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darren63
New member
Since Elvis went mainstream (what, in 1960?) he's been described as overrated. The sequins, the movies, the drugs, the food, the paranoia..whatever, it all combined to somehow make him less relevant. What has been forgotton is that he was a supremely talented individual. He had a remarkable voice, and he could emote probably more convincingly than most singers in his generation. Anyway, I know nothing about music from a technical standpoint--I couldn't tell a B-flat from an Asia Minor. All I know is what sounds good, and what moves me. I've always wondered what made Elvis so great...sure, all of us fans have been classified as unrefined hicks, blue haired old ladies and rednecks, but my God, there sure are a lot of us who thought the Hillbilly Cat had something, and what it was was a thing beyond our level of sophistication to define...we don't know art, but we know what we like, yuk, yuk. So I found this website, http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Elvis_...tension.2C__center_of_gravity_and_phraseology
and on it were a lot of quotes from musicians and professional people who talked about Elvis' technical expertise, and his talent (ie: his range, his phrasing, etc.). It was all quite interesting, and yes, most of it was over my head, but for the first time, I didn't feel like a dork for appreciating the incredible talent of the guy. I felt, I guess the right word would be, vindicated. I am an Elvis fan, and here is why!! Power to the people! So, in closing, I guess I've always felt that Elvis has been underrated as a singer and performer because of all the hype and excesses. But strip all that away, and listen to the music, just high enough to hear his his voice. Forget about the 50's and culture and musical revolutions and bad movies....just hear the voice. Okay, I'm done.
and on it were a lot of quotes from musicians and professional people who talked about Elvis' technical expertise, and his talent (ie: his range, his phrasing, etc.). It was all quite interesting, and yes, most of it was over my head, but for the first time, I didn't feel like a dork for appreciating the incredible talent of the guy. I felt, I guess the right word would be, vindicated. I am an Elvis fan, and here is why!! Power to the people! So, in closing, I guess I've always felt that Elvis has been underrated as a singer and performer because of all the hype and excesses. But strip all that away, and listen to the music, just high enough to hear his his voice. Forget about the 50's and culture and musical revolutions and bad movies....just hear the voice. Okay, I'm done.
