Music

Electric Dawn

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Anticipation - Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT

“Anticipation” (Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT)

The Elvis Odyssey

Part V: Electric Dawn

With his movie career beginning to flounder and his recent singles receiving little notice, Elvis Presley is at a crossroads. As part of a package deal with yet another movie, he signs on to his first television appearance since a brief guest spot in 1960.

Slated to air on the NBC television network in December 1968, the pre-recorded special is supposed to feature Elvis singing Christmas songs for an hour.

Executive Producer Bob Finkel, however, convinces principal sponsor The Singer Company, NBC, and Elvis’ manager, Tom Parker, to widen the scope of the program beyond Christmas music. Finkel also meets with Elvis, who tells Finkel he wants the special to be completely different than anything in his past, especially his movies.

Elvis: “I want everyone to know what I can really do.”AM

Finkel then hires Steve Binder as Producer/Director of the Singer Presents ELVIS special.

Pre-production begins on June 3 with two weeks of informal rehearsals at NBC Studios in Burbank. Elvis and the crew are working 12-16 hour days, followed by jam sessions in the star’s dressing room.

On June 5, Senator Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated about thirty minutes away in Los Angeles while campaigning for President. Binder is taken with Elvis’ reaction to the news as well as his commentary on the assassination of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis only two months earlier.

As a nation mourns, the rest of June is consumed with production of the ELVIS special. Elvis practically lives at NBC while making the program, even moving into his dressing room for a period of time. . . .

Listen along on Spotify.

#183 Trouble/Guitar Man (Alternate-1968)
Memories
June 22, Burbank, CA Master [alternate mix]

The ELVIS special begins with a tight close-up on Elvis’ face as he announces, “If you’re lookin’ for trouble, you came to the right place.” The opener is one of multiple production numbers in the show and begins a light storyline through the motif of “Guitar Man.”

I can only imagine what it must’ve been like to be an Elvis fan in 1968. To tune into this special after all of those years of mostly silly movies and see Elvis practically assault the television screen. Within seconds, it was obvious that he had something to prove.

#184 That’s All Right (Live-1968)
Tiger Man
June 27 8 PM, Burbank, CA

Elvis’ dressing room jam sessions inspire Binder to incorporate something similar into the special. When taping in the dressing room proves unfeasible, Binder instead plans to seat Elvis and his friends on a small stage completely surrounded by a studio audience. Elvis agrees to the concept on the condition that the surviving members of his original band, Scotty Moore (guitar) and DJ Fontana (drums), join him as well.

However, shortly before the first show, Elvis changes his mind and decides he cannot go on for what would be his first appearance since the Pearl Harbor concert in 1961. Binder convinces him to go out there, telling him he can come right back if he wants. Clad entirely in black leather, Elvis even jokes, “Well, goodnight!” shortly after the audience applauds his entry.

In addition to Moore and Fontana, on stage are Elvis’ friends Charlie Hodge and Alan Fortas. Lance LeGault, another friend, plays tambourine at the edge of the audience near Elvis.

Elvis: “It’s more important to try to surround yourself with people who can give you a little happiness because you only pass through this life once, jack. You don’t come back for an encore.”AN

Though dozens are recorded, only five or six of the informal songs make it in the actual special and album.

Among those left out is a rousing performance of “That’s All Right,” the song that started it all for Elvis.

The night, which includes tapings of two “sit-down” shows with similar setlists, is unlike any other in Elvis’ entire body of work.

#185 Baby, What You Want Me To Do (Live-1968)
Tiger Man
June 27 8 PM, 2nd version, Burbank, CA

Early on in both shows, Elvis trades his acoustic guitar for Moore’s burnt-orange electric guitar.19 Producing a raw, raucous sound, Elvis then drives the shows hard, including multiple versions of the Jimmy Reed blues number “Baby, What You Want Me To Do.” This particular rendition also goes unused.

#186 Blue Suede Shoes (Live-1968)
Memories
June 27 6 PM,20 Burbank, CA

“Blue Suede Shoes” is not used in the special or album.

#187 Lawdy, Miss Clawdy (Live-1968)
Memories
June 27 6 PM, Burbank, CA

For the special and album, the 8 PM version of “Lawdy, Miss Clawdy” is used.

From the 6 PM show, this live version manages to be even better than Elvis’ 1956 studio master of “Lawdy, Miss Clawdy.”

#188 Tryin’ To Get To You (Live-1968)
Memories
June 27 6 PM, Burbank, CA

“Tryin’ To Get To You” is not used in the special or album.

Again, Elvis improves upon his original 1955 studio master of “Tryin’ To Get To You” with this rock-infused live version.

#189 One Night (Live-1968)
Memories
June 27 6 PM, 1st version, Burbank, CA

This particular rendition of “One Night” is not used in the special or album.

#190 Baby, What You Want Me To Do (Live-1968)
Memories
June 27 6 PM, 3rd version, Burbank, CA

A portion of this rendition of “Baby, What You Want Me To Do” is used in the special, though it does not appear on the album.

It is difficult to choose between this one and the version already covered from the 8 PM show (track 185 above), but this is probably Elvis’ best-ever version of “Baby, What You Want Me To Do.” While he would return to the song in his first engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas the next year, it just was not the same.

#191 No Strap/One Night (Live-1968)
Memories
June 27 6 PM, 2nd version, Burbank, CA

As the sit-down show nears its end, Elvis declares that he wants to stand up–an idea he had been flirting with throughout the performance. He asks Moore if he has a strap for the borrowed electric guitar that Elvis has been using for most of the show. Moore says there is no strap, leading Elvis and the gang to begin singing joking lyrics to the tune of “One Night”:

“No strap today is what I’m now looking for. The things I did and I saw would make the dream–where, where, where, where’s the strap?”

Finally, Elvis stands up, props his foot on his chair and the guitar on his knee and completes another rendition of “One Night” which appears in both the special and on the album.

A truly incredible performance.

#192 Memories (Alternate-1968)
ELVIS: ’68 Comeback Special – 50th Anniversary Edition
June 24, Burbank, CA Take 2 Master [stereo mix]

#193 Saved (Alternate-1968)
Let Yourself Go!
June 22, Burbank, CA Take B7

Among its production numbers, the ELVIS special includes a nine-minute gospel medley.21 For the first minute of the medley, Elvis steps aside such that the spotlight can shine on dancer and choreographer Claude Thompson and the voice of Darlene Love. In addition to Elvis, the segment then features the Blossoms vocal group (Love, Jean King, Fanita James) and a host of other spirited dancers.

Elvis: “Rock ‘n’ roll music is basically gospel or rhythm & blues, or it sprang from that. And people have been adding to it, adding instruments to it, experimenting with it.”AO

It’s an exciting sequence, and I get breathless on behalf of all of the dancers just watching it. The medley was recorded in segments prior to the taping. This particular version of “Saved” is actually an outtake, but it’s my favorite.

#194 Heartbreak Hotel/Hound Dog/All Shook Up (Live-1968)
Memories
June 29 6 PM, Burbank, CA

Two days after the sit-down shows, Elvis appears alone on the same stage in his black leather suit to perform two formal stand-up shows featuring updated arrangements of many of his biggest hits. Elvis is again surrounded by a small studio audience, but this time a full band and orchestra are set just beyond one side of the stage.

This medley of “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” and “All Shook Up” is featured in both the special and on the album.

This is a powerhouse moment in the ELVIS special, particularly the reinvention of “Heartbreak Hotel” as a rock anthem. Elvis never sang it like this again, preferring a bluesy approach in 1969 and onwards.

#195 Can’t Help Falling In Love (Live-1968)
Memories
June 29 6 PM, Burbank, CA

This version of “Can’t Help Falling In Love” is used in both the special and the album.

This is a beautiful rendition of the song that is on par with his original studio master (1961).

#196 Jailhouse Rock (Live-1968)
ELVIS: ’68 Comeback Special – 50th Anniversary Edition
June 29 8 PM, Burbank, CA

This version of “Jailhouse Rock” is used in both the special and the album.

Though not quite as stellar as his original studio version (1957), this is, by far, Elvis’ best live recording of “Jailhouse Rock.”22

#197 Love Me Tender (Live-1968)
ELVIS: ’68 Comeback Special – 50th Anniversary Edition
June 29 8 PM, Burbank, CA

This version of “Love Me Tender” is used in both the special and the album.

This is another example of a 1968 live version exceeding the original studio master (in this case, 1956).

#198 Baby, What You Want Me To Do (Live-1968)
Memories
June 29 6 PM, Burbank, CA

Once the main portion of each stand-up show concludes, Elvis works on a couple of segments intended for larger production numbers in front of the same audience. During the 6 PM show, there is a brief pause while pre-recorded music is being cued. Left standing with nothing to do, Elvis begins to appear uneasy. “Give me my guitar, man. I’ll play something,” he says. He picks up yet another borrowed electric guitar, this time a cherry red one from session musician Al Casey, and riffs into his go-to comfort song, “Baby, What You Want Me To Do,” eventually dropping to his knees as he plays to an audience member. This rendition is not used in the special or album.

#199 Trouble/Guitar Man (Live-1968)
ELVIS: ’68 Comeback Special – 50th Anniversary Edition
June 29 8 PM, Burbank, CA

To serve as a conclusion to the storyline that began at the opening, a new verse is written for Jerry Reed’s “Guitar Man”:

“Well, I come a long way from the carwash, got to where I said I’d get. Now that I’m here, I know for sure I really ain’t got there yet. So, I think I’ll start all over, sling my guitar over my back. I’m gonna get myself back on the track, I ain’t never, ever gonna look back. I’ll never be more than what I am, oh, wouldn’t you know, I’m a swingin’ little guitar man? Take it home, son, take it home.”23

A portion of this live reprise of “Trouble/Guitar Man” is used in the special.

#200 If I Can Dream (Alternate-1968)
Memories
June 30, Burbank, CA TV-Take 4 Master

After ELVIS was restructured into something more than a Christmas special, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” was at first still intended as the closing song. Based on Elvis’ reactions to the murders of King and Kennedy, Binder is convinced that Elvis should make a statement of some sort after singing the song. Earl Brown, who is creating vocal arrangements for the show, suggests using “You’ll Never Walk Alone” instead of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” When this idea is rejected, Brown writes the music and lyrics of an original song, “If I Can Dream,” which allows Elvis to make his statement in the medium he is most comfortable, music.

From “If I Can Dream”: “If I can dream of a better land where all my brothers walk hand in hand, tell me why, oh why, oh why can’t my dream come true?”

Taped on the last day of the special’s production, with Elvis dressed in a white double-breasted suit, “If I Can Dream” represents for me the greatest musical achievement of Elvis’ life.24

The ELVIS special airs on Tuesday, December 3, at 9:00 PM Eastern and becomes the most-watched program of the week and the highest-rated television special of the year.

“If I Can Dream” climbs to #12 on the charts, while the ELVIS-TV Special album makes it to #8.

Elvis: “I’m never going to sing another song I don’t believe in. I’m never going to make another picture I don’t believe in.”AP

It has been a long night, but the sun is starting to rise. You are back in your seat in one of the Mystery Train’s passenger cars. “So, this is it?” you ask. “The end of the line?”

