The King is Back on the Charts!

INTERNATIONAL MOMENTUM BUILDS AS VIVA ELVIS - THE ALBUM BREAKS INTO THE BILLBOARD 200 Legacy Recordings Celebrates Elvis' 75th Birthday Year with a Groundbreaking New Studio Work Inspired by Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas    -- Viva ELVIS - The Album, a 21st century celebration of Elvis and his music featuring the voice of the King in a whole new soundscape, is gathering worldwide momentum in the wake of its recent release through Legacy Recordings, in cooperation with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. and Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.  Released stateside on November 9, Viva ELVIS - The Album has debuted in the upper half of the Billboard 200. Conceptualized and realized by producer/arranger Erich Van Tourneau, Viva ELVIS - The Album is a multi-faceted audio extravaganza creating a larger-than-life musical portrait of Elvis through newly re-imagined versions of "Blue Suede Shoes," "That's All Right," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Love Me Tender," "King Creole," "Bossa Nova Baby," "Burning Love," "Can't Help Falling In Love" and "Suspicious Minds" as well as instrumental interludes based on "Memories" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" (piano interlude). Three of the tracks on Viva ELVIS - The Album including "Suspicious Minds," the album's first single, were mixed by Grammy Award winning producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen).  Four of the album's tracks were mixed by Serban Ghenea with the remaining five mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau. "Suspicious Minds," the first single from Viva ELVIS - The Album, impacted radio in late October and is a bonus track on NOW 36, the latest installment in the best-selling chart-topping Now That's What I Call Music anthology series of contemporary Top 40 smash hits. USA Today selected "Suspicious Minds" as a Pick of The Week noting that the new version "...dispenses with its signature guitar pattern, starting like a cross between a gospel hymn and 'Everlasting Love' before transforming into something like a U2 anthem." Overwhelming international response to Viva ELVIS - The Album led to the creation of special regional editions of the album showcasing popular local artists "dueting" with Elvis on "Love Me Tender."  Regional artists participating on non-US editions of the album include Anna Puu (Finland), Lisa Lois (Netherlands), Amel Bent (France), Russian Red (Spain), Thalia (Latin America), Jessica Mauboy (Australia), Dani Klein (Belgium), Marie-Mai (Canada) and Aurea (Portugal). Viva ELVIS - The Album is already charting round-the-world, going Top 40 or better in Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and France while climbing the charts in Spain, Australia and Germany. Music critics and other cognoscenti have rallied behind Viva ELVIS - The Album, basking in the record's celebratory delights: Billboard ""It's all inventive and invigorating, offering proof that Presley's music can handle being all shook up" FORBES.COM "'Viva Elvis – the Album' a multi-faceted audio extravaganza creating a larger-than-life musical portrait of Elvis" MSN MUSIC "You've never heard these tunes like this before… ear-popping collages" ASSOCIATED PRESS "A new take on the King"… "'Suspicious Minds' opens with Elvis' soulful, echoing voice and prominent piano notes, then shifts into a guitar introduction that evokes memories of U2's classic anthem 'Bad.' The song has a strong drum and guitar component without losing the sing-along quality of the original." BLOOMBERG NEWS "A radical mix of his hits" BLOGCRITICS "And we're off to the races as Viva ELVIS - The Album turns up the heat and the velocity as it dashes through a representative sampling of The King's mastery of genres from Delta blues, gospel and Southern folk to movie soundtracks and Vegas pop" "You won't be able to help falling in love (with The King) again. Some things were just meant to be!" RECORD COLLECTOR "I loved it. A great mash up of Elvis, early, middle and late in his career. Great fun!" VIRGINIAN- PILOT "Elvis for the iPod age." Musicians on Viva ELVIS include Elvis Presley (vocals); Erich Van Tourneau (bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano and keyboards); Dea Norberg, Jennlee Shallow, Sherry St-Germain, Stacie Tabb (guest singers); Patrick Lavergne and JS "The Flash" Chouinard (basses); Mike Plant, Steve Nadeau, Martin Bachand and Paul Deslauriers (electric guitars); Olivier Goulet (acoustic guitar); Guy Belanger (harmonica); DJ Pocket (scratch).  The album's horn section includes Jean-Francois Thibeault (trombone), Bruno Dumont (saxophone), David Perrico (trumpet), Jean-Francois Gagnon (flugel horn). When working on the music for the Cirque du Soleil production "Viva ELVIS," Van Tourneau spent more than 3,000 hours reviewing countless albums, films, concert recordings, interviews and home recordings of Elvis.  More than 17,000 samples of Elvis' songs – the raw material for the show – were made during the process. Working with tens of thousands of samples of Elvis' voice, Van Tourneau often wove several sequences and sounds into the same songs, sometimes changing details such as the key and tempo. In creating Viva ELVIS - The Album, Van Tourneau was looking to accentuate and boost the emotional charge of the songs with the incorporation of ragga, punk or hip-hop elements into classic recordings. In all cases, however, the goal was to respect and understand the essence of the original recordings. "I would like to acknowledge all of the incredible composers, musicians and technicians responsible for making this music with Elvis originally," said Erich Van Tourneau.  "The album Viva ELVIS would not be what it is today if not for their remarkable contributions." The postmodern studio masterwork invokes the spirit and essence of Elvis from a contemporary perspective while furthering the revolutionary impulses of Elvis' sound. Viva ELVIS - The Album re-imagines the king's own vocal performances in a broad variety of new musical settings. This new sound echoes Elvis' own versatility and ability to master all music genres, from Delta blues to rockabilly, from raw soul to gospel, from Southern folk to Vegas pop, while incorporating elements of garage rock, punk, urban and hip-hop. In celebration of all eras of Elvis' musical genius, Viva ELVIS - The Album includes songs from Elvis' rise to fame in the '50s, his movie soundtracks, his triumphant return to the stage in the "'68 Special," and his ground-breaking appearances in Las Vegas. Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil, a harmonious fusion of dance, acrobatics and live music, opened earlier this year in a specially designed 1,800 seat theater at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.  A tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley, Viva ELVIS focuses on the essential humanity of the one superstar whose name will forever be linked with the history of Las Vegas: Elvis Presley.  Significant moments in his life – intimate, playful and grandiose – blend with timeless songs that remain as relevant today as when they first hit the top of the charts. Elvis lives on Viva ELVIS - The Album, a 21st century venue for rock's first and biggest superstar. Viva ELVIS - The Album - produced and arranged by Erich Van Tourneau 1. (Opening) (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau) 2. Blue Suede Shoes (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 3. That's All Right (mixed by Brendan O'Brien) 4. Heartbreak Hotel (mixed by Brendan O'Brien) 5. Love Me Tender (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau) 6. King Creole (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau) 7. Bossa Nova Baby (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 8. Burning Love (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 9. (Memories) (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau) 10. Can't Help Falling In Love (mixed by Serban Ghenea) 11. (You'll Never Walk Alone) (piano interlude) (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich Van Tourneau) 12. Suspicious Minds (mixed by Brendan O'Brien)

