[GuitarMan66]

If you had to choose 3 songs, one from each decade..50's, 60's and '70's..that represent Elvis at his most creative as a recording artist, what would they be?
For me I would choose :
50's...A Big Hunk O Love....this is song is so different to anything he had recorded to date, his vocals are amazing and the whole song blasts along at breakneck speed. To me it feels like the whole song is going to fall to pieces any minute as the band and Elvis race along, barely in control...but that only adds to the excitment of this classic song.

60's..I Feel So Bad....another fast paced song, that Elvis and the band seem to be really enjoying,his voice and the musicians combine together to make this an outstanding and very different tune for Elvis at that time ..with a fantastic Boots Randolph sax solo at the end...which boosts the song to a totally different level of recording for Elvis..

70's...Way Down...too many of Elvis' recordings from the 70's were standard cover songs, but this original song stands head and shoulders above anything he had recorded in that decade as a unique recording..it sounds like nothing else he had done in that decade, not only that but it also sounds modern (for '77)..like Elvis was again taking notice of how music was changing and he was still very much (with this song) a part of its progression.

It wasnt easy narrowing down to 3 songs, especially the 60's as this decade was by far the time in which Elvis changed so much as an artist, but thats what Ive came up with..What would your 3 choices be?

[Guest_kingofspades77_*]

1950's=Mystery Train..you just can't go wrong with this song.

1960's=Surrender..his vocals are just amazing on this track.

1970's=Burning Love...probably his last real rock song..and though it was recorded in 1972 it was probably his first real rock n roll song he had covered in over ten years.

[Joe Car]

If you had to choose 3 songs, one from each decade..50's, 60's and '70's..that represent Elvis at his most creative as a recording artist, what would they be?
For me I would choose :
50's...A Big Hunk O Love....this is song is so different to anything he had recorded to date, his vocals are amazing and the whole song blasts along at breakneck speed. To me it feels like the whole song is going to fall to pieces any minute as the band and Elvis race along, barely in control...but that only adds to the excitment of this classic song.

60's..I Feel So Bad....another fast paced song, that Elvis and the band seem to be really enjoying,his voice and the musicians combine together to make this an outstanding and very different tune for Elvis at that time ..with a fantastic Boots Randolph sax solo at the end...which boosts the song to a totally different level of recording for Elvis..

70's...Way Down...too many of Elvis' recordings from the 70's were standard cover songs, but this original song stands head and shoulders above anything he had recorded in that decade as a unique recording..it sounds like nothing else he had done in that decade, not only that but it also sounds modern (for '77)..like Elvis was again taking notice of how music was changing and he was still very much (with this song) a part of its progression.

It wasnt easy narrowing down to 3 songs, especially the 60's as this decade was by far the time in which Elvis changed so much as an artist, but thats what Ive came up with..What would your 3 choices be?

Excellent subject and selections Pacer!

50's-Heartbreak Hotel-a song that cannot be sung by another human being! Till this day nobody knows how Elvis pulled this incredible, haunting song off!

60's-Surrender-I have to agree with Brad here, brilliance! Vocally, perhaps at his peak.

70's-Way Down-I think Pacer pretty much hits the nail on the head!

[missclawdy68]

This one sure is a toughie Steve! But I'll give it a go, I think you guys picked good ones too!

Okay, here goes nothing,

1950's- Hound Dog, why? Well, I think that just shows how ahead of time Elvis was, to come up with something soo smoldering and so much fun to listen to, was pretty creative of him and sure put a twist to this old song! So Hound Dog is definetly one of the many stand outs in the 50's. And not to forget his voice! He totally showcased a raspyiness to his voice that wasn't around to much in that decade. So this is an all time classic for me!

1960's- It's Now or Never, turning an old italian song into a classic english song that shows how much range he has, that hands down has to be a great achievement, it also showed that he wasn't just a flash in the pan, no one can deny that his voice wasn't amazing in this! You'd think it wasn't Elvis singing it, but an opera singer, which ofcourse, was Elvis's intention, but to be able to belt out the way he did in that song and also keep his voice in great pitch and in control is what makes this song a stand out in the 60's and I'm sorry! But I have to say I also think Surrender is fantastic!! So different than anything he's ever done and has same undertones like It's Now or Never, only twisted hehe...