I smile and shake my head. “Not at all. That’s the beauty of Elvis. There’s no end to his odyssey. Just when you think he’s done, you start all over.”

Somewhere, you hear a familiar song. Faint. Something from your childhood.

As the train rumbles along, you make your way into the dining car and enter a new world.

Elvis Presley returns in The Elvis Odyssey: A New Summit.

Dialogue from a teleplay, father to son: “Maybe there’s only one summer to every customer.” Only one summer? Only one ride? Only one Elvis? Experience them while you can between Heaven, the Earth, and . . . the edge of reality.

[With apologies to Serling.]

Assorted Rambles

19While some out there have tried to insinuate this was some kind of power play by Elvis, the trading of guitars is a scripted moment, as evidenced by a recording of Binder discussing it with Elvis and Moore during a rehearsal.↩︎

20I really could have added the entire June 27 6 PM Show to The Elvis Odyssey, but I had to at least attempt to control myself. The video of the complete 6 PM show made its debut on the fantastic HBO special Elvis: One Night With You (1985). Missing the boat at that time, RCA/BMG finally released the full audio of the show on Memories: The ’68 Comeback Special (1998) CD. Don’t get me wrong, the 8 PM show is great, too, but there’s something special about that first show. The full audio of the 8 PM show was first released on the Tiger Man CD (1998) and the full video on ELVIS: ’68 Comeback Special – Deluxe Edition DVD set (2004).↩︎

21The full medley consisted of “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child,” “Where Could I Go But To The Lord,” “Up Above My Head,” “I Found That Light,” and “Saved.”↩︎

22I hope that a 1957 live version of “Jailhouse Rock” will see the light of day at some point in my lifetime, for I suspect it would top even the 1968 one.↩︎

23For me, this new verse sums up the entire ELVIS special. In fact, I’d rather they call it ELVIS: Back On The Track today than ELVIS: ’68 Comeback Special.↩︎

24The version of “If I Can Dream” for the album and single was recorded at Western Recorders studio a week earlier and is just as good as the television version. According to Brown in Elvis Presley: Writing For The King – The Stories Of The Songwriters by Ken Sharp, all three of the Blossoms were in tears at the conclusion of Elvis’ performance of “If I Can Dream” with Love stating, “He really believes in the song and means every word of it.”

Once Parker saw the rough cut of ELVIS in August 1968, he was reportedly outraged that no Christmas songs remained in the special. To appease him, a live performance of “Tiger Man” from the 8 PM sit-down show was dropped from the special in favor of an edited version of “Blue Christmas” from that same show.↩︎

I’ve also created a Spotify version of the complete playlist for The Elvis Odyssey, incorporating all five parts of the series.

I originally planned for this series to be a single post, but my bride wisely convinced me that I needed to split it. Thank you to her for ongoing prayers and encouragement and for reading every word I ever write.

Sources for Elvis Quotes

AMMay 14, 1968 Private Conversation (as reported in Elvis Presley: A Life In Music – The Complete Recording Sessions by Ernst Jorgensen)↩︎

ANca. September 1962, Interview, Hollywood, CA↩︎

AOJune 27, 1968, 6 PM Show, Burbank, CA↩︎

APca. June 23, 1968 Private Conversation, Burbank, CA (as reported in Elvis Presley: A Life In Music – The Complete Recording Sessions by Ernst Jorgensen)↩︎

Additional Sources For The Entire Series/Further Reading

Any mistakes you might find in this series are purely my own. As for the stuff I got right, I primarily consulted the following sources for this series of posts. I also consider them as recommended reading if you want a deeper dive into the career and life of Elvis Presley than I could provide here.

  • Keith Flynn’s Elvis Presley Pages.
  • Elvis Presley: A Life In Music – The Complete Recording Sessions by Ernst Jorgensen, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1998.
  • Elvis Day By Day: The Definitive Record Of His Life And Music by Peter Guralnick and Ernst Jorgensen, Ballantine Books, New York, 1999.
  • Last Train To Memphis: The Rise Of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick, Little, Brown And Company, Boston, 1994.
  • Careless Love: The Unmaking Of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick, Little, Brown And Company, Boston, 1999.
  • Elvis Presley: Writing For The King – The Stories Of The Songwriters by Ken Sharp, Follow That Dream Records, Denmark, 2006.
  • Elvis Presley In Concert.

Thank you for reading. May your 2026 be full of peace, love, and health.

Blessings,
TY

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5

Valley Of Echoes

/ TY / 1 Comment

You’re traveling through a curious dimension of ideas . . . the edge of reality.

Where Nothing's Real - Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT

“Where Nothing’s Real” (Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT)

The Elvis Odyssey

Part IV: Valley of Echoes

It is a time of transition. Fresh from two years of military service, Elvis Presley has returned to the top of the music world, his voice more powerful than ever.

As the industry begins to shift, however, a quiet threat emerges. Lucrative movie deals bring steady success, but at the cost of creative fire.

For loyal fans, glimpses of the dwindling spark that once ignited almost every recording can still shine through. . . .

Listen along on Spotify.

#145 I’m Comin’ Home (1961)
Something For Everybody
Nashville, TN

This song. Wow, just wow. Give me a second, I need to turn the jukebox up again.

I’ve loved “I’m Comin’ Home” since first hearing it in 1987. Floyd Cramer’s magnificent piano absolutely drives this one. The song takes interesting lyrical turns between an almost blues quality and a hopeful note.

This stretch of three songs–“I’m Comin’ Home” through “I Want You With Me”–is another of my favorite sequences in The Elvis Odyssey. All three were recorded in March 1961 at RCA’s Nashville studio.

#146 I Feel So Bad (1961)
I Feel So Bad (Single)
Nashville, TN

“I Feel So Bad” peaks at #5.

In the stereo version of “I Feel So Bad,” listen out for the sax of Boots Randolph moving from left to center in the midst of his solo. This was reportedly due to Elvis being so enthralled by Randolph’s performance that he walked over to him, causing the sax to be picked up through his vocal microphone.

#147 I Want You With Me (1961)
Something For Everybody
Nashville, TN

More Cramer goodness on piano here. That man could play! You’ll hear him on many songs in today’s segment of The Elvis Odyssey. Elvis was blessed to be able to surround himself with top-notch musicians for most of his recordings.

#148 No More (1961)
Blue Hawaii
Hollywood, CA

As Elvis soundtrack albums go, Blue Hawaii is certainly one of the better ones. It is cohesive and has several great songs.

#149 Can’t Help Falling In Love (1961)
Blue Hawaii
Hollywood, CA

“Can’t Help Falling In Love” peaks at #2.

#150 Rock-A-Hula Baby (1961)
Blue Hawaii
Hollywood, CA

After recording the Blue Hawaii soundtrack in Hollywood, Elvis arrives in Hawaii. Before location shooting begins, he performs a benefit concert for the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, which gives the long-stalled tribute to fallen heroes the final push it needs after more than a decade of fundraising struggles.

#151 His Latest Flame (1961)
His Latest Flame (Single)
Nashville, TN

“His Latest Flame” peaks at #4.

#152 Little Sister (1961)
His Latest Flame (Single)
Nashville, TN

“Little Sister” peaks at #5.

#153 Follow That Dream (1961)
C’mon Everybody
Nashville, TN

#154 Good Luck Charm (1961)
Good Luck Charm (Single)
Nashville, TN

“Good Luck Charm” earns Elvis a number one hit.

#155 Night Rider (1961)
Pot Luck With Elvis
Nashville, TN

“Night Rider” is yet another stellar Elvis album cut that should have been a single.

#156 King Of The Whole Wide World (Alternate-1961)
Return Of The Rocker16
Hollywood, CA M7-Take 4 [unedited master]

This extended version of “King Of The Whole Wide World” included the full Randolph sax solo that was unfortunately truncated in the released master.16A Randolph was another key session player from this period that featured on a number of highlights from this timeframe.

#157 You’ll Be Gone (1962)
Do The Clam (Single)
Nashville, TN

I’m not saying that “You’ll Be Gone” would have lit up the charts when it was finally released in 1965, but surely it would have made a better A-Side than “Do The Clam” from the Girl Happy movie? Of course, that would have gone against the approach of Elvis’ manager, Tom Parker, to let the music sell the movies and the movies sell the music.

#158 Suspicion (1962)
Pot Luck With Elvis
Nashville, TN

#159 She’s Not You (1962)
She’s Not You (Single)
Nashville, TN

“She’s Not You” peaks at #5.

#160 Return To Sender (1962)
Return To Sender (Single)
Hollywood, CA

“Return To Sender” peaks at #2.

Elvis: “I’d like to do something someday where I feel that I’ve really done a good job as an actor in a certain type role, but I feel that it comes with time and a little living and a few years behind you. I think that, really. I think that it will come, eventually. That’s my goal.”AF

#161 Bossa Nova Baby (1963)
Bossa Nova Baby (Single)
Hollywood, CA

“Bossa Nova Baby” peaks at #8.

#162 Devil In Disguise (1963)
Devil In Disguise (Single)
Nashville, TN

“Devil In Disguise” peaks at #2.

#163 Witchcraft (1963)
Bossa Nova Baby (Single)
Nashville, TN

#164 Long Lonely Highway (1963)
I’m Yours (Single)
Nashville, TN

Elvis: “[My mother] never really wanted anything, anything fancy. She just stayed the same all the way through the whole thing. I wish–there’s a lot of things happened since she passed away that I wish she could have been around to see that would’ve made her very happy and very proud, but that’s life. I can’t help it.”AG

#165 Viva Las Vegas (1963)
What’d I Say (Single)
Hollywood, CA

The fact that a stone-cold Elvis classic like “Viva Las Vegas” was apparently released as a B-Side to an inferior cover of a Ray Charles tune boggles my mind.16B

#166 It Hurts Me (Alternate-1964)
Kissin’ Cousins (Single-Italy)16C
Nashville, TN [master, alternate mix]

From “It Hurts Me”: “If you ever tell him you’re through, I’ll be waiting for you. Waiting to hold you so tight. Waiting to kiss you goodnight. Yes, darling, if I had someone like you.”

Elvis is now averaging three movies a year. His music begins to take a backseat to those demands. Other than three songs recorded in January 1964, including “It Hurts Me,” 1964-1965 consists only of movie soundtrack sessions for Roustabout, Girl Happy, Harum Scarum, Frankie and Johnny, and Paradise, Hawaiian Style.17

Meanwhile, the Beatles arrive in America and begin the “British Invasion” with an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964.

Elvis: “At a certain stage, I had no say-so in it. I didn’t have final approval of the script, which means I couldn’t say, ‘This is not good for me.’ . . . I don’t think anybody was consciously trying to harm me. It was just Hollywood’s image of me was wrong, and I knew it, and I couldn’t say anything about it. I couldn’t do anything about it.AH

#167 Run On (1966)
How Great Thou Art
Nashville, TN

In 1966, Elvis’ passion for music finally begins to re-emerge with the recording of How Great Thou Art, a gospel album that earns him his first Grammy Award.

Elvis: “Gospel is really what we grew up with, more than anything else.”AI

#168 In The Garden (1966)
How Great Thou Art
Nashville, TN

#169 Indescribably Blue (1966)
Indescribably Blue (Single)
Nashville, TN

“Indescribably Blue” is one of those midnight brooding Elvis songs, in the vein of “Blue Moon” or “Mystery Train.”

