Reply With QuoteThis concert should be released.
It doesn't matter what Elvis looked like, his music was good.
Originally Posted by Larry Dickman
I can't help but agree with your points, however a release of the type you are suggesting would take considerable investment from EPE. In order to make it economically viable it would have to be a mainstream release like Aloha and 68' Deluxe editions.
This is exactly what EPE don't want, a media hyped storm about Elvis's final concerts, his weight and sub-standard performances.
For Elvis's artistic longevity, it is in my opinion important that such negative media exposure be limited to a minimum, and at the moment the fans that wish to view the footage are able to view the footage through other sources....without creating this wave of negative comments from the media. EIC harks of the negative stereotypical image, that permeates popular culture with regard to Elvis Presley.
If anyone hasnt seen it; drop me a PM.
The Sun Never Sets On A Legend...
This concert should be released.
It doesn't matter what Elvis looked like, his music was good.
Some of you all never been down South too much...
I'm gonna tell you a little story, so you'll understand where I'm talking about
Thanks for the considered reply....I to agree with some of your points, but I think this may be one topic where people are going to have to agree to dis-agree.
Yeah I guess thats true!
The Sun Never Sets On A Legend...
sub-standard my ***.. Some of the songs are the best versions I've ever heard Elvis do..
So what is wrong with humanity? How much does the war in Iraq cost or sending objects to the outer planets of our solar system? So what's the big deal, from a financial perspective, not to release a simple CD/DVD?
Last edited by EnigmaticSun; 09-29-2006 at 07:32 AM. Reason: minor error
all the goons I left behind,
memories still linger..
Like it or not, ELVIS IN CONCERT is an important part of the Elvis Presley legacy....one which CANNOT and SHOULD NOT be denied to his millions of fans around the world via an official release!!
For the first several years following his death, I can certainly understand why EPE simply did not want this footage to be released....despite the great song selection and Elvis' incredible vocal delivery on most of the songs, the video portrays a man who had many personal issues that had taken a devastating toll on him!! While the footage from both shows has many positive aspects, there are quite honestly moments during both shows that are hard to watch, even as a die-hard Elvis fan like myself!! Even 10 years ago, I could still understand EPE's reasons for denying the fans an official release of this material....even though I personally didn't like it, I could understand it!
But now in 2006 (almost 2007), given the much more graphic stuff that is shown on NATIONAL TELEVISION where ANYONE can view it, I think that the reasons that EPE had for not releasing this footage to the fans (the obvious physical problems that plagued Elvis during that final show, most notably) are no longer valid and some sort of an official release is due to the fans that want to own/see this footage...if for no other reason, than to re-pay the fans for their patience in waiting for this material to find a legitimate outlet for fans to enjoy/collect.
Do I think that a major national television special should be created to air this material? Absolutely not!! There are still some fans out there, especially the newer and younger fans, who might not understand the complete Elvis Presley legacy and might have a hard time viewing this material. But with all of the multiple media outlets at our disposal in 2006/2007, I think that there is a viable outlet that could be utilized to release this material to the fans that truly want and, quite honestly, deserve (after years of patiently waiting) to have the option of purchasing this material for their own personal use in an official release of some type.
The most obvious type of a release for fans would simply be a 2-DVD set containing all of the material filmed during both the Omaha show as well as the Rapid City show. Yes both shows have their high points as well as moments which can be tough to watch, but having all of the material there can allow fans to simply pick and choose what they would like to see and allow them to skip over the moments which can be emotional to view. Releasing this on the FTD label would be the obvious choice, thus allowing the true fans to own the material while allowing EPE to continue to keep it out of the realm of the general public.
If there were to be some type of a release made available to the general public, than obviously a single DVD containing the best performances from both shows would have to be edited together in some manner. But for the true fans, a 2-DVD set containing all of the material from both shows should be released....most fans know (or have seen) what is out there anyway in one form or another of the '77 material, so all that would be accomplished by only releasing part of the material to the fans would be to leave the fans wanting all of it....and haven't the fans waited long enough for an official release of this material???
TCB!
Mike
R.I.P. Tommy
We will miss you dearest friend
Publish and be ****************ed. The young will take it in their stride. We original Elvis fans, teenagers in the 50s took the blows.............. and continue to do it our way:-)
It's true a great many people have seen extracts already, all the non Elvis fans we have shown the footage of Elvis singing "How Great Thou art" just think it's TRAGIC............. in a compassionate way!
Well, I'm a younger fan (21yo) and I like the material from '77. It was about the time when a singer reaches his vocal peak, so that makes it interesting.
