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The Elvis Thread

Nice thread! I get my appreciation of Elvis from my mother. If mom was playing music, it was probably Elvis. Some of my earliest memories are of her and her twin sister clearing some space in the living room and dancing to an Elvis record or tape. I still like to play some of his music every now and then and his Christmas album is a staple for Christmas morning while opening presents. (Though he does get second billing to Bing.)
 
My favorite Elvis album is From Elvis in Memphis. Original RCA LPs sound fantastic. On CD, for early Elvis, Elvis '56 is from the original master tapes and sounds extraordinary. I got on the Elvis boat after a visit to Graceland. Stood at his grave and felt the spirit of rock & roll like I'd never felt before.

The concert flick, Elvis: That's The Way It Is (1970), helps explain his popularity. Fun watch and a snapshot of an era.
 
I had ended up tinkering with a turntable last night and dint get to spin any Elvis, I will do that today. Have a rare one I don't see often, have to dig that out. I have a small collection of his LP's... that said I have his entire catalog in digital format... Yea remember a few years back when iTunes offered that for a short time. They did it with a few artists. I gave in and bought it... gigs and gigs of space. Need to upload that to the new DAP.
 
71BQNGAVa1L._SS500_.jpg


Pocketful of Rainbows playing now
 
Some fun info from google:

http://askheatherjarvis.com/blog/25-fun-facts-about-elvis-presley-the-king-of-rock-roll

  1. Elvis' famous black hair was dyed - his natural color was brown.
  2. Elvis purchased his first guitar when he was just 11 years old. He wanted a rifle, but his mama convinced him to get a guitar instead.
  3. In 1947, a local radio show offered a young Elvis (age 12) a chance to sing live on air, but he was too shy to go on.
  4. At 18, Elvis paid $4 to make his first record, a gift for his mama.
  5. In 1954, Elvis auditioned for a gospel quartet named the Songfellows. They said no.
  6. That same year, a local radio DJ played Elvis' version of That's All Right. He went on to play it 13 more times that day, but had trouble convincing his audience that Elvis was white.
  7. His nickname for his manhood was reportedly Little Elvis.
  8. His breakthrough hit was Heartbreak Hotel, released in 1956 - a song inspired by a newspaper article about a local suicide.
  9. When performing on TV in 1956, host Milton Berle advised Elvis to perform without his guitar, reportedly saying, "Let 'em see you, son." Elvis' gyrating hips caused outrage across the U.S. and within days he was nicknamed Elvis the Pelvis.
  10. A Florida judge called Elvis "a savage" that same year because he said that his music was "undermining the youth." He was subsequently forbidden from shaking his body at a gig, so he waggled his finger instead in protest.
  11. He played only five concerts outside the U.S., all on a 3-day tour of Canada in 1957. Many believe that the reason why he never toured abroad again was that his longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was an illegal immigrant from Holland who would have been deported had he applied for a U.S. passport.
  12. Col. Parker is said to have always had an eye for talent and for a quick buck - prior to managing Elvis, Parker reportedly painted sparrows yellow to sell them as canaries.
  13. Elvis was 6 feet tall and wore a size 11 shoe.
  14. Recording Hound Dog in the studio, Elvis reportedly demanded 31 takes.
  15. Elvis bought his mansion, Graceland, in Memphis, TN in 1957 for $100,000. It was named by its previous owner after his daughter, Grace.
  16. Performing "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" in Las Vegas in 1969, Elvis did one of his frequent lyric changes to amuse himself. Instead of "Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?", he sang "Do you look at your bald head and wish you had hair?"
  17. In 1956, he began his film career with a western, Love Me Tender. His second film, Loving You, featured his parents as audience members. Following his mother's death in 1957, he never watched the film again. He went on to make a total of 31 movies in his career.
  18. In December 1957, Elvis was drafted into the U.S. Army, earning a $78 monthly salary. During his brief two-year stint on active duty, he was unable to access his music-generated income of $400,000.
  19. In 1959, while serving overseas in Germany, Elvis (then 24 years old) met his future wife, 14 year-old Priscilla Beaulieu. They were married 8 years later.
  20. Elvis' 1960 hit "It's Now or Never" so inspired a prisoner who heard it in jail that he vowed to pursue a career in music upon his release. The artist, Barry White, was then serving a 4-month sentence for stealing tires.
  21. Elvis and Priscilla's only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, was born in 1968. Lisa Marie later married Michael Jackson and actor (and Elvis obsessive) Nicholas Cage. Mr. Cage is reportedly the only person outside of Presley's immediate family to have ever seen Elvis' Graceland bedroom.
  22. Following his divorce from Priscilla in 1972, Elvis was said to have allowed 'good-looking girls' who waited outside Graceland to enter afterhours. One night it was 152 women!
  23. Elvis' popularity faded in the 1960's with the rise of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and others. He successfully relaunched his career with a 1968 television special that came about because Elvis had walked down a busy Los Angeles street and had no one recognize or approach him.
  24. He was distantly related to former U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Jimmy Carter.
  25. Elvis recorded more than 600 songs, but did not write any of them.
This is not my info, this was pulled from google, original source is in the link provided.
 
