You've got to Fallow That Dream

I have not done a movie review in a long time so I thought I might do one tonight. The movie I am going to discuss is Fallow That Dream. Elvis would start filming the movie in July of 61 and the movie would open in May of 62. The film would be Elvis' ninth and fifth since getting out of the Army. Elvis plays the role of Toby Kwimper. Arthur O'Connell played his father "Pop". They have took in twin boys that are some sort of cousins, a baby girl who is a orphan, and a young lady named Holly whose parents died when she was thirteen. The whole bunch are on their way to Florida for vacation when they run out of gas on a new highway that has not been opened yet and has not got the first thing on the road. So they set up on the side of the road beside the water until someone can come by to help. A government official stops by and gives the family a hard time and Pop says they are homesteading there just to rile the official. Holly seems to like the idea of starting a life here and making her a real home for herself and she expresses this to Toby. They talk Pop into doing that so they decide to stay put. After finding out they have a perfect spot for fishing right in their backyard, they decide to open a business that ties into the fishing. In the meantime the government official had not forgot about the Kwimper's and is hatching a plan to get rid of them. Joanne Moore plays a social worker who the government official has brought in to help plan to run the Kwimpers off. She has a an immediate interest in Toby even though he pays her no mind. That would come back to hurt them later. More problems were beginning to arise for the family. Some traveling gangsters who run a gambling ring have just popped in next door. After they find out that the Kwimper's are homesteading and trying to make their own little town and no government officials had any rule there, they decide to stay. The gangsters try to get the Kwimper's to leave but the family will have none off it. After they have some disagreements about the rowdy ways of the gangsters crowd, they try to get a hit on Toby. It fails of course, and they finally leave after Toby blows up their trailer, which was a total accident. The social worker and government official have been at work to get back at the Kwimper's and they have the twin boys and little girl took away by a children welfare group. The Kwimper's go to court, and they are made out to look really bad by the social worker and official. Though Toby comes in and acts as the lawyer for the family and tells the total truth. The judge sees this was all brought on just to make the Kwimper's look bad and that they are good people and should get the kids back. The young girl Holly(Anne Helm) seems to be interested in Toby throughout the movie but Toby doesn't seem interested in her or any other girl. Finally at the end of the movie she makes a real move and Toby ends up with her in his arms and kissing her. This is an Elvis movies of course you knew he was going to end up with the beautiful girl in the end!

This movie would end up doing pretty well and would get to as high as #5 at the box office. I have always thought Fallow That Dream was a really good movie and toward the top of the list as far as decent Elvis films and good performance's. Toby is a character that seems to maybe be a little slow, but in face he is just laid back and a lot smarter than giving credit for. Elvis plays a kind of backwoods type of guy but does it in such a charming way you don't really even think about that. I think his speech in the courtroom ranks as one of his two or three best moments on film. This movie has everything I love about Elvis movies. Great scenery, good music, humor, and lots of beautiful women. Arthur O'Connell who plays the father is wonderful and I have always been a big fan of his. Joanne Moore, who I always remember from the Andy Griffith show, was good in her role as well. I can't forget Anne Helm. She's not just knock dead gorgeous like some women of Elvis movies, but she is very pretty. She has a certain innocent vibe about her I always have liked. Her and Elvis dated for a while during filming and got pretty hot and heavy during breaks during filming from what I have heard. I usually do a music review separate so I will not go into much detail about that. The film doesn't contain many songs. Some are a hit and some are a miss but Elvis' voice is great. Overall I give this film very high marks. It is a film I think maybe even the non Elvis fan might enjoy and is worth finding if you have not seen it.

VIVA LAS VEGAS TV SPECIAL

Tonight I am going to talk about the TV Special that came on last year called Elvis Viva Las Vegas. The show was to focus on Elvis in Las Vegas. Elvis' friend would talk about being there and such while some of today's stars performed some Elvis tunes. Man, nothing gets me more excited than listening to someone kill and Elvis classic! Anyway lets start with the documentary side of the show. It was alright but nothing special. To any real Elvis fan it was nothing new with no new insight. They only touched the surface of the history that city and Elvis shared. Basically it was Elvis was out of the loop in the 60's, Elvis came back in Vegas, Elvis was the biggest thing in Vegas up to that time, Elvis went downhill, Elvis got caught up in drugs. Blah, blah, blah, same old shit man. I guess for the casual fan or someone who doesn't really know Elvis and his time in Vegas it would be somewhat informative. To me it was nonsense and there was so much more that could have been talked about. The usual suspects were on there from the Elvis circle talking. Joe, GK, and Jerry Schelling. The only Elvis buddies still in the good graces of EPE. Of course Priscilla was on there. Tom Jones actually spoke some on the show. That was interesting for the simple fact I have not seen Tom speak about Elvis and the time they shared in Vegas. Really though he just said we sang in his penthouse to late in the night. Not much more than that. I have never been big on Tom Jones or his music. Just never struck me and I have not been able to see the appeal in it even though many people think he is great. Some other people speak on Elvis and his impact such as 5o Cent, Beyonce, and Dewayne Johnson. That was cool I guess. I liked seeing The Rock speak on Elvis because I know he is a really big fan.
Now for the performances. I am not going to go into detail about every performance. I just didn't like many of them. Though I can't take many people singing any Elvis songs. Some though were just really bad. Maranda Lambert singing Jailhouse Rock was awful! I am sorry, I am sure some people find her talented but she need to leave one of the greatest rock songs ever alone! Instead of the raw out of control feel that the original offers, this has a sloppy somewhat country/pop about it. Though some of the songs I did like a lot. Chris Isaak and Brandi Carlile did a version of Don't Be Cruel that was pretty good. I think Chris Isaak is great and the song had a real good feel about it. Also The Little Willies with Norah Jones did a version of Love Me. Now if anyone else to ever walk the earth had been singing this song I would have been freaking out. Love Me is one of my favorite songs ever. Though Norah Jones is one of my top three favorite artist ever and she did a great job on this song. It was wonderful and it is a version I listen to quite often. Elvis' version is still a lot better, but she puts a great spin on it and it is very enjoyable. Now the only other song on the show that I liked might surprise some. It was In The Ghetto with Three 6 Mafia. It was actually a rap song they did with a nice beat from In The Ghetto that used Elvis' voice in the chorus. I am not a big fan of rap but I do like a few groups and artist a lot. I have been down with Three 6 Mafia since high school. They are from Memphis and some of the baddest producers/rappers ever! I would much rather hear a rap song with Elvis singing the line "In The Ghetto" then hear some hack butcher the real song.
So overall I do not rate this very high but it was worth buying for me just for the three performance's mentioned above which I loved. The information contained on here is alright but if you see it keep in mind a lot of interesting stuff has been left out and it would be worth researching.

