TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast
"Elvis is history," Carl Perkins once said, "and anytime anyone or anything becomes history, whether it be Pearl Harbor or Elvis, it will never go away. The world will never tire of his songs." TCBCast is an unofficial fan podcast featuring co-hosts Gurdip Ladhar and Justin Gausman, along with regular guest co-hosts Ryan Droste and Bec Wyles, plus an array of Elvis fans and experts setting out to better understand that history, and those songs. Tackling topics from throughout Elvis's lifetime and beyond, TCBCast seeks to offer thoughtful, intelligent, heartfelt and honest discourse on Presley's career, his influences, the people who made his work possible, and the cultural phenomenon surrounding his iconography. TCBCast is not associated with or endorsed by Graceland, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Authentic Brands Group or Sony.
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TCBCast 316: "Gumbo Ya-Ya": Girls! Girls! Girls! Review, Part 1
05/08/2024
TCBCast 316: "Gumbo Ya-Ya": Girls! Girls! Girls! Review, Part 1
Justin, Ryan and Bec begin to unpack the 1962 Paramount rom-com "Girls! Girls! Girls!" starring Elvis, Laurel Goodwin, Stella Stevens, and Jeremy Slate, directed by Norman Taurog (his third Elvis picture) and written by Edward Anhalt from a story by Allan Weiss. It was filmed in Hawaii, but that's not where it was supposed to be set - and the last minute change (following the blowout success of "Blue Hawaii" at the box office just a few short months before filming) is clearly felt throughout. The crew take a look back to see how the movie holds up - an unusually strong soundtrack helps, but not everyone even agrees on that! Before that though, Justin subjects Ryan & Bec to a "Guess That Soundalike" challenge, whereby they'll have to guess which of 6 Elvis soundalikes is which based on short audio snippets. It's a ton of fun! Part 2 will be out next week; it's available in early access for TCBCast patrons! If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 315: New Live 1956 Audio Surfaces From Toledo Concert
04/30/2024
TCBCast 315: New Live 1956 Audio Surfaces From Toledo Concert
It's not everyday that new Elvis audio from the 1950s surfaces, but this past week that very thing did happen, as European label Memphis Recording Service released newly discovered audio from Elvis's November 22, 1956, concert in Toledo, Ohio, recorded originally by local radio DJ Ron Ross. Subsequently, the original mono audio was also uploaded to YouTube by another fan who had sourced the audio himself as well. Gurdip and Justin break down the content itself, and contrast the YouTube upload and the MRS audio, the latter of which is a flawed restoration that clearly prioritizes general listening experience over historical accuracy. Some will appreciate it, others may take issue. But aside from the minor quibbles there - what new insights does the audio tell us? That's what we aim to find out. The fan upload of the audio is available here, presumably worldwide: Memphis Recording Service's restoration is available in numerous other regions around the world also on YouTube, though it is region-locked, American listeners will have to import the audio, but others including Canada, Australia and European countries as well as elsewhere should be able to hear the tracks at this link: Alan Hanson's write-up on the Toledo concert is highly recommended, since we didn't have a chance to do our own deep-dive during the short time between the announcement/release and us recording this mini-sode, and as usual, Alan's work is impeccably researched, written and insightful:
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TCBCast 314: When Elvis Harmonized With Elvis
04/24/2024
TCBCast 314: When Elvis Harmonized With Elvis
This week Justin and Olivia are exploring the recordings (both final masters and alternate dubs that were considered) where Elvis sang with himself, starting from "I'm Yours" in the early 60s, working their way up through the very dense 1969 recordings, and well into the 1970s. There's both more than you'd think, and not enough! They ponder what sort of creative choices were made to lead Elvis to lay down these special vocals. It's a very unique angle (and frequently exquisite listening) from which to examine Elvis' music! For Song of the Week, Olivia digs into the absolutely massive treasure trove of outtakes from the multiple different versions Elvis recorded of the title track from 1957's "Loving You" plus a few minor later live versions and covers, while Justin puts on my detective hat to try to solve some mysteries about the obscure home recording "Apron Strings," made while Elvis was in the Army. Special thanks to David "Ghosty" Wills of the "We Say Yeah" podcast for some additional info on Cliff Richard's recordings of "Apron Strings"! If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 313: The Elvis Songs We'd Erase
04/16/2024
TCBCast 313: The Elvis Songs We'd Erase
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 released during his lifetime) are in modern times - the ones that at least one contingent of Elvis fans themselves seem to have inadvertently given away that they'd prefer not going out of their way to listen to. For Song of the Week, Justin knocks out "This is Living" from the soundtrack of Elvis's 1962 boxing-musical-drama Kid Galahad, while Olivia similarly picks an early 60s movie song, the sweetly-sung lullaby "Big Boots" from 1960's G.I. Blues. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 312: "Speedway": The Soundtrack Album Review
04/09/2024
TCBCast 312: "Speedway": The Soundtrack Album Review
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 how Elvis' final soundtrack LP for a fictional film managed to, like the first movie album from 11 years earlier, end up with nearly half the songs featured not even appearing in the film itself. The guys also catch up on a bunch of listener emails, and then for Song of the Week, Gurdip selects Elvis' unique 1957 interpretation of the spiritual "I Believe," while Justin goes much lighter, picking "Poor Boy," recorded for and featured in his first feature, Love Me Tender. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 311: Elvis - The King of... "Fools"?
