I got a serious question about the 77 Elvis image?

[Diane]

To me Elvis never really did lose it completely. Even though it hurt to see him in EIC, I still saw "Elvis" standing there with his fantastic voice. It was his struggling to get through the concert that hurt, but his voice and the emotion he put into his songs were still there....and that SMILE!

Diane

[john carpenter]

I posted a comment about a pic from his North carolina 77 show. i said "worst one yet".I would rather see Elvis in his prime too, but even though he was overwieght and sick in EIC ,i still enjoy watching it, not because i like seeing him ill,it's because to me he still had a beautifull voice and still was "the King' to me. Most youngsters (post 1977) remember him that way. But as one man said on "Elvis,the last days",women still threw their keys,panties, ect, onstage because they saw the Elvis from 1956 or 1957, and he still was in his soul, and he will alway be the same in my eyes..

[KPM]

]To me Elvis never really did lose it completely.[/B] Even though it hurt to see him in EIC, I still saw "Elvis" standing there with his fantastic voice. It was his struggling to get through the concert that hurt, but his voice and the emotion he put into his songs were still there....and that SMILE!

Diane

I said this once before, on his worst day he was probably better looking than 90% of we males-including me.
But compared to "his best days" it was quite a difference to see.

[Miss Clawdy]

In spite of what some people think, people who like Elvis in '77 are not all
delusional and they don't even all wear rose-colored glasses. And even if the efforts of those people do not change people's thinking on Elvis, it is not right to criticize them for trying, or liking what they like. Fact is Elvis in '77 is who the man ultimately became and personally I can't understand how some fans can deny this period or look so down upon it. It is Elvis Presley.

I am open-minded about all periods of Elvis' life and career and under no illusions about any one of them. Like all of you I choose to like what I like and like some periods more than others and I can't see how on earth that would make someone less of a fan. But his entire life, beginning to tragic end, makes for an incredibly fascinating subject, doesn't it? I think that is why most of us are here.

Back to the photos of Elvis in '77...Some of us just really enjoy seeing slivers of time from the period in which Elvis appeared to be doing better than conventional wisdom suggests or when he appeared to be doing better than we know he actually was. He was depressed, no doubt, but when you see him onstage flashing that famous smile you have to realize that if only temporarily, the man was enjoying himself. Isn't that nice to see?

I agree that EPE is wise to not promote EIC mass-market, but there is a place for it. And there are a number of fans who are not completely turned off when they see it and actually see a lot of good in it, in spite of the obvious decline. And a new edit could also be done a whole lot better than the original rush-release. But alas, that has been discussed ad nauseam.

I would never look down on this last period, it is Elvis Presley no matter how
bad things would have turned out for him and I always enjoy watching him,
but sometimes it is only sad to notice how he changed in such a short
time .

Ok, Elvis didn't look as good in 77 as he did when he was younger, but he was far from being ugly in 77 IMO
Except some pics where you can clearly see he was sick or err..something (these kind of pics make me really sad), I think it is nice to see pics from the late 70s...he was still Elvis, there was something in the poses, the smile, etc...Actually he looks more "human" to me when he got older. It reminds me he was like everyone else, vulnerable...
The only problem I have with his image in the late 70s is that it is the first thing shown today. Before becoming a big fan like I am today, the image I had of Elvis was the one of a fat drug addict...and I didn't even know any of his songs at that time. I don't know where I get this image, I guess it is just the most obvious trace he left in mass culture.

You are right, we fans know pretty much about the 'real Elvis', but the
general public doesn't. It is like you said their image of Elvis is the one of
a fat drug addict who ate himself to death and they cling to this opinion
because they don't know better, how should they if they are shown nothing
else than 'Elvis last period' for years .
That is what I don't like about late 70th stuff.

[Gary1]

I've seen photos of Elvis live in 1977 where he looks seriously sick and other photos from the same concert where he looks ok.Now there's no doubting he was ill.But i think camera angles have a lot to do with i as well.Maybe i'm wrong but it's just a thought.

[cameron]

[QUOTE]

You are right, we fans know pretty much about the 'real Elvis', but the
general public doesn't. It is like you said their image of Elvis is the one of
a fat drug addict who ate himself to death and they cling to this opinion
because they don't know better, how should they if they are shown nothing
else than 'Elvis last period' for years .
That is what I don't like about late 70th stuff.[/QUOTE]

But, that's why I also think his fans need to speak up and stop the misconception by letting it continue.

[Diane]

I'm with Gary, camera angles and lighting can have a lot to do with how photos turn out. Also don't forget, they always make a person look heavier.

Diane

[SeeSeeRider777]

For those of you that were alive in 77 and remember it, did you guys know that Elvis looked that bad? I asked my parents and they said that they had no idea he looked like that.

[Getlo]

I am certainly not one of the "1977 was pure Elvis" brigade (well, duh!), but I think EPE and the fans simply need to be more honest about Elvis' last couple of years.

The general public know (and to put it in very simple terms) that Elvis put on weight, took drugs and died.

I think incorporating a few more latter-day images into things like books and DVDs would go a long way to give a more complete image of Elvis to the public and fans.

EPE shouldn't sugarcoat the last two years, but nor should they glorify them or shun them either. The tragedy of Elvis' downfall is as much a part of his life as his meteoric beginning, or his stunning 1968 comeback. Personally, I find the last five years or so more fascinating than any other time in Elvis' life; but that's just me.

I simply believe it's time for everyone to be honest about this strange period of the Presley saga.

And a lot of today's stars (Hello, Lindsay and Britney! xx) could learn some very valuable lessons from Elvis' life and his choices.

[Elvis_Priestly]

Why are so many of yall so caught up in the 77 Elvis image?

