9 Comments

Oof. His quote about loneliness really hit me. It's wild to think how young he was when he was making all of these intricate, difficult decisions. I remember when I was in my early twenties I could hardly decide what to eat for dinner. And he had to make all these decisions with basically no road map because he truly was the first superstar.

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For sure and I think that going from a life of almost abject poverty to a level of wealth almost unheard of certainly weighed Elvis down - the fear of one day returning to destitution.

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Yes, exactly. I totally understand that. I feel that in my own life when I think about having my own business versus having to work in an office again, the fear weighing on the decisions I make.

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Another great read from Robert about Elvis. These stories make me re-visit tracks I've heard hundreds of times before with a new angle. It's like hearing the tracks for the first time with this story in mind. For me, as an avid music listener, this is a great achievement I appreciate very much. I even consider making some changes in my established top 10 Elvis tracks after reading (and listening). The energy of "A big hunk of love" is pure magic. What a band! What a voice!

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Thanks for all the kind words. I noticed that you are working your way through all of Elvis' soundtracks - planning to write about some of this music for my next Elvis essay at some point.

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Yep. Had a meeting with "Old MacDonald" again the other day............ Guess you won't mention that one. It's kinda far away from "A big hunk of love"

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Probably not, although, as a kid, I did find it fun and how I learned about "Mulligan stew."

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Thank you once again Robert for another truly enlightening delve into the Elvis recording catalogue. I think it's a shame that Elvis's artistry and dedication to getting the final master right is not fully appreciated by a lot of folks.

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Thank you Dave - appreciate the kind words. I think the concept that Elvis lost his way the further he drifted from rock and roll is a fundamental misunderstanding of who he was as a singer and as an artist and I try, through these pieces, to discuss aspects of his career that have been overlooked or perhaps not examined as much they should be. Needless to say, very grateful that you like them - they will continue to be a part of the work I do here.

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