Customer Reviews

Songs For Elvis...And Then I Wrote

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I found a copy of this yesterday. I didn't know it existed. I also didn't know that it was the Elvis-related CD I've always wanted to have.

Short of a collection of Otis Blackwell's vintage Elvis demos, this is THE dream disc for students of Elvis' style and influences. It is instantly evident that Elvis was heavily influenced by Don Robertson's vocal stylings. If you compare any of the demos here with the released Elvis version, it's eerie to note how proficiently Presley mimics every quaver and swoop of the songwriter's voice.

Elvis was certainly more than a stylistic parrot. He had a great ear, and Robertson possessed an uncanny knack for writing sympathetic songs. They complemented Elvis' singing style, his sense of drama and rhythm, and his charisma.

There are several songs here that Elvis didn't record. All are from acetate demos, save the first track, "Stand-In," from a 1962 RCA single in full "Nashville Sound" mode. These are some of my favorites, as they allow me to appreciate Robertson's abilities most clearly. "Hummingbird," "Feather In The Wind," "What Now, What Next, Where To" and the moody, minor-keyed "Road To Heartbreak" are all major killers.

The sound quality might shock some listeners. The acetate discs from which 25 tracks derive are gritty, sometimes distorted, and often pebbled with clicks and scratches. Jurgen Crasser did a great job of cleaning these up without compromising their essential sound. Thus, you are in for a compelling but imperfect listening experience.

My biggest complaint with Bear Family releases, of late, is that the liner notes are generally weak. Not so with this disc. Robertson provides in-depth anecdotes on each of the songs, and is extensively interviewed in Rudiger Bloemeke's long essay. Lots of great pictures, including several of Robertson with some fellow Nashville songwriting legends.

Anyone with a passion for country music and pop of the '50s and '60s needs this CD. You don't even have to like Elvis to appreciate its portrait of a sincere, talented songwriter at his best.

Disc comes in a slickly designed digipak foldout. Bear Family's sense of graphic design is rudimentary, to say the least, but it's usually functional. This is one of their better-looking packages in quite some time.

This CD is a treasure especially for ELVIS fans. Elvis songs as ELVIS first heard them. Don Robertson has a beautiful voice & I think he sounds just like Elvis. I love this CD!