On May 1, 1967, 32-year-old Elvis marries Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas, shortly before her 22nd birthday.

#170 You Don’t Know Me (1967)
Elvis Sings Guitar Man
Nashville, TN

#171 Speedway (1967)
Speedway
Hollywood, CA

Elvis: “I was doing a lot of pictures close together. And the pictures got very similar. A lot of them got very similar. If something was successful, they’d try to re-create it the next time around. So, I’d read the first four or five pages, and I knew it was just a different name with twelve new songs in it. The songs were mediocre in most cases. You can’t get good songs.”AJ

#172 Suppose (Alternate-1967)
Double Features: Easy Come, Easy Go/Speedway
Hollywood, CA Take 1

#173 Guitar Man (1967)
Clambake
Nashville, TN

When no one can duplicate rising country star Jerry Reed’s original guitar style for Elvis’ cover of his “Guitar Man,” producer Felton Jarvis calls in Reed himself, who then plays in a couple of Elvis sessions.

#174 Mine (1967)
Speedway
Nashville, TN

#175 High Heel Sneakers (1967)
Guitar Man (Single)
Nashville, TN

With “High Heel Sneakers,” we hear a hint of the raw, bluesy voice that Elvis will spotlight in his 1968 television special.

#176 Singing Tree (1967)
Clambake
Nashville, TN

#177 You’ll Never Walk Alone (Alternate-1967)
A Life In Music
Nashville, TN Take 2

“You’ll Never Walk Alone” features Elvis on the piano, and in this alternate take he just won’t let the song go. A beautiful performance. While “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is technically a non-secular song, Elvis transforms it into a spiritual song of inspiration.

#178 All I Needed Was The Rain (1967)
Singer Presents Elvis Singing Flaming Star And Others
Nashville, TN

Elvis: “I was never indifferent [about the movies]. I was so concerned until that’s all I talked about. It worried me sick. . . . It was nobody’s fault except maybe my own. I didn’t know what to do. I just felt I was obligated very heavy at times to things I didn’t fully believe in, and that was very difficult.”AK

#179 Stay Away (1968)
US Male (Single)
Nashville, TN

On February 1, 1968, Lisa Marie Presley is born in Memphis to Priscilla and Elvis.

#180 Wonderful World (1968)
Singer Presents Elvis Singing Flaming Star And Others
Hollywood, CA

From “Wonderful World”: “Heaven is found right here on the Earth. It surrounds us in wonderful things all around in this wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful world.”

#181 Edge Of Reality (Alternate-1968)
Double Features: Live A Little, Love A Little / Charro / The Trouble With Girls / Change Of Habit
Hollywood, CA [unedited master]

Elvis: “So, I had thought they would try to get a new property for me or give me a chance to show some kind of acting ability or do a very interesting story, but it did not change. It did not change. And so I became very discouraged. They couldn’t have paid me no amount of money in the world to make me feel any self-satisfaction inside.”AL

#182 A Little Less Conversation (Alternate-1968)
Memories
Hollywood, CA Take 2 [acetate version]18

Recorded for the movie Live A Little, Love A Little, the single version of “A Little Less Conversation” barely makes it into the top 70.

With Elvis’ movies and records no longer attracting the audiences they once did, no one is sure how an upcoming television special devoted to the star will turn out.

Elvis Presley will return in The Elvis Odyssey Part V: Electric Dawn.

Assorted Rambles

16Return Of The Rocker (1986) was the first Elvis album I ever personally owned. I was 11-years-old. It obviously influenced me for I realized just now that all 12 songs on that compilation made The Elvis Odyssey. Not even That’s The Way It Is, another favorite album of mine, can say that.

Return Of The Rocker is another well-edited and sequenced release from the Gregg Geller era. It really is a perfect compilation of the 1960-1963 timeframe for Elvis, managing to blend his soundtrack and non-soundtrack recordings in an effective way.

While Ernst Jorgensen’s much broader ELVIS: From Nashville To Memphis – The Essential 60s Masters I (1994) was revelatory in that it resurrected tons of Elvis’ non-soundtrack recordings from being filler cuts on albums otherwise devoted to often poor movie tunes, it also can feel a bit antiseptic. Intersperse the tracks of ELVIS: Command Performances – The Essential 60s Masters II into the former’s sequence, though, for quite a different and improved listening experience. Adhering so strictly to the 5-CD format established by the ’50s set was a detriment to both the ’60s and ’70s sets.↩︎

16AThough I don’t know that it was really publicized at the time, Return Of The Rocker actually featured the debut of this extended master of “King Of The Whole Wide World” with the full concluding sax solo by Randolph. The standard version fades way too early and always sounds incomplete to me. Unfortunately, Spotify had only the standard master and an inferior outtake to choose from so I went with the standard master on that variant of this playlist.↩︎

16BI say “apparently” because some sources list “Viva Las Vegas” as the A-Side, but I’m going by Ernst Jorgensen’s definitive Elvis Presley: A Life In Music – The Complete Recording Sessions from 1998 for this kind of information. However, I have discovered in life that “definitive” does not always mean “perfect.”↩︎

16CWhen “It Hurts Me” was first released as a single in Italy, it sounded quite different from its U.S. counterpart. It turned out that solely the left channel from the stereo recording had been accidentally used for the mono version in Italy, rather than including the right channel as well. This had the distinct advantage of leaving out the Jordanaires, which makes it my go-to version of the song. Though I had to use the standard version on the Spotify playlist, the standard version actually would not have made The Elvis Odyssey and we would have jumped from 1963 to 1966. ↩︎

171964-1965 was the true nadir of Elvis’ career. Though The Elvis Odyssey is essentially a career-spanning retrospective, it is, admittedly, a bit of a cheat. It is most noticeable here in the “valley.” We skip more than 95% of 1964 and 100% of 1965. I could have included a couple of those songs, I suppose. Despite how bad the movie and most of the tunes are, there are actually two or three good songs on the Paradise, Hawaiian Style album, for instance. But are they better than any of the 200 songs of The Elvis Odyssey? Not to me, anyway. At least not at this time in my life when I am compiling this list.

The problem with skipping all of these low points, though, is that it makes the slow comeback a little less noticeable when playing through. A false impression could be given listening to the tracks the way I have arranged them here that Elvis was solid throughout the 1960s. The thing to keep in mind, though, is that these are the fleeting “glimpses” of his old creative fire that will soon be returning in force. Whereas this 1961–March 1968 stretch produced a whopping 43% of his lifetime studio masters, I’ve cherrypicked to such a degree that this timeframe represents only 19% of the tracks of The Elvis Odyssey.↩︎

18When first released in 1998, this backup acetate recording of “A Little Less Conversation” was reported to be an unused vocal from a remake of the song dropped from Elvis’ 1968 television special. The previously unreleased performance soon took on a life of its own far beyond the original single. It was included in the remake of Ocean’s Eleven (2001) and became the theme song to the television series Las Vegas (2003-2008). It has also shown up in multiple other projects.

In 2002, most notably, the track was remixed by DJ and producer Junkie XL (JXL) for a Nike commercial and later released as a single that topped the charts in multiple countries. While the remix reached only #50 in the US, its inclusion on ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits (2002) helped propel that compilation to the top of the US album charts.

Though it is often still wrongly associated with the June 1968 recordings for the television special, the acetate recording of “A Little Less Conversation” was later revealed to be take 2 from the original March 1968 studio session, whereas the single master had been take 16 from the same date. I have to say, Take 2 has a heck of a lot more bite to it than Take 16 or even Take 10, the version used on the Almost In Love (1970) album. It is unfortunate that the blander takes were chosen for release during his lifetime.↩︎

Sources for Elvis Quotes

AFca. September 1962, Interview, Hollywood, CA↩︎

AGca. September 1962, Interview, Hollywood, CA↩︎

AHca. July 1972 Interview↩︎

AIca. July 1972 Interview↩︎

AJca. July 1972 Interview↩︎

AKca. July 1972 Interview↩︎

ALca. July 1972 Interview↩︎

“But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31

Elvis At Christmas

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The Elvis Odyssey

Interlude: Elvis At Christmas

Listen along on Spotify.

C1. O Come All Ye Faithful (Alternate-1971)
Memories Of Christmas
Nashville, TN Takes 1 & 2 [splice]

C2. Silver Bells (Alternate-1971)
Back In Nashville
Nashville, TN Take 2 [undubbed master, alternate mix]

C3. Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees (1971)
Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas
Nashville, TN

C4. Santa Bring My Baby Back (1957)
Elvis’ Christmas Album
Hollywood, CA

C5. On A Snowy Christmas Night (Alternate-1971)
Back In Nashville
Nashville, TN [undubbed master, alternate mix]

C6. It Won’t Seem Like Christmas (1971)
Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas
Nashville, TN

C7. I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day (1971)
Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas
Nashville, TN

C8. Winter Wonderland (1971)
Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas
Nashville, TN

C9. Santa Claus Is Back In Town (1957)
Elvis’ Christmas Album
Hollywood, CA

C10. I’ll Be Home For Christmas (1957)
Elvis’ Christmas Album
Hollywood, CA

C11. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (1957)
Elvis’ Christmas Album
Hollywood, CA

C12. White Christmas (1957)
Elvis’ Christmas Album
Hollywood, CA

C13. If I Get Home On Christmas Day (1971)
Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas
Nashville, TN

C14. Here Comes Santa Claus (1957)
Elvis’ Christmas Album
Hollywood, CA

C15. If Every Day Was Like Christmas (1966)
If Every Day Was Like Christmas (Single)
Nashville, TN

C16. The Wonderful World Of Christmas (Alternate-1971)
Back In Nashville
Nashville, TN [undubbed master, alternate mix]

C17. I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day (Remake-1971)
Memories Of Christmas
Nashville, TN

From “I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day”: “If I could only borrow one dream from yesterday, I’d be on that train tomorrow. I’d be home on Christmas Day.”

C18. Santa Claus Is Back In Town/Blue Christmas (Live-1968)
Tiger Man
June 27 8 PM Show, Burbank, CA

C19. Merry Christmas Baby (Informal-1971)
Back In Nashville
Nashville, TN Take 1 [undubbed/unedited master, alternate mix]

C20. Silent Night (1957)
Elvis’ Christmas Album
Hollywood, CA

Yesterday's Dream - Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT

“Yesterday’s Dream” (Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT)

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:11 KJV

Storming The Mountain

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You’re entering a fantastic land of imagination . . . the edge of reality.

You are alone in the Mystery Train Diner.

The lights are out. The jukebox is dead.

In the empty restaurant, you hear only silence. Not even the noise of the train interrupts the stillness.

There is nothing.

A world without Elvis.

* * *

In the darkness, you slowly realize I am once more sitting in front of you.

“Nobody will ever know who it was,” I whisper, “But out there somewhere, somebody became the first person to play an Elvis song again after he died. The music was too strong to be silenced.”

Without warning, lightning flashes outside and illuminates the restaurant.

The Memphis Flash - Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT

“The Memphis Flash” (Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT)

As the train rumbles with the thunder, the diner and the jukebox hum back to life. You hear a simple but familiar melody begin with an acoustic guitar followed by an upright bass.