Check out Chris and Brandi singing Don't Be Cruel

THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

Tonight I am going to talk about the FTD, The Impossible Dream. This CD contains a concert from Elvis in vegas in Vegas in 1971. I had been wanting this release for a long time and finally got it this past August. I had heard mixed reviews of it but still felt the need to have it. I do not have many live recordings from 71 and needed to hear some. First of all it was clear that by this time Elvis was already tired of the Vegas thing. I already knew that this was the case, but hearing this was just more proof. He has been told to make his shows go by faster, something else that must have pissed him off and in turn effected his shows. This show does not come close to the Vegas stuff from 70 or some of the stuff from the tours in 72. Though some nice things can be found on this recording. It's Now Or Never is heard one here and is one of the first times Elvis sings this in concert in the 70's. I prefer to hear the original studio version any day but it is neat to hear it here live for possibly for the first time. I will have to say the version of The Impossible Dream is freaking awesome. I love this song and Elvis does it beautifully on here. The other songs are fine and I enjoy listening to this CD but it is not Elvis at his best. I wouldn't consider this even close to one of the ten best Elvis shows on CD from the 70's. The songs seem to be rushed but Elvis does seem to be in a good frame of mind and is doing the best he can under the circumstances. This is probably not a release for casual fans but real Elvis fans should enjoy this anyway even if it does not rank up there with On Stage or An Afternoon In The Garden or any other of the great live shows I have been privileged to listen to.

SPINOUT

Tonight I am going to talk about the movie Spinout. Elvis would make the movie in 1966 and would be his twenty second movie. Elvis would play the part of Mike McCoy. Mike is a guy who travels around playing gigs with his band. He also happens to race cars. Early in the movie Mike captures the attention of a young lady named Cynthia(Shelly Fabares). Her father Howard who owns a company that has ties in racing immediately tries to talk Mike into singing for his daughter for her birthday. The father also has ideas about Mike driving a car for him. Mike is not interested in either. After the powerful father pulls some strings to get Mike to perform for his daughter, Mike has some words for the Howard. While camping out Mike runs into a lady by the name Diana St. Clair. Diana is a beautiful blond author who is writing a book and wants to use Mike as the subject. The attention of these ladies is starting to bother a member of Mike's group. Les is the girl who plays the drums for Mike who has a thing for him though he does not have a clue. After some mind games from Howard that gets Mike to stay in town, Mike sets up shop out of a home next door to Howard and Cynthia. To get Mikes mind off Diana the guys and Les set up Mike to test drive Howard's car. Mike is impressed with the car. Though after a speech from Howard about Mike being good enough to drive his car, but not win his daughter, Mike tells Howard off. At a party Mike is throwing Howard bumps into Diana who is there scoping Mike out. The two hit it off. In the meantime Les is getting some love from a guy who she meets while in town who is really struck on her. Cynthia still hot for Mike is dealing with Philip, he dads assistant who is madly in love with her. All this is of no interest to Mike. Mike has no plans on settling down and is busy partying it up with the girls at his shindig and have a good time. The race finally comes around and Mike ends up getting his car stole by Philip who is trying to prove to Cynthia he is a man by racing. Mike ends up getting in his Deusenberg and joining the race. After the car was out of gas, Mike talked another racer into letting him have his car if the guy got any winnings Mike earned. Mike of course won the race. Mike then has a decision to make, which lady was her going to merry. Mike made the wise decision. He stayed single and let the other guys get the ladies they were in love with. Mike replaced Les with another hot female drummer and he continued on his way.

