TCBCast 153: If I Can Dream
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Release Date: 02/16/2021
TCBCast 313: The Elvis Songs We'd Erase
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Gurdip and Justin put their heads together for an interesting and provocative thought experiment: what Elvis songs would they pick if they had to remove 5 songs from each decade of his career? Would they just pick our least favorites - or consider the historical, social and cultural ramifications of each decision? Plus, are some periods of Elvis' career easier to prune than others? And then in the second part of the episode, Justin's joined by Olivia as they look at streaming data from a popular digital music platform to examine what the least listened-to Elvis songs (of ones originally...
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TCBCast 312: "Speedway": The Soundtrack Album Review
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Gurdip returns this week for a lively discussion about the soundtrack to Elvis' 1968 film "Speedway," which co-starred Nancy Sinatra, who features on two tracks, making her one of the few artists to ever appear on an album with Elvis during his lifetime. The guys dig a bit into the recording sessions (which, minus Sinatra's contributions, were primarily done at MGM's soundstage instead of at RCA Studio B as usual) and how this move affected the production quality of the album, the poor choice of promotional single material, unfortunate timing of the film & soundtrack's release, and ponder...
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TCBCast 311: Elvis - The King of... "Fools"?
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Justin is joined on this episode by longtime guest and inquisitive mind Olivia Murphy-Rogers, who Gurdip, Ryan, Bec & Justin are pleased to announce is joining the TCBCast crew!! Justin and Olivia explore the concept of the "fool" in Elvis' music - song titles, lyrics, and at critical moments in his life from his childhood in Tupelo to his final television special. Justin continues the theme with his Song of the Week, Elvis' 1971 version of "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)" and they look at the history of both the song (which dates back to the 1940s) but also the phrase itself....
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TCBCast 310: The Nashville 1970 Sessions, Part 2
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Justin and Bec pull out all the stops for a thorough exploration of the remaining Nashville studio sessions from 1970: June 6, 7 & 8 as well as the brief September 22, 1970, session where Elvis laid down four more tracks to polish off "Elvis Country" and prepare a single. As they begin to sense the material's strength (and Elvis' interest) waning, they ponder whether the "marathon" approach may have done more harm than good in the long run. There are still numerous highs, like much of the material that landed on the country record, but there's also... "Life." This episode's main topic is...
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TCBCast 309: The TCBCast Takeover (feat. John Michael Heath)
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Gurdip's on vacation and between day jobs and personal emergencies, timing isn't lining up just yet Part 2 of the Nashville sessions, so Bec and Justin got together for a quick spur of the moment episode and managed to rope in John Michael Heath of EAP Society for a loose Elvis discussion among the three. The team discusses John & his father's Elvis artifacts in their collection, favorite Elvis movies, the 1969 American Sound Sessions and the 1970 Nashville Marathon both come up, as well as John's recent acquisition of Memphis photographer William Speer's non-Elvis collection of decades...
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TCBCast 308: The Nashville 1970 Sessions, Part 1
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Justin and Bec explore Elvis' "marathon" sessions from June 1970, starting with laying the groundwork for the return to Nashville's RCA Studio B, pondering why Elvis may not have chosen to return to Chips Moman's American Sound in Memphis. Instead Elvis is joined this time by a new band led by his live guitarist James Burton but otherwise comprised largely of country-soul players who had worked alongside producer Felton Jarvis in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, including Chip Young, Jerry Carrigan, David Briggs, Norbert Putnam and Charlie McCoy, and rather than a meticulous planned session with...
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TCBCast 307: Elvis Blue (1983) (feat. Rabia)
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
You're about to be taken on a journey... Justin is joined by Rabia of Suddenly: A Frank Sinatra Podcast to tackle Australia's near-exclusive 1983 compilation "Elvis Blue" (also released in Japan & South Africa) which compiles all 19 songs Elvis released during his lifetime with the word "blue" in the title. This strange collection of songs that, when initially described, sounds like a novelty cash-in, ends up becoming a compelling, thoughtful alternate exploration of the span of Elvis' entire artistic journey, from Sun Records to the last song he ever sang. Justin & Rabia...
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TCBCast 306: Exploring Elvis Bootlegs
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Ryan returns this week to look back on his time and findings exploring the world of Elvis bootlegs, from soundboards and audience recordings to studio material and fan-made spliced takes. Justin takes the opportunity to loosely discuss some of the history of Elvis bootlegs and try to contextualize where Elvis bootlegs have fit within the larger rock bootleg scene, and the guys ponder whether there is even a future for Elvis bootlegs to offer anything new or interesting now that A) the official collector's label, Follow That Dream, has done a lot of the work both clearing out the vaults and...
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TCBCast 305: Elvis's Worst Album? Elvis Sings for Children... and Grown-Ups Too!
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Oh yeah, we went there. Gurdip & Justin sit down with the 1978 compilation album, intended for children but so often cited by Elvis fans who were around at the time as one of the worst and most misguided projects Colonel Tom Parker ever spearheaded... but is it, really?! Closer examination may be necessary! (Note: the guys ponder why the presence of an elephant in the artwork; Bec reached out after the fact and reminded us that Colonel Parker's favorite animal was, in fact, the elephant!) Also discussed is the newly surfaced Forth Worth, TX footage of Elvis from early 1958 (available here...
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TCBCast 304: Blue Suede Shoes: The History, The Fashion, The Song
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready... For our main topic this week, Justin's extensive Song of the Week takes priority, as the guys dig into the history of "Blue Suede Shoes," originally written and recorded by Carl Perkins and famously associated with Elvis throughout his career and beyond. What was Carl tapping into when he wrote it in 1955, why did it have such appeal, and has it been overplayed? Numerous versions by both Perkins and Elvis over the years are covered and discussed. The story doesn't stop there - Justin's dug up what he believes to be some history behind...
info_outlineThis week, Justin & Gurdip highlight five songs apiece that Elvis recorded written by Black songwriters - whether they have interesting stories behind them, are iconic tunes of Elvis' musical career, or the guys just happen to like the songs a whole hell of a lot.
Then, for Song of the Week, Gurdip is all pooped out after picking the fiery "Dixieland Rock" from 1958's "King Creole" soundtrack. Justin finishes out by going deep on "If I Can Dream," the finale number of the "Singer Presents Elvis" TV Special from 1968, and loosely inspired by the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
If you'd like to support TCBCast and receive early access to episodes, bonus content like video movie reviews and film commentaries, and the chance to vote on upcoming topics Songs of the Week, please consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TCBCast.
Featured Songs of the Week:
Gurdip: Dixieland Rock
Justin: If I Can Dream