Lonesome tonight .......I am, and I was

[SteamrollerBlues]

There virtually is NO voice there.

What a ridiculous statement. Just listen to Tying To Get To You, Hawaiian Wedding Song, CC Rider, How Great Thou Art. All wonderful performances beautifully sung.

Lmao. No wonder elvis fans are not taken seriously in the public.

Yep. Elvis fans aren't taken seriously because they like a few performances from their favorite singer. Yeah, totally.

[poormadpeter]

There virtually is NO voice there.

What a ridiculous statement. Just listen to Tying To Get To You, Hawaiian Wedding Song, CC Rider, How Great Thou Art. All wonderful performances beautifully sung.

Lmao. No wonder elvis fans are not taken seriously in the public.

Yep. Elvis fans aren't taken seriously because they like a few performances from their favorite singer. Yeah, totally.

No. That's not what was said. Nobody is arguing with anyone LIKING anything. I like the Frankie and Johnny soundtrack, but it doesn't mean I think it's good. What we're being told is that those performances from EIC are "wonderful performances, beautifully sung" - and that's a very different thing to simply "liking" them. It's a declaration of their quality, not personal preference.

[Juan Luis]

There virtually is NO voice there.

What a ridiculous statement. Just listen to Tying To Get To You, Hawaiian Wedding Song, CC Rider, How Great Thou Art. All wonderful performances beautifully sung.

Lmao. No wonder elvis fans are not taken seriously in the public.

Yep. Elvis fans aren't taken seriously because they like a few performances from their favorite singer. Yeah, totally.

No. That's not what was said. Nobody is arguing with anyone LIKING anything. I like the Frankie and Johnny soundtrack, but it doesn't mean I think it's good. What we're being told is that those performances from EIC are "wonderful performances, beautifully sung" - and that's a very different thing to simply "liking" them. It's a declaration of their quality, not personal preference.

We are not being told anything. It was an opinion of one (1) poster. Some can see the beauty of the very sick Billy Holiday on "Lady In Satin". Others cannot. I respect that.

[poormadpeter]

There virtually is NO voice there.

What a ridiculous statement. Just listen to Tying To Get To You, Hawaiian Wedding Song, CC Rider, How Great Thou Art. All wonderful performances beautifully sung.

Lmao. No wonder elvis fans are not taken seriously in the public.

Yep. Elvis fans aren't taken seriously because they like a few performances from their favorite singer. Yeah, totally.

No. That's not what was said. Nobody is arguing with anyone LIKING anything. I like the Frankie and Johnny soundtrack, but it doesn't mean I think it's good. What we're being told is that those performances from EIC are "wonderful performances, beautifully sung" - and that's a very different thing to simply "liking" them. It's a declaration of their quality, not personal preference.

We are not being told anything. It was an opinion of one (1) poster. Some can see the beauty of the very sick Billy Holiday on "Lady In Satin". Others cannot. I respect that.

JR clearly says the songs are wonderful and beautifully sung, that's what Matilda was replying to.

[Juan Luis]

There virtually is NO voice there.

What a ridiculous statement. Just listen to Tying To Get To You, Hawaiian Wedding Song, CC Rider, How Great Thou Art. All wonderful performances beautifully sung.

Lmao. No wonder elvis fans are not taken seriously in the public.

Yep. Elvis fans aren't taken seriously because they like a few performances from their favorite singer. Yeah, totally.

No. That's not what was said. Nobody is arguing with anyone LIKING anything. I like the Frankie and Johnny soundtrack, but it doesn't mean I think it's good. What we're being told is that those performances from EIC are "wonderful performances, beautifully sung" - and that's a very different thing to simply "liking" them. It's a declaration of their quality, not personal preference.

We are not being told anything. It was an opinion of one (1) poster. Some can see the beauty of the very sick Billy Holiday on "Lady In Satin". Others cannot. I respect that.

JR clearly says the songs are wonderful and beautifully sung, that's what Matilda was replying to.

Ok. What if they are to the poster? I witnessed non-fans liking "My Way" 77. At the time I thought Aloha was better because of voice. I remember clearly a long -distance dedication by disc jockey Casey Kasem playing Elvis' 77 version. Wow moment for me in 1983 or so..We are not just hitting on people's opinions. But their tastes. They must or should be respected.

