Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley

THE REVIEW

It's about to rain outside. I'm writing to the notes of a legend, everyone calls him The King, and I can easily understand why.

Elvis Presley was truly a shock at the time, going against the tide both in clothing (bright colors, rebellious quiff and sideburns) and in mindset; he didn't care much about race, religion, or anything else. Elvis already had a more open-minded view compared to his peers in Memphis, which made him more comfortable approaching music.

His debut, dated 1956, was a true bolt out of the blue; although it was mainly a reinterpretation of other great classics, the King entered every home in America, sold more than a million copies (the first album in history to do so), and established himself as a central figure of the new "rock" that was advancing like a runaway freight train.

His stage presence, combined with good looks, a magnetic gaze, and great poise, sent myriad girls into a frenzy, his automatic movements, borderline indecent (for the time), made people cry blasphemy and his music was immediately labeled by "purists" as a source of temptation and moral corruption.

This is Rock 'n Roll baby!

The roots are firmly planted in the old blues (and what doesn't start from there?), as seen right from the opener "Blue Suede Shoes", a cover of Carl Perkins, where tradition blends with the carefree execution of the new rock, making it hard to stay still. The typical shuffled syncopated rhythm is accompanied by Scotty Moore's guitar, already noticeable for his pioneering and innovative style which would become the forerunner of the pyrotechnic solos of the future.

Presley's voice stands out above all, filling the air with its full, captivating, dramatically melodic tone ("I'm Counting On You"), and seductive, with his rhythm guitar seasoning everything: at the time many wondered who that "black" person playing country or that "white" person singing blues was..

It was simply Elvis making damn Rock, gentlemen.. The music of the "devil," the one that leads minds astray and youths down the wrong path, yet is powerful enough to move mountains with its impact.

We find country and soul reminiscences in the fast "I Got A Woman" (Ray Charles) with its irresistible crescendo, that minimal solo seems to come out of a child's little amplifier, but it captures, God if it captures!

The piano accompanies the rhythmic and engaging "One-Sided Love Affair", Presley follows it all with disarming ease of execution and vocal harmony, while everything revolves around the most classic of blues progressions. The ballads ("I Love You Because", the poignant "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')") are accompanied by Moore in the background in a deliciously non-intrusive guitar style, also thanks to his shy and introverted character, offering true moments of inner peace, leaving you with closed eyes, while Elvis's deep and visceral voice climbs into the most remote recesses of your brain.

These relaxing moments alternate with true country-style sprints ("Just Because"), where Moore's guitar and especially Presley's interpretation capture attention, while Bill Black's double bass keeps grinding patterns continuously, without rest, creating, in symbiosis with the drummer (I assume D.J. Fontana), a really impenetrable rhythm wall.

Special mention goes to the ultimate hit "Tutti Frutti", a cover of Little Richard, with its frantic and tremendously danceable rhythm: here, it's really difficult to keep the movements in check, and you can imagine the King's killer moves electrifying the girls in the front row. The devilish guitar, mixed with Elvis's irreverent voice, which here seems to dare and let loose a bit more, sign one of the finest interpretations of one of the world's most popular songs.

The soft "Blue Moon" stands out for Elvis's vocal interpretation, the softness in emission, the passing through register, his voice seems like a melodic stream of air flowing from the speakers to cradle you in the sweetest of your dreams, while the closure is entrusted to the soft rock/blues "Money Honey".

Everything flows wonderfully and the immense potential of Elvis, who will soon conquer the world, already glimpsed through and will forever change the history of music.

It's still not raining outside, no matter, I'll play it again from the start...