ALBUM
ELVIS PRESLEY
EPiC
Sony Music Japan International
There are many songs put forward as the first Rock ‘n’ Roll record and several worthy contenders as the first Rock ‘n' Roll act. For the former, you can nominate Jackie Brenston’s 'Rocket 88' from 1951 or from 1954, Big Joe Turner’s 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' and Bill Haley’s, Rock Around the Clock'. For the latter, take your pick of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and others. One indisputable fact though is that when Elvis burst onto the scene with 'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'Hound Dog in 1956, he not only took stage performance to a whole new level, he united black and white music fans as well. He became ‘The King’, overnight, and remains so to this day.
Elvis Presley in Concert is not a straight-forward live show nor a documentary in the traditional sense. To paraphrase the director, Baz Luhrmann’s liner notes, it is ‘an imagined concert where Elvis comes to you in a dream, singing you his life story’. As such, much in the same way that Cirque Du Soleil took The Beatles’ recordings and created Love for their show, so too has the team behind this, added orchestration and sampled parts. That’s the premise of the film then and also the soundtrack of which it must be said, is beyond all expectations; you’ve never heard Elvis quite like this.
With today’s technology, old recordings can be digitised at a high sampling rate, cleaned and enhanced but the fact remains that if the foundations for those recordings, i.e. the performances on the multitrack tapes, are not good, no amount of patching up, adding or polishing is going to make them shine. Of course, there is the man himself; that unmistakable voice fills your room. Between songs, he laughs and jokes, even gets a bit rude at one point but whether he’s belting out some rockers from the fifties or a ballad from his later years, the depth and soul of his commitment to singing a song is unwavering.
Behind him, Elvis had a band that were always on point and knew all his cues which meant all he had to do was sing. That band, James Burton on guitar, Jerry Scheff on bass, Ronnie Tutt on drums and Glen D. Hardin on piano have previously been buried in the mixes of other releases but here, as with the other backing musicians, they are separated and brought forward, giving you the chance to feel what Elvis felt behind him; the power the ensemble make on this release is an element of Elvis’ shows we’ve never heard before.
This is more than just another live album; it’s an actual experience. Forget all the stuff about his terrible films, the pills, the hamburgers and peanut butter sandwiches, this is who Elvis was and still is - the singer, The King.
Track List
01. Can't Help Falling In Love (EPiC Intro)
02. Also Sprach Zarathustra/An American Trilogy *
03. That's All Right *
04. Tiger Man *
05. Wearin' That Night Life Look
06. Hound Dog *
07. Polk Salad Annie *
08. You've Lost That Loving Feeling *
09. Little Sister/Get Back *
10. Burning Love *
11. Never Been To Spain *
12. Love Me †
13. I Can't Stop Loving You *
14. Are You Lonesome Tonight? *
15. Always On My Mind *
16. How Great Thou Art *
17. Oh Happy Day *
18. A Big Hunk O' Love *
19. Bridge Over Troubled Water *
20. In the Ghetto †
21. Walk A Mile In My Shoes *
22. Suspicious Minds *
23. Bring The Curtain Down (EPiC Outro)
24. Can't Help Falling In Love *
25. American David *
26. A Change Of Reality (Do You Miss Me?)
27. Don't Fly Away ‡
* EPiC Version
† Jamieson Shaw Remix
‡ PNAU Remix
ALBUM
JOHN FORD
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
Iconoclassic Records
Somewhere in New York state, there is an attic with a portrait of John Ford painted by Basil Hallward. The difference between John’s and Dorian Gray’s though is that whereas Gray’s records his immorality, John’s adds his remarkable output of consistently good albums. Without further ado then, here we go with another set of great recordings from John, a master of songwriting and recording.
Between A Rock And A Hard Place opens with the title track and as soon as it begins, you know, you just know, you are in for a treat. No complex chord structures, no fancy studio tricks, no whoosh-bing gimmicks, just great songs with great lyrics and a faultless production. ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ and 'Who Turned Out The Lights?' happily sit with the simply beautiful ‘The Last Goodnight’ and ‘Land Of Dreams’ whilst the two covers on the album, Tom Petty’s ‘Walls' and George Harrison’s ‘The Sun Rising’ are both handled with respect and sit in easily with John’s compositions. So much so actually, that it makes you realize that John would have made an excellent Wilbury.
The man does almost everything himself. Arranged by and produced by, he is also the singer, acoustic guitarist, composer, electric guitarist, bassist, keyboard player, drum programmer and also shakes a mean tambourine. His son, John Ford Jr, is a chip off the old block contributing lead and electric guitars on a few tracks. (Check out his band, Lucky Dangerous, and you’ll see what I mean). Complimenting the album, there is a bonus CD included for those of you who need to play catch-up. Twenty-one tracks from the last three decades and every one of them up to the standard of the main disc. Get in there quick though as that’s only included in the first 500 copies.
It should be noted that the album is dedicated to Dave Cousins whom you all know from the Strawbs, a band that were arguably at their commercial peak when John was in the band. It’s been a little over a year since Dave passed away and several of the songs have lyrics that could pertain to the loss of his friend. Whether they are or not, only John will know although he has said that the lyrics to ‘Lilacs And Hollyhocks’ were supposed to be written by Dave but he became too ill to finish them. Indeed, John has spent a large part of the intervening five years between Life In A Foreign Town, his last solo album and this release, back with Strawbs recording and playing live. Picking up where he left off in 2021, Between A Rock And A Hard Place is perfectly paced and aurally pleasing; quality from beginning to end.
Another album just faded in on that painting in the attic.
Track List
Between A Rock And A Hard Place
The Last Goodnight
Land Of Dreams
Walls
Always
Lilacs And Hollyhocks
Since You’ve Been Gone
The Ship And The Sea
Who Turned Out The Lights
In The Dead Of Night
The Rising Sun
Bonus CD The Best Of John Ford 1988 – 2025
Poor Boy Running
Movin’ On
Acoustic Sunrise
Strange Universe
I’m A Chameleon
Kissed By The Sun
Don’t Blame Me
Together Apart
Natural High
Another Tradition Broken
Bread And Fishes
Love Is A Highway
Big Hit In India
Life in A Foreign Town
What Am I Going To Do Without You
Back In England
When Did I Ever Let You Down
Christmas Rendezvous
Cry Me A River
Poor Man’s Son
You Can’t Keep Me From Singing