#1 for weeks of August 10, and 17th, 1959.
FINALLY, the king makes an appearance on this list! Elvis' absence from this list so far is no doubt due to the fact that his 2 years of military service prevented him from recording whenever he wanted. In fact, this song was recorded over a year prior, on June 10th, 1958 during a leave of absence, and proved to be Elvis' ONLY recording session during his time in the army.
While I am familiar with quite a few of Elvis' songs, this one surprisingly eluded me. Knowing that after he came back from the military, his sound and personality were forever changed, I didn't know what side of Elvis would be present on this song: The classic 1950's rocker Elvis, or the more laid back post-army Elvis. Luckily, and wonderfully, this song is the former, and how!
From the beginning to the end, this song is a powerhouse rockabilly tune. One interesting part throughout the song is a very low, almost non-human bass vocal which almost predates the sound of the Moog synthesizer! Solo-wise, the piano player, Floyd Crammer, absolutely pounds those ivories, and lead guitarist Hank Garland gives a nice vintage Rock And Roll solo. Add onto all that the icing on the cake, Elvis' spirited and vigorous lead vocals.
This song is nigh on impossible not to like. Sure, lyrically it's not a masterpiece, but that wasn't what Elvis songs were like during his prime. What makes Elvis so remembered today is the fact that his singing style and energy, not to mention, his moves on stage, influenced everyone from The Beatles, to The Who, to Led Zeppelin, to even modern day bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
What makes this song a bit sad is that it is essentially the swan song of Elvis' classic phase. He would never be the same, both personality and music-wise after he came back from the army. So for now, forget about such later period events of his career, like how chummy he was with Richard Nixon. Instead remember him by songs like this.
Final Verdict - This song is so nice to hear in a year mostly dominated by soft pop. "Hunk o' Love" is full of that classic Elvis sound: Powerful vocals, strong instrumentation, and full energy. This song deserves to be part of your record collection.
Coming Up Next - "The Three Bells" by The Browns.
Until Next Time - Dr. Rock -
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