Elvis Presley: Classic Or Dud?

I think it's really one of the great what-ifs of rock history to think about Elvis releasing From Elvis in Memphis as a double album including "Suspicious Minds" and "Kentucky Rain" plus the studio tracks that came out on From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis. That would have been considered an undisputed masterpiece. And it did come out that way in the '80s when RCA released the CD The Memphis Record] but by then the moment had passed.

Most of the Memphis tracks on From Memphis to Vegas... aren't quite as strong, so I'm kind of glad they didn't go for a double album. As great as the singles were, especially "Suspicious Minds," I can accept their single-only release as common practice, especially during the '60s. At least Elvis proved he could match the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks et al at putting out a masterpiece while saving more great stuff for 45's.

fun to hear them finally nail "little sister"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWPr3iMMA2o

I mean you could probably make at least one classic 5 star album if you were to play god and select a very concise 12 track album just from his 1969-1970 recordings. There’s at least 50 songs to pick from. There’s 11 singles, 3 live albums and 5 studio albums just in that small frame of time according to rym.

Yeah but even just choosing from what he recorded in American Sound Studio in Memphis in January/February 1969, that should have been a tour de force album. Instead it was portioned out in dribs and drabs for an entire year.

This Luhrmann movie looks like it could be ok, but the casting of Hanks as Col. Parker seems like a major mistake, compounding by having him do a stiff Dutch accent and wear thick make-up. There are precious few interviews with Parker floating around, but in one from the '80s his accent sounds indistinguishable from Southern American. I don't think he could have passed himself off as a good ol' Southern boy if he talked like Hanks does in that clip. Is it supposed to make him seem more menacing? They should have cast someone younger and ditched the makeup and accent.

Or maybe somebody European maybe. Such as Benedict Cumberbatch? *ducks*

Maybe casting someone Dutch or German who can do a convincing Southern accent would have been the way to go. Like Christoph Walz maybe? Too late now.

Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking, maybe a Scandinavian even. First thought of Max von Sydow, now thinking Stellan Skarsgård.

that baby what you want me to do is amazing, great rhythm guitarist. almost gets into some chaotic 90s fat possum, rl burnside type vibes at points

Who is up there besides Elvis, Scotty and D.J.?

Also think he just keeps coming back to "Baby What You Want Me to Do" multiple times and it never gets old.

Wonder how many people know that the actress who played a belly dancer in the Star Trek: TOS episode "Wolf in the Fold" also did the same on the Comeback Special. I'll bet at least one person knows that besides me, who just learned it.

I did not know that. So this Tanya Lemani was like a session belly dancer in the '60s.

Apparently. She also dated Shatner but maybe James Doohan was trying to steal her away at one point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDGeo-WpoxY

I picked up the Elvis in Nashville 2LP of the highlights from the CD set. Love it so much but particularly obsessed with "Wash my hand in the muddy water."

That's a good one.

Some member of the house band really shredding on this version of "Baby What You Want Me to Do."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WpVwbYiwlI

I enjoyed the new "Elvis" movie. Hanks's accent was a bit distracting at first (it sounded more German than Dutch), but after a while I didn't notice it. I'm not sure how much of the movie was exactly historically accurate - it seems some poetic license was taken for dramatic effect in certain key scenes - not to give spoilers. Luhrman can tell a story and although this was 2 hrs and 30 minutes long, I never got bored. His respect for Elvis's accomplishments seemed genuine. I liked how the movie showed that even into his early Vegas years Elvis was still capable of creative ferment. From the movie, it seemed that Vegas only became a trap after it dragged on for year after year and Elvis was unable to extricate himself from the grip of Col Parker, who comes across as truly villainous - psychologically perceptive, controlling, avuncular and unctuous when the situation called for it, but in reality callous and almost sociopathically self-serving, a toxic mix that reminded me a bit of our former president, which may have been intentional.

Posted about it in the Baz Luhrmann thread...Agree with a lot of that, though you were much more tolerant of Hanks than I was: couldn't stand the accent, though he was given way too much screen time (i.e., crooked and controlling managers are not unusual in music history; Elvis was unique).

Would have been more interested in a recreation of the Million Dollar Quartet--the interaction there--or the (maybe apocryphal) story of Jerry Lee Lewis showing up at Graceland with a gun, or Sam Phillips-related scenes, or lots of other stuff other than Parker.

