Press Release: The Elvis Today Blog Volume 2

The second volume of The Elvis Today Blog is now available, collecting 230 posts from January 8, 2010 to August 16, 2012. A special bonus post features a previously unreleased interview with Elvis’ first drummer D.J. Fontana. The foreword is written by Michael Jarrett, who wrote “I’m Leavin’” and “I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day” for Elvis. 

“When I started the Elvis Today Blog on August 16, 2007, I had no idea it would result in a book. And certainly not in two,” says author Thomas Melin, a public relations officer living in Sweden.

The most common reaction Thomas gets from friends and colleagues when they learn that he runs an Elvis blog is, “What is there to tell?” And it’s a justified question. After all, Elvis has been gone for 35 years now.

“So I start to explain. I tell them about all the albums with unreleased material that the official collectors label Follow That Dream Records keeps pouring out. I also mention the shows touring Europe with former members of Elvis’ band members. And I talk about the books that continue to be written.”

That’s the stuff Thomas writes about. And he tells it from his perspective, what he thinks of a certain album, a concert or a book. He also uses the blog to share some of the many Elvis memories he’s had over the years. And every time he has to explain his reasons for blogging, it hits him how lucky he is to be an Elvis fan, and not only because of the great legacy Elvis left behind.

“The interest in Elvis is as high as ever, certainly as big as when I became an Elvis fan over 30 years ago. And being a fan is as fun today as it was then. So was writing the posts that ended up becoming The Elvis Today Blog Volume 2, running from post number 271 right up to post number 500. I hope that fans have as much fun reading it,” says Thomas Melin.

The Elvis Today Blog Volume 2 (328 pages) is available on blurb.com for US $14.45 http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3723394

Praise for the first volume of The Elvis Today Blog

“Thomas Melin crafts a unique volume that follows the triumphs and trials of being an Elvis fan in the post-1977 era.”
Troy Y., The Mystery Train Blog 

“Melin ponders issues as diverse as Elvis in the shop window and archival media reports to new bootleg releases, the need for an FTD (Follow That Dream) website and the album that never was. All in all it makes for interesting reading.”
Nigel Patterson, Elvis In Print:
The Definite Reference And Price Guide

A Fool Such As I

Earlier this fall, my work took me to The University of Manchester, located in Manchester, United Kingdom. The night before my plane left, I browsed my favorite Elvis websites, and was surprised to learn that there was an Elvis festival going on in–yes, you guessed it–Manchester.

Studying the schedule a bit closer I noticed that the festival ended on the very same day we would be arriving, on a Sunday, and that we could probably manage to attend the Midnight Wrap Party, starting at 7:00 PM, as our flight would be landing sometime in the afternoon.

Not knowing how the colleagues that I was traveling with would react, I nevertheless printed out the schedule together with a map of Manchester, showing the location of the festival.

Sometime during the flight I mentioned the Elvis festival to a colleague sitting in the seat next to me, telling him that the wrap party promised a “final opportunity to socialize with the ETAs [Elvis Tribute Artists] and fans while enjoying more karaoke.” His eyes immediately lit up. “That sounds like fun. Let's go there after we have eaten dinner tonight,” he said.

Arriving in Manchester on time, we found our hotel and then went out looking for something to eat. After a meal at an Italian restaurant, two of my colleagues decided to join me when I asked if they were still interested in visiting the Elvis festival. “Of course,” one of them said, “I've been thinking about all those Elvis impersonators all day, let's go.”

So I hailed a cab, and told the driver to take us to the Elvis festival. Receiving a blank look in the rear mirror I handed him the map I had printed the day before. “There it is,” I said helpfully. “On the other side of the river.” Looking at the map and then shaking his head, he mumbled something about not understanding where we wanted to go. “It's at the Radisson Hotel,” I clarified. “Why didn't you say so,” the driver fired back. “Why hand me a map?”

Finally on our way, I calculated that the drive would take at least 10 minutes. Imagine my surprise when the cab stopped after only a couple of hundred meters, not having passed a river at all. “Radisson Hotel,” the driver announced, and looking out the window I could see he was right. But where was the Elvis festival? From where I was looking, the lobby looked pretty much deserted.