In my opinion Spinout is a pretty decent movie. Is is middle of the pack, not his worst by far, but not up there with King Creole or Wild In The Country either. The same could be said for the soundtrack as well. I personally like it a lot, but I love all the movie music for the most part, even the bad songs! The soundtrack does offer a good song or two and a few fun tunes. Like most Elvis soundtracks, the good songs are overlooked because of the awful songs that can be found on them as well. As with all Elvis movies it is loaded with beautiful ladies. Shelly Fabares appears for the second of three times in a movie with Elvis. She is one of my favorite actresses ever. She beautiful and plays her part well. Also with Elvis in this movie is Deborah Walley who plays the part of Les. She was not all that found of Elvis when she signed to make this movie. She did not know that much about him. After getting to know him they dated and would become close friends. Deborah greatly admired Elvis and would end up honoring his memory up until the time she passed away. She was always attending Elvis events during Elvis Week and things of that nature. She was a great lady.

CHRISTMAS DUETS

I have spent some time listening to the duets release. I got pretty much what I expected. Lets start off first with the artist that are on here. It is a pretty good list I guess. Lets be honest, I am not going to favor anyone while they are singing on the same track as Elvis. Some do better than other though on here. Blue Christmas with Martina McBride is the first track, and is probably the one I like the most. It comes closest to somewhat resembling the same song as Elvis did in the 50's. Martina sings pretty well to.I'll Be Home For Christmas by Carrie Underwood and White Christmas by Amy Grant are also alright. Even though I am not a fan of their music, all these ladies can sing pretty well and showcase that on here. Wynonna Judd also sings on Santa Claus Is Back In Town. She does a pretty good job and I really can't say that I was disappointed with hearing her on here. I am actually I fan of hers to some degree and she is a huge Elvis fan. Everyone else on here does an alright job I guess but I wont listen to any of the songs again more than likely. One song really bothered me. That was Marry Christmas Baby with Gretchen Wilson. It is not really because of here because honestly I couldn't even make it to her part. I tried three times and kept pushing the skip button. Song is awful. They new sound is really bad in my opinion and seems to drown out Elvis. This in my opinion is Elvis' best Christmas song. The original had such a nice blues feel and the instrumentals on the track was awesome. My big problem with the whole thing is the new instrumentals on the tracks compaired to the old ones. I am sure a lot of people think the new sounds better. Not to me I think it sounds awful and when it kills the voice of Elvis I have a huge problem with that. Overall I would rate this release 5 on a 1-10 scale. It has some nice vocalist on it and maybe it will gain Elvis some new fans, I don't know. Though the CD has some really bad quality's in this Elvis fans eyes. I for sure will be playing the originals this Christmas.

Track Listing:1. Blue Christmas with Martina McBride2. I'll Be Home For Christmas with Carrie Underwood3. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) with LeAnn Rimes4. Santa Clause Is Back In Town with Wynonna Judd5. Silent Night with Sara Evans6. White Christmas with Amy Grant7. Merry Christmas Baby with Gretchen Wilson8. O Little Town Of Bethlehem with Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town9. Silver Bells with Anne Murray10. O Come, All Ye Faithful with Olivia Newton-JohnBonus Tracks11. The First Noel (2008) Elvis Presley12. If I Get Home On Christmas Day (2008) Elvis Presley13. Winter Wonderland (2008) Elvis Presley

Also this newest addition to my collection puts my CD count to 145.

Now to put me back in the right frame of mind after listening to this nonsense this weekend, lets listen to the song I was yelling about without the "new and improved" sound and guest on the track.

ELVIS NEW YARS EVE

I am going to review one of the FTD's I picked up in August when I was in Memphis. It is a 2 disc live show from December 31 1976 in Pittsburgh PA. The common perception from many people has Elvis had lost it in his later years. While it is true that he did show some odd behavior at times and at other times was not in good health and it affected his show, he still brought it on most nights. These CD's are kinda of rough sounding but it is a historic moment and I am glad to have it. Elvis actually rolled up into Pittsburgh looking pretty good and in good spirits. Elvis has been in bad shape towards the last of 76 and his last Vegas shows were pretty poor from what I have heard. When this concert rolled around he had turned it around, like he always did when he REALLY WANTED TO! As I said the sound it not that great, as it was recorded by a fan in attendance. You still can hear Elvis well, and his voice sound great and he seems to be having a good time. Elvis would sing almost 30 songs over a two hour period and he is good from beginning to end. The first CD has 16 songs on it and a few songs that standout to me are My Way and Trying To Get To You. My Way is done beautifully and Trying To Get To You as a cool vibe to it and it is the best version I can remember hearing from the later tours. The second disc has 17 songs on it. Love Letters is awesome and Elvis' voice is top notch. Hurt is also good, and I enjoy hearing this live. I have always loved this song. Reconsider Baby is also sung, one of my favorite songs Elvis did live. It does not match some of the other live versions from earlier in the decade, but it is pretty good. Also Elvis bust into Rags To Riches at the piano. It is awesome! I have never heard this live before and from what I know it is the only time he done it on stage. Overall I give this FTD very high marks just because of the great show Elvis puts on. it really does show he still could bring it to the stage despite the troubles he was going through and his bad health. Despite the bad sound quality I highly recommend this for any Elvis fan.

Above is footage from the show of Elvis singing Hurt. Just awesome! I wish I could have been there to see it.