Yeah I enjoyed it too although I'm not particularly a fan and only knew some basic things about him. It was quite exciting and even moving by the end (I'd say it's a bit too long though).
At first, after seeing the trailer, I thought that would be awful. I like some Luhrmann movies but some are too much for me, Moulin Rouge for instance. I also thought the choice of the actor to play Elvis was bad since he didn't seem to have the charisma and looks. I was very wrong though as he's spectacular (and grotesque at times as should be !). Hanks reminded me of Goldmember in Austin Powers.

in theory a movie that tells the story of col parker and/or tells the story of elvis through col parker could be a really great idea imho. its true that crooked managers arent exactly rare but still, parker was a strange & fascinating figure who is not super widely known to the genl public today. a movie that tells his story from his pov would at least something i havent seen before, while a movie about the meteoric rise and tragic fall of a legendary performer is something i've seen approximately a million times already. trailer makes it look like the movie is mostly the latter & not enough of the former for me to get over my aversion to luhrmann though.

Who is up there besides Elvis, Scotty and D.J.?
Just watched Jailhouse Rock properly over the weekend since TCM was showing it in relatiion to this movie coming out and smiled when I saw or was reminded that the classic band is supplemented by Mike Stoller on piano.

I didn't see the Luhrmann thread, is that on the film board? In any case, while I agree with you that Elvis was a far more exceptional person than Parker, I think Parker as played by Hanks was more interesting on screen than the Elvis character. Despite wearing the heavy makeup, Hanks was able to convey a lot of nuance by small eye movements. The Elvis actor was able to convey something of Elvis's physical magnetism and stage presence, though in the dialog scenes you didn't get a lot of insight into what was going on in his mind.

Yeah I'd even say he seemed a bit dumb (the charachter). I have no idea about the real Elvis.

Yeah, I agree. Thats one thing I didn't like about the movie. It portrayed Elvis as some sort of natural talent who was destined for greatness as long he remained true to his inner guiding instinct, which was implanted in him by a formative early experience in which his role was purely passive. I can see why dramatically that sets up a nice contrast with the conniving Parker character, but also is a gross simplification. There are only a few scenes that hint at Elvis the craftsman who toiled at developing his art.

If anything, this movie wasn't fucked up enough.

Along with Jail House Rock, I was okay with King Creole, based on the novel A Stone For Danny Fisher, and the Western Blazing Star, directed by the always-screenworthy Don Siegel, who also directed several Clint Eastwood movies (and Invasion of the Body Snatchers)---but for Elvis-as-Elvis, I'd go right to the docs Elvis: That's The Way It Is, Elvis On Tour, and This Is Elvis, where, in imdb's nutshell,

The life and career of Elvis Presley are chronicled in home movies, concert footage, and dramatizations. Subjects include early performances, army service, Ed Sullivan Show appearance, marriage, 1968 comeback, health decline and death.

I quite liked "Elvis: The Searcher", which HBO put out in 2018.

wasn’t the Kurt Russell biopic kind of good?

Early John Carpenter film!

I think I saw part of it on TV and did think it was good, ditto Elvis and The Beauty Queen--- wiki sez:

Don Johnson stars as Elvis Presley in this made-for-TV true story about Elvis's love affair with Linda Thompson (Stephanie Zimbalist), a young beauty pageant contestant who was his live-in girlfriend and traveling companion for four of the last five years of his life.[1] The story begins with their first meeting and traces their years together when Thompson tried to keep Presley off drugs in the last years of his career.[2]

Production
Seven songs were recorded for the soundtrack in Nashville, Tennessee, with country singer Ronnie McDowell providing the vocals.[1] The band that backed Ronnie McDowell was The Glass Hammer, a Nashville-based band. The Glass Hammer consisted of Joe Meador: Guitar, Don Lee: Lead Guitar, Bill Conn: Keyboards and Horns, Larry Leath: Bass, and Rick Judkins: Drums.

Reception
People Magazine said, "Don Johnson is praiseworthy as the King, but did Elvis really lounge around in tight leather pants and metal-studded capes?"[3]

The Chicago Tribune, reviewing the movie after Johnson became famous for Miami Vice, said, "Every time Don Johnson delivers a line you find yourself rolling onto the floor as you howl with laughter."[4]

Just saw this film.

1: think Austin Butler terrific as Elvis - especially in his speech and shy facial expressions.

