Elvis: That’s The Way It Is (2-Disc Special Edition)

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Elvis: That’s The Way It Is (Two-Disc Special Edition) is a perfect showcase of the way it was when Elvis’ Las Vegas show was fresh and new. This new edition includes two versions of the documentary, the original version and the 2001 release that was re-cut and edited to show more concert footage. Filmed during the King’s first major run at the International Hotel both DVDs capture the power and excitement Elvis possessed in two almost completely different films. What remains the same is the command that Elvis has over his loving audience.

Let’s start with disc two, the documentary as it was originally released in 1970. This version opens with Elvis at rehearsals with the core members of his band, which includes James Burton (guitar), Jerry Scheff (bass) and Ronnie Tutt (drums). We get to see the guys as they practice the songs for the upcoming Vegas run for the very first time. It’s good to see them having fun and goofing around, especially Elvis. We can see he is in charge and the leader of his band. He’s shown making changes, directing and pointing out where people need to be as a song starts.

The scene then moves to Vegas and the vocal groups learning their parts. The Sweet Inspirations (female) and The Imperials Quartet (male) are later joined by Elvis and the band to get it all down and jam a little. There is a quiet moment with Elvis and the girls, where you get a feel for some of his priorities as far as family is concerned. He is playful here, showing his range and playing with the groups to see what they know and what they can do. He is quite fond of his high-pitched Tiny Tim-like vocals and will even use it many times on stage.

From the practice hall we move to the main stage for rehearsals the day before the big event. More fun and laughter ensue this time members of the Memphis mafia are on the loose and adding to the humor. But it is the show itself that takes the documentary over the top.

Elvis is in top form and still in the best shape of his life, at this time it is said that the man had a 32-inch waist. WOW!! He was a six-foot, Karate-trained, lean, mean entertainment machine primed to deliver the best of shows of his career. As the music fills the air, Elvis’ presence fills the screen. He’s calm and appears a bit nervous because most of the night’s numbers are new and he is a bit unsure of how the crowd will respond. Yet as always the fans adore him and the songs go over well, eliminating any questions the king might have had. From start to finish Elvis is cracking jokes, mixing with fans and band members, giving off an overall good time vibe. Elvis paints the picture of an easygoing guy who’s having a ball performing and doing what he loves and does best.

With the original version we really don’t get enough of Elvis. During filming, director Denis Sanders became fascinated with the fan element of Elvis’ career and put much of the focus on them and other irrelevant situations. The fan interviews aren’t all bad; we get to hear from people of all ages and races give their opinion of why big E is such a positive force in the world. Older folks like the fact that he’s a Christian man, while men see him as the essence of quiet cool from look to attitude. People admire the fact that a Southern white boy was strong enough to go head-on and sing back-porch country and blues tunes inspired by poor African Americans. Children are drawn to him as well for reasons I have yet to figure out. Then there are women, young and old, who just love him from head to toe and think that he is the very definition of sexy masculinity.

Many interviews are interesting, such as the editor of Tiger Beat telling of her excitement over Elvis and random fans waxing poetic about how rock ‘n’ roll is nothing without him. We even get to go across the pond to England and then Germany for a European fan fest, where we get to see Elvis’ tandem bike raffled off for charity. The best part here is the Elvis impersonators. Some are good look-a-likes and others are horrid. Some bands are simply there to play rock ‘n’ roll inspired by the King and other rockabilly legends.

Disc one is the redone version of this same Vegas run but the focus has been put back on Elvis. All the fan interviews and “talking heads” have been removed and replaced with more Elvis footage. The basic chain of events is the same but Special Edition producer Rick Schmidlin looked all over the Warner Brothers vaults for every frame of footage that he could find. Armed with this new material, he put together “The ultimate Elvis performance.” We get to see more of the personal side of Elvis, being himself and interacting with people not in his everyday entourage.