Listen along on Spotify.

The Elvis Odyssey

Part III: Storming The Mountain

On Monday, July 5, 1954, at Sun Studio in Memphis, producer Sam Phillips gives young Elvis Presley, a truck driver for Crown Electric, a chance to prove himself. Nothing clicks until Elvis and bassist Bill Black start having fun with a blues song by Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup. Guitarist Scotty Moore soon joins in. . . .

#95 That’s All Right (1954)
That’s All Right (Single)
Memphis, TN

Elvis had actually made his first recording about a year earlier, an informal demonstration record at Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service, located within Sun Studio, as a surprise for his mother.

Elvis: “I started out when I was just out of high school. I was driving a truck, and I was training to be an electrician, and I got wired the wrong way, baby. That’s what happened to me. . . . One day on my lunch break I went into a . . . record company to make a record for my own use. I really wasn’t trying to get into the business.”Q

Elvis: “I made the record. In fact, we’ve still got the record at home. It’s so thin, you can’t play it now. The record I made was ‘My Happiness’ and one of the Ink Spots’ numbers. . . . I had a little $20 guitar. It sounded like somebody beating on a bucket lid or something.”R

Marion Keisker, who worked at Memphis Recording Service, made a note of the singer who paid to record the My Happiness/That’s When Your Heartaches Begin acetate, but nothing came of it at first. Elvis came back a few months later and recorded another acetate demo, apparently hoping to get Phillips’ attention. His persistence eventually paid off in the formal session that resulted in “That’s All Right.”

Impressed by the singer’s take on “That’s All Right,” Phillips signs Elvis to the Sun label about a week later. Elvis’ first single, That’s All Right/Blue Moon Of Kentucky, becomes a regional hit, slowly spreading from Memphis.

Elvis: “My very first appearance after I started recording, I was on a show in Memphis . . . as an extra added singer, a big jamboree in an outdoor theater, outdoor auditorium.

“I came out on stage, and I was scared stiff. It was my first big appearance in front of an audience. I came out, and I was doing a fast-type tune, one of my first records. Everybody was hollering, and I didn’t know what they were hollering at.

“Everybody was screaming and everything, and then I came off stage and my manager told me that they was hollering because I was wiggling my legs. I was unaware of what I was doing. Bob Neal was my manager.

“And so I went back out for an encore and kinda did a little more, and the more I did, the wilder they went.”S

#96 Blue Moon (1954)
A Boy From Tupelo: The Complete 1953-55 Recordings
Memphis, TN Take 9 [master, alternate source]

A few weeks later, Elvis is back at Sun Studio experimenting. He records a haunting version of “Blue Moon,” but Phillips decides against releasing it. The recording eventually shows up in 1956 on his debut album, Elvis Presley.

#97 Good Rockin’ Tonight (1954)
Good Rockin’ Tonight (Single)
Memphis, TN

Elvis: “My daddy had seen a lot of people who played the guitar and stuff who didn’t work, so he said, ‘Make up your mind about either being an electrician or playing the guitar. I never saw a guitar player that was worth a damn!'”T

By late 1954, even Billboard is taking notice of Elvis with a positive review of his third single, Milkcow Blues Boogie/You’re A Heartbreaker. Music promoter “Colonel” Tom Parker, currently managing Hank Snow, also starts paying attention around this time and slowly begins working his way into the singer’s life.

#98 Baby, Let’s Play House (1955)
Baby, Let’s Play House (Single)
Memphis, TN

#99 I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone (Alternate-1955)
A Boy From Tupelo: The Complete 1953-55 Recordings
Memphis, TN Take 5 (AKA “My Baby’s Gone”)

#100 Mystery Train (1955)
I Forgot To Remember To Forget (Single)
Memphis, TN

I don’t know that Elvis ever quite achieved another performance like his studio version of “Mystery Train” in terms of mood. I’m hard-pressed to think of one. Maybe the studio version of “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” which, of course is a whole different genre. Or “Blue Moon,” mentioned earlier. In any event, there’s something dark and contemplative about the 1955 “Mystery Train” that I love to my core.

#101 Tryin’ To Get To You (1955)
A Boy From Tupelo: The Complete 1953-55 Recordings
Memphis, TN

Over time, Parker lures Elvis away from Phillips and Sun Records by orchestrating a lucrative deal with RCA Records. Under Parker’s deal, Phillips sells Elvis’ recording contract and tapes to RCA Records in November 1955 for $35,000 (over $400,000 in 2025).

In January 1956, Elvis records in RCA’s Nashville studio for the first time.

#102 Heartbreak Hotel (1956)
Heartbreak Hotel (Single)
Nashville, TN

“Heartbreak Hotel” becomes Elvis’ first number one hit.14

From here at “Heartbreak Hotel” through “Lawdy, Miss Clawdy” is one of my favorite stretches of songs on the entire Elvis Odyssey.

#103 Money Honey (1956)
Elvis Presley
Nashville, TN

#104 I Was The One (1956)
Heartbreak Hotel (Single)
Nashville, TN

#105 Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Elvis Presley
New York, NY

#106 My Baby Left Me (1956)
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You (Single)
New York, NY

#107 Lawdy, Miss Clawdy (1956)
Shake, Rattle And Roll (Single)
New York, NY

In March, Parker officially becomes Elvis’ manager. Around this time, Parker also parts ways with Snow. Parker eventually commands a 50% fee from Elvis, his sole client. Among other deals, Parker begins shopping Elvis around to the major movie studios.

Elvis: “I’ve had people ask me was I gonna sing in the movies. I’m not, I mean as far as I know, because I took strictly an acting test, and I wouldn’t care too much about singing in the movies.”U

#108 I Want You, I Need You, I Love You (1956)
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You (Single)
Nashville, TN

“I Want You, I Need You, I Love You” becomes Elvis’ second number one hit.

In the first six months of 1956, Elvis appears on national television eight times, with six appearances on Jackie Gleason’s Stage Show (CBS), hosted by the Dorsey Brothers, and two appearances on the Milton Berle Show (NBC).

Elvis: “It happened very fast to all of us–my mother, my father and all of us. Everything happened overnight and so we had to adjust to a lot of things very quickly. A lot of good things, I might say.”V

Elvis’ June appearance on the Milton Berle Show includes a wild performance of “Hound Dog,” which he has not yet formally recorded.

Elvis: “At that particular time, there was a lot of controversy. You didn’t see people moving out in public. They were getting it on in the back rooms, but you didn’t see it out in public too much.”W

It was really a toss-up for me to include Elvis’ live version of “Hound Dog” from the Berle show versus his studio master. I eventually went with the studio version because of its iconic status, but it’s another track that I could just as easily swap out next week.

On July 1, Elvis appears on the Steve Allen Show (NBC) and sings “Hound Dog” again. This performance is more subdued, but only adds to the legend.

Elvis: “They were going to tame me down, so they had me dressed in a tuxedo, had me singing to a dog on a stool.”X

Later in the evening, after the Steve Allen Show, a weary Elvis appears on a New York NBC affiliate’s Hy Gardner Calling interview program and is asked to address the controversy surrounding his music:

Elvis: “I don’t see that any type of a music would have any bad influence on people, when it’s only a music, I mean. I can’t figure it out. In a lot of the papers, they say rock ‘n’ roll is a big influence on juvenile delinquency. I don’t think that it is. . . . I don’t see how music would have anything to do with it at all.”Y

The next day, Elvis steps into RCA’s New York studio and records one of the biggest singles of his career.

#109 Hound Dog (1956)
Don’t Be Cruel (Single)
New York, NY

#110 Don’t Be Cruel (1956)
Don’t Be Cruel (Single)
New York, NY

Both sides of Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog become number one hits as controversy continues to follow the singer.

Elvis: “The police filmed the show one time in Florida because the PTA, the YMCA, or somebody, they thought I was something. They said, ‘Man, he’s gotta be crazy.’ So, the police came out, and they filmed the show. So, I couldn’t move. I had to stand still. The only thing I’d move was my little finger, like that.”Z

Meanwhile, the movie deal that has been percolating for some time comes to fruition.

Elvis: “My next move was Hollywood. That’s how it happens: You get a record, and you get on television, then you go to Hollywood. I wasn’t ready for that town, and they wadn’t15 ready for me.”AA

Elvis’ first movie, The Reno Brothers, goes into production in August.

Despite Elvis’ early belief to the contrary, there was no way the movie studios were going to feature the chart-topping star solely as an actor. That same month, he records the soundtrack to The Reno Brothers: Three awful songs that The Elvis Odyssey will skip and one with new lyrics set to the traditional tune of “Aura Lee.”

#111 Love Me Tender (1956)
Love Me Tender (Single)
Hollywood, CA

“Love Me Tender” becomes another number one hit for Elvis, with sales so strong that The Reno Brothers is renamed Love Me Tender prior to the film’s release. As for the film itself, Elvis is not happy with how it turns out.

Elvis: “They wanted to put me in a movie real quick. Love Me Tender, the first one, almost finished me off in the business. Well, it almost killed me. It was a rush deal. They rushed me in the thing just to get my name. . . . So, they did, and the picture wasn’t all that good of a picture. It was an old picture, I mean story-wise, and I shouldn’t have been in it from the beginning. And I started trying to act in it. I was trying to act in it, and the minute you start trying to act on the screen, you’re dead.”AA1

#112 Love Me (1956)
Elvis
Hollywood, CA

Though not released as a single, “Love Me” climbs to #2 on the charts on the strength of radio airplay and sales of the Elvis Vol. 1 Extended Play (EP) on which it features.

#113 Too Much (1956)
Too Much (Single)
Hollywood, CA

“Too Much” becomes a number one hit.

Elvis: “Then I went to the Ed Sullivan Show. . . . They photographed me from the waist up. And Sullivan’s standing over there saying, ‘Sumbitch.’ So, I said, ‘Thank you, Ed, thank you.’ I didn’t know what he was calling me at the time. . . . I did the Sullivan Show two or three times.”AB

On his third and final Ed Sullivan Show (CBS) appearance, television cameras show Elvis only from the waist up. Once again, an attempt to undermine the controversial singer only adds to his legend.

“Don’t Be Cruel” from that January 1957 Sullivan appearance is one of my favorite live recordings of that song. Though I defaulted to the 1956 studio master for this iteration of The Elvis Odyssey, this 1957 version, inspired by Jackie Wilson’s Las Vegas imitation of Elvis that the latter happened to see, is just as strong.

#114 All Shook Up (1957)
All Shook Up (Single)
Hollywood, CA

“All Shook Up” becomes a number one hit.

#115 Loving You (1957)
Teddy Bear (Single)
Hollywood, CA

#116 Teddy Bear (1957)
Teddy Bear (Single)
Hollywood, CA

Featured in Loving You, Elvis’ second movie, “Teddy Bear” becomes a number one hit.

#117 Is It So Strange (1957)
A Date With Elvis
Hollywood, CA

#118 I Beg Of You (1957)
Don’t (Single)
Hollywood, CA

“I Beg Of You” peaks at #8.

#119 One Night (1957)
One Night (Single)
Hollywood, CA

“One Night” peaks at #4.

