Search - Elvis Presley :: Today

Elvis '75

Ron | Tacoma, WA | 03/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Two of Elvis' best albums came out in 1975, so why do writers and critics often dismiss this part of his career? "Promised Land", released in February '75, contained some of his best country and rock 'n' roll tracks of the decade. "Today" is of similar quality. The opener, "T-R-O-U-B-L-E", is known to many via the Travis Tritt remake, but there's no doubt in my mind who owns this song. The piano is much more prominent in Elvis' version, giving it a bit of a Jerry Lee Lewis feel. Elvis rips through this one with the ferocity associated with his 50's recordings. Things get much gentler with the second track, "And I Love You So", written by Don McLean. Perry Como had the hit version of this song, but Elvis' is special, full of the feeling of new love. "Susan When She Tried" is upbeat country, with prominent vocal backup from Voice (the group Elvis put together just to sing with him). "Woman Without Love" is a sad country ballad, with nice pedal steel and strings. "Shake a Hand" brings out Elvis the soul/gospel singer, it's a song from the 50's, and almost feels like being at a revival meeting down south. Makes you feel better just listening to it. "Pieces of My Life" is just the opposite, a regret-laden lament of life's sorrows, it feels like Elvis is baring his soul to us with this song. Elvis was not a songwriter, but he seemed to be searching for songs in the 70's that said what he needed to say. "Fairytale", a hit for the Pointer Sisters, is the one Elvis introduced onstage as "the story of my life". Once again, the vocal backup is prominent, and the country feel is evident with steel guitar and fiddles. "I Can Help" was a #1 hit for Billy Swan, a longtime fan of Elvis, so it's only natural that "the king" did his own version, complete with surprise ending. "Bringing it Back" was the second single off the album, and flopped. Don't ask me why, it's a catchy country/pop tune that stays in my head long after the cd has ended. "Green, Grass of Home" was a hit for Tom Jones many years before, and a longtime favorite of Elvis'. Elvis stays close to Jones' arrangement, overall the sound here is dominantly country. In fact, Elvis was selling bigger to the country audience than the pop crowd at this stage of his career. "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" was top 10 on the country singles chart, while only #35 on the pop chart. The album itself was another #1 country seller for Elvis, and also the last proper studio recordings he ever made. His final studio albums would be recorded at his home Graceland in Memphis."

If Garth Brooks would have made this...

J. Oliver Marquina | Madrid, Spain | 02/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"... now we were talking probably about one classic in country music. For me it's just four stars because Elvis had done much better records before. So Elvis just got inside the Los Angeles studio (was it in LA?, I'm not sure) and made only these ten recordings, which reveals that he was tired about recording, but who cares if he still could do so fine? For me there is only one substandard, Fairytale, because it doesn't suit the voice he got then, a bit boring I Can Help (too long for that lack of inspiration) and the pity of the bizarre arrangements of And I love You So, in which he gave a very wonderful lecture as you can hear on the "naked" takes on the second disc.

Nevertheless he gave us the terrific T-R-O-U-B-L-E (no one can handle this as strong as he did), the very charming Susan When She Tried, that big fire in the last lines of Shake A Hand, the most heartbreaking version you'll never listen of Green Green Grass of Home, the very emotive Bringing It Back and one of his last master readings of a song: Pieces Of My Life.

Buy it and enjoy it!"