Yes, those are the three. They are all short albums, none even making 30 minutes, so they were short-changing the fans. Put it this way, all three of those albums would almost fit on one CD now...especially if the non-Stax tracks ('Are You Sincere', 'I Miss You') were left off. Some of the material is fantastic, some is dreadful. There was no level of discernment/quality control, it was 'just put it all out', it'll sell, who cares.Originally Posted by GuitarGeek
Yeah, the Promised Land CD I have is more or less actually a twofer of Promised Land and most of Good Times (misisng only the first song that was on Good Times, a tune called Take Good Care Of Her). I hadn't actually realized how short each of those albums are. I'm now wondering why I left Take Good Care Of Her off the CD, as there surely was enough room for that song, if each album was originally under a half hour.
And you're definitely right about short changing the fans (possibly a deliberate ploy by Corporal Van Kuijick?). By 1973, most albums were around 35-45 minutes long, and of course a couple of those Genesis albums are around 52 minutes long (including their 1973 opus, Selling England By The Pound). Putting an album out that was under 30 minutes at that time was just pure exploitation.
Such a shame, since as you point, there's some very fine material hidden on those records (well, I can vouch for Good Times and Promised Land, haven't heard Raised On Rock yet).
Yeah, I'll eventually end up buying one of the DVD's of the Comeback Special, as I always thought that seemed pretty cool, particularly the "in the round" performance segments (though like Steve Howe, I take exception to Elvis swapping guitars with Scotty). The CD might be a good addition as well.
So, basically, I'm probably (eventually) getting the three boxsets, the Onstage Deluxe Edition, one Comeback Special package or another (if not CD, then certainly DVD), and the Madison Square Garden stuff.
The only other omission really is his 60s soundtrack stuff. 'Viva Las Vegas', 'Can't Help Falling In Love', 'Return To Sender'...none of those will be on these boxes. I don't think a definitive collection of that has ever really been put together, they are all too long...that 2-cd one available cheap now called Elvis At The Movies will do, though.
Bleurgh, never really liked that one- too saccharine and overproduced. It suffers from the piercing female backing vocals that Elvis seemed fond of...the other end of the spectrum was that horrible 'divebombing low notes' schtick that backing vocalist/gospel singer JD Sumner always did, especially live.
The reason two songs (the other being the better Tony Joe White song 'I've Got A Thing About You Baby') were left off that particular Promised Land reissue is because they were actually from the earlier July Stax sessions that the Raised On Rock album came from. Those two songs were both sides of a single at the time.
Raised On Rock certainly has some decent songs ('For Ol' Times Sake' is a particular favourite...every Tony Joe White song he did was first-rate, starting with 'Polk Salad Annie') but he was in poor voice on those July sessions. He sounds completely out of it, in fact, lagging behind the beat and sounding half asleep.
Last edited by JJ88; 12-09-2016 at 03:16 AM.
Not a big fan of the bass vocals either. I guess that comes from the "white" gospel thing, where those sort of vocals are ubiquitous. One reason why I never cared for the genre, and sometimes have a difficulty with a lot of musics that are derived therefrom (such as The Statler Brothers or The Oak Ridge Boys). BUt given Elvis' musical upbringing, and his apparent taste for gospel music (of course recording a couple gospel albums himself), it's easy to see why he would go for that.
I sometimes wish Elvis could have had a smaller band during the 70's. Ditch the backup vocalists (or at least, pair down the vocal section two just two or three vocalists) and the orchestra. When you got James Burton (!!!), Ron Tutt and Jerry Scheff in your band, you don't really need all that extra musical padding. Man, if I had James Burton playing in my band, I most definitely bury him under an avalanche of overwrought backup vocals and brass.
Then he again, he did the exact same thing to Scotty Moore on at least one occasion. It's been that despite how the credits read, Elvis was the "hands on" producer of even the early RCA sessions. Thus, it was apparently he who signed off on burying Scotty's amazing guitar solos on Hound Dog under the Jordanaires (who in fact only sing during the solos). I mean, that's gotta be the ultimate "WTF?!" record production moment in the history of popular music (well, that and the mix on Metallica's ...And Justice For All).
