Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by OnStage55 »

Came across this Billboard Magazine on ebay dated from October 29,1966. It got me thinking about what Elvis frame of mind was if he were looking thru any music magazines and seeing his albums among the same pages with other Musical Artists and what they were putting out at the same time. Maybe they helped light a fire in him to start getting back on the right track with certain songs he was recording, such as the 2 bonus songs on this LP ( "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" and "Down In The Alley" ), which would have been a great single imo. 1966 i think may have been the beginning of the first crack in the dam with Elvis thinking he's gotta make a move in the right direction with his career before he goes insane with being Lost In Hollywood.
After all the 68 Comeback was just over the horizon. 8)


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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by jurasic1968 »

Elvis was really lost in Hollywood with three mediocre movies in 1966. I am sure he was not happy with his career.However he recorded the beautiful song of Bob Dylan, Tomorow is a Long Time. So I think he was aware what happened in the music of 1966. Too bad he didn't record a pop LP.




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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by brian »

I will say that recording three great songs as bonus tracks on a horrible soundtrack was in no way the start of a career comeback.

If anything I think prior to the television special that all of Elvis' singles in 1968 were the best and most commercial they had been in years.

However despite recording those three songs and a gospel album in 1966 Elvis recorded far too much crap for it to really make any difference.

Releasing horrible albums and singles in 1966 and 1967 was not the start of a comeback in my view it was just more of the same.




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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by brian »

Do you think Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger etc. would listen to the Spinout soundtrack and think that Elvis was on his way back because of the three bonus tracks.

I mention them because they were the big musical giants of the mid to late sixties commercially and creatively.

If they had taken the same career path as Elvis their fans wouldn't be saying they were starting a career resurgence.



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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by drjohncarpenter »

Best ad in your scans:

The SPIKE DRIVERS have something to say!


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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by jurasic1968 »

I wonder what the Beatles could think after listening in 1966 to Frankie and Johnny, PHS and Spinout.



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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by OnStage55 »

Excellent post Greystoke and very informative, thank you for taking the time to write that. 8)



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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by OnStage55 »

brian wrote:Do you think Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger etc. would listen to the Spinout soundtrack and think that Elvis was on his way back because of the three bonus tracks.

I mention them because they were the big musical giants of the mid to late sixties commercially and creatively.

If they had taken the same career path as Elvis their fans wouldn't be saying they were starting a career resurgence.
No not at all brian. :)

I just think those bonus songs recorded in May of 66 during the HGTA Sessions were the first small crack in the dam of Elvis starting to get back to the music he wanted/needed to record and not the music he was being forced to record for the movies. And for the following year of 1967 he recorded more great songs with ( "Guitar Man" "Big Boss Man" " High Heel Sneakers" ) so with those songs they are to me the first stepping stones of getting back on track with more grittier music and thus a career resurgence in 68. 8)




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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by r&b »

jurasic1968 wrote:Elvis was really lost in Hollywood with three mediocre movies in 1966. I am sure he was not happy with his career.However he recorded the beautiful song of Bob Dylan, Tomorow is a Long Time. So I think he was aware what happened in the music of 1966. Too bad he didn't record a pop LP.
Its been said that Elvis was in charge of what got released on singles. If that is true he should have demanded an edited version of the Dylan tune be his next single A side. I know the Col wanted to push the movie by a single promoting it, but c'mon, TIALT was so 1966 compared to any soundtrack song he was doing at the time. Can u imagine the Billboard ad for that one? Wow. A total missed op.



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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by luckyjackson1 »

I might be wrong but I think a single of "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" b/w "Down In The Alley" or reversed wouldn't have caused that much riot... (Top 20 at best maybe)


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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by Hard Rocker »

He was doing OK up to '63. By '66 he was already on the upswing again. 64/65 certainly wasn't Elvis at his best, but even therein there were a few highlights. To listen to some of the nonsense on here (I'm speaking generally and not specifically about this thread), you'd think that the mid-60's was a near irrevocable apocalyptic career meltdown which had been going on for an eternity and which eradicated everything that had come before. Utter nonsense again from the usual doom mongers. A two year lull. Big deal. It didn't take him too long to sort it out.



