From Elvis to Nick Drake, the music lives on.

Elvis Presley secured the number one, last week, in the historic
1000th compilation of the British charts, with A Fool Such As I
? 44 years since its original release. This is some achievement,
but does his premature death have something to do with it? After
all, a contemporary such as Jerry Lee Lewis, now well into
pensionable age, doesn?t look likely to make a comeback at the
top of present-day, mainstream play lists.

What?s at work here is that powerful emotion: nostalgia. Though
Elvis was taken from us once the ravages of middle age were
pretty much advanced, our collective memory of him remains
frozen at an earlier, more flattering time. We all like to
recall him as that vital, charismatic, leathered-up,
turbo-charged macho of Jail House Rock. His early death has
ensured his musical immortality and that he remains forever
young in our hearts.

From Glenn Miller to Buddy Holly, an untimely death has endowed
a certain mystique to the life and times of the performer, not
to mention: bankability, qualities that endure from beyond the
grave. Just take a look at the number of Glenn Miller
compilations that are periodically released and the success that
the musical ?Buddy? has had in recent times.

Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison left a vast, gaping void in the
music landscape when they passed away, in the early 1970s.
However, their musical legacy has taken on cult status. The
posthumous marketing of Hendrix material (from huge quantities
of available, unreleased studio sessions and recordings of live
concerts) exceeds that which he released in his lifetime ? and
though much of it falls well below the sublime heights touched
by: Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love and Electric Leyland
(recorded with his classic band, the Jimi Hendrix experience),
it hasn?t deterred the buying public from continuing to buy into
the Hendrix legend.

Jim Morrison (wayward rock-child, touched by the spirit of the
Beat generation) with an exceptional talent for
self-destruction, has been seen by many as a willing victim of
rock and roll excess. His death in Paris in 1971, in his late
20s, and burial at Pere Lachaise cemetery (the resting place of
the great and the good: from Edith Piaf to Oscar Wilde) have all
added to the Morrison mythology, which has never lost its
capacity to fascinate and sell records. Like Elvis, the image
that survives is that of an arresting and unblemished youth,
before excess took its toll.

Similarly, Marc Bolan?s music, which is both powerful and
durable in its own right (consider: Midnight, Buick Mackane and
Children of the Revolution), has had its longevity enhanced by
his tragic end, in a car crash, at the age of 30.

Think of Eva Cassidy and Nick Drake, whose gentle, lyrical,
profound and poignant songs evoke the memories of two unique
creative talents. Cassidy has bequeathed a profound artistic
legacy. Her songs cover themes of love, loss, transcendence and
redemption and are drawn from diverse musical traditions. ?Eva
by Heart? will ensure her spirit lives on.

Finally, Nick Drake?s three albums (Five Leaves Left, Bryter
Layter and Pink Moon), although acclaimed by critics and fellow
musicians, failed to find a broad audience during his lifetime ?
which served to nourish his extreme clinical depression.
However, the growth in his posthumous popularity has established
him as a significant figure in contemporary British popular
music. A number of today?s musicians, including Badly Drawn Boy,
Blur?s Graham Coxon and REM guitarist Peter Buck, cite him as an
important influence.

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This article was written by Chris Meehan who is the features
editor at www.Just-Jammin.com
. You may use this article on your site as long as this
resource box is included as is with a clickable link back to
Just Jammin

Copyright: PC Meehan 2005

About the author:
Chris Meehan is the features editor at www.Just-Jammin.com. As
well as a freelance writer on many subjects

Author : Chris Meehan
Site : www.goarticles.com

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