Reviews (page 9 of 14)
As this is my first Elvis album I feel like I should say a few things. It's a shame I have no things to say. Favourite track: Blue Suede Shoes.
Second Elvis album in a week, it's more or less the same thing. This is his debut album and is probably my favorite of the three that I've gotten on here, but it still just doesn't do a ton for me on the whole. It's mostly covers (not surprising for the time) and is definitely a bit more raw than some of his later stuff. This one does have a few famous songs, including the opener "Blue Suede Shoes". "I'm Counting on You" comes next, and it doesn't seem to a super big song of his but I thought it was the standout on here. "Blue Moon" has a nice vibe too. If the other two Elvis albums on here are 3s this is probably a 3.5, but not sure there's enough to round up for me. This one is also notable for the cover art, which is both iconic and has been mimicked a few times over the years by other artists (most famously The Clash's London Calling). Favorite song: I'm Counting on You Other: Blue Suede Shoes, I Got a Woman, I Love You Because, Just Because, Tutti Frutti, Trying to Get to You, I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin'), Blue Moon 10/28/24
Blue Suede Shoes 4 I'm Counting on You 3.4 I Got a Woman 3.5 One Sided Love Affair 3.2 I Love You Because 3 Just Because 3 Tutti Frutti 3.5 Tryin' to Get to You 3.3 I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You) 3.2 I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin') 3 Blue Moon 3.1 Money Honey 3.2 Score: 3.283333333
Elvis is ok. It’s complicated.
The only Elvis album you need to listen to. Moreso as an historical artifact than something that's worth listening to today. Stick to the greatest hits
I have found that it's really hard to rate oldies like this one. Obviously, Elvis' influence on popular music cannot be overstated, but his music has grown old faster than some of the other albums from the same era. It's good to hear it and understand its place and importance, but its still not really my thing to go back to and enjoy. 3/5
I had higher expectations for this and was a little disappointed. Too cartoony for me.
Vividly remember this when it came out — JK, I was nine months old. Outside of Blue Suede Shoes, this was just so-so, but gets a 3 up from a 2 just based on its historical significance. Even though my parents kinda liked/tolerated the Beatles in 1963-1964 when they became huge, I imagine to the extent they knew of Elvis or this album in 1956 they would have shit bricks over it at that point in time. You go, E!
Funny to think millions went crazy for this.
2/10 Maybe with time this album could grow on me but for now im rating it a 2
This exceeded my expectations! It's got pretty good range, and a bunch of enduring songs. I don't think I'd ever come back to it voluntarily, but this held up far better than I thought it would.
Been getting into blues stuff as of late. Ngl this is a pretty interesting way to dip my toe in this sort of thing, reminds me of eddy Arnold's country stuff in a way.
Elvis has never really been my thing, but this album gave me a new appreciation for his talent. And frankly, it's sexy!
Trying to leave the racial implications aside... This is still not good. None of the songs are his. I only liked Blue Suede Shoes and I still prefer the original Carl Perkins version. Elvis was a product that benefited from other artist's work. If not for that song I would consider giving this a 1.
It's a kind of music that makes you wanna hit the dancefloor and shake your knees. Classic before its times album. It shook the rock and roll and made its wheels spin.
Very fun. Felt like some of the tracks were annoying but some standouts. Could see myself playing this in the background while doing just about anything. Fav Songs: I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry, Blue Suede Shoes
Elvis is such a bloody legend! There are some great tracks on this album. Some don't even sound like him.
This is the Elvis that the Beatles would have listened to and wanted to emulate when they were still trying to make a name for themselves. Elvis was OK as was this album but I've never been much of a fan.
All good. He was a great artist and this album good
Pre-war Elvis is obviously the best Elvis and his debut is strong. He’s still searching for his sound here. Blue Suede Shoes and I Got A Woman feel fully formed. The ballads less so - there’s a strong Buddy Holly sound to some of them.
Some good, timeless songs. A trio back in time that shows the importance of Elvis and his impact on rock and roll. A lot of boring, repetitive music, however.
More of a greatest hits type of guy
Elvis is my mom's favorite. I get it! 5/5
Quite fun, liked that the songs were short and easy to listen to.
Blue Suede Shoes strong rocking up-tempo tune - I guess the kids would call it a 'banger'. Very charming vocals in the rest of the songs, which gives them a lot of life, but would feel out of place in the "clean' music of today. I doubt the rest of the songs can stand up to much of a relisten.
Elvis was special. He oozes so much character on this record, it almost sounds like a comeplete charicature. This is my 3rd listen and I've finally started really loving the middle of this album. I find Elvis is still strongest on this album during the slower songs, that take of "Blue Moon" is insane. I listened to it while on the verge of sleeping and it was mind blowing. Also the guitar work on this album is fantastic
Blue Suede Shoes and Tutti Frutti are still good and there's some other moments on here I liked. It's never gonna be my favorite Elvis album but I'm trying to imagine what this sounded like back in 1956.
Was a historical classic, but do not listen to much anymore
Absolute classic!
Not a huge early Elvis fan, but was an easy listen.
Listened Before? N Interesting is the word I'd use to describe this one. Elvis' first album and you can tell they hadn't quite landed on the sound they wanted him to have. He was trying all kinds of different voices and styles... but, in the end, song 1- Blue Suede Shoes is the style that worked. Great song, and a decent album. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Blue Suede Shoes
the best thing is 37 minutes
Am I the only one that doesn’t like Elvis’ voice? Didn’t enjoy it at all.
Il classico. Meno on kova, laulu hienoa ja tanssijalka vipattaa. Mikäs sen parempaa. Ilkeesti vaan meinaan aina itse kyllästyä Elvikseen muutaman biisin jälkeen, se vetää niin överimaneerisesti… melkein kolmonen sen takia, mut sen verran tyylipuhdas ja raikas, ei yhtään ryppyotsainen suoritus, että en voi.
Osa biiseistä on valittu varman päälle, osa mielikuvitusta käyttäen - ja kaikki kuulostaa helvetin hyvältä. Taustabändi Scotty Mooreineen on ehkä paras koskaan. Ja vaikka balladit eivät ole levyn vetonauloja, ne kuuluvat kokonaisuuteen erottamattomasti, enkä hyväksy niiden pilkkaamista: artisti tulkitsee hidastakin materiaalia verrattomalla omaperäisyydellä ja - en keksi muutakaan sanaa - röyhkeydellä. Levy, joka kaikkien täytyy kuulla, ja joka taatusti kestää kuuntelua. 4+
It's Elvis, it's alright.
Rock'n'Roll That's it ❤️❤️❤️
Some of the King’s best work
Very Elvis, he was eccentric from the beginning, the album is solid blues rock n roll, and the silliness he brings to some songs really is unique.
Giving an additional point for historical significance, but there's nothing Elvis was doing here that others weren't doing better (Little Richard's version of Tutti Frutti is superior), and some of these songs are terrible (One Sided Love Affair).
Not really my bag. I like some of Elvis’ stuff but it’s difficult to put the music era into perspective. It’s like a very rough version of early Beatles
nothing special nowadays
Not bad
Elvis was influential. He had major sex appeal/rizz. I mean we all know the words to his many hits. Never listened to this album through all that but I enjoyed it
Solid sub-30 minute block of OG early Elvis here, nice times. Lot of shakin and vibrato and great stripped back band.
Short and sweet. Not much to criticize, good singer, good music. Mid lyrics I guess. Not exactly my genre, but I can’t complain about much. So 3.5 or 4
I am not really an Elvis fan.
The cover might look like he's singing. He's yawning A few days ago I couldn't finish the first song. Demoralizing
It only took 531 albums but it finally clicked for me. This list isn't about 1001 albums that are worth spending your time listening to (given that the vast majority of them are complete wastes of time and do not sound pleasant to the ears at all) but 1001 albums that you /should/ have listened to for the purpose of partaking in musical history and overall general knowledge of what has been. Even if this album does not hold a candle to anything that has been made since then, I can understand how this guy was literally the coolest thing since sliced bread when he was active and touring. To move on to my review of the album, I can't believe this guy was the Mr. Beast of the 50's, that's crazy
Alright, not his best album nor really my cup of tea 4/10
this album was alright. i felt like it showcased levi’s’ talent more than anything. didn’t like the beats or the repetitive lyrics but i can appreciate the talent and how beautiful his voice is.