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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by drjohncarpenter »

jurasic1968 wrote:I wonder what the Beatles could think after listening in 1966 to Frankie and Johnny, PHS and Spinout.
It's very unlikely any of those mostly-wretched soundtracks got a spin. And if even one of them did, I would not have wanted to be there to hear the comments.


Hard Rocker wrote:He was doing OK up to '63. By '66 he was already on the upswing again. 64/65 certainly wasn't Elvis at his best, but even therein there were a few highlights. To listen to some of the nonsense on here (I'm speaking generally and not specifically about this thread), you'd think that the mid-60's was a near irrevocable apocalyptic career meltdown which had been going on for an eternity and which eradicated everything that had come before. Utter nonsense again from the usual doom mongers. A two year lull. Big deal. It didn't take him too long to sort it out.
A more nuanced look at the period might reveal to you how your comments completely belie the historical record. Or, to put it another way, a few years ago Priscilla Beaulieu and Steve Binder were at a screening of the 1968 TV Special. She made a point of telling him, "You saved his life." Food for thought.


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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by Hard Rocker »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
Hard Rocker wrote:He was doing OK up to '63. By '66 he was already on the upswing again. 64/65 certainly wasn't Elvis at his best, but even therein there were a few highlights. To listen to some of the nonsense on here (I'm speaking generally and not specifically about this thread), you'd think that the mid-60's was a near irrevocable apocalyptic career meltdown which had been going on for an eternity and which eradicated everything that had come before. Utter nonsense again from the usual doom mongers. A two year lull. Big deal. It didn't take him too long to sort it out.
A more nuanced look at the period might reveal to you how your comments completely belie the historical record. Or, to put it another way, a few years ago Priscilla Beaulieu and Steve Binder were at a screening of the 1968 TV Special. She made a point of telling him, "You saved his life." Food for thought.
Oh, if The Widow Presley said it then it must be true!!!

Let's leave aside for a second the quality recordings from '66 onwards, including a Grammy in '67. Clearly then, by her reckoning another important event which occurred in 1968 was not enough to "save his life": Mind you, that was only the birth of his first and only child, a daughter. Thank heavens then for Steve Binder, otherwise the poor baby may well have been fatherless by her very first little Christmas!!!

So before you move the goal-posts, how's that for "nuance" and "historical record"? "Food for thought"? Eat your heart out :wink:

(As is often the case, while your research is a definite strong-point and a worthy asset, your analysis can on occasion be found wanting. And I'll repeat: A two year lull. Big deal. It didn't take him too long to sort it out.)




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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by Hard Rocker »

drjohncarpenter wrote:
jurasic1968 wrote:I wonder what the Beatles could think after listening in 1966 to Frankie and Johnny, PHS and Spinout.
It's very unlikely any of those mostly-wretched soundtracks got a spin. And if even one of them did, I would not have wanted to be there to hear the comments.
It's true, they weren't great. However. Elvis was a dozen years into his recording career in 1966. A lull after an initial burst of success is not unusual. But.... there was still a helluva lot more to come from The Boy From Tupelo. A helluva lot more, including some of his very best and most enduring work.

By comparison, just over a dozen years into John Lennon's career, the vast majority of his best work was already well behind him. Sure, there were still a few nuggets here and there, but he never reached the consistency or the level of his halcyon days. But more specifically, from '75 onwards given the 5 year hiatus which endured up till 1980, the resulting Double Fantasy album didn't exactly pull up any trees. Moreover, his untimely passing afforded it a certain profile which it otherwise may not have enjoyed. Let's face it, his much vaunted comeback wasn't exactly gonna give the '68 NBC Special/From Elvis In Memphis too many headaches. 8)

