Maybe Smokey is Joni!!!

Emmylou Harris has indeed "nothing to prove" - and that's EXACTLY what gives her more right than most to do exactly what pleases her, and if she wishes to keep giving shows, that's more than fine by me, who hasn't yet seen her live.

So, all power to her elbow, say I (or maybe that should be to her hand?).

Mark

fernando

If you compare Emmylou to any of her peers from her generation, I think only Rickie Lee Jones is releasing works as groundbreaking as the queen of country rock..

Joni has retired...she is bitter with the establishment..she's been treated unfairly. She shouldn't care about past greviances. Joni has the strength of her artistic output to think about. With works like Blue and The Hissing of Summer Lawns she's made her millions and she should get together with Herbie and Wayne and make the jazz she wants to make. And darn swallow her pride!

Why the hell should Emmy retire? She's in her twilight years and is making more beautiful music than ever. If she was a washed out has been would Bright Eyes or Elvis Costello be recruiting her as a singer? I look at Keefy and Mick with their 400th record and they're still riding on the same formula. Good for them. But Emmy is in a different league. Each record is different musically and sonically. She's always stretching herself

Western Wall was not 100% new. See Linda Ronstadt's album "Feels Like Home".

But what I'm wondering is how much control does Emmy have about what compilations are put out? I'm guessing not that much, especially when it comes to her older music.

The ONLY unfortunate thing re our Emmy, is that she didn't quite have the confidence in her own song-writing ability back in the 70's & 80's. Red Dirt Girl(regardless of whether u like the arrangements, melodies, etc) is the creation of a mature, well-developed artist who had plenty to say & I'd like to think, still does.
(And, btw, in the 70's & 80's she was consistent with the quality of all her output, even if self-penned songs were not so frequent).

If her voice was failing her(as Bono's is of U2 unfortunately), yes, maybe then retirement would be considered. And I'm sure it'd be considered by herself, well before any of us could decide for her.

Why not ask so-called artists like Marilyn Manson to retire, & do the whole world a favour! I mean, did he, or it, really contribute to music in any way, shape or form???

Long live our Emmylou!

Vic

If you are dropped from a major record label, adios amigo. Forced retirement has always been a fact of life in the music business. It's not like having a government job or being part of a charity operation.

Now I hear that after the initial success of iPod and iTunes sales have reverted back to previous levels ie. back in the dumpster. The record business is suffering BIG TIME, if I'm reading this right. In the old days the Top40 AM radio stations pump-primed the huge teen audiences. But now everything is so fragmented. Who listens to the radio?

I don't claim to know anything about the music scene. I'm just on the outside looking in. And it looks rotten.

Vic

Incidentally, one of those so called entertainment programs recently reported that Elvis is still the King. His sales lead the dead artist catagory again last year. He had profits of 45 million US. John Lennon was 2nd. Lots of living artists would like these number. This should tell us something about the present state of record business affairs.

fernando

Never has a singer before or since been so versatile(those of u who aren't too familiar with his non-hit / non-commercial output, check out his recorded blues or country outings).

Still sorely missed...

fernando

Back when The King started(& yes, I will continue to refer to Elvis Presley that way because that's what he was & is; ref sales figures, ie millions around the world can't be wrong, can they??), I think u will find the vast majority of performers were not singer-songwriters. In fact, the norm was to be sent music from writers & publishing-houses, who all desperately wanted their songs recorded by known artists. This is a routine Elvis started with early on, & stuck to. He was no songwriter; his art was the vocal delivery of many different styles of song.

What he, like others, did in his private life was just that; private! I too hate him for ending his life prematurely due to the dependency on prescription drugs. But understand it all at the same time.

If it weren't for The King, u & I certainly would not be listening to even half the music we love today. Because put simply, these artists would be driving trucks, waitressing, busking, & maybe even singing with very limited success.

Walk A Mile In My Shoes(the 70's highlights) is the title of the 3rd vol in the Elvis studio box-sets. Recommended listening.

Vic

PS: Elvis had co-written a handful of songs during his career, the most famous one being Heartbreak Hotel.