2: too much Colonel Parker, who's played as 1-D Machiavellian villain, saying "my boy" every minute, with no moral nuance. Even Hanks, who's been compelling in other things, must have become bored or embarrassed by this lengthy, one-note performance.

3: not very keen on 'modernisation' of the music (including C21 rap during the film, etc) - I can see some point in it, but feel it's more a lazy tic from the director. Would say on balance: keep that stuff for the final credits if you must, and during the film try to show us how exciting the actual Elvis sounds were (if they were, as making a movie about them implies).

his bandmate going "hit 'em with the wiggle" as he's bombing on stage, sending the crowd into an immediate frenzy might actually be one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a theater

so many incredible howlers but i think my favorite was when tom hanks says he’s getting death threats and it cuts to elvis looking at a picture of himself that someone wrote “i am going to kill you elvis” on

— largest rodent (@capybaroness) July 5, 2022

his bandmate going "hit 'em with the wiggle" as he's bombing on stage, sending the crowd into an immediate frenzy might actually be one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a theater

Hank Snow popping veins from seeing panties getting thrown onstage... Like I said, I was really hoping Baz would put his foot through the floorboard the whole way.

The Elvis Presley Shop has a lot of things I'd never heard of, on different "brands," whatever the label of original release---this is presented by FTD, Follow That Dream, and def. an area of his musical activity I'm into, having "I Feel Like A Stranger In My Own Home Town" on Reggie Young's Guitar Session Star anth, for instance:

Following on from the success of FTD's classic album versions of From Elvis In Memphis and Back In Memphis, FTD presents the remaining recordings from his legendary sessions at American Sound in Memphis recorded in1969. Finally, these great tracks are issued as a stand-alone album with unreleased outtakes, un-dubbed versions and instrumentals. Elvis At American Sound Studio completes the 69 Memphis trilogy, and fittingly gets the FTD classic album treatment to complement the other two releases.

But that's just the intro---now dig this:

To celebrate FTD's 20th Anniversary, from FTD the release of 'Elvis: American Sound 1969' a 5-CD set that's part of FTD's new 'Sessions' series, includes a 28-page booklet with rare photos and memorabilia.

Elvis' pivotal Year of 1969 celebrated with Elvis: American Sound 1969 featuring over 90 tracks of rare and unreleased material from Elvis' 1969 legendary American Sound Studio sessions, including 'In The Ghetto' and 'Suspicious Minds'.

IIRC, Follow That Dream is a label administered by the Dutch Fan Club, who've basically been given the keys to the vault and have been way ahead of the industry curve re: Full Session releases and copyright dumps. RCA uses them as kind of a farm team, frequently cherry-picking FTD releases for their own less-exhaustive, later in the day archive collections.

#Elvis the movie is lots of fun & has to be seen on the big screen. Perfect match of director & subject. Too long & thematically weird of course -- but beautiful cast, music, spectacle, design; genius in all depts. Does what cinema should: improve on reality. https://t.co/wkN0konj1w

— Whit Stillman (@WhitStillman) July 3, 2022

I agree with Whit that the music and design elements were boffo. The exterior Vegas shots for instance.

Does 'boffo' mean good?

In that case I disagree, because I thought the 'modernisation' of the music was, on balance, a bad thing (if predictable from this director).

I enjoyed the music, even the modernized parts. I can understand why he did it, he didn't want this to seem like a dusty period piece. I thought the use of hip hop production touches for instance was not overused.

It just seems insane to make a movie about Elvis while also implicitly saying that you don’t think Elvis’ music holds up without sweetening (not even for an audience that paid to see an Elvis movie.) It’s Elvis ffs it’s loud sexual rock music with guitars, it’s not some confusing obscurity that audiences need to have it explained to them why people found it exciting.

Elvis's biggest hit in the last 40 years = a 'dance remix' of 'A Little Less Conversation', so I can see why they also went down that route for the movie. Also think One Eye Open is, sadly, wildly over-estimating the public tolerance for ANY pop music that's getting on for 70 years old.

Elvis's biggest hit in the last 40 years

tbf he has had some health setbacks that have prevented him from releasing much new material

I like that version. I believe it became a big gigantic hit because it was used for a sneaker ad during the World Cup or Euro. I have mixed feelings about all the songs being truncated and/or modernized. I don't really care for it but sort of see why they did it.

If Elvis was still alive, he totally would have done a duo album w/Jay-Z under the name 'El Prez' in the 2000s.