Actually really loved this one. I don’t listen to Elvis too much, hardly ever. so it was a nice surprise
It's fun how much early rock and roll was very country like. But I liked it more than I expected, as I'm usually not that much of a fan of 50s music!
Good one. I have listened to this recently.
Yawn soz
I found this very mind-numbing, it was like he recorded as many songs as he could just to see what would stick… it worked tho ofc he got Blue suede shoes out of it Standout tracks: - Blue suede shoes - Trying to get to you - Blue moon
Good music. IT gets a little repetitive after a while, but its also fun to hear all tehse classics together.
What a classic album. It really shows how Elvis shined right out the gate. Start to finish, it's hit after hit.
Feels nice to listen to. It is music from a bygone era, a time which I will never truly understand what it is like to live in, since I was born more than half a century since its release, yet I enjoyed this album.
I love you because Pretty banger album I won’t lie
I’ve always heard Elvis stole all his songs, but wow.
I like it
It's a fine early Elvis offering. Of course there's plenty of the typical-of-the-time white guy doing black music in a less impressive way, and this is far from Elvis at his most mature vocal work. There is much better Elvis music out there.
i will say that going into this, i'm not the hugest fan of elvis, but i don't hate his music either. generally speaking, i think there are better and more interesting artists that were his contemporaries, but still, you cannot argue his influence and importance in 20th century music. i haven't listened to this album in particular in a long, long time, so it was a nice refresher. it starts off with a bang with what may be his most iconic song. the rest of the album is solid enough, but in my opinion, the rockers are better than the ballads. nothing here is bad, but most of the album ranges from pretty good to somewhat dull. i do enjoy early elvis the most because of his raw energy, and this album is a pretty good example of that.
Disappointed
Pretty good. Never listened to a whole Elvis album before and I enjoyed it much more than I expected.
Enjoyed the rockabilly feel to these. 3/5
too many slow songs... where r the bangers elvis
giving it two stars only because i recognize that it has to have some appeal bc its elvis favorite tracks: Blue Moon? idk
Some old school vibes. I'd heard most of these songs as singles over the years so it was cool to listen to the whole album. Not exactly my cup of team but a cool moment in time
Elvis's whole vibrato thing in his voice gets a little obnoxious, but this ain't bad. Hilarious how dated all of the lyrics are, and in general just his singing style is super rooted in that era, doesn't translate all that well to today IN MY OPINION. I think all the songs are just like classic 12 bar blues tunes that he decided to record.
Not the biggest Elvis fan, and this didn't sway me. I think maybe this era of music is lost on me.
Classic sound.
First song is the only good song
I enjoyed hearing blue moon and how his music sounded stripped back I suppose because it was his first album.
If you ignore the historical context the album is pretty average. Was it important at the time. Yes. Is it worth going back to. Probably not.
lots of iconic songs on here. not sure if they were all sung by Elvis but some songs sounded like a different voice. i really enjoyed it.
Despite his magnitude and perhaps being one of the most famous musical artists that has ever lived I must confess that I dislike Elvis with a passion. How can this be I ask? My elder brother played his records so my early years were filled with his music but it appears made no connection with me at all. My earliest musical foundation can be traced to Cliff Richard (Bachelor Boy my first single) who was often compared to Elvis and has his English version. I don’t think that this registered with me and if there was ever an Elvis v Cliff thing. In any case this was only my one foray into the Cliff camp (although I do like his Christmas songs) so I don’t think my Elvis hatred stemmed from that. I was soon into The Beatles and early English 60’s groups. And whilst my musical heroes lauded Elvis has their inspiration I just dismissed this and considered Elvis from a previous generation and not for me. Nowerdays I can listen to artists who were about during the 50’s and can actually enjoy their music and see their value. But unfortunately this does not extend to anything Elvis has ever produced. This could be considered as heretical and I get that. I wish that I could say there was at least one Elvis song I liked but honestly can’t. This album in my estimation is a 1/5 but this is based on my own prejudices and Elvis, whatever I think of him, does not deserve that. 2/5 23/9/24
The pacey songs are very good. The slower less so.. Until I got to Blue Moon. What a beautiful, haunting track. I've never heard it like this, the original first version. Stunning.
Great to hear these classics again that have been part of my random snippets of music going around in my head since forever. Interesting to hear lots of repetition in both lyrical themes and musical composition
It is what it is, African-American music whitewashed in the loudest way possible.
挺带感的R&R
Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Artwork: 🤍💚🩷 Mix: 😲🙂👌 Musik: 🎙️🎸🌶️ Wertung:🤍💚(🩷)/5
pretty standard elvis. undeniable that he has a great voice, but i do find the sound a little bit boring if im being honest. having said that, i really enjoyed “blue moon”, that one really resonated with me.
Blue Suede Shoes maybe takes over the top spot for the first song off a debut album. Maybe the difference is that this is a cover of a Carl Perkins song rather than it being the first time anyone had heard it. Elvis might be one of the greatest performers in rock, pop, country and gospel music. I've never heard his version of I Got a Woman, but it is good. Another song with whistling. I like the songs that rock much better than the ballads. Little Richard's Tutti Frutti is the superior version. You can hear where this music came from and what came after. I think that's because Elvis was a performer, not a songwriter. He was interpreting what came before him in a way that influenced so much that came after in a lot of different genres. Damn this guy can cover songs! Great version of Blue Moon.
2/10 worst Elvis impersonator. it's like this guy has never even heard Elvis. --- it was at least kinda interesting to listen to an album recorded before he figured out what Elvis sounded like. And who can argue with 28 minutes?
some of the least elvisy elvis ever, surprisingly varied for a 50s rock and roll album.
This was certainly Elvis! I didn't remember his voice being so nasal on some of the songs, and I gotta be honest, I wasn't a huge fan. "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Money Honey" were great though.
cool of elvis to reference the clash like that
I'm so sick of this man!! I have a long familial problem with Elvis Presley! My aunt and mother warred over buying his records or other records as a child and it poisoned us all! That weird Blue Moon version gets 1 additional star for being weird (positive)
Need to make it canon that Elvis Presley stole his lettering from The Clash
This was a great album. Some songs I liked more then others but overall it was great and I mean, Elvis is just great!
#346. I didn't hate this quite as much as I expected. I mean, I didn't really hate it at all, weirdly enough. Maybe just because I hate Elvis fans, I had assumed his music would be as cringe as they are, but it seems alright for the most part. And luckily, all the Elvis fans are dying off, so at least I have that going for me. 3/5: decent Song added to playlist: Blue Suede Shoes I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
181/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
Debut album of early rock n roll from The King is an automatic for the 1001 must hear list. Loved the contrast between rock songs like Blue Suede Shoes and typical 50s schmaltz I Love You Because. Never heard most of these songs before, some so early they don’t really sound like Elvis (2.8*s)
You can tell on this album that young Elvis is still honing his sound. There are some moments where Buddy Love slips away and Julius Kelp starts to wear through. It's some dated work but for it to be the 1st rock album to ever chart...deserves the list. The album cover has been copied several times by others for it's importance in music history. Certainly an icon and would have liked to see the impact Presley had on everyone and everything 1st hand...1.35.
Better than the prior Elvis I guess but nothing special. I'll hear Blue Suede Shoes again but the rest just fall into skippable Elvis. 1.38 stars
This is #day38 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... this is Elvis, an iconic album artwork, the music that's deemed pivotal, at least so they say. To me, it’s just another rockabilly/country/rock and roll stuff from the 50s (look up my review of Chirping Crickets by Buddy Holly & The Crickets for reasons). I belong to a camp of those questioning Elvis’s luck, status, and the "King of Rock and Roll" label. How about "King of Bleached Rock and Roll"? As of today, this music and his persona mean little to me, if anything. The sound, lyrics, and overall style feel dated and even laughable. Let it be a low 3 out of 5. I wonder what Monday brings, aka looking forward to #day39.
Surprisingly enjoyable, this is the first Elvis I’ve ever listened to
Eh, another important album but not entirely great listening experience
boring!