04/01/2024
TCBCast 311: Elvis - The King of... "Fools"?
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. Olivia's Song of the Week, by contrast, is the final "studio" recording Elvis laid down in the Jungle Room in 1976, a cover of Jim Reeves' crossover hit "He'll Have to Go." If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy. (Note from Justin: We're already aware we somehow missed "Love Me, Love the Life I Lead"! Sorry!")
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TCBCast 310: The Nashville 1970 Sessions, Part 2
03/28/2024
TCBCast 310: The Nashville 1970 Sessions, Part 2
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 extra jam-packed so there's no Song of the Week this week, just a buttload of fun and thoughtful discussion about the huge pile of music Elvis & the band laid down that year, and how it was released throughout the rest of 1970, 1971 and even sprinkled a bit into 1972. Want to hear a wonderfully curated collection of Elvis' 1970 session material? We highly recommend Sony's "From Elvis in Nashville" 4-disc box set from 2020, as of this posting still available physically, digitally and on streaming, and most of the final masters can be heard on the streaming versions of the albums "That's The Way It Is," "Elvis Country," and "Love Letters from Elvis" with a handful more on "Elvis Now." If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 309: The TCBCast Takeover (feat. John Michael Heath)
03/20/2024
TCBCast 309: The TCBCast Takeover (feat. John Michael Heath)
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 worth of photos. For Song of the Week, John revisits a 1969 track previously featured as SotW (early in our run by Gurdip's nephew Roman) to give his heartfelt interpretation of Elvis' reading of Johnny Christopher's "Mama Liked The Roses." Justin's Song of the Week similarly focuses on a surprising, unexpected alternate interpretation of the December 1973 Stax recording "Your Love's Been A Long Time Coming" direct from the mouth of its writer, Rory Bourke, as well as a mini-SOTW side discussion on a January 1974 Las Vegas one-liner Elvis sang of the Rory Bourke co-write, Charlie Rich's "The Most Beautiful Girl." If you'd like to hear more from John and Jamie Kelley, please visit youtube.com/EAPSociety or EAPSociety.com for details on their upcoming "Spring Festival" event in Iowa. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 308: The Nashville 1970 Sessions, Part 1
03/13/2024
TCBCast 308: The Nashville 1970 Sessions, Part 1
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 Chips' guiding vision... they tear through dozens of songs across four nights, with a follow-up session later that September. Part 1 focuses on the establishing information and the first two nights, June 4-5 and June 5-6, 1970. For Song of the Week, Bec highlights "I Met Her Today," the understated Don Robertson ballad that was cut in 1961's Pot Luck sessions but held until the hodgepodge Elvis For Everyone album four years later. Meanwhile, Justin goes way back to the Sun era, selecting the middle child single "Milkcow Blues Boogie" - couched between Good Rockin' Tonight and Baby Let's Play House, yet containing that same genius melding of blues (it was written and originated by Kokomo Arnold) and country (also highly popularized by western swing artists like Bob and Johnnie Lee Wills) in a new rockabilly style as anything else he did at Sun. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 307: Elvis Blue (1983) (feat. Rabia)
03/05/2024
TCBCast 307: Elvis Blue (1983) (feat. Rabia)
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 examine the lyrics of these songs and spend time reflecting on the themes of loss, loneliness, sadness, love-gone-wrong and - surprisingly - a sort of disaffected, comedic flippancy in there, too. For Song of the Week, the theme is carried forward, with Justin picking two Red West-penned 1966 home recordings "I've Been Blue" and "It's No Fun Being Lonely," one of which explicitly would fit the main topic's subject, and another that fits tonally. Rabia selects "I Need Somebody to Lean On," the understated, jazzy ballad from "Viva Las Vegas" and tries to root out some potential inspirations Pomus/Shuman may have had for it, and together Justin & Rabia ponder the potential influence of Ol' Blue Eyes himself on Elvis' crooning. Rabia's show "Suddenly: A Frank Sinatra Podcast" is available on all major podcast platforms where you can find TCBCast, with more info at suddenlypod.gay. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 306: Exploring Elvis Bootlegs
02/27/2024
TCBCast 306: Exploring Elvis Bootlegs
