Regarding his appearance on the Steve Allen show and Mr. Allen's blatant attempt to mock Elvis and the new music that was really challenging the music that Allen was trying to make a living with and he was going to do his best to shoot Elvis down with his humorous wit and national showcase. Of course, the great effort to defeat Elvis and embarrass him failed miserably as Elvis showed he had a great sense of humor and went along with it at the time, although I am sure he steamed about it later as Scotty testified to in the interview Mark quoted. Here is Mr. Allen's quote many years later in its almost entire splendor, trying to make himself look good and still barely able to acknowledge that Elvis had a great singing voice. I will let his own words bury him so to speak: "It was hard to say what he had, but there was something unusual about him. He had an interesting quality. He didn't have a glorious voice, in the sense that Mario Lanza did, or Andy Williams, or Frank Sinatra in his prime. But his sound wasn't that important. It was the way he conducted himself, the way he put a song over. Anyway, I made a note immediately to book him for our new show, and we just had the good fortune that between that night and when he appeared a few weeks later suddenly there was a lot of controversy and media attention." Good grief, "But his sound wasn't that important." Can you hear the condescending nature in Allen's voice as you read this scholarly summation, which he said so many years later that you would think he might have been able to finally acknowledge something good about Elvis's singing talent after so many years?
It's rather damning to allan, in my opinion. Happy to use the hot new thing to boost himself, but actually hating it. I have a lot of respect for ed sullivan, making a point of dispelling the slander going on at the last sullivan appearance
I agree 100% with you on all these points. One cannot overstate the importance of Ed Sullivan making his endorsement of Elvis as a decent human being. Mr. Sullivan was a very powerful figure, who if I recall correctly originally vowed that he would never have Elvis Presley on his show. Well, the ratings that Elvis was drawing were impossible to ignore, but at least Sullivan went the extra mile and stood up for Elvis after seeing what a gentleman he really was in person, something he really did not have to do at this point.
I only ever knew Ed Sullivan through clips from his shows introducing bands/artists ... In the context of what was going down at this time, he certainly showed good character.
I remember the clip of Steve Allen reciting Be-Bop-A-Lula with pauses to snicker at how dumb he found it. Quite some time later Dean Martin would be sniggering about the Rolling Stones' hair length. Those guys did not get it, nope, just too hip for the kids... sure, hip, that's the word daddy-os. Have another sophisticated martini Steve-o, Dean-o... Elvis and a lot of the rockers who followed punctured that superiority with great precision by simply ignoring it and humoring the old guard that had the attitude problem (and being pleasantly surprised I'd think by the older people who didn't have the 'tude or barely concealed sneer).
Reminds me of how people treat 'millennials' today, rudely infantalizing their fellow rational adults...
So true. I do remember some of the old timers did realize the new sound was gonna be around for a while and recognized some of the talent that was heading their way. I think of a story that comedian Shecky Green use to tell after he played with Elvis during his very first gig in Las Vegas in 1956 when Elvis more or less was not able to connect with the old crowd. Shecky was with Bing Crosby and said something to him like. "Wow, its too bad the kid is kind of bombing here in Vegas, I guess its not his kind of crowd." Bing quickly shot back, "Oh I wouldn't be too worried about him, that kid is going to be the biggest star in the world one day!"
Sorry if that was me. I don't remember, I might have done that a couple times myself when someone asked me what a postage stamp was for or somesuch.
Not that I can recall... I've only visited Victoria once and it was a long time ago, and even if our paths crossed in an unfortunate way all is forgiven now
But... Steve Allen welcomed Jerry Lee Lewis onto his show with open arms and actually seemed to like his music. Maybe he felt a kinship as they were both pianists, but I always felt that Steve Allen was made out to be a bigger villain than he actually was.
Of all the Elvis outtakes that have been lost, the tape I would most like to hear is the one of the "Hound Dog" sessions. 31 takes, and (based on the Steve Allen show performance) the arrangement must have started out dramatically different than it finished up. To hear it evolve over the course of those 31 takes would be fascinating.