KeninDC said:
My favorite Elvis album is From Elvis in Memphis.
Click to expand...

An underrated LP. My younger brother and I had by the time of this LP's release a pile of Elvis records - LPs and 45s - on Sun and RCA. But this one hit me, too. I think living on Chicago's South Side might have had a hand in its resonance w/ out lives... one track in particular:


I have loved this number from the very first listen all those years ago.
 
jobrewer1983 said:
Some fun info from google:

http://askheatherjarvis.com/blog/25-fun-facts-about-elvis-presley-the-king-of-rock-roll

  1. Elvis' famous black hair was dyed - his natural color was brown.
  2. Elvis purchased his first guitar when he was just 11 years old. He wanted a rifle, but his mama convinced him to get a guitar instead.
  3. In 1947, a local radio show offered a young Elvis (age 12) a chance to sing live on air, but he was too shy to go on.
  4. At 18, Elvis paid $4 to make his first record, a gift for his mama.
  5. In 1954, Elvis auditioned for a gospel quartet named the Songfellows. They said no.
  6. That same year, a local radio DJ played Elvis' version of That's All Right. He went on to play it 13 more times that day, but had trouble convincing his audience that Elvis was white.
  7. His nickname for his manhood was reportedly Little Elvis.
  8. His breakthrough hit was Heartbreak Hotel, released in 1956 - a song inspired by a newspaper article about a local suicide.
  9. When performing on TV in 1956, host Milton Berle advised Elvis to perform without his guitar, reportedly saying, "Let 'em see you, son." Elvis' gyrating hips caused outrage across the U.S. and within days he was nicknamed Elvis the Pelvis.
  10. A Florida judge called Elvis "a savage" that same year because he said that his music was "undermining the youth." He was subsequently forbidden from shaking his body at a gig, so he waggled his finger instead in protest.
  11. He played only five concerts outside the U.S., all on a 3-day tour of Canada in 1957. Many believe that the reason why he never toured abroad again was that his longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was an illegal immigrant from Holland who would have been deported had he applied for a U.S. passport.
  12. Col. Parker is said to have always had an eye for talent and for a quick buck - prior to managing Elvis, Parker reportedly painted sparrows yellow to sell them as canaries.
  13. Elvis was 6 feet tall and wore a size 11 shoe.
  14. Recording Hound Dog in the studio, Elvis reportedly demanded 31 takes.
  15. Elvis bought his mansion, Graceland, in Memphis, TN in 1957 for $100,000. It was named by its previous owner after his daughter, Grace.
  16. Performing "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" in Las Vegas in 1969, Elvis did one of his frequent lyric changes to amuse himself. Instead of "Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?", he sang "Do you look at your bald head and wish you had hair?"
  17. In 1956, he began his film career with a western, Love Me Tender. His second film, Loving You, featured his parents as audience members. Following his mother's death in 1957, he never watched the film again. He went on to make a total of 31 movies in his career.
  18. In December 1957, Elvis was drafted into the U.S. Army, earning a $78 monthly salary. During his brief two-year stint on active duty, he was unable to access his music-generated income of $400,000.
  19. In 1959, while serving overseas in Germany, Elvis (then 24 years old) met his future wife, 14 year-old Priscilla Beaulieu. They were married 8 years later.
  20. Elvis' 1960 hit "It's Now or Never" so inspired a prisoner who heard it in jail that he vowed to pursue a career in music upon his release. The artist, Barry White, was then serving a 4-month sentence for stealing tires.
  21. Elvis and Priscilla's only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, was born in 1968. Lisa Marie later married Michael Jackson and actor (and Elvis obsessive) Nicholas Cage. Mr. Cage is reportedly the only person outside of Presley's immediate family to have ever seen Elvis' Graceland bedroom.
  22. Following his divorce from Priscilla in 1972, Elvis was said to have allowed 'good-looking girls' who waited outside Graceland to enter afterhours. One night it was 152 women!
  23. Elvis' popularity faded in the 1960's with the rise of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and others. He successfully relaunched his career with a 1968 television special that came about because Elvis had walked down a busy Los Angeles street and had no one recognize or approach him.
  24. He was distantly related to former U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Jimmy Carter.
  25. Elvis recorded more than 600 songs, but did not write any of them.
This is not my info, this was pulled from google, original source is in the link provided.
Click to expand...