Many good tunes and footage where left out of the 1970 release and are now being seen for the first time. A few of the songs in the 2001 release are different versions from the original, as the overall footage is from six separate shows. Songs from the early days, “Mystery Train,” “All Shook Up,” “Hound Dog,” and “Blue Suede Shoes” are reworked with fury and mixed with new tunes like “Suspicious Minds,” “ I Just Can’t Help Believing,” and “Polk Salad Annie.”

The new tunes reflect the recent R&B sounds of Memphis with soaring horns and heavy, funky bass. “Patch It Up” is a new song that sends the crowd and Elvis into a frenzy. The people are dancing and grooving right along with their king. Elvis’ dancing isn’t all choreographed, like the hyper gyrations of today’s pop idols; his moves have feeling and are driven by the connection with the song he is singing. It’s awesome to see him playing with the vocal groups during a song and then spin back into place as the bridge closes out.

What makes the new version better is the fact that Elvis is center of attention and that’s who we want to see and hear. Maybe back in ‘70s Sanders’ idea of the fans worked because Elvis still walked among us and being able to see him live wasn’t wishful thinking. For today’s fan Elvis is the attraction not what the Hotel staff was doing to prepare or the stress on the promoter. Don’t get me wrong these things interest me too, but to see Elvis at the top of his game is something that simply stirs my soul.

Much of the material on these DVDs can be found on the Elvis: Viva Las Vegas CD that was recently released and his original albums On Stage and the three-disc edition of the soundtrack to the film, That’s The Way It Is.

Elvis: Viva Las Vegas

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Elvis: Viva Las Vegas is sixteen songs recorded live in Las Vegas from 1969-73 and is the soundtrack to the upcoming documentary highlighting the King’s years as the top draw in the gambling mecca of the west.

When Elvis hit the strip in the summer of ’69, he wasn’t a punk kid or paper-cutout actor. He was a reinvented powerhouse and a force to be dealt with by entertainers everywhere. With the ‘68 Comeback Special he proved that he could still rock a house to its foundation. His voice now reflected his age, bringing maturity and a renewed confidence to his live act. With a roundhouse kick of seasoned musicians led by guitarist James Burton, Elvis stormed the International Hotel with a passion and fury he hadn’t shown in ten years. Elvis carried with him an aggressive new sound fueled with strong guitars, funky bass lines, and a soaring horn section inspired by the Memphis soul stew cooked up over at Stax and Atlantic records.

Like a lion he roared at the bright neon lights to let that city know that the King was back and more than ready to erase the lukewarm reception he received back in ’56. With the nervous jitters of his first live appearance long out of the way Elvis stepped onto the stage of his new kingdom and possessed an energy that Vegas had been lacking for a while. To show his subjects that he could still stomp ass, he chose songs that were popular and had a drive that he could use to hammer his new sound home. He handpicked tunes that he admired and knew he could turn into his own.

The CD opens with the only studio recording on the disc, “Viva Las Vegas” from the 1963 movie of the same title. Other songs such as “The Wonder Of You,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Let It Be Me,” and “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” would become staples of his act for years to come. While the old blues tune “See See Rider” provided the triumphant sounding horns that would serve as the theme for the jumpsuit-clad Elvis’ choreographed Karate moves. If you listen closely to “That Loving Feeling” you can her him joke about the fit of those suits.

Elvis also chose songs that meant something to him personally and that would mirror his own life. “An American Trilogy” is about Southern life and God while “You Gave Me A Mountain” is a soulful ballad concerning a man’s wife leaving and taking their child with her. “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” is a jamming little ditty packed with sting aimed at his critics and negative press. The disc contains a number of swingin’ jams that filled his Vegas shows, including “Release Me,” “Patch It Up,” and the mean, bass-driven, horn-filled “Polk Salad Annie,” complete with big E’s fumble on the introduction. It’s always good to hear the King laugh at himself.