The King, for such a great artist, I don’t like a lot of his studio album, but this one is just golden
First of all, brilliant album cover. Reading about the history of Elvis is rather interesting. One can't say simply that Elvis simply "stole" African-American music and made it white in a time where racial segregation was still unfortunately prevalent. Of course, he was strongly influenced by this music, but he had the vision to bring it to a new (white) audience. And it appears he was well aware of the debt he had to the black performers that came before him. There's an argument that his music helped to reduce the boundaries between white and black culture at the time and that seems fair. Then to the rather immense cultural impact Elvis had. He was one of the first sex symbols, potentially. Some quotes from wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_impact_of_Elvis_Presley#Danger_to_American_culture): Frank Sinatra opined: "His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people" His actions and motions were called "a strip-tease with clothes on" or "sexual self-gratification on stage". In August 1956 in Jacksonville, Florida, a local juvenile court judge called Presley a "savage" and threatened to arrest him if he shook his body while performing at Jacksonville's Florida Theatre... Sounds crazy now, but Elvis shook up the music game quite significantly. The music, from 1956(!), is still a pleasant listen today - albeit somewhat cheesy at times. Can't give anything but a 5*, all things considered. Great stuff.
I mean come on, it's Elvis. Who doesn't like Elvis?
Jag gillade faktiskt den här, Elvis switch it up i många av låtarna
Elvis Presley , ah what can be said The cover art is iconic and love that the The Clash used it for “London Calling” “Blue Suede Shoes” is classic Rock’n’Roll The 4th track “One Sided Love Affair” is pretty decent ,though the “Elvisisms” get a bit much “I LOVE YOU BECAUSE” is plain awful. The beginning whistle , the crooning, and high pitch Elvis parts are so annoying. He annunciates words weird and elongates them to make those young girls Swoon. The lyric “I Love You Because Your YOU” is what most boy bands would base their whole careers off of. “Just Because” is the better of the Because songs, but that’s not saying much “Tutti Fruitti” is a good song. It’s another classic, might just be a tad better by on of the songwriters (LR) I think the next great moment is “Blue Moon”. Though this song has been done better by other artists and production here is pretty sparse ( side Note His falsetto makes Tiny Tim look good) In the end I went into this a not an Elvis Presley Fan, and can’t say The King swayed me. Overall I prefer most other 50’s Rock’N’Rollers (Buddy Holly (my favourite), Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Chubby Checker etc etc) I understand the importance of this album for influencing many artists. It really was a starting point for many to jump into the genre. However this just isn’t a great “album” by today standards. It isn’t even a good album by what it would truly mean 10 years later. He still is THE KING , just not one I think has all that much royalty 2/5 (1 by my standard, giving it a 2 for historical reasons) 1* - Not Good 2* - Has Merit 3* - Would listen Again (Good) 4* - Like It/Love it 5* - Love It & is A Classic album
I like this well enough. I understand the importance, but I don't think it's aged well. Songs are fun but simplistic.
The first rock and roll album that brought rock 'n' roll to the masses.
Profoundly mid. The name says it all. This is Elvis, alright.
Yep. The king of countrybillycrooning. Sounds like he was still experimenting with his "sound." Fun stuff.
Not my favorite kind of music but Elvis is a legend. First time listening thru this album
Irrépressiblement entraînant, absolument familier: je connais des versions de plusieurs chansons, que ce soit les siennes ou d'autres. On sent Elvis totalement engagé dans son interprétation, fougueuse mais nuancée
the longest 28 minutes ive ever spent. mindnumbing rock and roll thats slightly redeemed by his vocal chops. horrible otherwise
not my fave Elvis and mostly borrowed songs, but you can't deny what this did to the music industry
Classic Elvis, not my fav but fun.
An important debut obviously, but the vocal performances are the only thing impressive here. Elvis showcases his talent on some simple (and boring) Rock & Roll tunes. Sounds samey the whole way through and even features a few covers on it to boot. Doesn't help that the recording quality is pretty bad on a few of the tracks as well.
Rockabilly is kinda fun, actually. Had only heard about Elvis from his name alone, but now that I sat down to listen to some of his hits, he really is all that. Tutti Frutti, Blue Suede Shoes and maybe I'll Never Let You Go being the highlights.
Wow he stole a lot of music from Black people, huh? Mostly I prefer the originals.
Was he whitewashing black artists? Yes. Were they often better? Yes. But this is still historically important and very listenable.
The first album of the White Rock 'n' Roller.
28minutes. Each song is under 3minutes. That's the correct amount of time to enjoy Elvis. Any longer and it's too much.
I knew as soon as I saw Blue Suede Shoes as the opening track it was going to be good I love the 50's style music and the quality of the recording - something about that muffled/crackling sound A few songs I knew already, and the others were just as good! 5 ⭐️
I’m going to be honest. I’m not really into Elvis Presley. I like some of his songs (particularly Can’t Help Falling in Love With You), but I just can’t get into him. To be honest, I’m not a fan of 50’s rock n’ roll, despite rock being my favorite music genre. To be fair, this debut album has its place in history. Obviously, it put Elvis on the map and made him the proclaimed King of Rock n’ Roll. But it’s honestly just ok. My biggest problem is that his voice doesn’t sound like is hit his stride yet, so he sounds a little off in some of the songs. It’s a debut, though, as his voice did get better with age. But outside of Blue Suede Shoes and Blue Moon, the album was only decent. It almost feels like 2 stars to me, but I think 3 will do. It’s mostly is a 2.5 for me personally. Favorite track: Blue Suede Shoes Other hits: I’m Counting on You, Blue Moon, Money Honey
A favorite of mine!
Started strong. Not sure if country copied Elvis or what but it sounded very country other than the first song.
Not really my preferred style of music but interesting to listen to it through the lense of "this was revolutionary back in the day"
It's not amazing, but it is good fun. I don't think I've ever sat down and deliberately listened to Elvis before but I liked this album more than I expected. Unfortunately every time I hear Elvis sing "Tutti frutti, aw rooty" my brain reframes it as "Aw, Rudy" and calls to mind the miserable decline of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. That scene in Borat... Aw, Rudy. This is a "me problem" and I haven't let it impact my rating.
Enjoyed this album
Some great songs, but all in all quite mediocre
Not my favourite Elvis album
Elvis, what more can I say. Grandparents loved this stuff and reminds me of my childhood. Easy Listen.
It’s fine. It’s on the list for its place in history, which is fair, and it’s not bad at all but certainly not the best of its kind.
I realised while listening that I'd only ever heard one aspect of Elvis's voice before, the baritone that everyone seems to impersonate. I never expected his voice to be so versatile though, there's a few songs on the album that wouldn't have even guessed were him. His voice is very playful and at times almost cartoonish, very surprising. The emotional trajectory of the album was quite interesting too, starting out with cocky and upbeat songs about appealing to women, outlining his standards for a relationship, then deep in the midst of love, before the lyrics start showing cracks leading to a 2nd half about heartbreak and finally cynicism.
Clássico!
++: Blues Suede Shoes, I Got A Woman, One Sided Love Affair, Just Because, Tutti Frutti, Tryin' to Get to You, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You), Blue Moon +: I'm Counting on You, I Love You Because, I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin'), Money Honey 8,5/10
C'est la première fois que j'écoute un album complet de Presley. Celui-ci contient quelques morceaux classiques bien connu. Je préfère les morceaux plus rock de l'album plutôt que les slows, mais je trouve que l'album a très mal vieilli, je n'accroche pas du tout. Ce n'est pas un album que j'écouterais de nouveau. =>2/5
Like I said before, give me Elvis and I’ll have a good time. What’s not to like? This is just fun. Sure it’s an album of covers, and sure the allegations of cultural appropriation are real, but if you can put that aside and realize that Elvis wasn’t the only one doing that, it’s fun. The energy, the charisma, the pure showmanship of it all is amazing. He had a great band behind him and they help him shine. Is it the best he’s ever done? No. But it’s a great start and representation of his talent. Four stars. Standout Tracks: Blue Suede Shoes, I Got a Woman, Tutti Frutti, Money Honey
It was ok I liked: Blue suede shoes Just because Tutti frutti Trying to get to you
It was difficult to rate this album. Elvis has such a unique voice, by way of some combo of natural talent and intentional technique. But context is important - he was a hit because he could do something other white artists couldn’t do as well. Record labels wanted to bring African American music into the mainstream and wanted to find someone palatable to do that. Important to remember none of the songs on this album are actually his, they all have different composers and lyricists. The original Tutti Frutti blows this one out of the water. Also, some of these songs don’t age well. I don’t appreciate the “my woman knows she belongs in the home” and that whole sentiment in I Got a Woman. All that aside, I can recognize Elvis and his rendition of the music was the start of a cultural shift. It is such great music. (I also listened to ELO’s Out of the Blue today (English** not American overproduction oops) and think I enjoyed this listen more which is why I am inclined to give it a higher rating.) This sound is important and is the blueprint for many rock riffs to come. But maybe let’s re-evaluate calling someone the King when there are so many artists in the shadows who are just as impactful (and honestly even more so) when it comes to the blossoming of rock and roll.