[Tim C]

It still amazes me that some people rely on their analytical mind so ardently that they can't help their comparison of 77 Elvis to the years prior. Yes the man was broken, tired, in a prison of his and his managers making. Yes, Elvis himself could have broken out of it, had he believed he could change. All of this is needlessly rehashed. History records that Elvis was a wanted commodity well past his prime, but what the analytical fan might not realize is that it was no longer a world of Elvis's choosing. Life had become a prison, void of living, affirmation, any opportunity at real love and joy. Indeed it had become a life and Elvis was a monkey where someone tosses a coin into the collection cup and he dutifully performs for the grinder whenever the music played. Not much of a life is it!

Elvis in EIC was showing his vulnerability, his loneliness and weariness in this very moment, and those who can't help but compare these performances to those of yesteryear stand totally clueless 38 years later as to what he was saying. They are void of any capability to connect with the man at that precise moment in time.

We've heard all the tired arguments before. He shouldn't have been performing, he should have been taking care of himself, EIC was such a travesty...they're road worn arguments spewed forth by those who believe they are spouting off about some newly discovered archaeological treasure. One can only roll their eyes at these people 38 years later who still think the fans don't get it. Truly it makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs...shut the F up, we've heard it a million times already!!

The EIC performances must be understood on their own merits. The Elvis in EIC was a road weary, heartbroken, tired shell of a man, with love lost and hope dwindling, trying to give what he had left. The Elvis the analyzers and dissectors are comparing him against was a younger Elvis who was full of hope, recently married, career renewed, having fun, a marriage, a child, and the world still full of possibilities. Were they the same men? No, not by any stretch. There is no comparison, these men were polar opposites.

Elvis shouldn't have been onstage we all agree, but there he was... his tired, weary, lonely, heartbroken self standing on the stage, the greatest entertainer the world has ever known, giving what he had left. The poignancy of it 38 years on, does not escape the fans who understood and connected.

To contemplate who he was in the end, brings us from the American dream, to the American tragedy. How would you hold up if you had everything you ever wanted and watched it all slip away? What was there left to live for!!! For the analyzers Elvis should be forever young... for them, Elvis died after 73 or 74...take your pick, rather unfair isn't it. How would they like to be held to such standards? For the fan, Elvis should be forever a human who they connected with through music, humility, memories and love. We don't need those who would be so inclined to remind us Elvis shouldn't have been there, we know, and we are still humbled and grateful he was on that stage and gave of himself one last time. The glimpses into himself made people feel a part of him and we in some part can say back to Elvis...we understand, thank you Elvis for opening yourself up and showing us who you really were.

Maybe now, those who think we don't understand that Elvis wasn't at the top of his game, that he shouldn't have been any where near the stage and feel the incessant need to point this out would finally shut up. We know... and we don't care. We see beyond what you see, the beauty of the man inside. EPE stated as much...Elvis fans see the EIC Special through the eyes of love, the rest of the world doesn't. Those who are incapable of understanding the connection Elvis and his fans had, criticize this film and Elvis in it and are part of the rest of the world that doesn't get it. We lost the greatest entertainer the world has ever known!!! We don't get to pick and chose, we take what we can get. This was his very last live film and we would be wise to cherish it, he gave us what he had left and it deserves to be treated better than the nitpickers treat it.

[Juan Luis]

Thank you Tim C.

[Ryan73]

With the onslaught of books over the year, the sensational journalism, the impersonators, the ducks, the unofficial release of the cbs outtakes which can be pretty viewed anywhere by now, would it really matter if the cbs tapes were officially released. Personally I could never see the estate wanting to back that release (and rightfully so), but by this point, would it do anymore damage then what is already out there?

On a side note, I've been listening to the bmg Tigerman cd for the last few weeks (after not listening to it in ages) and I just keep asking myself....what was wrong with that? The vocals, the setlist, the instrumentation was all more than enough. Its too bad he didn't see it that way as well. The 'what if's had that special not been taped are scary to think of indeed.

