Elvis Presley Eras Ranked
Born on this day 82 years ago.
For my annual Elvis birthday post, I've decided to rank the Elvis eras. This was actually a friend's Twitter post last August.
1. Pre-Army RCA Years (That sweet spot after Sun and before he entered the Army. The defining era that made him King).
2. Sun Records (He wasn't there long but what he, Scotty Moore, Bill Black and Sam Phillips came up with was a thrilling mix of Rockabilly, Country and that new thing called Rock and Roll.)
3. Late 60's Comeback (Thanks to Chips Moman, Elvis' 1969 recordings show him more committed to his music since his post-Army years. All started with the '68 Comeback special).
4. 70's - The most underrated era. Elvis' critics look at the jump-suit years as the ones where Elvis was just going though the motions. True, some of the material wasn't up to par, but there is some great stuff throughout the 70-76 years in which Elvis laid down a ton of tracks).
5. RCA Post Army - Right after he got out of the Army, Elvis' very early RCA sides show him out to prove he still had it. And early on he did. Then the movies took over.
6. 60's Movies - Look, Elvis wasn't trying to win any awards for those movies. And taken as light entertainment, some hold up pretty good. Scattered throughout those 60's soundtracks are good songs. Tough to find, though.
For my annual Elvis birthday post, I've decided to rank the Elvis eras. This was actually a friend's Twitter post last August.
1. Pre-Army RCA Years (That sweet spot after Sun and before he entered the Army. The defining era that made him King).
2. Sun Records (He wasn't there long but what he, Scotty Moore, Bill Black and Sam Phillips came up with was a thrilling mix of Rockabilly, Country and that new thing called Rock and Roll.)
3. Late 60's Comeback (Thanks to Chips Moman, Elvis' 1969 recordings show him more committed to his music since his post-Army years. All started with the '68 Comeback special).
4. 70's - The most underrated era. Elvis' critics look at the jump-suit years as the ones where Elvis was just going though the motions. True, some of the material wasn't up to par, but there is some great stuff throughout the 70-76 years in which Elvis laid down a ton of tracks).
5. RCA Post Army - Right after he got out of the Army, Elvis' very early RCA sides show him out to prove he still had it. And early on he did. Then the movies took over.
6. 60's Movies - Look, Elvis wasn't trying to win any awards for those movies. And taken as light entertainment, some hold up pretty good. Scattered throughout those 60's soundtracks are good songs. Tough to find, though.
posted by Tom Lane at 4:56 AM
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