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 clawing back material originally found on bootlegs and releasing it in the best possible quality and B) not many people buy CDs at all anymore to begin with, with YouTube and digital trading in online circles are the predominant way of obtaining material nowadays. For Song of the Week, Ryan selects the bopping 1957 hit "I Beg Of You" and celebrates its cowriter, Rose Marie McCoy, while Justin picks the 1969 track "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road", effectively an album cut that Elvis still felt strongly enough about to consider bringing into his live setlist a couple times in the 70s.
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TCBCast 305: Elvis's Worst Album? Elvis Sings for Children... and Grown-Ups Too!
02/20/2024
TCBCast 305: Elvis's Worst Album? Elvis Sings for Children... and Grown-Ups Too!
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 through the University of North Texas: and the upcoming release of numerous demos from songwriter Randy Starr on the Bear Family Records label "Randy Starr - Presley Style" as well as a rarely-seen or discussed November 1957 article about Elvis from TAN magazine that was dug up by friend of the show John Michael Heath. For Song of the Week, Gurdip knocks out another classic 50s track with the early country ballad "I'm Counting On You" that featured on Elvis' debut LP, while Justin sifts through the web of interconnected gospel songs that connect to "You Better Run," which Elvis was recorded and filmed singing during the rehearsals for "Elvis On Tour" in 1972 and also performed in concert at least a couple more times later in the 1970s. Source for the TAN magazine scan:
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TCBCast 304: Blue Suede Shoes: The History, The Fashion, The Song
02/14/2024
TCBCast 304: Blue Suede Shoes: The History, The Fashion, The Song
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 when the soft, delicate dyed leather itself leapt the gender line and was introduced into men's footwear after decades of being associated with women and European nobility. Then Gurdip, for his Song of the Week, selects "I Love You Because," the country-pop ballad that Elvis toyed around with alongside Scotty and Bill during that first professional Sun session that would later explode with "That's All Right." An irreplaceable source this week was the book "Go Cat Go: The Life and Times of Carl Perkins, the King of Rockabilly" by Carl Perkins and David McGee and is highly recommended reading. Here's a link to the auction site with photos of Elvis' blue suede shoes as worn on the Steve Allen Show: If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 303: Our Favorite Elvis Love Songs
02/06/2024
TCBCast 303: Our Favorite Elvis Love Songs
Valentine's Day's coming up soon, so Justin and Bec decided to round up their favorite Elvis songs about love and relationships, and Bec even wrangled Gurdip and Ryan's lists from them as well. It's a total gush-fest over some of the most expressive and memorable romantic recordings Elvis ever made. For Song of the Week, Bec stays on theme, picking the more downbeat "Something Blue" from the album "Pot Luck" while Justin spotlights "Tell Me Why," one of Elvis' more underrated and obscure 1957 recordings, left unreleased until surfacing on a single in the mid-1960s. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast Bonus - "Honeymoon in Vegas" (1992) Commentary
01/30/2024
TCBCast Bonus - "Honeymoon in Vegas" (1992) Commentary
The TCBCast gang is off for one week, but we've got something special from the archives: one of our earliest previously Patreon-exclusive unofficial commentaries, for the 1992 heavily-Elvis-inspired rom-com "Honeymoon in Vegas" starring Nicolas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker and James Caan, written & directed by Andrew Bergman (Blazing Saddles, The Freshman) with a soundtrack jam-packed with covers of Elvis songs and the movie itself containing numerous original Elvis recordings as well. Gurdip and Justin sat down with the film back in early 2021 for the first time in years to see if it held up. "Honeymoon in Vegas" is, as of this upload in 2024, available to buy digitally on a handful of platforms including Apple & Amazon - or you can do like we hosts did and cue up our old DVDs (or even VHS!) to watch along - or just enjoy the listen! And let us know if you watched it when it first came out. whether you've seen it recently, or if you're a fan of the Elvis-inspired soundtrack, as always you can email us at [email protected] If you enjoyed this, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast! Patrons get exclusive access to an archive of three years of bonus content just like this, with more commentaries, bonus movie and album reviews, early access to new episodes and more! If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.