[fn2drive]

It still amazes me that some people rely on their analytical mind so ardently that they can't help their comparison of 77 Elvis to the years prior. Yes the man was broken, tired, in a prison of his and his managers making. Yes, Elvis himself could have broken out of it, had he believed he could change. All of this is needlessly rehashed. History records that Elvis was a wanted commodity well past his prime, but what the analytical fan might not realize is that it was no longer a world of Elvis's choosing. Life had become a prison, void of living, affirmation, any opportunity at real love and joy. Indeed it had become a life and Elvis was a monkey where someone tosses a coin into the collection cup and he dutifully performs for the grinder whenever the music played. Not much of a life is it!

Elvis in EIC was showing his vulnerability, his loneliness and weariness in this very moment, and those who can't help but compare these performances to those of yesteryear stand totally clueless 38 years later as to what he was saying. They are void of any capability to connect with the man at that precise moment in time.

We've heard all the tired arguments before. He shouldn't have been performing, he should have been taking care of himself, EIC was such a travesty...they're road worn arguments spewed forth by those who believe they are spouting off about some newly discovered archaeological treasure. One can only roll their eyes at these people 38 years later who still think the fans don't get it. Truly it makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs...shut the F up, we've heard it a million times already!!

The EIC performances must be understood on their own merits. The Elvis in EIC was a road weary, heartbroken, tired shell of a man, with love lost and hope dwindling, trying to give what he had left. The Elvis the analyzers and dissectors are comparing him against was a younger Elvis who was full of hope, recently married, career renewed, having fun, a marriage, a child, and the world still full of possibilities. Were they the same men? No, not by any stretch. There is no comparison, these men were polar opposites.

Elvis shouldn't have been onstage we all agree, but there he was... his tired, weary, lonely, heartbroken self standing on the stage, the greatest entertainer the world has ever known, giving what he had left. The poignancy of it 38 years on, does not escape the fans who understood and connected.

To contemplate who he was in the end, brings us from the American dream, to the American tragedy. How would you hold up if you had everything you ever wanted and watched it all slip away? What was there left to live for!!! For the analyzers Elvis should be forever young... for them, Elvis died after 73 or 74...take your pick, rather unfair isn't it. How would they like to be held to such standards? For the fan, Elvis should be forever a human who they connected with through music, humility, memories and love. We don't need those who would be so inclined to remind us Elvis shouldn't have been there, we know, and we are still humbled and grateful he was on that stage and gave of himself one last time. The glimpses into himself made people feel a part of him and we in some part can say back to Elvis...we understand, thank you Elvis for opening yourself up and showing us who you really were.

Maybe now, those who think we don't understand that Elvis wasn't at the top of his game, that he shouldn't have been any where near the stage and feel the incessant need to point this out would finally shut up. We know... and we don't care. We see beyond what you see, the beauty of the man inside. EPE stated as much...Elvis fans see the EIC Special through the eyes of love, the rest of the world doesn't. Those who are incapable of understanding the connection Elvis and his fans had, criticize this film and Elvis in it and are part of the rest of the world that doesn't get it. We lost the greatest entertainer the world has ever known!!! We don't get to pick and chose, we take what we can get. This was his very last live film and we would be wise to cherish it, he gave us what he had left and it deserves to be treated better than the nitpickers treat it.

You must be dreaming. Elvis was not showing vulnerability. He was at work Just like you and me because he needed the money. That is why he was on that stage. And he was so deep into narcotics there was no way back and no way out except the route he took-premature death. That you can write that poppycock as if Elvis was consciously deciding to show us this unique side of himself in EIC. It was purely commercial. you want to see vulnerability listen to blue moon or mystery train And maybe even Are You Sincere or For Old Times Sake.. That's where you will find him bearing his soul. Not on some stage in '77 when his soul was long lost.

[Juan Luis]

Plenty of gems amongst the 60's FTD's. How did The Jungle Room Sessions do against those?

Yes, gems they all are. The "Jungle Room Sessions" was almost like a hit mainstream release. Hands down #1 selling FTD.

[fn2drive]

Plenty of gems amongst the 60's FTD's. How did The Jungle Room Sessions do against those?