Listening notes: Well I guess we're listening to Elvis today! Blue Suede Shoes: Classic I'm Counting On You: This is Elvis singing?? I Got a Woman: Didn't realize he had a version of this. A couple years after Ray Charles wrote it. "She give me money!' Interesting how he sounds totally different, more high pitched on some of these tracks: I'm Counting on You, I Love you Because, I'll Never Let you Go. I'm confused about how "I love you because" has the highest play count on YTM on this album?? A tight 28 minute album here. Classic early Elvis. Some huge hits and several I haven't heard. Mostly, or maybe all covers as far as I can tell, including a fun Ray Charles "I got a woman" cover. Interesting how his voice sounds so different (e.g. higher pitched) on a lot of these tracks. A fun listen, would play again. 3.5/5
I really understand his influence and his immense impact on the entire world but to me I didn’t totally see the spark. And yes i know I am saying that because i have access to all the music he influenced and I am bigger fan of that, so I do recognize that. However just really not a huge fan!
Only a few artists even approach being this difficult to "rate" based on their eternal cultural {appropriation} impact - is it fair in 2024 to rip on the fact that not only did he not write any of these songs at all but also helped (literally) whitewash African American music for the ignorant masses? "Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me...." - Chuck D Or do we just accept this as literally one of - if not THE - first "rock" albums ever released, and blasting out 12 rockabilly/country/rock and roll songs in under a half hour with some cool energy? In the time I typed that 4 songs went by. OK I guess it's kind of simple and fun to listen to - "Blue Suede Shoes" is the highlight (*mostly* fun... e.g. "Blue Moon" is terrible) - and also impossible to truly grade nearly 70 (!) years later. I'm not really a big fan of the vocal affectations and the I-IV-V gets stale but again, this was all new at the time. And even ignoring the racial implications (n.b. his version of "Tutti Frutti" here just flat out sucks and almost caused me to give the whole thing a 1), almost reluctantly I have to admit that without this/him we'd never have had The Beatles which means we'd never have had anything. 5/10 3 stars.
50's woman really came for this? Favourite Songs: Blue Suede Shoes, I'm Counting on You, Tryin' to Get to You. Least Favourite Songs: One Sided Love Affair, Just Because, Money Honey.
How can I give The Kings debut any less than a 5?
Album is fine- has some real hits but also some filler songs. There are even a few songs where I question if it's really elvis. You can definitely twll he had major "influence" from black artists at the time. That being said- the songs that hit sound good- they defined his sound and I can see how it was influential on popular rock and roll
Elvis is cool when he is rocking and rolling and singing that even macho men needs a hug. He loses me when he starts crooning out ballads - his version of ‘Blue Moon' is downright horrible.
Released in 1956 it’s no wonder Elvis became immensely popular. Elvis is definitely cool and the song choices are just as you’d expect. Ultimately it’s one song that really stands out; “Blue Moon”. The distant guitars makes the entire song have an ethereal feeling and at times this version almost feels like it touches on a psychedelic vibe way before it was close to being a thing. It’s easily the most progressive piece of work he ever did and the obvious stand out track on this legendary debut.
Elvis is a heck of a performer on some tracks (Blue Suede Shoes) and a bumbling fool on others (I got a woman, tutti frutti). And some songs are not that good to begin with.
Seems old. Probably had to be there for this one. Good for the one listen, but too dated now. Will I listen to again: 5%
Elvis was an amazing singer. Elvis **is** a **helluva** singer. We can have discussions for days about the people he took his voice from, or the system that caused his in particular to catch on over others', but that doesn't change how much of an incredible performer he was. It's evident even and **especially** as far back as his debut here, which was cobbled together from random RCA and Sun sessions. Truthfully, this isn't my favorite era of Elvis–I'm more excited for FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS to pop up–but regardless, it's always such a treat to hear him do his thing and adapt seamlessly to each style he tries while still sounding like himself. Jumpin' rockers, walkin' R&B, weepin' country... I can't help falling in love with his voice. Of course, let's calm down here and address some realities about this album. Primarily, as enjoyable as I think this album is, I believe, firmly, that it's more on this list for historical reasons than for "you **must** hear it" reasons. This **was**, after all, the first 12" record teen-agers bought in droves. Prior, the long-player was strictly the domain of serious classical and jazz, while the teen audience stuck with 45's and singles. As a result of its popularity, it's essentially **the** album we can point to as where rock and roll was popularized, alongside "Heartbreak Hotel" being the single. But as an album experience... Well, remember what I said above: it was thrown together from random RCA and Sun sessions. So, while it's a very enjoyable listen, it's not even where most people would recommend you go to discover why Elvis was as big as he was in the 50's. For that, you'd hafta turn to collections of his Sun recordings, such as THE SUN SESSIONS and SUNRISE. Heck, even the quickie "we need Elvis product while he's away in the army" albums FOR LP FANS ONLY and A DATE WITH ELVIS contain stuff like "Mystery Train" and "Baby Let's Play House". (Shout out, by the way, to the British being lucky enough to get "Mystery Train" on **their** version of this album.) FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS was also cobbled from sessions, but at least it feels a bit more purposefully put together. So, yeah, in 2024 there's better ways to understand Elvis than this album, and there's better Elvis album experiences than this album. Hell, there's better ways to take in this era of Elvis than this album (check ELVIS' GOLDEN RECORDS). But all that, of course, doesn't change how fun this album is, from Elvis's singing down to the band backing him. Seriously, let's not forget Scotty Moore, Bill Black and D. J. Fontana; they're as important as Elvis himself is. And if you wanna hear the exact songs, in the exact order, that caused America to fall so in love with Elvis, you're not gonna regret it. I mean, it's only 28 minutes, anyway; you don't have much to lose. All I know is, whatever way you choose to engage with this material, you're bound to be having fun on record with Elvis.
The King may have had many sides to him, but this debut shows him in his best light, as a simple musician from Memphis. 4.5 down to 4.
I’m at a 4.5 that will just barely get the bump up to a 5. I’ve never heard a full Elvis album until this point – obviously, I’d be a moron to not know the hits, which is why I’m very glad this is an album with maybe 4 of them at most, and only 2 if you count the fact that Ray Charles and Little Richard did “I Got A Woman” and “Tutti Frutti” way better than Elvis did here. I didn’t know a lot of the tracks on here, and I enjoyed most of them. I’d be remiss to not acknowledge that yes, this entire album is basically a cover album of black music made more palatable to white people at a point where everything was too racist to give those black composers and musicians an inch of credit (unless you were an undeniable superstar, and even then…). With that said, huge credit to the backing band; a lot of these are really well adapted for a faster pace and a more rock-driven soundscape, and when they get a chance to shine on here, they knock it out of the park. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t say Elvis sang these songs pretty damn well. Look, it’s 2024; people know Elvis’s voice by now, whether they’ve heard Elvis himself or someone imitate it. It makes this album a little tougher to digest in that sense, because sometimes, it really does feel like he’s overdoing the whole twangy shtick sometimes to the point of parody on a few tracks. However, when he’s on, he is on like a motherfucker – there’s some serious standout vocal performances here, and in those little moments where everything comes together, I can feel the charisma oozing out of his voice and I can see the appeal of the time take hold. There is something to it all that’s just undeniable unless you’re actively looking to hate it. I just really enjoyed it – it’s cheesy as hell, and it’s extremely prototypical rock & roll by modern standards, but there’s just something appealing about it even with how much of a culture vulture Elvis was. It’s a great album, and even past its place in history as “the first Elvis album,” I think it holds up on a lot of its own merits. Just barely gets the bump to a 5. Certainly no lower than a 4, I think.