OUT IN HOLLYWOOD

Since I got back from EW last month I have not had the time to do any reviews of any of the new FTD's I got. I am hoping get to them all soon. I am going to start out with my favorite one I brought back, Out In Hollywood. I have been wanting this CD for a very long time. It is one of the FTD's that has been discontinued and I was really down I was not able to obtain it. I am a huge fan of the movie music and this is a good CD for the collection. The first night I was in Memphis I was in one of the shops and looked over and saw about five copies of this CD sitting with the others available. I was going nuts! I could not believe they had it. I do not know what they had it, but I was glad they did. I did not see anymore in any of the other shops. So of course I grabbed one up right then. Most of the songs at the time this CD was released had not been put out before. Though I have heard some of these songs before as they came out on other FTD's over the past few years. This has 22 great songs and I love hearing these other takes. The first song on the CD that caught my attention was take 6 of Cross My Heart And Hope To Die. I have heard this before on my Girl Happy FTD but I was still happy to hear it. It has always been on of my favorite movie songs. Take 4 of Lonely Man was pretty key. I do not think I have heard this before. All the songs on here are key, but one really stood out. The vocal overdub of (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care. This is freaking awesome. I have never heard this before and I really dig it. Hearing Elvis' voice while singing all alone with not music just reminded me how great he could sing, but how he could change his style and delivery. This was of course from 1957. It also reminded me how his voice continued to change over the next 20 years. Overall this is a really solid CD in my opinion. If you do not like his movie music or are not into all the recordings overall, it might not be for you. This is not a collection of his best movie music, but it contains some pretty good songs. It has for now made it in my top ten FTD list.

New Graceland DVD delivers

I am going to talk a little about the new DVD, Elvis Presley's Graceland. This DVD has been a long time coming. It was worth the wait. It is one of the best buys I have made in a long time. It is a two disc special that is great from beginning to end. Disc one is really about Graceland and its history. Elvis' career is documented throughout the production. It is a great look at the house as it is presented currently. Also, what got me real excited was some of the pictures and footage I had never seen before. I have always wanted to step back in time and see Graceland how it was in 57 or 62 in those years. Some pictures are shown to give you an idea and that was the best part of this whole thing for me. Disc two is full of extra footage that is great. You get a sneak peak into the archives. I have seen most of the stuff they show but it was cool to see and another chance to actually see into the places where the house all this stuff from Elvis' life. It is really cool that they have so much stuff connected with Elvis. It was a good thing that the Presley's and Tom Parker kept everything! Now us fans can enjoy it today and get a better understanding of all things Elvis. There are some home movies seen here of Elvis messing around at Graceland on horses and such. Some of the footage has been seen many many times in documentaries and such, but this is the first time most have been seen in there entirety. The coolest thing on this disc is the footage from Graceland in 58. It is when it is covered in snow. A small part of it has also been shown in many things before but the full fourteen or so minutes are shown here. Elvis was off filming King Creole at the time and he wanted to see Graceland in the snow so he has the film made. You get to see much of the property and many of Elvis' cars. It is neat to see the back of the house when the garages were still there, and there was no den added on yet. You can see the back and what it was like. You also get to see how this was really an isolated spot and how nothing was built up around it really. Then see the home movies from 68 where Elvis is out front, and all kinds of stuff is around. I really can't say enough for this DVD, it is terrific. I am glad I have it so I can watch it on a regular biases and not miss Graceland as much. Also it is worth noting this was the last project finished by Todd Morgan. Man he did great work, and he is missed in so many ways. Not hearing him at Elvis Week this year was so upsetting. It is not the same without him.

ITS FUN IN ACAPULCO

I have not done anything on any Elvis movies in a long time and feel it is time to post some thoughts and facts about one. I have been watching a lot more Elvis movies than usual the last week or so. Tonight I am going to talk about one of my favorites, Fun In Acapulco. In January of 1963 Elvis would arrive in Hollywood to start filming. The movie was set in Mexico but Elvis filmed all his shots in Hollywood. Another crew went to Mexico to film some of the background shots used in the film. Elvis plays the part of Mike Windgren who is in Mexico working on a boat as a deck hand of sorts. He was part of a circus act with his family and had been involved in an accident that left him shook up pretty bad. He ends up getting fired from his job as a deckhand and is stuck in Mexico. He becomes friends with a young boy names Raoul. Together they work to find Mike work. Mike ends up becoming a lifeguard by day and a entertainer by night. Along the way Mike is of course involved with the ladies. He has two after him. One of them is Dolores, a lady bullfighter. The other is Marguerita, who is played by the beautiful Ursual Andress. Mike is also working on his fear of height's. In the end Mike takes care of this fear by jumping 136 feet off a cliff into water. In the end everything works out, Mike ends up with the girl he wants Margaurita, and along with Raoul they head back to America.

Fun In Acapulco is not the best movie Elvis made, but certainly not the worst. For some reason it has always ranked high with me for as long as I can remember. I think the supporting cast has something to do with it. Larry Domasin plays Raoul Almeido the young boy Elvis befriends. He cracks me up and he plays the part really well. Elsa Cardenas plays the part of Doloras. She is smoking hot and I would love to see more things with here in it even if I can't make out most of what she is saying hardly. Morano, who plays Mike's rival for Margurita's affection, is played by Alejandro Rey who is a good actor. Along with Elvis being pretty good in the movie and a few tunes I really like this movie probably ranks in my top ten or twelve favorite Elvis movies ever.

The soundtrack is either hit or miss for me, but overall I still dig it. See the review I did for the Fun In Acapulco FTD if you have not already. The movie would open on November 27th and by the end of 1963 would do 1.5 Million and reach number 33 for the top grossing films of 1963. That number might not seem that great but considering it was released at the end of November, that is a pretty good number. A few Elvis films from the early 60's got released late in the year and the numbers did not look as good as they actually were. Interesting note that the working titles for the movie had been Holiday In Acapulco and Vacation In Acapulco. I do not think either work as well as Fun In Acapulco.

