Do The Clam

[Davelee]

Right. It's just simple to read Priscilla Presley's book about how angry was Elvis with his movie songs, beginning with GI Blues. He sad : "Half of the songs are crap". About GGG: "All thing was stupid, the songs, the dialogue, the script". About It Happened at the World's Fair: "Honey, they sent to me the songs and I can't believe it to my ears how bad they are". Harum Scarum: Priscilla wrote: "Elvis was excited to make a Rudolf Valentino type film but his enthusiasm disappeared quickly. He thought his character was stupid, the script a joke and the songs catastrophic".

Wrong. Priscilla's book appears to be the only place where this information derives from - and this was a book that was intent on making money out of the link with her ex-husband. If Elvis hated the songs so much why don't we hear comments reflecting this during the outtakes that we now have on CD. In all four hours of G I Blues sessions on CD does he mention ONCE that he hates a song? And, with GGG, a number of the songs weren't that much different in sound or quality to what he was recording in the studio of his own accord.

Wrong!! Priscilla's book isn't the only book of memoirs stating that Elvis disliked the movie songs, we hear it from Scotty Moore, Gorden Stoker (read my comment on this page about what Stoker said), George Klein, Memphis Mafia book, many interviews have appeared in ETMAHM with people stating this, Red West being one and many others. Regarding recording sessions, not every comment between songs was captured on tape, so your assertion can be thrown out the window. The fact that you've mentioned one session where he remarks upon the quality of a song is evident enough, Plus there's another comment along the same lines while recording "Dominic". Just because you don't hear comments on all the session outtakes, doesn't mean to say there weren't comments made about the dreadful songs.

[MikeFromHolland]

If Elvis hated the songs so much why don't we hear comments reflecting this during the outtakes that we now have on CD. In all four hours of G I Blues sessions on CD does he mention ONCE that he hates a song?

In different interviews with co-actors, they almost all said that Elvis behaved on set like a professional: he knew his lyrics, was always on time, took directions from the director, etc. I think he behaved as a professional in the studio as well (almost) all these years. Doesn't mean that in private he couldn't feel completely different. I think there's enough proof around that tells us he didn't like what he was doing in some movies or soundtrack sessions.

.

[emjel]

Seeing your determined to get my attention.

"The fact is you, and others, have got to come to terms that Elvis' records never again sold like they did from 56 to 62, except for the brief in 69/70"

The parameters went past 64-68 with that statement.

Anything else I can help you with, don't hesitate.

Andy

Well let's extend it to 63-68 if that keeps you happy. It just extends the period when Elvis did not sell like he did between 56 to 62. And after 1970, it started to taper off again with some albums.

[emjel]

Peter, why do you think Priscilla lied? It's obvious that in the 1972 interview from On Tour Elvis made the same comments. And Peter Guralnick wrote in Careless Love the same story about Blue Hawaii, that Elvis was unhappy with many songs from the album. And the story goes on and on, how Elvis disliked many songs from Roustabout, Kissin' Cousins, Girl Happy, Frankie and Johnny, Harum Scarum, Double Trouble, Easy Come Easy Go and many others. Even the Colonel didn't Like the Fun In Acapulco and World's Fair LP's, a person he had zero knowledge about music but deep inside he felt the songs Elvis recorded were of a substandard quality.

And I understand that Elvis felt there were no tracks on Roustabout and Harum that were suitable for single release.

[jurasic1968]

Exactly, and in PHS also.

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there!! .

Right. It's just simple to read Priscilla Presley's book about how angry was Elvis with his movie songs, beginning with GI Blues. He sad : "Half of the songs are crap". About GGG: "All thing was stupid, the songs, the dialogue, the script". About It Happened at the World's Fair: "Honey, they sent to me the songs and I can't believe it to my ears how bad they are". Harum Scarum: Priscilla wrote: "Elvis was excited to make a Rudolf Valentino type film but his enthusiasm disappeared quickly. He thought his character was stupid, the script a joke and the songs catastrophic".

You believe too much on what Priscilla writes .

I´ve FTD G.I.Blues two outstanding volumes and I don´t feel Elvis is bored at all recording the G.I.Blues session, neither Girls! Girls! Girls! . I´ve read Priscilla´s book and I think it´s crap what she writes about this!. Bye for now .

