likethebike wrote:Pete is absolutely right. By 1973 Elvis had done pretty much everything there was to do in rock music. And save for his misfire at songwriting in the early 1960s, he hade done virtually everything brilliantly. He had helped to invent the form, transformed western culture, conquered TV and radio, not once but twice, became a significant live performer twice as well with the second time conquering an adult audience, incorporated auto-biography into his music, recorded a great concept album, covered and integrated an atsonishing array of popular styles and styles within those styles. Save for a legitimate artistic movie career and touring overseas he didn't have a lot left to conquer. There were other things he could do like develop interest in new styles like jazz or show tunes. But nothing save those two things he had to do. And it is worth noting that he did die at 42. It's not as if those options were still not open to a relatively young man. Still even with those unresolved avenues, no one else can touch all of what Elvis did in those 23 years.
The problem with Jarvis was the same problem that would have plagued Moman in that Elvis was a person who lost interest in things very quickly. His mind just worked that way. That Jarvis got what he got was fairly amazing. What do you think would have happened if Chips would have pulled some crap at the Today sessions? Elvis would have walked out the door. You think that stuff about cutting out the gospel in the 1950s pissed him off. Try pushing a legend around 20 years later when he's not that nuts to be there in the first place.
The thing that helped redeem Elvis in the early part of his career was that there were a lot of scenery changes, challenges and new people. Sun he had to prove himself. Then he had to prove himself on a national scale. Then he was given the challenge of recording material for movies. Then he met Leiber and Stoller. Then he was drafted. Then he had a new band. Then he had to come back after two years away. Those, by the way, were a big two years. For virtually the only time after Sun, Elvis got some serious time to think about music and what he wanted to do. Maybe Elvis would have more mustard to record if he had some time away from the industry.
It's also really about time to put away the myth of Binder, Moman and even Phillips. They deserve credit because they helped inspire Elvis at key turning points in his career. However, the bottom line on all that great music was Elvis.
Let me tell you about Steve Binder. Binder never touched that TV show again. His late 1970s Rolling Stone Anniversary Special is considered one of the worst ever specials of its kind.The only thing he had to compare with it before was the TAMI Show. As Dave Marsh pointed out the story line that Binder and his writers came up with for the TV show was astonishingly close to a standard Elvis movie. Those awful orchestrations that mar many of Elvis' classics were Steve Binder's inspiration (via Billy Goldenberg) to modernize Elvis' sound. Binder's credit is that he was new and inspired Elvis and recognized that it was best to leave Elvis do what Elvis did best.
Let's move on to Moman. This production "genius" has disowned many of the songs from the session because he wasn't into Elvis' off the cuff jams. Tracks like "I'll Hold You in My Heart" and "Stranger in My Own Hometown" were indulgences to Moman. And as anyone who has listened to the blaring intro on "Any Day Now" knows Moman could overproduce too. Again, he did good work, but it's not as if he was some sort of Spectoresque visionary. He was good for Elvis at a moment in time. Fans sometimes romanticize his work because there's nothing else from him to compare it to. However, Elvis was determined to take the world back over when he went into those sessions. That desire is what you hear, not Moman.
Unlike the previous two producers, Phillips was an actual genius. However, his genius was to let a performer discover what was already within himself. He had an excellent release policy that highlighted Elvis at his best (even he did whiff on a few choice ballads like "Blue Moon"). And unlike the other two producers Phillips did have an innovative technique with his use of echo. However, what to sing, how to sing it came mostly from Elvis and the band.
For the most part, Phillips was what many fans here would call a "Yes Man" at least according to the idea that a producer that encourages an artist rather than chastizing him, is a yes man. As many sports teams have found out, you do indeed often catch more flies with sugar than vinegar.
Booker T. what fans are dismissed by Greg's contention that rock n' roll is not the whole world?
I agree with you about Steve Binder most of his t.v. specials were crap
If it wasn't for the 68 t.v. special he'd be nobody.
All Steve Binder did was suggest to Elvis that he should sing his hits instead of Christmas songs which was a good thing, but it's not like Binder came out with some great thing t.v specials often have singers singing their hits.
I thought his idea for the road medley was stupid and cheesey and an insult to the audiences intelligence.
I think Chips Moman was a very good underrated producer and that Elvis should have stuck with him a while longer to get more hit singles.
I would argue that he was a better producer than Spector.
I think Moman would've been able to keep Elvis motivated because he would have got some good material for him.
One of the reasons Elvis became increasingly bored with recording was because he was being supplied with bad material.
