Re-thinking ELVIS' later years...

There is a bit of a stigma about Elvis' later years, but here I attempt to present a detailed look at just how productive and successful the King was in his final years. Yes, he battled with drug abuse and other issues, but still achieved a lot.

ELVIS IN THE 1970'S »

 

For those who don't wish to visit the link...

After being absent from the music scene for much of the 1960's (due to making mediocre movies) Elvis was becoming a relic of the 50's. Many considered Elvis no longer relevant - especially in the music scene. However, re-charged from the 1968 Comeback Special, the singer would reinvent himself in the 1970's as a jumpsuit clad live-performer and recording artist. Aerosmith's Joe Perry commented that Elvis' jumpsuits were 'beautiful works of art.'

The new Elvis would become one of the most iconic, celebrated, and imitated artists in history. The legions of young fans who came to Elvis concerts throughout the 1970's confirmed that he still appealed to youth and was not merely a nostalgia trip - the appeal of Elvis' current work was further evident by the fact that nearly every single from the 70's would become a Top 40 hit on the U.S Hot 100 singles chart, and in the UK he scored a string of Top 10 hits. In 1970, Newsweek commented "There are several unbelievable things about Elvis, but the most incredible is his staying power in a world where meteoric careers fade like shooting stars.'' The same year Rolling Stone called Presley "supernatural, his own resurrection." In many ways Elvis' concert years in the 1970's were the most successful of his career. Throughout the era Elvis played a staggering 1,000+ sold-out concerts, many breaking attendance records.

According to Susan Doll, PHd, by 1971, Elvis was on the road more than most other acts in show business. In addition, Elvis' record output during the 1970's was extensive, making his recording schedule as grueling as his concert tours. Each year, RCA typically released three to four studio albums, one to two live albums, and various singles. The selection of songs indicates the eclectic nature of Elvis' tastes, while his ability to put them over with a consistency reveals his style. From the country classic "He'll Have to Go" to the pop song "It's Easy for You" by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Elvis unites disparate sounds and genres of music into a style that is big, dramatic, and unique to him. Music Critic Dave Marsh argues that Presley, in fact, created a more impressive body of work in the '70s than almost any other pop act. Amazon.com stated this about Elvis in the 1970's, still-magnificent singer ...Presley was a master of intonation and phrasing, delivering his rich baritone with a disarming naturalness. And when he caught a spark from his great T.C.B. Band, Presley could still out-sing anyone in American pop.

1970
=It is 1970 and Elvis is ready to make more of a musical career in this decade then he did in the 1960's. He starts 1970 off with the release of his single ''Kentucky Rain'' which sells over 500,000 copies in the U.S alone (going Gold). The same month the singer returns to The INTERNATIONAL HOTEL in Las Vegas for another engagement of performances. Elvis breaks his own attendance records with his shows (which he set in 1969). Fans come from as far as Europe and Japan to see the shows. The following month he releases his single ''The Wonder Of You''. The single becomes a Top 10 Gold hit in the U.S and goes to #1 in the UK (where it would stay for 9 weeks)! Elvis also releases his album ''On Stage''. The album was recorded live the previous month in LAS VEGAS. 'On Stage' goes platinum (1 million copies sold) in the U.S. That month Elvis plays to over 200,000 fans during shows at the Houston Astrodome. The summer of 1970 sees Elvis release his single ''I've Lost You/The Next Step is Love'' which goes Gold. The song is taken from the up coming ''Thats The Way It Is'' album. Elvis returns to the INTERNATIONAL HOTEL for more performances. This time MGM is there to film some of the shows and behind the scenes footage for a documentary called ''Elvis: That's The Way It Is''. That fall Elvis embarks on his first tour since 1957. It is an 8 date sold-out U.S Tour. The following month Elvis releases another Gold-selling single ''You Don't Have To Say You Love Me''. That November Elvis is back on the road for another tour and the year ends with the release of the album ''That's The Way It Is'' and the live album '' IN PERSON AT THE INTERNATIONAL HOTEL, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA'' and the single ''I Really Don't Want To Know''. Both albums and the single go Gold. In one Review the Los Angeles Times writes (Elvis) demonstrated once again the dynamic qualities that have made him the nation’s top concert attraction... the enormous personal charisma and showmanship...He showed that he is still way in front of everybody else.