It's interesting that they never pursued that stripped-down, rock band feel of the '68 In the Round stuff. They could have made a whole album of that and it could have been awesome.
It's frustrating to think of what could have been without Tom Parker running the ship. I realize that Elvis seemed to like the females singers/orchestra/full production thing, but I get the idea that he also enjoyed just jamming with his band, too.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Yeah, you're definitely right about that. Elvis always had great bands, so I think if he just gone in the studio with just himself and a rhythm section, like he did on the Sun Records stuff, it could have been awesome. Maybe if he had lived another 12 or so years, when that retro thing became big, he might have been gone for it.
Yeah, it's hard to know who was responsible for what. I can buy that Elvis liked the big "Vegas" show thing, but as you say, it seems like sometimes just jamming was something he was into, as well. It's been said the whole genesis of the "in the round" portion of the Comeback Special was the director watching Elvis hanging out with his buddies in the dressing, just singing old gospel and country tunes or whatever. And o fcourse, there's the "Million Dollar Quartet" session. So Elvis was adverse to doing stuff spontaneously, and for fun.It's frustrating to think of what could have been without Tom Parker running the ship. I realize that Elvis seemed to like the females singers/orchestra/full production thing, but I get the idea that he also enjoyed just jamming with his band, too.
But I wonder if he felt that jamming was something you did behind closed doors, just for fun. Maybe he felt once you got on the stage, or were in the studio making something you wanted people to hear, you had to be more "serious" and "professional". So perhaps he felt he "needed" to have the big orchestra, the big mass of back up singers (both male and female), etc. You get the impression that he didn't always have a lot of confidence in himself, so perhaps he just didn't feel his voice and a small band could "carry" a proper recording or performing project. (shrug)
And one side note, it's interesting to note that Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana took part in the Comeback Special, but when it came time for Elvis go back to performing live, a whole new band was put together. I read an interview one time that Parker offered a deal to Scotty and DJ, but they felt they were getting cheated, so they made a counter offer, and Parker, in turn, then put together what became known as the TCB band, with Burton, Tutt, Scheff, etc. As cool as the TCB band is, and as much as I love James Burton's guitar playing, I kinda wish Parker had made the effort to keep some continuity by giving Scotty and DJ whatever they asked for, as it seems they were still up for playing with Elvis, they just wanted to be treated fairly, on in terms of pay and whatever. But then, he wouldn't have been The Corporal if he had done that, wouldn't he?
The early Vegas shows had a greater level of intimacy...witness Elvis In Person, On Stage and the That's The Way It Is film. The arrangements have a much lighter touch. I'd have been happy if he'd carried on in that vein. I'll also never understand why it was felt that someone of Elvis' stature (one of the two biggest selling artists of all time, lest we forget) needed to slog all over the US doing tours in not especially distinguished arenas.
Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity was not working longer at American Sound with Chips Moman. That Memphis '69 period gave him two Number 1 singles. But unfortunately, again, business disputes put an end to that relationship. Chips Moman wasn't about to be told what to do (and famously loathed the fake-fade added to 'Suspicious Minds'), quite rightly.
Agreed. That seems to be easily blamed on Col. Parker, IMO.
Yeah, I never liked that, either.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Men in Black:
"Nah, Elvis isn't dead. He just went home."
One of the greatest what-ifs in rock music is what would have happened if Elvis had ditched the Colonel. So many things could have been corrected, not to mention the King's indulgences which ended his life. I do remember where I was when I heard he died and at the time I was what, nineteen and a deep in the throes of 70s rock, so while it was a shock I could have cared less. My tastes have widened somewhat since then though if I play fifties music it's generally Chuck or Little Richard.
I remember a DJ saying that there was a video of Elvis in a bedroom with a bunch of young women, all wearing big-ass white granny panties, cavorting on the bed. Elvis turns to someone in the room and says, "release the monkeys" and a whole bunch of spider monkeys come screaming out a couple cages. I don't know if it is true but I want it to be.
