So why is Elvis Presley on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
It’s so much fun to dive back into the early Elvis era, the young Elvis, the age when he emerged out of American south and crossed over to the mainstream in the biggest way possible with a new and potent blend of country and rockabilly-tinged rock and roll. But most of all, of course, it was Elvis’ voice, his personality, and his (for the time) semi-provocative dance moves (a little more on this below) and overall sex appeal.
It all comes together with “Blue Suede Shoes,” a song that reminds you that music can be joyful and energetic while coming from an earnest and pre-irony place. Most of all it just rocks in a way that truly defines “old school.”
I really love this ultra-stripped down version of “Blue Moon.” It sounds so intimate that it almost feels like Elvis recording alone into a tape machine. His voice is simply gorgeous, all the more so for how prominent against the fairly distant musical backdrop.
“Just Because” is an incredible deep cut so I will provide it here for you… simply due to an undetermined reason (see what I did there?).
Pop culture stuff that’s somehow related to Elvis Presley
Here are the Elvis Presley album titles that have the words “Elvis” in them:
- Elvis Presley (1956)
- Elvis (1956)
- Elvis’ Christmas Album (1957)
- Elvis Is Back (1960)
- Elvis for Everyone! (1965)
- From Elvis in Memphis (1969)
- Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas (1971)
- Elvis Now (1972)
- Elvis: As Recorded at Madison Square Garden (1972)
- Elvis (Fool) (1973)
- Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis (1974)
This is stuff you can do when your name is… Elvis. And you’re that Elvis.
Or, you know, the other Elvis. Who is an amazing Elvis. Too. That Costello guy.
Personal culture stuff that’s somehow related to Elvis Presley
My mother is of an age that she clearly recalls the dawning of The Age of Elvis in the United States. And in the classic tradition of older generations looking down upon the younger generation of popular music icons, my grandmother would dismissively refer to him as “Elvis the Pelvis.” This phrase was actually coined way back then by the so-very-square Ed Sullivan:
Ed Sullivan, whose own variety show was the nation’s most popular, declared him “unfit for family viewing”.[110] To Presley’s displeasure, he soon found himself being referred to as “Elvis the Pelvis”, which he called “one of the most childish expressions I ever heard, comin’ from an adult.”[111]
Some stats & info about Elvis Presley
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock, Rock Music, Rockabilly, Pop, Pop Music
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – #332
- All Music’s rating – 5 out of 5 stars
- When was Elvis Presley released? 1956
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #828 out of 1,000
Elvis Presley on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Elvis Presley that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Well, it’s one for the money, two for the show.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective take on what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.