Elvis Presley – Viva Elvis The Album (2010)

Elvis Presley Viva Elvis

Track List:
01. Opening 02:11
02. Blue Suede Shoes 03:12
03. That’s All Right 04:41
04. Heartbreak Hotel 04:55
05. Love Me Tender 04:13
06. King Creole 04:27
07. Bossa Nova Baby 03:07
08. Burning Love 04:16
09. Memories 00:55
10. Can’t Help Falling In Love 04:40
11. You’ll Never Walk Alone (Piano Interlude) 01:28
12. Suspicious Minds 04:25
13. Love Me Tender (Duet With Marie-Mai) 04:15

INTERVIEW:JERRY SCHILLING (THE DAY ELVIS CRIED)

"My worst memory, and the worst day of my life has to be the day Priscilla took Lisa Marie away from Graceland," says Schilling. "To this day, that image still haunts me..."

On October 9, 1973, after 5 years of marriage Elvis and Priscilla were divorced. It was Elvis who filed for the divorce, as token gesture to save Priscilla the embarrassment as she was the mother of his daughter, Lisa Marie, who only 4 years old at the time.


,"It was I very sad day for all of us," says Schilling. "I remember how Elvis just stood in Lisa's bedroom and watched in silence as Alberta (Graceland's cook) helped Priscilla pack Lisa's clothes and toys into several suitcases... Elvis said nothing, but I could see the pain in his eyes," recalls Schilling.

"Suddenly, he yelled out to me and Joe (Esposito) to help Priscilla put the baggage into the car. Elvis just couldn't bring himself to carry the bags out to the car, himself," whispers Schilling.


Unaware of the happening between her parents in her bedroom, Lisa Marie played happily with her nanny outside the grounds of Graceland.

In an aim to spare Lisa the sorry of their separation, Elvis and Priscilla had told her that she was going away on a vacation with her mother to Los Angeles, where she was going to attend school. "It broke my heart to see Elvis, a man who had everything, suddenly be lose the most important person in his life - his daughter."



