Gentle on My Mind

My relationship with country music has always been somewhat of a strained one. On one hand, I do enjoy some country classics - I have a few Johnny Cash records, and I have a soft spot for some old Hank Williams every now and then. On the other hand, I've come to revile what country - more appropriately pop country - has become. Put it this way: if you locked me in a room with Shania Twain playing at full blast, I'd probably start cutting myself (deeply) after a couple of minutes. There's just something about the genre in it's purest form that makes me feel out of sorts. Perhaps it's due to circumstance. I've never lived anywhere that could be considered even remotely "country." I didn't grow up listening to folks plucking on a banjo with their friends (quite the contrary, I grew up listening to a Fender Rhodes piano). And while I'm sure there are some people out there who find comfort in a slow country drawl, I am not one of those individuals. In fact, I'm slightly put off by the "twang," as it were.

Still, I've never been able to completely pan the stuff, even though I actively enjoy so little of it. I think part of this is because I've grown to love a lot of music that proudly displays its country influences. For example, I've always gravitated towards good pedal steel work - "Pearl of the Quarter" by Steely Dan and "It Just Might Be a One Shot Deal" by Frank Zappa come to mind. I also enjoy tasteful fiddle work - most notably anything by Sugarcane Harris. Hell, I own quite a few records that sound almost country - some Byrds, some Flying Burrito Brothers, and the first Seatrain record being the examples that pop into my head. I'm always impressed by the things that rockers do with their country influences.

This brings me to From Elvis in Memphis (1969). Recorded at American Sound Studios in Memphis, the album sought to recapture the roots of Elvis' music - the blend of country, gospel, and blues that had defined him in his youth. Backed by a cast of ace session musicians (most notably Tommy Cogbill on bass), Presley proceeded to make what would be his last truly great album.

Today's selection is from this album: "Gentle on My Mind." The track was originally written by country artist John Hartford, who wrote the tune after seeing Dr. Zhivago for the first time. Glen Campbell subsequently recorded the song for a hit in 1968. Here, we see the two performing a VERY country duet of the track:

Not my steez. But a great song is a great song...

Elvis' version of the track is a radical reinterpretation. For one, the presence of the clavinet is rather interesting (though certainly not surprising, given that Memphis was a center of soul music at the time). Cogbill's bass work is also grounded in soul more than anything else (again not a surprise, given his work with Aretha Franklin). The Hammond organ and backing vocalists suggest a heavy gospel influence. Come to think of it, the only truly "country" aspects of the song are the twangy Fender Telecaster playing lead and the sporadic harmonica lines - and as far as I'm concerned, that's all the "country" it needs.

Gentle on My Mind