Search - Residents :: King & Eye

Presley in a different light

Harvey J.Satan | 02/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The fact that the Residents decided to make an entire album consisting of Elvis Presley covers should not be surprising considering how this bizarre group of anonymous musicians have done just about everything you could (or couldn't) imagine in their long career. The most surprising thing about King & Eye is just how successful they are in creating a record that has forced me to rethink my personal tastes in music. The whole idea of a baby wanting to (and believing that he should) become "king," coupled with the way these songs, which lyrically suggest predominantly light subject matter, are performed in a generally manic and often desperate tone, seem to paint Presley in an awkward light. Personally, I find it to be very entertaining and thought-provoking. Nowhere is this more evident than on the brilliant "Viva Las Vegas," where the singer seems to pathetically impersonate a rambling, maniacal Presley proclaiming "how I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day" because "there's blackjack, poker and roulette waiting!" I can just visualize "the King" spending countless drug-induced hours in Las Vegas gambling away his pain. Quite different from the image you get when you hear Presley's energetic, up-tempo version that tends to glorify all the glitz and glamor of the show-business lifestyle that Presley was so accustomed to. The fact that the Residents were able to accomplish this without changing one original lyric is amazing to me. The five "Baby King" interludes are great, although I was disappointed to learn that the "kids" that the story is being told to are actually adults pretending to be children. The conclusion of the album is the almost unlistenable "Don't Be Cruel" with the singer pitifully begging and mumbling "don't be cruel." What a wonderful way to end this classic album. Other highlights include "All Shook Up" and "Return To Sender.""