At the time of snarling these words in 1958 as part of the introduction to the classic blues number “Trouble”, Elvis Presley had just spent nearly three years spearheading a popular music revolution. Characterized by a defiant vocal style, a shaky leg and a James Dean like persona he had deservedly become the world’s first rock hero.

Nothing appeared to be able to stop the Elvis phenomena until the US army intervened and conscripted him. Unfortunately, after Elvis handed in his uniform and returned to the music world two years later in 1960 the experience not only removed his famous sideburns, but also stole his rebellious spirit. Worst was yet to come, however, and by 1963 Elvis settled down to a career of repeatedly embarrassing himself in almost identical movie roles where he would break into some non-descript insipid song every 10 minutes and spend the rest of the time chasing any girl in sight.

In 1968 this pathetic situation ended when Elvis for unknown reasons decided enough was enough and did a television special simply titled “Elvis”. He donned on a leather jacket, found his rock hero persona of old and then proceeded to give the people in television land one of the best performances of his entire career. The CD “Memories” captures, warts and all, this moment in Presley history in an excellently packaged two-disc set complete with detailed liner notes.

The Tracks

The original hit album release of the TV show (1968:US#8), like the show itself, understandably omitted many of the performances that Elvis cut for potential inclusion. This double CD expands that release by adding more than 25 extra tracks, the majority of which are released here for the first time. The CD set also substitutes the live performances of “Jailhouse Rock” and “Love Me Tender” on the original album with alternate previously unreleased live versions.

Trouble/Guitar Man

CD 1 commences brilliantly with a number first recorded for Elvis’s 1958 film “King Creole”. “Trouble” is classic 50’s rock blues material and like the original recording, the version here is full of threatening overtones. After two verses the performance segues into a cover of Elvis’s 1967 single release “Guitar Man” (US#43; UK#19). Elvis powers through this country rock number about a guitar player “looking for a place to play”. The performance differs from that on the single as it is vocally a lot heavier and the backing is no longer acoustic but a full orchestra led by a pounding electric guitar.

The use of both these numbers to commence the TV show appears to intentionally symbolise that the Elvis of old had returned. Indeed the last time Elvis looked and behaved like a rock hero before the cameras was in the film “King Creole” way back in 1958. “Trouble” was a key number in that film, and was used in memorable scene where Elvis’s character used the tune to warn off a Mafia like gang boss who was endeavoring to publicly humiliate him. The intention to signal to the audience from the outset that the “Hillbilly Cat” had returned is confirmed by the segueing of “Trouble” into “Guitar Man” which has the hook lines:

“Think I’ll start all over, sling my guitar over my back. I’m gonna’ get myself back on the track, I’ll never, never, look back..”

Of interest, there are three performances of “Trouble” and “Guitar Man” on this CD. The tracks also pop up in the live portion of the show and in the “Road Medley”. The performances in all cases are very similar and the need for such repetitiveness is questionable, although I suppose it could be argued that their repeated use is justified on the basis that they are thematic to the whole feel of the show.

The Rock and Roll Concert

One of the best parts of CD 1 (and the TV Special itself) is a live concert in front of a small but very appreciative studio audience. During this 20 minute segment Elvis gives the rock performance of his life as he belts out some of his best-known 50’s recordings including “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956: US#1; UK#2), “Hound Dog” (1956: US#1; UK#2), “All Shook Up” (1957: US & UK#1), “Don’t be Cruel” (1956: US#1; UK#2), Jailhouse Rock (1957: US & UK#1) and “Blue Suede Shoes” (1956: UK#9). Elvis’s vocal performance in all cases is the equal of the original works and in some cases, due to the increased range and power in his vocals, he actually surpasses his earlier recordings.

Similar comment can also be made of his live renditions of two of his most famous ballads “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1962: US#2) and “Love Me Tender” (1956: US#1; UK#11). Certainly, there are no live tracks of these songs that come even close to the quality that is presented here.

There are, however, two disappointing features of these recordings. The first is that all are in mono because apparently a technician “forgot” to flick on the stereo button for this part of the show.

The second is the musical back up work. For some insane reason someone decided to use the NBC orchestra as the support band. Needless to say they struggle to keep up with Elvis every step of the way and their sound is often completely inappropriate for the material. The musical introduction to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” for example could easily be misconstrued as the beginning of a National Geographic documentary. Further, there is a weird flute thing going on in “Don’t Be Cruel” and a dodgy organ in “Jailhouse Rock”.

There are some interesting surprises on the live set that are not indicated on the track listing. In particular, just prior to singing “Trouble/Guitar Man” Elvis is forced to wait for the orchestra for a ridiculous amount of time while they get their act together. Ever the showman, Elvis uses this opportunity to entertain the audience with a line or so of Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe through the Tulips” and an impersonation of Richard Harris doing “Macarthur Park”. Elvis also does a non-credited two-minute guitar solo on the rock number “Baby What You Want me To Do”, forever disproving the myth that he couldn’t really play a guitar (as is sometimes claimed).

Gospel Medley

CD 1 showcases a 9-minute “Gospel Medley” which is a cleverly integrated performance of four separate revivalist style tunes. The medley starts with a beautiful rendition of “Motherless Child” by a singer called “Darlene Love”. This segues into “Where Could I Go But to the Lord”, “Up above My Head” and eventually a wild over the top Gospel rock rendition of “Saved”.