Yes, gems they all are. The "Jungle Room Sessions" was almost like a hit mainstream release. Hands down #1 selling FTD.

Yep,time to return to the vocal perfect of I'll Never Fall In Love Again. Hits every note with perfection. 76 was a great year for Elvis.

[midnightx]

Plenty of gems amongst the 60's FTD's. How did The Jungle Room Sessions do against those?

Yes, gems they all are. The "Jungle Room Sessions" was almost like a hit mainstream release. Hands down #1 selling FTD.

Almost like a "hit mainstream release?" What has it sold, 20,000 copies? 30,000 at best? Probably under 20,000. Mainstream "hit" albums sell in the millions.

[eligain]

The only redeeming value of EIC is that it aired after he died. If Elvis had lived, this would have put the final nail in his career coffin. I dont think anyone would have wanted to book Elvis for another TV special, and I bet some fans would even stop going to the concerts. Some always will of course. But after seeing those performances I truly believe his career would have either slowly ended or a major intervention/change would have had to taken place. I watched with a few Elvis fans that Oct 1977 evening and of course it was tolerable because we all knew that Elvis died 8 weeks later. The excuses for the bad performances and appearance all centered around that fact. If Elvis was still living that Oct 3rd evening, Im sure more than shock would have registered with fans at the deterioration of such a young man and talent. Some maybe not having seen Elvis since Aloha. Elvis dying is a major reason why EIC is tolerated as much as it is. It is a terrible show.

That would have been the only redeeming value of EIC; That maybe it would have caused him to get real help had it aired while he was still alive. Elvis' world was being exposed and EIC would have only proved the book Elvis, What Happened? was true. Elvis' career (as he knew it) would have been over after EIC aired if he was still alive. With the book, it would have been a 1, 2 punch. Elvis could have emerged bigger and stronger than ever if he had went into rehab. But short of that, it would have been over.

[sweetangeline]

Mainstream "hit" albums sell in the millions.

some do (Taylor Swift as an example) but many don`t...in fact if you checked how many albums achieved 2Xplatinum or more in 2014 you would be surprised...but a "hit album" does not necessarily mean "millions sold" as you put it...most especially in this day and age

[tupelo_boy]

I think sometimes we're too hard on those we consider to have rose tinted spectacles.

It hit me this morning, that they are just trying to share what they get out of various performances and that surely, is subjective.

I think PMP says it best when he asserts that liking and greatness two different things.

If these performances were shared on the basis of personal preference/understanding and not as undiscovered gems that the willfully blind or non-empathetic cannot see, I think this place would not be the sniping little pit, it's rapidly becoming.

Geoff

[fn2drive]

I think sometimes we're too hard on those we consider to have rose tinted spectacles.

It hit me this morning, that they are just trying to share what they get out of various performances and that surely, is subjective.

I think PMP says it best when he asserts that liking and greatness two different things.

If these performances were shared on the basis of personal preference/understanding and not as undiscovered gems that the willfully blind or non-empathetic cannot see, I think this place would not be the sniping little pit, it's rapidly becoming.

Geoff

I love The Love Machine. Why i have no idea. It is garbage by any measure. I have
no problem saying i like and admitting what it is. And there is no doubt every fan feels that way about a particular track. You Are right as was earlier poster that there is a difference between preference and greatness. They are objectively different. I am never bothered by this. Makes life interesting. However this thread begins with a pseudo analysis of why the EIC version of AYLT shows Elvis' wit and vulnerabilities. This is simply false. It was none of those things. If someone likes to listen normally i say have at it. But this particular performance is akin to a seeing something that went on behind closed doors that no one had a right to see. Watching someone's most humiliating and deeply personal failure. And even if for some sick reason you like it like many enjoy watching a train wreck keep it to yourself. Don't tell the world that train accidents are good to watch because you see the raw emotion on the victim's faces and it touches you. Keep it as your dirty little secret. That is how this version of AYLT should be treated as a dirty little secret.

[tupelo_boy]

You have no argument from me on this.

It is a sad finale to a life filled with almost unlimited and rarely fulfilled potential.

