Cliff v Elvis

I remember this as being the first musical allegiance-based division I encountered in the school playground. Long before Riff Pilchard became a perennial born again homosexual whiner he made a living as an Elvis impersonator knocking out classics like Expresso Bongo and Move It - and was paired with the Drifters before the Shads were invented.

I kid you not - more than half the kids at my school a) preferred Cliff to the King and b) were prepared to argue that Cliff was a genuine rocker. I seem to remember a fight breaking out about it.

Obviously the King has outsold Cliff massively being the all time best selling soloist, but these two pop caricatures have together sold more records than the all time combined sales of The Doors, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Public Enema, Santana, Katy Perry, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac and Bon Jovi.

Is it a slam dunk for the King or does his later career as an obese drug-crazed cartoon put you off?

I think I'd need to see some footage of The King's top-spin serve before I could make a properly informed judgement on this one.

And, in the interests of fairness, possibly a clip of Cliff eating a cheeseburger on the khazi.

Anybody got any links?

The King for me. Credit to Cliff for his longevity but Elvis had no equal.

wanderlust wrote:I remember this as being the first musical allegiance-based division I encountered in the school playground. Long before Riff Pilchard became a perennial born again homosexual whiner he made a living as an Elvis impersonator knocking out  classics like Expresso Bongo and Move It - and was paired with the Drifters before the Shads were invented.

I kid you not - more than half the kids at my school a) preferred Cliff to the King and b) were prepared to argue that Cliff was a genuine rocker. I seem to remember a fight breaking out about it.

Obviously the King has outsold Cliff  massively being the all time best selling soloist, but these two pop caricatures have together sold more records than the all time combined sales of The Doors, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Public Enema, Santana, Katy Perry, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac and Bon Jovi.

Is it a slam dunk for the King or does his later career as an obese drug-crazed cartoon put you off?

Tough one for me this, Elvis gets my vote, but wired for sound is one of my favourite songs ever.

y2johnny wrote:
Tough one for me this, Elvis gets my vote, but wired for sound is one of my favourite songs ever.

I think it may have just missed out on the No 1 spot by Joe Dolce and his ' Shaddup ya face.'

That was Vienna by Ultravox, RT.

Breadman wrote:That was Vienna by Ultravox, RT.

It was indeed. Wasn't there a song that kept Wired for Sound off the top spot?

I could quite happily beat seven kinds of coloured shit out of Harry, have you ever seen an old film of him curling his lip in a snarl trying to be Elvis it wanted punching down his throat. My old man smashed a rental Televion when I was a kid when he came on but then my old man was a nut job who told me The Beatles were worse than Hitler and Mick Jagger was the Devil on earth,all this aside this is a no brainer Elvis was a one off something special but I did'nt like him or his stuff just a caberat singer to me but I can see what he had and you can't argue with the masses. I did like in the ghetto though.

  Cliff Richard. These threads are getting worse and worse. 

What's next?

Barry Manilow v Rick Astley?

Never a fan of either however Cliff's original backing band, The Shadows, we're the reason I got interested in music around 64.

Fucking hell the shadows that explained everything!!!!

Bwfc1958 wrote:  Cliff Richard. These threads are getting worse and worse. 

What's next?

Barry Manilow v Rick Astley?

How about Lieutenant Pigeon v Middle Of the Road?
Or Benny Hill v Clive Dunn?
Here's one, what was Ernie's name in the video?

A spot of quick googling has turned up the fact that Wired For Sound peaked at No4 in the summer of 1981 and was accompanied by a video of Cliff rollerskating round Milton Keynes - what's not to love?

Interestingly, at the same time, large scale rioting erupted in Toxteth, Brixton, Handsworth and Bristol and the nation was ablaze for most of that summer.

Coincidence......?

You decide.

Jake McHale wrote:Fucking hell the shadows that explained everything!!!!

Way before your time, but top musicians AD!!
And the yank version, The Ventures.
What's good enough for Neil Young is good enough for me, and Hank was one of his heroes. See the song Hank to Hendrix!!!!

Breadman wrote: accompanied by a video of Cliff rollerskating round Milton Keynes 

Best Music Video ever

y2johnny wrote:

Breadman wrote: accompanied by a video of Cliff rollerskating round Milton Keynes 

Best Music Video ever

I've just actually watched that on YouTube for the first time in over thirty years and, believe me, it's really not.....

And there's a line in the song that's crying out for a bit of childish alteration for comic effect and I can't believe the 11 year old me missed it at the time back then:

"Power from the needle to the plastic!

AM, FM, I feel so ecstatic!"

Now that is crying out to be changed.

Now then, what rhymes with "plastic" and evokes mental images of Cliff on rollerskates, sporting a mullet and looking like a twat......?

Breadman wrote:

y2johnny wrote:

Breadman wrote: accompanied by a video of Cliff rollerskating round Milton Keynes 

Best Music Video ever

I've just actually watched that on YouTube for the first time in over thirty years and, believe me, it's really not.....

And there's a line in the song that's crying out for a bit of childish alteration for comic effect and I can't believe the 11 year old me missed it at the time back then:

"Power from the needle to the plastic!

AM, FM, I feel so ecstatic!"

Now that is crying out to be changed.

Now then, what rhymes with "plastic" and evokes mental images of Cliff on rollerskates, sporting a mullet and looking like a twat......?

FANTASTIC

Nope, not that one.

Try again.

I'll give you a clue: It starts with an "S" and the line is "I feel such a S...."

Breadman wrote:Nope, not that one.

Try again.

I'll give you a clue: It starts with an "S" and the line is "I feel such a S...."

Statistic?

I still think it should be fantastic

Ok.......if it helps, instead of him being on skates, imagine he's driving a lime green Mk 2 Capri.

Got it now.....?