"Lisa was more important than life itself to Elvis." Now she was being taken away from him," says Schilling.



Although, the court ruled Priscilla gets custody of Lisa Marie, Elvis believed his daughter would be far better off raised with small town of values in Memphis, just like he was, than in a big city like Los Angeles.



"Elvis just stood watching as we load up Priscilla's blue Mercedes.

Until that finally moment, Elvis was still composed, but when it was time to bid farewell to his daughter, Elvis broke down and cried as he swooped his beloved Lisa into his arms. Elvis held Lisa tight for a very long time. "Be a good girl, Button-head," whispered Elvis. (Button-head was Elvis' pet name for Lisa) "You come and visit often, you hear," said Elvis trying to hold back the tears. Then out of sheer desperation Elvis insisted, "Get mummy to teach you how to use the phone, so you can call me everyday, okay."


As Schilling recalls, "Lisa Marie, was always a very perceptive child. She realised this was not the usual way her daddy said goodbye. Normally, Elvis would says, 'Button-head I'm off to work. What do you want daddy to bring you back, this time?'"


"This day was strange, and Lisa knew it. She looked into her daddy's eyes and asked him, 'Are you crying, daddy?"

At the point, Elvis flashed Priscilla a look that could kill, then delivered Lisa into her mother's awaiting arms, turned on his heels, walked back into the house, without looking back.


"I'd seen that look before in Elvis eyes," says Schilling. "It a look that still sends a chill went down my spine, when I think of it... It's was a look of pain, anger, desperation and hurt."

"For the rest of that day, till about 4 am that night, Elvis closed himself up in his bedroom. He wouldn't eat or take our calls."

"We got very worried. We thought maybe he had knocked myself out with a whole lot of sleeping pills."


"From time to time, Joe and I would sneak up to his bedroom and listen at the door. Once I heard him cursing. Another times I heard him screaming. But mostly we heard Elvis just sobbing."



Finally, Schilling admitted, "I now know, that day was the beginning of the end for the Elvis I had met."

Palm Spring home today

Try on the Celebrity Life in Palm Springs

Palm Springs is famous for its glittery past as a Hollywood haven but many people don’t realize that it’s possible to bring a suitcase, hang up your toothbrush and spend a few nights in some of the storied pied a terres.

Here are some homes of the rich and famous that you can call your own—albeit on a rental basis.

One of the most well-known is Elvis Presley’s Honeymoon Hideaway. Located in Old Las Palmas, the home boasts a jutting prow of living-room windows and lily-pad steps ascending to the front door. Built by the father-son Alexanders—builders of the city’s iconic mid-century homes—the home was first occupied by son Robert Alexander until he, his family and father perished in a 1965 airplane crash.

Not long after, Elvis signed a one-year lease for $21,000, carrying his new bride, Priscilla, over the threshold on May 1, 1967. He puportedly sang The Hawaiian Wedding Song as he did so; daughter Lisa Marie was born exactly nine months later. This was also the venue in which he shot out his TV upon seeing Robert Goulet on the screen.

The 5,200 square-foot home has been faithfully restored to its ’60s glory, complete with customized 64-foot curved sofa on which the newlyweds were photographed. Photos of the compelling couple in the home dot the interior.

He and Priscilla soon moved to a home around the corner since he felt this one lacked privacy.

Cost to rent: $1500 to $1800 a night. www.ElvisHoneymoon.com

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s 1930s hacienda was across the street from the swinging El Mirador Hotel —now Desert Regional Medical Center—and was the first private Palm Springs’ residence to have its very own pool.

Lucy and Desi frequently visited their desert home in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. The four-bedroom home includes a guest casita.

Cost to rent: $2,080 per week in the summer; $3500 during high season

Ol' Blue Eyes' Twin Palms Estate is located in the heart of the Old Movie Colony. The 4,500 square-foot home is a spectacular example of mid-century contemporary architecture that has been oft used in commercials, from Coca-Cola to Mercedes Benz.

Designed in 1947 by legendary architect Stewart Williams for Frank and his first wife, Nancy, the property was named for the pair of towering palm trees above the piano-shaped pool.

Sinatra hosted lavishly—the A-list included Joan Crawford, Bob Hope, George and Gracie, Lana Turner, even the reclusive Greta Garbo. After his first marriage collapsed, he later spent tumultuous years in the home with second wife, Ava Gardner, before finally selling it in 1953 for $85,000.

