Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
1956
Album Summary
Elvis Presley (released in the UK as Elvis Presley Rock n' Roll) is the debut studio album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. It was released by RCA Victor, on March 13, 1956, catalog number LPM-1254. The recording sessions took place on January 10 and January 11 at the RCA Victor Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and on January 30 and January 31 at the RCA Victor studios in New York. Additional material originated from sessions at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 5, August 19 and September 10 1954, and on July 11, 1955.The album spent ten weeks at number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in 1956, the first rock and roll album ever to make it to the top of the charts, and the first million-selling album of that genre. In 2003 and 2012, it was ranked number 56 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and at number 332 in a 2020 revised list. Elvis Presley was also one of three Presley albums to receive accolades in the reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It was certified gold on November 1, 1966 and platinum on August 8, 2011 by the Recording Industry Association of America.The original 1956 UK release called Rock n' Roll on HMV Catalog Number: CLP 1093 has five different tracks.
WikipediaI fully expected to give this album a 1 star review. Maybe it's because I had to listen to Abba yesterday but, in comparison, this is ... not offensive. And really, that was Elvis's whole deal, right? Let's take music being made by black people and remake it so that it's just white enough that white people won't be offended by its blackness. And it worked. And it had a lasting impact on the world because it - this album - helped bring Rock and Roll into the mainstream. Every track is still a shadow of the original but they're not bad. Just ... whitewashed.
Today it all seems so easy -- RCA signs up the kid from Memphis, television gets interested at around the same time, and the rest is history. The circumstances surrounding this album were neither simple nor promising, however, nor was there anything in the history of popular music up to that time to hint that Elvis Presley was going to be anything other than "Steve Sholes' folly," which was what rival executives were already whispering. So a lot was unsettled and untried at the first of two groups of sessions that produced the Elvis Presley album -- it wasn't even certain that there was any reason for a rock & roll artist to cut an album, because teenagers bought 45s, not LPs. The first of Elvis' RCA sides yielded one song, "Heartbreak Hotel," that seemed a potential single, but which no one thought would sell, and a few tracks that would be good enough for an album, if there were one. But no one involved knew anything for sure about this music. Seventeen days later, "Heartbreak Hotel" was released, and for about a month it did nothing -- then it began to move, and then Elvis appeared on television, and had a number one pop single. The album Sholes wanted out of Elvis came from two groups of sessions in January and February, augmented by five previously unissued songs from the Sun library. This was as startling a debut record as any ever made, representing every side of Elvis' musical influences except gospel -- rockabilly, blues, R&B, country, and pop were all here in an explosive and seductive combination. Elvis Presley became the first rock & roll album to reach the number one spot on the national charts, and RCA's first million dollar-earning pop album.
I absolutely loved listening to Elvis, especially knowing that this was during his most hopeful times. There's a bittersweetness that will always be a part of the Elvis listening experience. And, that version of blue moon!
The first album by the King. Actually, it accumulates some singles, outtakes and other things from the Sun sessions and brings them all together in a surprisingly cohesive album. It's Presley without the bells and whistles, the way he was meant to be heard. Lots of rockers and ballads, all compressed into less than a half an hour, yet still the best of the best.
Some awesome vocal performance and playing. This is how country and R&B became Rock. Shades of Robert Plant, later Dylan, influence on the Beatles.... The cover of Tutti Frutti doesn't hold up as well as I Gotta Woman. Blue Suede Shoes must have been a revelation and revolution in its' time. Feels in the moment more than 60 years later.
Every song is 2 minutes. Pop perfection. Feels like walking into a smoky bar in the 1950's. Looked at the Wiki page and Elvis didn't write any of these songs. Meat puppet. Forgot how much I liked "Blue Moon".
His name definitely creates a confirmation bias, but to me this album is legendary and perfect.
Elvis' first proper album, and talk about energy. Even the ballads have a raw but poppy feeling that mixes the past and the present (at the time). Knowing the history for this album helps as well. He covers black artists, unheard of at the time for a white artist.
