Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, May 26, 2019.

  1. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    No, I think some here are questioning the assertion that some others are making about FEPB, that it was some sort of emotional statement by Elvis Presley, perhaps made inadvertently, but a bold and verifiable statement made by Elvis nevertheless. Ironically, I think the revisionism surrounding FEPB that we are seeing in this threat does more to enhance the credibility of the album, rather than make it seem uncool (at least to the ears of prospective new fans from younger generations). That said, while I certainly can see why the association is made, I think it is circumstantial.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2019
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  2. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I don't think there's any evidence that he veered off course at Graceland, in the sense of doing something other than what was planned. Based on what we know about how he usually worked, it stands to reason that the tracks were all selected in advance, publishing cut-ins were obtained if possible, the band was rehearsed, etc. The only instance where we know of Elvis spontaneously deciding to record a song was Pledging My Love, which wasn't down tempo.

    And it stands to reason that whatever selection method was used in 1976 was still in place in January 1977, so if Elvis chose "a good chunk" of the material he recorded at Graceland then he also most likely chose a good chunk of the material he was slated to record at Creative Workshop. If Elvis was involved in the selection of most of the Graceland material (which we don't know for a fact, but it's reasonable to speculate) then there's seemingly no reason he wouldn't have been involved in the selection of the Creative Workshop material.

    My intent wasn't to make light of his condition. As to my use of the word "seemed"... I've worked in various capacities in the social services/mental health field for about 25 years, and one thing that was drummed into my head in school is that you cannot diagnose someone you haven't formally assessed... even moreso, someone you've never even met. We can certainly speculate about possible diagnoses that seem likely, but the fact is that Elvis was never formally diagnosed with any major mental illness by a mental health professional. We know a lot about him from the people who knew him, but that's not the same as directly, formally assessing someone and hearing a report of symptoms, thoughts, and feelings directly from him. There's a lot we do not know here. And it's also important to remember that one of the rule-outs for the diagnosis of depression is "The symptoms must also not be a result of substance abuse or another medical condition." How much of his apparent depression was a result of his significant substance abuse problem? Did he use because he was depressed, or was he depressed because of his substance use? We do not know the definite answer to that.

    So yeah, we cannot say for certain that he was clinically depressed. And I think sometimes lay-people (like authors and fans) are too quick to make armchair retrospective diagnoses of celebrities from the past, these days. I think we ought to be more careful with throwing around diagnostic terms in such situations.

    Beyond that, I guess what I was driving at also was that if he was depressed in February 1976, he also was in October 1976 and in April 1975, and on those occasions he didn't record mostly downtempo sad songs. So I don't know how much we should read into the song selection in February. That's all.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2019
  3. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    No, I do not think that is the argument that many of us have been making. Elvis was not big on making grandiose statements in or out of the studio, except on rare occasions, like on If I Can Dream or on In The Ghetto. Elvis was not trying to make any emotional statement per se, directly or inadvertently, he was merely picking songs and singing them in a way that reflected his current musical passions and emotional insecurities at the time.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2019
  4. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    I agree with your first sentence, but some individuals can move in and out of depression at times, based on certain events or drug usage, so I am not exactly following you on the second part of your post.
     
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  5. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    It feels like maybe you are taking this a bit personally because you love this album. I don't like it as much as you, but I'm not trying to denigrate the album or diminish it. I think it ultimately doesn't matter if he intended to reveal himself in a highly personal way or not... what matters is whether the music connects with you. For Elvis, it was more about the performance than about revealing himself, it seems to me. For example... my all-time second favorite Elvis recording is You Don't Know Me. His vocal on there is sublime, the performance is subtle and moving. There were times in my life when I was experiencing unrequited feelings for someone and that performance really connected with me. But was Elvis suffering from unrequited love at the time he recorded it? Based on what we know, he was not. He got inside the song and inhabited it in the manner that a great actor does, and he created something that was brilliant and moving. He made us believe he was the heartbroken guy in the song. But it was (likely) not in any way an expression of his own feelings or situation at the time. Elvis was not confessional in the manner that some artists are, and that is okay. I don't look to him for that.

    It's true that depression can cycle, yes. But to my knowledge, there is no evidence Elvis was at a particularly low point in February 1976, relative to any other time in the year immediately before or after. From what I've read, his moods were up and down throughout his final years. He wasn't at an exceptionally low point during that month.

    At any rate, this is one of those discussions (like my screed about the protagonist of Kentucky Rain's unhealthy motivations) that I find interesting and I hope doesn't feel heated to those on the other side. I think it's interesting to exchange different views but I don't want to piss anyone off here.
     
  6. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    To be honest, I am not taking it personally at all. I kind of like it when I am drawn to music that a lot of people are not enamored with for some reason. I guess that is one of my hidden pleasures in liking Charlie Rich so much, not a lot of people these days are even aware of his music. I have no problem in fans not liking this album, but I do look for some consistency in the critical analysis, and quite frankly, some people have been all over the place on why they do not like this album. For some reason, the very personal nature of Elvis's performance seems to get under the skin of some fans, who don't really think the album shows Elvis in the best light possible. I can respect someone like @SKATTERBRANE a lot more, who honestly says he does not like Elvis's older vibrato voice or country music very much. This I can understand. He is fairly consistent on this matter and Elvis's voice did change dramatically over the years. And yet even Skater acknowledges the passionate vocals by Elvis on Hurt and Danny Boy.