1971
It's 1971 and the King starts off the new year with the release of his new album ''Elvis Country'' which becomes another Gold selling record. The album contains last years hit ''I Really Don't Want To Know''. The follow-up single ''There Goes My Everything'' becomes a UK Top 10 hit. Elvis is also back at the INTERNATIONAL HOTEL for more performances. When Elvis finishes his engagement at the international hotel the new single ''Rags To Riches'' is released. The single sells over 200,000 copies in the U.S and becomes a Top 10 hit in the UK. That May, Elvis releases the single ''Life'' to be taken from the forthcoming ''Love Letters'' album (which becomes a Top 10 hit in the UK and sells nearly half a million copies in the U.S). The next month it's off to Lake Tahoe for an engagement of performances. Once again Elvis breaks attendance records. The following month Elvis is back at the INTERNATIONAL HOTEL for more performances and the single ''I'm Leavin'' is released. Elvis ends the year with a 15 date US Tour. The tour is a complete success with all the dates being sold-out. Reviews from the tour procliam He sounded better than ever, was still the king, and Undeniably Elvis' crowd was a much of a show as he was. Such a glorious frenzy we have never seen the likes before. The single ''Its Only Love'' is released and sells over 1 million copies around the globe. 1971 is also the year in which Elvis is named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees) and wins the Bing Crosby Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the organization that also presents Grammy awards).

1972
Elvis starts the new year off again at the INTERNATIONAL HOTEL for more performances and releases his new album ''Elvis Now'' which becomes a Gold record. The same month the single ''Until Its Time For You To Go'' is released. The song sells over 200,000 copies in the U.S alone and becomes a Top 40 hit. In the UK the single hits the Top 10. That March the single ''He Touched Me'' is released. In April an album of the same name is released, the album goes platinum in the U.S and will go on to win Elvis his second Grammy Award (for Best Inspirational Performance). The same month Elvis embarks on a 15 date U.S tour. MGM is there to film some of the shows for the film ''Elvis On Tour''. The film goes on to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary of 1972. That April Elvis releases the single ''American Trilogy''. The next month the King is off on a 14 date US tour. The tour starts with an unprecedented 4 sold out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City - a then record. The New York Times produced three features on Elvis and all were filled with praise for the man who had stunned the audience with his exceptional voice and his ability to put on a show. Chris Chase of The New York Times said of Elvis; He looked like a prince from another planet, Elvis used the stage, he worked to the people. The ones in front, in the best seats, the ones in back, and up in the peanut galleries. He turned, he moved, and when a girl threw a handkerchief on the stage, he wiped his forehead with it and threw it back, a gift of sweat from an earthy god. Young girls moaned, and stood in their seats trying to dance, and one kid took a giant leap from a loge seat clear to the stage, only to be caught and taken away before she could come too close to her heart’s desire. He stood there at the end, his arms stretched out, the great gold cloak giving him wings, a champion, the only one in his class.

Elvis in person was a force of nature, says Lenny Kaye, the rock historian and Patti Smith Band guitarist who covered the Garden shows as a reporter. A live album is recorded and rush released that month. The album ''As Recorded Live At Madison Square Gardens'' goes triple-platinum in the U.S and sells over 5 million copies worldwide. After the Tour Elvis returns to Vegas for more performances and releases the single ''Burning Love''. The single goes platinum in the U.S and hits #2 on the charts. That November Elvis is out on another sold-out tour again and releases the single ''Separate Ways''. The single becomes a Gold record. In the UK 'Always On My Mind' is released as the A-side, it becomes a Top 10 hit. In 1972 Elvis also wins a special Photoplay Award.

1973
Elvis begins the year with two live shows in Hawaii. The the 2nd show is broadcast live around the world via satellite. The concert takes place at the Honolulu International Center (HIC) in Honolulu and airs in over 40 countries across Asia and Europe (who received the telecast the next day, and also in primetime). It was the first live satellite concert in history featuring only a single performer. Over 1 billion people seen the show! Later in the year the concert special would be aired in the U.S as Elvis Aloha From Hawaii on NBC where it achieves an unprecedented 57% audience share (larger than the audience that saw Neil Armstrong’s moon landing)! Prominent reviewer Phil Hall writes of Aloha From Hawaii, Indeed, Presley’s self-assurance in his work and his emotional connection with his audience not to mention his sheer physical beauty (hey, there was a reason he was called “the king”) creates a dramatic presence that few singers could ever dream of duplicating. The concert captured Presley in a brilliant blaze of glory... it represents a career crowning achievement, reaffirming Presley’s standing as a true deity of 20th century music.

