Elvis Presley Vs. The Beatles

[Sixes]

but...rock n roll might not have survived without Elvis and his trailblazing. he had balls of steel to continue singing in the face of massive backlash and censorship. he could have easily said "fuck this" and walked away and went back to being a truck driver. instead, he persevered and influenced and inspired generations to become musicians, despite he himself not being a great musician or songwriter. along with chuck berry, fats domino, little richard, carl perkins, jerry lee lewis, etc, they laid the groundwork for what came later. not saying that "first is always better" but this is a different case. elvis and his brethren invented something new that inspired millions, literally

Edited January 6, 2014 by axl666axl666

[bacardimayne]

show me one beatles performance that tops that....one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGWUUEQ0Bt0

1. Just no. Elvis butt rapes the Beatles on this one.

2. Little Richard butt rapes the Beatles.

3. That video should be shown when one is asked to demonstrate why white people are stereotyped as sinfully boring, bland and rhythmless

It is funny you should mention that as, having listened to loads of Little Richard recently, I am starting to feel similar about the Beatles' cover versions. McCartney's version of Lucille on the BBC album sounds unbelievably limp compared to Little Richard's original masterpiece - it does not have that great 'Orleans groove' for a start. But yes there is a few of them, Harrison’s Beethoven, Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey, and none of them live up to the originals.

Covers weren't really their thing, but you can't deny that Lennon's Twist and Shout is perfect.

[Johnny Drama]

show me one beatles performance that tops that....one

1. Just no. Elvis butt rapes the Beatles on this one.

2. Little Richard butt rapes the Beatles.

3. That video should be shown when one is asked to demonstrate why white people are stereotyped as sinfully boring, bland and rhythmless

It is funny you should mention that as, having listened to loads of Little Richard recently, I am starting to feel similar about the Beatles' cover versions. McCartney's version of Lucille on the BBC album sounds unbelievably limp compared to Little Richard's original masterpiece - it does not have that great 'Orleans groove' for a start. But yes there is a few of them, Harrisons Beethoven, Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey, and none of them live up to the originals.

hooray for tolerance! you fuckin crazy? NOTHING AND NO ONE touches the man in your avatar.

[Guest Len B'stard]

Yeah but thing is have you ever heard a decent Little Richard cover? Nobody can wail like him. But that doesnt mean they aint good, they just dont have the same energy. And The Beatles were anything but shit performers, this is a myth, girls were screaming at them way before they were on the telly they were evoking roof ripping off performances all over, The Beatles were shit-hot live, this stereotype just comes as a consequence of the oft told story that they couldnt hear what they were playing. Beatles never had proper rigs either, amplification and all that good shit was a developing thing, at Shea Stadium their shit was fed through the stadiums PA system so of course its gonna sound shit.

Edited January 21, 2014 by sugaraylen

[DieselDaisy]

In fairness the Washington DC gig, the one where they have to keep moving Ringo's drumkit around, is very raw and RnR.

[bacardimayne]

Me banging carrots on a frying pan is raw and rnr. Doesn't make it good.

[batman007]

The Beatles. They both made the girls fn crazy though!

[Guest Len B'stard]

but...rock n roll might not have survived without Elvis and his trailblazing. he had balls of steel to continue singing in the face of massive backlash and censorship. he could have easily said "fuck this" and walked away and went back to being a truck driver.

On the other side of the coin though, he kinda did conform, didn't he? Singing to mutts on the Milton Berle show (think it was that show, might be wrong) and then kinda caving in and going to the army and then spending the entire 60s making movies, he was controversial by accident almost and was kinda embarassed by it is the impression i get from interviews. And c'mon man, give it up and go back to being a truck driver, that ain't no option, when did any rock star/rocker etc ever do that?

[Sixes]

but...rock n roll might not have survived without Elvis and his trailblazing. he had balls of steel to continue singing in the face of massive backlash and censorship. he could have easily said "fuck this" and walked away and went back to being a truck driver.

On the other side of the coin though, he kinda did conform, didn't he? Singing to mutts on the Milton Berle show (think it was that show, might be wrong) and then kinda caving in and going to the army and then spending the entire 60s making movies, he was controversial by accident almost and was kinda embarassed by it is the impression i get from interviews. And c'mon man, give it up and go back to being a truck driver, that ain't no option, when did any rock star/rocker etc ever do that?

he didn't cave in and just go into the army..he was to be drafted either the year he signed up or the next...that's hardly "caving in"..he was going in no matter what...and how is going in the army caving in, anyway? caving in to what? then there was no choice, you got drafted and you had to go...now there is a choice...and i would never "cave in" and enlist although i don't know what you mean by caving in

and again, conform to what? there was no template yet...he and his brethren set the template

and i will give you 1 example if you want...michael gibbons guitarist/founder for legendary nyhc band leeway is now a nyc bus driver...so there you go, 1 example...of course, he's not the same level but he's still an important figure to/in music, especially nyhc

and pray tell, if elvis failed what were his life options? truck driver certainly was one...what else? get a job at the local factory...certainly...what else? mailman? who knows? you gotta pay the bills somehow...

if you fail at 1 career, you have to find a way, right?