Elvis: Viva Las Vegas is a good sample of why at this stage in his career Elvis was truly the king of entertainers and the liner notes to the CD by the knowledgeable Colin Escott stress this as well. Sadly, it wouldn’t be long until the King was to be a bloated, pill-popping parody of his former glorious self and just a few years later his throne would be empty. Impersonators of all types from good to horrid sprung up everywhere to mock or turn the spotlight back to a time when Elvis stood tall and commanded respect as a true American icon prowling the desert nights in Sin City.

Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding: It’s Now Or Never

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Have you heard the news! There’s good rockin’ tonight and it’s coming from the return of Rockabilly legends Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding. Vocalist Gordon and guitarist Spedding pay tribute to Elvis Presley with their new release, It’s Now Or Never. These gentlemen are joined by the King’s backing vocalists The Jordanaires on fifteen tracks that range from the well known to the obscure. The CD is perfectly timed to hit shelves on the thirty-year anniversary of Elvis’ passing,

These two first teamed up when Spedding became guitarist for Gordon’s backing band The WildCats by replacing guitar hero/master Link Wray. Producing some good albums and ripping live venues apart, these kats scored with a cover of the classic “Red Hot” and Bruce Springsteen’s gift to Gordon, “Fire.” After spending twenty years apart, the voice and the guitar tear it up again with this collection of tunes first made popular by “the hillbilly kat,” Mr. Elvis Presley.

From reeling and rockin’ to slow and low Gordon has chosen tracks that represent the power and emotion that Elvis could convey when he wasn’t singing about crap such as clam bakes or luaus. Gordon’s vocals are as strong as ever on ballads where he pleads “Don’t Leave Me Now,” “Love Me,” and the swinging title track “It’s Now Or Never.” On the latter Gordon shows off the power in his baritone voice as The Jordanaires recreate their smooth group harmony behind him. Gordon’s voice is reminiscent of Elvis’ but is deeper and more gruff, giving him a sound all his own.

Spedding begins to cut his way and be heard on some of the King’s bluesy sides, turning tunes like “A Mess Of Blues,” “Trying To Get to You,” and “It Feels So Right” into grittier, mean-sounding gems from an after-hour’s juke joint. The original session guitarist had the vibe but its Spedding’s talent and feelings pushing these songs further, reminding us that with the right guitar slinger these songs are street level, greasy blues tunes.

The two rockabilly titans are strongest on the up-tempo numbers. It’s here that Spedding swings his ax with a style that adds to the original arrangements while showcasing Gordon’s fierce vocals. Songs like “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone,” and “Too Much” are given new life and jump just as much as the previous versions. “My Baby Left Me” hits hard and fast, leaving you asking for more, which our heroes gladly supply by tackling one of the holiest of Elvis’ tunes, “Don’t Be Cruel.” Many consider this song untouchable and would rather it be left alone, but bravely they step and rock it almost as well as the King himself. Gordon’s mature vocals conjure up images of an older Elvis performing in his ’68 comeback prime as Spedding gives the tune more of a country slant

The track that pulls it all together is “I Beg Of You.” Gordon asserts himself as an older, wiser vocalist. Spedding’s picking and strumming jives well with The Jordanaires whose peppy backing chores shine as bright as one of the King’s pinky rings. And no true Elvis tribute can be complete with out the spiritual that the King loved so much, “Peace In The Valley;” which is given a fine treatment by this talented group of performers.

In It’s Now Or Never you’ll get a fresh take on a few Elvis tunes that jump and swing with a life of their own. The rockabilly world is thankful that Gordon ditched his punk band the Tuff Darts to pursue his love of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll. He carried the torch for music that might have died with Elvis.

There are plenty of good rockabilly bands making the scene now but Gordon hit at a time when this brand of rock was at a low point. Elvis himself shied away from it at the end of his career, focusing more on being a jumpsuit-wearing entertainer. Gordon appeared and stripped this music back to its roots and drawing from the energy of his punk rock beginnings was able to breathe fire and attitude back into the rebellious music known as Rockabilly, the punk rock of the 1950s. So it’s now or never, ghoulies. Enjoy the coming month because it’s not often that Elvis and rockabilly will be celebrated as much as it will be this August.