Cost to rent: $2600 a night (3-night minimum) with concierge service Link

Perched below Bob Hope’s own iconic John Lautner-designed mushroom home in south Palm Springs sits Howard Hughes' mini estate. The 2,100 square-foot home is multi-layered and offers 220-degree views of the valley below. Other notable owners of the home include Green Acres' Eva Gabor and producer Paul Keyes.

Features preserved from the fascinating aviator and inventor’s time include the kitchen, step-on light switches and a hotplate Hughes installed in one of the bathrooms.

Cost to rent: $450 per night (3-night minimum)

Hughes designed this next home for his friend Howard Hawks, the writer/director/producer of films spanning 60 years, from His Girl Friday to Scarface.

Located close to Elvis’s honeymoon house, Hawks named his 5,600 square-foot hacienda Casa de Plata (House of Silver). The home is hidden behind high walls in Old Las Palmas and retains many of the original features, including Mexican hacienda-style fireplaces in each of the five bedrooms.

Cost to rent: $1,200 per night (4-night minimum)

If you enjoyed reading this story, subscribe to my blog via email or news feed. That way you'll be alerted whenever I post a new article on the desert market or compelling home bargains.

The On Tour Interviews Volume I and II Promo CDs

The On Tour Interviews Volume I and II Promo CDs are talking only albums with interviews during the filming of Elvis On Tour, 1972.

Elvis talks to Piere Aldridge and Robert Able (Hollywood, Ca.) / Elvis talks about his childhood / Elvis talks about his early years, his movies, his JC Award and musicians / Conversations with Mayor Roy Webber (Roanoke Airport, VA.) / Backstage conversations (Macon, GA.) / Conversations with crew and gang (Jacksonville, FL.) / Conversations with his entourage (Little Rock, AK.)/ Conversations with his entourage (San Antonio, TX.).

Volume two continues with the following tracks...

Elvis Presley autopsy auction cancelled

An auction of instruments allegedly used in Elvis Presley's autopsy has been cancelled. "Due to questions of ownership," the retired embalmer behind the sale will instead "donate" the tools to an unknown party.

Last week, a Chicago auction house announced that it would be selling a grisly collection of music memorabilia, including rubber gloves, lip brushes, needle injectors, forceps and aneurysm hooks used in the singer's postmortem examination. An embalmer in Memphis had apparently stored the tools since 1977, but now hoped to let fans "own a piece of the celebrity themselves".

Officials at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers have now withdrawn the lot, reportedly at the request of the owner and his son. The objects will instead be turned over to the funeral home that originally administered the autopsy, or at least its parent company, "with the intention of donation". It is not clear whether Graceland or another Elvis museum is interested in the tools.

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the president of the Memphis Funeral Home, EC Davies, kept Presley's embalming report in his desk. He later donated it to a funeral service museum in Houston, but the Presley family has never granted permission for it to be displayed. Last week, Davies questioned the authenticity of the auction items. "Anybody could fake something like this," he said. "It's ridiculous."

Elvis Presley autopsy kit up for auction

Instruments used in Elvis Presley's autopsy and embalming are going up for auction in Chicago, including the "John Doe" toe tag used after the original was stolen amid the chaos at the hospital following his death.

The items were saved by the senior embalmer at the Memphis Funeral Home, which prepared the singer's body Photo: REUTERS

Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977 aged 42 Photo: AP

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will hold the auction Aug. 12, four days before the 33rd anniversary of Presley's death.

The auction house said that all of the items used in the autopsy and funeral preparations will be available, from rubber gloves and forceps to a comb and eye liner. Even the coffin invoice and the hanger used to hold Presley's burial suit will be sold.

The items were saved by the senior embalmer at the Memphis Funeral Home, which prepared the singer's body.

The items will be auctioned in two sets valued at up to $6,000 (£3,900) and $8,000 (£5,200).

Presley died at the age of 42 after years of abuse of prescription drugs. He was found on the bathroom floor in his home at Graceland, Memphis, and attempts to revive him failed.

His post mortem stated that he had died a heart attack. His autopsy results will not be made public until 2027, 50 years after his death.

Interview wiht Elvis Presley in July 31, at August 01of 1969 (Las Vegas)

Why have you waited so long to perform live again?
We had to finish up the movie commitments before I could start on this.

How did it feel being back in front of a live audience after so many years?
Fantastic. I really missed it. I love the live contact with an audience. It was getting harder and harder to perform to a movie camera all day long. The inspiration wasn’t there. I’m tired of playing a guy singing to the guy he’s beating up.


Did you enjoy performing live again?
Yes! This has been one of the most exciting nights of my life.

