1973

Review: RAISED ON ROCK CD [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 19 when I wrote this review back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #8, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Raised On Rock (RCA), recorded by Elvis Presley, produced by Felton Jarvis and Elvis Presley. Recorded July 21-23, 1973, Stax Studios (Memphis) and September 22-24, 1973, Elvis’ home (Palm Springs). Released: November 1973. Re-released: 1994 (CD).

This re-issue of Raised On Rock, which interestingly drops the original “For Ol’ Times Sake” subtitle, contains a page of poorly written liner notes, as do the other three albums reviewed in this issue, of which this is the last paragraph:

This album was recorded at a very difficult time during Elvis’ life. It could never be considered a classic. In October, his petition for divorce from Priscilla would be finalized and it must have weighed heavily on his mind. The poignancy of “For Ol’ Time Sake” [sic] puts this into perspective and makes this re-issue still a must for any real Elvis fan.

I had never heard the Raised On Rock album before, and I read the liner notes before playing it. I fully expected to be disappointed by this album since even Elvis’ own record company seems to feel that Raised On Rock was generally a worthless album with only one good song.

After listening to the album, I found that I totally disagreed with the liner notes and, in retrospect, found them insulting both to Elvis and his fans.

Does an album have to hit number one to be a “classic”? What is a classic anyway? Why is it assumed that Elvis’ personal life would have a negative impact on his music? Can’t Elvis’ own record company get the title of his song right? What is a “real Elvis fan,” anyway?

The liner notes suggest that only obsessed fans would even consider buying Raised On Rock, and, even then, they would probably only play it once.

Despite the liner notes, Raised On Rock is an excellent album that contains a wide variety of musical styles. All ten of the songs are strong and prove Elvis’ voice to be in good form. It makes one wonder if the unidentified author of the liner notes even bothered to listen to the album.

Songs:

  1. Raised On Rock
  2. Are You Sincere
  3. Find Out What’s Happening
  4. I Miss You
  5. Girl Of Mine
  6. For Ol’ Times Sake
  7. If You Don’t Come Back
  8. Just A Little Bit
  9. Sweet Angeline
  10. Three Corn Patches

Rating: 9 out of 10

Elvis and the Colonel: The Way It Was [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this article back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #4, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

One mistake after another occurred in the NBC television movie Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story, which aired in January. On the rare occasions when the movie’s makers did decide to check their sources, it appears the only reference they bothered to use was the 1979 TV movie Elvis starring Kurt Russell and directed by John Carpenter.

Below is a listing of some of the many factual errors which appeared in Elvis and the Colonel:

  • “Elvis” is shown giving his mother a pink cadillac after they were already living at Graceland. In reality, Elvis gave her the car in 1956, while they did not move into Graceland until May 1957.
  • “Elvis” is shown in Elvis and the Colonel filming the movie Change of Habit in the 1950s. In actuality, Change of Habit was filmed in 1969 and was his last acting role.
  • “Colonel Parker” mentions that “Elvis”‘ gold cadillac could be toured while he was in the Army. The real Elvis did not even purchase the gold car until after his service in the Army.
  • Preparations for the taping of the 1968 ELVIS television special (now known as ELVIS: ’68 Comeback Special) are shown occurring in November of 1968. In reality, the special was taped in June of 1968.
  • The ELVIS special is a live broadcast in the movie. In actuality, ELVIS, as mentioned above, was taped in June 1968 and did not air until December of that year. It was the 1973 television special Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii that was broadcast live to some locations around the world.
  • “Elvis” is shown singing “Are You Lonesome Tonight” in a white, double-breasted suit during the ELVIS television special. In reality, “If I Can Dream” was the only song Elvis performed in the special wearing that suit.
  • “Heartbreak Hotel” in the movie concludes the ELVIS special. In actuality, “If I Can Dream” was the final song sung by Elvis in the special.
  • “Also Sprach Zarathustra” (theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey) opens “Elvis”‘ opening night performance in July 1969 at the Las Vegas International Hotel in the movie. The fact is, the real Elvis did not begin using “Also Sprach Zarathustra” until 1971.
  • “Elvis” wears a white jumpsuit for the July 1969 opening performance in the movie. In reality, Elvis wore a simple black outfit for his first concert in years. The jumpsuit worn by the actor is a distorted version of one worn by Elvis in the film Elvis: That’s The Way It Is, which was from an August 1970 performance.
  • “Elvis” sings “The Wonder Of You” at the 1969 concert in the movie, while the song was not really performed by Elvis until 1970.
  • “Elvis” is shown extremely overweight by September of 1971 in the movie, which escalates until a 1973 performance in which he appears obese. In reality, Elvis was at or near his ideal weight during these years, as proven by video and photographs.
  • “Elvis” is shown in the movie complaining to “Colonel Parker” about turning down A Star Is Born in August 1973. In actuality, Elvis had not yet been offered a role in this 1976 movie.
  • “Elvis” and “Priscilla” never divorce in the film! Despite the fact that the real couple divorced in October 1973, the movie “Elvis” tells of a nightmare in July 1976 in which he dreamed that “Priscilla” had left him. In a 1981 courtroom scene, the judge refers to “Elvis” as “Priscilla”‘s late “husband,” instead of “ex-husband.”