My wife has one Elvis CD and it's all one sappy love song after another. I've got my own mix CD of a greatest #1s padded with stuff like Viva Las Vegas, Little Les Conversation, and of course, that killer cover of "Promised Land". I my mind he's in a black leather jacket when he sings any of them.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
If Elvis had played in the UK, the level of demand would have been through the roof and it would have undoubtedly been a 'name your price' situation for him- I don't think any entertainer in the world could have got the same kind of money here. Such a shame that a famously loyal market was repeatedly snubbed by poor management.
Absolutely. I imagine it would have been the same in Germany and other European countries as well.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
^He at least spent a certain amount of time in Germany when in the army. During that time, I think he was in the UK (Scotland) for an hour or something. So he barely got to see the country at all.
Touring outside the US wasn't just snubbed by his manager, it was forbidden. The Colonel's status in the US wasn't exactly legal and he was afraid of even trying to get a passport. And of course the controlling asshole couldn't comprehend Elvis going on tour without supervising the whole thing. They could have made a fortune touring Europe and Japan.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
The very scene that inspired me to buy Promised Land. Love the fact that in this hi-tech, reverse-engineered-from-alien-technology car, they've got an 8-track deck, and K keeps that particular album at close hand when music is required.
Well, while I'll agree that Parker made Elvis' problems worse by having him on that non-stop treadmill (as most musical performers were before the 80's, actually). But I remember seeing an interview with Priscilla once, and the topic was brought up, and she said the real problem was the Elvis didn't believe he had a "problem" because, "Oh, these won't hurt me, my doctor prescribed them for me". He didn't get that prescription drugs can you mess up just as bad as so called "street" drugs. As long as someone has that attitude, you can do or say whatever you want, fire the manager, curtail the touring schedule, put him in rehab (did rehab even exist back then?!), but if the person believes they don't have a problem, nothing's going to change.One of the greatest what-ifs in rock music is what would have happened if Elvis had ditched the Colonel. So many things could have been corrected, not to mention the King's indulgences which ended his life.
I think another problem with Elvis was what seems to happen to everyone who goes from relative poverty to making more money than you can count, ie the tendency to spend the money the way the US government does. Graceland itself was just the tip of the iceberg. Elvis was famous for throwing huge parties for his friends, renting out movie theaters or clubs for an evening. He had a full time kitchen staff at Graceland around the clock, in case he got hungry (apparently, he was too lazy to make his own fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches). He had a full blown professional grade recording studio at Graceland (remember back in those days, "home recording" usually meant having a reel to reel machine so you could make demos). And I imagine shooting out a TV every time Robert Goulet came on couldn't have been good for his budget either.
Reputedly, at one point in the 70's, in the middle of the night, he called a restaurant out in Colorado or someplace like that, and put in an emergency order for a bunch of these giant sandwiches they made, using an entire loaf of bread (which was meant to feed like a half dozen people, but Elvis would put away three of them by himself). He then rounds up the Memphis Mafia, they hop on his private plane, they fly out to Denver or wherever it was, rent a aircraft hanger at the airport, and have this big party, all because he woke up in the middle of the night with a craving. The program I saw where they talked about this said that one event set him back about 100 grand!
So, if you could have gotten him off the drugs, gotten him to get his spending under control, get him to control his eating, maybe even move into less luxurious digs, then maybe something could have been done.
Parker was an idiot. Nothing he did after 1960 makes any sense. Everything from turning down any decent film offers that was put forth to not letting him tour overseas to Having Fun With Elvis Onstage...I mean, honestly...there's a great scene in the movie Bubba Ho-Tep (a great, hilarious picture if you haven't seen it) where Elvis is ruminating about his "acting career". He says "By the time I started making the pictures, I should have fired Parker". Then, on the audio commentary (attributed to someone identified only as "The King"), he says "No, I should have fired him long before that!".Such a shame that a famously loyal market was repeatedly snubbed by poor management.
The movie thing really sticks wtih me, because there are those who say Elvis had some degree of legitimate acting ability (and you can actually see it once in awhile in a few of the pictures). He even did one interview when he first started talking about doing movies where he said he wasn't interested in singing in them. Yet, that's exactly what happened. If I'm not mistaken, every single movie has at least one song sung by him, though I a couple he just did a title song for the credits or whatever. And it's been said he was actually offered some genuinely good roles, but Parker unilaterally vetoed them, presumably because he wanted to get a piece of the soundtrack albums, which he wouldn't be able to do if his client didn't sing in the movie.