Did you feel nervous during the show?
For the first three songs or so, before I loosened up. Then I thought, “What the heck. Get with it, man, or you might be out of a job tomorrow.”

Were you a little afraid onstage tonight?
Yes, I was at first, until I got going, and then I felt okay. I was nervous and didn’t feel relaxed until Love Me Tender.



How did you choose the songs for your show?
I just sang my favourites, that’s all.


Do you want to do more live shows?
I want to… I would like to play all over the world. I chose Las Vegas to play first because it is a place people come to from all over.


Did you like leather jackets like the one you wore on your TV specials?
No. I hate wearing leather jackets because they are too hot to work in.


Why did you choose a Negro backing group (The Sweet Inspirations)?
Because they help to give me my feel, my soul.


Where did you get the idea for your stage outfit?
I got the idea from a karate gi I once had.


Do you dye your hair?
Sure, because I’ve always done it for the movies.


Why do you dye your hair?
Because it’s gray.

Why do you choose to record message type songs like In The Ghetto? Are you trying to change your image?
No. Ghetto was such a great song. I just couldn’t pass it up after I’d heard it. There are a lot of new records out now that have the same sound I started but they’re better. I mean, you can’t compare a song like Yesterday with Hound Dog, can you?

How do you feel about the Hollywood social scene?
I just don’t go for it. I have nothing against it but I just don’t enjoy it.


Why have you led such a secluded life all these years?
It’s not secluded, honey, I’m just sneaky.



How long did you rehearse for these shows?
I practiced for nearly three months. Today I went through three complete dress rehearsals. This was the fourth time I did that show today. I’m really beat.


Can you remember the first time you were in Las Vegas?
Sure, I was 19 years old. Nobody knew me. “Where you from, boy?” they’d ask.
(Note: Elvis was 21 and not 19 when he first performed in Las Vegas, on 23 April 1956, at the New Frontier Hotel).



Will you be back in Las Vegas soon?
Absolutely. I love Las Vegas because it attracts people from all over the world.


Do you have a share in the International Hotel?
No, I have not.


Are you tired of your present type of movies?
Yes. I want to change the type of scripts I have been doing.


What kind of scripts do you like?
Something with meaning. I’m going after more serious material. I couldn’t dig always playing the guy who’d get into a fight, beat the guy up, and in the next shot sing to him.

Do you feel it was a mistake to do so many soundtrack albums?
I think so. When you do ten songs in a movie, they can’t all be good songs.


Will you be doing any more movies?
I don’t know. I kinda got tired of beating up guys and then having to sing a song to them, or maybe their horses.

Mr. Presley, I’ve been sent here by Lord Stutch Enterprises to offer you one million pounds sterling to make two appearances at the Wembley Empire Stadium in England. This price will include a documentary that will be filmed during and after the shows. It will only take 24 hours.
You’ll have to ask him about that. (Elvis points to Colonel Parker). Colonel Parker: Make an offer! Cash, not pounds! Just put down the deposit.


How much do you get paid for these performances?
Colonel Parker: We are pleased with the deal. I am glad he is here.


Would you like to appear in England?
I definitely would like to appear in England as we have had so many requests. And it will be soon, as we are now doing live concerts again.


Is there any truth to the rumour that you are getting a slice of the hotel as part of the fee?
Colonel Parker: Certainly not. The only thing we got free were crickets in the room.

Have you still got about 10 cars?
I never had that many, only four or five at the most.

After all this time you look so young.
I guess I’m just lucky. I really don’t know. I guess one of these days it will catch up with me and I’ll probably fall apart.



Have you ever seen England’s top pop singer Cliff Richard?
Yes, I met him in Germany a long time ago.
(Note: Cliff Richard indeed traveled all the way to Germany to meet Elvis, but he was out on maneuvers on that day and Vernon welcomed him instead. Perhaps Elvis was confused when he answered this, because he actually met an impersonator while in Germany).

How does it feel to be a father?
Great. I love it!


Do you and Priscilla plan to add to your family?
We’ll have to wait and see.


How does Priscilla feel about you being such a great sex symbol?
I don’t know… you would have to ask her.


Are you planning to have any more kids?
Yes, we are planning to add to our family. Thank you very much.


Is there any other individual you would rather be?
Are you kidding?


What’s it like to be the Grandfather of rock and roll?
(laughs). I didn’t know that I was.


Are you doing shows because of the recent success of Tom Jones in cabaret?
No, that’s not the reason. Although I admire Tom Jones very much, and think he’s a great talent. I guess I felt it was time to do live shows because I missed doing them.