The same month Elvis is back in Vegas for more performances. That February Elvis releases the album Aloha From Hawaii (the soundtrack to the satellite show). The album goes to #1 and spends 52 weeks on the charts. Aloha From Hawaii goes 5x platinum in the U.S and sells over 8 million copies worldwide. That march the single ''Steamroller Blues'' is released and it becomes a Top 40 hit. The following month Elvis is back on a 12 date U.S tour. That May sees the singer back in Lake Tahoe for more performances. The next month Elvis is on the road again for a 17-date sold out US Tour. During the tour the album ''Elvis (Fool)'' is released. The year finishes with Elvis going back to Vegas for more performances and the release of the single ''Raised On Rock'' (as well as an album of the same name). The album sells several hundred thousand copies in the U.S alone. In 1973 Elvis once again wins a special Photoplay award.

1974
It's a new year and Elvis is back in Vegas for more performances. The King is still packing in the crowds. The new single ''I've Got A Thing About You Baby'' is also released and becomes a Top 40 hit in both the U.S and UK - selling close to half a million copies in the U.S alone. The following month the album ''Good Times'' is released. It peaks at #1 on the U.S Cashbox Country chart. Despite the fact of it being the third new album released in just 8 months It still sells close to half a million copies in the U.S alone. Around the same time Elvis is presented with the BillBoard TrendSetter Award.

That march Elvis embarks on a 25-date sold out U.S Tour. One tour review headline reads, Elvis' Fans roar Approval, while another states He is "the King." No one who witnessed Elvis Presley's performance last night at MTSU's Murphy Center will disagree...Another media piece proclaims They come from near and far, stay up all night, turn blue in the cold, wait near hysteria, clutching their cameras and their dreams - all to see the singer they call "the king." How has he retained his throne for 20 years while other singers came and faded all around him? Sheer talent is not the total answer. Not even the increasing polish of his showmanship, his ability to adapt to changing tastes in entertainment, entirely explain the phenomenon. The fact is, Elvis has always had another ace in the hole. In May the singer is back playing a 5-date tour and the single ''If You Talk In Your Sleep'' is released and becomes a Top 20 hit. The same month its back to Vegas for more performances. The next month its back on another massive sold-out US Tour. The album ''Recorded Live on Stage In Memphis'' is recorded on the tour and is released the same month. The album goes Gold. When the tour ends Elvis is back at Lake Tahoe for more shows. When the Engagements ends it's back out for another successful U.S Tour. The single ''Promised Land'' is released during this time and becomes a Top 20 hit in the U.S and Top 10 in the UK. The year ends with Elvis returning to Lake Tahoe for more live performances. In 1974 Elvis would also win the Photoplay award for best Variety Star.

1975
Elvis starts off the year with the album ''Promised Land'' being released. It peaks at #1 on the U.S Cashbox Country chart. The same month the Top 20 hit ''My Boy'' is released in the US. The song becomes another Top 10 hit in the UK (selling close to half a million copies there). That March the King is also back in Vegas for more performances. The next month Elvis is out on another successful tour and the single ''T-R-O-U-B-L-E'' is released, it sells over 200,000 copies in the U.S alone. One headline reads of the tour, After 20 years Presley still tops, while another review states Everybody loves Elvis! barked the concessioner in the lobby of the macon Coliseum. The 11,000 fans - at Elvis Presley's one night, soldout Macon performance seemed to agree. The fans who began flocking in at 7 pm for the 8:30 pm performance soon realized how fortunate they were to have tickets. Outside of the Coliseum stood groups of people trying desperately to purchase tickets. All were willing to pay inflated prices.

The latest single release is taken from the album ''Today'' which is released in May of 1975. The album becomes a Top 10 hit on the U.S Country Charts and sells around half a million copies in the U.S alone. Elvis spends May, June, and July on tour. That August it's back in Vegas for more performances. In October the single ''Bringing It Back'' is released. The year ends with Elvis playing more shows in Vegas and then a Massive sold-out concert in Michigan at the Pontiac Silver Dome, where the King would play to over 62,000 fans - his largest concert ever! One headline reads, The legendary Elvis dazzles New Year's Eve Stadium Crowd! In 1975 Elvis would once again win the Photoplay award for best Variety Star.

