'68 NBC-TV Special - elvis – a touch of gold

Elvis 68ComebackSpecial 50thAnniversary 1500 crop

“sixties elvis” versus “seventies elvis”

THE QUESTION ON QUORA was “Which was better, 60s Elvis or 70s Elvis?” I was surprised to see that the first two answers were “70’s” as I can’t imagine any serious student of Presley’s recorded output would prefer his declining years over his mature middle years.

[Continue reading]

Elvis WhereNoOneStandsAlone LisaMarie 1500

is elvis’ “where no one stands alone” a groundbreaking new album?

HAVING FUN WITH QUORA and the many questions—intelligent and otherwise—kept me from addressing the latest release with Elvis Presley’s name and voice on it. It is another compilation featuring tracks doctored by producers and engineers to give decades-old vocals a ‘new sound.’ [Continue reading]

Elvis 1969 ChangeOfHabit posed photo 1500

I’ll be trying to get to you any day now (on elvis and soul)

THE QUORA FORUM’S question and answer set-up has been keeping me busy of late. Despite what people think about Elvis and the Internet, there seems to be an abiding interest in the man both personally and artistically. [Continue reading]

A FEW QUOTES

“[Elvis] came to the session, picked the songs, and if something in the arrangement was changed, he was the one to change it. Everything was worked out spontaneously. Nothing was really rehearsed. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone imitated him.” – Bones Howe

“You have no idea how great he is, really you don’t. You have no comprehension, it’s absolutely impossible. I can’t tell you why he’s so great, but he is. He’s sensational.” – Phil Spector

"I don’t think he ripped them off. I think once something has been exposed, anyone can add or take from it if they like. He was just so great, so popular, and so hot, and so anything that he played became a hit.” – B.B. King

“He was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn’t let black music through. He opened the door for black music.” – Little Richard

"Elvis was a great man and did more for civil rights than people know. To say he was a racist is an insult to us all.” – Ernest Withers

"The only white boy that had soul—who could sing as good as any of them—was Elvis When it comes to singing, nobody had everything like Elvis. I’ll tell the world, Elvis was the greatest of all time." – Muhammad Ali

“The first time that I appeared on stage, I really didn’t know what all the yelling was about. I didn’t realize that my body was moving. It’s a natural thing to me. So to the manager backstage I said, ‘What’d I do?’ And he said, 'Whatever it is, go back and do it again.' ” – Elvis Presley

"Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the 20th century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it’s a whole new social revolution [and] the '60s come from it.” – Leonard Bernstein