I noticed in your repertoire you did some Beatles songs. What do you think of the Beatles and their material?
I admire the Beatles and think they are very good. The lyrics of pop songs are getting better all the time, they have more meaning.


When you met the Beatles, why was there no press allowed?
I guess it was because we could relax and talk friendly to each other.


Did anyone influence you in your career?
Yes, people like him. (Elvis introduces Fats Domino). This is one of my influences from way back, Fats Domino. Just look at those rings and that diamond watch, aren’t they fabulous?

Interview with Elvis Presley + Review of Elvis in concert July 31, 1969

This is the review of Elvis' first concert at the International Hotel on July 31, 1969.

It was written by Ray Connelly and originally published in the London Evening Standard August 2, 1969. Included with the review is an exciting interview with The King, again by Ray Connelly.

Review of Elvis In Concert - July 31, 1969

For a reputed fee of £225,000 the god of rock and roll returned to the

stage in a blaze of advertising at the brand new International Hotel in this hot and lunatic town of Las Vegas. I've already seen the show three times and I can tell you he is sensational - better than any of us could ever have im

agined.

Elvis Presley July 31, 1969 International Hotel, Las Vegas

Twice nightly for 28 days he will be appearing for the rich and their womenfolk. 'It is, 'he says, 'the most exciting thing

I've done in years'. But it was th

e first appearance on the first night that had all the drama.

He was out of this world, better by far than I - always the greatest Presley fan in world - could possibly have hoped for, and a lesson in himself to the entertainment media of our generation.

For a full hour he wor

ked and sweated, gyr

ated and shuddered, warbled and sang, and grunted and groaned his way through 20 songs. It was a sensational comeback.

Looking as slim as a ramrod, and not a day over 23 (he's actually 34 now), he ambled back on to the stage after a n

ine year absence l

ike a sheepish young lad going to meet his girl friend's parents for the first time. Hardly daring to look or acknowledge the audience,which was composed mainly of over-30's, since young people could never normally afford the price, h

e went straight into Blue Suede Shoes, and had completed I Got A Women and That's All Right Mama before finding it necessary to begin any chatting.

For over an hour he flogged himself to n

ear exhaustion moving wildly and sexily around the stage all the time, and now and again reaching for a handkerchief or a glove from the ecstatic and many-splendoured ladies in the front row. Although his early fans are grown up and mothers themselves now, Elvis has remained the boy from the South - awkward, shy, full of evil promise and a dynamic performer.

As backing, a group of girl

singers, the Sweet Inspirations, joined with the Imperials to add strength to an outstanding six-man group on electric piano, drums, bass and three guitars.

Elvis Presley 1969 International Hotel, Las Vegas

The balancing of combo was perfect, and there was little need for the full 30-piece orchestra which helped out occasionally on some of the ballads like Love Me Tender and Can't Help Falling In Love (With You) and Yesterday.

It is difficult to describe the exact ap

peal of the man. True he is a great and rhythmic singer, but there's something more. His perfect looks and style add a charisma that is magnetic.

Having seen his show it is easier now to understand how became the legend that he is in pop music.

Surprisingly the biggest applause of the n

ight, and it was generous always, came of a brand-new song called Suspicious Minds - his next record and almost certainly 51st million seller.

While his act is co

ncentrated mainly on a selection of his own many hits he also found time to include some great versions of Ray Charles's I Can't Stop Loving You and Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode.

It was indeed a m

emorable night. The night when Elvis Presley, the founder of much of modern day pop music, discovered that he is still one of greatest performers and went back to doing what he always did best.

Interview with Elvis Presley - July 31, 1969

Getting to intervie

w Elvis was a much m

ore complex task than getting to see him - since the International Hotel anxious for lots of publicity during its first few weeks of business was being particularly generous to journalists who had flocked from all parts of world to see if Presley was as exciting as his memory.

Immediately after hi

s first show he gave a Press conference, guarded carefully by the Colonel, and during which he was only once thrown when someone asked him why he always dyed his hair ('I guess it's something I've always done . . . I guess', he said). But after three days and nights of refusing to let me see his star, the Colonel finally changed his mind (as I'd been told he would) and gave

me five minutes to ge

t ready.

We were in between shows and suddenly I was ushered backstage past the guards and into his dressing room. I'd ha

ve to make it quick, said the Colonel. An hour later I was back in my room telephoning this article over for the first edition of my paper the following morning.

