TCBCast 407: "Hurt" - Where Did Elvis Stack Up on the Charts in June '76?
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Release Date: 05/20/2026
TCBCast 415: Revisiting "Live A Little, Love A Little" Part 2
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Olivia, Ryan, Bec & Justin continue their exploration of 1968's "Live A Little, Love A Little" discussing the final act or so of the film, including the musical sequences "A Little Less Conversation" and "Almost in Love," as well as digging more into the major differences between the novel it as based on, "Kiss My Firm But Pliant Lips." Where in the film we see Elvis' juggling two jobs as photographer, in the novel, the equivalent protagonist is trying to juggle two jobs and two women, and the gang weighs the climax of the novel where it all comes to a head with the adaptation's more...
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TCBCast 414: Revisiting Live A Little, Love A Little (1968), Part 1
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
As selected by TCBCast's patrons as the next movie starring Elvis to review, the gang is gathered to talk about what is, coincidentally, Olivia's favorite Elvis movie: "Live A Little, Love A Little." While Justin and Gurdip had previously done an episode all the way back in 2018 about the film, this time around we've got Ryan, Bec, Olivia and Justin all on board to talk about re-experiencing the film in 2026, with added context as Olivia has also picked up a copy of the Dan Greenburg novel the film is adapted from, "Kiss My Firm But Pliant Lips." We discuss co-star Michele Carey, the stacked...
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TCBCast 413: Elvis' 1976 Bicentennial Show
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Justin is joined for this episode by Ryan Droste, who, hearing the call of duty as TCBCast's American-history-teacher-in-chief, swung by to discuss Elvis' Independence Day concerts; briefly the 1955 and 1956 performances early in his career, but primarily the July 4, 1976, show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, celebrating America's 200th anniversary. Fifty years later, on America's semi-quincentennial, the guys revisit the soundboard recording, as heard on FTD's 2017 release The Bicentennial Show. Staying on theme, the duo's Songs of the Week highlight America as well: Ryan's pick of "Hawaiian Sunset" from...
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TCBCast 412: Was '61-'64 Elvis Stagnant? A Spirited Debate (feat. John Heath)
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Inspired by a listener email, Justin and John Heath (of EAP Society and Atomic Wax) got into a vigorous debate over whether Elvis's musical output in the years following his return from the US Army were creatively stagnant, or a different sort of ambition, with Elvis intentionally exploring new sounds and styles, finally trying to marry the country, blues and rock and roll he had already mastered with traditional pop stylings he had aspirations toward but not perfected during the 1950s. Across hit singles and albums like "Something for Everybody," "Pot Luck," and the "lost" album from the 1963...
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TCBCast 411: Elvis' "Secret" Germany Home Recordings, Part 2
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Bec & Justin continue their exploration through Elvis' creative journey during his military service. The piano-driven tracks on Elvis' 1958-59 home recordings from Germany notably feature much heavier distortion due to the tape recorder likely having been set either on or directly next to the piano, which Elvis plays heavy-handedly, but they remaing intriguing listens. While Elvis backs off from gospel, we instead hear him now exploring further ideas for his upcoming albums and singles, such as the operatic "There's No Tomorrow," the underlying public domain melody of which would...
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TCBCast 410: Elvis' "Secret" Germany Home Recordings (Part 1)
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Across this episode and the next, Justin and Bec are taking an extensive look at Elvis' home recordings made during his time in the US Army while serving in Germany. Though none of them surfaced until after his death, as we learned from "The Colonel & The King" last year, Elvis was explicitly encouraged by his manager to record material at home in secret. Excerpts from the tapes have appeared on such releases as A Legendary Performer Vol. 4, A Golden Celebration, Home Recordings, and Memphis Recording Services' "Made in Germany" - and by sheer coincidence, on the day we recorded the...
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TCBCast 409: King Creole: The Soundtrack & Sessions
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
This week, we're heading down to New Orleans circa 1958 to revisit the soundtrack and recording sessions for the iconic musical drama "King Creole." The Dixieland aesthetic gave Elvis an opportunity experiment, melding his now-signature rock and roll style with a small jazz ensemble, creating a soundtrack LP that had a distinct sound all its own. Although few outtakes remain, the songwriter demos for nearly the entire soundtrack provide insight on how Elvis and the band further developed such classic songs as "Trouble," "Hard Headed Woman" and "Crawfish" into the final forms heard in the film....
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TCBCast 408: Our Favorite Songs Elvis Did First
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Gurdip & Justin decided for this week's episode to select 10 songs apiece that Elvis was the first artist to record and release commercially and discuss why they're our favorites and what about them showcases Elvis' capabilities as an interpreter and recording artist. Naturally, Gurdip's list skews heavily toward the 1950s and early 1960s with a mix of hits like "Jailhouse Rock" and "I Got Stung" but a few surprises. Justin's list spans the breadth of Elvis' career, from "Heartbreak Hotel" to "It's Easy for You," the last song on Elvis' final album, Moody Blue. We hope you...
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TCBCast 407: "Hurt" - Where Did Elvis Stack Up on the Charts in June '76?
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
This week, Justin and Bec put on their dancing shoes and boogie back to the week of June 5, 1976 (just a hair under 50 years ago) to see what was happening in the world of American music and where Elvis' latest single "Hurt/For the Heart" ranked on the pop, easy listening and rock charts, before delving into what surrounded "Hurt" as it reached its highest peak at #6 on the Country chart - and RCA's Elvis compilation "Sun Sessions" was nearing the top of the country LP chart, too! What they're surprised to find is not only a popular culture swept up in both disco and 1950s nostalgia, but a...
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TCBCast 406: An Elvis' Golden Records Debate: Vol. 1 (1958) vs Vol. 3 (1963)
TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
Gurdip joins Justin to catch up on the latest Elvis news, read some listener feedback and hold a debate: if the guys were forced to select between only Elvis' Golden Records Volume 1 or Volume 3 on vinyl to give to a new fan, which would they recommend? Each makes a case for one of them. Volume 1, released in 1958, of course features many of Elvis' most iconic hits from 1956-1957 including signature songs like "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock" and "All Shook Up" - but it is as good of an album as 1963's "Volume 3" which includes many of Elvis' masterfully sung singles after his return from the...
info_outlineThis week, Justin and Bec put on their dancing shoes and boogie back to the week of June 5, 1976 (just a hair under 50 years ago) to see what was happening in the world of American music and where Elvis' latest single "Hurt/For the Heart" ranked on the pop, easy listening and rock charts, before delving into what surrounded "Hurt" as it reached its highest peak at #6 on the Country chart - and RCA's Elvis compilation "Sun Sessions" was nearing the top of the country LP chart, too!
What they're surprised to find is not only a popular culture swept up in both disco and 1950s nostalgia, but a snapshot of a time when connections to Elvis seep into most of the rest of the genre of country music, with songs like "Suspicious Minds" and and artists who ALSO once recorded at Sun Records like Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty and Narvel Felts or have other Elvis connections (Elvis movie demo singer Glen Campbell shows up too!) bringing their own stylistic throwbacks to the Top 10.
For Song of the Week, Justin solves a mini-mystery surrounding what 1962 movie scene specifically inspired Hank Cochran to write the country classic "Make the World Go Away," which featured prominently on "Elvis Country" and Elvis was filmed performing during the making of "That's The Way It Is" in 1970. Then finally, Bec touches briefly on Elvis' studio and live versions of Kris Kristofferson's "For The Good Times."
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