"Shake, Rattle And Roll" Single by Elvis Presley B-side "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" Released 1956 Format 78 rpm record 45 rpm record Genre Rockabilly[16] Length 2:27 Label RCA Victor Songwriter(s) Charles E. Calhoun a.k.a.Jesse Stone Elvis Presley singles chronology "Don't Be Cruel" (1956) "Shake, Rattle And Roll" (1956) "Blue Suede Shoes" (1956) Elvis Presley recorded the song[7] twice in a studio setting: a demo recorded at radio station KDAV in Lubbock, Texas in January 1955 [17] while under contract with Sun Records (this recording that was not released until the 1990s) and as a 1956 single for RCA Victor, although it was not a major hit. Both versions by Elvis mixed Haley's and Turner's lyrics with a faster-paced version of Haley's arrangement. Although the commercially released 1956 version used Turner's "bed" version of the opening verse, alternate takes released by RCA in the 1990s indicate Presley originally intended to begin the song with Haley's "kitchen" verse. Introduced by Cleveland disc jockey, Bill Randle, Presley, Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and D.J. Fontana performed the song in medley with the similar "Flip, Flop and Fly" on the January 28, 1956 broadcast of the Dorsey Brothers Stage Show (Haley's "kitchen" opening verse was sung).[18] Presley recorded the song with these same musicians. Bill Black and Scotty Moore had played with Elvis from his first sessions at Sun Studios.[19] DJ joined the group late in 1954.[20] These personnel performed and recorded with Elvis throughout 1955 and 1956. The song was released on September 8, 1956.[21] Elvis sang lead vocal, and played rhythm guitar. Scotty Moore played lead guitar. Bill Black played stand-up bass. And D.J. Fontana provided percussion. Scotty, Bill and DJ also provide vocals for the chorus, as can be seen clearly in the recordings of the broadcast, rather than the Jordanaires, who began working with Elvis after he left Sun for RCA, but months after the Dorsey Brothers performance. DJ is on record saying "That's the first and last time he let us sing. I can't blame him for that."[22] Shorty Long played piano on the RCA recording.[23] ------------------------------------------------------ The boys do a great version of this song. It isn't a favourite song of mine, but it is a bit of fun. Scotty Moore does a really interesting lead break with a sliding effect that sounds very original.
Lawdy Miss Clawdy - b-side to shake rattle and roll This is one of those songs that seemingly everyone has done. Elvis and the boys do a great version. This song was revisited in the sit down section of the '68 comeback special and the boys still seemed to be having fun with it then. Good old time rock and roll song.
Any Way You Want Me (that's how I will be) This is another of my favourite early Elvis ballads and it comes over brilliantly. I was very surprised to see that it only got released as a b-side to the single version of Love Me Tender (until Golden Records) .... I guess my opinion is somewhat tainted by growing up with the Golden Records album as my sole Presley album to reference for so many years. I think the vocal is particularly good, and the musical arrangement really does accentuate how good the vocal is. The backing vocalists aren't mixed too high, so they don't interfere with the main vocal too much. They do just enough to flesh out the song. There is a very nice, but short and sweet little guitar intro. The song is in three (6/8 ?... not my forte) and the rhythm guitar accentuates this nicely with its little triple strikes on the 4,5,6,. It's a really well put together song and the vocal from Elvis is a sign of things to come and his absolute command of the rock and roll ballad.
Ok then. That brings us up to date with the singles from the first stretch up to the release of the second album. Tomorrow we will hit the first couple of songs from "Elvis" Please feel free to comment on these songs that we have already posted up here, or any other things that take your fancy regarding this early stage of Presley's career.
Shake, Rattle And Roll - A bad choice to cover something that Haley had already done. Very routine. Lawdy Miss Claudy - A teriffic vocal on this. A lovely guitar solo from Scotty and I would've preferred him at the intro instead of the piano. I love the 68 special versions. Anyway You Want Me - An routine Doo-wap type song and again, a terrific vocal. Question: what was the first appearance of this song on an Elvis album?