“What was the name of that hotel restaurant where the festival was taking place,” one of the colleagues in the cab with me, asked. Glancing at the schedule that I held in my hand together with the map, I answered, “JD's Tavern.” My colleague took out his iPhone, accessed the internet and punched in the name.

“JD's Tavern is located at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester all right,” he said after a while, looking at me with a smug smile on his face. ”Only we're talking about Manchester in the U.S state of New Hampshire.”

Right there, right then, I felt incredible foolish. There I was, in a cab in Manchester, having convinced my colleagues we were going to an Elvis festival to enjoy a drink or two while watching lots of impersonators in action, realizing I was in the wrong country, even on the wrong continent for heaven's sake!

“Ah, well,” the colleague with the iPhone said. “Let's go inside for a drink anyway.” Nodding my head, I started to get out of the cab, handing the driver a bill, but completely forgetting to wait for the change.

A few minutes later, the three of us were sitting in the bar, nursing beers and listening to music that was as far from Elvis as it could get. And although the evening turned out OK in the end, it wasn't exactly what I had imagined the day before, sitting in front of my computer, looking at the schedule for the 2012 New England Elvis Festival. Sigh!

Treat Me Nice

Ten years ago, on August 16, 2002, an one hour radio program titled Treat Me Nice was aired on nationwide radio in Sweden. Having produced and recorded the program a couple of days earlier, I remember how excited and proud I felt reading about it in one of the biggest newspapers in the morning (the text was a shortened version of the press release) and it read something like this:

On August 16 it is 25 years since Elvis Presley died. Still, Elvis is more alive today than ever. No one has more organized fans and Graceland is the most visited private home in the USA after the White House. Elvis records are selling like never before and this summer he has been number one in the charts [with the JXL remix of “A Little Less Conversation”]. More about this can be heard in the program Treat Me Nice, where Thomas Melin takes a closer look at the phenomenon of Elvis.

Listening to the program today (I have a copy of it on CD, of course), it hit me how much of what I included in it still holds true. Ernst Jorgensen is still searching for unreleased Elvis material and the demand for alternate takes, home recordings and live versions is as high as ever. Books about Elvis continues to be written and Elvis Week only seems to be getting bigger and bigger every year. And Elvis keeps performing “live on screen” accompanied by his old band members (although it might be for the last time during tonight's Elvis 35th Anniversary Concert in Memphis).

At the end of the program, I asked Ernst Jorgensen how big he thought the interest in Elvis would be in another 25 years. His answer was that Elvis will probably sell fewer albums as the music gets older, but that he will not be forgotten.

Ten years later, it is still great times to be an Elvis fan. The official collectors label Follow That Dream Records continues to serve us with unreleased material and their latest release, the book and 3 cd set A Boy From Tupelo : The Complete 1953-55 Recordings is truly remarkable. And then there is the Sony October release Prince From Another Planet 40th Anniversary Madison Square Garden 2 CD/1 DVD set to look forward to.

On a completely different level, this marks my 500th post since I started the Elvis Today Blog exactly five years ago, on August 16, 2007. Something that would have never been possible without the support of my readers. To all of you I express my gratitude. But most of all, thank you Elvis, for always being there for me with your music. It means the world.

With this post I'm taking an indefinite break from blogging. There is so much going on in my life at the moment, at the top of the list is my two year old daughter, I simply haven't got either the time or energy to write about Elvis. But I will continue to listen to the man who, like Troy Y. over at The Mystery Train Blog puts it so well, provides the soundtrack to my life.

From Hawaii To The Rest Of The World

What if the previously unreleased cassette recording of Elvis rehearsing the day before his opening show at the Las Vegas Hilton on January 26, 1973 had been a rehearsal for an upcoming world tour instead? In an alternate universe, a review of the recently released From Hawaii To Las Vegas album from FTD would have sounded a bit different. To borrow a phrase from fellow blogger Troy Y: You've just crossed over into ... the edge of reality. 

Fortunately Elvis didn't return for another routine engagement in Las Vegas after his triumphal Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite show. As you all know, he went on a highly successful world tour instead, starting in Europe. The recent From Hawaii To The Rest Of The World release from Follow That Dream Records provides an unique “fly-on-the-wall” experience of Elvis rehearsing for his opening show in London. Captured on a personal tape recorder, the sonic quality is below normal standards, but historical significance more than compensates for its audio limitations.