1970's- Supisicous Minds, I think that's a classic that represented Elvis as a very versatile singer, ofcourse people had noticed that in the 60's, but you know what I mean lol, and you just feel a magic to this song, it's just magical, I know it was recorded in 69, but it echoed into the 70's and without a doubt it's a fantastic love song that's a very iconic one and one that tends to be sung by millions of ETA's who can't really nail it, no one can nail this song but Elvis! And I know I'm breaking the rules here, but my second choice would be Way Down, I think it is sooo different and who can bring up old floridan swamp music and make it very cool and very modern? This song reminds me of a swamp, which is a great vision to have lol! And also his voice and the thickness of it makes this song so much more and no one sang like that in that era! And okay, now I'm killing the rules by adding another pick, I'm sorry! I have to! My other pick is "Long Black Limousine", I think it's such a subtle and haunting song and it's so different and his voice in it is just fantastic! That whole raspy thing going on makes this song so good!


LOL! I HATE YOU STEVE! What a very hard topic!! Lol, although the deep thought is very stimulating for the mind hehe...I promised myself that I wouldn't break the rules like that! But I'm sorry! It's Elvis lol! To even try and restrict myself to picking two songs from three remarkable era's is a miracle for me lol!!

[Bazza]

Hmm....Toughie for sure!

50's - I'd have to nominate "Don't Be Cruel". It's THE QUINTESSENTIAL Elvis song from the 50's. Here he perfected pop/rock, with all of the "Elvis" mannerisims in full force. A song that will be FOREVER associated not only with Elvis, but with the original decade of Rock N' Roll.

60's - The 60's is the hardest to nail down for me, as there was such a large breadth of material, style and delivery. I simply can't choose just one song. I HAVE to nominate two. For the early part of the decade, my choice would be "Can't Help Falling In Love". As I've said before, a true artistic triumph for Elvis, never sung again as beautifully as it was for the Blue Hawaii recordings. As flawless a romantic ballad as ANYONE could ever have hoped to record. Elvis nailed it, and it has aged like the finest of wines. For the latter part of the decade, there is no doubt the song is "Suspicious Minds". A very mature song, with Elvis spurred on not only by the outstanding song itself, but the freshness of a new studio and new musicians. This, in my book anyway, is the most mature recording of his ENTIRE career, and marked a significant, and very positive change for him as a musician. A change that, sadly, he wan't able to hold onto for a number of reasons.

70's - The decade started off very strong, and even in 1972, Elvis could reach down and pull out a raucous ROCKER like "Burning Love", which is my nomination for the most signficant recording of his during the 70's. This certainly made everyone stand up and take note of THE KING OF ROCK delivering the goods yet again. It's also a bit of a let down that Elvis made the decisions not to pursue more material of this caliber throught the course of the decade.

[dj_ethan]

50'S HOUND DOG
60'S SUSPICIOUS MINDS
70'S POLK SALAD ANNIE

[U.S. Male]

Here's my take:

50's - Heartbreak Hotel

60's - How Great Though Art

70's - My Way

[Suspicious Minds]

Here is my 3;

Don't Be Cruel.
This is more of a pop record for Elvis in the 50's. Like the version on Ed Sullivan Show too.
My favourite 50's single track.

Suspicious Minds.
My first single in my collection and I became an Elvis fan in 1969.
I like the single version the best even with the fade out and back section. The DJ's on the radio use to get caught out by the fade out and back section.

I Just Can't Help Believin.
That's The Way It Is was the first film I saw Elvis on stage singing this song. One of my favourite live tracks in the 70's. Another single that faded out and back near the end of the track.

[NightRider]

50's
A Big Hunk O' Love. Without question, in my opinion, stands for everything that is Rock n Roll and what it evolved to over the years. A Rocker that took Elvis to new heights. No one could sing it like Elvis could. The only Rock n Roll number close to it would have been Jailhouse Rock. Another Elvis classic that no one could ever repeat.