Having listened to Elvis Presley my entire life, I wasn’t expecting any really new insights. Oops - turns out that a lifetime of listening to greatest hits collections denied me some of the excitement of early Elvis. Elvis recorded this between the ages of 19 - 21 and it is remarkable how polished his sound is. While there are a range of song styles Elvis transcends genre and brings it all together. He makes every song his own. A few interesting moments: “One-Sided Love Affair” I really enjoyed! I don’t recall hearing this song before, but his delivery is great. “Just Because” stood out to me. I don’t recall hearing this before. Love the guitar in this one. Elvis’ singing in “Trying to Get to You” is particularly good. “Blue Moon” is so pared back and haunting. A bit unusual and really showcases Elvis’ vocal skills. I did not expect to love this song but it is one of my favorites on the album. I initially thought it might be tough to drop in and rate the first album of an artist so ubiquitous as Elvis, but listening to this album felt surprisingly fresh. For a few moments I could feel the excitement of listening to Elvis for the first time. That cleared up any doubt that this deserves a 5.
I mean this is the start of something special. Definitely tight, punchy, and leaves you wanting more. Downsides are in shallow writing and a lack of fully developed sound
First Elvis LP I ever listened to all the way through, I get what the fuss was about now. Sparkly poppy rocking stuff from when it was all new.
There’s this trend of saying “pop music today is so formulaic; it’s all written by algorithm.” Listen to this and just realize how paint-by-numbers this all is. The cover of “Tutti-Frutti” is just as bad as Pat Boone’s. Elvis said he hated his “chicken squawk” voice pre-army, but I really prefer it. This is only on the list for its history of being one of the first “albums.” Favourite track: “Blue Suede Shoes”
Ce matin, je lançais cet album au moment de me préparer un bon thé matinal. Alors que ma tasse était à moitié remplie d'eau bouillante, Elvis s'arrêta soudain de chanter. Je me demandais ce qu'il pouvait bien se passer. "Peut-être un problème de connexion" soupirais-je. Je dévérouillais alors mon téléphone pour vérifier la qualité du signal wi-fi, mais la connextion semblait impeccable. J'ouvrais donc l'application Spotify, et c'est là que je compris: l'album était déjà terminé.
Comme je vous l'expliquais dans ma critique de Kraftwerk il y a de cela quelques mois, j'ai pour habitude de sortir avec les anciennes fréquentations de mon compère d'écoute et ennemi juré eltrapeze. J'effectuai récemment en ce sens quelques recherches dans le but de savoir quelles étaient les dernières en date et pris contact avec elles par courriel. Après leur avoir fait passer à chacune un entretien virtuel, j'annonçai à l'une d'elles qu'elle avait été choisie pour me rejoindre en Basse-Saxe et ainsi pouvoir sortir avec moi, Robvestiaire. eltrapeze étant interdit de séjour dans cette région, elle n'avait absolument rien à craindre. Celle-ci prit son billet et me rejoignit dans le nord de l'Allemagne. À son arrivée, nous nous rendîmes à l'hôtel. Une fois la porte de notre chambre franchie, elle me déshabilla, me jeta sur le lit et m'embrassa de la manière la plus sauvage qui soit tout en proférant des propos injurieux à l'égard d'eltrapeze. « Attends, je vais mettre de la musique. » l'interrompis-je soudain. Je me levai, connectai mon enceinte JBL à mon portable, cliquai sur l'album Elvis Presley, et la posai sur la table située au bord de la fenêtre. Croyez-le ou non, au moment où je regagnai le lit, l'album était déjà terminé. Je décidai de me rhabiller et de raccompagner cette demoiselle à la gare.
An absolute chore to listen to, and I say that as some who doesn’t mind a little bit of Elvis. I think we need to ask the hard question though. Was Elvis really that good? Or was 1950s America that racist that they wouldn’t give the time of day to arguably much better African-American recording artists of the time? I’m going with the later and think we should stop looking at this album through rose tints. Highlights 1. Money Honey (cause it marked the end of the album)
Album histórico e extremamente importante. Destaque para: Blue Suede Shoes, I'm Counting on You e Trying to get to You. Dá pra ouvir muito de Beatles nas duas últimas
Classic album, start to finish. Elvis raw as ever and about to start killing it in his career!