1976
After taking a bit of a break from releasing albums and touring the King returns in March of 1976 with his new single ''Hurt'' which will be featured on an upcoming album. "Hurt" was a Top 10 hit on both the country and adult contemporary charts. The follow-up single ''For The Heart'' would become a Top 20 Pop hit. Elvis is also back on tour from March through April playing to sell-out crowds all across the US. One paper reads His final show in the 7000-seat facility will be tonight. And the impact on the area may never be forgotten. There's definitive Presley flavor in the air. Johnson City stores are advertising Presley records. The radio stations are playing all the Elvis hits. But the situation has been just as hectic in Bristol 20 miles away. Elvis has been staying at the Holiday Inn South in Bristol with quarters in a penthouse there. In the brisk temperatures of Wednesday night hundreds - some even said more than 1,000 - of Elvis fans camped around the motel trying to catch a glimpse of the star. Bristol police were caught up with the problem of traffic and security. As he left the motel at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, on his way to Freedom Hall in Johnson City, shouting, screaming fans pushed in for a better look. Last night another group of 500 persons jammed their way in and around the motel. All they wanted, they said, was a glimpse of Elvis. Because of the sizeof the crowd and the inability of the security force to keep them controlled they got more than a glimpse. Other headlines include Fans "AIl Shook Up" No doubt about it: Elvis is still King, Fans Prove Elvis Mania is Ageless, while one fan who missed out on getting into the sold out tour was quoted "I would like to be dead. I have suffered so to get tickets. I'd cut my throat to get tickets."
In May the King goes to Lake Tahoe for more performances and the album ''From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennesseeis'' released. The album goes Gold in the U.S. From the end of May till November Elvis tours massively across the US to sold-out shows. In December Elvis returns to Vegas for more shows and the single ''Moody Blue'' is released. It becomes a Top 10 hit in the UK and a #1 hit on the U.S Country Charts. At the end of the month Elvis is back on another 5-date tour.

1977
Elvis takes it easy for the month of January but is out again on another tour the following month. He will spend the rest of the year (right up until just before his death) on tour and Billboard Magazine rates him the year's top grossing live act. Review headlines include Emperor Elvis Still Has It, Elvis Wows 'Em, and Presley Packs 'Em In. Shows on June 19, 20, and 21 are recorded by RCA for an upcoming live album and are videotaped for an upcoming CBS-TV television special. During one of the shows fans yell out ''Moody Blue'' as they were desiring to hear Elvis' latest hit. Prove that right till the end Elvis' current work mattered to his fans. The live album ''Elvis In Concert'' which will be recorded during the CBS special sells over 3 million copies in the US alone. That June the single ''Way Down'' is released. The single goes platinum in the US and goes to #1 in the UK. The Following month the album ''Moody Blue'' is released. It is the last album Elvis releases while he is is alive. The album sells well going Gold while he is alive, but after his untimely death the album sells another 1.5 million copies in the US alone.

 

Thanks for posting your essay, I agree with every word of it.

 

Me too. Some know it all folks have posted how Elvis was all washed up by 1974 or so. It's untrue, and while yes, at some point the drugs altered what Elvis could accomplish, the magic was there till the very end.


It's just SO sad that no one thought to have a SERIOUS intervention for him, to get him into rehab and a great hospital to restore his health, which absolutely could have and should have been done. Only 42 when he died, it's nothing less than a tragedy that he had to leave us.

 

I have no problem saying that 70's Elvis is my favorite era. It's a real shame he wasn't able to record the songs that he might have if not for the publishing deal Parker imposed on writers.

I don't think there are many songwriters who wouldn't have wanted to write for Elvis. RCA wanted David Bowie to produce him. Golden Years would have been one of the cuts. Imagine Elvis singing that one! Boggles the mind!

 

I agree the 70's is my fav era too. His voice was so rich and full sounding. Had an amazing stage charm right till the end.

 

A few factual errors, such as Elvis In Concert being released while he was alive and before Moody Blue. The soundtrack to the CBS special was released posthumously.

 

It says which will be recorded for the special, which is true, not released....your right it was released after his death

 

You will find that there a few people on this board that are highly critical of this period, especially '74 on. But as for myself, the 70's are easily my favorite era of his. The 50's are fun and youthful, he was in great voice during the 60's (probably recorded his best material in 69), but he never sang with such soul and passion as he did in the 70's. He had a band that he could rely on and seemed to be driven by songs that spoke to him and his life. To me, That's The Way It Is, Elvis Country, the MSG set, Aloha, Promised Land and Moody Blue (not to mention some of the singles i.e. Burning Love) all hold up to his best work.
Yes, near the end he sounded tired. His lifestyle and depression had their way with our guy, but even up until 77, unless he was bored, he could still bring it like no other did. He still had the charisma and that VOICE.

 

I am glad to see other fans like the 70s the best too

 

The biggest issue with the 70s, as mentioned, was his relying on songwriters who weren't great. When he did covers of good songs he did really well. Just listen to his cover versions of Green Green Grass of Home and There's A Honky Tonk Angel and compare them to many other songs written for him from this period of 73-75 and you'll hear the difference.

