Elvis Presley - The Albums and Singles Thread pt3 The Seventies

You know that running joke in the Follow That Dream movie where one twin divides a candy bar with the other? One side is inevitably slightly bigger. The "smarter" twin bites the bigger side to even them out, and then gives it to the brother. Well eventually the dumber twin figures it out.

 

Totally agree, but one thing Elvis had to deal with back then was a 90% maximum tax rate. That took a ton of his money in his peak earning years. But yea, buy a dividend paying stock or utility for God's sake.

 

It's not even that mate, you become hypnotised by whatever piece of art, song, album, project that you are working on, and that is all that matters. It is a can't see the forest for the trees situation.
When I had my studio, I could literally sit there for twelve hours, just fiddling with things to try and find what it was I was trying to get. Tin and the outside world just disappears.

 

Yeah, I am going to die fat and lonely watching TV (or listening to my stereo). I just cannot deal with people in general. My wife whom I have not seen in six years, is going to die of bulimia. She's come close more than a few times. I've tried and can do nothing to help her.

 

I'm sorry to hear that, but you can't stop the addict from being addicted, and it is a difficult game, and it really is some kind of crazy game, to try and shine a light there in such a way as for them to find it. I have had successes and failures in this regard, but it all comes down to the patient, for want of a better term, getting up and walking.
It's like parents trying to protect their kids from the world ... it's impossible ... all you can do is arm them as best you can, and try to stay consistent so they have no easy-out ... then let them fly.
It's heartbreaking watching people you love destroy themselves when you have shown them all the angles and they still don't see.

 

I have a book called Elvis Day by Day, and at the end of most chapters it shows Elvis' annual income and tax paid. Yes the upper rate was 90% before Kennedy and then went to 75% until Regan. But even with the most rudimentary and conservative efforts Elvis never paid over 50%. Example 1958 he earned over 1Mil paid 360K in Federal income taxes. Of course not ALL his income was at a 90% rate because it is progressive. (and that is why whenever there is a tax rate decrease the rich will always benefit because even if there is ONLY a tax break at the lower income rates, the rich also earn money in those lower inc0me rates too until there income reaches the higher income rates.)

Another random example 1963 Elvis earned $1,8Mil paid $800K in taxes.
1970 $4.1 Mil taxes paid $1.7 Mil.

And it has been said that because the Colonel feared an audit, they ended up paying far more taxes than had they had a good tax lawyer.

 

I think Elvis was fine with getting away from RnR. He always wanted to be a movie star.

 

I don't think Elvis was ever all that interested in RnR. His musical tastes ran the gamut. He was seemingly most proud of his ballad singing milestones and achievements even from day one.

 

I go back and forth on whether Elvis was just an idiot or did the drugs just get to him? I mean, when I hear interviews of him from the 50's and early 60's he seems pretty sharp and engaged. In the later years he sounds like well, a dunce. On Tour interviews are pretty bad, the Aloha interview where drugs were obviously a problem, even most of his on stage banter is embarrassing. Yet lots of people who knew him (not Mafia guys)say he was one of the nicest men they've ever met and a smart guy. I'm talking about co stars and other people who met him. Maybe he just wasn't comfortable being interviewed? Obviously the lack of money smarts doesn't lead to the smart column along with a lot of bad career moves. So what do you think?

 

I think Hillbilly Cat has more of an emphasis on Hillbilly than Cat.

 

And there lies the problem — Parker owed Elvis a duty not to serve his self interest in the extreme manner which he did.

 

I was watching Bill Burr's latest standup on Netflix last night. I learned his wife is black. They were watching an Elvis documentary together, I guess it may have been The Searcher. And Burr's wife got all upset about Elvis' racism and cultural appropriation. (yeah that old trope). Well this is plan nonsense. As I have said time and time again that deep south black culture was all part of Elvis' culture as well. He was no more sophisticated than all those old blue artists that got taken for a ride by managers and record companies. He was just lucky enough to have not been taken completely because he was a money maker for so many people, and the Colonel at least did not kill the Golden Goose. Well he slowly cooked that golden goose, but it was more like that story of a frog being boiled in a pot that starts out as cool water.

 

And Elvis had a duty to make SURE Parker served Elvis and not the other way around.