Not so bad
Miércoles de volver a las bases del rock. Sí. Todos sabemos que Elvis era la versión blanca de ritmos que se venían gestando desde los sectores marginales y negros, y que su figura vendía más. Pero, poniendo una pausa en la problematización, ¿Cómo ser tan necio de negar su trascendencia en la historia del rock? ¿Cómo reprimir que los pies bailen solos con sus ritmos y su voz tan particular? Muy bien 10
Iconic!
The Big Elvis, hab schon viel mit dem Fuß (und Kopf) mitgewippt! :D
Honestly, not impressed with this album. Feels a tad racist. His voice, while iconic, does a little too much every once in a while. Elvis is talented, and you can hear it, but this isn't a great showcase of his talent. It's a fun album, but it's not particularly good. Favorite Song(s): Blue Suede Shoes
A bit dated, but still fun.
wow this sucks favorite tracks: none
Foundational rock n roll.
I'll say that this was a right-smack-in-the-middle 3. Meaning, it was fun! Elvis is all over the map with this record– I think his earliest? You can tell he's growing into his voice. Some tracks are so delicate as to be almost beautiful, others are hammy, unserious, the almost suffocating sound we all know. It's strange to hear him trying out so much, vocally, not really settling. I have a special place in my heart for "Blue Moon." I wrote a song sampling the last 30 seconds of that, and it's one of the most beautiful songs I've made. I had the radio on, and only got the last 30 seconds recorded, wondering, who is this?? Turns out– it was Elvis! A very early Elvis, at that. So a high 3/5
I feel like a lot of people feel like they have to like Elvis, just because he was so famous and influential, but to be honest I don't think that his legacy will be quite as well known in the coming decades as people seem to think. For what it's worth, I do think that this album has aged better than about 90% of music from the 50s, but that isn't saying a lot. It's a perfectly enjoyable album, but just doesn't feel that interesting or unique. I get that at the time, this was about as interesting and unique as music got, but compared the bands like The Beatles (different decade I know, but still a fair comparison in my opinion), this just doesn't hold up to today's standards nearly as well.
Except for the hits I know and love this isn't all that great
a few of these songs are nostalgic
‘Seinfeld isn’t funny’ syndrome
The King of Rock and Roll gets his start with this album full of covers by mostly Black artists. I feel like it’s cheating. Don’t get me wrong, Elvis was special. I’d give it a 5 if he wrote the songs originally. I guess the question is, “Where would we be today if it wasn’t for him?” Love the energy. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the studio.
No
Elvis is good
Siendo uno de los LPs más importantes de la historia es imposible darle una baja nota a este disco. De la misma forma que es imposible negar todas las acusaciones y polémicas en contra del "Rey del Rock&Roll". Sí, es cierto que Presley fue catapultado a la fama por interpretar canciones al estilo de los más grandes de la escena afroamericana en medio de un contexto de segregación. A la vez, no se puede justificar su comportamiento para con las mujeres (y en el caso de su esposa, una niña) solo con que "eran tiempos diferentes". Sin embargo y a pesar de todo esto, Elvis sigue y seguirá siendo una sombra gigante en la historia de la música pop global, inspirando a cientos de miles quienes posteriormente inspiraron a cientos de miles más a hacer música con un "appeal" masivo. El fue el primer en ser así de grande, llenando de sueños la cabeza de todos quienes quisieron llegar a ser estrellas del escenario. Y eso es algo que siempre tenemos que tener presente, con sus luces y sombras. Ahora, en tanto al LP en sí, estaba hecho para ser exitoso. Todas las canciones transpiran personalidad y carisma, con una voz encantadora que estaba destinada a los panteones más altos del pop y el rock&roll. Este realmente es un álbum que no puedes morir sin escuchar.
Chubby cheeks, cute quiff, adequate voice....for Elvis Presley it was all about charisma and image. And the birth of The Teenager with disposable income. Perfectly orchestrated by Tom Hanks - sorry, Captain Tom Parker - of course. So we can't ignore the cover. The Clash didn't. And the songs were standards even before Elvis looked at them. Carl Perkins had released it the year before but Elvis wasn't missing this from opening his debut album. Of course, in 1955 an album was not really what we know as an album in later decades. A few hits and mainly filler. But hindsight it what this album is all about. Expertly played and sung, no doubt. But its all about charisma and image. And the birth of The Teenager with disposable income.
Never listened to an Elvis album - really enjoyed this !! Reminded me of Buddy Holly at times, who I have always enjoyed listening too. Felt very nostalgic and thinking of my parents in their teens when this ‘new’ sound hit the UK shores. Some years later, as Liverpudlians, they then frequented The Cavern watching an up and coming 4 piece band who clearly had some Elvis influence in their sound. Will listen to more.
Love Elvis, but not a huge fan of his very early material. Still, it’s Elvis.
boring elvis shit tbh
The debut. Sounds fresh still and love it's reverb laden haunted ambience.
I'm separated from Elvis by much time and several generations. It's not my preference, but damn, I can't deny his impact. After listening to this debut album, I see Elvis's appeal is so much deeper than a physical attraction. I would argue he is the precursor to modern pop music, making music for mass appeal. His range in this album is remarkable.
Not a fan of the slow jams on here, but this fella's pretty good at the rock that he's known for. 3.4
It is impossible to downplay the importance of this record in the annuls of music. There are people out there who fell in love to this record. I am not one of them. But I certainly appreciate it.
Not a fan on first listen but with it being so short, managed to get through a few extra listens and found myself bobbing along to it at times. Can't say i'm fully sold on it, but has it's place in history.
A classic.
eh
I’ve never been a big Elvis listener. Certainly he was groundbreaking at the time in many ways. And as an historical musical persona, he’s a 5 star celebrity. But, overall, I’m just a luke warm on his whole sound.
I think there are some albums we’ll just never be able to comprehend the impact of its release. And this is one of them. It sounds like wallflower wallpaper for the unknowing listener or like safe white imitation of Black music. But this album is nonetheless a huge mark for pop music without which we would have a very different music world.
Classic album cover, lionized by The Clash's London Calling. This was made before albums were really a "thing" yet, and this was definitely not recorded as an album. More likely a combination of all the tapes they could find to capitalize on Elvis's early success. I never liked his warbling vibrato and by my time all of the original versions of tunes he made famous were readily available and generally preferable. There's nothing about listening to this now that is changing my perspective. My favorite aspect of this album is its brevity. And some of the guitar playing (Some. If that's Scotty Moore on Blue Suede Shoes, it's his worst work I've heard. Can't seem to keep up with the tempo!). I think you had to be there. I grew up mainly after he died and I and my friends knew Elvis mainly as the image of celebrity excess and a cautionary tale told by a huge velvet painting of a late period bloated Elvis stuffed into an Evil Knievel wannabe jumpsuit with a tear streaking down his cheek hanging over our favorite booth at Mama's Pizza. There was a kid in my 1980s high school who would wear a t-shirt with the cover of that "50,000,000 Elvis fans can't be wrong" album on it and whenever I would walk by him in the hallway I would obnoxiously yell at him "yes, they can!" In retrospect I am surprised no '80s hardcore band swapped Hitler into that image. Missed opportunity.
This is certainly a lot more interesting and lively than the other Elvis album I've heard in this collection ("From Elvis in Memphis"), so that's a nice plus. I'm not an Elvis (Presley) fan, though, so it's still hard to get excited about this album. It *is* interesting, though, to hear the contrast between the leftover Sun songs and the RCA Victor-commissioned songs, making for quite a strange mix of country and rock-n-roll. I know it's not really fair to who Elvis was, or to any of the singers across the years who weren't also songwriters, but I wish we could hear at least one song written by him, even if it's atrocious. It's kind of a bummer to only hear him covering somebody's else material, and really, his versions of songs like "Tutti frutti", "Blue suede shoes", "Money honey" and "I got a woman" are all so pale compared to the originals (pun intended).
I'm giving this a 5 more for Scotty Moore's guitar than for anything else. I saw him live with DJ Fontana in the 80s as part of a "sun sessions" tour and I love his style.
Really good album, wouldn’t say it’s the best qualityyyyyy- but if you like retro and vintage sound quality, I think you will enjoy the way the music sounds. His singing is really good, IMO. The album is a quickie, pretty short but fun to listen to. Would recommend listening to, it’s less than 30 minutes. 8.9/10.
