Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special
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Elvis, starring Elvis Presley, was the title of a 1968 United States television special. It was directed by Steve Binder and produced by Binder and Bones Howe. The executive producer was Bob Finkel, musical director Billy Goldenberg. Sponsored by the Singer Sewing Machine Company, it aired on December 3, 1968 on the NBC television network. The special is commonly referred to as the '68 Comeback Special, because of subsequent developments in Presley's career, but the soundtrack album was released simply as NBC-TV Special.
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[edit] History
[edit] Original Concept
Since the special was scheduled to be broadcast during the Christmas season, Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, wanted the show to be little more than Presley singing Christmas carols. He believed the special could simply be a TV version of the Christmas radio show Presley had contributed to the year before. Binder argued that the special was a great opportunity to re-establish the singer as a going musical concern after years of formula movies and recordings of variable quality. He and Howe hired writers to script a show with specific themes: they envisaged large set designs, dance sequences and big productions of Presley's's hits - not just Christmas songs. However, Binder was open to any variations on this that would showcase the singer's talent, and Presley was apparently very happy to go along with this flexible approach.
The special eventually included an extravagant musical sequence featuring Gospel-style numbers, a semi-autobiographical "mini-movie" centered around the song "Guitar Man" and other re-recordings given lavish set designs. Network censors forced the removal of one segment set in a bordello which featured the song "Let Yourself Go". The special ends with Presley appealing for world peace with the song "If I Can Dream" (specially commissioned for the show), one of the few protest songs he recorded.
Studio recordings for these segments were made at Western Recorders in Hollywood, California between June 20 and 23 and featured an orchestra and the The Blossoms as background vocalists: Fanita James, Jean King and Darlene Love (see 'Trivia'). Other musicians included drummer Hal Blaine, pianist Don Randi, guitarist Tommy Tedesco and harmonica player Tommy Morgan.
[edit] The Live Segments
It was after rehearsals at Western Recorders that Binder took special note of how Presley and the other musicians would spontaneously unwind by improvising old blues and rock 'n' roll numbers. Binder commented: "...and that's when I really got the idea: Wouldn't it be great if I had a camera in here and they didn't know I was here?"
Presley is said to have been considerably nervous and apprehensive after it was first suggested that he should do some live performing. His last live concert had been at the Bloch Arena in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on March 25, 1961. Binder offered a lot of support and reassurance to stop the singer from rejecting the idea of any live segments. He realised some songs already re-recorded or scheduled would need to be cut (The special was only an hour long). He quickly arranged for rehearsals to take place to capture the feel of Presley's informal studio jamming, drafting in the surviving members of Presley's original backing band - Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana. He also brought in Presley's friends Alan Fortas, Lance LeGault and Charlie Hodge to encourage Presley and make him feel at ease. Two sessions took place, each about two hours in length; the first on June 24 and the second on the 25th. Both took place in the informal surroundings of the dressing room at NBC. They were recorded by Presley's friend Joe Esposito using the singer's own tape recorder. Many songs were tried, including "Danny Boy", "Blue Moon", "That's My Desire" and "I Got A Woman", before the final repertoire was decided for the actual TV recording.
Subsequently, at 6.00pm, June 27, Presley took to the stage for the first time in over seven years, resulting in four one-hour live shows being taped at NBC's Burbank studios. A black-clad Presley sat down and jammed with band mates for two shows, each show having a different audience. There was a one hour break between them (enough time for Presley to shower and have his outfit dry cleaned after performing under the hot studio lights). In the second two, recorded at 8.00pm, June 29, he remained standing and sang live to a mix of live and pre-recorded backing, again in front of two different audiences. These four sessions are often referred to collectively as "The Burbank Sessions", the name coming from not just the venue, but the titles of two collectible bootleg LPs which feature them. The role of each musician at the two sitdown performances was:
- Elvis Presley: vocals, guitars (acoustic and electric - he and Scotty Moore use the same ones and swap them)
- D.J. Fontana: drumming, using a guitar case
- Alan Fortas: guitar back-slapping, occasional vocals
- Charlie Hodge: acoustic guitar, occasional vocals
- Lance LeGault: guitar back-slapping, tambourine (see 'Trivia')
- Scotty Moore: guitars (acoustic and electric)
Filmed in the round, only a small portion of these - and the standup sets - were included in the televised special. Presley and the others played and sang while interjecting personal stories of his music and early performances. Referring to music and his religious upbringing in a break between songs, Presley says: "Rock and roll is basically gospel (music), or rhythm & blues (is too). It sprang from that, people have been adding to it." He also makes reference to the new groups of the time, like the Byrds and the Beatles, and notes how things have improved and not just changed, like the standard of musicians and sound engineering.
Presley sings many of the songs he was famous for including: "That's All Right", "Heartbreak Hotel", "One Night", "Love Me" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight?". He also reprises Jerry Reed's "Baby What You Want Me To Do" on several occasions and includes the less well known songs, "Tryin' To Get To You" and "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again". As each session progresses, he can be observed playing and singing with such gusto that he occasionally feels the urge to rise up and sing off mike, even when he uses the electric guitar with no strap (during a reprise of "One Night").
