ELVIS PRESLEY

I wonder what he would have thought of Pigfuck.

(going Blue Swede Shoes here)

Trying To Get To You

blew suede shoes is A+ but this album is all about the sweet ballads. best upbeat fun song is "i'm gonna sit right down and cry over you" but nothing is as nice as "i love you because" or "blue moon"

"Trying to Get to You," one of my favorites.

Good stuff. He never topped the Sun sides, but this one and the 2nd one on RCA were ace. I voted for "Trying to Get 2 U"

TTGTY

i've been away from the computer and not doing a great job of keeping this bumped but here it is please to vote

I gotta admit, I'm all about "One-Sided Love Affair."

Our dance at our wedding, "Blue Moon'. The...the...reverb. Everything muffled but the voice, yet trotting along, and then the echo on the voice starts tripping over itself, the bass disappears, and then the song disappears.

Yeah, Blue Moon is amazing, no doubt.

no Little Sister on this one.... would have to vote for the shoes then

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

So if an old friend I know stops by to say hello

This weekend (because Easter, Ahreckon), some Public Radio stations are playing "He Touched Me." gospel music of Elvis (all from The Ultimate Gospel Collection), hosted by Laura Cantrell, with good commentary by his friend from childhood and Memphis Mafiosa Jerry Schilling---but mostly full-length tracks, often amazing---maybe all amazing, if you're more into gospel than I am, but certainly some peak performances, with more variety than I expected---what I heard was an action-packed 58 minutes, but this is a little over 2 hrs.---maybe too much of a good thing, but we'll see--can always take breaks, as long as this is posted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ghThLhQNzQ

You mean this? https://beta.prx.org/stories/17620-elvis-presley-he-touched-me-elvis-gospel-music

Yeah, thanks. Good to have both.

I wrote about Seventies Elvis this week, and was shocked by how much I liked He Touched Me:

Elvis was serious about his religion, but he was enough of a performer to know that straightforward readings of gospel songs, like you’d actually hear in church, wouldn’t go over. So tracks like “I’ve Got Confidence” and “Seeing is Believing” have as much raw rock ’n’ roll energy as anything in his catalog, with loud and stinging guitars, and “Bosom of Abraham” and “I, John,” sung with a male gospel quartet over a driving beat, are equally breathtaking. The best gospel music has enough transcendent power to thrill even the grumpiest unbeliever, and Elvis’s charisma and passion ensures that this album belongs on that list.

Yep, He Touched Me is (arguably?) Elvis’s post-Sun pinnacle.

Cool, are you guys talking about the audio-only doc or the longer video? I will def. check out Ultimate Gospel, mentioned as source of the radio special. Jerry Schilling says that the churches they went to could get pretty wild---he mentions an "entertainment" factor---fortunately their parents weren't attracted to the Pentecostal denominations that forbid instruments in worship services.

He Touched Me is amazing.
His ability to convey the spiritual message of the songs in a way that never seems corny or overwrought was really a gift

That’s OTM.

And if you can find the expanded “Follow That Dream” reissue of He Touched Me, it’s unfortunately pricey, but worth it. Lots of rehearsal takes and alternates, and you can hear that Elvis ran those sessions, guiding the band and fine-tuning the arrangements. I can only assume, given the artistic success of this and How Great Thou Art, that gospel was an area — possibly the only area — where Elvis, and not the Colonel, called all the shots.

Colonel never really called the shots on the music recording side — he had no expertise or interest in that. That was all Elvis usually. Colonel’s side was more the promoting/publicity/appearances & movies where he ran things (into the ground)

Yeah but there were always the publishing side with respect to what material was recorded. Hill & Range usually wanted a taste- the Aberbachs and Freddy Bienstock.

oh yeah that is true

Probably even the great Aaron Schroeder found himself at a loss when asked to come up with gospel material on demand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_G7lKb__ho

^this was better than I expected

Colonel never really called the shots on the music recording side — he had no expertise or interest in that. That was all Elvis usually. Colonel’s side was more the promoting/publicity/appearances & movies where he ran things (into the ground)

― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, April 17, 2022 10:54 AM (forty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Definitely true. I was thinking about the Colonels interference more along the lines of song choices rather than recording/arranging.

(When I worked in a CD store, in the mid-90s to early 2000s, tons of Elvis was being re-re-reissued, re etc. configured and previously unreleased, as Boomers bought new cars w CD carousels etc---and there was a substantial subset of Elvis fans who only bought gospel, with a lot to buy.)
Some amazingly subtle, refined, yet unpretentious, non-genteel choices in his "He Touched Me"/Ultimate Gospel vocals: at one point, he sounds like a---bass clarinet, then an oboe? Something about the way he fits vowel sounds to notes, without losing intelligibility---I've never heard anything like it, though I'm far from a gospel expert.
xpost Jerry Schilling talks about how Sun didn't want him to do gospel (same with Johnny Cash for sure, also Jerry Lee Lewis, I think), nor did RCA, and The Ed Sulliivan Show producers told him that nobody'd ever been allowed to sing a religious song on their program, never would be; he had to appeal to Sullivan himself, and it worked: sounds good, with plenty ur-Elvis appeal, as unperson points out he was able to convey, consistently enough, so that it wasn't a turn-off, man, in the way suits feared--reasonably enough, I guess, as far as the younger, dominant part of his audience was concerned---but, as with his rock 'n] roll, he showed how it could work.

