1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. 3. Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley (1956)

Dr Simon Reads... Listens... to the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. 


Here’s a new concept. Inspired by the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (compiled by Robert Dimery) I intend to do just that. Since an album is usually around about an hour at most, and I can listen to them while doing something else, and I suspect the majority of them will be on Spotify, hopefully I will be able to do them before I die. Even at the rate of 1 a day, that’s three years. 

3. Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley (1956) 

A tiny album of just 28 minutes (but then those 50s rock ‘n roll tracks usually top 2 minutes at most, short and sweet). Released in May 1956, this is a very young King, all fresh-faced and beautiful, performing what I can assume are mostly covers of existing rock and roll, and country-ish, songs. Blue Suede Shoes is the big one off here; Tutti Frutti is probably better known for the Little Richard version. Elvis does a hauntingly soulful version of Blue Moon as well, and his vocals throughout this, although the characteristic (and endlessly imitated) baritone is here, his younger voice has some lilting high elements too, most notably in the track I’m Counting on You which, if you were to hear it in isolation, would probably never guess that it was Elvis. 

Certainly a classic in terms of where music went afterwards, and juxtaposed to Sinatra is like a sudden burst of youthful exuberance and chaos into a smooth and louche world. Shame that twenty years down the road junk food and drugs had taken their toll. 

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