You can read the previous installments in this series here:
- Part One: 1954-1955 (In the Beginning…)
- Part Two: 1956-1957 (Peak Presley)
- Part Three: 1958-1959 (Out of Sight)
PART FOUR: TUG OF WAR
By 1960, Rock and Roll had been firmly established as a genre-to-last. Despite parents and parent-aged musicians decrying the new sound as a fad, by the time the new decade arrived it had become the new standard on the radio and in the record stores. It was also a rapidly evolving style: The three-piece, stripped-down “rockabilly” sound that Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and other single-vocalists made famous had been smoothed down by groups such as The Everly Brothers and The Drifters. Within just a few years Phil Spector’s “wall of sound” technique would become the new “it” thing on the radio, with groups such as The Crystals, The Ronettes, The Chiffons and more taking advantage of it to great success. In the meantime, solo acts like Neil Sedaka, Roy Orbison, and Chubby Checker were dominating the billboard. The sound was still called rock and roll, and for the most part in terms of its tempo, subject matter and target audience, it was. But it was such a departure from the sounds of the late-50’s that it eventually came to be thought of as a different beast entirely: Pop music. Whatever you called it, there was no denying that music was changing rapidly, after fifteen years of stagnation in the post-war era. Elvis’s instant-success kick-started it, but then he was drafted just as the movement he was leading went mainstream.
As he returned to the United States in early March of 1960, Presley—who had been following the evolution of rock and roll from afar—was confronted with the sobering reality that he was, just four years removed from his first number one hit, already in danger of being seen as a novelty act. His once-shocking and taboo brand of music were already passe. When he entered RCA’s Nashville recording studio on March 20th, he had two choices before him: He could try to revive the rockabilly sound and pick up right where he left off, or he could evolve and show that he was still a contemporary artist.
He decided to evolve, and gave the half a dozen songs prepared for him a modern flair, sounding entirely different from the singer who recorded “All Shook Up” and “Love Me Tender.” Up first was Otis Blackwell’s “Make Me Know It,” which could have easily been given a simple rockabilly flair, but in the hands of this new Elvis, it had a softer edge to it, despite having all the uptempo fun of his 1950’s works. After twenty takes, Elvis had it perfect. The production was the most robust ever featured on an Elvis record, easily besting the big band sound used on King Creole. DJ Fontana’s drumming kept the beat alongside Floyd Cramer’s piano. The electric and rhythm guitars are still there but unlike in 1957, you have to listen carefully to pick them out above the (more prominently featured than before) baking vocals of the Jordanaires.
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A perfectly fitting ballad called “Soldier Boy” followed and after fifteen takes Elvis was satisfied with the output. The finished product is similar to 1950’s ballads like “Don’t” and “My Wish Came True,” but here it is RCA’s renovated studio (with a new three-track recorder) and recording engineers that give it a fuller sound. As with “Make Me Know It,” Cramer’s piano and the Jordanaires backing give the tune a more modern flair than anything Presley recorded just a couple years prior.
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After that Presley tackled a pair of blues numbers, “A Mess of Blues” and “It Feels So Right.” The latter had a more traditional blues tempo and sound, although it was new to Elvis and made “Heartbreak Hotel” sound practically ancient in comparison. The former is the real standout, combining bluesy sounds with a rock tempo and Elvis’ silky smooth vocals. This was the first song of the night that really showed that Presley’s gift of interpretation had not dwindled while overseas.
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Two more songs were recorded before calling it a night. These last two numbers were set to be performed on his first TV special since being drafted. “Stuck on You” and “Fame and Fortune” would eventually be selected as his first single of 1960, a record which secured advanced sales of one million copies (the first single in music history to be certified platinum by the RIAA before it was even released). The latter was a by the book ballad meant to show off the singer’s tremendous baritone voice. The former was to be the formal unveiling of his new sound, with lyrics full of 1950’s rock and roll fun wrapped up in a more grown-up 1960’s pop presentation.