I consider “One Night” to be one of the greatest of all Elvis songs, so it’s funny to see that it peaked at “only” number four. This is partially explained by the fact that, though recorded in 1957, it wasn’t actually released until Elvis was months into his U.S. Army service in late 1958. It could also just be my taste differs from typical listeners of 1958.

#120 When It Rains, It Really Pours (1957)
Elvis For Everyone!
Hollywood, CA

This fine 1957 recording of “When It Rains, It Really Pours” was held back even longer than “One Night,” not escaping from the vaults until it became an album cut in 1965. Elvis had also tried out the same song while at Sun in 1955. That early recording did not see the light of day until 1983.

After struggling to find privacy for him and his parents at various residences, Elvis buys a 1939 home in Memphis, called “Graceland” by its former owners, in March 1957 for $102,500 (over $1 million in 2025). He then spends another $500,000 renovating it (over $6 million in 2025). The property includes over 13 acres.

#121 Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Jailhouse Rock (Single)
Hollywood, CA

The title song of Elvis’ third movie, “Jailhouse Rock” is perhaps the best rock ‘n’ roll performance of his career.

“Jailhouse Rock” becomes a number one hit.

#122 Baby, I Don’t Care (1957)
A Date With Elvis
Hollywood, CA

Be sure to listen out for Elvis playing electric bass on “Baby, I Don’t Care.” I never realized this was him until reading Peter Guralnick’s liner notes to The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Complete 50s Masters (1992) as a teen.

#123 Treat Me Nice (1957)
Jailhouse Rock (Single)
Hollywood, CA

#124 Don’t (1957)
Don’t (Single)
Hollywood, CA

“Don’t” becomes a number one hit.

#125 King Creole (1958)
King Creole
Hollywood, CA

#126 Hard Headed Woman (1958)
Hard Headed Woman (Single)
Hollywood, CA

Michael Curtiz, best known for 1942’s Casablanca, directs Elvis in his fourth movie, King Creole. Though the bulk of the song will be cut from the 1958 film, “Hard Headed Woman” becomes a number one hit.

#127 Trouble (1958)
King Creole
Hollywood, CA

#128 As Long As I Have You (1958)
King Creole
Hollywood, CA

Elvis: “I did four pictures, and I was getting used to the movie star bit. . . . I had a pair of sunglasses and riding in the back of a Cadillac, my feet up on the seat, saying, ‘I’m a movie star!’ . . . I was livin’ it up, eating hamburgers and drinking Pepsis. And then, I got drafted. So overnight, it all changed.”AC

Elvis is inducted into the U.S. Army in March 1958. He undergoes basic training at Fort Hood, Texas.

#129 A Big Hunk O’ Love (1958)
A Big Hunk O’ Love (Single)
Nashville, TN

During a short furlough after basic training, Elvis records a few songs in RCA’s Nashville studio at a one night session in June 1958. This is his only recording session while in the Army.

“A Big Hunk O’ Love” becomes a number one hit.

#130 A Fool Such As I (1958)
A Fool Such As I (Single)
Nashville, TN

“A Fool Such As I” peaks at #2.

Elvis’ mother, Gladys, passes away in August 1958 at the age of 46.

Elvis: “My mother, I suppose since I was an only child, that we might have been a little closer. Everyone loves their mother, but I was an only child, and Mother was always right with me, all my life.

“It wasn’t only like losing a mother, it was like losing a friend, a companion, someone to talk to. I could wake her up any hour of the night, and if I was worried or troubled about something, she’d get up and try to help me.”AD

Shortly after his mother’s death, Elvis is transferred to Germany, where he will spend the remaining 18 months of his military service.

Elvis: “At first, in the service, the guys just watched me to see what I was gonna do. . . . They saw I was doing the same thing that they were. They started to come around and talk, and everything went okay.

“I’ve had people ask me was it harder on me or was it easier or so forth. It was about the same. They didn’t make it any harder or any easier on me. I was just like everybody else.”AE

While his manager and record label do a good job of issuing singles from vault material while he is serving in the Army, Elvis returns from his two years of military service in March 1960 and almost immediately goes into the Nashville studio to close the nine-month gap since his last single release. He also records a new album. The sessions are his first in true stereo.

#131 Make Me Know It (1960)
Elvis Is Back!
Nashville, TN

#132 Stuck On You (1960)
Stuck On You (Single)
Nashville, TN

Elvis’ first single after the Army, “Stuck On You” hits number one.

#133 A Mess Of Blues (1960)
It’s Now Or Never (Single)
Nashville, TN

#134 Like A Baby (1960)
Elvis Is Back!
Nashville, TN

#135 It’s Now Or Never (1960)
It’s Now Or Never (Single)
Nashville, TN

“It’s Now Or Never,” which offers new lyrics to the tune of “O Sole Mio,” becomes a number one hit and Elvis’ biggest seller.

#136 Such A Night (Alternate-1960)
Fame And Fortune
Nashville, TN Take 1

#137 Are You Lonesome Tonight (1960)
Are You Lonesome Tonight (Single)
Nashville, TN

“Are You Lonesome Tonight” tops the chart.

Comparing the stellar recordings of “Are You Lonesome Tonight” or “Can’t Help Falling In Love” (1961) against “Love Me Tender” (1956) illustrate how much Elvis’ voice had matured by the early 1960s.

#138 Reconsider Baby (1960)
Elvis Is Back!
Nashville, TN

Either “Reconsider Baby” or “Santa Claus Is Back In Town” (1957) is Elvis’ best blues number. Here, he is aided by Boots Randolph on saxophone. A perfect track.

With a solid album, several successful singles, and a brief television appearance on The Frank Sinatra-Timex Show (ABC) under his belt, Elvis is back in Hollywood and in uniform for the comedy G.I. Blues.

#139 Doin’ The Best I Can (Alternate-1960)
Close Up
Hollywood, CA Take 12

Compared to his other top-notch 1960 albums, Elvis Is Back! and His Hand In Mine, the G.I. Blues soundtrack is a mixed bag of often mediocre or worse material. It is also the biggest seller of the three, proving Parker’s concept that the soundtracks would promote the movies while the movies would promote the soundtracks. It sets an unfortunate precedent that will recur multiple times in the 1960s.

#140 Pocketful Of Rainbows (1960)
G.I. Blues
Hollywood, CA

Don Siegel (Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1956], Dirty Harry [1971]) directs Elvis in his second movie of 1960, Flaming Star. The western, which includes minimal singing, features Elvis as a half-Native American, half-white character. Compared to G.I. Blues, the drama finds only moderate success at the box office.

In 1963, artist Andy Warhol would make a series of popular works based on a publicity still from Flaming Star, including Triple Elvis.

#141 Surrender (1960)
Surrender (Single)
Nashville, TN

“Surrender” becomes a number one hit.

#142 Crying In The Chapel (1960)
Crying In The Chapel (Single)
Nashville, TN

Elvis records “Crying In The Chapel” for His Hand In Mine, but it is left off the 1960 album. Though not released until 1965, “Crying In The Chapel” peaks at #3.

#143 Working On The Building (1960)
His Hand In Mine
Nashville, TN

#144 Lonely Man (Alternate-1960)
Today, Tomorrow & Forever
Hollywood, CA Solo-Take 1

From “Lonely Man”: “Searching, always searching for something he can’t find.”

In only six years, including two spent in the Army, Elvis has climbed from humble truck driver to the very top of the entertainment world—an ascent almost impossible to imagine.

Elvis Presley will return in The Elvis Odyssey Part IV: Valley Of Echoes.

Assorted Rambles

14While my posts for The Elvis Odyssey primarily look at the pop charts, an RCA reissue of “I Forgot To Remember To Forget” actually hit number one on the country & western charts prior to the success of “Heartbreak Hotel.”

I should also note that the (perhaps dubious) source I am using primarily for chart information is the 1987 double LP The Top Ten Hits, which is largely for nostalgic reasons. Though not made clear, I believe this album uses a combination of Billboard pop charts for its reference tables on the back cover.

If other charts are considered, such as Cashbox, Elvis’ hit total expands even further. However, I’m choosing to draw the line with The Top Ten Hits because it was a favorite of my teen years.↩︎

15That’s Southern for “wasn’t” or, in this case, “weren’t.”↩︎

Sources for Elvis Quotes

QAugust 24, 1969, Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

RMarch 24, 1956, Interview, New York, NY↩︎

SAugust 6, 1956, Interview, Lakeland, FL↩︎

Tca. July 1972 Interview↩︎

UApril 15, 1956, Interview, San Antonio, TX↩︎

VJune 9, 1972, Press Conference, New York, NY↩︎

WAugust 24, 1969, Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

XAugust 24, 1969, Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

YJuly 1, 1956, Interview, New York, NY↩︎

ZJune 27, 1968, 6 PM Show, Burbank, CA↩︎

AAAugust 24, 1969, Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

AA1ca. Late 1956, Phone Interview with “Buddy”↩︎

ABAugust 24, 1969, Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

ACAugust 24, 1969, Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

ADSeptember 22, 1958, Interview, New York, NY↩︎

AEAugust 24, 1969, Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.”
Psalm 112:4

Endless Twilight

/ TY / 1 Comment

You’re wandering in an amazing land of imagination . . . the edge of reality.

Only Memories - Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT

“Only Memories” (Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT)

You awaken back in the Mystery Train Diner. As I welcome you over to the Conductor’s table again, you realize it wasn’t a dream. It was all real.

“When our story ended last time, Elvis was back on top,” I say. “His compelling work from June 1968 to August 1970 is rivaled only by his stunning output from 1955 to 1957. And after a stretch like that, well, even Elvis can’t run the whole race wide open. Maybe losing speed was bound to happen.”

Disappointed, you point out that Elvis still had seven years to go.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, we have plenty more ’70s songs in the jukebox. Some of them will hold their own against even his peak work. However, after August 1970, something was different,” I contend.

I snap my fingers and the jukebox begins to play again.

The Elvis Odyssey

Part II: Endless Twilight

After completing his third stint at the International Hotel and a brief concert tour, his first since 1957, Elvis Presley’s grueling schedule sends him back to Nashville to finish a country album and record another single. The session is quick, and his mood is darker. . . .

Listen along on Spotify.

#49 Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On (Alternate-1970)
Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Nashville, TN [master, alternate mix]

Elvis’ studio take on “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” is impressive and provides a unique interpretation of the song first recorded by Big Maybelle in 1955 but best known for Jerry Lee Lewis’ 1957 version for Sun Records. Elvis’ live versions of this one tend to be throwaways, but this studio version is a solid rocker despite being used for the Elvis Country album.8

After all, it’s not just country, it’s Elvis country. There’s a difference.

Elvis: “Country music was always a part of the influence on my type of music, anyway. It’s a combination of country music and gospel and rhythm & blues all combined is what it really was. As a child, I was influenced by all that. . . .

“I liked all different types of music when I was a child. Of course, the Grand Ole Opry was the first thing I ever heard, probably, but I liked the blues, and I liked the gospel music, gospel quartets, and all that.”H

In January 1971, the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (the Jaycees) award Elvis as one of the ten “Outstanding Young Men of the Nation” for 1970. Other recipients for 1970 include Dr. Mario Capecchi, biophysicist, and Thomas I. Atkins, politician and civil rights activist. Elvis is so honored by the civic award that he accepts it in person and gives a heartfelt speech.