The first two songs on the cassette recording are “Something” and “You Gave Me A Mountain,” both sounding very much like their counterparts from the satellite show. As Aloha From Hawaii served more or less as a blueprint for the song list included on the world tour, Elvis probably rehearsed “See See Rider” and “Burning Love” as well, before someone pressed the “record” button.

The third song, “Steamroller Blues,” is the extended version we know so well from the first world tour. Elvis sings the “I'm a napalm bomb” verse two times, first time low and bluesy right after the guitar solo, the second time in the same exploding style as the last “I'm a steamroller baby” verse. No wonder this became a firm fan favorite during the tour. 

“My Way” is again very similar to the version from Hawaii, except for some clowning around with Charlie Hodge during the first verse. Then it's time for “Love Me” and “It's Over.” “Love me till it's over,” Elvis jokingly says before delivering a straight forward “Love Me” that ends with the orchestra playing a few bars of “The Star-Sprangled Banner,” evoking laughter from the band and musicians. “It's Over” is a nice version, every bit as beautiful as the one from the Aloha concert. 

“Blue Suede Shoes” is a one minute throw away version, involving some uninspired singing from Elvis part. Thankfully, it always sounded much more full of energy when performed during the shows abroad. A far better rehearsal is “I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry” featuring the additional verse heard on the world tour as well. One of the highlights on the CD.

Listening to the rehearsal of “Welcome To My World” took me back to the time I saw Elvis perform in Paris for the first time (the soundboard from that concert was made available by FTD on the album Paris '77 a few years ago), the giant pictures of Graceland projected behind Elvis as he was singing the song. I remember it sent shivers up my spine.

Elvis then discusses the order of some of the songs to be performed on the opening show, among them “Hound Dog,” “What Now My Love,” “Fever” and “Suspicious Minds,” neither of which are rehearsed. (But listening to them on the Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In London album, it's obvious they turned out all right all the same.)

The ending of “I'll Remember You” causes the orchestra some problems. “I thought that was bad enough,” Elvis mutters after an abandoned attempt. After they finally get it right, Elvis launches himself into a driven and rockin' medley of “Long Tall Sally”/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On.” Not only is this version one minute longer than the one from Hawaii, it's also much better, sounding very much like the one found on the Live On Stage In London album (although that one of course lasts for about five minutes). 

“An American Trilogy” always evoked great response, not only in the southern states, but also when performed all throughout Europe and then the rest of the world during 1973. Listening to the powerhouse version on From Hawaii To The Rest Of The World it's easy to understand why. Similarly, the rehearsal of “A Big Hunk O' Love” gives you an idea of why everyone stood up and clapped their hands when this rock 'n' roll oldie was belted out by Elvis in arenas all around the world.

The catchy “I'm Leavin It Up To You” was always a highlight during the first world tour, but the rehearsal reveals that the song almost didn't make it to the set list. Lasting only for about 43 seconds, Elvis cuts it short with the words “That's all. Let's do 'Faded Love'.” Someone then asks him why he stopped, receiving the answer, “It was written with a pen. I couldn't read it.” Thankfully, someone must have produced typed written lyrics and convinced Elvis to rehears it again (after the cassette tape ended).

Just like “I'm Leavin' It Up Top You,” “Faded Love” wasn't performed on the Aloha From Hawaii show. But luckily Elvis choose to retrieve this number from his 1971 Elvis Country album. It was then regularly performed during the following world tour, the rehearsal reminding me of the version recently released on the FTD treatment of Live In Australia.

The rehearsal of “I Can't Stop Loving You” is a near copy of the version found on Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite. Not bad, but far more interesting are the two versions of “Separate Ways,” one with just the band and the other with band and orchestra. Always an emotional moment when performed during the first world tour, one can hardly dare to think about what a loss it would have been if Elvis had chosen not to try the song in front of an audience. Just listen to the heartbroken version included on the Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In London album and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Another highlight during Elvis' first world tour was of course “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and it's nice to listen to a rehearsal of it, even if the live versions available all sound much more exciting. “Let's do 'Can't Help Falling In Love' and we can call it off,” Elvis then tells the band before the From Hawaii To The Rest Of The World release ends with an (incomplete) version of the show closer we all know so well. To think that Elvis didn't change that one until 1977!