I remember a few long-term Beatles fans on a TV show slating the record prior to Dec 8 1980. Had John survived, he may well not have wanted to be there to hear the comments. Food for thought :wink:




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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by brian »

Hard Rocker wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:
Hard Rocker wrote:He was doing OK up to '63. By '66 he was already on the upswing again. 64/65 certainly wasn't Elvis at his best, but even therein there were a few highlights. To listen to some of the nonsense on here (I'm speaking generally and not specifically about this thread), you'd think that the mid-60's was a near irrevocable apocalyptic career meltdown which had been going on for an eternity and which eradicated everything that had come before. Utter nonsense again from the usual doom mongers. A two year lull. Big deal. It didn't take him too long to sort it out.
A more nuanced look at the period might reveal to you how your comments completely belie the historical record. Or, to put it another way, a few years ago Priscilla Beaulieu and Steve Binder were at a screening of the 1968 TV Special. She made a point of telling him, "You saved his life." Food for thought.
Oh, if The Widow Presley said it then it must be true!!!

Let's leave aside for a second the quality recordings from '66 onwards, including a Grammy in '67. Clearly then, by her reckoning another important event which occurred in 1968 was not enough to "save his life": Mind you, that was only the birth of his first and only child, a daughter. Thank heavens then for Steve Binder, otherwise the poor baby may well have been fatherless by her very first little Christmas!!!
I also usually take Priscilla Presley's comments with a grain of salt but she obviously didn't mean literally saved his life.

She was talking about his career and a big part of his life was his career.




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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by Hard Rocker »

Indeed. She was nuancing the historical record. And so was I :wink:

But Oh, if The Widow Presley said it then it must be true!!!



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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by mike edwards66 »

Hard Rocker wrote:............the resulting Double Fantasy album didn't exactly pull up any trees. Moreover, his untimely passing afforded it a certain profile which it otherwise may not have enjoyed.
That's true. Negative reviews, and there were a few, were held back because of his death. The main problem with the album, John and Yoko found themselves endlessly fascinating.


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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by drjohncarpenter »

Hard Rocker wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:
Hard Rocker wrote:He was doing OK up to '63. By '66 he was already on the upswing again. 64/65 certainly wasn't Elvis at his best, but even therein there were a few highlights. To listen to some of the nonsense on here (I'm speaking generally and not specifically about this thread), you'd think that the mid-60's was a near irrevocable apocalyptic career meltdown which had been going on for an eternity and which eradicated everything that had come before. Utter nonsense again from the usual doom mongers. A two year lull. Big deal. It didn't take him too long to sort it out.
A more nuanced look at the period might reveal to you how your comments completely belie the historical record. Or, to put it another way, a few years ago Priscilla Beaulieu and Steve Binder were at a screening of the 1968 TV Special. She made a point of telling him, "You saved his life." Food for thought.
Oh, if The Widow Presley said it then it must be true!!!

Let's leave aside for a second the quality recordings from '66 onwards, including a Grammy in '67. Clearly then, by her reckoning another important event which occurred in 1968 was not enough to "save his life": Mind you, that was only the birth of his first and only child, a daughter. Thank heavens then for Steve Binder, otherwise the poor baby may well have been fatherless by her very first little Christmas!!!

So before you move the goal-posts, how's that for "nuance" and "historical record"? "Food for thought"? Eat your heart out :wink:

(As is often the case, while your research is a definite strong-point and a worthy asset, your analysis can on occasion be found wanting. And I'll repeat: A two year lull. Big deal. It didn't take him too long to sort it out.)

Your post reads like you're talking to yourself, "Hard Rocker." Probably not the first time. :smt023


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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by jurasic1968 »

I speculate now: Elvis was in good spirit when he recorded the How Great Thou Art LP but I believe he became depressed in the summer and autumn of 1966. With songs like Old Mac Donald, Yoga is as Yoga Does, The Love Machine or I'll Take Love I believe he was in a brink of depression.