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TCBCast 302: March 1972 Sessions + Standing Room Only
01/23/2024
TCBCast 302: March 1972 Sessions + Standing Room Only
Justin and Bec take a closer listen to Elvis' sessions from March 1972 at RCA Studio C in Hollywood, which gave us iconic hits like "Burning Love," "Always on My Mind" and "Separate Ways" along with several cuts relegated to B-sides and later LPs. They also ponder what might have been, looking at the cancelled 1972 album "Standing Room Only," that would have been largely comprised of this studio material mixed with live tracks from a Vegas engagement earlier that year. Bec is in the hotseat for a round of Elvis trivia early in the episode, then for Song of the Week, she picks the deep cut "I Want You With Me" from 1961's "Something for Everybody" while Justin digs into "I've Got Confidence" from a different 1972 album, "He Touched Me"! If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 301: Elvis: A Canadian Tribute (1978) Album Review
01/16/2024
TCBCast 301: Elvis: A Canadian Tribute (1978) Album Review
Gurdip & Justin ring in 2024 by looking at one of the earliest posthumous albums from 1978, "A Canadian Tribute," created to celebrate Elvis' 1957 tour of Canada and the songs Elvis recorded that have Canadian connections. Gurdip, as our resident Canadian, had this one in his youth so the guys decided to see if it holds up as well as it did back in the day. The guys also discuss the announcement of Lisa Marie's new book, coming this October completed by Riley Keough, additional information on the Elvis Evolution experience scheduled to premiere this November, and the announcement that EPE has acquired what is claimed to be the original 1954 acetate of "That's All Right" played on the air by Dewey Phillips, the authenticity of which has been called into question in numerous fan groups and most prominently by our friends at EAP Society (please check out their video here: Gurdip grills Justin on a different type of Elvis trivia, and for Song of the Week, he takes on "Are You Sincere" from the 1973 "Raised on Rock" album, while Justin ponders "What Now, What Next, Where To?" - a solid 1963 cut that undeservedly languished as a bonus track on the soundtrack for "Double Trouble." If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 300: Sofia Coppola's "Priscilla" - The TCBCast Review
01/08/2024
TCBCast 300: Sofia Coppola's "Priscilla" - The TCBCast Review
Marking Elvis Presley's 89th birthday (and 6 years and 300 episodes of TCBCast), Justin, Gurdip, Ryan and Bec gather to give their thoughts on writer-director Sofia Coppola's adaptation of Priscilla Presley's autobiography. The gang dig in and ponder whether it's any better or offers anything more than the other previous depictions of the Elvis & Priscilla story: e.g. the 1988 TV adaptation, the 2005 CBS miniseries, the handful of scenes in Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis"... but ultimately pitting it against its source: Priscilla & Sandra Harmon's original 1985 bestselling book "Elvis & Me." As we expect most of our listeners will already be familiar with the story of "Elvis & Me," the discussion is more broad, generally covering the main beats. While there is minor discussion on Elvis news at the start, since this particular topic was always going to bit a bit chunkier, the first Songs of the Week of 2024 will arrive on TCBCast 301. Warning: this episode contains audio of a fictionalized portrayal of sexual violence from the 1988 TV movie starting at around 2:16:30. Please skip about a minute around there if this may be upsetting for any of our listeners in any way. We apologize for not including a warning in the episode itself as we usually would. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.