To sum it up – From Hawaii To The Rest Of The World is an essential release. Granted, the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired, but as a historical document it's priceless. This is how Elvis worked with his repertoire up to the last moment before leaving for his opening show in London.

Back in this universe, I'd like to recommend From Hawaii To Las Vegas as well. It's certainly not everyday a rehearsal turns up like this. But what a strange experience it must have been for Elvis to return to doing routine shows in Las Vegas after the Aloha From Hawaii success just a few weeks earlier. What if the satellite show had been followed by a world tour instead. One can only dream.

This post is dedicated to Troy Y. who runs The Mystery Train Blog.

Temple Riser Is Alive And Well

One of my greatest Elvis moments so far this year was attending 'The Original Elvis Tribute 2012' opening show in Vara, Sweden, on April 7. Therefore I was excited to receive the following press release from tour manager Arjan Deelen: 
 

TEMPLE RISER FOUND!
“The moment he came into the studio, I was in awe” 

For many years, the name Temple Riser was a bit of a mystery in the Elvis world. Not much was known about the dark-haired beauty with the deep, strong voice other than the fact that she had sung backup for Elvis at his early 70s Nashville sessions, and that she got to record a duet with Elvis live in the studio on ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’. Her whereabouts were unknown, and it seemed like she had simply vanished off this planet. Nobody seemed to know where she was located or whether she was still amongst us. Earlier this year, Elvis expert Arjan Deelen decided to try and locate her, and just a few weeks ago, his research paid off when he found her alive and well and even looking pretty much the way she did 40 years ago! 
 
Temple Riser, who is now 63, feels that she has been blessed in life, and cites working with Elvis and singing at President Nixon’s inauguration as her (singing) career highlights. About meeting Elvis for the first time, she says: “I was a little stuck up… I didn’t want to give him the impression that I was starstruck. But the moment he came into the studio, I was in awe… He had such a charisma about him, and he was so handsome. And he was very flirtatious!”, she says with a smile.

When asked about her nicest memories of him, she answers: “There’s several… I remember that he invited me and Ginger & Mary (Holladay) to come to his hotel room in Nashville - and we did. He was just so nice to us. Very easy to talk to, very talkative. He grabbed his guitar and we sang Gospels together. He didn’t sing any of his hits, just Gospel music… he loved that”.

About the duet, she says: “He asked me to do the duet with him. He was really having a good time while we recorded it. I just tried to do the best I could. You know, I used to be embarrassed about it. I didn’t think I sounded so good. These days with the internet it’s turning up everywhere, and people ask me about it. I’m proud of the fact that I got to sing with Elvis Presley. It doesn’t get any better than that!”.
 
The really exciting news is that Temple Riser will be joining the ’Original Elvis Tribute’ show together with a.o. Mary and Ginger Holladay for a Euro tour in May 2013! 
 
“People have told me that the Elvis fans in Europe know about me, and I have always said: ‘You’ve got to be kidding!’. I’m really excited about coming to Europe for the very first time, and meeting the fans and performing for them. We may even do that duet, ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’. Hopefully, I will do a better job on it this time around!”, Temple laughingly says. “It’s a priviledge to be able to pay tribute to the greatest performer ever and I will do my best to make this tour memorable for the fans. See you all in May 2013!”.

After reading the above e-mail I wanted to know more. So, after pressing the “reply” button, I wrote a couple of questions that Arjan Deelen was kind enough to answer right away. 

Elvis Today: How did you get the idea to search for Temple Riser?

Arjan Deelen: The name Temple Riser has always fascinated me, combined with the few photos that we have of her. Plus, there was virtually no information available anywhere, and that’s where things usually get really interesting for me! Somehow searches like this become more interesting when you know that they are virtually impossible – for me at least! Temple is one of the few people who actually recorded a duet with Elvis live in the studio. For me, it was also the logical next step after finding Mary and Ginger Holladay (who will also be on the next tour).

