pubs at lunchtime. His version of Ray Charles’ ‘I Got A Woman’ is wonderfully sexy, 67 years ago it must have sounded like an alien invasion from planet Sexalon 5.

The rollicking boogie of ‘One-Sided Love Affair’ is pure fun times, the piano by either Floyd Cramer, Shorty Long or Marvin Hughes** is fabulous. I struggle a bit with the maudlin ‘I Love You Because’***, but that’s okay because Because songs have been stacked up on this corner of the LP and it is followed by the minimal strut of ‘Just Because’, just because …

Elvis version of ‘Tutti Frutti’ would be great if I’d never heard Little Richard, it just sounds pallid if you have unfortunately^. Good though it is, this is very much missionary position with the lights out, not up against the bins with a partner of indeterminate gender and no little skill after 5 minutes acquaintance.

I have a soft spot for the slightly surly country swing of ‘Trying To Get To You’, I love the way he raises his voice part way through. The polite rockabilly of ‘I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)’ is far too mannered for my tastes, but that’s okay because ‘Blue Moon’ is up next.

Weaned on various doo-wop versions of ‘Blue Moon’ this version was a surprise when I heard it. There is a deliciously spectral quality to it, Presley’s voice spread like honey over a minimalist clippety-cloppety beat. To hear a man using his voice to hit those falsetto parts back in ’56 must have been a real girdle buster. It’s absolutely beautiful, sometimes my very favourite track on Elvis Presley, or even by him.

The closing, surly again, ‘Money Honey’ is a surprisingly slow treat, again one of the previously mentioned trio of pianists does a great job of adding texture.

Then wham, bang Elvis Presley is over and done with in 28:03, absolutely perfect timing.

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In closing I should point out that I was always destined to love Elvis (I have since I was about 7) because like all the very best things on Earth he was, in a very real sense, Welsh. Yeah, I know he was born in Tupelo and not Tredegar, but hear me out. Elvis’ surname was derived from the Preseli mountains in Pembrokeshire, his parents (Gladys and Vernon) both had Welsh names, his aunt was linked to a family on the Gower peninsula and he had black hair and put weight on when he didn’t watch what he ate.

Ultimately though the proof is that like everything Welsh, he was sexier, more revolution-y and life-affirminger than the world had ever seen before.

Not to over emphasise my own importance in his life story and legacy but my purchase of Elvis Presley feels like he has finally completed his cultural journey.

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My copy of Elvis Presley is sadly not a pristine carefully hoarded copy from 1956, but a recent knock-off copy on Glamourama Records^^ which follows the original US track listing; which is superior to the British version. It also throws in a coloured vinyl 7″ of Rockin’ Presley, with 4 absolute bangers on it from 1956.

The pressing is absolutely fine, as are the sleevenotes and it was a good price, so I recommend it if you see it.

1190 Down.

PS; Yes I know it’s from 12 years later, but this is freaking great:

*not included on the original LP.

**the credits are a bit imprecise, very much in the manner of the times.

***see also ‘I’ll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin)’.

^I remember John Lennon talking about how upset he was when he first heard Little Richard because he was so much better than Elvis, his absolute idol.

^^hopefully nobody read Brett Easton Ellis overlong, ultimately very disappointing book of the same name and named their company after it.