Stereotypical answer is Suspicious Minds, especially the live version. Anything he did live I love! Also love the deeper track stuff like Talk In Your Sleep or For The Heart
I always hated Elvis growing up cuz I always heard him on the radio and on grandma's records. Then, when I got older and wiser I watched some of his live performances on YouTube. I totally understood the instant I saw him perform live. It was like an out of body experience and I realized that while the music may not have always been brilliant, the man in a live performance was like nothing that had ever been done before at the time. He literally laid the foundation for what you see in showbusiness today, and that was 60 years ago! Besides certain performers like funk musicians and fringe rockers nobody really started doing Elvis like shows consistently for many years afterwards. He was easily 10-15 years ahead of his time, and quite honestly probably 20-30.
(The live version of suspicious minds in Vegas I think it was is probably one of the greatest single song performances ever)
Nobody else has come close to Elvis’ stage presence. Sure he laid a nice foundation for subsequent acts to follow but nobody else had such complete captivation over such a large number of fans, and to think that he did it almost entirely on his own, with only a circus organizer as a manager, is a testament to the authentic way he drew and captivated crowds. The Beatles were four members plus some of the best managers and producers in the business, so certainly somewhat contrived, though their talent and exceptional songwriting kept the fans interested for so many years. Michael Jackson had widespread appeal but I don’t think fans were as deeply attached. By that time there were so many competing acts it was harder to get attached to any one act anyway. Michael Jackson also lacked the masculinity and easy humility of Elvis, and was much more private and cut off. I don’t think any musician has ever been loved as much as Elvis was and still is by many fans.
My favorites are “mean woman blues”, “please don’t stop loving me”, “mystery train”, “that’s alright”, and “heartbreak hotel” but I still find new stuff from watching his rerun movies on light tv and online.
Stereotypical answer is Suspicious Minds, especially the live version. Anything he did live I love! Also love the deeper track stuff like Talk In Your Sleep or For The Heart
I always hated Elvis growing up cuz I always heard him on the radio and on grandma's records. Then, when I got older and wiser I watched some of his live performances on YouTube. I totally understood the instant I saw him perform live. It was like an out of body experience and I realized that while the music may not have always been brilliant, the man in a live performance was like nothing that had ever been done before at the time. He literally laid the foundation for what you see in showbusiness today, and that was 60 years ago! Besides certain performers like funk musicians and fringe rockers nobody really started doing Elvis like shows consistently for many years afterwards. He was easily 10-15 years ahead of his time, and quite honestly probably 20-30.
(The live version of suspicious minds in Vegas I think it was is probably one of the greatest single song performances ever)
Nobody else has come close to Elvis’ stage presence. Sure he laid a nice foundation for subsequent acts to follow but nobody else had such complete captivation over such a large number of fans, and to think that he did it almost entirely on his own, with only a circus organizer as a manager, is a testament to the authentic way he drew and captivated crowds. The Beatles were four members plus some of the best managers and producers in the business, so certainly somewhat contrived, though their talent and exceptional songwriting kept the fans interested for so many years. Michael Jackson had widespread appeal but I don’t think fans were as deeply attached. By that time there were so many competing acts it was harder to get attached to any one act anyway. Michael Jackson also lacked the masculinity and easy humility of Elvis, and was much more private and cut off. I don’t think any musician has ever been loved as much as Elvis was and still is by many fans.
My favorites are “mean woman blues”, “please don’t stop loving me”, “mystery train”, “that’s alright”, and “heartbreak hotel” but I still find new stuff from watching his rerun movies on light tv and online.
I agree with all of your points. The stage presence is mesmerizing