Elvis Today: How did you find her?

Arjan Deelen: Through a contact – and more or less by coincidence, believe it or not.

Elvis Today: What has she been doing all these years?

Arjan Deelen: Temple raised a family and now has children and grandchildren. She left the music business in the early 70s. She has lived a quiet life, but has been very active in church. Her second husband died a few years ago, and I think my timing was right when I contacted her. She says that she wants to show her grandchildren that there is more to her than just being a grandma, and she is really looking forward to the tour. She says that this will mark her first trip outside the U.S.

Elvis Today: What do you think her contribution will mean to 'The Original Elvis Tribute' when it tours Europe next year?

Arjan Deelen: Temple still has a very strong voice – and it’s well trained due to her singing in church. I think she is going to add a whole lot to the show. She has lots of nice stories to tell and I think the combination of her voice together with Mary and Ginger is going to sound tremendous. Just like they did together back in the early 70s. Temple says that she is really looking forward to being reunited with the Holladays. Like them, she is a vibrant and charming woman, and I think the audiences are going to enjoy her. It’s going to add a whole new energy to the show.

Elvis Today: Finally, when will the show return to Europe and will you play Sweden again?

Arjan Deelen: We will be touring in mid-May and yes, I definitely hope so!

So do I, as the opening show in Vara without question was the best Elvis tribute show I've ever attended. And I'm sure Temple Riser will add icing to the cake when 'The Original Elvis Tribute' returns, just as Mary and Ginger Holladay did when then joined the tour last year.

The King And The Boss

“Is Bruce Springsteen the one they call 'The King'?” said the guy sitting behind us while waiting for Bruce to start the show in Gothenburg a few days ago.

“No, that's Michael Jackson, isn't it?” answered his girlfriend.

“No way, Elvis Presley is the King,” the somewhat older man sitting next to them said firmly. “Michael Jackson is called The King of Pop.”

“By the way, do you know that a colleague at my office told me a great Elvis story?” the man continued. “He told me that his father had visited the States on business sometime in the seventies. He came to a town, I don't remember which one, and to his great pleasure saw that Elvis was going to perform there. But then he started thinking that maybe it would be better to bring his whole family to a show with Elvis. Seeing as they were planning a trip to the States the year after, he decided to wait. Boy, was that a mistake. Before the trip with the family Elvis died, so he really missed his chance to see the king.”

“Ah! Now I remember, Bruce is called The Boss!” exclaimed the younger guy who started the whole conversation.

The above conversation was overheard by me and my wife right before the Bruce Springsteen concert in Gothenburg on July 28. There being over 66,000 people in the audience, what were the chances of an Elvis fan like me getting seats just in front of a guy telling an Elvis story? Still, that's what happened.

Unfortunately, another Elvis connection that I sat hoping for during the actual show, never materialized. The Boss didn't salute the King with a cover of “Burning Love” this time, like he did in Firenze, Italy, earlier this year on the same tour. My wife shouted “Burning Love” valiantly a couple of times, but with thousands and thousands of screaming Bruce Springsteen fans between her and the stage, it was a hopeless effort.

Still, the show was a fantastic one, and the day after I watched the “Burning Love” performance on YouTube, noticing that it was sung on my birthday, no less. Kind of an Elvis connection as well, I guess.

Technical advisor for this post was my wife.

Additional reading:

• The Night Bruce Springsteen Jumped the Fence at Graceland (Elvis Australia)

Following That Dream (Part 4)

The fourth and last part of the article "Following That Dream," that I wrote for the Elvis International magazine, takes a closer look at the “what if” albums released by FTD.

“The album that could and should have been,” Ernst Jorgensen writes in the booklet accompanying FTD’s Standing Room Only, and he’s right. The decision to release Burning Love And Hits From His Movies Vol. 2 instead was both dumb and inexcusable. But 37 years later, in 2009, FTD aimed to put things right. The label’s version of Standing Room Only combines the Las Vegas masters from February 1972 with the studio masters recorded the following month. The second CD consists of outtakes from the March studio session.

