Jan/Feb 1974

Did Elvis really sing "Does your chewing Gum loose its flavour on the bed-post overnight"? Should he have recorded Charlie Rich’s "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"? Elvis's repertoire in winter of Jan/Feb 1974 Las Vegas season.

Did Elvis really sing "Does your chewing Gum loose its flavour on the bed-post overnight"?

A snippet is on FTD's I Found My Thrill, yes.

Should he have recorded Charlie Rich’s "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"?

That's a great song, but it would've been pointless for Elvis to have covered Charlie's hit record so soon after Rich had a major hit with it.

You might be interested to know that Elvis listened a great deal to Charlie's hit LP Behind Closed Doors while drying out at Baptist Memorial in October 1973. Besides the massive hit title track, and "The Most Beautiful Girl," there were nine others that Elvis could've done very well recording.

"Girl Of Mine" -- cut in July 1973 at Stax in Memphis -- is an example of Felton trying to get Elvis to record a tune in the then-hit style of Charlie Rich. The Rich song Elvis should've tried was "Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs," my gosh what a perfect tune for him.

Interesting stuff Doc. Fascinating really, Elvis is inspired & energetic.

Did Elvis really sing "Does your chewing Gum loose its flavour on the bed-post overnight"?

A snippet is on FTD's I Found My Thrill, yes.

Should he have recorded Charlie Rich’s "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"?

That's a great song, but it would've been pointless for Elvis to have covered Charlie's hit record so soon after Rich had a major hit with it.

You're right -- a studio version wouldn't have been necessary, but a live version would have been more than welcome.

He did the very same thing with Olivia's If you Love Me (Let Me Know) and Let Me Be There. He obviously loved the latter.

And he improved them both.

He did the very same thing with Olivia's If you Love Me (Let Me Know) and Let Me Be There. He obviously loved the latter.

Ultimately, they added very little to the story, other than as an example of his affection for sweet pop songs, especially the former.

How anyone then or now would be pleased that Elvis Presley was covering massive Olivia Newton-John hits is beyond me.

Any true fan would certainly have much rather heard one of perhaps a hundred other choices from his own classic catalog.

But it was not to be.

Like so many things, it was not to be.

How anyone then or now would be pleased that Elvis Presley was covering massive Olivia Newton-John hits is beyond me.

Any true fan would certainly have much rather heard one of perhaps a hundred other choices from his own classic catalog.

Careful Doc, are you saying I am not a true Elvis fan if I like those songs and the way he performs them?

Another thing, Olivia happens to be my favourite female singer/performer.

I'll await your so-called witty put-down, as usual.

Andy

Careful Doc, are you saying I am not a true Elvis fan if I like those songs and the way he performs them?

No.

Charlie Rich, a great recording artist from the past, a man of many different styles.

He also sang Good Time Charlie`s Got The Blues but Elvis version is by far better..really..

How anyone then or now would be pleased that Elvis Presley was covering massive Olivia Newton-John hits is beyond me.

Sometimes you just gotta do something for yourself, which rarely happened. He recorded the songs because he liked them. Lord knows it hardly happened during the decade prior.

... If you have a choice out of hundreds and more hundreds of

great songs, and you go for sh*t , sung by Olivia, than the pills

surely had done their destructive work! Bummer!

He recorded the songs because he liked them. Lord knows it hardly happened during the decade prior.

"Hardly happened?" Of the songs Elvis cut between 1964 and 1974, I can name at least a hundred he recorded because he liked them. All better than those Olivia hits, too.

I guess I should have made myself a little clearer. I was referring to the movie songs of the 1960's.

Why do I have a feeling that you knew that already?

I guess I should have made myself a little clearer. I was referring to the movie songs of the 1960's.

The counterargument still holds. Wouldn't you have rather heard Elvis sing "Little Egypt," "Let Yourself Go," "All I Needed Was The Rain," "A Little Less Conversation," "Clean Up Your Own Backyard"" or "Change Of Habit" than covering Olivia?

Why do I have a feeling that you knew that already?

I surmised you might have been a bit tipsy.

... Even Theres No Room To Rhumba is less horrible than any

Olivia-the Virgin Mary- Newton John song. You cant sink any lower than that!

Jerry Lee would never record such crap. He might be an irritating

bastard at times... but at least hes got a better taste in music than

Elvis had, in his final years.

Olivia's 1970s pop hits aren't terrible by any honest measure, they're just a little lightweight for someone as talented as Elvis Presley. Newton-John's release of "Let Me Be There" in late 1973 began a run for her of five consecutive million-selling singles, with two of them hitting #1.

The irony is that one of those 1974 chart-toppers, "I Honestly Love You," was not only a super love ballad -- Elvis had a chance to cut it first, perhaps at the March 1972 RCA Hollywood session.