I preface this by saying I am delighted by and love all of Elvis's career but, to answer your question from my perspective, here's something I wrote a few months back trying to explain why I also like and have a particular "affection" for 1977 (with a picture from his last concert which portrays what I'm trying to say):

There is something in the human condition which associates itself with and responds deeply to tragedy.
I am a fan of Elvis 1977 because of the tragedy of it. That maybe sounds sick or wrong but the whole of his life leads to that moment. Elvis was in Rock and Roll, a great talent swallowed by the materialism, envy and destructiveness of the purely material world. He was the first star of a new world and that primacy meant it would swallow up and spit him out as it has so many of its stars and their followers. We have never witnessed such talent before and not just talent but the looks, the charm, the charisma all so much of so much in one package. And then it died.
It captivates us still because whilst he was defeated by the material he never entirely surrendered, he never gave up the battle he lost. Like a weakened warrior we watch, or read, him surrounded by the enemy, weakened and obviously bleeding from all the wounds, he still tried to wield his engaging weapons. "My Way" was his purpose, "How Great Thou Art" his reason. Eyes closed - the fatal wounds are struck but still he fights on.

[Diane]

In answer to Getlo's comments on Britney and other, yes they could for sure. Unfortunately Elvis didn't have anyone to look back on to learn a lesson from.

Diane

[Getlo]

For those of you that were alive in 77 and remember it, did you guys know that Elvis looked that bad? I asked my parents and they said that they had no idea he looked like that.

Yeah, a little bit.

I was only 9 and 10, but I still have the newspaper and magazine clippings from here in Australia.

The "fat and forty" stuff started in late '74. The pics weren't too bad. In 1976, a few pics were published here and there.

The last clipping I have before his death is from April or May, 1977. It was just a picture in the celebrity photo section of Australia's TV Week magazine (which is still going after 50 years or so). It's a shocking photo (Sundial Suit), and the caption - in a classic example of understatement - says, "Left: Elvis Presley, fighting a weight problem, sings during his latest US concert tour".

So yeah, it was pretty-much known that Elvis was getting heavy.

[cameron]

I see it your way, Conor .
For some reason I've always been partial to Elvis in the '70's.

[epmoodyblue]

I can relate to that as well. I last saw him on Dec. 28, 76
, and you can look at the pics that someone posted(there is a pic from 1 night later) that it wasn't nearly as bad as it became. When I saw EIC I was stunned, and I remember thinking "OMG....no wonder he has died".

i think your exagerating lots..the show you saw was awesome...dec 28 -76 concert was outstanding and elvis looked really good compared to early 76..guess we all got different opinions-- its a shame elvis couldint hold on to the weight and shape he was in dec 76 into 77.. neways to the topic his weight didint bother me at all i enjoyed all stages of elvis life --even with the few extra pounds on him elvis was the greatest at what he did------peace to you

[Broussey]

I just close my eyes when i see something from 1977 on video or t.v.. I think Elvis was a angel and big or small to me he was beautiful to me its just so hard to watch because you know what the end result was but his voice never changed if anything his range got higher i saw a you tube video of him singing how great thou art and MY GOD IT was so beautiful i never herd him sing it like that before check it out if i find it i will post something on it its from sometime in 1977

[utmom2008]

For those of you that were alive in 77 and remember it, did you guys know that Elvis looked that bad? I asked my parents and they said that they had no idea he looked like that.

I didn't, at least not to the extent that it was at the end. Check out the pics from June of 75 and December of 76...those were the last 2 times that I saw him in a concert(non-Vegas) setting. What is fascinating is to then look at pics from February(12) 1977 and see the stunning difference that 5 or 6 weeks made. I know the younger people have a hard time believing that we didn't have access to the star's every move like we do now...but, we didn't.

[utmom2008]

And a lot of today's stars (Hello, Lindsay and Britney! xx) could learn some very valuable lessons from Elvis' life and his choices.

Amen to that!

[epmoodyblue]

I just close my eyes when i see something from 1977 on video or t.v.. I think Elvis was a angel and big or small to me he was beautiful to me its just so hard to watch because you know what the end result was but his voice never changed if anything his range got higher i saw a you tube video of him singing how great thou art and MY GOD IT was so beautiful i never herd him sing it like that before check it out if i find it i will post something on it its from sometime in 1977

same feelings here tottaly agree with you

[utmom2008]

Yeah, a little bit.

I was only 9 and 10, but I still have the newspaper and magazine clippings from here in Australia.

The "fat and forty" stuff started in late '74. The pics weren't too bad. In 1976, a few pics were published here and there.

The last clipping I have before his death is from April or May, 1977. It was just a picture in the celebrity photo section of Australia's TV Week magazine (which is still going after 50 years or so). It's a shocking photo (Sundial Suit), and the caption - in a classic example of understatement - says, "Left: Elvis Presley, fighting a weight problem, sings during his latest US concert tour".

So yeah, it was pretty-much known that Elvis was getting heavy.

Yes...it was known he was getting heavier, yet I remember we were all shocked after first seeing EIC. The press was always commenting on his weight.....just as in EOT the press said he was getting fat. Yes...he was much heavier than TTWII, but I'm sure the last year of his life he would have given anything to be back at that weight. The "fat and 40" talk was a constant...so you had to put it in perspective..

[utmom2008]

i think your exagerating lots..the show you saw was awesome...dec 28 -76 concert was outstanding and elvis looked really good compared to early 76..guess we all got different opinions-- its a shame elvis couldint hold on to the weight and shape he was in dec 76 into 77.. neways to the topic his weight didint bother me at all i enjoyed all stages of elvis life --even with the few extra pounds on him elvis was the greatest at what he did------peace to you

Um....epmoodyblue...I think you need to re-read my post before jumping to conclusions. read it again......slowly. I'm not sure what it is that you think I said....