The Ed Sullivan Show Initial appearance[edit] On September 9, 1956, Presley made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (after earlier appearances on shows hosted by the Dorsey Brothers, Milton Berle, and Steve Allen), even though Sullivan had previously vowed never to allow Presley on the show.[20] According to Sullivan biographer Michael David Harris, "Sullivan signed Presley when the host was having an intense Sunday-night rivalry with Steve Allen. Allen had the singer on July 1 and trounced Sullivan in the ratings. When asked to comment, [Sullivan] said that he wouldn't consider presenting Presley before a family audience. Less than two weeks later he changed his mind and signed a contract. The newspapers asked him to explain his reversal. 'What I said then was off the reports I'd heard. I hadn't even seen the guy. Seeing the kinescopes, I don't know what the fuss was all about. For instance, the business about rubbing the thighs. He rubbed one hand on his hip to dry off the perspiration from playing his guitar.' "[21] Sullivan's reaction to Presley's performance on The Milton Berle Show was, "I don't know why everybody picked on Presley, I thought the whole show was dirty and vulgar."[22] Elvis mythology states that Sullivan censored Presley by only shooting him from the waist up. Sullivan may have helped create the myth when he told TV Guide, "as for his gyrations, the whole thing can be controlled with camera shots." In truth Presley's whole body was shown in the first and second shows.[22] At the time, Presley was filming Love Me Tender, so Sullivan's producer, Marlo Lewis, flew to Los Angeles to supervise the two segments telecast that night from CBS Television City in Hollywood. Sullivan, however, was not able to host his show in New York City because he was recovering from a near fatal automobile accident. Charles Laughton guest-hosted in Sullivan's place. Laughton appeared in front of plaques with gold records and stated, "These gold records, four of them... are a tribute to the fact that four of his recordings have sold, each sold, more than a million copies. And this, by the way, is the first time in record-making history that a singer has hit such a mark in such a short time. ... And now, away to Hollywood to meet Elvis Presley."[23] However, according to Greil Marcus, Laughton was the main act of that particular telecast of Sullivan's show. "Presley was the [ostensible] headliner, and a Sullivan headliner normally opened the show, but Sullivan was burying him. Laughton had to make the moment invisible: to act as if nobody was actually waiting for anything. He did it instantly, with complete command, with the sort of television presence that some have and some—Steve Allen, or Ed Sullivan himself—don't."[24] Host Laughton introduced the singer from New York. Once on camera, Elvis cleared his throat and said, "Thank you, Mr. Laughton, ladies and gentlemen. Wow", and wiped his brow. "This is probably the greatest honor I've ever had in my life. Ah. There's not much I can say except, it really makes you feel good. We want to thank you from the bottom of our heart. And now ..." "Don't Be Cruel", which was, after a short introduction by Elvis, followed by "Love Me Tender".[23] According to Elaine Dundy, Presley sang "Love Me Tender" "straight, subdued and tender ... —a very different Elvis from the one on The Steve Allen Show three months before".[25] When the camera returned to Laughton, he stated, "Well, well, well well well. Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis Presley. And Mr. Presley, if you are watching this in Hollywood, and I may address myself to you. It has been many a year since any young performer has captured such a wide, and, as we heard tonight, devoted audience."[23] Elvis Presley performing "Ready Teddy" Elvis's second set in the show consisted of "Ready Teddy" and a short on-air comment to Sullivan, "Ah, Mr. Sullivan. We know that somewhere out there you are looking in, and, ah, all the boys and myself, and everybody out here, are looking forward to seeing you back on television." Next, Elvis declared, "Friends, as a great philosopher once said, 'You ain't nothin' but a Hound Dog ...,' " as he launched into a short (1:07) version of the song.[23] According to Marcus, "For the first of his two appearances that night, as a performer Elvis had come on dressed in grandma's nightgown and nightcap." Concerning the singer's second set in the show, the author adds that there were "Elvis, Scotty Moore on guitar, Bill Black on stand-up bass, D. J. Fontana on drums, three Jordanaires on their feet, one at a piano. They were shown from behind; the camera pulled all the way back. They went into 'Ready Teddy.' It was Little Richard's most thrilling record", however, "there was no way Elvis was going to catch him, but he didn’t have to—the song is a wave and he rode it. Compared to moments on the Dorsey shows, on the Berle show, it was ice cream—Elvis's face unthreatening, his legs as if in casts ..."[24] When "he sang Little Richard's 'Reddy Teddy' and began to move and dance, the camera pulled in, so that the television audience saw him from the waist up only."[26] Although Laughton was the main star and there were seven other acts on the show, Elvis was on camera for more than a quarter of the time allotted to all acts.