Elvis' self-titled is an interesting album. It's the birth of main-stream rock, and the birth of one of the most famous musicians in history. There's not a ton of big hits here, Blue Suede Shoes being the major outlier, instead you get Elvis before he'd been touched up and fed through the system that made him the icon he is. There's a lot of range in the songs, from upbeat catchy rockabilly tunes, to slow romantic affairs, and even some blues. And Elvis' vocals have more range here than what one might think. Blue Moon especially stands out. Some of the vocals are downright psychedelic. Mixed with the trotting drums, it makes for a dreamy experience. *Heard before.
Neat album for sure just to hear what music used to be like. The most interesting part of this album was definitely how short each song was. I feel like pretty much all of them had the legs to go at least one more verse but they just didn’t. I’m assuming that’s because songs back then just didn’t back then. It wasn’t the norm or anything. Other than that, Elvis really is a captivating vocalist. He adapts well to the energy do the song and his popularity is certainly understandable even almost 70 years later. Enjoyed the album overall. Songs were definitely a bit scant but they were all enjoyable for the most part.
Rockabilly with some slower, ballad-ry songs
I mean, it's a classic. To diminish it by being edgy or refusing to listen is asinine. It's one of the first real albums and really it's closer to country than r&b. This is the album that launched a thousand bands. It's dated and he's more of a singles guy anyway but it's still great.
Es war okay, aber es hörte sich auch alles ein bisschen gleich an. Nichts besonderes.
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.
Damit startete wohl eine neue Ära. Ok, alles mehr oder weniger bekannte Titel, manche besser als das Original (Blue Suede Shoes), manche schlechter (Tutti Frutti) aber alles schön roh, energetisch und ungefiltert.
Elvis sure did have an amazing vocal range, and his songs, whether original or covers, are undeniably emblematic of the evolution of rock.
I am not an Elvis fan...so I went into this with an open mind. I felt like I know a lot of the songs, but necessarily by him, which lead me to find out he didn't actually write the majority of his songs, but redoing songs doesn't seem unusual back then. Now the voice...its unique, its expressive, but to me its over the top. I Love you Because just seemed gross and to me not great. The faster songs were better, but even then I didn't think his voice was terrific, just different. This is iconic and did make me want to dance, but overall for me it isn't amazing, just okay.
I'm not a huge Elvis fan necessarily (I like his hits) and I do really like old timey rock n roll. But I don't scream like a girl when he gets sweaty. Anyway... this kinda seems like a big album. The King's first album. If you had to pick ONE album for the BIRTH of Rock and Roll.. would this be it? Here's my favorites: Blue Suede Shoes (love playing this one on the ukulele), I'm Counting on You (great Do Wop), I Got a Woman & One Sided Love Affair... both songs have good jumping vibe. I Got a Woman is more guitar based. One Sided Love Affair is more piano. I especially like how he's playing with his vocal style in One Sided Love Affair. Just Because (great! love it) Tutti Fruti - okay hold up. Little Richard recorded his version a year earlier. Elvis's version is good but I'm a fan of the original. Btw, Blue Suede shoes was recorded a year earlier by rockabilly artist Carl Perkins. I Got A Woman by Ray Charles 1954. I Love You Because (don't even like this song that much), Leon Payne 1949. WTF?! Did he write any of these songs? no. I guess not. So there's a valid criticism there but I dunno.. I guess people just played each other's songs back then? Behind Elvis's music is alot of great guitar & piano playing. Not sure if that's him doing it or his band. But the vocals stand out. Elvis has pretty great vocals. There's only one other musician I've heard that is as expressive in his vocal techinque... Dave Matthews. Not just saying that cuz my wife is in love with Dave Matthews. Blue Moon. Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart 1934. Love Elvis's version. No one will do it better until 32 years later... The Cowboy Junkies, Blue Moon Revisited (song for Elvis) 1988. I would give this album a 5 but try writing some original material.
Wow, Elvis’s first album. Pretty cool to hear where it all began for him! I enjoyed this, it was a fun blend of rock and ballads. What a time it must have been when this type of music hit the mainstream. And while it sucks that it took a white man to make the music of black artists so popular at the time, I appreciate that he acknowledged their influence and didn’t actually consider himself king. Thanks for rocking and rolling, Elvis!
It's pretty good but does sound very dated
It’s an ok album in 2024 but would have been phenomenal in 1956!
28 minutes of great rock and roll
The third Elvis album we've had, but in this case, I don't question why this album was chosen for the list. While there's definitely some blatant musical thievery going on here, the fact of the matter is that it was Elvis who widely popularized rock and roll among white people at the time. It was good music, was marketed accordingly, and paved a couple of roads. I enjoyed most of the album, but do have to point out one complete failure of a track: what was Blue Moon even supposed to be?
Good
Brought a whole new sound, would be developed massively from this though 3.5*
Not for me. 1/5
King of Rock and Roll my arse.
Raw and powerful. It’s easy to hear what all the fuss was about.
Never been a fan. It has some history vut apart from a couple of tracks not great
I'm always torn by Elvis. In one hand I feel like he's not original enough or even talented to be as big as he was, he didn't write any of the songs and his music is pure formula. But in the other hand his charisma is just so remarkable that I always end up dancing around and enjoying myself with his music, which in essence just means I guess I like this.
Could have been a five but his version of tutti frutti is weak compared to little richard
Hef aldrei tengt við sjarmann svokallaða og þetta er mest megnis frekar boring.
A mixed bag of high highs and low lows. Lots of bops throughout. "I Love You Because" is a skip. Can't make it through.
This was okay. I imagine that there is something about being around Elvis at the time he was breaking ground, but it didn't really resonate with me.
Blue Suede Shoes is the only good track on this thing. It's only Elvis' first album, so it can be forgiven for not being Peak Elvis, but when you consider everything Elvis would become, its obvious weaknesses are very apparent: flat singing, poor instrumentation and a general lack of personality.
I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan of Elvis in general. I think he's terribly overrated and is more a product of being in the right place at the right time more than anything else. As exhibited on this album, he has some talent don't get me wrong. Rock and roll in the 50s had a very distinct cadence and structure, and by and large, Presley seldom deviates from that formula. In my opinion, that repetitiveness is not conducive to longer listening sessions. There is not much to take away on this album for me, and there were a couple tracks that had me almost bored to sleep. Overall, Elvis remains under the "not for me" umbrella. Notable Tracks: - Blue Suede Shoes 3/10
Classic Elvis
Growing up I was never the biggest Elvis fan as I thought he was overrated. These days I still think he was overrated but he was bloody good at what he did . Elvis is a fantastic cover artists who has the charisma to pull of everything from tutti frutti & blue suede shoes to blue moon. Just a good Rock N' Roll record
This album does not catch me until "Trying To Get To You". The last five tracks are worth a listen. "I'll Never Let You Go" and his version of "Blue Moon" sound wild. The production is so echoey, spare and almost experimental? "Money Honey" has the 1968 Special energy a decade+ early. I imagine it would have been a blast to have seen him and his band live back in the 50's.
Not for me. Blue Suede Shoes is fun and campy, but the I Got A Woman cover is a limp facsimile of the original. I Love You Because is sappy and unoriginal, and Just Because gives me old time revival vibes. The Blue Moon cover, however, has a sparse, interesting interpretation that I actually enjoyed. I know it's unfair, but Elvis has such an identifiable singing style, but unfortunately that sound and style has been relentlessly parodied for 50 years and I cannot take him seriously. When I was a kid, I bought the myth that Elvis was unique, and original, and brought a certain type of rock and roll to the masses. But as I've grown, and discovered that people like Ray Charles, Billy Wright, Little Richard and scores of others were out there doing the same type of music, I fully believe that Elvises level of fame has more to do with his race than his talent. Also, he was a pedophile.
Okay, I get why this album is on the list. Elvis Presley was proclaimed the "King of Rock and Roll", one of the first white males to achieve commercial success, ushering that genre to a white audience. Much's been said about race relations in popular music, which I encourage you to look into. Elvis's debut album accomplished what it set out to do - making covers of African-American tunes to present to the larger masses. It's certainly important for historical purposes, but as an album to listen to it leaves much to be desired. After all, this is a debut album consisting of mostly cover songs. There are some fun songs here like his cover of "Blue Suede Shoes" and the original song "One-Sided Love Affair". The rest either pale in comparison to the original such as with Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti", or don't bring a lot of energy like with Roy Hamilton's "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)". Also, with the original songs from the respective artists being more available nowadays, Elvis's renditions are more reliant on how he was a performer. The album is not bad, and it makes sense why it's on the list. But there ain't much to revisit here.
sounds inoffensive, which isnt a bad thing. its also not a bad album to listen to since every songs are pretty short clocking at around 2-2:30 and totaling 28 minutes. probably groundbreaking at the time since elvis covered black artists in the 50s. most of the tracks are pretty fun and energetic, but not really my kind of thing. i favor side b over a though. 3 personal favs: trying to get to you, blue moon
KAMOOO ELVIIZS NONII EIVTEHTY PASKAA
This is the Elvis you think of when you think of Elvis -- or at least when I do. It's early rock and roll, and he does it well.