You have to remember that the 1950's was a time of very conservative values and a time of sexual repression. It hadn't been all that long since Doris Day had recorded 'How Much is That Doggie in the Window?' Include this part of the intro 'The one with the waggly tail'. OK now picture this. Here is a guy shaking his hips and singing 'One Night With You'. Parents were already suspicious about this rock and roll stuff. Other songs had been released with lots of sexual innuendo but they weren't so up front, if you get my meaning. From what I've read about radio's top 40 in those days, rock and roll had to be sanitized for mass consumption. Imagine this song 'One Night' playing on radio stations in the bible belt.

So listen to Scotty Moore's guitar intro -- staccato open E 6th string, open A 5th string to set up a very simple chord structure E, A, B7th. Elvis' vocal is raunchy, but not over-the-top, hear the big piano line-chords. Great rock sound.
I can imagine the telephones ringing into his manager, Tom Parker's, office from radio stations around the land. 'Fix it now!'
And in my opinion he did just that. Elvis came out of the army and went to Hollywood. Rock and roll lumbered along until it was finally rescued from oblivion by the British Invasion. There is absolutely no evidence anywhere to support my thesis here. It is just my opinion of what happened.

Anyway, part of my my point above deals with the cultural impact that rock and roll had on our society back then. The spotlight fell on Elvis for a brief time. The Beatles were more to the central point in the sixties. By then Elvis was more of an ironic figure, imho.

Skiffle groups were popular in England, but not in North America. Lonnie Donegan did 'My Old Man is a Dustman'. Right?

The tragedy is that he got dragged into doing all those crap movies
(Loving You being an exception) and that he surrounded himself with a gang of sycophantic morons as "buddies".

I still lean towards the early Sun recordings but most of his non-filmtrack stuff is well sung and well produced. And in its way I find the film of his last performance, where as a clearly very sick man he tackles "Unchained Melody" to be as moving as Johnny Cash's DVD of "Hurt".

That whole concert is a hard one to get one's hands on. The estate refuses to release it publicly given his physical appearance. In time, I'm sure that philosophy will change & true fans will be able to enjoy it once again.

RJC - the fact that Presley is not in your top 50 performers is quite ok. We all have differing palates with our musical likes/dislikes. Pavarotti is undoubtedly immensley talented, but I don't listen to him. Nevertheless, to not enjoy any of Elvis' music(& there is so much) is your loss, given the good taste u share in other music which crosses paths with his genre.

Craig - laugh at his movies, I do too. Thanking the infamous Colonel Tom Parker for that one! However, if u ever have the time(to waste) & watch something like Loving You, amongst others, u may see what many a well-known film critic have already said; that Elvis had what it took to be one of the best male actors ever! No I'm not being biased, check it out. He was offered the lead in West Side Story, & the "Colonel" would not let him do it! A bit of trivia for you there maybe...

Vic

Hank Marvin preceded George Harrison and Eric Clapton in my books. I remember the Shadows with Cliff Richard. 'The Young Ones, Living Doll' etc.
Hank had that cherry Strat and he played along with Jet Harris, and Bruce Welsh aka The Shadows. Great early rock stuff. We were just kids then.
Pictures from that period show that his Strat was 'Candy Apple' or 'Dakota Red' with maple neck. I remember that's the one that I wanted.

For me, the king would be more like a Parliament made up of several folks...

Tom Waits, Son House, Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Dylan and Donovan.

We already know who the queen is.

peace,
russ

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Mark Knopfler certainly liked him, and wrote 'Donegan's Gone'as a tribtute to Lonnie. It's on his last solo CD. A lovely song which he sung on the 2005 tour.

Elvis "One Night" video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3EKC2MZxZs

peace,

russ

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Emmylou is the Queen! Always will be...

peace,

russ

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I find I'm like that with a lot of musical artists, I always seem to prefer a voice after it has matured.

Correct. But I'm not a freak. Not exactly, anyway ;-))

you're smokin something man... Emmylou's gonna outlive your retirement home.

dream on sucka

russ

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There will always be room available for my Emmy, even if I have to move the old lady to the basement.

Maybe you should START.

>
>There will always be room available for my Emmy, even if I
>have to move the old lady to the basement.

Isn't an 'Emmy' a kind of award? ...and you won one, because you said "my" Emmy?

If you're talking about Emmylou, is your basement where she would also wind up?

war,

russ

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NAh, I can't start again... It dries my eyes out. But I sure wouldn't mindsucking on my lapel a few more times before I go.

U signed out as war...what is war good for?? ABSOLUTELY MONEY !!!!!