Below is a video of my favorite number of the film. It is key and Elvis is in top form in this clip. The suit rocks as well, he was still wearing some key clothes in his movies at this point.

VIVA LAS VEGAS

Today I am going to talk about one of my favorite FTD's ever, Viva Las Vegas. I still remember the day I came across this. I was out in Memphis for EW and spotted it at one of the shops at Graceland. I have always liked the music from this movie so I went to check it out. I was looking over the tracks and spotted track 25, The Climb. I was having a fit. I had been wishing this would be put on a CD for over ten years! I bought it right then and have wore this CD out ever since.

On July 9, 1963 Elvis would start on recording the music for the movie at Radio Recorders. After the movie was released the four track Viva Las Vegas EP was released, and the soundtrack LP would never see the light of day. It was too bad, because I have always thought the movie contained some pretty good songs.

As for the FTD, it starts out of course with the title song, Viva Las Vegas. Good song, it has grown on me over the years. It is for sure a classic. What'd I Say is a rockin song, but I like it much more when hearing it in the movie so I can watch the dance scene. It is one of the coolest ever. If You Think I Don't Need You is a underrated song in my opinion. I think Elvis sounds pretty good in it. I Need Someone To Lean On is a great song in my opinion. It has a very haunting a bluesy sound and Elvis delivers this perfectly. The Lady Loves Me is my favorite song from the movie. I really dig the way him and Ann sound together. Also another key song on this disc is the song You're The Boss. Another duet with Ann-Margret that was recorded but left out of the film. I think it is every bit as good as The Lady Loves Me. It is a freakin crime this was not put in the movie. The disc also has some other songs that were not included in the movie but were recorded for it. Outtakes are included as with most all FTD's which is awesome. By now you should know I love the outtakes. Some have been heard before but some have not ever been released. As I said before the song The Climb is on here. It was a song sung by the lead singer of The Forte' Four with back up vocals from The Jordanairs and Elvis. The Forte' Four is the group who is singing the song on the stage during this movie. This has the whole song on here instead of the chopped up version from the movie.

All in all this is a great CD. FTD did great as usual with it sounding pretty damn good and have great material on it. This group of songs never got the treatment they deserved back in 64 when this movie was released. I think it they had put out a LP and pushed it, it would have been a hit. I think this is probably one of his top three or four efforts as far as movie music in the 60's.

Elvis On Elvis

I recently purchased a DVD titled "Elvis On Elvis". This DVD is pretty much a compilation of pictures of Elvis with interviews over the years about his career. It also has a few performances from different TV show appearences and some concert footage from the 50's. Even though the quality isnt top notch and the audio is not been cleaned up very well, it still is a pretty good documentary with rare footage, interviews with members of the Memphis Mafia, and rare pictures. When I first saw the the DVD on Amazon, I was immediately curious on what it was all about. Finally I ran across a deal I couldn't pass and bought it. The DVD is low budget and has special features that include The Karate Years and a slideshow of rare photos with songs in the background. All in all, for it to be low budget and not endorsed by EPE, it's not half bad. I would reccomend for you to find a good deal and not spend alot of money on it though

Elvis Gold Records Vol. 2

I am going to talk about another one of the FTD's I got a few weeks ago. 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong is a classic. The album cover is one of the most famous Elvis covers ever. This has long been one of my favorite albums. I am so glad to get this wonderful 2 disc edition from FTD. Disc 1 has the ten LP masters as well as three bonus masters. All 13 are solid. I Need Your Love Tonight starts out the first disc. I have always thought this was a pretty good song, but not one of my personal favorites. Song two is one of my favorites, and one of Elvis' best, Don't. I think this song is wonderful and Elvis does a great job with this. I think this song is perfect the was Elvis delivers it. I Got Stung is on here and always been a song I like to listen to just for the fact it seems so out on control. It is fast paced and I have always had a hard time keeping up with it. Though I think that is why it appeals to me for some odd reason. It is just pure fun for more. My absolute favorite song from this album is (Now And The There's) A Fool Such As I. Probably one of my top ten favorite Elvis songs from the 50's. Doncha' Think It's Time in my opinion is a very underrated song. Disc one also contains takes from the February and June 58 sessions. Disc two is nothing but outtakes of I Need Your Love Tonight, (Now And The There's)A Fool Such As I, and I got Stung. As I have said many many times before, I love , love, love outtakes. Elvis was known to do take after take trying to get what he thinks is the right sound. That was really the case in the early RCA years. I only wish we had more of these gems to hear. I just love to hear the progression of a song and how he changes things and try different things. Most of the time I still think the master released was the best, but I do often find myself liking some outtakes better then the takes released. The first 18 takes of I Need Your Love Tonight are on this disc. I probably spent a half a day when I got this Cd just listening to these 18 takes over and over. I am fascinated by these takes. It teaches me so much more about Elvis' wonderful talent for making music and knowing what sounds good. I have found I appreciate this song so much more. I have done this with every song on this disc. I only with I had every take of every Elvis song. Now that would be awesome, even though I would never come out of my room. Overall I am very pleased as usual with FTD and the effort. This is a great addition to any Elvis music lovers collection. As much as I loved this CD it was my least favorite of the four FTD's I just bought. I still have yet to discuss Something For Everybody and Studio B. I will soon, but I am saving them for when I have the time to put some serious effort into the review. They are among my favorites ever!