Elvis: “When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero of the comic book. I saw movies, and I was the hero in the movie. So every dream that I ever dreamed has come true a hundred times.

“These gentlemen over here, it is these type people who care, who are dedicated. You realize that it is . . . possible that they might be building the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s not too far-fetched from reality.

“I’d like to say that I learned very early in life that ‘Without a song, the day would never end. Without a song, a man ain’t got a friend. Without a song, the road would never bend. Without a song.’ So, I keep singing a song.”I

#50 Early Morning Rain (1971)
Elvis Now
Nashville, TN

After a fourth engagement at the International Hotel, Elvis is back at RCA’s Nashville studio in March 1971. This time, the goal of what is planned to be another marathon session is to create a number of singles and three albums, including his third Gospel LP and his second Christmas LP.9 Elvis initially leans toward making a folk album, but the concept never fully materializes.

Elvis’ version of “Early Morning Rain” is one of those tracks where the sound of his voice is simply soothing. I remember a local DJ “discovering” this song back in the 1990s when he picked up a copy of Elvis Now at a used record shop and played the song back-to-back on his weekly radio show the first night and then featured it for multiple weeks in a row.

Though suffering a severe cold, Elvis records four masters during the first night of the session, but is hospitalized the following day for a recurring glaucoma issue. The rest of the March session is eventually cancelled. He returns to Nashville in May and records over 30 more masters.

While many of the performances are strong, the underlying material is lacking at times compared to 1969 and 1970.

#51 I Shall Be Released (Informal-1971)
Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Nashville, TN

#52 Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (Informal-1971)
Our Memories Of Elvis: Volume 2 – More Of The Pure Elvis Sound
Nashville, TN Take 1 [extended master, alternate mix]

#53 Amazing Grace (Alternate-1971)
Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Nashville, TN Take 2

In this alternate take of “Amazing Grace,” Elvis and the musicians add a bluesy feel. Unfortunately, his producer suggests they back it off so the official master, though beautiful in its own right, sounds much more conventional.

#54 I’ve Got Confidence (1971)
He Touched Me
Nashville, TN

#55 Lead Me, Guide Me (1971)
He Touched Me
Nashville, TN

#56 I’m Leavin’ (1971)
I’m Leavin’ (Single)
Nashville, TN

#57 It’s Only Love (Alternate-1971)
Elvis Aron Presley
Nashville, TN Take 10 [master, alternate mix]

#58 It’s Still Here (Alternate-1971)
Elvis Aron Presley
Nashville, TN Take 5 [master, alternate edit]

I first heard “It’s Still Here” on the 1988 compilation album Elvis In Nashville. Not only did I appreciate the heartache of the lyrics, but I also loved that it featured Elvis on piano.

In June, Elvis returns to the Nashville studio. In the course of three nights, he records a half dozen more gospel masters and even takes a stab at Frank Sinatra’s signature hit “My Way” before leaving the studio in frustration. He never records in Nashville again.

Nevertheless, the gospel album, He Touched Me, goes on to earn Elvis his second Grammy Award.

Elvis: “Once you get involved in this racket, this business, your life is public, really.”J

#59 Burning Love (1972)
Burning Love (Single)
Hollywood, CA

Now formally separated from his wife, Elvis arrives at RCA’s Hollywood studio in March 1972 for a short but productive recording session. His focus and energy are on songs of love lost, so friends and bandmates must goad him into recording the upbeat “Burning Love.”

Peaking at number two, the song becomes his most successful since “Suspicious Minds.” “Burning Love” proves to be his 38th top ten hit in 16 years. Rather than release the cut as part of a regular Elvis album, RCA reserves it for a budget compilation consisting primarily of old movie tunes.

I can only imagine how confused potential new fans were who bought the album on the strength of “Burning Love,” and the move, in my opinion, undoubtedly impacted future record sales.

#60 Separate Ways (1972)
Separate Ways (Single)
Hollywood, CA

Written by Elvis’ friend and bodyguard Red West, “Separate Ways” is one of the love-lost songs that commands the singer’s attention during the Hollywood session.

Though released together as a single, “Separate Ways” and “Always On My Mind” from the session are also relegated to yet another budget album of otherwise old songs.

From “Separate Ways”: “Someday when she’s older, maybe she will understand why her mom and dad are not together. The tears that she will cry when I have to say goodbye will tear at my heart forever.”

Pass me that napkin, will ya? My cheeseburger must have some really strong onions.

#61 For The Good Times (1972)
Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Hollywood, CA

Elvis: “I’m in a publishing firm, but I’ll take songs from anywhere or from anybody if they’re good. It doesn’t have to be in my company, it could be just completely an unknown person, and just anybody that writes a song, if they can get it to me and if it’s good, I’ll do it.”K

After the session ends, Elvis and company stick around for a couple more days to rehearse for their April tour as well as run through a staged recording session for the benefit of MGM’s cameras that have arrived to film a new documentary, Elvis On Tour.

#62 Young And Beautiful (Rehearsal-1972)
Elvis On Tour
March 31, Hollywood, CA [alternate mix]

This surprise run through of “Young And Beautiful” from 1957’s Jailhouse Rock was a highlight of FTD’s 2004 album Elvis On Tour: The Rehearsals. I expected it to be a one-liner or tossed off, but Elvis actually does a serious, full version of the song.

#63 Always On My Mind (Remake-1972)
Elvis On Tour
March 30, Hollywood, CA Take 3 Master [alternate mix]

As part of the staged session for MGM, Elvis remakes “Always On My Mind,” the master version of which he had just recorded the night before.

This version of “Always On My Mind” is even better than the master, as it sounds a little less country. This same take is later used as the basis for a slight remix on the This Is Elvis soundtrack (1981), the version that first drew my attention to this incredible performance.

#64 Johnny B. Goode (Alternate-1972)
Elvis On Tour
March 30, Hollywood, CA Take 3 Master [alternate mix]

Elvis: “Man, I was tame compared to what they do now. Are you kidding? I didn’t do anything but just jiggle. . . . I really can’t criticize anybody in the entertainment field. I think there’s room for everybody, and I hate to criticize another performer.”L

Including his Vegas stints and multiple tours, Elvis performs 165 concerts in 1972. RCA records shows during his winter engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton (formerly the International), his April tour, and his June shows at Madison Garden. RCA captures so much live material that most of it remains unreleased for decades to come.

#65 Never Been To Spain (Live-1972)10
Elvis On Tour
April 10, Richmond, VA

#66 You Gave Me A Mountain (Live-1972)
Elvis On Tour
April 10, Richmond, VA

#67 It’s Over (Live-1972)
Walk A Mile In My Shoes
February 17 Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV

#68 I Can’t Stop Loving You (Live-1972)
Elvis On Tour
April 10, Richmond, VA

#69 How Great Thou Art (Live-1972)
Elvis On Tour
April 9 Evening Show, Hampton Roads, VA

While MGM/Turner released this incredible live version of “How Great Thou Art” on the Elvis: The Lost Performances videotape back in 1992, RCA/BMG/Sony only first made it available in an audio release in 2022.

#70 It’s Impossible (Live-1972)
Elvis (Fool)
February 16 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV

I first heard “It’s Impossible” when a DJ spun it at a local restaurant that has long since closed (an inspiration for the Mystery Train Diner). I remember it felt amazing at that time to hear a “new” Elvis live song, as I (quite wrongly, I might add) thought I had heard them all by then. All these years later, I still haven’t heard ’em all.

In January 1973, Elvis arrives in Hawaii shortly after his 38th birthday. He’s there not to vacation but to deliver a live benefit concert that will be broadcast live via satellite to select countries.11

His last television special, 1968’s ELVIS, had closed with “If I Can Dream,” a “message” song written especially for Elvis and the show. Performed with passion by Elvis, it had been a bold musical statement on the tragic national events of that year while still maintaining hope for a better future. For the Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii special, however, there would be no such risks. In fact, no original songs were commissioned for the special at all.

Elvis: “It’s a great privilege to do this satellite program, and I’m going to do my best, and all the people that work with me, to do a good show, which is pure entertainment–no messages and no this and that–just to try to make people happy for that one hour that it comes across. If we do that, then, I think we’ve done our jobs.”M

#71 What Now My Love (Live-1973)
Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite
January 14, Honolulu, HI

From “What Now My Love”: “No one would care, no one would cry, if I should live or die.”

#72 I’ll Remember You (Live-1973)
Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite (2022 FTD Edition)
January 14, Honolulu, HI [master, alternate mix]

#73 A Big Hunk O’ Love (Live-1973)
Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite
January 14, Honolulu, HI

After the satellite show, Elvis returns to Las Vegas for his normal routine at the Hilton. In June and December, he records at Stax Studio in Memphis.

#74 Promised Land (Alternate-1973)
Promised Land (2011 FTD Edition)
Memphis, TN Take 6 [undubbed master]

I can still remember the first time I heard the Promised Land album. I was in 7th grade and borrowed it from my brother’s record collection. Due to the title, I thought it was a gospel album. I sure was in for a surprise when I dropped the needle and Elvis rocked into “Promised Land.” It remains one of my all-time favorite Elvis albums.

#75 It’s Midnight (Alternate-1973)
Memphis
Memphis, TN Take 19 [undubbed master]

#76 For Ol’ Times Sake (1973)
Raised On Rock (Single)
Memphis, TN

#77 You Asked Me To (1973)
Promised Land
Memphis, TN

#78 I’ve Got A Thing About You, Baby (Alternate-1973)
Memphis
Memphis, TN Take 15 [undubbed master]

#79 Lovin’ Arms (1973)
Good Times
Memphis, TN

#80 Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues (Alternate-1973)
Memphis
Memphis, TN Take 9 [undubbed/unedited master]

In October, Elvis’ divorce from Priscilla is finalized.

From “Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues”: “You know my heart keeps telling me, ‘You’re not a kid at 33. Play around you’ll lose your wife. You play too long, you’ll lose your life.'”

#81 Thinking About You (1973)
My Boy (Single)
Memphis, TN

#82 Your Love’s Been A Long Time Coming (Alternate-1973)
Rhythm And Country
Memphis, TN Take 4

Though Elvis does not record in the studio in 1974, RCA does capture a live album on March 20, Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis. A powerful rendition of “How Great Thou Art” on that album secures Elvis his third and final Grammy.

#83 Shake A Hand (1975)
Today
Hollywood, CA

In March 1975, Elvis returns to RCA’s Hollywood studio and efficiently records an entire album, Today.

#84 Bringing It Back (1975)
Bringing It Back (Single)
Hollywood, CA

#85 America The Beautiful (Live-1975)12
Holiday Season In Vegas
December 13 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [undubbed master]

In anticipation of the 1976 U.S. bicentennial, Elvis begins trying out “America the Beautiful” in his live shows during 1975.

#86 For The Heart (Alternate-1976)
Memphis
Graceland, Memphis, TN [master, alternate mix]

With Elvis ever more reluctant to enter the studio, RCA takes the unusual step in 1976 of bringing equipment to Graceland to establish a temporary recording studio in Elvis’ den. Elvis records there in February and October.