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TCBCast 299 and 1/2: Now In Person FTD Talk (feat. John Michael Heath)
01/02/2024
TCBCast 299 and 1/2: Now In Person FTD Talk (feat. John Michael Heath)
Happy New Year!! Justin is out sick so episode 300 is delayed! So what is this? Well if you add up all the various bonus episodes along the way we've well blown past 300 long ago anyway so the number's arbitrary, so give us this weird one! Gurdip is joined by John Michael Heath from EAP Society to briefly discuss news and the recent "Elvis: Now In Person 1972" FTD 4-CD set and book by David English and Pal Granlund, as well as to bond over gospel and doo-wop. Plus - a round of Elvis Trivia returning this week as John is in the hotseat! There's no Song of the Week this week - just a fun, lightweight discussion. The gang will be back next week for the proper 300! Want to hear more from John and Jamie Kelley? Visit youtube.com/EAPSociety If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.
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TCBCast 299: A Very Clambake Christmas 2023: Who Needs Clambake?
12/22/2023
TCBCast 299: A Very Clambake Christmas 2023: Who Needs Clambake?
Like socks. underwear and an ugly sweater from a relative you never see, you didn't ask for it but you're getting it anyway. The biggest gathering of guests on a single episode of TCBCast ever convene for the strangest of holiday events: Clambake. We know exactly what you're thinking, but it turns out there's SO MUCH MORE we didn't talk about last year, there's less overlap than you might expect in terms of things to learn about 1967's "Clambake." We even managed to squeeze a Song of the Week in mid-show for "A House That Has Everything," digging into its roots as Mexican melody "Te Quiero Dijiste" and its other English adaptation "Magic is the Moonlight." And you know, even these end-of-year holidays aren't often so much about the holiday itself - it's the coming together with the people you care about. Speaking of which, here's who all makes an appearance: Gurdip, Justin, and Bec Rabia and Felix from Suddenly: A Frank Sinatra Podcast John Michael Heath from EAP Society David "Ghosty" Wills from We Say Yeah: A Cliff Richard Fan Podcast And special guests Olivia Murphy-Rogers, Darin Evans and Garrett Cash. The entire listening audience gets to vote whether this tradition continues next year, email "Clambake Yes" or "Clambake No" to . Chapters: 0:00: Preshow 8:23: Official Introductions & Clambake Memories 31:44: Will Hutchins Memories w/Ghosty Wills 51:00: "Who Needs Clambake?" 1:01:17: Gildersleeve and Good 1:23:28: Shelley Fabares Discussion 1:31:18: Song of the Week: A House That Has Everything 1:50:24: Confidence, Agent Elvis and Italian James Bond 2:09:50: Clambake's Story Is Broken... But Didn't Have to Be! 2:23:25: Shortnin' Bread... and Bikinis, Too! 2:49:17: Post 'Bake Clarity 2:58:13: Clambake Down Under, GOOP and Daddy Issues 3:06:12: Soundtrack, Bonus Songs & Metacommentary 3:38:44: In Praise of Jeff Alexander 3:47:12: Arthur H. Nadel & The Lost OTHER Agent Elvis 3:58:25: Closing Thoughts & A Very Merry Clambake To All
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TCBCast 298: Long Legged Girl (with the Silver Bells on)
12/19/2023
TCBCast 298: Long Legged Girl (with the Silver Bells on)
Gurdip & Justin react to recent Elvis news, including Elvis' current charting holiday hits, the release of streaming data for "Agent Elvis" on Netflix for the first half of 2023, and Baz Luhrmann's statements that he intends to eventually, "one day" create an episodic version of his "Elvis" film. They guys also reflect on both the year 2023 for TCBCast, and the last six years of the show. For Song of the Week, Gurdip selects "Long Legged Girl (With the Short Dress On)" from 1967's "Double Trouble." For Justin, the question is: how do you handle discussing "Silver Bells," one of the most famous Christmas songs of all time that everyone's heard? You try to ignore all the noise, talk about the movie it was written for, one which quite never became a perennial holiday favorite, and the songwriters' hilarious original title. We'll have one more episode of TCBCast dropping later this week - before Christmas - and it's a doozy. Stay tuned! If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.
