Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Rainbow Light]

Do you remember Opening Night?

RT: Yeah, I'll never forget it. It was the most important thing that he'd ever done, obviously. It was all going to be recorded. RCA had the remote truck there. That's part of that album, From Memphis To Vegas / From Vegas To Memphis.

RCA made those recordings later on in the month, but what was it like on Opening Night?

RT: The energy was incredible. He was like a cat let out of a cage. Like a big cat, a panther. He had such energy and power. It was an amazing thing. Unfortunately, it never got transmitted to recording. They never captured that kind of energy that the man had. 'cause we'd go down and listen. We couldn't wait till the show was over to go down and listen to the tracks. Later on, we were so discouraged because of the fact that the Colonel was responsible for messing up those tracks. They'd put Elvis' vocal like 70% of the sound, and the rhythm section way down. Elvis didn't know enough about producing to understand why his records really didn't have that power and energy that he felt. Because he stood right in front of me so that he could feel the power and energy from the drums all the time. Even when we recorded in a studio, he'd take the microphone off the stand and go over and stand in front of me. He'd stand in the middle of the musicians. He was really a purist when it came to that, you know.[/quote]

[Wanda June Hill]

Boy, he got that one right! Elvis was so angry-but to say he didn't know enough about producing...well....okay
we'll let that one slide! He knew what he wanted...and he loved the way R. played and liked that heavy beat and also the bass guitar. He liked all instruments though and I think he was the only Rock 'n Roller to include a full orchresta and harps and oboe's and lots of other things most people wouldn't even bother with...but no, he wanted them ALL! And utilized them. wjh

[Lighthouseseeker]

TUTT,FROM AN INTERVIEW..

"I was at my mother's house one time. I was thinking about him and I called him up. I told him that I was at my mother’s house, and he said: "Well, is she there?". I said: "Yeah", and he said: "Well, let me wish her a Merry Christmas", Because he had met her once before. So he was very gracious with that. My mother was thrilled that Elvis wanted to talk to her and wish her a Merry Christmas. Oh, she was… (laughs). She just thought that was the greatest thing in the world. Just on a personal level, he was that way to my father later. When we'd go and play in Texas, my father would go and see the show. Elvis would talk to him, and my dad was so proud! He was so honoured. Elvis was wonderful at those things. He had a great ability to be able to keep those kind of things important and sacred in peoples lives. We miss his humor, just the laughing and the craziness… He was just like a big kid, you know. One year, he was doing those ol' movies, he was "playing" cowboy. We always called it he was "playing" something, just like he was playing karate. He was playing cowboy that year, so he had dirt brought in from Texas around Graceland! Real dirt from Texas! (laughs). And then he'd buy everybody golf carts, and then he'd do this, and then he’d do that… He was just like any of us would be if money was no object, and we had a circle of friends… and we’d just have a good time all the time. That's the way he did it, you know."

[Blue Moon]

we were so discouraged because of the fact that the Colonel was responsible for messing up those tracks. They'd put Elvis' vocal like 70% of the sound, and the rhythm section way down.

What was Colonel Parker thinking? Elvis knew more about music than the Colonel. Surely, Elvis would have known something wasn't right by listening. I don't understand why Elvis could not have had a say in how his records were produced.

[Wanda June Hill]

The Col. and RCA's Felton Jarvis, Tom Diskin and others
pretty much said the same thing about Elvis' music- with the Col. having total control, last word, etc: and he wanted to hear Elvis' voice in the foreground and too, I think they didn't record those concerts with all the tracks they should have-so it would have been more difficult to put the music back where Elvis would have wanted it. He wasn't so "into" his voice as he was in the overall sound and liked to hear the music around his voice, as he put it in simple words for those of us who didn't know much about recording. Anyway they made lots of mistakes that first go round in Vegas-according to Elvis.

Laurie, the time he did the shimmie at the middle side of the stage in front of where we were seated at the table was on a bootlegged tape filmed by a "professional" theif as Col. Parker put it, and we had it on 8 track so it's not on the original THWIS movie video- I thought it was, the bootleg was done at the same time they were making the movie so it was pretty good due to the lighting in the room. Anyway, my daughter told me so I just watched the original movie and he did the same there, but in the center of the stage in front of the drum platform. Boy, 30 some odd years is a long while-she told me we hadn't watched that boot since before Elvis left us, yet I can remember that night so well. Thank heaven for movies and video's and recordings! wjh

[Rainbow Light]

Thank heaven for movies and video's and recordings!

Yes, indeed! They are so valuable for being able to watch back and especially to be able to treasure those special memories!!

From all I've heard of the Colonel, in this post; others elsewhere on the Forum and other places, it really does seem he could care less about the music, Elvis, musicians/entertainers; the producing of such - song-writers and so on, only in vague terms of what he money he could rake in to keep pouring into those gambling casinos and try, no doubt in vain, to pay those debts off!?

I believe Elvis completely knew what he wanted as far as his music and the overall sound went; the originality/unique sound that having the full orchestra on stage was able to produce - had the situation been different and Elvis had had a different and frankly, better, manager, who knows what else could have been done, what other projects, concert tours and so on?

Ronnie Tutt always seemed to be the wild, long-haired one playing those drums - there's something about drums and I tell you something: what with Parker, mm guys and so on around Elvis and all what happened, it would be kind of nice to have a go on that drumkit once in a while to blow off some steam, don't you think?!!!

[Wanda Mc]

On the EBTP DVD, I think it was Priscilla and Jerry Schilling talking about an incident right after Suspicious Minds came out. The group were all in the car going somewhere when the song came on the radio, and they said, "Elvis went berserk!" Said the song was changed from the master he had approved. Jerry said that later Elvis asked him to go buy a copy of the record for him, and Elvis played the released version and an acetate copy of the original he had approved. He said there was about a 20% (?) difference in the two versions. Jerry had overheard the Colonel on the phone prior to this telling someone that Marie, his wife, said she couldn't hear Elvis in the song and to push his voice forward more. So Jerry pretty much knew what happened, but said he didn't want to ruin things between Elvis and his manager over a minor incident. Sounds like just one example of many, to me. Whatever happened to the Colonel saying he handled the business and Elvis did his own thing creatively? Does not appear to be true. I wish Elvis had been able to get rid of Parker and do his own thing, specifically touring Europe, Japan, and Australia.

[Rainbow Light]

I did not know this so thank you to Wanda Mc for sharing this information with us! I can understand Elvis going berserk over his music, the music he put so much into, his heart and soul, when it was changed or altered for sure!