60s
Suspicious Minds.
Without a doubt Elvis reached new heights with this single. The whole thing is pure perfection, from his awesome vocals to the backing vocals and band.

70s
For me the hardest to choose.

I can't understand why "Burning Love" would be classed as his first real Rock n Roll number for years. It wasn't. There were many throughout the 60s that would qualify. I am not sure that Elvis wanted to or even needed to stay a "Rock n Roll singer" at this time. It made no difference to me that he recorded few true rockers after Burning Love. He had moved on and up from doing just one style of music. As much as i like the Rockers...i like his Ballads, Country songs, Blues and Gospel just as much as any of his Rocking tunes. Musically he wasn't limited to one or two Genres and rightly so IMO.
Burning Love is high on my list and a favourite too. But i would go for something different. He has been there and done Burning Love. For me it was nothing new. It has to be a live recording.

I would nominate "An American trilogy". Another song that no one could perform Live like Elvis. He turned that into his own anthem. Any Elvis fan loves Trilogy. In my opinion Elvis' genius shines through stronger than ever....standing by the drums on Aloha and screaming with excitement when the band hits the right notes !!!

[C.C.Rider]

Interesting. Some great selections. Will have to have a think more about this one. (IMG:http://elvis-tkc.com/forum2/style_emoticons/default/undecided.gif)

[missclawdy68]

Hahaha! Now, I feel like a moose for nominating the songs I nominated, for sure, we all have different tastes and such, but it honestly is so hard to pick any song from any decade of Elvis's remarkable musical career! And I would have to give Chris a big nod! I compeltey agree about "Burning Love" and I do believe that "American Trilogy" is an epic and powerful song that not any artist can nail, maybe not even a soprano lol! So hard to choose, even with much thought. Still healthy for the mind to be boogled! Thanks Steve! lol

[Uniondale]

Hey.
First off THANKS for all the welcoming kind works in the New Members topic.

My most significant...
1950's - I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
1960's - Such a Night
1970's - Wonder of You

I Want You, I Need You, I Love You - if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then this is one of Elvis' best. These sentiments are modified and reflected in Meat Loaf's - 'Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" and Tom Jones' - 'I'm Coming Home". There's probably others but these come to mind right away.

Such A Night - I have this on one of my old party mix tapes and every time it would play it got more attention than any of the more well known 60's classics.

Wonder of You - I was a teenager in the 70's and the radio was on all the time. Of any of Elvis' hits in that decade this one I remember getting the most airplay.

Greg

[Guest_kingofspades77_*]

Hey.
First off THANKS for all the welcoming kind works in the New Members topic.

My most significant...
1950's - I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
1960's - Such a Night
1970's - Wonder of You

I Want You, I Need You, I Love You - if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then this is one of Elvis' best. These sentiments are modified and reflected in Meat Loaf's - 'Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" and Tom Jones' - 'I'm Coming Home". There's probably others but these come to mind right away.

Such A Night - I have this on one of my old party mix tapes and every time it would play it got more attention than any of the more well known 60's classics.

Wonder of You - I was a teenager in the 70's and the radio was on all the time. Of any of Elvis' hits in that decade this one I remember getting the most airplay.

Greg

Great song selections and welcome to the board btw ! Great to have you here (IMG:http://elvis-tkc.com/forum2/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Joe Car]

Hey.
First off THANKS for all the welcoming kind works in the New Members topic.

My most significant...
1950's - I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
1960's - Such a Night
1970's - Wonder of You

I Want You, I Need You, I Love You - if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then this is one of Elvis' best. These sentiments are modified and reflected in Meat Loaf's - 'Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" and Tom Jones' - 'I'm Coming Home". There's probably others but these come to mind right away.

Such A Night - I have this on one of my old party mix tapes and every time it would play it got more attention than any of the more well known 60's classics.

Wonder of You - I was a teenager in the 70's and the radio was on all the time. Of any of Elvis' hits in that decade this one I remember getting the most airplay.

Greg

Great choices! Welcome aboard Greg!