    It seems to me that some fans are bothered by the fact that From Elvis Presley Boulevard has grown critically in stature over the years, in large part do to the issues that @mark winstanley, @Dirk, @Revelator and I have already addressed ad museum on this fine thread. It is also interesting to note that From Elvis Presley Boulevard spent a whole month in the number one position on the Billboard Country Albums Chart when it was first released in 1976, despite not having one top five single on the country singles chart. I guess the album did touch some people at the time in a special way, and it still holds a unique position to people like myself to this very day. I could care less if other fans cannot appreciate the very intimate and passionate performances Elvis shared with us on this album. In some ways, I do not really want to share that unique experience with every Tom, Dick and Harry, if that makes any sense, but I sure appreciate the fact that Dirk, Revelator, Mark and @Dave112 seem to enjoy what Elvis put into that album emotionally.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2019
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  7. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    On a side note, does anyone else remember the package deal of all of the Pickwick LPs bundled together in a set in the very late 1970s or about 1980? I think it also included Mahlo From Elvis as well but I'm not positive.
     
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  8. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I'm not sure who these comments are directed at, but I don't think anyone here has been inconsistent in the expression of their views. And I think people who dislike the album (or more accurately, dislike parts of it, because everyone here has had at least some good things to say about this record) feel that way because of the material, arrangements, and performance quality, not because any perceived personal nature of the performances.
     
  9. When In Rome

    When In Rome It's far from being all over...

    Location:
    UK
    I came across this, is that what you mean?
    [​IMG]
     
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  10. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Wow so we have possibly the most discussed album of the whole series of threads here lol ...
     
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  11. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Moody Blue **
    She Thinks I Still Care *

    (US) RCA PB 10857
    Released: November 29, 1976
    * Recorded: Graceland, Memphis, February 2, 1976
    ** Recorded: Graceland, Memphis, February 4, 1976

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    Single by Elvis Presley
    from the album Moody Blue
    B-side
    "She Thinks I Still Care"
    Released November 29, 1976
    Recorded February 4, 1976
    Genre Country rock
    Length 2:53
    Label RCA
    Songwriter(s) Mark James
    Producer(s) Felton Jarvis

    "Moody Blue" is a song made famous by Elvis Presley. The song was written by Mark James[1] who recorded the original version of the song, which reached #15 in South Africa during the summer of 1976.[2] James also penned Elvis' "Suspicious Minds".

    "Moody Blue" was Presley's last No. 1 hit in his lifetime, topping the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in February 1977.[3] "Moody Blue" also peaked at number thirty-one on the Hot 100.[4] RCA Records also issued an extremely limited quantity of the "Moody Blue" single in an experimental translucent blue vinyl pressing, with "She Thinks I Still Care" as the B-side. Six months after "Moody Blue" topped the chart, Presley was dead.

    The song was recorded in February 1976 in the Jungle Room of Presley's Graceland home. The only time Elvis performed the song in its entirety was on February 21, 1977 at a concert in Charlotte, North Carolina. He had attempted to perform the song February 20 at the same venue but revealed to the crowd that he had completely forgotten the song; he returned on February 21, lead sheet in hand, and performed the song with his eyes glued to the lyrics. Both the February 20 false-start and the February 21 performance were recorded on soundboard in good sound quality and were released officially in 2007 by the Follow That Dream label; still photos of the February 21 performance also exist. The complete version was first released on bootleg by the Fort Baxter label in 1995.[5]

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Obviously we will discuss these tracks as we get to them on the album, but however we slice it this was a successful single.
    Elvis mismanaged for at least a decade. Suffering the side effects of addiction. Almost completely disenchanted with the music industry. Struggling personally. Struggling with health. He still manages to record a song that people connected with and it went top ten on at least 8 different charts.
    Quite remarkable really.
     
  12. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    WELCOME TO MY WORLD (LP)
    (US) RCA APL1 2274
    Released: March 1977

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    Released March 1977
    Recorded 1958 ("Your Cheatin' Heart"), 1969-1973
    Genre Country pop rock
    Length 27:32
    Label RCA Records

    Welcome to My World is a compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Recordsin March 1977, five months before his death. The album was certified gold on September 30, 1977 and platinum on January 14, 1983 by the RIAA.[1]

    Side one
    1. "Welcome to My World (live)" Ray Winkler, John Hathcock January 14, 1973 1:57
    2. "Help Me Make It Through the Night" Kris Kristofferson May 17-21, 1971 2:45
    3. "Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)" (live) Dub Williams (Eddie Miller, Robert Yount, James Pebworth) February 18, 1970 2:56
    4. "I Really Don't Want to Know" Don Robertson June 6-8, 1970 2:44
    5. "For the Good Times" (live) Kris Kristofferson June 10, 1972 3:07

    Side two

    1. "Make the World Go Away" Hank Cochran June 6-8, 1970 3:33
    2. "Gentle on My Mind" John Hartford January 14, 1969 3:21
    3. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (live) Hank Williams January 14, 1973 2:01
    4. "Your Cheatin' Heart" Hank Williams February 1, 1958 2:26
    5. "I Can't Stop Loving You" (live; previously unreleased) Don Gibson June 10, 1972 2:22

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Here we have the final compilation released during Elvis' life.
    This is an album, that I again, am completely unfamiliar with. It has a pretty good selection of tracks, and I believe this version of I Can't Stop Loving You comes as a previously unreleased performance.