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TCBCast 297: Elvis vs Spankox - ReVersions, ReMixes and Christmas Remixes
12/12/2023
TCBCast 297: Elvis vs Spankox - ReVersions, ReMixes and Christmas Remixes
This week, Gurdip and Justin finally do an episode they've been threatening to do for some time now, exploring the work of Italian DJ Agostino Carollo, aka "Spankox," who in the late 00s began remixing Elvis songs that had fallen into the European public domain and ended up getting the endorsement of EPE/Graceland for his first two albums, making them technically official releases... an endorsement subsequently lost for the third, holiday-themed project. The guys cover those first three albums, and also touch upon an obscure 2003 Elvis-inspired movie project, "DJ Hound Dog," that Spankox worked on and produced before turning in his "Baby Let's Play House" remix, as well as what else he's been remixing in recent years since he has mostly stopped producing new Elvis mixes. Even people who don't like remixes might find this episode interesting and funny - and if you really don't like these remixes specifically, you may feel a little schadenfreude by the time we get to "Christmas Remixes." In the news segment, the guys also briefly discuss the announcement of "Priscilla" coming to digital platforms (FYI this episode was recorded prior to the announcement of Cailee Spaenee being nominated for a Golden Globe), "Elvis' Golden Records" rising up into the Top 50 country albums chart earlier this month, and Justin give my initial impressions of the new book "Elvis and The Colonel: An Insider's Look at the Most Legendary Partnership in Show Business" by Greg McDonald and Marshall Terrill. For Song of the Week, Gurdip picks the home recording "Sweet Leilani," most famously done by Bing Crosby, and Justin decided to go with the holiday season theme and highlight the lesser-appreciated "It Won't Seem Like Christmas Without You" from the 1971 "Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas" album. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.
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TCBCast 296: Favorite Filmed Live Elvis Performances
12/05/2023
TCBCast 296: Favorite Filmed Live Elvis Performances
Ryan and Bec take the reins this week for a fun-filled episode as both dig into their favorite Elvis performances that were professionally filmed, from TV appearances, network specials & documentary films. Ryan also gives his thoughts on the Christmas at Graceland NBC special, and both react to news from Baz Luhrmann about his future Elvis-related projects. For Song of the Week, Bec explores the history behind "I Believe in the Man in the Sky" from the "His Hand in Mine" album, while Mr. Droste takes us back to "Poison Ivy League" from 1964's "Roustabout." If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.
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TCBCast Bonus: Christmas at Graceland (2023 NBC Special) Impressions
12/01/2023
TCBCast Bonus: Christmas at Graceland (2023 NBC Special) Impressions
Gurdip & Justin discuss their thoughts on the NBC special "Christmas at Graceland," which aired Wednesday, November 29, 2023, hosted by Riley Keough and featuring musical acts including Lainey Wilson, Lana Del Rey, Kane Brown, Alanis Morrisette, Post Malone, The War and Treaty, John Legend and Kacey Musgraves as well as a handful of surprise cameos.
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TCBCast 295: Ranking Elvis' Movie Title Songs (feat. Darin Evans)
11/28/2023
TCBCast 295: Ranking Elvis' Movie Title Songs (feat. Darin Evans)
Gurdip is out unexpectedly so special guest Darin Evans joins Justin once again, this time for a loose, lighthearted (and unexpectedly beefy) ranking of all of the Elvis movie title songs, from Love Me Tender to Change of Habit; weighing the songs themselves, how they're used in their respective movies, and how well they represent the films they're from. The team also react to listener feedback regarding the recent Elvis and Country Music miniseries as well as recent news including the Christmas at Graceland lineup (airing November 29!!) and Dolly Parton's new Elvis-themed duet with Ronnie McDowell, and Darin gives his thoughts after having seen "Priscilla" - FYI, Justin has also finally seen "Priscilla" and his initial impressions bonus episode with John Michael Heath of EAP Society is up over at the TCBCast Patreon. For Song of the Week, due to Darin jumping in at the last minute since Gurdip had an unexpected emergency at the day job, Justin's the only one with a song of the week, but brings the funky "Find Out What's Happening" from Elvis' 1973 Stax sessions. Timestamps 0:00 - News & Listener Feedback 31:30 - Main Topic 2:01:20 - SOTW: Find Out What's Happening If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.
