Timeline

 
The R&B national hit version was a cover of the original recording by a white group, The Slades, which was the only version played in Oklahoma, where my wife grew up.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Elvis recorded both a pretty straight cover of Smiley Lewis`s original "One Night of Sin" and this ingenious adaptation in winter 1957.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The opening to this song, be-doo-be-doo-dom-dom, dom-do-dom, is, of course, a nod to the classic bass vocal line of the Dell-Viking`s "Come Go With Me." The song was originally titled simply "Come Softly," but the record company was afraid that radio stations would think that title too risque.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Above is the source and elapsed time for the two-sided mono single. Contrary to my usual preference for mono versions in this time frame, the 6:25 stereo version from Blowing The Fuse 1959 is, to my mind and ear, definitive. Nothing about the stereo version detracts from or contradicts the intent of the original single. Instead, it amplifies what was already great about it.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This song also appeared on the LP Genius Sings the Blues in December 1961 and on a few later compilations, but no one of these seemed to me a better choice for when to sequence it.
 

 
Stereo versions of "El Paso" omit four lines from the mono version that begin right after Our Hero shoots the handsome young stranger: "Just for a moment I stood there in silence, Shocked by the FOUL EVIL deed I had done. Many thoughts raced through my mind as I stood there; I had but one chance and that was to run." The 4:39 length is the mono single version.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Dave Marsh did not include "Wonderful World" in his 1989 book, "The Greatest 1001 Singles Ever Made," but later wrote that it was a "stupid oversight" not to have done so.
 

 
The best of many good tracks on Elvis`s first studio album after his stint in the army.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
"Rank Stranger" is a folk story in the form of a hymn sung by bluegrass legends. It`s in the Timeline because it`s such a great record I couldn`t leave it out. Never charted. It`s one of four songs in the Timeline that rank in the top 10 of country music`s 500 greatest singles in the book "Heartaches By The Number" by Cantwell and Friskics-Warren.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This song is based on the melody and arrangement of "What`cha Gonna Do," written by Atlantic Records` president Ahmet Ertegun, which was recorded by Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters and peaked at #2 on the R&B chart in spring 1955. Hank Ballard added new lyrics and recorded it as "The Twist," which barely made the top 20 on the R&B chart when first released as a B-side early in 1959. Re-released in July 1960, Ballard`s "Twist" began climbing the pop chart but soon became an historical footnote when Chubby Checker released a competing cover version with the promotional support of Dick Clark and American Bandstand. That version was a massive pop hit, the only song ever to attain the #1 position on the Hot 100 on two separate occasions more than a year apart. Musically, Hank Ballard`s version is far superior. Note that the CD source is the *1959* disc in the "Blowing The Fuse" series.
 

 
Recorded in 1958, this record was a cover of Elvis Presley`s "Party" from the 1957 movie, Loving You. It appeared only on an LP at that time, and was not released as a single until the summer of 1960.