 

Yeah, that argument would have worked in court had Elvis ever sued Parker for breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract.

 

Doesn’t the story go that for at least several years Elvis was the largest income tax payer in the US? Not sure if that’s true but it wouldn’t surprise me.

 

Thanks PacificOceanBlue! I'm always learning something new and interesting in music history from you.

 

I'm gonna ask the experts. I recall back in the late 1970s after Elvis' death that there was this story that Elvis intentionally undercut his market value to keep ticket prices affordable "for the fans". I can't remember where I heard this. It could have been on the radio or TV way back in the day. Has ANYONE else heard this from anyone in Elvis' circle of friends,sycophants, or employees? It always struck me as an odd thing(I know don't believe everything that you hear in the media). I don't mind working but if I can make twice as much across town doing the same thing, I'm going to do that.

 

What a great post, Mark. You really encapsulate all the storm surrounding Elvis and as @Spencer R has pointed out several times before on this fine forum, it is not really surprising that Elvis's comet like success eventually devoured him, but that it actually took over twenty years to do it is the real shocker. What was it that music critic Dave Marsh always said about Elvis? He made the only maps that other entertainers who followed him could actually trust. Marsh said that fact alone makes Elvis more than worthy of being called "An American hero, and one we should all be proud to call our own."

 

I've never heard anything of this nature, and I'm going to venture a guess there is no truth to it whatsoever. I doubt Elvis ever had anything to do with the negotiations for his concert fees or the prices charged for tickets. That was the Colonel's job, and we know that Elvis had no interest in that area and gave the Colonel an entirely free hand. And I can't imagine any scenario where the Colonel would intentionally act to make ticket prices lower than they could be "for the fans" or any scenario where he would let Elvis interfere in negotiations in such a manner.

The Colonel sometimes made bad deals, but that was due to his own lack of skill or a perception that it was in his own self-interest to do so (ie, the situation with re-upping at the Hilton for a lowball deal because of his debts at the casino). And Elvis' value as a concert draw in some of the major markets did diminish as the 70s went on because of the fact he toured so frequently, resulting in them having to book in secondary markets instead. But this was not by design, it was a consequence of his frequent touring.

 

Tryin' To Get To You was included on the expanded version of the TV Special. Love Me and Are You Lonesome Tonight were not on that CD. I believe they were features on the HBO One Night With You TV Special.

 

In 1954-57 Elvis was interested in Rock and Roll/Rockabilly but he did like the ballads most of course. But by the mid 60s the new Rock that was popular (The Beatles, Rolling Stones) was a style he never cared much for. By then he was more into Gospel/ Country/ Adult Contemporary. And that’s why he never made a full blown Rock record since 1960

 

If that’s what he wanted then sure but Elvis always loved performing for the fans. But he needed a year off in 73 to go into rehab and straighten out his personal life

 

Elvis was a smart guy. Take a look at the MSG interviews in 72. He is attentive and good natured and answers the questions swiftly. The Aloha interview was shocking how high he was. On Tour Elvis was out of it as well but more disinterested then on drugs

 

I didn't want to sound like I had just fallen off of the turnip truck but it was a thing in the late 1970s. I heard people talking about how he knew his health was bad and he was just trying to see as many people as he could the last year or two. This was also before the expose' about the crazy amount of drugs in his system. I know it seems silly now but people were much less cynical in 1977-1979 (even though the What Happened? book was a best seller). I heard "bless his heart (about Elvis) he knew things looked bad but wanted to get out and be with the fans while he could". This wasn't my family speaking but people on the radio in interviews. I heard things like this a several times back then as I was a late night radio junkie as a kid. That's when I heard about keeping tickets affordable. I was a dumb kid and thought that it was a totally cool thing for Elvis to selflessly do. I probably would have wanted more money is what I also thought (because I wasn't cool like Elvis was). I was just wondering if this was a Southern US thing or in other places?

 

I've Got A Thing About You Baby **
Take Good Care Of Her *
(US) RCA APBO 0196
Released: January 11, 1974
* Recorded: Stax Studio, Memphis, July 21, 1973
** Recorded: Stax Studio, Memphis, July 22, 1973



I reckon this is a pretty good a and b side single. Again they are the 1st racks on either side of the record. Of course we'll hit these songs as we go through the album.