Another story I remember hearing was Parker sitting in on a rough cut of, I think Viva Las Vegas. Parker starts shouting at the director about all the closeups he was giving to Ann Margaret. "We're making an Elvis movie here, not an Ann Margaret movie". So the poor guy had to go back and recut the movie because of Parker's inability to understand how to make a good movie.
Supposedly, the rare occasions that Elvis played in Canada, the Corporal stayed just on this side of the border. Like if Elvis was playing Vancouver, Parker would stay in Seattle over night or whatever, and rejoin the entourage when it came back across the border, supposedly for that reason. But I always have read that Van Kuijik was married to an American woman, so his immigration status shouldn't have mattered.The Colonel's status in the US wasn't exactly legal and he was afraid of even trying to get a passport.
And yes, they could have made a killing touring the UK, Europe, and Japan at any given time.
^Viva Las Vegas actually turned out a good film. That was the first Elvis film I saw and I really enjoyed it- I believe I'm right in saying that it was his most successful, they spent more money on it, had a strong cast and even the songs were better than usual. Unfortunately I learned some years later that few of the rest are of the same calibre. Jailhouse Rock and King Creole are the best films overall- they actually hold up quite well without the music. A few are entertaining as light froth, far too many are appalling.
Although seldom worthy of the amount he got, Parker was adequate before Elvis got drafted. Having an artist become that big was pretty much uncharted territory. And Parker didn't drop the ball too much at that point...the Steve Allen show performance and the early Vegas engagement were the most serious misjudgements, but neither did any damage. Unfortunately, yes, it went wrong after that.
Last edited by JJ88; 12-09-2016 at 01:00 PM.
Yeah, those are two of my faves, along with Change of Habit, which seems to fit GG's "one song over the credits" point.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Yeah, I remember seeing many of them when I was little, because my older brother was a big Elvis fan. I'm sure I've seen Viva Las Vegas at least once, but not in ages. I think the last time I watched an Elvis movie, it was Easy Come Easy Go, which has perhaps the most preposterous scuba fight scene in any movie or TV show I've ever seen.
I recall Mary Tyler Moore on Letterman one time, and Dave asked her about Change Of Habit. She says something like "Oh that was terrible...not because of Elvis, he was great to work with, but it was just a bad movie". Another time, she claimed it was the only role she's ever done where she doesn't remember any of her lines.
Yeah, I suppose you're right about that. Most of what happened before the Army hitch wasn't too disastrous. Actually, I always thought the Steve Allen thing to be kinda funny (though I know I've read Elvis was real upset and threatened to fire Parker afterwards if he ever got him stuck doing anything like that again).Although seldom worthy of the amount he got, Parker was adequate before Elvis got drafted. Having an artist become that big was pretty much uncharted territory. And Parker didn't drop the ball too much at that point...the Steve Allen show performance and the early Vegas engagement were the most serious misjudgements, but neither did any damage. Unfortunately, yes, it went wrong after that.
One more question I just thought of. There was a song in one of the movies called Bossa Nova. As I recall, in the movie, at the end of each chorus, he dances his way back to an organ to play this descending riff. I alwyas liked that song. Where would one find that one?
Really? I thought that one had more singing in it, but then I don't think I've ever actually seen it (apart from a short clip on the Bob Costas show, shown to illustrate the point she was making that they never actually resolve her character's dilemma at the end, we're never told if she leaves the convent for Elvis or not). The ones I was thinking of, actually, were Charro and Flaming Star, I think.
Flaming Star is an underrated one, too.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
This one is cheap - no idea of the quality, however.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
'Bossa Nova Baby' was a Leiber-Stoller song, and by Elvis it was in the film Fun In Acapulco (which I'd say is one of the 'frothily entertaining' ones). You can find it on the Elvis At The Movies 2-cd I mentioned.
Entertainer Tommy Steele (a sort of English Mickey Rooney, but without all the marriages) claims to have escorted Presley on a trip to London in 1958.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_...ley_in_Britain
Alright then I'll have to add that one to the list. I've always liked that song.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks