‘Reconsider Baby’ is quite possibly my favourite Elvis tune. Not a lot of people know that, as Michael Caine might say. The origins of the song go way back. What follows here is a wee history of the track and 3 versions for you to download and compare.
Lowell Fulson wrote and recorded his original mid-tempo blues version for Chess in 1954. It features some nice bluesy guitar licks (Eric Clapton was clearly paying attention) and some honkin’ sax (every blues band this side of Memphis were also listening). It proved to be his only hit on Chess but as well as Clapton and all those other blues plodders, Elvis Presley was opening his ears.
In 1954 Elvis was still a couple of years away from breaking big, and would take an enforced break (and haircut) from music when he went off to do his National Service. On March 20th 1960, he went into Nashville’s Studio B (15 days after leaving the army) and over the course of 2 nights, 2 nights, Radiohead!, recorded the 18 tracks that would make up the 12 ‘Elvis Is Back’ tracks plus assorted b sides. Elvis was worried that he might have lost it since being in the army, as if being stripped of the quiff by the army barber would somehow render him useless on record. ‘Reconsider Baby’ was one of those 18 tracks and it smoulders, swings and just plain rocks to this very day.
The track has also been recorded by, amongst others, Chicken Shack (a bit Booker T-ish), Earl Hooker (standard blues ‘n’ organ fare, see also Freddie King), Bobby Bland (excellent, slow and soulful version), Eric Clapton (nice Cream-esque fuzzed guitar, horrible soulless vocal) and relative blues newcomer Joe Bonamassa. His version is pretty good. It starts a bit like Funkadelic’s ‘Maggot Brain, goes a bit Led Zeppelin ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ as sung by a bad Joe Cocker in the middle, and ends up sounding like the theme tune to ‘Taggart’, the top Scottish Police drama on TV. Really. I like it! (This track and Taggart).
Joe Bonamassa – great musician but a fanny
Plain Or Pan 