Disco referencial. La primera piedra del mito sustentada en rock&roll primigenio. Obra maestra por el impacto, por el momento y por las formas.
14th July 2021 Listened on the living room speaker while in bed on my first day at the FT! Feels very strange but the sun is out and I have coffee in bed. An album that signalled the birth of rock and roll.
Theres seriously nothing like Elvis Presley out there. Such an all around enjoyable album. Maybe because he was a defining force of todays popular music, it's culturally easy to listen to, but it's still a 5 for me, also considering the impact of Elvis and his style in the popmusic industry.
As a native Memphian this one hits close to home. Growing up the guy became a gimmick and eye-roll when suggested by someone outside of Memphis, but I had forgotten how successful an artist he was. Good album, would listen again. Even with the cover.
Hi: I Love You Because, Just Because, Blue Moon Lo: None It's amazing how Elvis hit the ground running with this debut album; Every vocal is buttery smooth, every plunk of the piano deliberate, every strum of the guitar purposeful. Yet parents at the time hated it, thinking that the inevitable hip-swinging would bring about an immoral apocalypse of promiscuity. 65 years later, Elvis just sounds quant and wholesome enough to play in nurseries and Sunday school. Does it hold up? If you peel away all the influences and echos in today's music, this is the framework that would be left, and who knows what rock n' roll would look like today if this album had never existed.
I didn't expect to give this 5 but it's great. Can't believe I had never listened to it from start to finish before.
How odd to simply listen to an Elvis album. These songs and this sound has been so ubiquitous that it's hard to imagine a time before they existed. This was great. I'm so impressed with the musicianship and the marriage of blues and country. Very enjoyable.
I am a fan of Elvis, but I was surprised that I enjoyed this album as much as I did. I guess I didn't expect it to have a good of sound quality and energy. It was great!
The King's début! It's an artifact as much as entertainment. And it is entertaining. The intro to Blue Suede Shoes is maybe one of my favorite album openers, ever. Love this song. "One-Sided Love Affair" is a new favorite. "Tutti Fruitti" is an old favorite. It's true that part of my love for this album is as a historical document, but I do love this music!
Classic Elvis at his early best, I really am impressed with the quality here and justifiably on the list. Great record that, like the Beatles, changed the whole music scene. "Blue Suede Shoes" & "Tutti Frutti" stand out tracks and also Ray Charles's "I Got A Woman" but the sheer musicianship of the bands he worked with stand out. I would definitely have it in my collection. Although I prefer the Clash's 1979 Pastiche cover for London Calling (Which is in my collection)
Great album - Elvis really can sing, excellent band and timeless classics, you can see how he repackaged black american music for white ears but it's still a five star
Not just 5/5 because it's Elvis - it's so good. What must it have been like to hear this at the end of the 50s? It really rocks
This is the king of rock'n'roll. I've got this album: nice album! Here he makes some covers, great covers. And all the songs are very good.
Swinging great tunes, massive historical impact, know they're all covers but what music isn't? 4.6
És difícil no donar les 5 estrelles al disc, malgrat el seu contingut ha quedat ja tan superat. Bressol de tot plegat, punt d'inflexió musical, cultural i sociològic al segle XX. Va ajudar a construir la cultura pop a la qual vivim i els seus temes són ja estàndards del rock i d'una època
It's the King's first album. Pretty much all of the music in this list wouldn't be there without this. It's five stars just for it's importance. The tunes are great as well. Let's face it, he was an alien wasn't he? Best Tracks: Blue Suede Shoes; Tutti Frutti; Blue Moon
Awesomely paced album. I’d never listened to it, but I can see why he had such musical influence.
Amazing songs (NOT written by Elvis) that are sung by an amazing performer. Looking at it strictly from an entertainment and enjoyment perspective, this is a solid 5/5 album. The vocals are just so solid, energetic, and magical. The songs as originally sung by their respective artists are great as well, but Elvis' voice is just something special.
