Customer Reviews

Elvis Now

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

1972's "Elvis Now" is interesting on two levels...first, in the way fans view it in the present day, and second, how it was viewed upon its release.

No matter what opinion critics may have of Elvis and his musical legacy, few...if any...have a bad word to say about the 1968 "Comeback Special." There's really nothing to say...there was a black leather-clad Elvis, rocking and snarling his way through classic rock and R&B after a too-long exile in "one star" romantic comedies.

The studio sessions that came from that period...From Elvis in Memphis: Legacy Edition, I'm 10,000 Years Old: Elvis Country...were the result of Elvis sequestering himself behind studio walls with the intention of slicing the material up into individual albums at a later date. When the barrel was empty, it was back to the studio.

This resulted in very good albums (like the two I listed above), not-so-good albums (Love Letters From Elvis, one of those albums scraped together as they reached the bottom of the barrel) and some painfully bad albums (like the "in between songs chatter only" album, Having Fun on Stage With Elvis.

"Elvis Now" was the first studio album following "Love Letters," and also the first in Elvis' final string of studio albums (He Touched Me, Elvis ("Fool" album), Raised on Rock/For Ol' Times Sake, Good Times, Promised Land, Today, Moody Blue...the continuity broken with the occasional concert albums, which also varied widely in terms of quality).

"The Comeback Special" was the result of Elvis in one final act of rebellion. He went to Hollywood for a couple of reasons. First, he wanted to be an actor from the beginning. But the reason he went from the "Hellhound On His Trail" blues, gospel, rock and R&B wailer of the Sun Records era to a trained seal barking out tunes like "Gonna Have A Clambake" on the silver screen was that Colonel Tom had a vision:

1). Make sure that any songwriters are willing to surrender a portion of their profits to Elvis in return for his recording their songs

2). Make a movie as quickly and cheaply as possible, starve the public of "legitimate" Elvis albums, make them go to the movies if they want to see and hear him, and put one or two major league studio tracks (like Elvis' Bob Dylan covers) on the soundtrack albums so that the faithful will reach into their pockets).

You can pick up any number of legitimate Elvis biographies and learn that Colonel Tom wanted the "Comeback Special" to feature Elvis singing traditional Christmas songs and carols, and at the end of the show he'd wink and look into the camera and say "Merry Christmas, everybody!"

Fortunately for viewers...and music lovers...Elvis chose to listen to the show's creators instead, and the rest is history.

Right around the time of "Elvis Now," the supernova that burned in the wake of the "Comeback Special" began to dim. 1973 brought Aloha From Hawaii - Via Satellite, and there are two schools of thought on that one, too. The first sees it as perhaps his final "great" concert film and album. The second sees it as the beginning of what was to follow...half-hearted renditions of the classics, delivered in a "let's just get through this" fashion, with Elvis merchandise for sale in the lobby.

So on "Elvis Now," your glass is half empty or half full.

Here's the play-by-play:

"Help Me Make It Through The Night" - An OK version, one of many songs in which Elvis turns in an acceptable performance but doesn't "take ownership" of the song.

"Miracle Of The Rosary" - An odd choice. Elvis' gospel albums are among the strongest in his catalog, but this track is out of place here. It's also a weaker song overall than many on the gospel albums (maybe that explains why it's here).

"Hey Jude" - Elvis had the same kind of love/hate relationship that Sinatra had with Elvis. The world was Elvis' oyster until the evening of February 9, 1964...the Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. You can believe or disbelieve the assorted comments attributed to Elvis in the years that followed, but having the Fab Four as competition for the top spot was probably less than pleasant. That said, Elvis' take on "Hey Jude" is just too timid and disinterested. He attempts a little bit of McCartney's "Jude, Jude, Judy" scat at the end, but it's far from McCartney's original Little Richard-fueled performance. Elvis' recording only makes you want to pull out the original and listen to it instead.

"Put Your Hand In The Hand" - This is one of those songs that is so dependent on the "hook" - the title in the chorus, the sing-along feel - that many people love it or hate it, and Elvis once again does an OK version, but not a great one. Depending on your feeling toward the song in general, I'm not sure that a "great" version is possible.

"Until It's Time For You To Go" - Decent ballad / country tune, but nowhere near as powerful as the songs found on the "Memphis" and "10,000 Years" albums. Hearing Elvis sing "I'm not a king, just a man" rates high on the irony meter, but the performance is a bit sleepy and laid back...I found the the "don't ask why, don't ask how" section to border on the annoying.

