Elvis Variety (Country, Hip Hop, Rock)

I don't think I've managed to exactly put my finger (yet) on what makes Elvis' legacy so enduring. I mean, we usually evaluate musical talent in terms of stunning ability to play an instrument or the ability to write songs or melodies that touch people. Elvis was never considered a prodigy when it cames to any instrument. Nor is he considered to be a genius in writing music or lyrics. Sure he had an amazing voice, but so do thousands of other people. There are so many people with astonishingly good voices who haven't had close to the staying power of Elvis.

Some people say Elvis' success could be attributed to timing. He came along at just the right time and exploded on the stage at a time when the nation was in transition. But that sounds much more like a fad and not something that would lead to a phenomenon where thousands of people gather at his home thirty years after his death. There are all these "Tribute Albums" that highlight Elvis' music (even though most of them were just covers of other peoples' songs). Why is it that thousands of musicians a lot more talented than Elvis are willing to contribute to these tribute albums, singing songs that someone else wrote and Elvis just sang during his career.

He certainly had charisma. But attributing his musical legacy and astonishing staying power to just his charisma seems unsatisfying. So, he didn't write great music, never wrote a profound lyric, and was never a social activist in a public sense. Yet, here we are , THIRTY YEARS after his death still talking about him, listening to his music, watching his movies, and buying new tribute albums of "his" music. Strange.

Here is just a small sampling of the range of Elvis versions out there. From pure country (Faith Hill's version of Trying To Get To You from the It's Now Or Never tribute album) to hard rock (Robert Plant's version of Let's Have a Party from The Last Temptation of Elvis collection which includes Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney) and even a House/Hip Hop (no idea what the difference is between the two) remix of All Shook Up by Rick Lenzi from an album called Love Me Tender: 21 House & Hip Hop Remixes.

1. Faith Hill - Trying To Get To You (2.12MB; 128kbps MP3)
2. Robert Plant - Let's Have a Party (3.39MB; 128kbps MP3)
3. Rick Lenzi - All Shook Up (Candy Remix Edit) (3.5MB; 128 kbps MP3)

Merle on Elvis

Now here's a real rarity. There were numerous tributes to Elvis after he died but few that were really memorable. One country great to record a touching tribute to Elvis on his death was Merle Haggard. I purchased this album when I was in India and loved the opening song, From Graceland to Promised Land. The rest of the album consists of Merle covering several Elvis tunes and these are great too.

I was told that this album has long been out of print, but as usual, a search on Amazon turns up miracles. Apparently, MCA Special Products released this 1995 but kept me in the dark. Go figure! I've been treasuring this vinyl album for years and now I find I can just go out and get it on CD? What's that all about?

Anyway, now that I've saved you the trouble of hunting for it, buy the album here. If this puts you in the mood for more Merle, here are all his albums on Amazon's list. It really is a great album with heartfelt renderings of the songs. Here is the title tune as well as one of the covers. These are from my vinyl version. I just transferred them to the computer, but there's minimal crackle and hiss. Enjoy!

1. Merle Haggard - From Graceland to Promised Land (2.25 MB; 128kbps MP3)
2. Merle Haggard - That's Alright Mama (2.27 MB; 128kbps MP3)