I was 19 when I wrote this review back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #8, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.
Raised On Rock (RCA), recorded by Elvis Presley, produced by Felton Jarvis and Elvis Presley. Recorded July 21-23, 1973, Stax Studios (Memphis) and September 22-24, 1973, Elvis’ home (Palm Springs). Released: November 1973. Re-released: 1994 (CD).
This re-issue of Raised On Rock, which interestingly drops the original “For Ol’ Times Sake” subtitle, contains a page of poorly written liner notes, as do the other three albums reviewed in this issue, of which this is the last paragraph:
This album was recorded at a very difficult time during Elvis’ life. It could never be considered a classic. In October, his petition for divorce from Priscilla would be finalized and it must have weighed heavily on his mind. The poignancy of “For Ol’ Time Sake” [sic] puts this into perspective and makes this re-issue still a must for any real Elvis fan.
I had never heard the Raised On Rock album before, and I read the liner notes before playing it. I fully expected to be disappointed by this album since even Elvis’ own record company seems to feel that Raised On Rock was generally a worthless album with only one good song.
After listening to the album, I found that I totally disagreed with the liner notes and, in retrospect, found them insulting both to Elvis and his fans.
Does an album have to hit number one to be a “classic”? What is a classic anyway? Why is it assumed that Elvis’ personal life would have a negative impact on his music? Can’t Elvis’ own record company get the title of his song right? What is a “real Elvis fan,” anyway?
The liner notes suggest that only obsessed fans would even consider buying Raised On Rock, and, even then, they would probably only play it once.
Despite the liner notes, Raised On Rock is an excellent album that contains a wide variety of musical styles. All ten of the songs are strong and prove Elvis’ voice to be in good form. It makes one wonder if the unidentified author of the liner notes even bothered to listen to the album.
Songs:
- Raised On Rock
- Are You Sincere
- Find Out What’s Happening
- I Miss You
- Girl Of Mine
- For Ol’ Times Sake
- If You Don’t Come Back
- Just A Little Bit
- Sweet Angeline
- Three Corn Patches
Rating: 9 out of 10
The Mystery Train Blog 