Wasted as a B-Side to “Hurt,” “For The Heart” is one of those overlooked Elvis numbers that should be a real classic. I love both the master and this stripped-down mix released on last year’s Memphis boxed set. It was a real struggle to choose one over the other. I went with this one for now. Next week, I might swap the master back into the jukebox, though.

Elvis: “I suppose the most important thing in a person’s life is happiness. I mean, not worldly things because, gee whiz, you can have cars, you can have money, you can have a fabulous home, you can have everything. If you’re not happy, what have you got?”M1

#87 Solitaire (Alternate-1976)
Memphis
Graceland, Memphis, TN Take 11 [undubbed master]

From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee is a dark, depressing album, but I have loved it since first hearing it as a teen. I consider it one of Elvis’ greatest achievements in terms of albums. “Solitaire” really stands out and this undubbed version from the 2024 Memphis set somehow makes it even better.

Elvis: “The image is one thing, and the human being is another. It’s very hard to live up to an image.”N

#88 She Thinks I Still Care (Alternate-1976)
Way Down In The Jungle Room
Graceland, Memphis, TN Take 2B

This slightly faster take on “She Thinks I Still Care” first surfaced as the underlying source of a remix on the 1980 Guitar Man album. Its first release in pure form on the 1995 Walk A Mile In My Shoes boxed set proved that it should have been chosen as the master for the Moody Blue album.

#89 Moody Blue (Alternate-1976)
Memphis
Graceland, Memphis, TN Take 10 [undubbed/unedited master]

#90 Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain13 (Alternate-1976)
Memphis
Graceland, Memphis, TN Take 5 [undubbed/unedited master]

#91 Unchained Melody (Live-1977)
Moody Blue
April 24, Ann Arbor, MI

#92 Pledging My Love (1976)
Way Down (Single)
Graceland, Memphis, TN

#93 Way Down (1976)
Way Down (Single)
Graceland, Memphis, TN

Elvis’ final single, his 100th, is Way Down/Pledging My Love.

Elvis: “What do I look at myself as? . . . As a human being, really, who has been very, extremely fortunate in so many ways. . . .

“I’ve experienced a lot of the different phases in life. I’ve experienced happiness and loneliness, the wealthy side of life, the average side of life–not having anything, but not knowing what it’s like to have anything–and tragedy . . . like losing my mother while I was in the Army. . . .

“I look at myself strictly as a human being who’s, like I said, been very lucky, but whose life–I have blood running through my veins–can be snuffed out in just a matter of seconds, not as anything supernatural or better than any other human being.”O

#94 My Way (Live-1977)
My Way (Single)
June 21, 1977, Rapid City, SD

Elvis: “Until we meet you again, may God bless you. Adiós.”P

Elvis performs his last concert on June 26, 1977, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 42-year-old has the next six weeks off and then is scheduled to leave for another concert tour on August 16. He spends the downtime at Graceland, much of it with his 9-year-old daughter, Lisa Marie.

The next tour is never to be. Sometime on the morning of Tuesday, August 16, Elvis Presley dies alone at Graceland.

In the twilight glow, the music never ends.

Neither does our story.

Elvis Presley will return in The Elvis Odyssey Part III: Storming The Mountain.

Assorted Rambles

8An extended edit of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” is available on some albums. Elvis sounds nearly manic after where the song traditionally fades, and I don’t like the longer version nearly as much. Sometimes less is more.↩︎

9I love Christmas music, especially by Elvis, so don’t take their exclusion thus far to mean anything other than I’m saving seasonal favorites to spotlight in the jukebox in a future post.↩︎

10This next stretch of songs in The Elvis Odyssey represents some of my personal favorites of live recordings from this year. However, you could reasonably swap in whatever 1972 versions of these songs you prefer, as just about all of them are strong. No need to use these exact versions.↩︎

11An entire mythology has built up around Aloha From Hawaii that I will not spend much time debunking. The special, though a ratings success, was not watched live by billions of people even when including the many countries that showed it on tape delay. In the US, NBC did not even air Aloha From Hawaii until April 4, which was over 11 weeks after Elvis performed the concert and 2 months after the accompanying live album hit record stores. During the Aloha concert, Elvis appears rather subdued and nervous at first, but eventually loosens up in the second half of the program, from which all of The Elvis Odyssey selections are drawn.↩︎

12This performance of “America The Beautiful,” captured directly from the soundboard rather than as a formal recording, was released as the flipside to “My Way,” the first Elvis single after his death. While I remember hearing his records before his death, these are the first two Elvis songs I can specifically remember, so I include “America The Beautiful” here for that reason alone.↩︎

13The whole reason I first got to hear From Elvis Presley Boulevard was because Mom bought the album for “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.” She had recently heard that this, along with “Unchained Melody,” was one of the last songs he ever sang on the morning of his death. Of course, the actual moment was not recorded. It was just Elvis rehearsing at the piano. No one knew it would be the last time.↩︎

Sources for Elvis Quotes

HFebruary 27, 1970, Press Conference, Houston, TX↩︎

IJanuary 16, 1971, Acceptance Speech, Memphis, TN↩︎

Jca. September 1962, Interview, Hollywood, CA↩︎

KJune 9, 1972, Press Conference, New York, NY↩︎

LJune 9, 1972, Press Conference, New York, NY↩︎

MNovember 20, 1972, Press Conference, Honolulu, HI↩︎

M1ca. Late 1956 Phone Interview with “Buddy”↩︎

NJune 9, 1972, Press Conference, New York, NY↩︎

Oca. September 1962, Interview, Hollywood, CA↩︎

PJune 19, 1977, Concert, Omaha, NE↩︎

“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.”
Psalm 73:26

A New Summit

/ TY / 4 Comments

You’re traveling through an amazing land of imagination . . . the edge of reality.

Five Cents, One Play — Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT

“Five Cents, One Play” (Artwork created for The Mystery Train with assistance from ChatGPT)

As the train rumbles along, you make your way into the dining car and enter a new world. Your breath catches. You are in a 1950s restaurant that is much larger than any train car could ever be. Before you can ponder this further, a hostess seats you at a booth that says “Reserved – Conductor & Guests.”

Soft music begins to play from a large and colorful jukebox that helps illuminate a dance floor. You can’t quite figure out the tune, perhaps something from Star Wars? But who would play Star Wars music in a 1950s diner?

At that moment, I slide into the seat in front of you. “I’m TY, your conductor. Welcome to the Mystery Train Diner. I hope you’re hungry.” I produce a menu from nowhere and hand it to you.

You glance down the food list, which features cheeseburgers, old-fashioned milkshakes, crinkle fries, pizza, and even lasagna. Today’s special is somehow your all-time favorite food.

“Have whatever you want. It’s on me. But you’re not really here for the food, are you?”

You shake your head no. You entered the dining car because you thought you heard a song coming from here. A song from your childhood. Something by Elvis.

“It always comes back to Elvis, doesn’t it?” I ask. I point towards the jukebox. The incidental music stops and you hear a familiar voice.

Elvis: “I’d like to talk to you . . . about how I got in this business and when–a lot of things that happened from my side of the story. There’s a lot’s come out about what happened but never from my side.”A

As you listen to his words, you look around the restaurant. You don’t even feel the motions of the train anymore. You realize this isn’t really a 1950s diner, as you see decorations representing multiple decades. Above the conductor’s table is a large portrait of Elvis backstage in 1970, decked out in blue and wearing his aviator-style sunglasses.

“I filled that jukebox with a lot of my favorite music, including 200 Elvis songs,” I explain. “When I sequenced the Elvis songs, I realized they did a wonderful job of telling the story of his career. I call it, The Elvis Odyssey.”

Though you never ordered, your food arrives. Exactly what you want.

“So, enjoy yourself here at the Conductor’s table,” I tell you. “Or if you prefer the ice-cream counter, there’s still an open stool over there. Make yourself comfortable as I punch up the songs.”

You tell me to turn the jukebox way up high.

I nod and crank the sound as I say, “As all the best stories do, we’ll join the legend of Elvis Presley already in progress.”1

The Elvis Odyssey

Part I: A New Summit


Rejuvenated by his recent television special, Elvis Presley returns home to Memphis to record there for the first time in over a decade. Though he never truly left, the city has changed, and so has he. . . .

Listen along on Spotify.2

#1 Stranger In My Own Home Town3 (1969)
From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis (Back In Memphis)
Memphis, TN

#2 Power Of My Love (1969)
From Elvis In Memphis
Memphis, TN

#3 Only The Strong Survive (1969)
From Elvis In Memphis
Memphis, TN

#4 Any Day Now (1969)
In The Ghetto (Single)
Memphis, TN

#5 Suspicious Minds (1969)
Suspicious Minds (Single)
Memphis, TN

“Suspicious Minds” is a song Elvis believes in enough to fight for. His instinct is right. It becomes his first number one hit since 1962 and his eighteenth chart topper overall.

#6 Long Black Limousine (1969)
From Elvis In Memphis
Memphis, TN

#7 Wearin’ That Loved-On Look (1969)
From Elvis In Memphis
Memphis, TN

#8 After Loving You (1969)
From Elvis In Memphis
Memphis, TN

#9 Rubberneckin’ (1969)
Don’t Cry Daddy (Single)
Memphis, TN

Elvis ends up using “Rubberneckin'” in his movie Change of Habit, his final film as an actor.

It’s fun watching him jam to the song, and it’s a great little film as Elvis movies go.

#10 Don’t Cry Daddy (1969)
Don’t Cry Daddy (Single)
Memphis, TN

#11 In The Ghetto (1969)
In The Ghetto (Single)
Memphis, TN

The first single released from these sessions is “In The Ghetto,” which makes it to number three–scoring Elvis his first top ten hit since 1965. Songwriter Mac Davis also penned “Don’t Cry Daddy,” which made it to number six after the overwhelming success of “Suspicious Minds.”

Elvis: “‘Ghetto’ was such a great song. I just couldn’t pass it up after I heard it.”B

#12 Kentucky Rain (1969)
Kentucky Rain (Single)
Memphis, TN

#13 Do You Know Who I Am (1969)
From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis (Back In Memphis)
Memphis, TN

This quiet song wraps up the Memphis sessions perfectly for me.

From “Do You Know Who I Am”: “Do you know who I am, have you any idea who I am?”

If you don’t know, these sessions are the answer.

#14 Clean Up Your Own Backyard4 (Alternate-1968)
Double Features: Live A Little, Love A Little/Charro/The Trouble With Girls/Change Of Habit
Hollywood, CA [undubbed master]

#15 Change Of Habit (1969)
Let’s Be Friends
Hollywood, CA

I love the bass line on “Change Of Habit.” Though recorded after the Memphis sessions, it fits in quite well with “Rubberneckin'”. “Change Of Habit” does not have as much depth as “If I Can Dream” or “In The Ghetto” when it comes to social awareness, but it at least tries to say something.

#16 Let Us Pray (Alternate-1969)
Today, Tomorrow & Forever
Hollywood, CA Vocal Overdub Take 8 [rejected master]

Also from Change Of Habit, I love “Let Us Pray,” especially this alternate version that features Elvis singing the opening lick before the song begins and letting out a whew after the song ends.

His last movie in the can if not yet on screens, Elvis moves on to Las Vegas for his first public concerts since 1961. He performs 57 shows at the newly opened International Hotel from July 31 to August 28. RCA arrives during the last week and records 11 of the shows.