Maybe there is something to this Elvis guy, after all.

(Ugh I keep inserted weird commas and dashes n every post today it seems)

at one point, he sounds like a---bass clarinet, then an oboe? Something about the way he fits vowel sounds to notes, without losing intelligibility---I've never heard anything like it

otm. He came such a long way from the hicuppy teen at Sun (though his voice was perfect for those songs/arrangements at the time). If getting to the point in the ‘70s where his voice became this absolutely majestic instrument meant he had to first trudge through all those shitty soundtracks in the ‘60s, then I’d argue the trudging was worth it.

Good point.

I never forced myself to listen to all that soundtrack stuff or watch all those movies. but of course I do like some of the highlights with which I am familiar. Even when I venture further afield I usually don't take too much issue with Elvis's performance despite lackluster material.

I’ve never done a serious dive into the ‘60s soundtracks, though according to Dave Marsh, Spinout isn’t half bad, with Elvis’s version of “Tomorrow Is A Long Time.” It’s such a a shame, though: he really aspired to be a respected actor, citing Sinatra’s success as an inspiration, but after King Creole, it was all downhill.

I would argue that How Great Thou Art is his greatest ‘60s record — I personally prefer it to the Memphis sessions and the ‘68 comeback (though the latter has some stunning rhythm guitar from Elvis). As with He Touched Me, when the material was something he had a deeply personal relationship with, he was as fully committed as ever. (And he had to fight for it: RCA turned him down several times when he proposed recording a gospel album.)

the Colonels interference more along the lines of song choices

Five of the songs on How Great Thou Art are credited "Traditional; arranged by Elvis Presley"; Elvis and the Colonel's company would have claimed publishing interest in these, as new arrangements of public domain songs. It's even easier money than getting some hack to write a new song.

Elvis earned his share of that.

The gross tabloid stuff that plagued Elvis after his death is pretty ridiculous. Check out this show hosted by Bill Bixby (of Incredible Hulk fame) where they basically claim Elvis never died:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m410DrlOSQA

In Living Color mocked it in a sketch with Jim Carrey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImV5x7iJKtQ

Elvis and the Colonel's company would have claimed publishing interest in these, as new arrangements of public domain songs.

Oh, no question. But I would be surprised if the Colonel steered Elvis towards (or away from) any specific songs for his gospel albums. Elvis used to say "I know every religious song that's ever been sung." Somehow I doubt he'd listen to the Colonel's suggestions in that area.

Gospel music…if you like it, if you feel it…

I can’t walk

TIL that this thread is a POLL of the album called Elvis Presley.

Oh well

Just saw Epic: Elvis Presley In Concert in IMAX. Highly recommended. A must for Elvis fans.

Yeah, read about it but haven't seen yet

Wanted to go yesterday but couldn't manage it

I want to see this.

Doesn't look like I can make an IMAX screening. Oh well.

I would have gone yesterday if it wasn't for the storm.

Unless I try to go tonight

i liked it. one minor complaint is i was never sure i was seeing exactly what i was hearing. some audience members clapped when elvis said he keeps his political opinions to himself. i wish they'd given screen credits to the musicians.

ronnie tutt was a monster on the drums.

Definitely want to see this. Reviews reminded me of the 1970 doc Elvis That's The Way It Is, taken from his Las Vegas appearances around that time. Fire emoji band and Elvis arguably at the peak of his powers. Plus lots of those "high tech" split screen sequences so popular around that time as you may remember from the Woodstock movie. That's The Way It Is was a staple of late-night broadcast TV back in the day, I must've seen it half a dozen times. Almost afraid to see what the Baz man does with this material but IMAX should be cool if I can make it to the theater in time.

I have That's The Way It Is and Elvis On Tour; both are great. I can't remember which one has the backstage footage of Elvis playing piano and singing gospel songs with his backup singers, but that's as good as anything he does onstage.

I think that's from the former. IIRC, most of the off-stage footage in On Tour is him getting in and out of planes/limos, or doing shake & fake photo ops with local dignitaries.

Someone just told me that the one in Lincoln Square was the only real IMAX.

Thinking of going tonight at 7PM.

Heh, my friend told me that he and some others called many other theaters "LIEMAX."

Okay just bought a ticket!

I'm in. Theater even has good cell reception. 📶

Trailers giving me agita

wish i was watching this. it's here until thursday. i might try to see it tomorrow.

It's worth it

ronnie tutt was a monster on the drums.