[27] The show had a 43.7 rating, and was viewed by a record 60 million people which at the time was 82.6 percent of the television audience, and the largest single audience in television history. "In the New York Times", however, "Jack Gould began his review indignantly: Elvis Presley had 'injected movements of his tongue and indulged in wordless singing that were singularly distasteful.' Overstimulating the physical impulses of the teenagers was 'a gross national disservice.'"[28] Second and third appearances[edit] "Hound Dog", October 28, 1956 Sullivan hosted a second appearance by Presley on October 28, 1956. Elvis performed "Don't Be Cruel", then "Love Me Tender". Sullivan then addressed the audience as he stood beside Elvis, who began shaking his legs, eliciting screams from the audience. By the time Sullivan turned his head, Elvis was standing motionless. After Presley left the stage, Sullivan stated, "I can’t figure this darn thing out. You know. He just does this [Ed shakes his legs] and everybody yells." Elvis appeared a second time in the show and sang "Love Me". Later on, he sang a nearly four-minute-long version of "Hound Dog" and was shown in full the entire song. For the third and final appearance on January 6, 1957, Presley performed a medley of "Hound Dog", "Love Me Tender", and "Heartbreak Hotel", followed by a full version of "Don't Be Cruel". For a second set later in the show he did "Too Much" and "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again". For his last set he sang "Peace in the Valley". According to Sullivan's co-producer Marlo Lewis, the rumor had it that "Elvis has been hanging a small soft-drink bottle from his groin underneath his pants, and when he wiggles his leg it looks as though his pecker reaches down to his knee!"[29] It was decided to shoot the singer only from the waist while he performed. Although much has been made of the fact that Elvis was shown only from the waist up, except for the short section of "Hound Dog", all of the songs on this show were ballads. "Leaving behind the bland clothes he had worn on the first two shows", Greil Marcus says, Elvis "stepped out in the outlandish costume of a pasha, if not a harem girl. From the make-up over his eyes, the hair falling in his face, the overwhelmingly sexual cast of his mouth, he was playing Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik, with all stops out. That he did so in front of the Jordanaires, who this night appeared as the four squarest-looking men on the planet, made the performance even more potent."[30] Sullivan praised Elvis at the end of the show, saying "This is a real decent, fine boy. We've never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we've had with you.... You're thoroughly all right"[31]—a remark that could either be interpreted as a "ringing endorsement" that "legitimized the singer with an adult audience"[32] or as "a somewhat hypocritical statement considering what the CBS censors had just done to his performance on that show."[33] Eyewitness Jerry Schilling writes, "The way Elvis looked out at us at that moment, I thought I could see a mix of hurt over the attacks he’d been subjected to in the press, and a deep pride in who he was and what he was doing."[34] (According to historian Tim Parrish, Presley's manager, Colonel Parker, "had threatened to remove Elvis from the show if Sullivan did not apologize for telling the press that Elvis's 'gyrations' were immoral."[35]) Reflecting on the event in 1969, Presley claimed that Sullivan had expressed a very different opinion off-camera: "So they arranged to put me on television. At that particular time there was a lot of controversy—you didn't see people moving—out in public. They were gettin' it on in the back rooms, but you didn't see it out in public too much. So there was a lot of controversy ... and I went to the Ed Sullivan Show. They photographed me from the waist up. And Sullivan's standing over there saying, 'Sumbitch.' I said, 'Thank you, Ed, thank you.' I didn't know what he was calling me, at the time."[36] Years later, Sullivan "tried to sign the singer up again... He phoned Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker, and asked about a price. Parker came up with a list of instructions and conditions and after hearing the demands Sullivan said, 'Give Elvis my best—and my sympathy,' and he hung up."[21] The singer never again appeared in Sullivan's show, although in February 1964 at the start of the first of three broadcasts featuring the Beatles (see below), Sullivan announced that a telegram had been received from Presley and Parker wishing the British group luck. --------------------------------- Being Australian I didn't really know much about Ed Sullivan or his show, but the records seem to suggest it was probably the most important show for a new performer to get on, back in the day. Although Presley was already huge by the time he got on the show, the appearances certainly would appear to have solidified his position as the number one new talent in the music industry. Some very smart song choices didn't hurt either. An absolutely brilliant idea to do Peace In The Valley, for a generally conservative Christian audience wouldn't have hurt his reputation at all. Sullivan graciously giving Presley his stamp of approval as being very fine young man also would have gone a long way to pacifying some of the "dirty filth monger" talk that was going around. I think that it is important to look at things like this when trying to appraise and artists work and success, and I think the whole event/experience worked very well in Elvis' favour. Aside from the fact that seeing Presley perform was always good fun.