Elvis Presley 1969 - Backstage The International Hotel, Las Vegas

'Sometimes when I walk into a room at home and see all those gold records hanging around the walls I think t

hey must belong to another person. Not me. I ju

st can't believe it's me' - Elvis Presley.

This is the legend himself talking. The man who virtually started the rock and roll group as we know it today. The man who changed the course of pop music, and in so doing helped to change the course of social history.

Because that, and exactly that, has been the influence of Elvis Presley - the boy from Tupelo, Mississippi, who has probably had more hit records than anyone else in the world. (At the last count it was well

over 70 - with 50 of those selling more than a million copies.)

Getting through to Presley is practically impossible. security guards with guns and walkie-talkie sets shadow him day and night, and it took an interminable amount dealing with his extremely canny manager, Colonel Tom Parker, to be given the VIP treatment and meet the man they created into a lege

nd.

And when one gets through how does one speak to a legend?

Elvis Presley 1969 - Backstage The International Hotel, Las Vegas

He's sprawling on a red Spanish settee in the sitting room of his back-stage suite, sipping a soft drink from

a bottle. The walls are plastered with telegrams (including one from the Beatles).

He's wearing the black karate-style suit designed for his season at the hotel, and his hair, dyed pitch-black as always, is swept back off his face in the style he created 14 years ago. His sideboards are now very long and spiked again, and are also jet-black.

He is incredibly handsome, with possibly the best film profile since Rudolph Valentino. Fittingly enough, he would pass for a stereotyped Las Vegas gambler in a movie. But, he says, he never gambles himself.

Still the Southern gentleman, he rises to greet me with an almost athletic enthusiasm, then rubs his great wide rings which are virtually clustered with diamonds against a silver wrist bracelet bearing his name. he looks ever so slightly nervous. The room is scattered with aides and friends. There are no women present. Priscilla Presley, the Memphis girl Elvis married two years ago, is up in the 30th floor penthouse suite. Baby Lisa, 18 months old, is at one of their homes in California.

The Colonel watches his creation like a benign mother, only interrupting when money arises. There is a story, it may be a myth, that says he takes 50 per cent of what Elvis earns. If that is true, he must be a multi-multi-millionaire by now and worth every penny of it to Presley.

'We didn't decide to come back here for the money, I'll tell you that', laughed Elvis, at such an absurd prospect, for after all, what's another £225,000 to him? 'I've always wanted to perform on the stage again for the last nine years, and it's been building up inside of me since 1965 until the strain became intolerable. I got all hyped up about it, and I don't think I could have left it much longer'. 'The time is just right. The money - I have no idea at all about that. I just don't want to know. You can stuff it'.

He laughs, and throws his head back, showing all those perfectly-kept teeth, and striking me with the smallness of his eyes and the exaggerated length of his eyelashes.

'Can we just say this', says the Colonel, all homespun, folksy humour. 'The Colonel has nothing to do with Mr. Presley's finances. That's all done for him by his father, Mr. Vernon Presley, and his accountant'.

Mr. Presley, Snr., a fatter and greyer version of his son, if ever saw one, nods at the formal third person way of speaking and takes another beer from the bar. 'He can flush all his money away if he wants to. I won't care', the Colonel adds. the humour easy, and good-natured - country style, if you like.

'We've now completed all the deals I made when I came out of the army in 1960', he says, almost apologetically. 'And from now on, I'm going to play more serious parts and make fewer films.

'I wouldn't be being honest with you if I said I wasn't ashamed of some of the movies, and the songs I've had to sing in them. I would like to say they were good, but I can't. I've been extremely unhappy with that side of my career for some time. But how can you find 12 good songs for every film when you're making three films a year? I knew a lot of them were bad songs and they used to bother the heck out of me.

But I had to do them. They fitted the situation'.

'I get more pleasure out of performing to an audience like tonight, than any of the film songs have given me. How can you enjoy it when you have to sing songs to the guy you've just punched up?'

And there's more laughter - the black calf-high cowboy boots he wears being swiveled up and around on to the table in front of him. 'How do you combine marriage and show business?' I asked. He pauses and smiles: 'Very carefully - just very carefully'. 'Did your wife object to you returning to being a sex symbol?'

'No. We plan a big family. When you're married you become aware of realities.

Becoming a father made me realise a great deal more about life'.

But marriage hadn't reduced the sexiness of his act. His left knee still trembles when he sings, his guitar still becomes a sort of phallic tommy-gun, while with the microphone he appears to simulate an act of rape.

And then there are his off-the-cuff on-stage comments which are full of ambiguities.

