"THE ROOTS OF ELVIS" Vol 1

By this time, it ought to be reasonably clear to most people who know rock & roll history that Elvis Presley's music was the product of a diverse variety of influences, but most of the time, when someone writing about Presley's formative days talks about his sources, "white boy who liked the blues" usually ends up being the beginning and end of the story. Sure, Elvis liked the blues, but his taste for the blues ran from the rough and ready rural sounds of "Hardrock" Gunter and "Big Boy" Cruddup to the downtown swing of Big Joe Turner and Ray Charles and the more polished approach of such harmony groups as the Robins and the Drifters. Presley was also big on gospel, country, pop, and nearly anything else that came his way over the radio, all of which seemed to find a way into his musical worldview if you're willing to look for it, and this compilation offers a fascinating perspective on Elvis' wildly eclectic musical tastes. The Roots of Elvis features original (or at least seminal) recordings of 25 songs that made their way into Presley's repertoire over the years, and listening to these performances you can hear what Elvis drew from them, but you can also recognize how much of his own personality spilled over into his later renditions. While some folks still subscribe to the theory that Elvis simply white-washed the blues for consumption by the pop audience, the truth is that Willy & Ruth's "Love Me" and the Eagles' "Trying to Get to You," both featured here, are great vintage R&B but they lack the fierce passionate edge central to Presley's versions. The gospel sides are equally revelatory; Darrell Glenn's "Crying in the Chapel" is tepid compared to Presley's cover, which speaks powerfully of sincere belief, and "There's a Leak in This Building" by Brother Claude Ely is hard white gospel that speaks to the strength of his religious upbringing. And while it's hard not to listen to this as archeology for Elvis fans, this also happens to be a great collection of fine tunes of the 1950s that confirms, if nothing else, that Presley had a really great record collection. Fascinating stuff. (Mark Deming, Allmusic)

trax:
1. Too much - Bernard Hardison 2. Love me - Willy & Ruth 3. Hearts of stone - Red Foley 4. Satisfied - Martha Carson 5. Crying in the chapel - Darrell Glenn 6. Fool, fool, fool - Kay Star 7. Tryin' to get to you - The Eagles 8. Baby let's play house - Arthur Gunter 9. Reconsider baby - Lowell Fulson 10. When it rains it pours - Billy "The Kid" Emerson 11. There's a leak in this old building - Brother Claude Ely 12. I got a woman - Ray Charles 13. Feel so bad - Chuck Willis 14. Shake, rattle and roll - Big Joe Turner 15. Hound dog - Freddie Bell & The Bell Boys 16. How do you think I feel - Jimmie Rodgers Snow 17. Faded love - Bob Wills 18. (Now and then there's) A fool such as I - The Robins 19. Money honey - Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters 20. Tiger man (King of the jungle) - Rufus "Bearcat" Thomas 21. I'm gonna sit right down and cry (over you) - Roy Hamilton 22. Tweedlee Dee - LaVern Baker 23. That's when your heartaches begin - Billy Bunn & His Buddies 24. White Christmas - Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters 25. Peace in the valley - Red Foley 26. Hearts of stone - The Charms 27. Love me - Jimmie Rodgers Snow
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