It’s important to remember that all those rappers who shit on Elvis back in the day are all playing cops on TV right now...so fuck all of them. This shit is older than me and still slaps...and not the Will Smith kind either. If you can’t get with this, you’re so square, baby I don’t care.
This is rather timely for me, seeing as how the Elvis biopic is coming out soon (or is out? I don't know, I only keep tabs on arthouse films). It had to be him. You know how things were in the 50s when it came to nascent rock and roll. The prime originators of the genre, who happened to be Black, wouldn't get the most out of the notoriety that Elvis put forth. So he had to be the blueprint. Rock and roll had to be molded in his image and it's an image that still captivates in these two centuries, from album cover on down. Sure, the songs are all covers but there is also conviction and purpose and Elvis had that in spades. If it wasn't for this album, who knows how the next several years would turn out. Maybe it'd be dismal, maybe nothing would change. We'll never know because the path forward only takes less than thirty minutes.
"Blue Suede Shoes", the covers of "I Got A Woman" and "Tutti Frutti", that incredibly moody "Blue Moon" ballad... Here are a few of the highlights from Elvis' historical first LP. Everything here points to a landmark album, contrary to that "Elvis Is Back" record that's also part of this list for reasons that have more to do with marketing than genuine influence. This one is the soundtrack *par excellence* for every American diner out there, from Memphis to Tokyo. Of course, Elvis is not the originator of true rock n' roll, African Americans were. But it's hard to deny the appeal and cultural imprint this seminal record left on... well, almost *everything* that came right after it! And even far later than that (see the lettering on the cover of The Clash's *London Calling*, for instance...) So 5 stars, if only for that. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 862 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 76 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 34 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 29
So this was his 1st album! That's what I call hitting the ground running. Lots of really good songs on here: Blue Suede Shoes, I Got A Woman, Tutti Frutti, but my favourite is the less know song Blue Moon. (The Blue Moon Boys was the nickname of the band on this album) He is the King and this is one of the precious few LPs before he went to the army and died.
Fun to drive to. Interesting to hear all the “filler” tracks to get a sense of what people were listening to back in the day. Blue Suede Shoes is a classic but hearing everything else gives it more context. Cool piece of rock n roll/pop music history.
It arguably all started here. What is not arguable is that this was the first rock and roll record to hit number one. In retrospect it is a bit uneven, but that is a minor quibble. Elvis is the King.
I think my grandmother will disown me if i didn't like this haha but yea, this is good music and not my first time listening to this
King of Rock has to have a spot on this list. This album contained many of his greatest hits.
Songs are ok, recording pretty basic. There are a lot more exciting albums from that era. Though it's definitely easy to see why it started off rock and roll. Simple instrumentation but effective.
As you would expect from The King. He blew the doors wide open with a wink and a wiggle.
An amazing intro to young Elvis. Whether it was cultural appropriation or bringing a new type of music to an audience who wasn't as openminded as we are today, it's still a fun listen.
Short and sweet! Most of the songs are around 2 minutes in length, so it's a nice quick tour of some fun songs. It's nice to hear so many styles represented and blended--and to see the roots of what would become other genres.
I really liked this! I've never listened to much Elvis, but I thought this was a really good album, especially for the time it was made.
There are a lot of songs I didn't realize were on one album. I didn't think I was a big Elvis fan but it kept me moving during work.
Though I loved his sound, it was definitely in the back of my mind that a lot of these were covers of black artists. Preferred his high energy songs to the crooning.
Wonderful Chet Atkins guitar throughout, especially on Just Because. Blue Moon is just eery.
Short sweet and to the point as the King steps into the room. From the opening bars of "Blue Suede Shoes" you're hooked. You're in love. You're making eyes at the cute gal making milkshakes at the sockhop only to jump into your hotrod and race away into the night. This album is alive, full of youthful energy. It is regal, when the king steps into the room. They say he is only sleeping under Graceland, until the great and fateful day when he is needed. Only then will the king return.
THIS SHIT IS JAMMER!!! My favourite album I've listen to so far. It's not just the jammers like blue suede shoes and tutti frutti but other songs are such nice changes of pace. Fav songs: Blue suede shoes, tutti frutti, just because, I'll never let you go, Blue moon 9/M
Found it really hard to rate due to the ubiquity of some of the songs in popular culture.
12 Songs 28 minutes. Opens up with a cracker in Blue Suede Shoes. I Got a Woman too great tune. Tooti Frutti. Great stuff
The lyrics are cheesy, the sound dated, but oOoo baby there's magic in the pairing of this man's voice and the polished production. The King is dead, long live the King
I’m pretty blown away by this album. Especially after Fats, which I liked, but felt was one note. I’ve generally liked Elvis when I’ve heard his songs but written him off because of the flabby-pill-ridden-Graceland thing. But like all great American stories I’ve since learned that his weirdness was on account of the trauma of fame and caused by his handlers working him to the bone and there was once a pure young starry eyed Elvis who loved black music and this album is that Elvis. But shouldn’t I wag my finger at this album because it represents the musical appropriation of black culture which set in motion 50 yrs of great music and deepened the rock and roll lie perpetuated by white supremacy? Elvis is really the Christopher Columbus of American music. The Tuti Fruti cover seems egregious and a step too far. However, the rockabilly sound of country and rock is undeniable. The variety of ballads and swinging is fantastic. The vocal/pitch variations at the end of the album are great—I hear Mac Demarco in Blue Moon. In a vacuum this would be a five. But we don’t live in a vacuum, and as an apology to black culture and a finger wag to white supremacy I’m going to ding this album one star.
This is a weird album to me because I know a few of these songs but not this version of these songs. "blue moon" is a bop, not as good as The Marcel's version but still interesting to hear the original.
Liked the album. I saved a few in Liked Songs. I think it got a little slow around the middle. But great album !!
Presley has a really good voice in this. I was surprised I enjoyed the deep-cuts so much. Good classic rock guitar work
My thought going into this: hm, Elvis is usually an easy listen, I should be able to get through this without too much effort. My thoughts after listening: what a time machine. Made me feel like I was livin’ the 50s rockabilly life, whatever that was. Great fun and gave me a few smiles, especially the more upbeat numbers which were separated by slow, corny love ballads with flat lyrics. He does some cool things with his voice, which I really like. And it was so, so much fun to listen to. I couldn’t give it less than 4 stars.
probably a 3.5 for me musically, but definitely deserves to be on this list and bumping up for cultural significance.
Emoji Monday = 😀🕺🏽 “Blue Suede Shoes” was one of the first ‘adult’ songs I started listening to on my own as a preteen. This brought back pleasant memories of the families’ old portable record player and me rocking- out in the basement. Elvis’ voice is unparalleled even on this early, somewhat uneven material. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Each track is bouncy and full of energy. Great listen I Got a Woman was a surprise to pop up for sure and recognized other tracks from not Elvis
I have previously talked poorly of Elvis on this project but he pulls through on this OG record.
Easy 4. I thought there would be more of the classic hits on here since it's one of the classic album art examples, but still good.
Second Listen. Brilliant Album. Loved it (almost every song). Standouts: Blue Moon, I'm Counting on you, I Love You Because,
Nice, easy, comforting, traditional, too characteristic - would not listen if not goin for a theme though
I’m sure this was a hugely impactful album and had great influence on the era. It is still pretty good. 6.8 out of 10
I really enjoyed listening to this! I love ‘I got a Woman’- great track. It does get the hips moving- even on a Sunday morning! You can imagine that this must have been scandalous for fifties ‘dads’ whose teenage daughters were listening to it!
A really good album. 4/5. Stand out: Blue Moon, Tryin' to Get to you, Blue Suede Shoes.
