Saturday 12 February 2022

Elvis Now - ELVIS PRESLEY***

Help Me Make It Through The Night/Miracle Of The Rosary/Hey Jude/Put Your Hand In The Hand/Until Its Time For You To Go/We Can Make The Morning/Early Mornin' Rain/Sylvia/Fools Rush In/I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago

Elvis Now is a compilation of tracks recorded during the previous three years. There is a variety of different genres which some claimed showed his talents for singing all types of song, others that many of the interpretations were sub par. (US:43 UK:12)

“This eclectic mix of gospel-pop, folk-pop and adult contemporary doesn't quite work. Add to this the dreadful take of Hey Jude from the three year old Memphis sessions, and it seems as if little care was put in compiling this album.”

“It seems that 'Elvis Over the Past Three Years' should have been title of Elvis Now. Hey Jude comes from his 1969 Memphis sessions and I Was Born Ten Thousand Years Ago is featured in snipped from Elvis Country. Stylistically, the album is all over the place, featuring schmaltzy pop, country and gospel. A decent interpretation of Kris Kristofferson's Help Me Make It Through The Night salvages what would otherwise be a rather unremarkable album.”

Elvis Now is one of his best 70s albums. a classic no doubt. This tremendous work showcases not only Elvis' love for a variety of music but his ability to sing all kinds of songs. We Can Make The Morning is the stand alone track from this set and ranks as one of his best. Help Me Make It Through The Night shows off his love for country music but it doesn't sound ‘country’, it has that Elvis sound. Until Its Time for You To Go is another great gem and was one of the standards for his live shows in the early 70s. Sylvia is a powerful ballad that tells a great story, Elvis' voice is so strong on this one.”

“This is an OK album, not particularly strong, but not that bad either. My favourite song from it is the up-tempo, rockin' blues number I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago. Put Your Hand In The Hand is pretty good too. Hey Jude was recorded in the late 60s and it sounds like Elvis was just fooling around with it. His voice is really straining and he is making-up some lyrics. It should never have been released. The fact that it was, is just another indicator of how poorly managed Elvis was, and how desperate his label was for studio recordings by him.”

No comments:

Post a Comment