I’ve been thinking about the whole Mariah Carey out #1’s Elvis thing, and this is about all I have to say about it.
Big Mama Thornton ft. Buddy Guy – Hound Dog
Interesting to think about what it meant for Elvis to record Big Mama’s “Hound Dog” (Lieber/Stoller) compared to what it meant for Aretha to record Otis Redding’s “Respect.” Essay question to follow.
The Elvis clip featured visual and audio in sync. Big Mama’s media ingest was obviously to blame. And the interwebs in general.
That was from Smokey Joe’s Cafe, no? Lieber/Stoller…it’s amazing I had no clue who wrote all those songs as they hit the charts for the FIRST time! What great ear candy they gave us! (Big Mama’s rendition is obviously the better of all others, but Elvis a close 2nd.) It’s great how their music has gained the appreciation of generations which follow mine. I remember when “Sweetpea” found my compilation tapes of my generation’s sounds when she was about 12 or so…”Mom, where has THIS been hiding?” A new world was opened to her, Ah, those Tin Pan Alley-esque days… alas, my brother permanently borrowed all my hundreds of 45’s…they’re probably in some damp, dusty storage shed, heaven only knows where. And Otis Redding…one of my fav’s. And when the “underground” development of R & B finally saw some sunshine, that was a major tsunami to daylight, Otis, Tommy Edwards, The Flamingos,…the music fairly tame in comparisons to today’s fare…but it was what we were had, danced to, cried to, laughed with, and screamed about. (here’s your essay, Dave, for what it’s worth.)
Essay questions to follow? Bring ‘em on!
Thanks for that reflection. I hope your 45’s are safe and dry somewhere. When I watch performances by Redding, Buddy Guy, some of these folks are pretty intense on stage. Some contemporary performers confuse louder amps for bigger music. An enormous drone’s got nothing on live Memphis Horns.