ART Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 35 years ago today, August 16th, 1977, the one and only Elvis Aaron Presley passed away. It hardly seems a day passes without his voice, his songs, his films are heard or seen. That day, the world lost a legend, someone who changed the musical scene forever, delighted millions. Elvis and his music lives on. His memory will never die Long live the King. May you eternally rest in peace. [video=youtube;gj0Rz-uP4Mk] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 Never liked Elvis. Think he was pretty ****. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaford Saint Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 Never liked Elvis. Think he was pretty ****. What do you think was so **** about him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norwaysaint Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 Although I'm not particularly a fan, everything in the OP is about right, so there doesn't seem any need for such a nasty little reply. I guess it's the nature of SWF though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaMarlin Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 I wasn't a particularly a big fan of his music but a few years ago became interested in his story, mainly fuelled by the controversial Albert Goldman biography. My fascination has grown and I read pretty much anything I can on him. Obviously a lot of it is rot, and you have to largely decide for yourself how much is true. But among all the crud, there is a compelling tale of manipulation, exploitation and ultimate tragedy. The character in the Elvis Saga I find most fascinating is his manager Col Tom Parker. Amid all the conjecture and ballyhoo, what probably isn't in doubt is how he was manipulated and exploited by Parker, and stifled as an artiste. Elvis was probably capable of so much more. Went to Graceland a few years ago on a Pilgrimage To Tacky Kitsch Tour for my missus who wanted to celebrate a landmark birthday by doing the tackiest thing she could do. It really is a weird place. It's disturbing to think there is a considerable number of people out there who view Graceland as a Redneck Lourdes, and the place is full of clearly terminally ill and very sick people who think that touching Elvis's grave will cure them. You could only describe the house itself as Whorehouse Chic, and it is disappointingly not as big as you think. Premier League footballers live in bigger houses. We found ourselves constantly giggling at some of the 'objets d'art' and the grungy decor, and were rebuked on a couple of occasions. Graceland is a bit soulless, and you get a better sense of Elvis and what he was about at Sun Studios. Although it is very touristic, you can still get some feeling of the agic that must have crackled in the air when he laid down his first tracks for Sam Phillips. Perhaps as I've got older, I've become more aware of the heritage of his music and what it means today. Whether you like it or not, his early music was ground-breaking. All in all, I find him a very compelling and ultimately sad figure who try as he might, was never really in control of his own life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 (edited) What do you think was so **** about him? Have never liked his songs, never been inspired by his music or his performances from what I have seen. Don't understand the fuss even now with all the impersonators. Just weird. Edited 16 August, 2012 by hypochondriac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Duckhunter Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 Theres a couple of things about Elvis that seem to get lost in the mists of time. He inspired a generation of musicans. Muscians, who then went on to make some of the greatest music. He was a fantastic singer, but he was ruined by shiete material. About 90% of what he did was ****e, but the other 10% was right up there .The Colonel was a tight arse and wouldn't pay decent songwritters and also had an obsession with churning out movies. Before he went into the army and for a couple of years following his '68 comeback special, he made some fantastic music. His career was very badly handled from when he left the army. Now he's just become a parody, mainly due to his Vegas days. Even during that period, when he was given decent material he made some great songs . In the Ghetto, Funny how time slips away, Always on my mind, I Just Can't Help Believin and Suspicious minds were great. Without Elvis, Rock music (if it's still called that) would look a bit different than it does, there aint many artists that can say that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brussels Saint Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 That 68 comeback special (all the stuff he does in the black leather suit and his guitar) truely shows the magic he was capable of. It's a mesmerizing performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Duckhunter Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 (edited) That 68 comeback special (all the stuff he does in the black leather suit and his guitar) truely shows the magic he was capable of. It's a mesmerizing performance. It was like "unplugged" 20 years before MTV thought of it. Showed the guy was human as well, just a shame within a few short years, it was all Karate kicks and impersonators. That comeback and his Sun recordings were him at his peak. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdSoRrTD9BQ Edited 16 August, 2012 by Lord Duckhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillyanne Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 He ended up as the original burger king Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaford Saint Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 He ended up as the original burger king Jilly that's very unkind.....was he more of a mis**** than Michael Jackson? Didn't think so.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonManager Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 Where were you when Elvis died? I was in the next cubicle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfcuk fan Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 Where were you when Elvis died? I was 16 years old and on a scout camp at Marlow. The first night of camp Elvis died. Now bear in mind this was 1977 and the only music you could get on the radio after midnight was radio Luxembourg. Every friggin night for the whole of camp all they played was friggin Elvis !!!! I used to like him, but by the end of camp I friggin hated him ! Scarred me for a long time and only now as I mature do I actually begin to like his music again . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheaf Saint Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 I never really used to be into his music much, although I have learned to appreciate it more as I have got older, but there can be no doubting his influence. He was the original pin-up, heart-throb pop star that began the music industry practise of using good looks to sell records. Though unlike so many of the 'artists' (I use the term loosely) who subsequently tried to copy that model, Elvis was actually a supremely talented musician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPTCount Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 my aunts a massive Elvis nut, she's adamant he's not dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ART Posted 16 August, 2012 Author Share Posted 16 August, 2012 Where were you when Elvis died? I was in the next cubicle... I had just returned from France to run the old man's hotel in Scotland. I was walking down Dumfries high street that day when I read the billboard saying Elvis was dead. Left me completely stunned in that it just didn't seem possible someone as huge worldwide as Elvis could actuall die so young. In his 42 years Elvis achieved so much despite the restrictions and controls imposed on him by the Colonel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrollman no2 Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 When i first heard "Thats alright now mama",that one song blew me away and lead me to the sounds of early rock n roll and rockabilly. To this day,it has influenced the clothes i wear,the way i cut my hair, to the type of cars i want to own(early 1950s) and no other music has ever been able to move me as much.In fact if you listen to the "Sun Sessions" Elvis did in 55/56,i doubt you will ever hear a more raw,althentic sound coming from a recording studio. My only regret is i once had a chance to see Elvis,s original guitarist Scotty Moore,but i never got round to it.Thats something i will always regret. Anyway,love or hate him, all of music will be forever indebted to Elvis Presley. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Gotsmanov Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 I had just returned from France to run the old man's hotel in Scotland. I was walking down Dumfries high street that day when I read the billboard saying Elvis was dead. Left me completely stunned in that it just didn't seem possible someone as huge worldwide as Elvis could actuall die so young. In his 42 years Elvis achieved so much despite the restrictions and controls imposed on him by the Colonel They once asked Colonel Tom Parker if it was true he was taking 50% of Elvis's earnings. He replied no, he is taking 50% of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Chalet Posted 16 August, 2012 Share Posted 16 August, 2012 Never liked Elvis. Think he was pretty ****. Thank you for your input, a real SWF Paul Gambachini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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