From Marty Lacker on the AEK newsgroup in 1999:

Shortly after Peter Allen wrote the song I was in L.A. on business visiting a good friend, Alan Rider, V.P. of Irving/Almo Music, Peter Allen's publishers. I asked Alan if he had anything new and good that would be good for Elvis, he played me the brand new demo Peter Allen had done on the song, this was months before Olivia Newton John did it.

I scooped it up and told Alan I'd play it for Elvis at his next session. Unfortunately for Elvis neither Felton or Joe told me when the next session was to take place and it was done in L.A., without me knowing it. So Elvis never got to hear the song before Olivia cut it, when she did, it was the hit that made her career and it was too late for Elvis to cut it.

I later found out that Colonel Parker was tired of me giving Elvis songs they didn't or couldn't get the publishing on, so he told Felton and Joe not to tell me when a session was going to happen.

Marty

And people wonder why Elvis' studio career went south in the 1970s.

Olivia's 1970s pop hits aren't terrible by any honest measure, they're just a little lightweight for someone as talented as Elvis Presley. Newton-John's release of "Let Me Be There" in late 1973 began a run for her of five consecutive million-selling singles, with two of them hitting #1.

The irony is that one of those 1974 chart-toppers, "I Honestly Love You," was not only a super love ballad -- Elvis had a chance to cut it first, perhaps at the March 1972 RCA Hollywood session.

From Marty Lacker on the AEK newsgroup in 1999:

Shortly after Peter Allen wrote the song I was in L.A. on business visiting a good friend, Alan Rider, V.P. of Irving/Almo Music, Peter Allen's publishers. I asked Alan if he had anything new and good that would be good for Elvis, he played me the brand new demo Peter Allen had done on the song, this was months before Olivia Newton John did it.

I scooped it up and told Alan I'd play it for Elvis at his next session. Unfortunately for Elvis neither Felton or Joe told me when the next session was to take place and it was done in L.A., without me knowing it. So Elvis never got to hear the song before Olivia cut it, when she did, it was the hit that made her career and it was too late for Elvis to cut it.

I later found out that Colonel Parker was tired of me giving Elvis songs they didn't or couldn't get the publishing on, so he told Felton and Joe not to tell me when a session was going to happen.

Marty

And people wonder why Elvis' studio career went south in the 1970s.

The Colonel in the seventies had completely lost touch with the music business and his client's best interests, instead, focusing on his own selfish needs.

As far as Let Me Be There, though it was perhaps a little lightweight, it was still a no.1 song that EP performed great, I know I loved it on his live Memphis album when I was a young 15 year old boy in 1974.

As far as Let Me Be There, though it was perhaps a little lightweight, it was still a no.1 song that EP performed great ...

Though a hit, "Let Me Be There" only went to #6. The next Newton-John single, "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)," hit #5.

Olivia's first number one was Peter Allen's "I Honestly Love You," followed to the top by "Have You Never Been Mellow." We're fortunate Elvis didn't get excited over that last one.

... Even Theres No Room To Rhumba is less horrible than any

Olivia-the Virgin Mary- Newton John song. You cant sink any lower than that!

Jerry Lee would never record such crap. He might be an irritating

bastard at times... but at least hes got a better taste in music than

Elvis had, in his final years.

We can always trust on you Ger to have a dig at Elvis' final years.

Stick to your 50's stuff Ger as you know nothing of Olivia and I ain't the one who's gonna teach you.

Thank God you and the Doc's opinions mean nothing in the real world.

Andy

Doc wrote:

The counterargument still holds. Wouldn't you have rather heard Elvis sing "Little Egypt," "Let Yourself Go," "All I Needed Was The Rain," "A Little Less Conversation," "Clean Up Your Own Backyard"" or "Change Of Habit" than covering Olivia?

This is a never ending counter argument as it is all down to personal taste including Elvis' - if you don't like it go and listen to someone else.

Andy

He did the very same thing with Olivia's If you Love Me (Let Me Know) and Let Me Be There. He obviously loved the latter.

Sadly, a lot of his shows later in the 70's were plagued by these two mediocre tracks. These are definitely "fast-forward" tracks.

How anyone then or now would be pleased that Elvis Presley was covering massive Olivia Newton-John hits is beyond me.

Any true fan would certainly have much rather heard one of perhaps a hundred other choices from his own classic catalog.

Exactly.

Stick to your 50's stuff Ger as you know nothing of Olivia and I ain't the one who's gonna teach you.

Another "so-called witty put-down, as usual."

Thank God you and the Doc's opinions mean nothing in the real world.

From your comments, you wouldn't know "the real world" if it were shot from a cannon and hit you squarely on the ass.

In this post alone I've offered more interesting and relevant information than in your 133 posts combined.

Why don't you try "Chat-Talk" for the fantasy world you seek? Buh-bye.

Thanks Doc, I may find someone interesting over at 'Chat-Talk' that I can have an intelligent conversation with.

Come and give me a cuddle Doc.

Andy