Yes, it was overproduced, but so were Aloha, Elvis On Tour and That's The Way It Is. The major difference is that the health problems are clearly visible, more than on the Aloha special. But even that performance shows a lot of the king's physical weaknesses.
So I think we should make it our strength focussing on Elvis' inner quality and laugh about those kids who are jealous. After all, God gave Elvis the free will to do the Special in 1977 for all the world to see.
On top of that, Johnny Cash has never been pretty, but he was totally worn out when he did his last video's and appearances. But he persevered and people loved him.
Last edited by EnigmaticSun; 10-02-2006 at 11:01 AM. Reason: minor error
all the goons I left behind,
memories still linger..
I can certainly understand why EPE or Priscilla or Lisa Marie wouldn't want to release this particular special. It was Elvis near the end of his life, and they want to remember him as he was in previous years. I, however, disagree with this policy. There are so many of us, (I myself included), who have either only seen bits and pieces of it, or none of it at all, and want to see it. I have the resulting soundtrack LP that was released in October of 1977, and Elvis' voice was still fantastic. To deny fans of being able to see this tv special would be to deny part of who Elvis was late in his career. Good or bad, Elvis was still Elvis, the best singer there ever was. I mean, why release the soundtrack to the special without releasing the special? I could understand not releasing it maybe fifteen or twenty years ago, but it's been almost thirty years since Elvis' death, and I think being allowed to actually see these performances would allow us to know Elvis more as a man- not just a singer. Sure, he wasn't well during these performances, but he did them anyway, always wanting to please his fans. At no other time in his career, do we get the chance to see Elvis as a real human being, struggling to put on his best, and not as the infallible person he was percieved as being. Even at his worst, Elvis was still a hundred times better than most of the artists or groups of the time period. So, my point is simple-release "Elvis In Concert", it's time, and besides, it should be the fans' decision, not EPE's.
Elvis In Concert should never have been filmed. It only was because CBS offered the Colonel a large sum of money, he asked for more as he usally did if he didn't want a project to go ahead, rather than saying no, and CBS came up trumps with the cash.
Elvis SHOULD NOT have been touring. His health was in FREEFALL, he was suffering from depression and for a man who all his life was so concious of image and appearence to be filmed as he was in 1977, just shows you how unwell Elvis really was.
Now, by all means go on loving Elvis, but while Cash may not have been pretty he can't be compared to Elvis. Cash was a bad boy, he had that image. He drank, smoked took drugs and we all knew. No one cared what Cash looked like because he cultivated an image where he would be respected by some for being drunk and stoned.
Elvis was marketed as a family entertainer through the 60's and 70's. He was a prescription drug addict that people didn't know about. He was a sex symbol. He appeared in a black leather suit, moved his hips and basically turned people on. People don't have the same sympathy for the family entertainer as they do for Cash.
I firmly believe that the CBS special should not be released to the general public as it will do more harm than good, and will cost too much to reproduce and only have it on sale at Graceland with no ad campaign to make it economically viable. As for the cost as you mentioned in a previous post, wars in Iraq are not bankrolled by EPE but instead by the American taxpayer. Big difference in financial muscle there.
I will agree to disagree with people on this point, but it's available to fans who want it on Bootleg and if EPE think it will do more harm than good then they should be listened to. Besides.....how many here constantly accuse EPE of being money hungry? Exactly.
Last edited by 0349054; 10-03-2006 at 07:17 AM.
The Sun Never Sets On A Legend...
I dont think there is any reason not to release it.I have Love Coming Down and some others but I would like a quality dvd release.To ignore it is like pulling the covers over your head and pretending it never happened.No matter what condition he was in he gave some great performances during the filming.I really dont think it could harm his image because I dont think anybody cares but the fans.The media isnt going to make a big deal about it.The special being released isnt a newsworthy story.Elvis is still relevant to his fans but he's been gone for so long that he is not in the public's mind.Releasing it would not create a media fenzy and wouldnt even make a blip on the radar.The general public couldnt care less.Elvis legacy has withstood the test of time and countless attempts to discredit him.The cbs special would not tarnish it.
Jak
Amen to that! The only people that are worried about it is EPE....let the decision of its release be decided by the fans who love him, for we love him no matter how he looked or sounded.
Last edited by vulcandude; 10-03-2006 at 08:55 AM. Reason: accidently left some words out.
Cash has gone through his days of darkness, but music had always been terribly important to him. He was a country boy from Arkansas and knew what it was like to pick cotton. Just like Elvis, he went through some sh*t during his lifetime and I think that's why he's more special than the current rock stars.
