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Sherman Alexie's avatar

My mother was so obsessed with Elvis's death that she wept for three days. I heard his music so much that he was like a sibling.

lou J's avatar

Round about my 8th or 9th. Christmas, dad gave my and mybtwo siblings a portable cassette player along with two tapes, John Cash and Elvis Greatest Hits, one of the most beloved and impactful gifts Ive ever received. still have the tapes Nd occasionally listen to them nearly six decades later. My appreciation for Elvis was recently reignited by EPIC (Elvis Presley in Concert) seen on Imax, more significantly, thrilling my wife who had considered him a joke until then. Will have to give the Madison SG a listen now and look forward to it!

While Im at it, i have to say there was no dreck in my parents limited collection. I still listen to their copies of Odetta, Lightening Hopkins, Weavers, Otis Spahn, Woodie Guthrie, Huddie Ledbetter, Oscar Brand, Bob Gibson etc on a regular basis. Gibson and Camo Live remain a favorite of all time.

Keith R. Higgons's avatar

Listening to the MSG show, I was taken by how great a performer Elvis truly was. Those sound like awesome selections to have in a collection. I'll be exploring more of my parents' catalog in the coming weeks. To be fair to them, it wasn't ALL awful. There are some hidden gems.

lou J's avatar

I bet you find quite a few! To be honest, I have a recent desire to explore some of the so-called achlock

AJDeiboldt-The High Notes's avatar

I havent heard this one but I'll have to put it on the listening docket. I have to wonder what we'd have gotten if Parker had just left Elvis to do what he wanted musically rather than calling all the shots and making anything he did about the bottom line. Elvis was one of the great singers of all time and his skill and ear for interpreting songs was second to none; he and Sinatra especially had this in common. He didn't always get it right but when he did... It's sad how things turned out for him because I bet he had a lot in him he never got to show.

Keith R. Higgons's avatar

Thanks, it's well worth the time. He sounds sublime during that show at MSG. Also worth noting is the documentary I briefly mentioned, The Reinvention of Elvis. You can stream it on Paramount+. It's really quite interesting as it talks to the director of the '68 Comeback Special and what it took to make that happen. They also discuss that what could've been idea.

AJDeiboldt-The High Notes's avatar

I'll have to check out that doc. We watched the McCartney one last week and I love that there are so many music documentaries being made these days. By the way thanks for the subscription, I appreciate that! Been really enjoying your work as of late

Robert C. Gilbert's avatar

As good as the evening show is, the aftershow at MSG is, for me, the height of Elvis on the stage. The sequence from 'That's All Right (Mama)' to 'Polk Salad Annie' on that show is breathtaking - the rush of energy as Elvis returned to New York to perform for the first time since 1957.

Robert C. Gilbert's avatar

Meant to say "afternoon show"...