[fn2drive]

Peter, why do you think Priscilla lied? It's obvious that in the 1972 interview from On Tour Elvis made the same comments. And Peter Guralnick wrote in Careless Love the same story about Blue Hawaii, that Elvis was unhappy with many songs from the album. And the story goes on and on, how Elvis disliked many songs from Roustabout, Kissin' Cousins, Girl Happy, Frankie and Johnny, Harum Scarum, Double Trouble, Easy Come Easy Go and many others. Even the Colonel didn't Like the Fun In Acapulco and World's Fair LP's, a person he had zero knowledge about music but deep inside he felt the songs Elvis recorded were of a substandard quality.

She had to have lied as we all know these soundtracks clearly best anything Elvis ever recorded. If he said those things he was only joking because we all know he had a crazy sense of humor. That why his nickname was Crazy. So we really need to get focused. Elvis loved loved loved every song in every soundtrack except for Dominic. All top shelf all Grammy winners if only the Academy didn't have it out for him. I can almost hear his acceptance speach. I wanted thank the Auerbach's for bringing me Ito Eats. I couldn't be more proud if it had been Rock A Hula Baby.

[emjel]

He might not have been bored, in the same way he was to become by the mid 60s, but that doesn't mean he thought every song was great either. I think GGG was the start of the sub par albums.

[poormadpeter2]

Peter, why do you think Priscilla lied? It's obvious that in the 1972 interview from On Tour Elvis made the same comments. And Peter Guralnick wrote in Careless Love the same story about Blue Hawaii, that Elvis was unhappy with many songs from the album. And the story goes on and on, how Elvis disliked many songs from Roustabout, Kissin' Cousins, Girl Happy, Frankie and Johnny, Harum Scarum, Double Trouble, Easy Come Easy Go and many others. Even the Colonel didn't Like the Fun In Acapulco and World's Fair LP's, a person he had zero knowledge about music but deep inside he felt the songs Elvis recorded were of a substandard quality.

The stories go on and on - and they all come from the same sources. Guralnick regurgitates Priscilla's stories from her book - confirmed if you look at the notes. The main story about how much Elvis disliked the songs is from G I Blues - and there is not one moment on those tapes where we have heard Elvis voicing dissatisfaction. What's more, the story makes no sense. Here was Elvis, back from the army, not knowing whether he still had a career or not, but finding himself in a film with a decent budget, that is a real Hollywood musical instead of a teen flick, with decent co-stars - and he's not happy about it? I don't buy it. He would have simply be relieved he was still making films. And let's not forget that G I Blues also got a Grammy nomination - something I doubt Elvis was unhappy about either.

No doubt Elvis was unhappy by the mid-1960s, but that's a whole different ball game. But, talking of balls, he doesn't appear to have had any in order to stand up and say "enough" or "I'm not recording this dreck." Instead, he just plodded on. I've never heard the story of the Colonel being unhappy with an album, and if he had zero knowledge of music anyway, his view is pretty much null and void.

[Mike Windgren]

Hi there! .

Yeah, Elvis sure really sounded bored on G.I.Blues & Girls! Girls! Girls! . Bye for now .

..

..

[MikeFromHolland]

Once again you miss the point from your initial assumptions - I am done.

Andy

With some people that's the most wisely thing to do.

.

[jurasic1968]

The Colonel was critical at least to 3 Soundtracks: Fun in Acapulco, it Happened at the World's Fair and Harum Scarum for many reasons (too much expensive, the albums were shorter than usual but the main reason was that in this matter he listened to Elvis' opinion).

[Davelee]

Peter, why do you think Priscilla lied? It's obvious that in the 1972 interview from On Tour Elvis made the same comments. And Peter Guralnick wrote in Careless Love the same story about Blue Hawaii, that Elvis was unhappy with many songs from the album. And the story goes on and on, how Elvis disliked many songs from Roustabout, Kissin' Cousins, Girl Happy, Frankie and Johnny, Harum Scarum, Double Trouble, Easy Come Easy Go and many others. Even the Colonel didn't Like the Fun In Acapulco and World's Fair LP's, a person he had zero knowledge about music but deep inside he felt the songs Elvis recorded were of a substandard quality.