He could sing to a crowd for more than a hour and I can tell he was sincerely moved. He was the kind of guy who talked to the lonely prisoner who had long paid for his crime, who sang for the wounded boys in Vietnam to cheer 'em up. So I don't think it's fair to say he only got his recognition because of being stoned. The guy is popular even in countries with Anti-American sentiments.
Cash was a great man, just like Elvis. It's just that Elvis didn't look like mr. Ed, unlike most other rockabilly stars. And of course, he had more vocal ability than Johnny Cash or Hank Williams. But I feel it's special that Cash and Williams had the talent to write a song, being unique in their very own right.
Sometimes I get the impression that people think Elvis is the best ever. I simply think that there's no Elvis but Elvis. It doesn't mean no other human being ever achieved grace and brilliance. I understand why Americans want a king, being such a Republican country. They still miss someone.
all the goons I left behind,
memories still linger..
I think you misunderstood me. I didn't mean to imply Cash only gets recognition because of being stoned, what I was saying was that him image was such that being drugged would not inflict as much harm upon him in the public persona as say other stars.
The Sun Never Sets On A Legend...
(Jak's )>>Elvis legacy has withstood the test of time and countless attempts to discredit him.The cbs special would not tarnish it.
Dovey
The family entertainer thing is relative; when he started he was regarded as being the instrument of the devil, the corruptor of youth. And then, suddenly not. They wanted to make him the ideal son-in-law, but it never really worked out.
I wanted to point out that I don't think Cash cultivated an image which granted him respect (by some) for being stoned. He worked hard, was a human being (with errors and virtues) and his legacy is timeless, like Elvis'. Enough people tried to scrutinize Johnny, it's just that he decided not to live so secluded.
I guess people have tried to idealize the younger Elvis, because they know the vigorous, elastic, pretty Elvis so well. And in the 70's, that part of him wasn't so important anymore. And that makes it more shocking to watch, the sudden transition from power to ill health. The tragic part is that so much attention is being given to the way he looked, instead of what was inside of him.
It's true Cash had less of a cleanliness-image to preserve. I guess Elvis wanted to keep everybody and everything satisfied forever, conditioning and complicating his life. Could have been a character issue....
Last edited by EnigmaticSun; 10-03-2006 at 01:34 PM. Reason: minor error
all the goons I left behind,
memories still linger..
You have got to be kidding me! Elvis was the first to point out his own faults, he knew he wasn't perfect. To say he was trying to protect his image would be wrong, mainly because he DID agree to do the CBS TV special. Sure, he lived a secluded life, but it was a life thrust upon him by his fame, it wasn't one he went out and asked for.
The reason why people were so shocked at seeing how he looked when the special first aired, was because he hadn't been seen in the public limelight of national attention since 1973. The other reason why everyone was so shocked by it was because America was still reeling from his death. They didn't notice (or care) that he had still sounded fantastic, and that's why this particular special has remained officially unreleased.
Elvis was only human, even though we as fans labeled him "king", but we only did so because we loved him.
Last edited by vulcandude; 10-03-2006 at 07:35 PM. Reason: had to change wording a bit
to say that this should never had bin filmed is *****ic, this special showed JOE PUBLIC, that ELVIS PRESLEY could still belt out a tune[HOW GREAT, MOUNTAIN,HURT, MY WAY etc.. In early 74 there was to be an EASTER SPECIAL, it was turned down by E.P. himself because it he had just finished the ALOHA special not long ago, AND the only reason it was ever concieved was because the FAT AND 40 [saga in the press] E.P. had put his foot down on this one. We all know that E.P. was hesitant to do the CBS special as he later told ED PARKER ,how did he get into this on the way to rapid city performance, but I for one am glad he did it[at least the RAPID CITY show], i just think the deal should have included more shows to be filmed, like CINCINATTI, IDIANAPOLIS, this would have made it a great special, and if the producers included most of the rapid city performances it would have bin just as great leaving out, TRYING TO GET..., IF YOU LOVE ME LET ME KNOW, UNCHAINED, NOW OR NEVER[MINUS SHERILLS VOCALS], it would have showed the world that ELVIS PRESLEY was truly the greatest 'ENTERTAINER', it should have and thankfully was filmed.y)
I do hope that they will release it some time soon. Fans would love to see it. It is the music that counts. Elvis voice was still very very good. Even thou he did not look his best. He still could take your breath away. The talent that he had was still there.
So YESI do believe that they should release it. It would be about time.
So..is the first part of the show all scenes from Omaha? I'm assuming that's where "Are You Lonesome Tonight" is coming from..........
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