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TCBCast 294: "Hall of Elvis": Elvis' Hall of Fame Inductions & Grammys (feat. Chris Jones of Hall of Songs Podcast)
11/21/2023
TCBCast 294: "Hall of Elvis": Elvis' Hall of Fame Inductions & Grammys (feat. Chris Jones of Hall of Songs Podcast)
On this episode, Justin is once again joined by Chris Jones, co-host of the Hall of Songs podcast (), for a discussion on Elvis' various Grammy awards nominations and wins as well as how he fared in other music industry award ceremonies and briefly touching on which major genre Halls of Fame Elvis has been inducted into. With Chris' experience on their show having to nominate the best songs of given years, the guys have a ton of fun digging into what else was getting nominated, what Elvis was up against, and pondering where else he potentially could have been nominated for the big awards. Then, for Song of the Week, Chris uncorks one of the big ones: Elvis' cover of Chuck Berry's iconic rock and roll anthem, "Johnny B. Goode." Yes, you read that right, somehow it had not yet been covered as a Song of the Week! Finally, Justin close out the show by admitting that he's really come around on Elvis' version of James Taylor's satirical blues cut, "Steamroller." Please be sure to check out Hall of Songs, which Chris co-hosts with Tim Malcolm, again at HallofSongs.com or on your podcast platform of choice!
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TCBCast 293 - The "Guitar Man" Sessions: September '67 & January '68
11/14/2023
TCBCast 293 - The "Guitar Man" Sessions: September '67 & January '68
Gurdip and Justin dig into the September 1967 and January 1968 sessions that brought country singer-songwriter Jerry Reed into Elvis' circle for a brief moment, until business interests got in the way. Through spread out across various singles, soundtracks as bonus tracks, and budget compilations, these sessions collectively show Elvis already embracing material that returns him to his blues and country roots, leading him to his comeback. Justin also provides some context on Jerry Reed's early career before his breakout hit "Guitar Man," famously covered by Elvis during these sessions. For Song of the Week, Justin takes the opportunity of covering these sessions to talk about "The Prisoner's Song," a deeply important pivotal 1924 recording in more ways than one, which Elvis, Jerry and the band attempted to comedically subvert during these sessions, only for their jam to have been partly recorded by Felton Jarvis, surfacing decades later on bootlegs re-titled as "Wings of an Angel", revealing in hindsight a disappointing moment of casual carelessness on Elvis' behalf. Gurdip, on the other hand, spotlights the fantastic #1 1958 hit "Hard Headed Woman" from the King Creole soundtrack... a hit that barely features in the movie it's from! If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.
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TCBCast 292: News & SotW Since 3/4 Hosts Couldn't Get To "Priscilla" Screenings Last Weekend
11/07/2023
TCBCast 292: News & SotW Since 3/4 Hosts Couldn't Get To "Priscilla" Screenings Last Weekend
Gurdip & Justin react to the virtual holiday duets with Pentatonix and Kane Brown released within the last week or so, briefly discuss the leaks of emails sent from Lisa Marie to Sofia Coppola, and dig into Songs of the Week. Gurdip selects the bubbly "It's A Wonderful World" from 1964's "Roustabout" while Justin goes deep on the obscure 1960 Elvis home recording "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano" - not just songwriter Leon Rene and the famous hit version by the Ink Spots, but also the actual event of the Return of the Swallows observed each year at the Mission San Juan de Capistrano. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.