'Don't pull my cord, lady', he asks, as a fan reaches for the microphone lead.

On the first night of his performance a woman in the audience began stripping, overcome by the excitement.

Another took off her panties to mop the sweat from his brow.

He gratefully accepted them, his face in the frills and tossed them back. After the show young women climbed up on to stage to neck with their idol as the curtains fell.

It was this threat of sexuality which 14 years ago prompted clergymen to call for his banning and imprisonment, and won him title of Elvis the Pelvis. In those days his hip-jerking was considered total obscenity. His clothes were of gold, like his Cadillacs, and his image was one of unchained anti-respectful youth.

If you want to go any way at all towards understanding the music and corresponding sub-cultures of the under-30s, you have to know about Elvis Presley. He was the beginning of the rock generation. And after the startling impact he made in 1956, nothing could ever be the same again.

In England the fans have been particularly avid. 'I don't know why they've been so loyal', he says. 'They've really been fantastic to me. I still can't believe all the letters that come in after all this time'.

'I know I've been saying for years that I must visit Britain, and I will, I promise. But at the moment there are personal reasons why I can't. I shall be doing more shows in America now, though. I'm very satisfied with the reaction I've had here. It's been tremendously satisfying. That's what the business is all about for me. There will be films, too, but of a more serious nature. And I'll be making another television show for NBC'.

He's thinner now than he's been for years and the workout he does every night on stage is bringing his weight down even more. He looks like a man in his early twenties.

'I don't understand it', he said, in his slow deep drawl. 'People keep telling me I look young. I don't know how I do it, either. I got very heavy at one time when I was in all those movies, but I lose it quickly, you know'.

He is unbelievably friendly and unaffected. Once the barrier is broken down you won't find a legend, just an ordinary, helpful, warm and co-operative young man. He tries hard to answer the questions, but is floored when I asked him to name someone he'd rather be.

'I can't', he says.

He's also a shy man. He has few friends in show business - Tom Jones being the closest to him by a mile.

'I guess I'm just a boy from the South and I've never been connected with show people.

I have my own friends'.

But he remembers well the meeting he had with the Beatles during Beatle mania, and particularly their road manager, Mal Evans. 'I've recorded Hey Jude', he says. 'They're are so interesting and so experimental. But I liked them particularly when they used to sing She Was Just Seventeen. You Know What I Mean' - and he sings, and plays an imaginary guitar, Lennon-style.

'Did you see the telegram they sent me?' You can see Elvis Presley is very proud.

The pop world has changed overnight with the reappearance of the man they know the King. Mark my words - He's going to be immense all over again'.

By Ray Connelly and originally published in the London Evening Standard August the 2. 1969

Elvis: Vegas '69 - 200 page hardback book

Elvis: Vegas '69

Elvis: Vegas '69 a new 200-page hardback book, packed with over 150 stunning full color and B&W images, that commemorates the 40th anniversary of Elvis' historic return to live performance is to released. Written by Ken Sharp, author of the critically acclaimed FTD book, Writing For The King, the book tells the remarkable story of Elvis' return to the concert stage told through first-hand accounts by those lucky enough to be on hand to witness Elvis' miraculous artistic and creative rebirth.

Culling 100 new interviews, the 60,000 word text offers a gripping account of this seminal event told by the people who were there including Priscilla Presley, Elvis' TCB bandmates, the Sweet Inspirations, the Imperials, the Memphis Mafia, celebrities in attendance, International hotel personnel including owner Kirk Kerkorian, hotel President Alex Shoofey, publicity and showroom staff, security, international media and much more.

Learn the backstory behind what led to Elvis' triumphant return to live performance. You'll go behind closed doors with Elvis and the band in pre-show rehearsals and revel in the excitement and anticipation of opening night. We'll also exhaustively chronicle the opening show on July 31, 1969 through the eyes of the people that were there, press conference, after show celebration and more.

Packed with over 150 stunning full color and B&W images, many culled from the Graceland archives, vintage Vegas/Elvis concert memorabilia, a '69 show index and much more, the book will transport the reader back to the Strip for one of the most electrifying moments in Elvis' monumental career.

Join us for a front row seat ...

Elvis : Vegas '69 -- July 31, 1969 marks a historic milestone in Elvis' career. Bolstered by the runaway success of the '68 Comeback show and energized by productive recording sessions at American Sound Studios, which would spawn such timeless hits as 'Suspicious Minds', In The Ghetto' and 'Don't Cry Daddy', Elvis launched his return to live performance at Las Vegas's International Hotel in the summer of 1969.

Due for release in August.