World of Chig   

16.8.02

The day the music fat bloke on the toilet died


I know exactly where I was 25 years ago today, when Elvis died. On a family holiday, in a caravan at Treyarnon Bay in North Cornwall. It must have been the morning after (the 17th) that we found out, and I distinctly remember going to the camp shop (no sniggering please) for milk. I don't think I would have considered myself an Elvis 'fan' then or now, but at 11 years old I remember being shocked, and feeling it was pretty significant.
Today in the office, someone was playing an Elvis compilation, but I've ousted that now in favour of this one from my own collection. This is one of those albums which I think everyone should listen to at least once, and it's going down very well here. 'The King' is a postman from Northern Ireland called James Brown (another coincidence), who has a gift; he sounds just like Elvis, not in a comedy way, but in a totally brilliant way. This album is the album Elvis would possibly have made if he were still alive, with covers of songs by artists who are all dead themselves (hence the 'Gravelands' title), from ACDC to This Mortal Coil. It's really quite amazing, and not the novelty album you might expect. He's done a second album - I must get that one too.

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