It was mesmerizing to hear the throb of the "Polk Salad Annie" bassline reverberating in that big theater.

Keep forgetting this is stylized EPiC.

For Elvis Presley in Concert. D'oh!

x-post

Yes! I was never a fan of Polk Salad Annie but it rocks here. Same goes for Walk a Mile in My Shoes.

Plus one of the new mashups made for the soundtrack called A Change of Reality is based on the riff of the song Change of Habit which is one of my very favorite songs of anyone.

The only other thing that gives me what that "Polk Salad Annie" bass line gives me is the intro to "Wendy" by The Beach Boys.

Another cool thing is how fast The Sweet Inspirations are singing at the end.

Basically "Polk Salad Annie" is his "Sister Ray," the longer the better.

Just occurred to me that James Burton also played the ur-swamp guitar on the original Dale Hawkins version of "Susie Q" so no wonder PSA is such a monster. I means it's far from the only reason, but perhaps an important piece of the puzzle.

Just learned about this:
https://www.elvispresleymusic.com.au/pictures/1960-march-3-elvis-presley-prestwick-airport-scotland.html

Blown away by the imax version

Seems like there is literally an explosion smack dab in the middle of PSA.

"Polk Salad Annie" is his CCR chooglin' classic.

I saw this over the weekend, it was great, the "Polk Salad Annie" toggling between three different takes was a highlight

Damn, Elvis was fucking high as hell a lot!

Also the cleavage on the woman who climbs onstage at the end elicited a completely involuntary & simultaneous "Jesus Christ!" from both me & my wife

I took my mam to see this today. She’s been an Elvis devotee since the age of twelve, but in a non-showy way. Like, we only had one Elvis record in the house when I was a kid, and no memorabilia of any kind.
I think this film has given her a new appreciation for the Vegas years, or the start of the Vegas years, at least. I appreciate Baz Luhrmann bringing The King back into the limelight properly, and not even waiting until the fiftieth anniversary to do it.

The pilot for the new ABC Detective show RJ Decker ends with a needledrop of "Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce".

Love that one!

Admittedly I had to look up the names of the songwriting team which did not ring any bells.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XciPec_SCfo

The soundtrack era is a bit hard to contemplate. On one end of the spectrum you have many people who totally dismiss all of it, whereas on the other end there is plenty of campy appreciation. My own boring take is that E was still capable of singing and could do fine with a well-written song and was also able to rescue a novelty song with a good performance, although I personally have no desire to sit and listen to all of it to separate the wheat from the chaff.

speaking of Blue Moon, I really enjoyed the film with Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart. very much like a play, all taking place in one setting. Hawke is terrific at being initially charismatic and then increasingly insufferable. I definitely think of Elvis' "Blue Moon" before anyone else's.

I caught this on Saturday - on a regular screen, not IMAX - but with a decent sound system. Loved every minute of it. I feel like the conventional rockcrit wisdom is that the Vegas years were a period of stagnation and creative decline for Elvis, and in popular culture it seems most associated with the over-the-top flamboyant jumpsuits, silly karate kicks on stage, and the infamous "fat" Elvis, so kudos to Luhrmann for exploding that myth by putting the truth on screen that the Vegas performances (at least in the earlier years) could be galvanizing and a complete blast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI5mYgGsxiU

There are moments when Jerry Scheff's groove is reminiscent of Dave Alexander on the first two Stooges albums, particularly Fun House.

always thought the Vegas years were his best era, mostly because of how insanely good his drummers were

I found a real gem at the record store the other day - "Having Fun with Elvis On Stage". it doesn't get talked about a lot because he was such a strange fellow at that point, but he was genuinely funny. I think that's something the Austin Butler movie got wrong. yeah he had a lot of troubles and got addicted pretty hard but he was cracking jokes all the time

Don't have a copy, but feel like maybe Greil Marcus listed that one in the Treasure Island section of Stranded.

There was this book I'd always see in used stores called the 50 Worst Rock and Roll Albums of All-Time and I definitely remember Having Fun with Elvis On Stage was #1. Of course, Metal Machine Music, Dylan's Self Portrait, and the Dead's Europe '72 all made the top 10, so certainly consider the source.

its not really fair to put it there, I mean it's not "Rock and Roll" there's no music on it at all, that's what makes it hilarious especially given there are so many copies out there

one could even argue it was ahead of its time. nowadays something like that would get uploaded to YouTube under the title "No Context Elvis"

f&ck. this was so so good.
totally needs a big screen/soundsystem.

OTM. I likened it to being in the opera house and hearing all that sound filling up the space.

as has been mentioned, the slow heavy bass build up re polk salad annie was insane.
there were so many moments i was borderline in tears due to the sheer overwhelmingness of the sonics.

Just read that the cinematographer of much of the original footage was Lucien Ballard who, in addition to all of his other accomplishments, was married to Merle Oberon for four years and invented a light called the Obie to cover up her facial scarring. #onethread