Pretty good, but short. He's the king though, so he does what he wants. 3/5
I mean after Blue Suede Shoes we're left with a bunch of covers that feel pretty unremarkable. Most of which I don't know the originals so can't pass comment, but the ones I do, are far superior. Blue Suede Shoes is probably above this problem as Elvis's version is so well known. Also it's not mildly tainted I guess because you can't say that one was whitewashed being it was wrote by Carl Perkins. Strange not to include Heartbreak Hotel as well since this also bucks the trend. Tutti Frutti and I Got a Woman though, get out of here. And Blue Moon is just weird, it feels like everyone involved in recording it is falling asleep.
no
Rockabilly is oddly charming. Totally get why this guy is famous!
It’s Elvis. Classic Elvis. I don’t love it but certainly appreciate his place in history. He was one of the pioneers in rock and roll. But I just don’t enjoy listening all that much
One of my favorite albums we have got. It would have been so cool to see him and be alive when he was at his peak.
I live Elvis so damn much, and this album might just be his best - filled with energy and rock n roll vigor. My favourite track is blue suede shoes. Vocally I think Elvis does improve later in his career, however I still love his voice in this album.
Elvis is a classic that I’ll never get tired of listening to Top tracks: Blue Suede Shoes, I Got A Woman, Tutti Fruitti
Really good album
4/5
loved it
I’ve never been a big phan of Elvis. Never wrote his stuff and ripped off black artists, etc. yada yada. His debut is the only album I like of his. I like songs off other albums, but certainly not the whole album. This one is both beautiful and energetic where it’s needed—mostly. The decision to end on “Money Honey” is fucking idiotic and takes away from the previous tracks (“Blue Moon”) perfect ending. I could go on, but it isn’t worth it really. I raise from three to four stars only because of the undeniable influence this album had. 4/5
Was probably awesome when it came out, but just kind of boring to me today
Sounds vital today, quick pop numbers demonstrating the greatness to come
Fundamental to modern music, not anything to listen to in a vacuum though
63/100
elvis sings (and plays, to my surprise) with a wonderful mix of intentionality and intuition that i think would have stuck w/ ppl even in a non-white supremacist world. his backing band(s) impress me a little less...often feels like he's left entirely on his own to carry the more energetic cuts. the wrecking crew couldnt come soon enough ig (or even the beatles, who i enjoy the subtle instrumental character of quite a bit on those early records). still, for something so hastily assembled, there is a level of deliberacy in variety of style and the way its sequenced that feels like an actual test run for The Rock LP instead of something entirely from the beforetimes (making sure that tutti frutti opens side B is a move straight out of more polished 60s records). its extremely easy to be cynical about elvis as a cultural figure, to the point where its pretty trite and overplayed for me in spite of being well-deserved. but at least based on this, which represents him in a weird raw form before any of his more acclaimed peaks, the music itself doesnt rly do anything to earn that cynicism. itz just short and p sweet!
Who doesn't know Elvis? Watched a lot of Elvis movies during my youth years. This was mainly driven by my mother but it didn't took us long to start to enjoy his music and even his movies. Since this is a 1956 recording the sound quality isn't up there. But the songs make it right.
Very good
Personal feelings on the man aside (both on the personal level and on the historical in terms of musical appropriation), he's got some good tracks. Very easy to get down and boogie to a very 50's rock and roll/blues sound. His voice is stellar, the energy in the performances are there, and its a fun time.
I respect Elvis for his massive once in a generation influence for bringing rock and blues to the white masses. Dad loved him. Am I Elvis or Beatles fan? Alway Rolling Stones. To me this would be like some white guy covering Prince or James Brown.
My Dad loves Elvis - I've listened to about 3 of his records. Elvis as a cultural phenomenon seems amazing, as a musician that I enjoy a little less so. That said, this album isn't bad.
You can see why he was is/was a huge star. Although his cover of tutti frutti, was lacking in my opinion.
Not for children's eyes
I suppose I should give it 4 stars but I'm just not a big fan of his music. Great and amazing voice for sure.
Is it Elvis who simply because of his whiteness made the breakthrough he did or is it something more. I think a lot pales when you compare it to the originals.
Very poppy. Mostly pretty good, not a huge fan of the slow ballads.
i enjoyed this more than i wanted to. its boringly simple and a blatant ripoff but its also pretty fun. low 7/10
Das Debütalbum von Elvis Presley. Ein recht kurzes Stück Zeitgeschichte (Album unter einer Stunde lang). Hat mir sehr gut gefallen.
It was great to hear young Elvis, just starting out. I’m not convinced this is the best album I’ve ever heard, but it was truly a game changer and certainly deserves to be on this list. I love that Elvis just sang what he loved, whether his cover was worse or better than the original is up for debate, and out of that he sparked a whole new sound. For that, and for several tracks that you just can’t help but love, Elvis has to get a 5. This kind of album is why I started listening to this list.
not a big fan of elvis, but its not bad
Really threw me for a loop how different Elvis' voice sounded between songs. And I will say, Val Kilmer did 'Tutti Frutti' better.
I remember listening to these songs when a kid and my parents tuned in on the radio! Particularly loved Can't Help Falling in Love with You as a kid.
What a great album. In 1955 I only heard the songs that got played on the radio. Some of these songs were new to me. I liked his version of Blue Moon. I remember sneaking into our car sometimes to listen to the radio. My mother wouldn’t let us play that “hillbilly music” in the house.
I was totally going to give the king a 4, but Spotify auto played a Johnny Cash song when the album finished and I realized Elvis was good but there was clearly better.
The joy that comes through early Elvis recordings is always palpable and infectious. This was a guy who was having the time of his life figuring it all out.
Não aguento mais ouvir musica de mil novecentos e guaraná com rolha...
This is my second Elvis Presley album to review, after Elvis is Back. Elvis is Back was fine, but it certainly didn't set my world on fire, and I expect more of the same from this album. I think I can safely say that this album pretty much nailed my expectations. I'm not a big Elvis fan, but this album was fine. I personally find it really tough to judge albums like this. Rock music has come so far since this album was released, so this album is naturally going to sound a little bare bones compared to most of the music that I listen to. I'm sure that it caused a hell of a stir back when it came out though. I did enjoy Elvis's singing on this album more than I did on Elvis is Back, but hearing cover a bunch of songs was a tad dull. However, I appreciate how he was able to create a unique sound at the crossroads of rhythm and blues and country music. Was that sound stolen and appropriated? Yep. Other than acknowledge it, I'm afraid there's not much we can do about it though. When it comes to impact and legacy however, this album simply can't be overlooked. This album was the tremor before the explosion, and basically set decades worth of pop culture in motion. This album isn't really my cup of tea, but I appreciate the gravity of it.
There is no denying this album's place in history. Potentially solidifying rock and roll as a musical genre and popularizing it to a level never seen before, this album essentially started it all (well... except that most of it was stolen from music that had already come before...). The hits are the hits and the other songs are slowly fading into history. I can tell. I'm not a huge Elvis fan. I know and like the hits. I ignore most of the ones that didn't make it. This kind of rock and roll is fading fast, but gave birth and evolved into what we have today so it must be recognized. Coincidentally on my Rolling Stones Rock Trivia daily calendar at work this Saturday/Sunday's question was who was the singer that Elvis disliked so much he shot his television (the answer is Robert Goulet...) and then the question for Monday was Elvis gave Richard Nixon what gift while he was president (the answer was a pistol). Elvis has a place in the history of music, but unfortunately I feel him fading quickly. Again, the hits are the hits, the rest kind of bores me at this point.
As a debut this is great stuff but there’s covers on here and I wouldn’t really call that genuine for a debut especially at 29 minutes. Of course we get blue suede shoes which is a classic but others like tutti-frutti I know have been done before.
