Rock Evolution – The History of Rock & Roll - 1961 (pg 62)

[KS55]

Adam Faith has had a mention but nothing on a playlist yet. As we're in '61 there's four singles to choose from. I was going to put Who Am I on the list for the trademark vocals but feel free to pick another if you want?

It's easy to forget with time how big these artists were and how enduring. I wasn't even born when 'What do you Want?' came out but I can do a terrible impression of that catch in his voice and sing the song, so somewhere along the line it was burnt into my consciousness.

We need to know your mate Andy's story!

I’m not sure any Faith track is really worthy of the play list. They were big at the time, but hardly classics. His best track was the later song “Message to Martha” about 1964, written by Bacharach and David. His last hit, I think, before he became a financial advisor who ruined half his clients. He himself was finally bankrupted by an ill fated attempt to launch a TV station.
Andy’s story belongs on a golf thread. (Just teasing!)

 

[threespires]

One thing that has struck me in what we've heard so far is that for all he is posited as the first Rock n Roll superstar, how little of Elvis Presley's career was actually rock and roll.

After an early flourish, by the time we get to this year he's already well ensconced into his movie career and the kind of music that it yields is rarely rock - on Blue Hawaii I think you might at a stretch describe 2 of the 14 tracks as being rock n roll. His other album from this year "Something For Everybody" sort of sums up where he already was, one side has a decent amount of rock n roll and blues but the other is fairly syrupy ballads and the title of the album suggests artistic merit wasn't at the front of anyone's mind (though there are some decent songs on it). Either way, his studio albums would be well outsold by his movie soundtracks throughout the 60s.

I assume this was all deliberate strategy by Parker but I don't think I'd realised the degree to which it had musically in some ways led to a 'lost' decade in what was actually not that long a career.

 

[Resurrection Joe...]

One thing that has struck me in what we've heard so far is that for all he is posited as the first Rock n Roll superstar, how little of Elvis Presley's career was actually rock and roll.

After an early flourish, by the time we get to this year he's already well ensconced into his movie career and the kind of music that it yields is rarely rock - on Blue Hawaii I think you might at a stretch describe 2 of the 14 tracks as being rock n roll. His other album from this year "Something For Everybody" sort of sums up where he already was, one side has a decent amount of rock n roll and blues but the other is fairly syrupy ballads and the title of the album suggests artistic merit wasn't at the front of anyone's mind (though there are some decent songs on it). Either way, his studio albums would be well outsold by his movie soundtracks throughout the 60s.

I assume this was all deliberate strategy by Parker but I don't think I'd realised the degree to which it had musically in some ways led to a 'lost' decade in what was actually not that long a career.

true...the '68 comeback special was pretty much all R&R ...although with a few exceptions aside the rest of his career was poppy / gospelly ballads...and let's face it...cabaret.

 

[threespires]

true...the '68 comeback special was pretty much all R&R ...although with a few exceptions aside the rest of his career was poppy / gospelly ballads...and let's face it...cabaret.

Yes indeed, I don't know how historically accurate it is but I remember now that the recent Elvis film focuses on the '68 special and how having wrestled control of it from Parker it was a great success and an opportunity for a reset for Presley, but Parker needed money and so persuaded him into the residency cabaret stuff. Lad who played Elvis in it was very good.

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

Prompted by your post it occurred to me to Google to see whether life reflected art.

Dion DiMucci has been married to the same woman since 1963. She's called Susan :-)

They have three daughters and you'd like to think they didn't apply the double standards espoused in 1961 during their upbringing but then he is American Italian Catholic so who knows!

Where he has been something of a wanderer is musically and theologically. In the 80s he switched to making Christian music and did well for himself but then went back to secular music in the 90s. At the turn of the millennium he started making blues albums which seemingly are well regarded and viewed as by far the best output of his career.

In a lovely little piece of symmetry, this year at 85 years young he released an album called Girl Friends where every track is with a different female blues player such as Susan Tedeschi. It is not recorded which one he has tattooed on his chest :-)

Fascinating stuff, thanks for looking that up and I had not yet gone down that road. I simply found the ying and the yang of those two tracks in the same year by him almost too much to ignore. It made me wonder how society even considered or even discussed? it at the time or simply brushed it off as boys will be boys, etc.

It's nice Dion is still with us at 85 too. As Billy Joel reminded us in a related tune asking for it from Virginia that was more of my era growing up, "Only the Good Die Young".

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

One thing that has struck me in what we've heard so far is that for all he is posited as the first Rock n Roll superstar, how little of Elvis Presley's career was actually rock and roll.

Some of his best and most memorable songs aren't even originals from him. He was a great early Rock and Roll performer, and that's all I'll say about that. Contrast that with Dylan and Springsteen and many others who have hundreds of original material and songs. On the list of R&R royalty, Elvis is not high or even present on my list.

He's got 9 original songs per wiki and that's it. The only song I'd know by heart too is "All Shook Up". Was he a performer? Yes, no doubt. But as an original artist, he's low on the R&R royalty with me.

Category:Songs written by Elvis Presley - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

After an early flourish, by the time we get to this year he's already well ensconced into his movie career and the kind of music that it yields is rarely rock - on Blue Hawaii I think you might at a stretch describe 2 of the 14 tracks as being rock n roll. His other album from this year "Something For Everybody" sort of sums up where he already was, one side has a decent amount of rock n roll and blues but the other is fairly syrupy ballads and the title of the album suggests artistic merit wasn't at the front of anyone's mind (though there are some decent songs on it). Either way, his studio albums would be well outsold by his movie soundtracks throughout the 60s.

