Elvis' Popularity.

[Diane]

I also agree with Albert. If EPE blasted the airways with Elvis' fantastic sounds of the 70's that showed the full range of his talent, I doubt very much if there were many who wouldn't stand up and listen and realize the real worth of the man.

[KPM]

I consider its time to repost Albert's suggestion once again in this conversation.

I am the first to say that Elvis music is the best, many of his songs from the 70s are absolute classics, which are not known to the general public.
An example of this is the song "Power of My Love" its hard, driving, and his vocals are raw and tough.
This song has been used in a couple soundtracks for movies in the 80s and 90s, one was the movie "Heartbreak Hotel" a fantasy about Elvis in 1972......it did not ignite a rush to buy the song by audiences. Granted this was a sleeper of a movie.
I love Elvis, I love that song we all see the greatness in it-but we are Elvis fans...
to many younger people it seems tame or "oldies".
Listen to the radio and you will hear nothing like it on any station... except on country or oldies stations.
I hope no one gets mad at me, I am not making this up its what I hear on the radio.
[I]EPE can not blast the airwaves with anything, thats up to Sony and we all have to contend with the fact that current radio does not want to play Elvis, they only will if enough people from the correct demographics request it, and that has only happened once for ALLC.[/I]It did not for Rubberneckin, or any newer remixes since ALLC in 2001.
The Viva Elvis Suspicious Minds remix was great IMO but it got no airplay-lets face it none. Unless Sony wants to resort to illegal payola, current radio just ignores Elvis releases.
ALLC got airplay because young people requested it heavily enough that it could not be ignored......The sad thing is ALLC was not planned by Sony/BMG nor EPE-it was almost spontaneous combustion-everything was just right to start a fire with no work.
If someone has a strategy which will legally overcome the radio and MTV/VH1 stance, I'm sure everyone who loves Elvis (or makes a living off his music-Sony) would be all ears.
But lets face it-the radio/video problem is only because young people just do not show interest in him, even when good things like this latest Suspicious Minds remix are put out. They are just not requesting it.
As a matter of information, if you do request Elvis-do it by e-mail-a DJ told me that only older people actually call the station to request songs-so they know it was not a young person

[Raised on Rock]

I am the first to say that Elvis music is the best, many of his songs from the 70s are absolute classics, which are not known to the general public.
An example of this is the song "Power of My Love" its hard, driving, and his vocals are raw and tough.
This song has been used in a couple soundtracks for movies in the 80s and 90s, one was the movie "Heartbreak Hotel" a fantasy about Elvis in 1972......it did not ignite a rush to buy the song by audiences. Granted this was a sleeper of a movie.
I love Elvis, I love that song we all see the greatness in it-but we are Elvis fans...
to many younger people it seems tame or "oldies".
Listen to the radio and you will hear nothing like it on any station... except on country or oldies stations.
I hope no one gets mad at me, I am not making this up its what I hear on the radio.
[I]EPE can not blast the airwaves with anything, thats up to Sony and we all have to contend with the fact that current radio does not want to play Elvis, they only will if enough people from the correct demographics request it, and that has only happened once for ALLC.[/I]It did not for Rubberneckin, or any newer remixes since ALLC in 2001.
The Viva Elvis Suspicious Minds remix was great IMO but it got no airplay-lets face it none. Unless Sony wants to resort to illegal payola, current radio just ignores Elvis releases.
ALLC got airplay because young people requested it heavily enough that it could not be ignored......The sad thing is ALLC was not planned by Sony/BMG nor EPE-it was almost spontaneous combustion-everything was just right to start a fire with no work.
If someone has a strategy which will legally overcome the radio and MTV/VH1 stance, I'm sure everyone who loves Elvis (or makes a living off his music-Sony) would be all ears.
But lets face it-the radio/video problem is only because young people just do not show interest in him, even when good things like this latest Suspicious Minds remix are put out. They are just not requesting it.
As a matter of information, if you do request Elvis-do it by e-mail-a DJ told me that only older people actually call the station to request songs-so they know it was not a young person

First of all we have to understand this: Elvis Presley is an ACT FROM THE PAST, it is the nature of young people to search for the new. There is no way to make Elvis Presley a current act right?

We should avoid to confuse: to keep Elvis legacy with integrity, with making it hip for the kids.

The remix from Suspicious Minds is aimed to middle aged people, not a single young dude will like that overproduced Viva Elvis crap. More chances that young people might like the undubbed original version of it, one that is hardly know outside fan circuits. (I work as a music teacher with teenagers everyday, I know, believe me I've done my little Elvis experiments with their little soft minds.)

So, its not much about to make Elvis the big seller for young people, is not even to make fans of young people, not even to make them like him. Its just about to make a step for his artistical respect.

MTV is dead, its all about reality shows now, why? cause young people check up their favourite videos on youtube and stuff like that, as well as their favourite artists websites, there is tons of Elvis on the net. Radio is not battle for ipods among young people, and there is tons of free Elvis on the net.

There are basically two kinds of music buying young people, the ones that would get whatever is the trend now, the people that will go for Justin Beiber, Britney Spears, Jonas Bros, lots of Hip Hop (the crapy one), Michael Jackson (ohh that was mean) etc. and the ones that cares not about the trend but about the music, they choose what they will hear in a heavy idiosincratic way.

Sony is pushing Elvis (with stuff like Viva Elvis) to the trendy ones. Sony's idea to make Elvis popular amoung young people and asure fans for the future is to push Elvis into the same market area as the Jonas Bros, that's the very commercial sound and bling of Viva Elvis. The mistake is, that people might buy it, might not, depends how much of a trend the CD becomes, after a while they will totally forgot about Viva Elvis, needles to say about Elvis.

The shitty thing here is that Sony will only care about the profit, and profit is where the trend is. If Elvis product would be directed more and in a proper way to the young people that do cares about music (I think that's a way in which Albert's suggestion could be taken) greater results we can obtain. Elvis has got great press review when stuff like that has been delivered. No, that will not put Elvis in the radio from one day to another like JXL, netiher will sell up to a diamond record. That will only make true music lovers among young people, to notice what Elvis is beyond all the clichés. That would be the best thing happening to Elvis legacy, but to Sony that is nothing, the money the made with corny shit like Viva Elvis, its all. That for young people is more weight into the: Elvis? what a joke, elvis was just a commercial creation. So I dissagree with you, Suspicious Minds not gettin airplay? not a single release for it? THAT WAS GREAT NEWS!!!!! That saved Elvis from such a burn out among the intelligent teenagers.

Anyway, I can't see Sony changing his mind. Its bussiness for them, I know that. And Sillerman ideas for EPE where stupidly disneyland like. What a trip for old people, but can't see a lot of fans respeting Elvis as an artist looking at that.

Here's an interesting story, some years ago, the ELVIS chapter on the classic album series (the making of Elvis first album) aired on cable tv, a popular tv serie among young people (not the young people interested in NSYNC but IN MUSIC and so they aknowledge certain artists from the past and enjoy series like that one). Well next day, in class, I gladly lisen to some great comments they had for Elvis, and how surprised they where to discover the guy was a real musician who worked his way out and not a media creation, and that the guy actually sounded so good and looked so cool and did something so new breaking so many rules. I was like !!! and taking the momentum, weeks latter I showed them Elvis '56. Don't know if fans came out of there, I don't even care that. But I know some bunch of teenagers knew now that rock and roll didn't started in britain and that Elvis was not that fat impersonactor they saw once at a wedding. AND THAT IS WAY IMPORTANT. MUCH MORE THAN MAKE FANS OF THEM, MORE THAN MAKE THEM LIKE HIM AND BUY HIS RECORDS, MUCH MORE THAT MAKE ELVIS SOUND MODERN ??? (LOL TO VIVA ELVIS) NOW THEY GOT RESPECT. THAT'S ALL THE MAN NEEDS.

A good documentary in the fashion Elvis '56 and Elvis (classic albums series) covering the whole of Elvis career, not so much about the man (thats for fans)) but about the artist and his music, (that's what those are really about) are most needed.

The Beatles Anthologhy FREE ON TV FOR EVERYBODY TO WATCH back in the 90's, and still current today on DVD is very much to blame to create a whole new generation of Beatle's fans, fans that to care about music and so they look into the past.

The release of Elvis the complete masters is a great step (saddly is to expensive for most young people), but if far more input on the promo for that one: a documentary on FREE TV, expanded on DVD, and a selected works 5 cd version of it would be released, and a best of One Cd release of it (containing not the same stuff from #30 no1 and second to none please, Duh!), that instead of the ackwards Elvis 75, and the ridiculous Viva Elvis; with the momentum from Elvis 75 birthday, now that would have been a good year for Elvis.

Why didn't happened that way, that is no bussines for Sony, welcome to real life.

[KPM]

Well you have some good points, but Elvis's popularity is what I was addressing.
His integrity and respect for him by future generations are parts of a puzzle that has many pieces-IMO Elvis himself is partly to blame for reasons I have already posted, Parker is to blame also-he was like Sony he only cared about maximising profit-he managed with little thought of the intergrity and respect issues and Elvis listened until the end when he began to smarten up. (to late) Parker sold the pre 73 masters and took all future royaltees and the use of them "totally out of Elvis and his estates hands" and then Elvis quit recording regularly after the masters were sold.
Now we have the Beatles who are a one of a kind band on par with Elvis who many see as- much more serious about their music, songwriters who resisted the path that Parker took Elvis......today they get more respect from the rock mags like Blender and Mojo and young people see this and they listen.
If we could change Elvis's past and his career path with a time machine-I think it would be different-we can not. So I really do not see how anything done by EPE or Sony will change the music reporters opinions, and if they have no respect for Elvis the artist-then the articles they write and reviews they give will not give credibilty to Elvis.
I agree I do not like the paths EPE and Sony take on many things-but it all began with Elvis and Parker.
If Elvis had just been a stronger person and not as trusting.... who Parker could not use his "Snowman technique" on-perhaps respect would be easier to garnish.
Its sad IMO that he does not get better recognition, more respect, more kind words of his great talent, but its just my view on the subject.
I sincerily hope that I am wrong in my opinion.

[SleepyJack]

One thing i would really love to see would be a really good Rock`n`Roll documentary,well put together by a respected director and film-maker like Quentin Tarantino...something cool and raw..something that would say to people "Look at this...this is what Elvis was all about." Something that would show them that there is a real Elvis,an Elvis that isn`t about impersonators,"fat Elvis" jokes,sightings...all that media garbage.I think that something like that,well-advertised and well put together could be a great start for getting Elvis some respect....and surely respect is a good thing for his popularity as well?
Anybody got Quentin Tarantino`s phone number?

[KPM]

One thing i would really love to see would be a really good Rock`n`Roll documentary,well put together by a respected director and film-maker like Quentin Tarantino...something cool and raw..something that would say to people "Look at this...this is what Elvis was all about." Something that would show them that there is a real Elvis,an Elvis that isn`t about impersonators,"fat Elvis" jokes,sightings...all that media garbage.I think that something like that,well-advertised and well put together could be a great start for getting Elvis some respect....and surely respect is a good thing for his popularity as well?
Anybody got Quentin Tarantino`s phone number?

Yes he would be a great candidate to handle an Elvis documentary, he has a love of Elvis and a respect of his talent

[Diane]

Well don't just stand there...somebody call him

[Raised on Rock]

Well you have some good points, but Elvis's popularity is what I was addressing.
His integrity and respect for him by future generations are parts of a puzzle that has many pieces-IMO Elvis himself is partly to blame for reasons I have already posted, Parker is to blame also-he was like Sony he only cared about maximising profit-he managed with little thought of the intergrity and respect issues and Elvis listened until the end when he began to smarten up. (to late) Parker sold the pre 73 masters and took all future royaltees and the use of them "totally out of Elvis and his estates hands" and then Elvis quit recording regularly after the masters were sold.
Now we have the Beatles who are a one of a kind band on par with Elvis who many see as- much more serious about their music, songwriters who resisted the path that Parker took Elvis......today they get more respect from the rock mags like Blender and Mojo and young people see this and they listen.
If we could change Elvis's past and his career path with a time machine-I think it would be different-we can not. So I really do not see how anything done by EPE or Sony will change the music reporters opinions, and if they have no respect for Elvis the artist-then the articles they write and reviews they give will not give credibilty to Elvis.
I agree I do not like the paths EPE and Sony take on many things-but it all began with Elvis and Parker.
If Elvis had just been a stronger person and not as trusting.... who Parker could not use his "Snowman technique" on-perhaps respect would be easier to garnish.
Its sad IMO that he does not get better recognition, more respect, more kind words of his great talent, but its just my view on the subject.
I sincerily hope that I am wrong in my opinion.

You are totally right, that began all since 1956 when Elvis left Sun, yes what I am adressing is the old dilema: Wild in the Country vs Blue Hawaii, that's to say: art or money? And Elvis often choose money (Parkers to blame or not).

But I ask you? despite that terrible fact that cannot be change as we can't change the past, is the mere commercialism aspect of Elvis what makes you a fan? Or we know well, as fans, that despite of those terrible facts, those are not exactly what Elvis is about.

What's Elvis really about to you? and I know you won't say Clambake lol. So is not about changing the past, but about putting at front what's Elvis really about! something Sony won't do as it is not that profitable, but I think is about that in a way what Albert was saying. You don't need a time machine to get Elvis some respect. We as fans know it, you just don't show Yoga is as Yoga (or the usual Love Me Tender stuff) to your no loving Elvis friends, you show Stranger in My Own Home Town or something like that. And you know what happens, suddenly they go from Elvis yuck to, oh wait, that is pretty good stuff. Is Sony going to do that with their releases? You see, it can be done, but its hardly ever happening. Cause profit is the name of the game, in 2017 Elvis passing aniversary we will get a collection of the usual hits once again, and not much is going to be to bring upfront to the none fans what really make us fans. But that's it, big corporations are about the money, commercialism, not about art.

Legacy releases like From Elvis in Memphis and On Stage got good reviews in the serious music press, Viva Elvis blew that away, once again Elvis is the big fat joke, mere commercialism. Well I guess that's Elvis karma, its been always like that: good stuff, good reviews, great respect, followed by some ridicoulous pieces of commercialism crap. Oh well.

One thing you are 100% right, Elvis screw himself up, right from the begining, and its easier to blame Parker or RCA or Sony for it. But despite his faults, there is material for a lot of respect for him and his art. He was good when he was good, we know that.

[KPM]

You are totally right, that began all since 1956 when Elvis left Sun, yes what I am adressing is the old dilema: Wild in the Country vs Blue Hawaii, that's to say: art or money? And Elvis often choose money (Parkers to blame or not).

But I ask you? despite that terrible fact that cannot be change as we can't change the past, is the mere commercialism aspect of Elvis what makes you a fan? Or we know well, as fans, that despite of those terrible facts, those are not exactly what Elvis is about.

What's Elvis really about to you? and I know you won't say Clambake lol. So is not about changing the past, but about putting at front what's Elvis really about! something Sony won't do as it is not that profitable, but I think is about that in a way what Albert was saying. You don't need a time machine to get Elvis some respect. We as fans know it, you just don't show Yoga is as Yoga (or the usual Love Me Tender stuff) to your no loving Elvis friends, you show Stranger in My Own Home Town or something like that. And you know what happens, suddenly they go from Elvis yuck to, oh wait, that is pretty good stuff. Is Sony going to do that with their releases? You see, it can be done, but its hardly ever happening. Cause profit is the name of the game, in 2017 Elvis passing aniversary we will get a collection of the usual hits once again, and not much is going to be to bring upfront to the none fans what really make us fans. But that's it, big corporations are about the money, commercialism, not about art.

Legacy releases like From Elvis in Memphis and On Stage got good reviews in the serious music press, Viva Elvis blew that away, once again Elvis is the big fat joke, mere commercialism. Well I guess that's Elvis karma, its been always like that: good stuff, good reviews, great respect, followed by some ridicoulous pieces of commercialism crap. Oh well.

One thing you are 100% right, Elvis screw himself up, right from the begining, and its easier to blame Parker or RCA or Sony for it. But despite his faults, there is material for a lot of respect for him and his art. He was good when he was good, we know that.

I do not blame Elvis for screwing up, because at the time he felt he was making the right choice-basically he knew he was not capable of knowing what to do in the big time world of Show Business-so he found a master at it Col. Tom Parker....... at 21 Elvis let Parker have a free reign and Parker maybe did know every way possible to make a dollar more in every deal he negotiated-but Elvis did not know what that would cost him in free creativity and growth. Parker saw a kid and his parents who were not world wise and he took total control (Tommy Sands mother put her foot down and firedParker when she saw he wanted too much control over every aspect of Sands career and even private life she saw the shark-Sands did not)
Elvis and his parents ) especially Vernon trusted Parker. Elvis just was not up to the mind games of Parker and his way of "influencing Elvis in a Stealth like fashion" always with Elvis's best interests in mind. Parker did have Elvis's best interests in mind-as long as it did not conflict with Parkers total control and influence of Elvis. The creativity is what Parkers total control helped dampen and by 75-76 it was almost gone in Elvis. Tired of recording, tired of new material. By 1974 I think Elvis realised that Parker had not always had the right answers but it was to late.
So I do blame Parker more that Elvis himself-because he was the controller, he recommended the deals, he called the shots......."he was by his own admission the Snowman"
Its hard to see when your always in a blizzard.

[Raised on Rock]

I do not blame Elvis for screwing up, because at the time he felt he was making the right choice-basically he knew he was not capable of knowing what to do in the big time world of Show Business-so he found a master at it Col. Tom Parker....... at 21 Elvis let Parker have a free reign and Parker maybe did know every way possible to make a dollar more in every deal he negotiated-but Elvis did not know what that would cost him in free creativity and growth. Parker saw a kid and his parents who were not world wise and he took total control (Tommy Sands mother put her foot down and firedParker when she saw he wanted too much control over every aspect of Sands career and even private life she saw the shark-Sands did not)
Elvis and his parents ) especially Vernon trusted Parker. Elvis just was not up to the mind games of Parker and his way of "influencing Elvis in a Stealth like fashion" always with Elvis's best interests in mind. Parker did have Elvis's best interests in mind-as long as it did not conflict with Parkers total control and influence of Elvis. The creativity is what Parkers total control helped dampen and by 75-76 it was almost gone in Elvis. Tired of recording, tired of new material. By 1974 I think Elvis realised that Parker had not always had the right answers but it was to late.
So I do blame Parker more that Elvis himself-because he was the controller, he recommended the deals, he called the shots......."he was by his own admission the Snowman"
Its hard to see when your always in a blizzard.

I know what you mean, and yes, of course Parker is most to blame in making Elvis image more of a commercial comodity than that one of the true artist he was. But after '64 Elvis was very aware of what was happening (no longer the naive country kid argument) but he choosed to stay in his comfort area and did nothing even when he was way unhappy about what was going on.

Yes, it was Parker and not Elvis who set the tone in which Sony/EPE still works, quick money over artistic integrity. We know Elvis was not 100% okey with that, but in many cases he couldn't care less, even if he later complained about it.

[KPM]

I know what you mean, and yes, of course Parker is most to blame in making Elvis image more of a commercial comodity than that one of the true artist he was. But after '64 Elvis was very aware of what was happening (no longer the naive country kid argument) but he choosed to stay in his comfort area and did nothing even when he was way unhappy about what was going on.

Yes, it was Parker and not Elvis who set the tone in which Sony/EPE still works, quick money over artistic integrity. We know Elvis was not 100% okey with that, but in many cases he couldn't care less, even if he later complained about it.

Unfortunately Elvis just seemed to have little confidence in matters of his career, he was an instinctive artist and that showed in the way he worked on songs but when it came to business he just did not see the damage the direction he was been taken down hurt his growth-his artistry.
The movies he was locked into for years in advance and his dream of being a dramatic actor was essentially locked out with those contracts. After 63 I think he saw that all the movies had become were excuses for songs and lackluster soundtracks-but he was locked in.
He complained I'm sure about scripts and songs-but Parker could always say-the Producer runs the show and we have to live up to our contracts. But lets not forget Elvis did not know of the conflict of interest that Parker was guilty of in many instances in his dealings with Producers, Studios, RCA, etc......when Parker got a salary for "Technical Adviser on the films that can be viewed as a conflict of interest because he is being paid to negotiate the deal for Elvis-but somehow "advises" the Producers of the films or the studios on the making of them??? Same with RCA where he was a "Paid Consultant" same as the Hilton deals.....ELvis probably never thought a thing about it-but the probate judge who handled the estate saw the finacial bonanza that Parker had set up for himself and indeed saw conflict of interest in the deals.
By 1963-64 Elvis was out of the loop on the direction music was taking, and 3 movies a year kept him pretty tied up and he just became less and less a music artist of change and more a star in movies. Parker loved the money and all the perks he got for delivering Elvis (Wallis called Elvis the one sure thing in movie making)
But the toll all this took on Elvis, his career, his sense of person and the legacy was not worth the money that Parker delivered in his long term deals.IMO

But Elvis should have got rid of Parker after 65 IMO he was beginning to not like the movies, not like the inferior music soundtracks and knew he was just not current anymore-but Parker would combat that thinking by telling Elvis I got you a million a picture and you get royaltees on the soundtracks, I got you a bonus for signing the deal etc.........
Elvis also thought (as everyone did) that rock music was a young mans game and perhaps his rock and roll image was a little past him in 1965 and that may also have affected his lack of protest to Parker........little did he know that people like Elton John who once said "I hope I don't end up in Vegas when I'm older singing for my supper" and low and behold hes playing Vegas now in his 60s, or the Stones who are mid to late 60s still touring the world and rocking hard...........................remember in 1965 this was all uncharted territory and Elvis was the first to be exploring it.