"We Can Make The Morning" - Probably the single best track on the album. Still far from his best, but the kind of song that probably made most people pick up a copy of the album in the first place. It "sounds like an Elvis song," and he has a greater level of passion and power on this track. If the other nine tracks had the same level of "ooomph," this would be a radically different review.

"Early Mornin' Rain" - Like the previous track, this is Elvis "in the zone." It has the moody, world-weary-but-optimistic feel of the "Memphis" and "10,000 Years" sessions. This is the kind of song you cherry-pick for an Elvis mix CD.

"Sylvia" - This is just a poor composition, a weak song, and Elvis can't redeem that. This is the kind of thing Colonel Tom brought to the recording sessions because he'd negotiated a fat cut for himself.

"Fools Rush In" - Well, Elvis got James Burton after his tenure with Ricky Nelson, so it's not entirely unreasonable for the King to re-record one of Nelson's greatest hits with the original guitarist's solo repeated note-for-note. In 1973, when this album was released, one critic noted that it was odd for Elvis, the ultimate idol, to be re-recording "photocopied" songs made famous by other teen idols. It's also a song that lent itself better to Nelson's voice than to the deep boom of the King's pipes.

"I was Born About 10,000 Years Ago" - Heard previously in snippets used to stitch tracks together on the "10,000 Years" album, this is the whole song. It's one of those "fun" Elvis songs, but I can't help seeing and hearing it in any one of his forgettable movies...it has that "Elvis soundtrack" feel...but he cuts loose and it's a fitting closer for an album with two tight tracks, everal OK ones, and a couple of missteps.

In 1973, a "three star" Elvis album was the best you got. Definitely worth the price Amazon is charging, but approach it with realistic expectations. "The Sun Sessions" it's not.

"Elvis Now" was originally released on vinyl in 1972 and the majority of the songs come from sessions held at RCA's Studio B in Nashville. However, just one song actually comes from the famous American Sound Studio Memphis sessions, held on January 21st 1969 and that is "Hey Jude"! The first two songs from Studio B come from a June 1970 session, with "I Was Born 10,000 Years Ago" getting it's first proper release here. It was previously used fading in & out between the tracks on "Elvis Country". From a session held in March 1971 Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" was committed to wax, and it's a particularly delicate version, with good guitar work from Chip Young. A very long session, known as the "Nashville Marathon", from 15th to 21st June of the same year produced five more Studio B tracks, including the Hit Single "Until It's Time For You To Go/We Can Make The Morning". Interestingly this session also produced "The Miracle Of The Rosary", which has been rather mysteriously 'dropped' from several of his gospel albums. So get it here while you can! Another gospel song, the infectious "Put Your Hand In The Hand" is the final Studio B offering, from a session held on June 6th 1971. For those who may think Elvis only exists from 100 "Greatest Hits" compilations this album contains material you may well not have heard. For only $6.98 it's well worth expanding your Elvis horizons!

One of the strangest Elvis albums out there, mixing middle of the road, with pop, and Gospel. Elvis sings *out* on all tracks, especially on the "Miracle of the Rosary" and "We Can make The Morning", a B-sider all the way for EP, although it rings out nice and clean right here on this '72 release - a modest little beat ballad with an arresting hook.

The album altogether is a bit downbeat, especially kicking off with "Help Me Make It Through The Night", a great worldweary warble by the big man; then, followng immediately up with a modern Gospel tune. I was already looking for my Frankie and Johnny CD.

Terrific mediocrities include the '69 session leftover, "Hey Jude", ironically the best-produced track here - now wonder, as it came from the Chips Moman sessions. It's alwatys fun tp hea Elvis on a presumptive spur-of-the-moment muse, but the lyric adjust is too much - all I can imagine is a group of co-eds laughing at how the "former King" couldn't handle the sacrosanct number from the
"new Kings". A reviewer on Amazpon wrote that Presley did not sound Presley on this album - he was probably thinking of this semi-embarrassment. (El, y'mean there was no Carl Perkins song spinnin' 'round in your head, you coulda launched into, instead?).

The best track for me is "Sylvia", another Country ballad which Elvis devours. No lazy crooning here. A solid effort, though it's really album-only stuff.

To close out an unexciting (but musically adventurous) album is the Ricky Nelson arrangement of "Fools Rush In". I guess Elvis did it as a favor to his lead guitarist, James Burton, who played that classic break on the 1964 hit.

this cd is worth the price for "WE CAN MAKE THE MORNING",.This song has been overlooked big time.The rest of the cd is very good as well.

