Elvis had 5 outstanding recording periods...remarkable

The King was only 42 when he sat on his throne for the last time.

 

I think his mom was the real patriarch of the family with Vernon pretty much a sideline. I think if his mother hadn't passed away when she did, there might have been a chance for Elvis moving away from the Colonel. Not a certainty mind you, but I think he stood a better chance.

 

The problem with Elvis's movies is that he had to sing in the darn things so they needed songs. They were more like musicals than movies!
If they just treated him as an actor he might have been able to balance things with studio work a bit easier. The movies would probably still have been run of the mill crank 'em out garbage but he would've been spared "Petunia the Gardener's Daughter" recording session.

 

The Colonel must of had Elvis on 24 hr suicide watch during this time.

 

The Colonel was certainly always a negative force as far as Elvis' artistic development, and he was also a negative force on Elvis' finances from 1967 onward. But blaming him only goes so far as an excuse, since Elvis was fully aware of what the Colonel was doing, and chose to go along with it. Ultimately, it was Elvis' unwillingness to stand up for himself and his artistic integrity that led to the inconsistency in his career.

Elvis had a non-soundtrack session in January 1964 also, recording Memphis, It Hurts Me, and Ask Me. So his layoff from non-soundtrack recording was 16 months, not two years. I know that doesn't much change your overall point, as 16 months is still a long time.

 

I'm not even the biggest Elvis fan--I rank him somewhere around 150, but I even like the film soundtracks and the 70s output a lot. I'd say his whole discography is very good, but I'd say that there are hundreds of artists where their whole discography is very good.

 

Fair point. Thanks for the correction.

 

His exclusive soundtrack period was from after January 12, 1964 to May 25, 1966. That is a 28 month period where he was not recording regular studio recordings. His first soundtrack recording after that one January 12, 1964 session began on March 2, 1964, and his last before those May 1966 sessions was February 16-17, 1966. So that is about a 24 month period of only recording soundtracks. So you could say he only recorded soundtracks for a 24 month period or you can say he took a break from recording non-soundtracks for 28 months. I am not sure where one would get 16 months. (home recordings notwithstanding).

 

From being stupid and not knowing how to count, I guess. D'oh.

 

I thought maybe you knew of a recording session I didn't. (wishful thinking on my part).

 

His style became more "commercial" very early, soon after his New York January/February 1956 sessions, the last vestige of his "Sun sound". Very little of what he did after the June 1970 sessions and the fall 1970 Vegas season is much better than his soundtrack period. They both included a few gems here and there, but not much more. The truth be told, if only for his voice, I would rather listen to the soundtrack years over the post 1970 years.

 

He had two great periods, imo.

1954-1962
1968-1970

 

That is often the consensus. However, upon closer review, I might suggest that it stops at 1969. "Elvis Country" is clearly very good album, perhaps one of Elvis' most highly regarded artistic endeavors, but there was also a lot of mediocre material recorded during 1970. Even as good as "That's The Way It Is" is, the studio tracks are not exactly top-shelf recordings for the most part. The left-overs from "Love Letters" are mostly substandard tracks. From a vocal perspective, Elvis is still very much on top of his game, although he does over-sing a bit on some of the tracks. As whole, 1970 should receive high marks because it produced Elvis' last noteworthy studio album and some great live recordings, but there is an unevenness there and perhaps too much MOR work to be considered a "great" period.

 

Elvis is everywhere

 

I agree. The 1970 sessions produced some great material but they were uneven and a clear step down compared to the year before. Unfortunately they were a sign of what to come.

 

And imagine if the Colonel just wasn't around post 1962 and Elvis was allowed, even encouraged, to take (Gasp!) risks to allow his immense talent to shine.

Saw too late Jackson beat me to this thought.

 

The Sun sessions and the Memphis sessions.

 

IMHO you can pick any Elvis album from any period in his life & find a remarkable performance, be it a studio or live take. Hell, give the 1973 Hawaii show a spin & your jaw will drop...

 

Not if you play "Hound Dog" and "Suspicious Minds."

 

Aloha is fine, but kinda mellow for my taste. I just played Texas 1972 from the "Close Up" box the other day and was blown away.

 

That is a very good post-1970 concert; just imagine if it contained a great mix and mastering? I really hope it isn't too many more years until Hampton Roads is finally released.

 

I love a lot of his soundtracks, so no need to take them out for me.

Other than Hey Jude...and possibly Easy Come Easy Go, his career was just flat out amazing.

Uh that, and your forgot about the Gospel and Christmas material.

 

The lack of live concerts, tours, etc. from 1958-1968 (save for 2 shows in 1961) is the baffling and galling part of Elvis' career, for me.

Prime-time for his voice and all the missed live recordings and filmed performances from the lack of it.

The guy could have toured every two years and given his fans something besides the movies.

Oh well.

 

Was he supposes to tour while he was in the army?

I have always taken his mid 60's career to be a retirement time of his. I don't blame him.

 

This. Spot on!