    Not really much I can add at this stage, but There is definitely a leaning toward the Country songs on here. Perhaps the compiler was trying to gauge the direction Elvis was heading, or perhaps on the whole they saw that the country chart was becoming his home, and therefor hoped to take advantage of that.

    Please give us your insight guys, as I am in the breeze on this one.

    I think it is this version of I Can't Stop Loving You ... please correct me, If I am wrong
     
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  13. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    This was RCA basically disguising a compilation as a new album. I Can't Stop Loving You was from the matinee performance at Madison Square Garden
     
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  14. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    [​IMG]

    RCA did such a good job of fooling the public they actually fooled themselves and included it in Elvis: The Perfect Collection even though 9 out of ten tracks were on other albums in the box.
     
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  15. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Now that's funny! lol
     
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  16. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    [​IMG]

    There's worse. There's an Original Album Classics box with Today, Elvis Presley Bvd and Moody Blue but the CD of Moody Blue contains ALL the songs from Elvis Presley Bvd as bonus tracks so you actually get one album twice in a three album set.
     
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  17. croquetlawns

    croquetlawns Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    Is it also in the RCA Albums Collection box? I'm waiting for mine to arrive from the UK - I'll then work my way through all the threads album by album as I listen, so thanks all!
     
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  18. croquetlawns

    croquetlawns Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    And I'm guessing that Moody Blue is actually missing one track, Let Me Be There (?) as it is on the stand-alone version.
     
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  19. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    no
     
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  20. JLGB

    JLGB Senior Member

    Location:
    D.R.
    Interesting to note that was the week the single was number 1. Maybe Elvis heard about it?
     
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  21. BeatleJWOL

    BeatleJWOL Senior Member

     
  22. BeatleJWOL

    BeatleJWOL Senior Member

    I may or may not be a sucker for any of his NC shows. :D
     
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  23. I love the song Moody Blue, and paired with She Thinks I Still Care marks a very strong single. Yeah, it's a bit 'disco'-ey but it's melodic, catchy and Elvis sounds like he's enjoying himself with his vocal delivery and the lyrics. It's another song that, in years past when I was in various bands, we'd on occasion throw in to a set list just for kicks. Another memory is when a friend of mine asked me to DJ an Elvis night (Aug, 16) at his bar - this was a blast as it was a 20-something crowd (I was in my 20's then too) and they really enjoyed it. It helped that I played deep cuts and not the greatest hits material. Anyhow, later in the evening I played Moody Blue and I noticed a guy singing along to every word. He was down on his luck both financially and with his wife, so I thought I'd go over and cheer him up a bit and express my fondness for the song. Long story short, Elvis' version of this track meant a huge amount to him and he asked if I could play it again for him. I was more than happy to oblige.

    I'm not sure what it is about Elvis, but I've had so many random encounters with people over the years who just seem to connect with a certain song of his. These aren't Elvis fans like us in this thread, they probably don't even own a songle Elvis album. But there's something intangible about 'our guy' that brings comfort to people. At the end of the day it's these things that I admire about Elvis' legacy the most - bringing joy to people.
     
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  24. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    I've just got to say that I enjoyed the discussion of FEPB. I can remember getting this album as a kid. The cover photo is a bit deceptive as to the contents of the album. When I got the album home, I was disappointed. As a kid, I liked the rocker tunes mostly and this seemed to be a drag for me with the exception of Hurt, The Last Farewell, and For The Heart. When Moody Blue was released, I liked this much more as a kid because Way Down, Moody Blue, Pledging My Love, Let Me Be There,If You Love Me Let Me Know, and Unchained Melody were all great to me then. FEPB sat on the shelf until my teenage years when in a funk, I pulled my cassette copy and revisited it. WOW! It was like a new never heard before album to me. My point is relevant to the discussion and I'll try to get to it. The album is very well sequenced and my perception of the album totally changed as I got older. Was Elvis especially connecting with the sad material? Was this just my perception because of great sequencing of the album? I think the truth lies in the middle. It is true that Elvis ALWAYS liked to do sad songs about love lossed and loneliness but these songs strike me as a little different. Elvis was usually so in command of delivery of these types of songs. With these songs, he seemed to be more enveloped in the narrative and that is my perception of the songs on the album. I tried making a mix tape with some of the songs on the album but other than Hurt, the other songs don't quite work with previous Elvis sad songs IMO. The insights given by everyone here make me appreciate this album even more!
     
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  25. Dave112

    Dave112 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Carolina
    That's the one!
     

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