The second album “that never was” is titled Elvis Sings Memphis, Tennessee. It was recorded by Elvis in Nashville in May, 1963 and January, 1964, but for different reasons didn’t see the light of day until 1990 when it was released as For The Asking – The Lost Album in Europe. (When released in the U.S. in 1991 it was titled just The Lost Album.) What FTD did in 2008 was to release all the original masters and alternate takes from these two sessions on 2 CD’s. In 2011 the same formula was used with Elvis Sings Guitar Man, the third “what if” album that included songs recorded in Nashville as well, masters as well as outtakes, this time from the period 1966-1967.

One of the highlights on the Elvis Sings Guitar Man album is the making on the title track from the September 1967 session. Listening to Jerry Reed taking command of the recordings is fascinating stuff, as is the studio banter between him and producer Felton Jarvis. And that brings me back to what I really enjoy the most about the releases from FTD; to listen to how Elvis approached his work, and in that way learn more about him as an artist and a performer To read about it is one thing, to listen to what actually took place when it happened is a completely different ball game.

I’d like to end this article with something I wrote for my blog last year after having listened to the recording of “Guitar Man” on Elvis Sings Guitar Man. Combining what I heard in my headphones with facts and memories from those who that were there (described in books by, for example, Ernst Jorgensen and Peter Guralnick) and by using a bit of imagination, I came up with the following.

Jerry Reed, a whirlwind of energy, hooks up his electric gut string, tunes the B-string up a whole tone, and tones the low E-string down a whole tone. “So I can bar straight across,” he explains to his fellow guitar players. He plays a couple of tones with his fingers.

Felton Jarvis glances at Elvis who is standing at the microphone, looking expectantly at Jerry. “We’re rolling, this is ‘Guitar Man’ take one,” Felton says, as Jerry continues to run through some guitar licks, trying to get his fingers up to speed. Elvis laughs as Jerry excuses himself, “I ain’t played all weekend, Elvis.” “I know, you’re house is a mess, Reed,” Felton kids him. Elvis, fascinated by the man, chimes in, “That’s a mess, man.” “It is ... a mess,” answers Jerry as he starts working out the intro.

“No man, there ain’t no way you can get them both, they'll just sound like a room full of spastics or something,” Jery Reed tells Chip Young, who nods his understanding that it’s not possible to do all the guitar parts from his original recording at one time. Then, after a couple of tries, he turns to bass player Bob Moore, “It’s long on the record, I forgot it’s like this,” he says and plays the intro just right. Elvis’ face lits up.

What follows is a take abandoned after the first verse, but during those 35 seconds there’s no mistaking Elvis sounding energized and engaged, focusing on the music. Instead it’s Jerry Reed making the mistakes, “Man, I may wonder of in the parking lot. Stay with me, or I’ll get to you, sometime tonight,” he jokes. “I can do that better ... one two, three four.”

And better and better it gets. Elvis, responding well to the shot of musical adrenaline injected by Jerry Reed’s guitar sound, really gets into it. Take 5 is the first complete take, and at the end of take 10, when the guitars and the rhythm is just right, Elvis starts singing “What’d I Say.”

As the band adds power, steel guitar player Pete Drake, wearing his customary flowered shirt, glances as Elvis and a thought runs through his mind: “Is this really the same guy that I played for in June, and whose last recording was that silly song, what was it called again ... yeah, the one with the corny title ... ‘He’s Your Uncle, Not Your Dad’?”

So, there you have it, one of many special moments with Elvis provided by the Follow That Dream label. With over 100 releases during its 13 years of existence, I still find myself looking forward to every new announcement for the next upcoming titles.

Still, it’s not easy to please everyone. Ernst Jorgensen and Roger Semon have constantly been criticized by fans for not releasing the right material, bad mixes, poor artwork on the covers and so on. And certainly, I don’t agree with everything they do either. But the amount of unreleased material that they have made available is really awesome, and I for one only have to think back to the 1980’s to realize how lucky the fans are to have them. As someone wrote on an Elvis forum a couple of years back, defending Ernst Jorgensen, “We’re spoiled folks, remember that!”

This post is dedicated to Ernst Jorgensen and Roger Semon.

• Following That Dream (Part 1)
• Following That Dream (Part2)
• Following That Dream (Part 3)