It's no secret, especially a quarter-century after his untimely death, that Elvis Presley was not particularly well served by the machinations of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It was in 1968, however, that Elvis broke free from his spell, if only for a short while, defying Parker's vision of Elvis' adult years and, in the process, engineering rock music's most stunning (and satisfying) comeback.
NBC and sponsor Singer (of the sewing machines) had long wanted to present an Elvis Christmas special, and the King had no problem delivering some of his big Xmas hits, particuarly "Blue Christmas." With the assistance of director Steve Binder, however, Presley began to envision the hour-long TV special as a way to reclaim his rightful place atop pop music's throne, one he'd largely forfeited after his return from the Army in 1960. Years of mediocre-to-horrible films, their equally suspect soundtracks, and the ongoing progress of popular music had left Elvis in the dust, both creatively and commercially.
The special changed all that immediately, re-establishing the King as a fine interpretive singer, a sexual presence (that black leather suit has practically become an icon all its own), a performer par excellence, and a real musician to boot. That last was especially borne out by the intimate jam session filmed for the special; some still believe it to be the finest set of music he ever played. Taken along with the special that surrounds it, it stands as one of the most amazing career resurrections in entertainment history.
Here are a few links to the best pages and sites that specifically deal with the '68 "comeback" special. If you know of any sites that should be here, but aren't, e-mail me!
- Elvis Australia This link brings you to the 'net's best history of the show itself. This Elvis site also contains a great interview with show producer Steve Binder.
- The Best of Elvis Presley Website An excellent site... start here and click the "next song" links, and you can read the history of each historic song, in the order in which they were recorded! Contains RealAudio samples and lyrics to boot!
- The Wonder of You Click on "68 Comeback" to the left and you can read nine chapters of history on the special, with tons of beautiful scans and song-by-song commentary.
- Elvis Friends Fan Club Italia A beautiful three-page gallery of famous images from the show itself.
- MSN Groups: Elvis Presley Legend See a RealVideo clip of "All Shook Up" here!
- DVD Movie Guide A very informative review of the '68 Comeback DVD.
- Elvis - '68 Comeback Special Compare prices on '68 Comeback CDs, DVDs, posters, and toys, and buy them right here!
- Professional Costumer Always wanted to wear a replica Elvis' comeback leather suit? Now you can!