Elvis Now is a great selection of songs recorded by Elvis Presley between 1971 and 1972, except for "Hey Jude", a then previously unreleased cut taken from the legendary 1969 recording sessions in Memphis. This CD version of the original album includes powerful ballads like "We Can Make The Morning" as well as "Sylvia", a greatly underestimated song with beautiful transitions. Elvis' voice is in top shape. Also included is his rendition of "Early Morning Rain", originally from Gordon Lightfoot; the entire track of the country recording "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago", originally included as excerpts at the beginning and ending of the songs in his previous album Elvis Country: I'm 10,000 years old; great versions of "Help Me Make It Through the Night" from Kris Kristofferson and Gene MacLellan's "Put Your Hand in the Hand" (a hit for the band Ocean in 1971); and his sweet version of "Until It's Time For You to Go", which by the way is the best known version of this song originally written and recorded by Buffy Sainte-Marie. Also included is an interest version of the 1940 song "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)", and the inspirational song "Miracle Of The Rosary".Elvis Now

Most of the tracks on this are beneath Elvis---not his best efforts... I think most hard core Elvis fans like myself would agree with me. I'd heard it before way back in the late 70s, and thought the same then.

But I've been hearing Elvis' version of "Early Morning Rain" on satellite radio a lot lately. I've been looking for a copy of it, and after a search, this album came up. (Not sure why I didn't buy just the one song on download, but I guess I was curious about the rest, see what it sounded like after having not heard it for decades.)

Buy the album for Early Morning Rain, or download that one song. It's one of my favorite songs of all time, and I love all or most versions, including Gordon Lightfoot's. It is Gordon Lightfoot who wrote the song, and in my humble opinion, it's his masterpiece. The lyrics are pure poetry, some of the best lyrics I've ever heard. The song really sets a mood and fills your mind with beautiful, melancholy pictures. You can just picture this lonesome guy watching his love take off in that airplane. Highly, highly recommend. Hope you enjoy it as much as I. Now THIS song gets 5 stars, but I couldn't give the whole album 5 stars just for one song...

As for the rest, well, the other reviewers pretty much covered that. It's not so great. Someone said that We Can Make The Morning is good. I guess it's stronger than most of what's on here. The Hey Jude is odd, with Elvis singing too high, and you can hear the strain in his voice. It is a lovely song, but there are better versions out there. I think Elvis could have done this song beautifully with a different key and a better arrangement.

That's it! Except, get Early Morning Rain!

I owned this album on 8 track tape (yup, 8 track) and enjoyed it but could never get it copied to a newer medium. As a long time Elvis fan I was glad to get this music again.

This album has become one of my favorites from the King. And for those who keep saying that Elvis didn't write anything,it is also one of those rare album where Elvis writes one song completely on his own, and it's, in my opinion, the best track on the album. Recommended for any true fan of The King.

The variety and beat of a great collection of Elvis Presley's songs that are still loved by millions of Elvis fans young and old are on this CD. Elvis Aaron Presley is one of the biggest-selling artists of all-time. But mere numbers and statistics can't begin to explain the gigantic cultural impact he had from the 1950's through the present.
He was a key player in the change of the dismal, conservative 50's. His music and his technicolor movies of the 60's brought forth a liberalising effect of rock, pop, soul, and religious genres of music that still lives in the present.

It's great that this CD is available again since some of the songs are hard to find elsewhere. Although it's below average by Elvis standards, it's still worth 4 stars and the price is very low. All Elvis fans should buy it to complement the rest of their collection. Elvis shows his great versality by covering country, pop, folk, rock, and religious music. Here is a review of each song individually:

Help Me Make It Through the Night -- Good cover of a country classic.
Miracle of the Rosary -- As a non-Catholic, I think the theology is wrong, but the song is absolutely gorgeous -- beautiful vocal with an excellent choral background.
Hey Jude -- Although this is panned by some critics, I think Elvis does a very good job except for 2 things -- some of the lyrics are incorrect and I don't like the ending.
Put Your Hand in the Hand -- A bouncy, enjoyable version of this spiritual song.
Until It's Time to Go -- A great song, beautifully sung. It should have been a bigger hit as a single. Best on the CD.
We Can Make the Morning -- A complicated, rock-flavored song that is interesting to listen to. See if you can understand the words for the parts in parentheses: "( ...) stop your crying," and "( ...) candle for your footsteps."
Early Mornin' Rain -- A fine reading of this folk song, although I think it might have been even better in a slighter higher key.
Sylvia -- Not a great song, but Elvis handles the challenging melody well.
Fools Rush In -- I have never really cared much for this song, but it's definitely better than Brook Benton's version. It's done in the same style as Rick Nelson's version and is at least as good.
I Was Born about a Thousand Years Ago -- The clever lyrics are fun to listen to and Elvis enjoys singing them.