Elvis: “I missed the closeness of an audience, of a live audience, so just as soon as I got out of the movie contracts, I started to do live performances again.”C

#17 Mystery Train5/Tiger Man (Live-1969)
ELVIS LIVE 1969: International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
August 25 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [master, alternate mix]

#18 My Babe (Live-1969)
Hot August Night: The Complete Midnight Show, August 25, 1969
August 25 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [master, alternate mix]

Elvis: “It’s really great to be back working again.”D

The summer 1969 stint is so successful that the International invites Elvis back for a multi-year deal, and he returns for a winter 1970 engagement. Vegas is usually empty during January and February, but not when Elvis comes to town. RCA arrives mid-engagement to record another live album.

#19 Polk Salad Annie (Live-1970)
On Stage: February 1970
February 18 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV

#20 See See Rider (Live-1970)
Today, Tomorrow & Forever
February 19 Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV

#21 Runaway (Live-1969)
ELVIS LIVE 1969: International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
August 23 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [alternate mix]

#22 Are You Lonesome Tonight (Live-1969)
ELVIS LIVE 1969: International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
August 24 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [master, alternate mix]

#23 Suspicious Minds (Live-1969)
ELVIS LIVE 1969: International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
August 25 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [alternate mix]

The hit single of “Suspicious Minds” is a fine record, but the live version takes it to another level. This particular performance is probably my favorite due to an apparently flubbed opening that results in a longer than usual guitar intro by James Burton which only makes the song better.

#24 The Wonder Of You (Live-1970)
The Wonder Of You (Single)
February 18 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV

RCA releases this version of “The Wonder Of You” as a single, and Elvis scores another top ten hit. At the same concert, Elvis introduces one of his musical influences.

Elvis: “A guy that was a kind of an inspiration to me when I started out in the business, and he’s got, I don’t know how many gold records he’s got, man, 19 or 20 at least. I’d like you to say hello to Fats Domino.”E

Elvis has proven himself in Memphis. He has proven himself in Las Vegas. Now, he returns to Nashville for what turns out to be a marathon recording session that will produce two of his best albums.

#25 Stranger In The Crowd (Alternate-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2008 FTD Edition)
Nashville, TN Take 9 [unedited master, rough mix]

I still can’t figure out why “Stranger In The Crowd” wasn’t a single. Instead, it’s one of a number of hidden gems on the That’s The Way It Is album.

Elvis’ next single after The Wonder Of You/Mama Liked The Roses is I’ve Lost You/The Next Step Is Love.

As much as I love “I’ve Lost You,” perhaps it should have been a B-side to “Stranger In The Crowd.” Instead, the chart momentum, if not the creative momentum, begins to slow here.

#26 The Next Step Is Love (Alternate-1970)
From Elvis In Nashville
Nashville, TN Take 11 [undubbed master]

#27 How The Web Was Woven (1970)
That’s The Way It Is
Nashville, TN

#28 I Just Can’t Help Believin’ (Live-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2014 Deluxe Edition)
August 12 Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV

#29 Bridge Over Troubled Water (Alternate-1970)
Heart & Soul
Nashville, TN Take 8 Master [alternate mix]

#30 Patch It Up (1970)
You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (Single)
Nashville, TN

#31 Twenty Days And Twenty Nights (1970)
That’s The Way It Is
Nashville, TN

#32 Just Pretend (1970)
That’s The Way It Is
Nashville, TN

Elvis’ next single is You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me/Patch It Up.

“Just Pretend,” another incredible song left only as an album track, would have been a far better pairing with “Patch It Up” as a single.

#33 I’ve Lost You (Alternate-1970)
Heart & Soul
Nashville, TN Take 7 [unedited master, alternate mix]

#34 You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (Alternate-1970)
From Elvis In Nashville
Nashville, TN Take 3 [undubbed master]

#35 You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (Live-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2014 Deluxe Edition)
August 12 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [unedited master; alternate mix]

Elvis’ powerhouse version of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” runs over six minutes here due to a two-minute reprise that is left off of the original That’s The Way It Is album. While that is the right decision for 1970, it sure is a fun listen now.

During that Nashville session, in the middle of recording contemporary songs, Elvis begins playing around with some country songs, with the end result being an entire album dedicated to his interpretation of that genre.

#36 I Really Don’t Want To Know (Alternate-1970)
Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Nashville, TN [master, alternate mix]

#37 I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago (Alternate-1970)
From Elvis In Nashville
Nashville, TN Take 1 [undubbed/unedited master]

#38 Make The World Go Away (Alternate-1970)
Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Nashville, TN [master, alternate mix]

#39 Tomorrow Never Comes (Alternate-1970)
Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Nashville, TN [master, alternate mix]

“Tomorrow Never Comes” is one of the best Elvis songs that no one has ever heard of.

#40 Funny How Time Slips Away (Alternate-1970)
Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Nashville, TN [master, alternate mix]

In July, MGM camera crews filming a documentary begin following Elvis as he prepares for his third concert series at the International Hotel.

#41 Little Sister/Get Back (Rehearsal-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2020 Collector’s Edition)
July 29 Hollywood, CA [alternate mix]

In August, RCA is releasing the first Elvis LP boxed set, Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits: Vol. 1. During rehearsals captured for the documentary movie, which will eventually be titled Elvis: That’s The Way It Is, Elvis is looking at what is most likely a listing of the 50 songs included on this set–resulting in a number of off-the-cuff performances of his classic hits.

A tune that Elvis and the band puts a little more effort into is “Little Sister” in a version that manages somehow to transcend even the original.

#42 I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water (Rehearsal-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2020 Collector’s Edition)
July 29 Hollywood, CA [alternate mix]

#43 Oh Happy Day (Rehearsal-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2020 Collector’s Edition)
August 7 Las Vegas, NV [alternate mix]

#44 Men With Broken Hearts6/Walk A Mile In My Shoes7 (Live-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2014 Deluxe Edition)
August 11 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [alternate mix]

Elvis: “There was a guy who said one time, he said, ‘You never stood in that man’s shoes or saw things through his eyes. Or stood and watched with helpless hands while the heart inside you dies. So, help your brother along the way, no matter where he starts. For the same God that made you, made him, too–these men with broken hearts.’ I’d like to sing a song along the same line: ‘Walk A Mile.'”F

In conjunction with the MGM documentary, RCA records the first six shows of the summer engagement. A few of the songs will wind up on the That’s The Way It Is album, while the rest are left in the vaults.

#45 Words (Live-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2014 Deluxe Edition)
August 10 Opening Show, Las Vegas, NV [alternate mix]

#46 Don’t Be Cruel (Live-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2014 Deluxe Edition)
August 11 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [alternate mix]

#47 I Was The One (Live-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2014 Deluxe Edition)
August 12 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [alternate mix]

During the August 12 Midnight Show, with the documentary cameras still rolling, Elvis takes a seat and plugs in his electric guitar. After fiddling with the controls, he begins to run through a few of his classics.

He starts with the “Little Sister/Get Back” medley, excluded here only to make room for the longer rehearsal version that we played earlier, and then moves into “I Was The One.”

Elvis doesn’t know all of the lyrics to “I Was The One,” but it doesn’t matter. He’s having fun and so are we.

#48 Love Me (Live-1970)
That’s The Way It Is (2014 Deluxe Edition)
August 12 Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV [alternate mix]

Still on the electric guitar, Elvis quickly moves into a bluesy rendition of “Love Me.” He ends this section of the show with “Are You Lonesome Tonight” before putting away his guitar for the grand finale: “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Suspicious Minds,” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” closing what may well have been the greatest concert of his career.

Elvis: “I just do whatever I feel on stage. I always did that.”G

Elvis Presley will return in The Elvis Odyssey Part II: Endless Twilight.

Assorted Rambles

1Credit to the great George Lucas for giving me this idea. He literally started the Star Wars saga in the middle of the story, finished it, then went back and told the beginning.↩︎

Since childhood, one of my many dreams has been to own a restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, I’m neither a chef nor someone who knows how to run a business. And I’m not likely to become either anytime soon.

Though it’s not a dream I’d actually pursue, I have fun thinking about the kind of place some alternate-universe version of me might open. At the center of this idea, probably the entire impetus behind it, really, is a jukebox. See? That proves I’m not a chef. I think about the music first, not the food.

When I started thinking about what Elvis songs I’d make available on this jukebox, I realized that, in reality, most jukeboxes focused on singles, but I didn’t want to limit myself to those.

Instead, I selected 200 Elvis songs from across his career that would be available for patrons to play. I’d probably include about 200 songs from other artists as well, but as this is primarily an Elvis blog, we’ll focus on the Elvis selections.↩︎

2The playlist I created on Spotify is not an exact duplicate of the intended playlist due to multiple compromises around track availability, splitting of tracks, extraneous content (Elvis introducing the next song at the tail end of a live track rather than at the start of the track it actually belongs, a pet peeve of mine; exacerbated in this playlist due to the next song being something different).↩︎

3Long-time fans will no doubt recognize that the sequencing of the opening twelve tracks is adapted from The Memphis Record (1987), the best compiled and sequenced release of the American Sound material ever and possibly the best sequenced Elvis release period. Credit to Gregg Geller and his team for an album that was formulative in my young fanhood.↩︎

4While actually recorded after the ELVIS special and before the Memphis sessions, I think “Clean Up Your Own Backyard,” from The Trouble With Girls, fits well here with the Change Of Habit songs. I know some fans want everything chronological, but I want to tell the story in the most effective way possible. Unfortunately, Spotify did not have the undubbed version of this song.↩︎

5I named this blog The Mystery Train because Elvis delivered stellar versions of “Mystery Train” in all three decades of his career: 1955, 1969, and 1970.↩︎

6In 1992, I was a 17-year-old kid who had loved Elvis all his life. On June 24 of that year, there were two momentous Elvis releases–an expensive 5-CD set containing all of his 1950s recordings and a VHS tape containing an hour of outtakes from Elvis: That’s The Way It Is (1970) and Elvis On Tour (1972). The CD set was financially out of the question for me at that time, but I was able to rent the VHS tape from Blockbuster Video on the day of release. Elvis: The Lost Performances began with this moment, which features Elvis quoting from what was later discovered to be an obscure Hank Williams, Sr., song that the country legend recorded under the name of “Luke the Drifter.” I acknowledge that two of my last three infrequent posts to this blog have included some form of this quote. It actually wasn’t intentional, but the sentiment means a lot to me. So, now, it is three of the last four posts.
↩︎

7I’m aware that this is not Elvis’ best version of “Walk A Mile In My Shoes,” but it’s the one that Elvis sang after that perfect intro, so it stays.↩︎

Sources for Elvis Quotes

AAugust 24, 1969, Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

BJuly 31, 1969, Press Conference, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

CJune 9, 1972, Press Conference, New York, NY↩︎

DAugust 24, 1969, Dinner Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

EFebruary 18, 1970, Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

FAugust 11, 1970, Midnight Show, Las Vegas, NV↩︎

GFebruary 27, 1970, Press Conference, Houston, TX↩︎

“I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath!”
Psalm 104:33

Elvis Presley’s mic-drop moment

/ TY / Leave a comment

The world needs this song now more than ever.

Thank you, Elvis.