 

What strikes me is "Old Elvis" was in reality so YOUNG! I mean he seemed so ancient in the seventies when in reality he was the equiv to a late 90's singer today.

 

I didn't think he seemed that old??

 

Sorry but later Elvis makes me cringe. There were so many artists from the 1970's that were much better.

I am not a Elvis fan to be honest. I love hearing Elvis apologists blaming his songwriters for the lack of good material he was receiving. You know what blame Elvis for not writing his music.

 

I didn't think his 70s material was bad...and felt the songs always had an undeniable charm and passion to them.

 

The bottom line is that Elvis was going to do what Elvis wanted to do.

Nobody was going to save him from himself because he was having fun in his own little world of drugs and food.

 

OK in comparison do you honestly think Elvis 1970's music is anywhere near on the level of The Rolling Stones or David Bowie?

I have to be honest I am tired of the Elvis apologists. I have nothing else to say on this topic.

 

It might not be as 'cutting-edge', but honestly, I enjoy it more.

 

Valiant effort and proof that anything can have positive spin applied.

The truth of Elvis' life and lifestyle choices during this era is much, much darker and sadly ended in the worst possible way.

 

Its silly as all get out to post on a thread saying how crappy an artist and admit youre not even a fan. You say youre not a fan so it wouldnt matter which era Elvis it was. You wouldnt like it. Youre not a fan.

Elvis, Sinatra and many other great artist and interpreters of song didnt write any songs. And yet they were amazing. But, oh I forgot, youre not a fan in the first place.

Thats like me commenting on how crappy the Daytona 500 is and then saying: "Oh and by the way..Im not a fan of race car driving." Just goofy.

 

I just hate that he ran himself so hard. Whatever the reasons were. Just looking at that schedules seems to me he just was very afraid he'd lose his grip and become totally forgotten.

 

Eh, Elvis had a LOT of downtime in the 70s, and not enough good creative stimulation. He should never, ever have been booked for engagements in Vegas. He got bored so easily but it was easy money for management.

Elvis was too passive in taking control of his career direction. The records, and his interest in making them suffered.

 

The guy could sing ... in any of his decades: the 50's , 60's or 70's .

It amazes me how many different " voices" Elvis had.
I've mentioned it in an older thread, but many people seem to think Elvis was a country bumpkin that happened to get lucky, but I think he was a genius vocally . Somehow he managed to assimilate all his influences , stir 'em up and it came out "Elvis". Sometimes he used several different vocal ideas in one song. This wasn't just an accident or luck IMO. Elvis was a vocal artist.

Even much of his late period unreleased jungle room material is great IMO

 

I always think of 1971-77 as Elvis's 'blue' period. His personal life was in shambles in this era, he was very depressed, and he was rather open about that (in some instances, uncomfortably so) in his music.

Look at how the songs he gravitates toward change in the last era. In the era right before it (66-70), he seems very interested in the concept of 'home' and one's relationship to it. To be a dime-store psychoanalyst, one can easily see that as relating to his attempt to make a marriage & family work, as it coincides exactly with that point in his life. This theme is particularly acute in his hometown sessions at American studio. Virtually every song recorded there touches on the idea of 'home' or struggling to find some place where one belongs in some way. It's a troubled relationship, and one from which he is bound to ramble.

This changes in the later era. The perspective in the songs he selects is usually that of the one who is left behind. For the most part, his gaze turns inward and backward. There is no more will to ramble to an unknown destination, just a few shreds of a faded past to be clung to and contemplated for a moment before they blow away entirely. That's sad stuff, but that's where Elvis was at this point in his life - and the later the years get, the greater the emphasis on finality, until he's singing from the perspective of the dead in 'Danny Boy' and singing his own funeral aria in 'Unchained Melody'. I suspect that how much one appreciates the latter part of Elvis's career has to do with how much one can face up to the mood that permeates his work. 'Pieces of My Life' might be the tell-tale track, as it's the most distilled version of everything that was going on during this period. If one considers it an essential Elvis track, one can likely reconcile oneself to much in Elvis's last era; If one considers it an aberration, it will be a very thin period indeed.

I happen to think Elvis produced a good many honest, beautiful works in his last years. This might be his least consistent era, but it's also his most thoroughly, painfully autobiographical.

Long live the king.

 

While I agree he didnt create as he should have, we dont the actual reasons as to why he did what he did. People like to think they know a lot of things about being in Elvis' shoes.