Elvis is the MAN! I have been a fan since I heard "Radio, Radio" on a late night "new wave" hour on an otherwise "album rock" station in Witchita KS in the late 70s. I went out and bought his then-latest "Armed Forces" and own all his comemrcial stuff and a few bootlegs.
Where to start with Elvis? Here a few of my thoughts (in chronological order):
1. My Aim is True - has some classics includinging Watching the Detectives, Red Shoes, Alison. On balance, not one I come back to much, but perhaps because it is etched in my mind. Most definitely worth hearing.
2. This Year's Model - One of my all-time favorite rock albums. Tighter than the first one and the first to feature the Attractions. Where to start? No Action, Radio Radio, Lipstick Vogue, I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea are stellar rock songs, regardless of era. Elvis rocks, Elvis is pissed, Elvis is literate.
3. Armed Forces - hardly a let down at all from Model. This one is more diverse from a stylistic point of view. Two Little Hitlers, Senior Service are classics, in addition to the more well know songs - Peace, Love & Understanding, Oliver's Army and Accidents Will Happen. Elvis has made many great albums, but if all I had were these two, I would be a happy camper!
4. Get Happy - pretty well discussed above. I was let down at first - with the two minute gem, you really lose the ability to tell a great story and create any musical dynamics, both of which he seemed to do on the prior two. Plus, this one simply does not rock like the other two do. But ... once I get over my disappointment, I grew to love this one over the years. Definitely top-shelf Elvis.
5. Trust - more of a return to Armed Forces, but not quite as good to my ears. Still, a great one to pull out and put into "heavy rotation" for a month or so. New Lace Sleeves is a pop gem.
6. Almost Blue - the country album. I love country music and I love Elvis, but I think this one blows. Pass.
7. Imperial Bedroom - this is another solid return to form. Everyone calls it his pop masterpiece - whatever. It is more arranged than anything he did previously and the songs don't sound much like punk rock. I like it, the songwriting is very good. Sounds like the classic pop album Paul McCartney never made.
8. Punch the Clock - Probably his most commerical-sounding album to this point. Definitely the first one to incorporate horns as an integrated part of the album. There are some very good songs - Everyday I Write the Book, Pills and Soap, but a little too lightweight for serious repeated listening.
9. Goodbye Cruel World - regarded by Elvis and many as his worst album. The production is out of control - very 80s. Listen to this right after This Year's Model and you will want to puke. Listen to it out of that context and it is kind of interesting, sort of, maybe ...
10. Blood and Chocolate - back with the Attractions in full force. After almost 25 years of listening to Elvis, this one is very close to the top for me. When it first came out, something was missing for me - it is very raw sounding and the emphasis is definitely not on melody. But ... those qualities have turned into great virtues for me. And, the punk rock ethos has definitely returned with a vengence. Key tracks for me include I Want You (one of his all-time best), Battered Old Bird (ditto), I Hope You're Happy Now. If you are a Springsteen fan, this is his Darkness of the Edge of Town.
11. King of America - came out about the same time, the first without the Attractions. Beside Blood, I thought it sucked when it came out, but it has definitely grown on me. It has a country feel, but not to distraction. This one is also regarded as "brilliant", although that is a little strong for me. Solid, middle of the pack Elvis for me, with many charms.
12. Spike/Mighty Like a Rose - I throw these two together because for me, they sound somewhat similar. Plus, I think they are bottom third Elvis. I hear him moving in a lot of directions at once. While some of it works, I simply find a lot of this boring. There are 5-6 great songs over the two albums, but I just don't enjoy these records.
13. Brutal Youth - back with the Attractions. A good but not great album. It sounds just a little forced to me. This is one where the demos sound better than what was actually released.
14. Kojak Variety - a covers album. I don't have enough spare time in my life to deal with this.
15. All This Useless Beauty - another one with the Attractions. This is my favorite later day Elvis. The concept was for Elvis to record an album of songs he originally wrote for other folks. Whatever, I don't think that matters to the listening experience. To me, this is one of his most "mature", "low key" sounding albums. The Atttractions don't really rock, but most of the tunes are great and Elvis really seems to take to the songs vocally. Warning - this one will take some time to grow on you.
16. When I Was Cruel - with the Imposters, who are basically the Attractions (only change is the bass). This one rocks, it is raw, but somewhat uneven. This are some very good songs, but as mentioned above, there are some that just go on too long. Still, woth owning and listening to. I think Episode of Blond is classic Elvis, one of his best ever.
17. The Delivery Man - his latest, again with the Imposter. This one has more of a country blues feel. On balance, the songs are a little better than on Cruel, but I prefer the song and attitude of Cruel. This is a fun record, good party record with some nice ballads thrown in.
I left off a bunch of stuff where he really jumps off the rock road. Check out allmusic.com if you are interested. I love Elvis, but I don't have a lot of interest in going down those paths, even if he does.
The great missing link in all of the above is the bonus CDs issued by Rhino. Each of them is full of stuff - unreleased songs, demos, live versions and covers. Some of the material is excellent. And there are several of the bonus CDs that you can almost listen to as an album straight through. I am glad to have this material, although there is a ton to wade through.
As I said above, Elvis is the man. There is an extraordinary level of depth to his catalog. Others will certainly have their favorites, but I think he is a very rewarding listen in just about any period.
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