Elvis Presley: Classic Or Dud?

i love how in the cut me & i bleed outtake stuff elvis will slip from these profane asides to singing with utter fluency and conviction in a heartbeat. guy was such a natural.

WHATCHU THINK I AM?

Elvis At Stax 3CD set coming out in August. No word as to what's on it, though.

(I mean, presumably his Stax sessions, but no further details)

Amazon says there's also gonna be a 1-disc version. Kinda interested to know what's on it, but since I already have the 2CD Follow That Dream deluxe editions of Good Times, Raised On Rock and Promised Land (the three albums that include Stax recordings), and they're jammed with bonus tracks, outtakes, etc., I'm pretty sure I have all I need already.

I'm kind of obsessed with late '60s/early '70s Elvis - basically, everything from From Elvis in Memphis on, but especially the trilogy of 1973/74 albums Good Times, Promised Land and Raised On Rock. I have the limited edition 2CD versions of all three, which are jammed with alternate takes, studio rehearsals, etc.

yeah "Only the Strong Survive" is FUCKING AMAZING. Btw in my copy "I'll Hold You in My Heart" has a great false start and I've always wondered if that was on the original album when it was released or not.

Recently I found a book in a thrift store called "The Most Incredible Elvis Presley Story Ever Told", which is really quite batshit insane. Basically it is a take on Elvis faking his own death, as told by a woman who wrote a book of fiction about a singer called Orion who faked his own death, and the bizarre circumstances surrounding the release and suppression of her book at the same time as the release of an Elvis sound-alike named Orion:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Orioningold_photo_by_Shelby_Singleton.used_with_permission.JPG/220px-Orioningold_photo_by_Shelby_Singleton.used_with_permission.JPG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_%22Orion%22_Ellis

It's pretty darn entertaining, if more focused on the conspiracy to suppress her book than prying apart facts surrounding Elvis's death. The greatest parts are when she slips in anonymous anecdotes about people running into Elvis randomly and the 'lost tape' transcribed at the very end of the book that more or less amounts to Elvis telling his fans he's doing OK (just chillin' in Hawaii, dating again, jamming on tunes now and then, etc) and she makes a very strong effort to insert "uh"s often enough to make it seem like something he would say. It's pretty entertaining. Apparently she wrote the Orion book using some kind of New Agey automatic writing techniques or something.

whoa can anyone hit me up with Cut Me & I Bleed?

I think I remember that book and if my recollection is correct, they actually sold the tape with the book!

here it is

http://cdn2.sulitstatic.com/images/2010/1025/080615990_dscn6924.jpg

http://tiptopwebsite.com/photos4/lindahoodsigmoncom/GailsbookonEbay.jpg

http://www.basedefotos.com/files/images/2011/11/fotos-de-elvis-5.jpg

i saw elvis in the freehold raceway mall standing in front of macy's. he just looks like a normal seventysomething but the sideburns were the giveaway.

Yeah that's the lady. This is probably my favorite passage, pretty much representative of the book:

Another gentleman said he actually ran into Elvis in Atlanta. "I can't believe what I'm seeing?" he said he told Elvis. "I don't believe it!"

He said Elvis adjusted his sunglasses and smiled sheepishly, then said, "Man, you ain't seen me, O.K.?"

Every minute of every hour you'll be shaken by the strange and mighty power

I remember that book. I think I even bought a copy from a Woolworth's at the time, but lost it or threw it away. Never listened to the tape.

oh man. forgot about the 900 number too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_s_CXh3YPQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um57FvM220U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtGb0lQovZU

i think i might buy a blu-ray and flat-screen TV just for "elvis on tour"

also, from orion's wiki page:

Ellis first album appearance for Sun was as an unidentified singer singing duet with Jerry Lee Lewis on ten tracks of the 1978 album Duets (Sun 1011).

i have that album and it is great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyXk1iZffGM

So the more I listen to Elvis lately, the more curious I get about his early/mid 60's work. Has there ever been a good compilation that attempts to to sum up those years and does so in a respectable way?

I saw this thing (and a similar-looking one on Pickwick) this past weekend at my local used record store, but I would like to get a semi-informed recommendation before I jump in.

Does the Pickwick one have a version of "Cycle Annie"?

I don't remember. It looked a little cheesy honestly — like only eight songs total on the album.

This box (From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters) appears to be what you're looking for. (I don't have it.) Note that it stays away from movie music - that stuff is on its own two-disc compilation.

I have a playlist of all his '60s singles, soundtrack or not, and after repeated listening here's what I would say... It seems that 1963 to 1967 is the deadly period, but there are highlights. "Devil in Disguise" and "Bossa Nova Baby" were from '63 and you might like "Viva Las Vegas" and "Ain't That Loving You Baby" from '64.

He had a big hit in '65 with "Crying in the Chapel" but that was a five-year old recording.

The rest of the pre-'67 singles are not that interesting (to me), whether they're retreads of earlier, better hits ("Kiss Me Quick," for example) or cheesy movie songs or leftover ballads.

Things get more interesting at the beginning of '67 with "Indescribably Blue." But for that song and the whole 1966-1968 period there is this great handy CD - Tomorrow Is a Long Time that collects the stuff he recorded in Nashville (not in Hollywood) during that period.

the 60s box is so so so fantastic; the best part for me was discovering those tranked out mid 60s cuts like "Beyond the Reef", the Jordanaires like some Greek chorus you're hearing from 1000000 miles under the sea

10,000 years ago! Great description of an incredible track.

i do think of the three big box sets release in the early 90s the 1960s one was the least impressive, not that it doesn't have a lot of good stuff on it. the 50s one is about as amazing as you'd expect and the 70s box is a revelation.