When you tour Graceland, you'll be amused and amazed at all the film posters that are there from this era. A left turn off the R&R map indeed. Memphis BBQ, Stax, and the National Civil Rights Museum to me were much more enjoyable visits than Graceland.

I assume this was all deliberate strategy by Parker but I don't think I'd realised the degree to which it had musically in some ways led to a 'lost' decade in what was actually not that long a career.

What did Neil Young say about burning out vs. fading away? ;-)

 

[cyan]

Politically 1961 was an interesting year. Kennedy is sworn in as president and the Cold War ramps up. In August the construction of the Berlin Wall would begin. Bay of Pigs leads to greater tension in Cuba and Castro aligns himself with the Soviet Union - more of that next year. More African nations move towards independence. South Africa withdraws from the Commonwealth and moves towards isolation. And Tony Benn was disqualified from holding his Bristol constituency because he was a Lord!

So far our playlist ignores all that - so looking for some politics we turn to Folk Music and Pete Seeger. He had been struggling to make a living since refusing to answer a subpoena to be questioned by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. "I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this." In May 1961 he was convicted of contempt of Congress and sentenced to 10 1 year terms in prison.

However, he kept producing records - often going back into history to make modern points about justice and liberty. He produced 5 albums in 1961 amongst which was Gazette Vol2 "A Collection of Topical songs, old and new without direction as to content or pressure" On that album was a song that spoke to the fears of the Cold War - written by British peace activist Sydney Carter - perhaps best known for the hymns Lord of the Dance and Once More Step Along the Way.

Here is Pete Seegers' chilling version of Crow on the Cradle

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

Politically 1961 was an interesting year. Kennedy is sworn in as president and the Cold War ramps up. In August the construction of the Berlin Wall would begin. Bay of Pigs leads to greater tension in Cuba and Castro aligns himself with the Soviet Union - more of that next year. More African nations move towards independence. South Africa withdraws from the Commonwealth and moves towards isolation. And Tony Benn was disqualified from holding his Bristol constituency because he was a Lord!

So far our playlist ignores all that - so looking for some politics we turn to Folk Music and Pete Seeger. He had been struggling to make a living since refusing to answer a subpoena to be questioned by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. "I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this." In May 1961 he was convicted of contempt of Congress and sentenced to 10 1 year terms in prison.

However, he kept producing records - often going back into history to make modern points about justice and liberty. He produced 5 albums in 1961 amongst which was Gazette Vol2 "A Collection of Topical songs, old and new without direction as to content or pressure" On that album was a song that spoke to the fears of the Cold War - written by British peace activist Sydney Carter - perhaps best known for the hymns Lord of the Dance and Once More Step Along the Way.

Here is Pete Seegers' chilling version of Crow on the Cradle

Well written intro, and I'll add a plug for Edward Norton who plays Pete Seeger in the upcoming "A Complete Unknown" film due in theatres on Christmas Day in the US. I saw a clip of "Seeger and Dylan" playing this week on The Late Show, and it looks good. Norton touched on a few of the political challenges that Seeger underwent from the McCarthyism era and how underrated he was in passing the torch.



(4 minutes in discusses Seeger's legacy, unfortunately this interview doesn't show the promo movie clip)

 

[stan bowles]

One thing that has struck me in what we've heard so far is that for all he is posited as the first Rock n Roll superstar, how little of Elvis Presley's career was actually rock and roll.

After an early flourish, by the time we get to this year he's already well ensconced into his movie career and the kind of music that it yields is rarely rock - on Blue Hawaii I think you might at a stretch describe 2 of the 14 tracks as being rock n roll. His other album from this year "Something For Everybody" sort of sums up where he already was, one side has a decent amount of rock n roll and blues but the other is fairly syrupy ballads and the title of the album suggests artistic merit wasn't at the front of anyone's mind (though there are some decent songs on it). Either way, his studio albums would be well outsold by his movie soundtracks throughout the 60s.

I assume this was all deliberate strategy by Parker but I don't think I'd realised the degree to which it had musically in some ways led to a 'lost' decade in what was actually not that long a career.

He was drafted in 1958 and spent 2 years doing military service. Music had changed a lot in that time and the material he recorded after he was discharged was much different to that before he was enlisted. It was all controlled by Parker and RCA records. They must have known what they were doing as he was just as successful after he left the army as before even though much of the material was very middle of the road and schmaltzy.
His Latest Flame from 1961 was a really good record though.

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

Some of his best and most memorable songs aren't even originals from him. He was a great early Rock and Roll performer, and that's all I'll say about that. Contrast that with Dylan and Springsteen and many others who have hundreds of original material and songs. On the list of R&R royalty, Elvis is not high or even present on my list.

He's got 9 original songs per wiki and that's it. The only song I'd know by heart too is "All Shook Up". Was he a performer? Yes, no doubt. But as an original artist, he's low on the R&R royalty with me.

You have to remember back then it was common for artists to perform songs rather than write and sing them.

Once The Beatles get going around 64, the idea that bands should write and record their own material becomes the norm. It's one of the ways that they changed music. Of course, others did it too but I think they were the first to do a full album. Certainly the amount of songs they write meant they could do this anyway by the time it gets to Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt Pepper, Abbey Rd, White Album and Let It Be.

By the time Springsteen comes along it's expected and no band today would be taken seriously if they recorded songs written by other people.