The medley tells the story, told in first person, of a lonely troubled individual who finds his salvation and ultimate happiness in the Lord. As Elvis moves through each track, the atmosphere gradually moves from one of despair to the point of euphoric. When we eventually get to “Saved”, Elvis turns in an impassioned revivalist performance that would make even Billy Graham proud. At the end of the medley, Elvis is unable to let go and breaks into a blues ending reminiscent of that often tagged onto “Jailhouse Rock”.

Road Medley

The 15 minute so called “Road Medley” is an affectionate look and rework of some of Elvis’s stronger sixties material and appears to be loosely based on the character he played in the 1964 movie, “Roustabout”. It would be fair to say that the concept worked better on screen that on disc, but the performance is still nonetheless enjoyable in the audio only format. The material featured includes the rock novelty “Little Egypt” (from the film “Roustabout”), the bluesy “Let Yourself Go” (1967: US#71), a beefy rendition of the ballad “It Hurts Me” (1964: US#29), the fast paced rocker “Big Boss Man” (1968: US#38) and more reworks of “Trouble” and “Guitar Man”.

The “Road Medley” makes for weird listening at times. In the middle of the otherwise beautiful and magnificently performed ballad “It Hurts Me”, for example, there is an almost psychedelic frantic paced organ and guitar focused solo. During this part of the number on screen, things are just as strange as Elvis is participating in a martial arts battle with about 10 villains (he wins of course). Also, the musical solo in the otherwise down and dirty blues track “Let Yourself Go” is bizarrely a traditional ragtime dance tune!

A Little Less Conversation

The collection also includes a newly recorded version of this modest hit single of 1968 (US#69). Despite the lyric repeatedly using the catch phrase “A little less conversation, a little more action please” the track is not a protest song. The song comes from a late sixties Elvis movie and (what a surprise!) is about getting some girl to come across.

At the time of the release of this CD, the track was of particular interest to collectors as for years it was thought not to exist other than in the form of an instrumental only recording. A remixed version of "A Little Less Conversation", when released worldwide as a single in June-July 2002, hit the top of the charts in the UK, Australia and many other countries.

Single releases

There were two single releases from the original album, “If I Can Dream” and “Memories”. The first of these is a powerful protest number and was used as the finale for the special. Elvis belts out this cry for world peace and understanding with all the intensity and passion his soul could muster and it is without doubt a fine performance. The track includes a brass accompaniment and builds with intensity with each verse culminating in a crescendo ending. When released as a single A-side, “If I Can Dream was a million seller and charted at a peak of #12 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 1968 (UK#11). Also included on this release is an alternate take of the song that is so similar to the original that one ponders why anyone even bothered.

In comparison, “Memories” is a heartfelt ballad that is complemented by not only Elvis’s superb singing but also a fine orchestral backing. In the TV Special he sings the number in a live segment of the show while sitting on the stage steps. It is an appropriately intimate performance that deals with recollections of past joyous and moving moments with loved ones. When released as single, memories charted at #7 on Billboard’s easy listening chart and #35 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. On this CD there is also an alternate take of the song. The noticeable difference between the two versions, however, is that Elvis just misses a note on the second line of the previously unreleased take.

Elvis unplugged

The second CD on this set features Elvis doing sit down live performances before a studio audience and some related rehearsals. Elvis is working in strictly battlefield conditions here with only an electric guitar, a badly played tambourine, a stomping foot, and a bunch of guys who can’t sing a lick for vocal and musical support. No artist of Elvis’s credentials should ever have to work under such conditions and why he agreed to it is a mystery. The only thing that saves these performances from having the musical attraction of a homemade movie is Elvis’s totally committed and powerful vocal performance on each track.

In terms of material, the majority of the 17 numbers stem from Elvis’s mid-fifties back catalogue, with the notable exceptions being “Are You Lonesome Tonight” (1960: US & UK#1) and three renditions of “Baby What You Want Me To Do”. Tracks include “One Night” (1958: US#4; UK#1) “That’s all Right”, “Love Me”, “Blue Christmas”, “Lawdy, Miss Clawdy”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Heartbreak Hotel” and “When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold”.

It must be said that none of the songs presented here are particularly suited to the harsh musical circumstances and in no case (not surprisingly) do any of the performances approach the original recordings. That being said, none of the tracks are by any means tragic and all make, if nothing, else an interesting listen.

The Final Word

Without doubt this double CD at times represents a disjointed collection of tracks, many of which are characterized by almost unforgivable errors in production or just poor musical judgment. Further, the need to include 4 versions of “Baby What You Want Me to Do”, in addition to three versions of “Trouble/Guitar Man”, is baffling.

What makes this CD a worthwhile purchase, however, is the sheer magnificence of Elvis’s performance on every number. In terms of range and strength Elvis’s voice was at its peek during this time. This combined with the mostly 50’s and early 60’s classics he was bestowing his vocal magic on, makes this CD essential listening for lovers of the rock and roll genre. Just like his rebel without cause character in “King Creole”, Elvis overcame all adversity thrown before him when making these recordings, and through raw talent, commitment and will power comes out on top.


Recommended: Yes