The motivations behind writing this are twofold. First, as a PSA for those of you who have yet to subscribe to Nick Cave’s weekly email newsletter: The Red Hand Files. Second, to highlight the exceptional 1981 documentary film This Is Elvis — a film Cave references in issue #34. The context for its inclusion is in relation to Cave’s thoughts on the transformative power of music, and specifically how it relates to Presley near the end of his life.
Category: Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley :: And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind
Tomorrow sees the limited theatrical release of my first feature film, Shangri-La Suite . It tells the story of two lovers-on-the-run during the summer of 1974. Their names: Jack Blueblood and Karen Bird. Their aim: to kill […]
Elvis At Stax: The Deluxe Edition – July/December 1973
The latter part of Elvis Presley’s career is, in part, defined by the legendary singer’s fall from grace: the gaudy stage outfits, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, drug use, and paranoid nationalism. But a compromised […]
Elvis Presley :: Stranger In My Own Town (1970 Rehearsal)
One on my favorite Elvis records is a bootleg — Cut Me & I Bleed released on Double G Records in 1999. The album is a collection of alternate studio, home, and live rehearsal recordings that present “another side” of […]
Elvis Presley :: Do The Clam
Ah, yes. I’ve always had a perverse love for some of the King’s most trite work — case in point the beach-party-ready “ Do The Clam ,” a song that clearly belongs on any dis-respectable Labor Day soundtrack. […]
Elvis Presley :: Stranger In My Own Town (1970 Rehearsal)
One on my favorite Elvis albums, even though it’s a bootleg, is Cut Me & I Bleed released on Double G Records. The album is a collection of alternate studio, home, and live rehearsal recordings […]
Elvis Presley :: Blue Moon (Sun Session)
“I was thinking that night about Elvis, the day he died. Just a country boy that combed his hair, and put on a shirt his mother made and went on the air. And he shook […]
Elvis Presley :: Unchained Melody (The Final Concert, 1977)
A honey-throated god—mere months away from death—Presley, solo at the piano, performs a spellbinding rendition of “Unchained Melody.” Ladies and gentlemen, this was showmanship. A king indeed. + Download Elvis via eMusic’s 25 free MP3 no risk trial […]
Graceland :: Elvis Has Indeed Left The Building
Part II of II of my Memphis Sunday post from December. Graceland , the King’s once home, and final resting place, did exactly what I had hoped: it blew me away. Note that I am speaking of the actual […]
Elvis Presley :: Santa Claus Is Back In Town
Season’s Greetings :: Blue Christmas
Download: MP3: Elvis Presley :: Blue Christmas ——— Amazon: Elvis Presley – White Christmas + Download Holiday tunes via eMusic’s no risk 25 Free MP3 trial offer. ——————————————————————————————————————– + Visit . . . Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing […]