Some Vegas Questions???

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Hi Ken, Your absolutely right, mental health is a factor through sleep etc, however Elvis had managed reasonably well until 1970-71 after that I believe that Elvis simply became addicted to the therapeutic side the medication gave him. Like all addicts he then chased that feeling, whether that feeling helped him sleep or just gave him peace of mind it came to consume him.

Despite the above from what we know Elvis had a great temperament with the fans, always made time to take care and make people feel special. I mean that in a genuine way. Elvis had special qualities that cannot be faked. For every down there is an up.

[epmoodyblue]

what elvis needed for a new challenge...my answwer is a new manager....with a new manager elvis would of done all the choices mentioned in the poll....instead of keeping an addicated gambler like the colonel,,,,, elvis got caught in the same old routine that brought him to total boredom..and it was downhill from there..elvis didint have the courage to really fire him for good...because the colonel didint care about elvis..no new ideas for elvis career same old same old for the gambler $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$ every new project brought to the colonel for elvis was shot down by the col........well really elvis is to blame for this

[KPM]

[QUOTE=Jumpsuit Junkie;263292]Hi Ken, Your absolutely right, mental health is a factor through sleep etc, however Elvis had managed reasonably well until 1970-71 after that I believe that Elvis simply became addicted to the therapeutic side the medication gave him. Like all addicts he then chased that feeling, whether that feeling helped him sleep or just gave him peace of mind it came to consume him.

Despite the above from what we know Elvis had a great temperament with the fans, always made time to take care and make people feel special. I mean that in a genuine way. Elvis had special qualities that cannot be faked. For every down there is an up.[/QUOTE
Yes I think you are correct in many ways.
I also believe for every down there is an up.
For every up there is a down.
Lifes struggles, are what make life interesting.

[medleyofcostumes]

I agree with most comments in this thread. Elvis' first priority IMO was DETOX to become physically fit and rediscover the joy to life. Before doing so, nothing could be considered a challenge.

I stated in older threads that in August 1974, Elvis shuffled his set list considerably, only to receive a lukeworm response. The 2,000 individuals present at the concert were partly responsible for Elvis to convet to his usual borig (for him) setlist - "if that's what they want, that's what they'll get".

If I were EP's manager, I would have pointed in 2 directions which Elvis liked - Martial arts and gospel music. My proposals would have been:

1. Get Elvis, even as a guest actor. in one of the TV series of the time - 'Mission Impossible', Colombo, Mannix, Kojak or even in a police action movie such as 'Dirty Harry'. No one would get Elvis as a main actor in a genre which he had not acted before, so why not accept a minor role? (Elvis was no Eastwood, McQueen or Wayne - at least on the films he acted in)

2. A show similar to the 'Tom Jones Show',where he would sing, joke, duet with other artists, at least he would have remained in touch with what was going on (Remember the Clapton gaff? - "If you like, I tell James Burton to teach you playing guitar!!??"). What about having a gospel spot in this show or Elvis at the piano spot?

3. As regards live concerts, I would have arranged 1 Vegas Season of 8 days and 2 15-day tours a year only.

4. Organise and hire a group of 5-star writers and composers to write fresh, contemporary and most of all GOOD material to record. No more 10-day recording sessions with 30+ tracks recorded - that's mass production. A 12-track album a year with 12 good tracks.

5.TV appearances whenever possible in many tv shows.

6. And then yes EUROPE and the WORLD - first as a holiday, and then touring,

Well that was my 5 pence in the hat. Hope you like it

[TotallyInsane]

Actually, all he needed was ME!!!!!

[Ematt]

I have never believed the Elvis/Clapton story as it is often told. If it happened at all, i reckon Elvis would have been joking.

[MJ27]

People who think that Elvis worked hard need a reality check.
I agree with Jumpsuit Junkie. When was the last time in his life Elvis worked an 11 hour day for shit pay?
Elvis had a charmed life but fell victim to the disease of MORE. Just like most people but on an larger scale.

[KPM]

People who think that Elvis worked hard need a reality check.
I agree with Jumpsuit Junkie. When was the last time in his life Elvis worked an 11 hour day for shit pay?
Elvis had a charmed life but fell victim to the disease of MORE. Just like most people but on an larger scale.

Work is subjective-I worked in a bank for 3 years in loan servicing, and physically it was a piece of cake compared to other jobs I had up to that point such as roofing, carpet laying etc.... but 10 hours a day in front of a computer crunching numbers was much harder mentally and physically than any 10 hour day I ever had roofing. It was torture, plus the worry of one misplaced number or fact and you may have ruined someones account or credit rating. It was not my type position-so IMO its hard to decide what is better or worse in making a living for differing individuals.
One mans ceiling is another mans floor.

[beckelvis]

to have to take a sabbatial year,turn them more loudly for a world tour it i believe that to have been very important since to want,but Elvis always to be big as that more.THE KING FOREVER.

[medleyofcostumes]

Hi everybody on TCB World!

First of all I want to thank you so much for all of your hard work and effort in helping keep the memory of Elvis alive and prospering! This is an awesome sight! I was wondering if I could ask everyone some questions:

#1 Why after summer 1974 season at Las Vegas did things change (end of the 5 year napkin contract)? Why did Elvis start off in April of 75' (for the new building?) in stead of January? Things were never the same in Vegas, less shows, only appeared once in 76' and none in 77'.

#2 If he had lived was Vegas no longer a option for him? Was he just sick of Vegas or did he simply need to be challenged?

#3 Why is it so hard to get sound boards from the 73',75',76 seasons?

#4 Finally (in your opinion) if Elvis had lived, would he still be as great in life as the image has grown to in death?

Thanks so much!

Greg

As far as I read:

#1 January 1975 Elvis was ill so it was moved to March of that year. I think Parker made a deal (starting January 1974) for less shows with the same pay (or something like that). I think that Elvis was going to Vegas Septemebr or October of 1977.

#2 I think that having to perform twice a night for a month in the same place with the same routine: Suite - Elevator - Stage - Elevator - Suite, decreased his enthusiasm as early as 1971 (as many said before me in this thread). If Elvis performed one engagement a year,for a week, once a night, then he could have managed.

#3 I don't know, but I think:
1. Either the engineer / technician which was on duty during those engagements was not instructed / interested in recording the shows; or

2. Soundboard recordings exist but have not surfaced.

#4 That's a difficult one. Talent wise, if he was motivated I think yes. Poularity wise, any pop artists that came from the 1950's and 60's had a hard time to maintain their popularity (maybe exceptions are Cliff Richard and Paul McCartney). When an artist dies young his /her image becomes iconic - Buddy Holly, James Dean, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison. They did not experience the inevitable fading away or downfalls in their careers. So in the public eye they are still great. If they had lived no one knows what could have happed to them.

To keep the popularity at high levels, talent is not the most important thing. There are artists which are very good in their area (songwriting, singing, playing, acting) but are unknown. Today, more than ever, the media makes you or breaks you. If the media were still behind Elvis (which I doubt) then he would still be popular. However, the media is interested in image creating rather than talent. Notice album reviews in many magazines (not all of them). Certain artists always get rave reviews, others, especially if these have been around for some time, are given bad reviews. Fashion is the word!!