Elvis Country

Release Date- Jan. 1971

Peak Chart Position-  # 12(US) #6 (UK)

Track Listings-  Snowbird / Tomorrow Never Comes / Little Cabin On The Hill / Whole Lot-ta Shakin' Goin' On / Funny How Time Slips Away / I Really Don't Want To Know / There Goes My Everything / It's Your Baby, You Rock It / The Fool / Faded Love / I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water / Make The World Go Away / I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago /

Recorded- June 4 1970 - Sept. 22 1970 in RCA Studio B, Nashville.

Musicians-  Guitar:  James Burton, Charlie Hodge, Chip Young, Eddie Hinton,
                        Bass:  Norbert Putnam
                        Drums & Percussion  :  Jerry Carrigan
                        Piano:  David Briggs
                        Organ & Harmonica:  Charlie McCoy
                        Vocals:  The Imperials, The Jordanaires, Charlie Hodge.
 
 

  The title "Elvis Country" does not seem to refer to this being a country album (Washed My Hands is pure blues), but instead to the fact that this is Elvis Country, the country which we live, be it The USA, Canada or anywhere in the world.  This is music that transcends the globe, transcends all boundaries.  Elvis Country is probably the closest that Elvis came to doing a concept album (outside soundtracks) and it's a shame that more like it were not made.  Probably his single greatest release, meaning this is one of the greatest albums ever.  Elvis returned to Nashville a year after his enormously successful session in Memphis and it seems like he sought to top his greatest which he had done the year previous.  And you know what ? He succeeded.  This is Elvis at his most diverse and his most energized.  Each song is special and you can hear that from the moment the album opens with "Snowbird" of all things !!  He takes this completely irrelevant piece of tripe (sorry Anne Murray) and fills it with such passion that would never have been though possible.  "Tomorrow Never Comes" is possibly the strongest song Elvis ever recorded and the power that this song has is tremendous.  It is beautiful, touching and yet dark and sad at the same time.  The song is so good that when I'm finished listening to the album I do this track over.  "Little Cabin On The Hill" is simple and pretty.  A great Bluegrass gem, which showcases Elvis' range.  He then rips through "Whole Lot-ta Shakin'" and it sounds like he's having fun, and you do too.
Jerry Lee who ?  "Funny How Time Slips Away" is a great country song, one that's neither upbeat or downbeat, just a real treat to listen to.  With "There Goes My Everything", "The Fool" and "Faded Love" you can see a bit of a pattern that continues throughout not only this album, but many others during this period.  Obviously his marital troubles with Pricilla were having an impact on his music and through his music you can see the pain Elvis must have been in. Songs like these are touching, exciting, tragic all at the same time.  "I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water" is a complete turnaround, though. Totally upbeat Rockin' Blues, this is rock at it's strongest .   "Make The World Go Away" is a great capper to a great album and whereas "Tomorrow Never Comes" shows Elvis' voice at it's strongest and most powerful, this shows how touching and beautiful it was as well.  We hear just a bit of "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago" as it trails off it makes us sad that the it all has to come to an end.  Until the next time we listen that is.
***** out of *****
 
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