That "Beyond the Reef" is pretty good though. Like another helping of Roy Orbison's "Leah."

Well, I went ahead and ordered Elvis is Back last night and I'll look into the Tomorrow is a Long Time set (which looks awesome, by the way).

Just want to put a word in for This is Elvis, the '81 documentary. A bit hard to find. Good soundtrack though. My moms played it all the time when I was a kid.

http://www.johnnyharrathelegend.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/This-Is-Elvis-LP.jpg

personal fave on this album is "His Latest Flame" which is just so groovy

I can also highly recommend Peter Guralnick's two volume Elvis bio

yes, guralnick + marcus's 'mystery train' and 'dead elvis' are pretty much the definitive writings on elvis.

i need to read those guralnick books

I need to re-read them.

The Guralnick books are ridiculously informative and well-organized, and likely the last word on the guy, but I found them a little dry. Towards the end, the second volume starts to get stuck in a tape loop of "He took some pills. Then he bought a car. Then he did karate. Then he took some pills." I found myself drifting off until Guralnick suddenly opined on something, and it made me wish he'd been doing that throughout the books. I realize Guralnick's not a Marsh or Marcus; he's not gonna offer a lot of theories and opinions about the whys and wherefores. But on the few occasions he does, it really enlivens things.

Yeah that is Guralnick's appeal for me, at least the excerpts i have read. Marcus turned me off because it read like slobbering stream of consciousness...there's only a few authors, biography-wise, where I enjoy noticing them as much as the subject. For mostly I prefer it when they serve the story.

Well, I went ahead and ordered Elvis is Back last night

disc 1 = perfection

widescreen STEREO and great performances etc .. seriously fantastic.

disc 2 = mellow moods.

the album they have used as the second disc, 'something for everybody' is very mellow and a little one dimensional.

however, the extra tracks are totally essential

thereby making this 2 cd edition essential.

sorry .

but this has to be added to this thread ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5CU6_FFWK8

never seen that before, it's awesome!

yup.

the fact is, i will go to my grave having never seen a live band like that ,,

Track listing for the Elvis at Stax set:

Disc 1: The R&B and Country Sessions – The Outtakes
1. I Got A Feelin' In My Body - take 1
2. Find Out What's Happening - takes 8-7
3. Promised Land - take 4
4. For Ol' Times Sake - take 4
5. I've Got A Thing About You, Babe - take 14
6. It's Midnight - take 7
7. If You Talk In Your Sleep - take 5
8. Loving Arms - take 2
9. You Asked Me To - take 3A
10. Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues - take 8
11. Talk About The Good Times - take 3
12. There's A Honky Tonk Angel - take 1
13. She Wears My Ring - take 8
14. Three Corn Patches - take 14
15. I Got A Feelin' In My Body - take 4
16. If You Don't Come Back - take 3 (I)
17. Promised Land - take 5

Disc 2: Part 1 – The Pop Sessions – The Outtakes
1. Mr. Songman - take 2
2. Your Love's Been A Long time Coming - take 4
3. Spanish Eyes - take 2
Take Good Care Of Her - takes 1,2,3
5. It's Diff'rent Now (unfinished recording)
6. Thinking About You - take 4
7. My Boy - take 1
8. Girl Of Mine - take 9
9. Love Song Of The Year - take 1
10. If That Isn't Love - take 1
Part 2 – The July 1973 Masters
11. Raised On Rock (Hot 100 #41, country #42)
12. For Ol' Time Sake (charts same as track 11)
13. I've Got A Thing About You Baby (Hot 100 #39, country #4)
14. Take Good Care Of Her (charts same as track 13)
15. If You Don't Come Back
16. Three Corn Patches
17. Girl Of Mine
18. Just A Little Bit
19. Find Out What's Happening
20. Sweet Angeline

Disc 3: The December 1973 Masters
1. Promised Land (Hot 100 #14, country #9)
2. It's Midnight (charts same as track 1)
3. If You Talk In Your Sleep (Hot 100 #17, country #6)
4. Help Me (charts same as track 3)
5. My Boy (Hot 100 #20, country #14)
6. Thinking About You (charts same as track 5)
7. Mr. Songman (Hot 100 #35, country #11)
8. I Got A Feelin' In My Body
9. Loving Arms
10. Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues
11. You Asked Me To
12. There's A Honky Tonk Angel (Who Will Take Me Back In)
13. Talk About The Good Times
14. She Wears My Ring
15. Your Love's Been A Long Time Coming
16. Love Song Of The Year
17. Spanish Eyes
18. If That Isn't Love

the "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" on the bootleg posted above is so great; is that whole show, August 19, 1974, that good?

Wow that version of "Polk Salad Annie"

Drummer clearly earning his $$$

Scored a copy of Tomorrow Is A Long Time for a fiver tonight!

I've never been a huge Elvis guy and always more of a "well, sun elvis and early elvis is the best" guy, but even the early songs there's pretty much always a better pre-Elvis version IMO. Like the Arthur Crudup "That's Alright Mama" is so assured and easy, whereas the Elvis version sounds a little bit manic and confused. Crudup captures the irony and subdued anger of the song whereas I don't hear it in the Elvis version.

Nice discussion here with Conan and Peter Guralnick....
http://teamcoco.com/video/52830/music-historian-peter-guralnick-serious-jibber-jabber-with-conan-obrien

yeah I was watching that, which was what sent me to revisit the sun recordings, which was what made me realize I had never really overcome my blah feelings about elvis in spite of all my reevaluation via Guralnick and others

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNeN5wPsalI