Geoff

[luckyjackson1]

Y'know I used to fool around with a co-worker, when he came in and made his jokes about our boy. He started moving his lips, stuck out his belly, talked sluggish and finished off his "performance" with... "plus tax"

That said I have to confess back then while watching "This Is Elvis" my mum used the same words as mentioned before, that "his voice never left him".
Well, it sure was still there but to me it is painful to listen to that. Although I have to say I really like the Rapid City-version of "My Way"... but I prefer the audio only.
Watching it still makes me depressive.

[The Pirate]

That said I have to confess back then while watching "This Is Elvis" my mum used the same words as mentioned before, that "his voice never left him".

My mum, glancing up at the TV while I was watching Elvis In Concert, said, "Oh, he used to be such a good looking young man." And for me, that kind of backhanded compliment is about as good as it gets. Everything else is just sugar coating.

[Juan Luis]

Plenty of gems amongst the 60's FTD's. How did The Jungle Room Sessions do against those?

Yes, gems they all are. The "Jungle Room Sessions" was almost like a hit mainstream release. Hands down #1 selling FTD.

Almost like a "hit mainstream release?" What has it sold, 20,000 copies? 30,000 at best? Probably under 20,000. Mainstream "hit" albums sell in the millions.

Millions? What year was that? What mainstream CD sells millions ? Is that all you can say about that? And Hit is a very loose term. But most knew what I meant.

[sweetangeline]

Mainstream "hit" albums sell in the millions.

some do (Taylor Swift as an example) but many don`t...in fact if you checked how many albums achieved 2Xplatinum or more in 2014 you would be surprised...but a "hit album" does not necessarily mean "millions sold" as you put it...most especially in this day and age

...just to follow up on my post above...Taylor Swift had the biggest selling album in 2014 in the U.S with total sales 3.66 million copies and that was for only nine weeks on sale...it`s a lot higher now from 2015 sales...2nd place for 2014 was the Walt Disney Records' Frozen soundtrack with 3.53 million in sales.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6422411/taylor-swift-1989-beats-frozen-top-selling-album-2014

[midnightx]

Mainstream "hit" albums sell in the millions.

some do (Taylor Swift as an example) but many don`t...in fact if you checked how many albums achieved 2Xplatinum or more in 2014 you would be surprised...but a "hit album" does not necessarily mean "millions sold" as you put it...most especially in this day and age

...just to follow up on my post above...Taylor Swift had the biggest selling album in 2014 in the U.S with total sales 3.66 million copies and that was for only nine weeks on sale...it`s a lot higher now from 2015 sales...2nd place for 2014 was the Walt Disney Records' Frozen soundtrack with 3.53 million in sales.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6422411/taylor-swift-1989-beats-frozen-top-selling-album-2014

Yes, those are hit albums. And an album that sells 500,000 and goes gold, is a hit album. An album that sells 20,000 over the span of 15 years to a niche market is not equivalent to a "mainstream" hit album.

[midnightx]

Plenty of gems amongst the 60's FTD's. How did The Jungle Room Sessions do against those?

Yes, gems they all are. The "Jungle Room Sessions" was almost like a hit mainstream release. Hands down #1 selling FTD.

Almost like a "hit mainstream release?" What has it sold, 20,000 copies? 30,000 at best? Probably under 20,000. Mainstream "hit" albums sell in the millions.

Millions? What year was that? What mainstream CD sells millions ? Is that all you can say about that? And Hit is a very loose term. But most knew what I meant.

Not as loose as you are making it.

[Hard Rocker]

However this thread begins with a pseudo analysis of why the EIC version of AYLT shows Elvis' wit and vulnerabilities. This is simply false.

It is also "simply false" to claim, as you did, that Elvis in this rendition of AYLT is "out of it".

That is how this version of AYLT should be treated as a dirty little secret.

Cheer up! People can decide for themselves what they like. They don't need a lesson in morality to listen to an Elvis song.

[G.I. Blues]

Don't tell the outside world that Elvis was great or even good in EIC, because they might believe it and then never bother to broaden their Elvis horizon. What for if this is the benchmark? Never ever tell anyone he was good in EIC. Tell them he was sh*tty and fu**ed up during EIC and then lead them to the REAL Elvis instead.