Elvis: 30 Years Gone

[SSLFan]

Well, since I haven't seen a thread on this yet, today marks the 30th aniversary of legend Elvis Presley's death. R.I.P dude.

 

[Winslow Leach]

Well, since I haven't seen a thread on this yet, today marks the 30th aniversary of legend Elvis Presley's death. R.I.P dude.

Yep. Elvis and The Beatles were the first music I recall hearing. Although my first exposure to Elvis was hardly memorable. I started off with "Elvis' Christmas Album," and a bunch of his movie soundtrack albums, from films like Blue Hawaii, G.I. Blues and Viva Las Vegas. Hardly classic stuff, but no matter how cheesy some of the songs were, they were instantly catchy, and I have them permanently etched in my mind. While some people carry Mozart and Beethoven in their brains, I've got stuff like "Do the Clam," "Yoga Is As Yoga Does," and "Poison Ivy League" in my head.

It wasn't until later that I discovered the real Elvis. The classic sides he cut at Sun Records; his first two RCA albums; the great singles ("Hound Dog," "All Shook Up," "Heartbreak Hotel," "I Was the One," etc.); and the still-somewhat unfairly judged non-soundtrack music he recorded in the 1960s. His first post-Army album, Elvis Is Back, is one of my all-time favorites, and contains a killer version of the Drifters' "Such a Night." A lot of the stuff he recorded in the 60s still stands up today: "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," "Little Sister," "Stuck On You," "Surrender," "It's Now Or Never," "She's Not You," "Return to Sender" (a soundtrack cut, but a great tune), "Kentucky Rain," "In the Ghetto," "Guitar Man," "Clean Up Your Own Backyard" (another song from a film soundtrack), "A Little Less Conversation," and "Suspicious Minds" are just some of the great songs Elvis recorded in this period.

Even in his last years, although he was getting too lazy to even record, he managed to deliver strong vocals on songs like "Burning Love," "Help Me Make It Through the Night," "Moody Blue," "Way Down," "Pledging My Love," "He'll Have to Go," "She Thinks I Still Care," "Separate Ways," "Always On My Mind," and "Unchained Melody."

I still enjoy some of Elvis' films, even though most of them were made in order to sell soundtrack albums, and not for artistic quality. It seems the campier and the cheesier the premise--Elvis as a race car driver! Elvis as a frogman! Elvis as an inner-city doctor!--the more enjoyable the film. Some of my fave flicks from the Big E include:

King Creole
G.I. Blues
Flaming Star
Wild in the Country
Blue Hawaii
Follow That Dream
Fun in Acapulco
It Happened at the World's Fair
Roustabout
Speedway
Spinout
Double Trouble
Live a Little, Love a Little
Elvis: That's the Way It Is - docu on Elvis rehearsing and performing in Vegas.

If he were alive today, Elvis would be 72!

 

[Beakerfan]

May you rest in peace, Elvis. You will never be truly dead, because you will always live on in our hearts.

 

[BeakerSqueedom]

<3 Love yah Elvis.

 

[Pip Pip Hooray]

The Anniversary of Elvis' death has marked a huge day for me and my family for some time now! Not only was yesterday 30 years since Elvis died... but the 16th of August also marked 9 years since my incredible, beautiful, talented, amazing, much loved and incredibly missed older brother died!

I can't believe it's been 9 years... I can remember it like it was yesterday (I guess pain and grief like that does tend to permanently stick in our memory banks... whether we'd like to erase it or not!)

I wish you all could know what an incredible guy he was! Talk about Elvis being amazing (which he was) but my brother was one of those guys that may not have been world wide famous... but was famous in our lives! Just a one in a million guy! A real true blue legend!

Anyway just wanted to take this opportunity to write... R.I.P Adam... Miss you and love you forever!



Yesterday was a long day!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Sorry to hear about your brother Pip.

I have Blue Hawaii somewhere in this house.

You mean Jail house rock is not one of your favorites, Winslow?

 

[Pip Pip Hooray]

Sorry to hear about your brother Pip.

Thanks!

I wasn't sure whether I should post it at first... but felt compelled...
Was just that once he was gone it felt like the world went on and somehow forgot about him.. so any chance I can get to bring his memory back to life in even the smallest way makes me feel much better.

 

[Pip Pip Hooray]

Always on my mind is my favourite!

 

[Winslow Leach]

You mean Jail house rock is not one of your favorites, Winslow?

Yeah, that's a good one too. It shows Elvis growing as an actor, and the potential he had in good dramatic parts. He would only do a few more "serious" films before playing second banana to kids and chimps.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Wow! poor guy.