The stories go on and on - and they all come from the same sources. Guralnick regurgitates Priscilla's stories from her book - confirmed if you look at the notes. The main story about how much Elvis disliked the songs is from G I Blues - and there is not one moment on those tapes where we have heard Elvis voicing dissatisfaction. What's more, the story makes no sense. Here was Elvis, back from the army, not knowing whether he still had a career or not, but finding himself in a film with a decent budget, that is a real Hollywood musical instead of a teen flick, with decent co-stars - and he's not happy about it? I don't buy it. He would have simply be relieved he was still making films. And let's not forget that G I Blues also got a Grammy nomination - something I doubt Elvis was unhappy about either.

No doubt Elvis was unhappy by the mid-1960s, but that's a whole different ball game. But, talking of balls, he doesn't appear to have had any in order to stand up and say "enough" or "I'm not recording this dreck." Instead, he just plodded on. I've never heard the story of the Colonel being unhappy with an album, and if he had zero knowledge of music anyway, his view is pretty much null and void.

Guralnick may have relied on well-known stories about Elvis' dislike of movie songs from other books etc, but he also did his own research on the subject by interviewing people who were there like, co-stars etc, and all confirmed that Elvis was unhappy from G. I Blues onwards.

On another note, if there is no other info out there, other then the known sources, where does a writer go and look for other info? He can't!... unless new info turns up while he's researching, otherwise he can only go by what's already out there and interviewing people. And i'm sure Guralnick explored all avenues on the subject.

You can not just go by one session tape (G I Blues) to say that Elvis only disliked one song because the comment was captured on tape and liked the rest, that's ludicrous to say that. Who knows he may have disliked all the songs on G I Blues, well, except for Doin' The Best I Can because he chose to do it live in 61, we simply don't know. Just because he mentions one song he dislikes on tape doesn't mean you can rule out the rest, not everything he personally thought about the songs was captured on tape. There is enough evidence out there to prove that Elvis was dissatisfied with the movie songs, it's been confirmed by dozens of associates over the years, even after Guralnicks books where released, in interviews.

Apart from G I Blues, isn't there another comment captured on tape, the Dominic session? "please don't release this even after I'm gone" or words to that effect.

[jurasic1968]

And also there are many who said that Elvis was very unhappy with Do not Disturb from Girl Happy (36 takes), Shake That Tambourine from Harum Scarum (38 takes) and that he had a temper tantrum when he recorded Frankie and Johnny. I think from 1965 on he never bothered to record with the band on soundtracks, he just add his vocals later.

[Davelee]

And also there are many who said that Elvis was very unhappy with Do not Disturb from Girl Happy (36 takes), Shake That Tambourine from Harum Scarum (38 takes) and that he had a temper tantrum when he recorded Frankie and Johnny. I think from 1965 on he never bothered to record with the band on soundtracks, he just add his vocals later.

And I can't see him being over the moon with sh*t like, Big Boots, Didja Ever, Slicin' Sand and Ito Eats...you wouldn't need to do any research or need evidence to work that out.

[poormadpeter2]

And also there are many who said that Elvis was very unhappy with Do not Disturb from Girl Happy (36 takes), Shake That Tambourine from Harum Scarum (38 takes) and that he had a temper tantrum when he recorded Frankie and Johnny. I think from 1965 on he never bothered to record with the band on soundtracks, he just add his vocals later.

many? Who? Where? Why is none of this heard on the session tapes if he hated them so much. The sad thing is that Elvis did what he was told and didn't question it - that's about all the facts we have. The rest is just repeated stories - and stories that have been repeated over many years often turn out not to be true at all, especially when they
start out in a book that made a fortune for the star's ex-wife.

[drjohncarpenter]

And also there are many who said that Elvis was very unhappy with Do not Disturb from Girl Happy (36 takes), Shake That Tambourine from Harum Scarum (38 takes) and that he had a temper tantrum when he recorded Frankie and Johnny. I think from 1965 on he never bothered to record with the band on soundtracks, he just add his vocals later.

many? Who? Where? Why is none of this heard on the session tapes if he hated them so much.

Recording session tapes do not run continuously from the second the artist steps into a studio. Surely this is something that even you should be aware of, and if so, this means you are only posting to cause a fight.

The examples above are clear on Elvis' upset with his situation. As a matter of fact, Elvis fled the 1964 sessions for "Girl Happy" about halfway through, on June 11 (Thursday), after running down over 24 takes of "Spring Fever" and about 36 attempts to make a master of "Do Not Disturb." Elvis dutifully, if reluctantly, returned on June 15 (Monday) and overdubbed his half-hearted vocals to rhythm tracks recorded in his absence.