[Guest Len B'stard]

I didn't mean cave in in terms of just getting drafted (although people have stood up against the draft y'know) but in general in terms of the direction he took after the controversy hoopla, i mean he himself regretted the singing to the mutt thing and like, trivializing his schtick. And I meant conforming as in conforming to contemporary expectations of him. Don't get me wrong, i'm not having a go at the man, i just think he's pegged as this counter-culture representative but it's just something that was pinned on him, he was actually a really nice patriotic American boy, I'm not saying that as a criticism, could even be a compliment, he was something of a decent fella I get the feeling but he weren't all what he's been made out to be in that specific regard.

Listen to his interviews, he really goes out of his way to not say controversial things and keep his opinions to himself to save from getting shit slung at him.

And yeah, those were his life options but the point I'm trying to make is for superstars thats not really an option by which I mean it's not an inviting option, when i said 'that ain't no option' i wasn't suggesting that he wasn't a working class truck driver and that weren't where he was from and what he had waiting for him if the ground ever came out from underneath him, what i meant was that that kind of abject poverty isn't like, a thing people have in their back-pocket like 'y'know, if the bottom ever drops out on me I'll be alright, I can always go back to driving a truck!' it's more like 'fuck, i better not fuck this up cuz if i do then it's back to driving a fuckin' truck for me!' i don't think you can justifiably hold driving a truck as a viable option is the face of untold riches and stardom and acclaim, it's more like what would happen to you if your life fell to bits.

Edited January 28, 2014 by sugaraylen

[DieselDaisy]

The hippy generation has for a long time struggled to reconcile itself with Elvis's flirtation with Nixon.

[Sixes]

I didn't mean cave in in terms of just getting drafted (although people have stood up against the draft y'know) but in general in terms of the direction he took after the controversy hoopla, i mean he himself regretted the singing to the mutt thing and like, trivializing his schtick. And I meant conforming as in conforming to contemporary expectations of him. Don't get me wrong, i'm not having a go at the man, i just think he's pegged as this counter-culture representative but it's just something that was pinned on him, he was actually a really nice patriotic American boy, I'm not saying that as a criticism, could even be a compliment, he was something of a decent fella I get the feeling but he weren't all what he's been made out to be in that specific regard.

Listen to his interviews, he really goes out of his way to not say controversial things and keep his opinions to himself to save from getting shit slung at him.

And yeah, those were his life options but the point I'm trying to make is for superstars thats not really an option by which I mean it's not an inviting option, when i said 'that ain't no option' i wasn't suggesting that he wasn't a working class truck driver and that weren't where he was from and what he had waiting for him if the ground ever came out from underneath him, what i meant was that that kind of abject poverty isn't like, a thing people have in their back-pocket like 'y'know, if the bottom ever drops out on me I'll be alright, I can always go back to driving a truck!' it's more like 'fuck, i better not fuck this up cuz if i do then it's back to driving a fuckin' truck for me!' i don't think you can justifiably hold driving a truck as a viable option is the face of untold riches and stardom and acclaim, it's more like what would happen to you if your life fell to bits.

fair points one and all..

but again, untold riches weren't really in the cards then...those guys made it possible for future generations to be able to wipe their asses with money and blow their noses in diamond encrusted handkerchiefs

and the term superstar was sort of new with a brand new form of music...there was no history to look back on and move forward with...they were setting the history with no promises...i'm sure they had expectations but those expectations had never been fulfilled before

[Guest Len B'stard]

Personally, i think Elvis is fucking invaluable. Even when you strip away all the image and phenomena and bluster (which by the way, is fucking great just on it's own) what you have is a fuckin' amazing singer/star. I love Elvis to bits, seen all his films as well as being into his music, the guy was fuckin' incredible quite frankly and no one can get away from the fact that he is probably the person that you can cite and being responsible for creating an international youth culture. The first youth culture really. I mean beatniks you could cite but they were very much a fringe thing really or rather perhaps they didn't benefit from having this thing where they could be broadcast wholesale all over the world and effect people in the way Elvis did.

[Sixes]

Do you have the Complete Elvis Presley Masters? I think it's 30 cd's total but it encompasses all of his studio recordings, including all the movie soundtracks.

Essential to have.

Edited January 28, 2014 by axl666axl666

[Guest Len B'stard]

Shame on me, i think i downloaded that not long ago I really like his early Sun Recordings. Lawdy Miss Clawdy though, if i was to pick one out of his whole discography, and indeed in the history of rock n roll, is one of the most perfectly realised recordings i have ever heard in my life.

Edited January 28, 2014 by sugaraylen

[DieselDaisy]

I have the Complete '50s masters. Every single recording from the 1950s.

[Sixes]

I have the Complete '50s masters. Every single recording from the 1950s.

that's the first box set I ever bought...think it's called the king of rock n roll?

[DieselDaisy]

Yes. They have re-released them and reduced them in price. The 50s one is complete but the 60s and 70s ones are just 'essential' and I am amazed they did not include Spanish Eyes on the 70s one.

[Sixes]

Yes. They have re-released them and reduced them in price. The 50s one is complete but the 60s and 70s ones are just 'essential' and I am amazed they did not include Spanish Eyes on the 70s one.

I have the 60's and 70's ones as well plus a Gospel one.

But the Complete Masters encompasses all of them plus the missing tracks.

[DieselDaisy]

The Elvis discography was in a complete mess before those. When I was a kid - and a young Presley fan - I used to have to buy a greatest hits album for just one extra song that I did not have.

[Guest Len B'stard]

The problem arises because he's from an era where albums/singles weren't like...sacred, they weren't works of art, lots of complications collections were just slapped together for money so it was all a bit of a mess.