FLASHBACK

I am going to discuss one of my latest additions to my collection. Flashback is a book with many never before seen photos with a CD of outtake from 1958-1958. The book is from the people at FTD so it is top notch all the way. Sherif Hanna and Ernst Jorgensen has done a great job with this project. First off lets talk about the book. I enjoy seeing any new pictures of Elvis that I have not seen before. I have seen some of these pictures before, but most of them I have never seen. The pictures range from Elvis' signing at RCA to Elvis' on recording session while in the Army. I found the pictures of Elvis on stage in Miami interesting. You can just see Elvis on stage moving about in these pictures and seems to be putting on a hell of a show. I can only imagine the electricity in that auditorium. Also some pictures from the dressing room in Miami are featured. These are really neat getting to see Red and Gene. Pictures from the Love Me Tender recording session are featured here. A Reminder Elvis still did not have total control. Scotty,Bill, and DJ are nowhere to be found. Studio musician's from Nashville are put in there place because RCA made that call for a few different reasons.

Now on to the music. The disc is made up of twenty-five outtakes from the 50's. It starts out with a version of Heartbreak Hotel that has takes 5(1st part) and takes 4(2nd part). It is outstanding. I Was The One take 7 is on here and was really something I looked forward to hearing. This is one of my all time favorite songs and wanted to hear this. Blueberry Hill take 3 is found on here as well and it is interesting to hear the difference between this song and the take used for release. Many other great songs are on this disc. One song however jumps out at me and I like above all the rest. Treat Me Nice(1st version). This song really sounds different then the one used in Jailhouse Rock that we have heard over the years. The background melody and the overall feel to the song is different. Elvis' delivery is different but great. I actually think the song sounds better this way. I do not know the story behind this song and how it turned out the way it did, but it has me curious. This song has instantly became on of my favorite songs. This is exactly why I love the outtakes. When you hear several of them you can see where Elvis works his magic and how the songs take shape over various takes. It is a shame more of the outtakes from the 50's are not available.

Overall I am very happy with the purchase of this book. Some might not think the book and CD is not worth $65. The CD would have been around thirty if it was just a release, and thirty five bucks for the book is not all that bad. I think this was a great addition to my collection. I would recommend this book for sure.

Elvis At The International

This album was recorded on August 23, 1969 at the midnight show in Las Vegas. Very similar to the "All Shook Up" album, Elvis is still not fully in his comfort zone from his hiatus from live performances during the 60's. I had read in an article that the opening night album (which is only available by bootleg only) was so long because he would pretty much tell his whole life story, that the International asked Elvis to cut down the time of his shows. So on this album Elvis has a complete 10 minute rant on crickets, woolly boogers and how he hated to film some of his movies. The cover of this album which is available on FTD records, is the coolest cover I've seen. I know the picture is way over used but it showed the new Elvis in action. New energy, new sound, but same favorites are on this album. Surprisingly I loved the Jailhouse Rock/Don't Be Cruel medley, normally I don't like the classics in the later years but he pulled these two off quite well. What really struck me as a cool song live was "Reconsider Baby" the way he sang that sounded almost as good as the original version, I was yelling. My two least favorite songs on the album were "What I'D Say" and "Yesterday/Hey Jude". In my opinion Elvis really sang "What'd I Say" too hard causing him to sound like it took way too much out of him and as for "Yesterday/Hey Jude", I just don't like anything associated with the Beatles. This album has really good sound quality and is very entertaining. Definitely in my top 5 Vegas shows.

An Instant Classic.....A look at Jailhouse Rock(part2)

I am finally back to finish my thoughts on Jailhouse Rock. This movie seems to have been perfect for Elvis. It came about at just the right time. It served notice this guy could cut it in Hollywood. First lets start with the story. The script is pretty good. No it is not the best one he was a part of in my opinion. Though overall I thought it fit. I would have had to wonder, how many times can we see this story about the young guy discovering his musical talent and making it big? Well three times in a row in the 50's and it paid off. The reason it did was because of the great music and the fact Elvis was actually becoming a good actor. The character is really nothing like the 22 year old boy who was playing him. Vince Everette was a tough guy who had a soft side, but really wanted to put out that vibe that he was not to be messed with. It is one of Elvis' coolest characters. Elvis has a pretty good cast to work with as well. I don't think it was as solid as the cast in King Creole, but it was still solid. I love Judy Tyler in the role of Peggy Van Alden. She and Elvis worked well together. She was a very pretty lady and seemed very talented. It is such a tragedy the way her life ended. The music was very good in the movie. Jailhouse Rock was an instant classic and defines the Rock and Roll side of Elvis to many people. It is one of the songs a lot of the general public thinks of when they thinks of Elvis. My personal favorite from the movie is (You're So Square)Baby I Don't Care. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote some great music for the film.The wardrobe it also far out. I love Elvis' style from the 50's and it is reflected in this movie. I don't know if Elvis ever looked cooler then in the scene by the pool.
We all know the story about Elvis swallowing a tooth cap during production of the movie. He was rushed the hospital. It was a pretty serious deal, though Elvis made it through it alright. The most interesting part of the film to me is the Jailhouse Rock production number. It is without a doubt Elvis' best number on film, and was said to be his favorite. I believe it is the best production number from any movie ever, period. Alex Romero was the choreographer for the movie. Most people think Elvis came up with the dance, but this is false. Romero came up with something in the style of Fred Astaire. Elvis was not feeling it, and frankly couldn't have made it work. Romero asked Elvis to perform some of his songs and move like he did on stage, He left that night with some ideas, and had a new number by the next morning. Elvis still did not have an easy time with it. There is a great story about Elvis working on it and finally getting it. I should put it in here, but I am not. I might save that for another day. Romero and Presley sure came up with something special. Interestingly enough they would work together one more time years later. That would be in the 1967 movie, Clambake. That is one of the more odd things ever to me. Are two movies more on the opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to Elvis? Clambake is a personal favorite of mine, but the none of the musical numbers are really that great to most people. Even though Hey Hey Hey is pretty key. Sorry, I have got off on a Clambake ramble now. Easy thing for me to do.
Jailhouse Rock is a classic, which ranks as some of Elvis' best work. I personally think it is one of his best movies along with King Creole and Wild In The Country. It is also on of my favorite movies. It does not top It Happened At The Worlds Fair, but it is probably a close second. I will discuss the music of this movie in the near future. I am going to finish this off with a clip from the movie. This is my favorite movie. The songs is cool. Elvis looks far out in his duds, and the whole vibe just rocks. This inspired me to go out and by a damn sweater just like his!

