Resurrection resisted

Press, 8 May 1979, Page 6

Resurrection resisted

By

AMANDA SAMUEL

The man who is meant to look, sound, and move like Elvis did, doesn't. Raymond Michael, the leader of the Presley clones, pleased the three-quarters full audience at the Town Hall auditorium last evening, but even if he was the next best thing, he was not the •’King.” He came on stage in full white and rhinestone Presley! carb, probably looking better j ihan Elvis did in his latteri years, and opened his mouth] to let loose a spectacular! voice, which did full justice to favourites such as “Hound! Dog.” “Blue Suedt Shoes.” and “Burning Love.” Throwing jewel-coloured: »ilk scarves to the audience h true Presley fash’on, and crooning to the middle-aged housewives in true Presley lashion. he did not. however, itir the true Presley fan passion in the crowd.

i As he sang “Are You Lone- ! some Tonight?” he made some poor woman's evening by kneeling beside her. lookring into her eyes, and addressing the song to her. The : theatrics were well received. Michael’s movements w’ere ■ awkward and “stagey,” and his shaking was half-hearted land spasmodic. When he did I get moving he just looked (plain silly. It would be hard to find | a man who could imitate the ■ Presley voice as well as i Michael, in places it even | sounded gutsier, dare I say it. He showed his own style with a song that had been written especially for him. Again his voice lifted it off the ground, but it was a mediocre song with ludicrous lyrics, far too syrupy for such a voice.

The audience appreciated the snippets of Presley’s life story which were popped in at appropriate moments, and equally interesting snippets

about Michael’s life history. For example, he began imitating Elvis when he was hypnotised at a high school show, as the representative of his grid iron football team.

He had a nice presence but it did not fill the stage. If anyone must seriously imitate others I suppose’ it is something that it is done well and with taste, which Michael does. It seems a pity that he must travel the world under someone else’s name when he has so much talent of his own

Another lookalike singer, Buddy Holly alias Robert Attias, opened the show with a musical narration of the 19505. His four-man band, the Rock and Roll Revival Band, later backed Michael. Attias had the right idea and would have carried it off if he had stuck to the music and dropped the funnies.