Bill Haley's Shake Rattle And Roll was more like big band swing. Elvis' was raunchy rock n roll. I vote for Elvis' version any day. Lawdy Miss Clawdy sounds like it could have come from a Sun session. These were the last recordings Elvis made before his style became more polished and commercial. Anyway You Want Me is a fantastic performance in Elvis' quickly evolving talent for ballad singing.
The Shake Rattle and Roll single was not a regular release. It was part of a group that included EVERY song from his debut LP (Shake Rattle and Roll/Lawdy Miss Clawdy from a 45EP) that made available every Elvis song on 45 single up to that point. This included the first time Blue Suede Shoes was released on a single as well. These 7 singles sandwiched between Hound Dog and Love Me Tender were put out simply to squeeze every last sales possibility from this material. So there was really no expectation for Shake Rattle and Roll to become a chart topper.
Easy song and album guide Good resources for information elvisrecords.com | The Elvis Presley Record Research Database Thanks @Shawn Elvis Presley U.K. Discography Thanks @Purple Jim Elvis Presley 1956 | The King of Rock 'n' Roll Elvis Presley in Canada | Official Graceland Blog Elvis Presley Recording Sessions Thanks @MEMPHISSUN The roots, for those unaware - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread The Crudup Connection - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Elvis and Sun Studios - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread The Sun Recordings (some, not all) - My Happiness Elvis Presley - The Album Thread The My happiness transfer to digital - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread That's All Right Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Good Rockin' Tonight Elvis Presley - The Album Thread I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine Elvis Presley - The Album Thread You're A Heartbreaker Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Milk Cow Blues Boogie Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Baby Let's Play House Elvis Presley - The Album Thread I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Mystery Train Elvis Presley - The Album Thread I Forgot To Remember To Forget Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Elvis Presley - March 1956 - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 1 Blue Suede Shoes Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 2 I'm Counting On You Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 3 I Got A Woman Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 4 One Sided Love Affair Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 5 I Love You Because Elvis Presley - The Album Thread (Sun recording) track 6 Just Because Elvis Presley - The Album Thread (Sun recording) track 7 Tutti Frutti Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 8 Tryin' To Get To You Elvis Presley - The Album Thread (Sun recording) Tryin' to get to you Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 9 I'm Gonna Sit Right Down (and cry)Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 10 I'll Never Let You Go (li'l darlin') Elvis Presley - The Album Thread (Sun recording) tarck 11 Blue Moon Elvis Presley - The Album Thread (Sun recording) track 12 Money Honey Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Singles 1956 - part 1 Heartbreak Hotel Elvis Presley - The Album Thread b-side I Was The One Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Heartbreak Hotel EP Elvis Presley - The Album Thread I Want You I Need You I Love You Elvis Presley - The Album Thread b-side My Baby Left me Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread * Don't Be Cruel Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread * (bside - but essentially double a side) Hound Dog Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread * Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread * Shale Rattle and Roll Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread * b-side Lawdy Miss Clawdy Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread * (Love Me Tender, single b-side) Any Way You Want Me Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread * Ed Sullivan Show 9 Sept, 28 Oct, 6 Jan 57(Including Footage) - Elvis Presley the Albums and Singles Thread * The Complete Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show on 29. Sept 1956 - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread another edit - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Elvis - October 1956 Love Me Tender EP - November 1956 - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 1 Love Me Tender Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 2 Let Me Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 3 Poor Boy Elvis Presley - The Album Thread track 4 We're Gonna Move Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Newspaper Articles Clean it up - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread That's All Right and the Hayride - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread Concert Review 1957? - Elvis Presley - The Album Thread
Well I just want to echo everything you said here as once again you say it so well and succinctly. I love the early version of Lawdy Miss Clawdy, especially Scotty's great guitar solo, but to say Elvis puts this one in the dust when he sings it live on the 68 Special is an understatement. He just loved this song so much as he would return to it time and time again, even on the great Recorded Live In Memphis album in 1974, although it is no match for the 68 Special take on it. Yes indeed, the man is starting to develop his range and ballad style on Anyway You Want Me and this song shows it off to great effect.
