DS Forums

 
 

Who was the most important culturally - Elvis or Sinatra?


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 30-07-2006, 12:10
kimindex
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Cornwall (ex-London)
Posts: 65,312

I'd probably say Elvis, due to his being credited with helping break down the barriers between black and white music, for one thing.
kimindex is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 29-07-2007, 10:15
john-stirling
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: GONE!
Posts: 7,737
I'd probably say Elvis, due to his being credited with helping break down the barriers between black and white music, for one thing.
Yes, culterally Elvis is the most important. He changed the world of music, he changed the world and he inspired so many of the legends who followed in his footsteps.

To this day there are more Elvis impersonators than any other in the world, and even while Elvis was alive there were more than enough to entertain people. The word "Elvis" is known worldwide even in such places you wouldn't imagine. A journalist once went into the deepest jungles and met a very rare tribe who knew nothing of the outside world, but they did know the word "Elvis" as well as a few other iconic 20th century names.

Sinatra was a great singer who will always be regarded as one of the best, but he wasn't a cultural figure imo.

Coke
McDonalds
Elvis

People worldwide may not like any of them, but they know all of them by one name
john-stirling is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-07-2007, 10:49
mr. mustard
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Pools of sorrow, waves of joy
Posts: 41,625
It has to be Elvis. Although Frank Sinatra made big advances in music with excellent arrangements and albums that had a theme from start to end, essentially he was another crooner like Bing Crosby ( one that appealed to a younger audience though ).

Elvis caused much more upheaval, ushered in rock and roll, and most of the acts that followed were inspired by him. Elvis still stands as one of the pivotal turning points in music and culture.
mr. mustard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-07-2007, 10:57
Gill P
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 15,748
I would say Elvis too, although I didn't like him then and still don't like him. Sorry!

However, he was ushered in by the likes of Bill Haley and Jerry Lee Lewis who paved the way for his type of music.

Just had a quick look on Wikipedia. Bill Haley started in 1951 and Elvis first recorded in 1953!
Gill P is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 29-07-2007, 11:07
mr. mustard
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Pools of sorrow, waves of joy
Posts: 41,625

Just had a quick look on Wikipedia. Bill Haley started in 1951 and Elvis first recorded in 1953!
Although Bill Haley's hits came first, he didn't have the charisma and rebellious image of Elvis - apparently British audiences were underwhelmed when he performed live here.

Elvis had the 'X Factor' - in the days when it really meant something
mr. mustard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-07-2007, 11:21
Gill P
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 15,748
You are right to an extent. The film Rock Around the Clock was a massive hit and seemed to get the whole "dancing in the aisles" bit off to a fine start! Rios in cinemas and all that.
Gill P is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 29-07-2007, 11:50
allinuse
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,715
However, would Elvis have happened without Sinatra, as, in the 40s, he was the first artist to be popular with the teenage audience which I think changed the approach record companies took.
allinuse is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-07-2007, 12:11
kimindex
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Cornwall (ex-London)
Posts: 65,312
Blimey, this thread was a nil pointer nearly a year ago!

Good point about Sinatra paving the way but I still think Elvis was inevitable, due to the changes in culture after the War and Elvis himself was surely more influenced by the blues and country, rather than Sinatra type music.

I have to confess that I find Sinatra's singing to be over-rated (not to say he wasn't a class act; just not quite as good as his massive reputation. Although I would never again say that in front of a friend of mine when she was drunk....)
kimindex is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-07-2007, 12:11
mr. mustard
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Pools of sorrow, waves of joy
Posts: 41,625
However, would Elvis have happened without Sinatra, as, in the 40s, he was the first artist to be popular with the teenage audience which I think changed the approach record companies took.
I agree, every major artist was a link in the chain - all of them were influenced or helped by what had gone before; I still think Elvis changed things more than Sinatra did, and influenced a whole generation of musicians.
mr. mustard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-07-2007, 12:21
john-stirling
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: GONE!
Posts: 7,737
Sinatra is classed as the first star that made teenage girls scream, however he was also a star that your parents liked, before Elvis it was highly likely that whoever you listened to your parents would listen to as well, not exactly "cool".

What Elvis did was make music exciting for the first time in modern history. Suddenly here was a rebellious singer who your parents hated and the church wanted to burn in hell. He was seen as promoting "devil music" and because of his sexual prowess and mannerisms on stage nearly the whole of the US wanted to have him banned.

Ed Sullivan had the biggest US TV show at the time, and even he said that he would NEVER have Elvis on...... funnily enough that a few months later Elvis appeared no less than 3 times for a record breaking sum of money at the time in some of the most famous episodes in history.

James Dean had been the symbol of tragic youth rebelling against the system and suddenly he was snatched away. Elvis tapped into that feeling and gave the youth of the day a voice to say what they wanted. He was saying "You don't have to fall in with your parents anymore, it's ok to be yourself, be individual."

Elvis himself was no stranger to being an outsider, his whole life he had been seen as a freak for the clothes he wore and the hairstyle he had. He knew that it wasn't his problem tho, it was other peoples problems.

Elvis kick started a whole generation of teenagers who for the first time in history had their own money, their own tastes, their own clothes, their own music. It was exciting, it was a first and it was the most important thing to have ever happened in the music world at that time, perhaps even to this day! Elvis was very important to the sale of nearly everything that teenagers bought. Until Elvis there was no specific market in ANYTHING for "teenagers".

And lets not forget, Sinatra said that Elvis was a disgrace to music and that he should be banned...... Interesting then that in 1960 he should personally invite Elvis onto his show for a "Welcome Home Elvis!" special, that to this day is the most famous Sinatra show ever recorded

Elvis had a huge respect for Sinatra, and every single singer he ever met and worked with. It's a shame those same singers didn't have that respect towards Elvis, because all he was doing was singing a song.
john-stirling is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 15:15.