La cosa es que hay tantísimo material de Elvis que cada disco tiene algo bueno que sacarle y este no es la excepción. Especialmente para ser el primero, de 1956, este disco tiene un par de joyas. Blue Suede Shoes es la rola que define al Elvis rockanrolero (separado del Elvis Contry y el Elvis romántico) con esa forma de cantar como con pequeños e intencionales gallos que se vuelven icónicos. Blue Moon es también una excelente rola que se vuelve la firma de lo que es cantarle a una enamorada. Por otro lado, aunque el disco es cortito, también tiene un par de cosas que no brillan igual, como I Love You Because y I'll Never Let You Go.
One of the best things Elvis ever did was bring good music to a wider audience. That being said, what a voice he had.
4.0 - It's hard to judge Elvis based on his own musical merits because he wrote none of these songs. Certainly, he's a soulful crooner and he does justice to most of these songs, with the exception of "Tutti Frutti" and "I Got a Woman" that sound weak compared to their originals. Still, I think it's a great record and a fun spin.
This is the Elvis I have always known and grown up with. I think I could listen to any song on this album and be happy.
This is incredible for the debut album that popularized rock n roll. There's only like two tracks ("I'm Counting on You" and "Just Because") that I really don't like. All the other tracks are solid. There's a fair mix of rock n roll and traditional pop songs. It's like a school dance, going back and forth between upbeat and slow dances, but I wish they didn't change every two or three songs. You can hear the country influences in songs like "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry," reminding me country used to actually be good in the 50s and 60s. Strange highlight for me is "Blue Moon," my favorite track but also a very usual ballad. There's intense energy in the covers "Blue Suede Shoes," "Tutti Frutti," and "Money Honey," and of course with his signature vocals, they really do give the most popular versions (Perkins, Little Richard) a run for their money. Probably my favorite Elvis album, and it's not just for the mass influence on rock music. Favorites: Blue Moon, I'll Never Let You Go, Blue Suede Shoes, I Got a Woman, I Love You Because
Classic album from Elvis in the early, early days of rock and roll. Tight, energetic and fun to listen to. His covers really don't touch the originals most of the time, but they don't need to. His charisma, his resonant, heartfelt vocal style, his raw talent. 66 years later, and the music still speaks for itself. Fave Songs: Blue Suede Shoes, Money Honey, Blue Moon, I Got a Woman, I'm Counting on You, One Sided Love Affair
Such a vibe, I loved listening to it. I can only imagine a young Elvis signing his first deal back in the 50s. Very classic and fun album. Favourite songs: I'm Gonna Sit Down and Cry (Over You), Blue Suede Shoes, I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin').
Elvis's debut in all of its glory. What a fantastic debut that has aged rather well for just how old it is. Probably one of my favorite renditions of Blue Moon ever (Take 9/M version). Absolutely beautiful. Can't believe he was only19 when he recorded that track.
All in all a pretty good album. Contains some essential Elvis songs but also contains quite a few filler songs that aren't at all memorable. But also a couple of underrated sleeper tracks. Just a good nice easy listen.
Pretty good! I'm sure that this was a lot more groundbreaking in 1956 as opposed to 2022, but I still like it. I really liked the lead guitar throughout the album. I'm not the biggest 50s rock fan, but this still holds up, even if it didn't knock my socks off.
Who doesn’t love Elvis? I had never listened to one of his albums in its entirety, which is probably true for many of these artists, but I enjoyed this. I didn’t know this was the first rock and roll album ever to make it to the top of the charts.