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TCBCast 291: Elvis and Country Music, Part 6: Elvis' Country Legacy
10/30/2023
TCBCast 291: Elvis and Country Music, Part 6: Elvis' Country Legacy
In the finale to the epic Elvis and country music miniseries, Justin and guest host Garrett Cash briskly fly over nearly four and a half decades of time, tracing Elvis' impact and influence on country music, starting with several of the tributes paid to him immediately following his death and his posthumous country hits, including the success of the 1981 "Guitar Man" country overdub project and its proposed follow-up, cut short by the untimely passing of producer Felton Jarvis. They follow the progression of country from "urban cowboy" to "neo-traditional" in the late 1980s-early 1990s, as artists begin paying homage directly to Elvis following milestone anniversaries marking his passing, with tribute albums, movie soundtracks and direct covers, and the guys try to reckon with the induction of Elvis into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the CMA's backhanded recognition of his influence and importance. The late 90s give Justin and Garrett a chance to talk about country at its pop crossover peak of the 20th Century, with acts like Shania Twain, The Chicks and Garth Brooks all reaching mainstream audiences just the way Elvis did, as well as how innovations in technology and changes in regulations affected the country industry, including Brooks' successful attempts to overtake Elvis as the best selling solo artist in the United States. Moving into the 21st century, there's an aside to listen to some of virtual duets on the 2008 "Christmas Duets" album, which featured all prominent women country artists adding their vocals alongside Elvis, and then ponder what Elvis' career and rockabilly/rock'n'roll music can teach us about the 2010s "bro country" fad. Lastly, they briefly examine how Taylor Swift rose from the field of country music to become the Elvis equivalent of the current generation; and to connect to the themes we've been developing throughout the series, they even take a look at the unexpected roots of perhaps the biggest hit in country music this very month - one that has now crossed into the pop mainstream. You can find more of Garrett on "The Beat! With Garrett Cash" on SoundCloud at: As well as on the Let It Roll Podcast miniseries "Holy Roll" at: This is not remotely comprehensive or in any order whatsoever but among some of the key resources that we found useful for this 5th episode are: Ken Burns’ Country Music - Documentary, Book & Soundtrack How Nashville Became Music City USA by Michael Kosser The Garth Factor by Patsi Bale Cox Orion: The Man Who Would Be King (Documentary, Glimmer Films) Pure Country (Movie, Warner Bros. Pictures) Other Recommended Resources: The Encyclopedia of Country Music by The Staff of The Country Music Hall of Fame Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music by Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann MUSIC PLAYLISTS: Note: neither playlist is complete for everything included in the series as some tracks do not exist on one platform, the other, or both. The YouTube playlist was compiled while editing so includes some songs not ultimately included, while the Spotify playlist was done afterwards. YouTube Playlist: Spotify Playlist: Thank you to all of our amazing TCBCast Patreon supporters. If you enjoyed this miniseries, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.
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TCBCast 290: Elvis and Country Music, Part 5: "I've Always Been Country"
10/25/2023
TCBCast 290: Elvis and Country Music, Part 5: "I've Always Been Country"
Part 5 of the Elvis and Country Music miniseries brings the curtain down on the 1970s. Justin and Garrett Cash begin by discussing the state of pop music and country-pop crossovers in the '70s and the history of Country Music Month before stopping off at Stax Studios in Memphis as Elvis lays down the tracks that would comprise the albums "Raised on Rock," "Good Times" and "Promised Land" and those accompanying albums' singles. 1974 is a pit stop to discuss the country industry backlash to Olivia Newton-John and Elvis' live covers of her iconic country hits, on the way to the "Today" album, which reflected more contemporary and diverse country sounds in a way that "Elvis Country" had not. Finally, we arrive in 1976 and the guys try to pick up the pieces of the Jungle Room sessions and the of-the-era pop arrangements slathered over the country songs featured on "From Elvis Presley Boulevard" and "Moody Blue" before ending on - what else? The final two songs Elvis Presley ever sang on this earth. Next week, alongside the finale exploring Elvis' posthumous country legacy, we will be releasing both YouTube and Spotify playlist with as many songs featured on this series as possible. Stay tuned to our social media pages for details. This series would not be possible without the support of TCBCast Patreon backers, thank you to all of our patrons! You can find more of Garrett on "The Beat! With Garrett Cash" on SoundCloud at: As well as on the Let It Roll Podcast miniseries "Holy Roll" at: This is not remotely comprehensive or in any order whatsoever but among some of the key resources that we found useful for this 5th episode are: Ken Burns’ Country Music - Documentary, Book & Soundtrack Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick Elvis Presley: A Life in Music by Ernst Jorgensen How Nashville Became Music City USA by Michael Kosser
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