Do you look at your bald head and wish you had hair?

First and formost I would like to apologize for my absence due to pc problems, hopefully everything is taken care of and I can get the Vegas blogs rolling. Im gonna start by the review of "All Shook Up". This album was recorded from the complete midnight show on August 26, 1969 in Las Vegas. This would be one of the first few concerts Elvis performed after his comeback. You can hear on the album that he's very nervous but yet he still puts on a good show with his music and comedy. The infamous laughing version of "Are You Lonesome Tonight" is on this album where Elvis adds the line "Do you look at your bald head and wish you had hair." It sends Elvis into a tailspin of giggles but he comes back strong with an impromptu jam of "Rubberneckin'". After correcting himself and speeding up the tempo, he rocks out the song. Another aspect of the early vegas shows that I like is hearing songs that he'd recently recorded such as "Suspicious Minds", hearing the first few live version compared to the TTWII Disc 2 version amazes me how much he made that song better live throughout the years. There is also his version of Del Shannon's "Runaway" on there which I think is pretty kick ass because thats one of my all time favorite songs and to hear him sing it is simply amazing. As you can expect, it's a typical Vegas Elvis show but what makes it really good is his nervousness and how he counteracts it with comedy. The one thing that makes me love this album is the rare live version of "Rubberneckin", that's what makes the whole album great to me. The next album I will review will be "Elvis At The International", The show recorded on August 23, 1969, stay tuned!!

JAILHOUSE ROCK

I have not done a movie review in a long time and decided to do one tonight about Jailhouse Rock. Elvis' third film would be one of his best if not the best one he ever did. It is neck and neck with King Creole for that honor. Elvis would start filming Jailhouse Rock In May of 1957 and would work until the first of July on the project. This was Elvis' first film for MGM. He was assigned Clark Gable's former dressing room.Elvis would play the part of Vince Everette. The movie would also star Judy Tyler and Mickey Shaughnessy. You can see Elvis' band in the movie just as you did in Loving You.





Vince gets into a bar fight early in the movie and accidentally kills a man. He is sent to prison where he is put up in a cell with a guy named Hunk(Shaughnessy). Hunk takes the boy under his wing and teaches him many things. Hunk was a country music star before landing behind bars. Vince shows he has somewhat of a flair for singing and Hunk teaches him a few chord's and such. Hunk is in charge of putting together a show in the prison that is going to be put on TV. He gives Vince a spot and he is naturally a hit. Before getting out of prison Vince and Hunk sign a deal where they will be partners when Hunk gets out. Vince then tried to get a job as a singer in club but the owner would rather him make drinks. Vince tries to prove him wrong but does not go over well. While in the bar Vince meets Peggy (Tyler) who is in the music business. She tries to help Vince out. So they go to a recording studio to try to figure out what he needs to do to get better. Vince finds his sound, and the two of them try to put out a record.





It does not go that well, when they are took advantage of and someone steals Vince's hit. So then Vince and Peggy decide to be partners and start their own company. Vince records a hit,"Treat Me Nice", and they are a smashing success. Then Vince goes to Hollywood, because the next step is in movies. There is where Hunk shows up looking to get his. Vince has an up coming TV show. Vince puts Hunk on as a sideshow but Hunk flops big time. Vince comes of big with his number(Jailhouse Rock). Vince lays it out to Hunk, the contract means nothing legally. Though he remembers what he had tried to do for him in prison, so he makes him a flunky for a good amount of money.
Peggy comes to see Vince and he lays out an offer to her. He is wanting to sell out and get rid of the company. She is upset because of the way he is acting is leaves all torn up. Hunk sees this and gets in a fight with Vince. Hunk hits Vince in the throat and he has to be rushed to the hospital. After emergency surgery it is unknown if Vince is going to be able to perform again. Vince had a tough guy attitude and had a hard time showing people how he felt. At the end of the movie he finally shows Peggy how he feels. The movie ends with Vince singing and Peggy at his side.


That is pretty much what the movie is about. That will be part one of my blog on this great movie. I am not done with the story of Jailhouse Rock though. I am getting tired and I feel I need a break. I will be back with another part of this with thoughts on the movie and more interesting facts about the flick.

Part 2 to be continued...

The Trouble With Girls

"The Chautauqua" was the original title for "The Trouble With Girls". This movie would be Elvis' next to last feature film. Set in 1927, Elvis stars as Walter Hale, the manager of "The Chautauqua" (Which is a festival that travels around the US). When one of Hale's employees get accused of murder, people stop coming to the festival putting it in jeopardy. Hale finds the real killer and pretty much saves the show by performing himself. Elvis sings an awesome version of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and one of my personal fav movie songs, "Clean Up Your Own Backyard". Surprisingly Vincent Price also plays a role in the movie as "Mr. Morality". Although he was also in the movie, Vincent and Elvis never met. Overall the movie is ok, Elvis doesn't have a huge presence in the film but when he does he looks cool in the white suit. Definitely a must have if your a collector.

Elvis at 21 NEW YORK TO MEMPHIS

Elvis at 21 is a book containing a collection of photographs by photographer Alfred Wertheimer. His subject was a twenty one year old Elvis Presley. This in my opinion is the best and most important photos of Elvis that was ever took. When Elvis was signed by RCA, they asked Wertheimer to photograph the rising star. He would start photographing Elvis in January of 56 and continue through July of that same year. He would later photograph Elvis in 58, but these picture are priceless. When he started in January with Elvis, he found a young singer that was on the rise but still not known all over. When he would get done in July Elvis owned the music world and was one of the most talked about people on the planet. These pictures take through Elivis' life pretty much in those months. He got him on stage,back stage, around town, and even at home. It shows you every side of Elvis. Wertheimer captured Elvis like no one else ever could. You see Elvis with his guard down and just by looking at this series of photos you get to know the twenty one year old kid who would go on to become the biggest and most successful entertainer ever. Every Elvis fan should own this book, it is worth every penny. These classic pictures of Elvis truly tell a story and you feel like you are kinda of going along the ride with Elvis. This is Elvis Presley, before he was the Hollywood star, or a 70's stage act. He seems so innocent, but at the same time so dangerous. He honestly defined the word cool. Just some of the highlights from this book are pictures from the Stage Show performances, Steve Allen, Russwood Park, and the best ones are of the Presley's at home. If you do not have this, go to shopelvis.com and buy it! I promise you will not be disappointed.

Got a pocketful of rainbows

Tonight I am going to talk about one of my favorite movie soundtracks, G.I. Blues. When Elvis returned home he had to cut some records and start back making movies. Elvis would record this record in the spring of 60 in Hollywood. Elvis sounded great anyone that knows me knows I think Elvis was at his very best vocally in the early 60's. This album showcases Elvis almost perfectly. This was one of Elvis's biggest hit records but lets talk about the music first before we talk about what all the album did.I have the above CF which was a special collectors edition with alternate takes from this great album. The first song on the disc is Tonight Is So Right For Love. I think this song is pretty good and Elvis does a pretty good job. What's She Really Like is one of my favorite songs on the album. Beautiful song and Elvis delivers on it. Frankfort Special is a song that has grown on me over time and I must has grown in to one of my favorites as well. It is a fast pace song and Elvis seems to have a lot of fun with it. The song mixes in well with all the slower numbers that shows off Elvis as the true singer. Frankfort Special is a rocking number Elvis can just let go on. Wooden Heart is the one song that I probably don't go crazy over. Though I do not think it is as bad as some people I have heard criticize it. Interestingly enough Wooden Heart was a number one song in a lot of countries but was never released as a singer in the US until the mid sixty's.G.I Blues, this is just a classic movie song, not much needs to be said about it in my opinion. Pocketful Of Rainbows, my absolute favorite song of the movie. I think Elvis sound superb on it and masters the presentation. This song would be very ordinary and bland with most artist, but Elvis gives it a certain something and makes it sound so cool. Elvis could hear how a song should sound perfectly in his head and that one big reason he was as good as he was. Shoppin Around is another good song, that is a faster tempo song that again gives you another number to move around to, impossible song for me not to sing along to. Big Boots is probably my least favorite song on the album . I just can't get into it. Though I never skip it when I play the CD. Didja' Ever is the closing number and kind of has the same tone as G.I. Blues and is just as a good of a song. Blue Suede Shoes is a classic throwback to the days of the rock n roller days of Elvis and fits in nice in the movie. Doin' The Best I Can is a close number two for my favorite song on this soundtrack. I think it might just be the best all around song on the whole CD. Eight alternate takes appear on the collectors CD and they are all a great insight into the making of this special album. This CD is really solid. It is not only of his best soundtracks, but one of he best all around albums period. G.I. Blues the album made some history for Elvis. It would be a number one album for five weeks and would stay on the Billboard chart for 111 weeks. It would stay on the charts longer then any other Elvis album. Billboard ranks GI Blues on of the top number one albums of the 60's and in the top one hundred hottest albums ever. The album would go double platinum. I know this was a special edition back in the late nineties as well as a copy of Blue Hawaii, but I wish FTD would do a release on these two albums. If the have anymore material It would be worth putting out. The early sixties was something great musically for Elvis and some of his most successful work post Germany. Lets give these soundtracks of the early sixties there proper due. Please click on the video below and listen to my favorite song from the movie. Enjoy!