Elvis' debut, a huge moment for music. I've been listening to all of the number one songs in the country, going back to 1940, and I don't know if people really realize how big of a shift he represented. Same with the Beatles, but just going from big band and crooner stuff, some light doo-wop, to this guy from the South who sang the blues like no white boy had any right to. Unsurprising that we call him the King, and I know there's controversy because so much of what he did was covers of (often) black artists to appeal to white audiences ("I Got a Woman" is Ray Charles, "Money Honey" is Jesse Stone, "Tutti Frutti" is Little Richard, "Blue Suede Shoes" is Carl Perkins), but the other thing to note is that Elvis was sort of a necessary evil. Yes, in a perfect world, those Black artists would've achieved the fame and status in their own right, but we don't live in a perfect world; in fact, America in the 1950's was an undeniably racist world. Someone had to break through that stylistic barrier, and Elvis does a wonderful job with his covers. Imagine if we just had Pat Boone, his covers are often criminally terrible. His version of "Ain't That a Shame" going #1 instead of Fats Domino is, ironically, a tremendous shame - sounds godawful, Pat! Shut the fuck up! Anyway, I think this is an excellent album, an excellent introduction to Elvis. Love him or hate him, he's got the sauce. Favorite tracks: Blue Suede Shoes, Blue Moon, I've Got a Woman, Tutti Frutti, I Love You Because, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry. Album art: Absolutely iconic, I'm honestly shocked sometimes that this is the original cover and not a reissue, it's ageless. Excellent color combo. Spoofed very notably by the Clash with London Calling, it's a bona fide classic. Can't imagine there's a better Elvis cover out there. 4.5/5
2.5
blue suede shoes uuuultra banger. tönt uuuhuere geil. im counting on you isch sini country siite. aber de bueb cha siiinge brööder. bgvs hammer classic crooner shit. stiiimmt er het gmacht i got a woman. recht e geili version, aber isch halt scho en song vomne schwarze sänger wo er denn au singt. und vo ihm profitiert. aber geeeili version. schluss huuere geil. one sided love affair cute gsi. i love you because au cüte aber isch nöd de elvis woni gern han. just because mega ländler bluegräss style dingsbums? tutti frutti nimmter au wieder en rocknroll song vomne schwarze sänger und machten afoch au. trying to get to you findi besser, d breaks sind suuper s tönt alles so knackig yees. ich de brüelibüeli über dich? elbis trurig? coole song. ill never let you go hübschi gitarre. blue moon kenni? sön? sön. geld honig?? glaub es lang füre vieri. aber au afoch well elvis cha siinge und s isch huere guet gspielt. d sings sind nöd alli soo geil.
ELVISSSSSS ich los ehrlich gseit fast nur live-apbe vo ihm aber jo schomal en starche ahfang mit blue suede shoes I' counting you vill ruhiger, typisch so 50er 60er liebessong iwie heter am ahfang eig na selber lieder gschribe oder scho det nöd? de elvis het en frau. ich lieb de drive wo sini stimm bringt, ich glaub dur das setzt er sich schochli vo ähnlicher musig ab für mich one sided love affair chli goofy just befause hani jz chli noaml gfunde tutti frutti mega funny, ich liebs BARABALBURAM find s abwechsle vo schnellere und langsame, schnulzige lieder super blue moon findi extrem geil, sini sonori stimm und dezue de hall und sehr reduzierti musig im hindergrund UND DENN SINGTER KOMISCH HÖCH money honey isch es guets lied aber nüt speziells jaa er het scho stärcheri lieder wo au en grössere wiedererchennigswert hend das album het vill lieder, wo nöd schkecht sind, aber über sini stimm hinweg nüt mega speziells sinn ABER ich han trz e gueti ziit gha, für mich es 4i (blue moon uhuere geil)
- aufgeladen mit tonnenweise kult und Charme - Schön mal wieder reingehört zu haben - neben den großen Hits leider auch viele SOngs dabei, die mich gar nicht gecatcht haben. Häufig triefend vor Kitsch - Sonst qualitativ, sowohl inhaltlich, kompositorisch als auch technisch, sehr in die Jahre gekommen 2,25/5
- man kann nicht leugnen, dass das direkt in die Beine geht und man kaum anders kann, als mitzuwippen - alle Tracks sind sehr kurzweilig - hören sich aber eben auch oft danach an, als wären sie nach Blaupausen gebaut worden - ich bin aber einfach nie ein wirklicher Fan gewesen und bin es hierdurch auch nicht geworden Landet irgendwo bei ~ 2,25 - 2,5 / 5 ⭐
Listening to the music and looking at the cover art, I kept thinking one word: "iconic". Elvis was a terrific singer and made some terrific singles but I don't think the same quality is apparent on his albums. 4 stars, mainly for the cultural impact and influence that is ongoing even to this day
Uh huh huh! Blue Suede Shoes is the only good track here, the rest are just a bit naff
Yeah man acouple of groovy numbers enjoyed thebrock n roll stuff. Rest was arse
I get all the stuff about Elvis' influence and all that but it's just not very good is it?
Uh huh ahuuurrr. Yeah, babe-uh. OK, so it's all covers of rhythm and blues, but he did what he did very well.
There's no denying Elvis's cultural and musical impact... and there's no denying I was foot-tapping throughout this album, but that's mostly because the 12-bar blues osmosis. Taking this album on its own merits, it's good but not great.
I totally understand the phenomenon and how much he shaped music in the last 70 years. I still prefer listening to Sinatra.
3 for the music, + 1 because it’s Elvis.
The King debuts. And all is pipe.
Not a fan of his but this is some of his better stuff.
A couple catchy hits but this was not a standout record.
Production: 3.5/5 Lyricism: 4/5 Sound: 5/5 Enjoyment: 4/5 Overall: 4.1/5
We can call him the "denigger". It takes black music, puts a white face on it and sells a lot without doing anything
I wasn't expecting to, but I really enjoyed this album!
It's Elvis! This was really fun and there was a lot I had never heard before. I especially enjoyed his extraordinary delivery of the line 'Fair exchange is no robbery' on 'One sided love affair'!
Nej men va fan. Inte mer Elvis. Kräkemoji. Det är så tråkig ointressant musik. En 1a för Blue Suede Shoes och Blue Moon. Killen gillar blått.
Nej. Inte bra. Plojig musik.
Tycker Elvis är helt okej, även om det inte är något jag slänger på till vardags direkt. Gillade den förra skivan mer än denna dock.
I found this a pleasant way to spend 30 minutes but if you scratch the surface it doesn't really hold up. He has a good voice and whoever pulled the strings picked some good songs. I have always felt Elvis the cultural icon was a bit ridiculous, but he undoubtedly is one. The issue is that these songs only became popular because it was a sexy white man singing black music. These songs were better as originals and in this day and age, we wouldn't need to whitewash them to make them acceptable to the ass market. Let's leave it as Elvis was decent for his time, but thank god society has moved on.
First rock/pop star phenom so points for that. Yeah all the songs are covers but he still gets to showcase his fantastic voice. Iconic album from the dawn of rock n roll. Rating: 4.0
6,83
"I Love You Because" is so sweet!
Yep that's Elvis.
I've got a soft spot for those early Elvis recordings and that whole Sun Records sound
Mid but I understand why boomers cream over him. Still mid
I don't mind Elvis to an extent, but this contained none of his better songs. Not it.
Everybody knows Elvis. Everybody know how much he influenced pop/rock music. And he was probably the first globally loved pop/rock musician. I guess for that he deserves 5 stars. But I guess we are all here not to rate by the value for history but value for us and for me this is "only" a 3 star album.
More classic Elvis than previously. Some good stuff on here, and although we don't quite have the Elvis bug, we can appreciate his historic significance
Great
Perfect! Just perfect! I love the variances in the texture in the music!
The king! Haven't ever listened to any of his albums before just songs here and there. I understand the impact he had on music and culture back then but the music is really just ok. He did bring us fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches though so there is that.
Not a very compelling album from the king of rock in my opinion. The opening track Blue Suede Shoes might be the most memorable and typical Elvis. But even that song starts to feel repetitive by its end. Some of the songs on the back end, I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin) and Blue Moon - Take 9/M are really slow and boring. Wanted to like this one more than I did.