Cool stuff, some of it I already knew, a lot I did not. Love the quips re; The Colonel, esp. the "painting sparrows yellow" thing. Too funny.
 
KeninDC said:
My favorite Elvis album is From Elvis in Memphis. Original RCA LPs sound fantastic. On CD, for early Elvis, Elvis '56 is from the original master tapes and sounds extraordinary. I got on the Elvis boat after a visit to Graceland. Stood at his grave and felt the spirit of rock & roll like I'd never felt before.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip on the Elvis '56 CD which I've ordered. I don't have much of his RCA material.
 
Johnno_Oz said:
Thanks for the tip on the Elvis '56 CD which I've ordered. I don't have much of his RCA material.
Click to expand...

Mastered by Vic Anesini. Any Elvis he touches is pure gold. Many of the older CDs have after-the-fact, digital reverb added. Not horrible, but certainly unnecessary.
 
jobrewer1983 said:
A1JaTAHxE7L._SL1500_.jpg


Treat Me Nice Playing Now
Click to expand...

I've got one of those "remastered" Dom Disque 180gm releases as well. It sounds terrible. Like it has been recorded down a long concrete pipe. I compared it against some 1956 RCA Australian 45 pressings 7 some CDs and sounded like it has had the life sucked out of it. Disappointing.

Could just be a bad pressing....anyhoo avoid this one.

jailhouse.jpg

The silver lining is that I got to spin a couple of old RCA 45's from '56.

This one is really bright with a few crackles.

HeartbreakHotel.jpg

This one sounds quieter but it's had some reverb added.

Heartbreak2.jpg
 
I love a lot of his stuff, and he did a wide range of music.
However you don't, or should say didn't here a lot of his Rockabilly on the radio. That's how it all started as R&B and Rockabilly..


The song Rockabilly Fever was written by Carl Perkins and was first recorded and released by him. It paid a little homage to Elvis and tells the story of how it started, I like Wanda's version a bit better thou.
 


This is new for me, I'll have to investigate her, another homage to the king, written in 1956
Janis Martin - My Boy Elvis

Janis Darlene Martin (March 27, 1940 -- September 3, 2007) was an American rockabilly and country music singer. She was one of the few women working in the male-dominated rock and roll music field during the 1950s and one of country music's early female innovators. Martin was nicknamed the Female Elvis for her dance moves on stage, similar to those of Elvis Presley.
 
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