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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by TINML »

I like "I'll take love".
:|


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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by Hard Rocker »

jurasic1968 wrote:I speculate now: Elvis was in good spirit when he recorded the How Great Thou Art LP but I believe he became depressed in the summer and autumn of 1966. With songs like Old Mac Donald, Yoga is as Yoga Does, The Love Machine or I'll Take Love I believe he was in a brink of depression.
Could it be that he also wasn't crazy about the idea of the upcoming marriage?




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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by charroman »

ref the non gospel songs recorded in 66 do we know if Elvis knew they were to be "bonus" songs on soundtracks? or was he aiming for singles or possibly a future standalone album? I have never heard what the intention was with these tracks



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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by OnStage55 »

charroman wrote:ref the non gospel songs recorded in 66 do we know if Elvis knew they were to be "bonus" songs on soundtracks? or was he aiming for singles or possibly a future standalone album? I have never heard what the intention was with these tracks
Good question charroman, i have wondered the same thing before.



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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by Squire Smart »

Hard Rocker wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:
jurasic1968 wrote:I wonder what the Beatles could think after listening in 1966 to Frankie and Johnny, PHS and Spinout.
It's very unlikely any of those mostly-wretched soundtracks got a spin. And if even one of them did, I would not have wanted to be there to hear the comments.
It's true, they weren't great. However. Elvis was a dozen years into his recording career in 1966. A lull after an initial burst of success is not unusual. But.... there was still a helluva lot more to come from The Boy From Tupelo. A helluva lot more, including some of his very best and most enduring work.

By comparison, just over a dozen years into John Lennon's career, the vast majority of his best work was already well behind him. Sure, there were still a few nuggets here and there, but he never reached the consistency or the level of his halcyon days. But more specifically, from '75 onwards given the 5 year hiatus which endured up till 1980, the resulting Double Fantasy album didn't exactly pull up any trees. Moreover, his untimely passing afforded it a certain profile which it otherwise may not have enjoyed. Let's face it, his much vaunted comeback wasn't exactly gonna give the '68 NBC Special/From Elvis In Memphis too many headaches. 8)

I remember a few long-term Beatles fans on a TV show slating the record prior to Dec 8 1980. Had John survived, he may well not have wanted to be there to hear the comments. Food for thought :wink:
I'm not sure John Lennon is a good example, he and Elvis were very, very different.

Firstly Lennon wrote his own material and after 12 years of helping to write some of the most important and culturally significant pop music of the 20th Century with Paul McCartney I think you can forgive his songsmithing to slowly going off the boil as he got into the 1970s. In contrast, Elvis didn't have to sweat over a guitar and note pad hoping he'd got a captivating melody or insightful lyrics for his next single or album; he just had to chose from a pile of demos or demand to record a song he'd long cherished (and there's nothing wrong with that, I have always seen Elvis as a vocalist and interpreter of song rather than the archetype pop/rockstar of the 1960s who wrote their own material).

Lennon actively chose to take time off in '75 after his Rock and Roll LP and the 'lost weekend' which became a 6 month drinking binge away from Yoko. After that he came back, cleaned himself up and took his duties as a Father seriously. Lennon admitted that he hardly picked up the guitar during this period as he was too busy with Yoko and Sean. Elvis's mid 60s decline was by not bothering to demand a change in artistic direction. One could also add that perhaps Elvis should have followed Lennon's path and actively took time off from everything, concentrated on Lisa Marie, made a few worthwhile investments, get off the pills and make a second come back - fantasy I know because Elvis needed the money fromtouring but it may have done him good in the long term.

Finally, was Double Fantasy a vaunted comeback? It was a return to recording but was it really hearlded as a return to the musical fray, that 'Lennon was back'? Ultimately Lennon didn't need a comeback in 1980 as much as Elvis did in 1968.


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Re: Elvis Frame of Mind in 1966

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Post by jurasic1968 »

Right. And if Elvis sang only Christmas songs in his 1968 TV special, like the Colonel wanted, he would remain only a has been.


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