In both sitdown shows, Presley moves to sit between two of the women at the edge of the stage to sing the final song, "Memories". Although this move was Binder's idea, Colonel Parker had originally been concerned that the audiences would contain older, more reserved adults and that this might give the impression that Presley had lost some of his appeal (The only time Presley had 'bombed' at a live gig was in front of a mature audience in Las Vegas in 1956). Parker had therefore arranged that young, attractive women should be seen nearest the stage during filming.
The standup shows feature Presley performing a similar energetic set by himself, mostly without guitar. He performs on the same small stage (no more than nine feet square) which is closely surrounded by the audience. Musical backing this time comes from an unseen live orchestra and the Blossoms. Presley also sings to a pre-recorded track on a few songs that were intended to be integrated into other parts of the show.
[edit] Acclaim
The edited broadcast of December 3 - combining the big, choreographed numbers, lavish sets and some of the informal live sessions - was an enormous success. The show was the highest-rated television special of the year. According to Binder, it was probably the first one-man TV special to appear on commercial American television. Previously, TV specials tended to be packed with guest stars, like Frank Sinatra's Timex Special of 1960, in which Presley himself appeared with other celebrities.
At the beginning of the '68 Special project, a nervous Presley had said to the executive producer Bob Finkel: "I want everyone to know what I can really do." Critics generally agree that the broadcast did show what Elvis Presley really could do - in addition to making profitable, if generally uninspired movies and soundtracks. The ' 68 Special is widely credited with revitalizing his career: chart statistics for the summer of 1968 suggest that Presley's recording career was becoming all but non-existent. After the special, he began his stint in Las Vegas and toured, achieving a string of record-breaking sell-out performances across America. Chart successes returned, including a U.S. number one in 1969 ("Suspicious Minds") and a U.K. number one ("The Wonder Of You", (1970)) - his first since 1965.
The live segments of the '68 Comeback Special in particular gave the audience more than a glimpse of Presley's charismatic and emotionally charged performing style that won him his first fans in the 1950s. This is arguably even more evident in the later uncut versions of the special (see below). His career had been considered by many to be artistically fallow since his return from the Army (1960), the subsequent Beatles invasion and since the new and varied musical directions forged by the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.
The dominant image of the special for many fans and critics is not of any of the lavish set pieces, though the giant red 'ELVIS' background sign is memorable. For many it will be the sight and sound of a tanned and toned 33-years-old Presley in a custom-made black leather outfit - an image of the performer arguably at his peak (The costume was preserved and has been on display with hundreds of other personal items at Presley's Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee).
[edit] Additional Information
Two versions of the special were initially aired by NBC. The first included Presley singing "Blue Christmas" – the only seasonal song Binder agreed to use. When the special was rebroadcast the following summer, this was replaced with a performance of "Tiger Man".
In 1984, one of the sit down sessions was released uncut and unedited by Media Home Entertainment, Inc. on a 53 minute video as Elvis - One Night With You. RCA Video Productions also made a 42 minute version for television. An album was made available as well. The original special itself has also been made available both to television and to home video. The reissued version restores the censored musical numbers from the "Guitar Man" segment, and features both "Blue Christmas" and "Tiger Man".
In September of 2004, RCA issued a deluxe 3-disc DVD release containing every scrap of the video footage still in existence from the making of the special, including bloopers, alternate and incomplete performances, and complete and unedited versions of the four Burbank shows. Overall, this release shows just how extensive and elaborate a production of this magnitude was. The DVD also featured a 24-page color photo book which included an excellently written text entitled "The Little Theater" by Greil Marcus, about the Sit-Down and Stand-Up Black Leather shows which were performed in front of live audiences. This 3-disc DVD edition has been hailed by many as the "Mother of all Elvis DVDs."
A number of songs were shortlisted for recording but were rejected. "I'll Be Home For Christmas" was cut in favour of "If I Can Dream". Undistinguished songs showcasing his movie career, like "Cotton Candy Land" and "How Would You Like To Be", were axed - as was "U.S. Male". A song that was partially re-recorded but did not make the final show was: "A Little Less Conversation", a track from Presley's then-current film release, Live a Little, Love a Little. This version wouldn't be released for many years, and in 2002, the 1968 recording was used as the basis for a popular remixed version of the song, giving Presley his 2nd posthumous #1 hit in Britain (he has now added an additional three, making it a total of 21 times he's been at the top of the British charts, more than anyone in UK chart history). The re mix reached #1 in an additional 20 countries, and was added, at the last minute, to the 4X Platinum album "Elvis 30#1 hits", which has sold in excess of 13 million copies worldwide.
[edit] References
- Jorgenson, Ernst (1998). Elvis Presley: A Life In Music - The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-18572-3
[edit] Trivia
- The Blossoms' Darlene Love is known to worldwide movie audiences as the actress playing Danny Glover's wife in the "Lethal Weapon" series.
- Lance LeGault acted as Presley's double in some of his movies, including "Kissin' Cousins" and "Viva Las Vegas".