Soundtrack Session for M.G.M.: Girl Happy, June 15, 1964
http://www.elvisrecordings.com/s640615.htm

The musical landscape had changed, he knew it, and the songs he was taping were terrible. In 1965, the songs got worse, and by the summer he was almost exclusively overdubbing his disinterested vocals to rhythm tracks. He recorded nothing from mid-August 1965 to mid-February 1966. The evidence is very clear about this period, and in a 1972 interview he explicitly states how awful this experience was for him.

[poormadpeter2]

And also there are many who said that Elvis was very unhappy with Do not Disturb from Girl Happy (36 takes), Shake That Tambourine from Harum Scarum (38 takes) and that he had a temper tantrum when he recorded Frankie and Johnny. I think from 1965 on he never bothered to record with the band on soundtracks, he just add his vocals later.

many? Who? Where? Why is none of this heard on the session tapes if he hated them so much.

Recording session tapes do not run continuously from the second the artist steps into a studio. Surely this is something that even you should be aware of, and if so, this means you are only posting to cause a fight.

The examples above are clear on Elvis' upset with his situation. As a matter of fact, Elvis fled the 1964 sessions for "Girl Happy" about halfway through, on June 11 (Thursday), after running down over 24 takes of "Spring Fever" and about 36 attempts to make a master of "Do Not Disturb." Elvis dutifully, if reluctantly, returned on June 15 (Monday) and overdubbed his half-hearted vocals to rhythm tracks recorded in his absence.

Soundtrack Session for M.G.M.: Girl Happy, June 15, 1964
http://www.elvisrecordings.com/s640615.htm

The musical landscape had changed, he knew it, and the songs he was taping were terrible. In 1965, the songs got worse, and by the summer he was almost exclusively overdubbing his disinterested vocals to rhythm tracks. He recorded nothing from mid-August 1965 to mid-February 1966. The evidence is very clear about this period, and in a 1972 interview he explicitly states how awful this experience was for him.

he hated the songs so much he spent 60 takes on two songs. 30 on average. roughly the same amount of time he spent on hound dog. so such info tells us...nothing.

[Chris Roberts]

According to 'A Life In Music' and 'Complete Masters' he did complete 'Do Not Disturb' before storming out. It took so many takes (36), which frustrated Elvis, as he couldn't get the middle bridge of the song right. Saying something to the effect of "Those damn cord changes are so damn complicated". According to 'Elvis The Official Collectors Edition' part 67, after 'Do Not Disturb he left the studio frustrated by what he viewed as material that left something to be desired.

[drjohncarpenter]

many? Who? Where? Why is none of this heard on the session tapes if he hated them so much.

Recording session tapes do not run continuously from the second the artist steps into a studio. Surely this is something that even you should be aware of, and if so, this means you are only posting to cause a fight.

The examples above are clear on Elvis' upset with his situation. As a matter of fact, Elvis fled the 1964 sessions for "Girl Happy" about halfway through, on June 11 (Thursday), after running down over 24 takes of "Spring Fever" and about 36 attempts to make a master of "Do Not Disturb." Elvis dutifully, if reluctantly, returned on June 15 (Monday) and overdubbed his half-hearted vocals to rhythm tracks recorded in his absence.

Soundtrack Session for M.G.M.: Girl Happy, June 15, 1964
http://www.elvisrecordings.com/s640615.htm

The musical landscape had changed, he knew it, and the songs he was taping were terrible. In 1965, the songs got worse, and by the summer he was almost exclusively overdubbing his disinterested vocals to rhythm tracks. He recorded nothing from mid-August 1965 to mid-February 1966. The evidence is very clear about this period, and in a 1972 interview he explicitly states how awful this experience was for him.

he hated the songs so much he spent 60 takes on two songs. 30 on average. roughly the same amount of time he spent on hound dog. so such info tells us...nothing.

It is really no fun to engage with someone not interested in a real dialogue. As per usual, I invested a ton of effort in my reply, you come back with piffle that took maybe ten seconds to type. Your best friend, Mr. Straw Man, is unwelcome in this discussion.

Time to tap out. Thanks.

[minkahed]

Lord Almighty, it took Elvis 36 takes because the material was second rate and he couldn't get into it !!!

Geez ...