This review took me a while because I kept feeling like I was missing something. It could be generational, but I haven't been blown away by much of what I've heard. His version of Hound Dog is a sloppy non-sensical mess next to Big Mama Thornton's. I thought Elvis is Back! (our previous pick) was boring. At least I thought this debut album was better, but I still was having a hard time seeing what was GREAT. So, I did a real deep dive. I compared Elvis's versions of these songs to the previous versions (only 2 songs on the album are debuts, although Elvis didn't write anything - that wasn't a "thing" back then). I also watched some videos to compare. Here are my two main takeaways: 1) In almost all cases, Elvis's version is faster and wilder. In some cases that made the song more exciting, but it wasn't always a better thing. 2) You can't fully appreciate Elvis without the visual part. Elvis had moves and charisma and style. I watched various early performances, focusing on videos around the time this album came out. That's really what I think grabbed people. For example, Carl Perkins' original Blue Suede Shoes is a good track. Slower, but basically the same song. I watched a video of Carl Perkins and he was clearly the superior musician - great voice and really good guitar playing. But then I watched Elvis perform it and he was in a different league when it came to energy and charisma (and I guess sex appeal if that's your thing). So, I think to understand why Elvis was considered GREAT you can't just listen, you have to watch. I'm giving this album a 4 not a 5 because the album is just the music, not the entire package. It's really enjoyable but a lot of the individual tracks are done better by others (for example, Little Richard's original Tutti Frutti is so much better. Then again, Little Richard IS rock & roll). The only track on this debut album I didn't like was Blue Moon. I listened to the first recorded version of this Rodgers & Hart standard (recorded by Ted Fio Rito and His Orchestra) and that was much better than the Elvis version (incidentally, the definitive version of Blue Moon is the later doo wop version by the Marcels with the famous doo wop line that I won't even attempt to type - just go listen). Favorite Tracks: Blue Suede Shoes, I Got a Woman (but go listen to the Ray Charles version!), One-Sided Love Affair (Elvis's singing style on this song is very entertaining), I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You), I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin'), Money Honey.
I don't know. I struggle with this whole era, where everyone is doing the same songs in their own style. Where's the originality? And how do you rate an artist who basically just sings and plays an instrument? I would roast a pop star from today's era who did that. I guess I'm rating the album but I didn't find it that interesting on first listen. Part of the problem is, from what I understand, the best music was released as singles back then. So albums contained weaker tracks. I'd agree here. This was the birth of rock and roll and the energy or passion on the album comes and goes. Blue Suede Shoes was great and in fact the first half of the album was pretty solid. I'm Counting on You was not as good (sound quality also weak); I Love You Because is a better soft ballad. Elvis' version of Tutti Frutti is inferior to Little Richard's. But he brings it back with Trying to Get to You. The last 4 tracks were a bit meh (including this version of Blue Moon - terrible arrangement). The album got noticeably better on second listen though. So, redeemed but not amazing.
I can really only imagine how this must have sounded to white people when it first came out: this is a really solid album that lays the foundation for some of Elvis’ best work later on. The hits are great, and his version of “Blue Moon” is a surprising lo-fi knockout.
Hvad á madur ad segja, rann vel í gegn. Hljóðheimur sem er búinn ad vera alltaf í kringum mig. Hlusta ekki mikið á Elvis nú til dags en yngri lögin hafa þó yfirleitt höfðað meira til mín.
Shame so many people stole the King's music and pre-dated it to the release of this album.
Starts with a bang...Blue Suede Shoes. There is some let up afterwards but not much. Sometimes I do feel his vocals are like his acting; overdone! But in general the production is clean and the vocal performance spot on. Other hilights; I got a woman, I'm counting on you, Blue Moon and Money Honey. But, personally I'll take Buddy Holly everyday and twice on Sundays. 4 🌟
The album is filled with solid 50’s rock and crooner-style music. Very easy to listen to. My favorite was Blue Suede Shoes.
Listened to on 6/27/22 4/5 Favorite song: blue suede shoes Elvis is and forever will continue to be a bop - I might be biased cause I just saw the movie but damn was this man talented from the very beginning
Great album, good performances of classics by Elvis. Really enjoyed it. Nice to hear some tracks I hadn’t heard of before.
Good album, not because it's Elvis, but because it's legitimately a good album. Blue Suede Shoes probably the best, most recognizable song on the album but all else strong. A couple covers I noticed. 8/10.
I'm not too much of a Elvis listener, but this album is SO EASY. There are a couple of tracks that i'd rather not have there, but the record is already short as it is, so they serve a function. Maybe 3.8 rather than a 4
4/5 Fantastic debut album from Elvis. Decent production, good selection of songs covered. Favourite Cover was Blue Moon. It's quite different to other versions.