History:
Two facts stand out about the life and career of Elvis Presley in 1974, two sad and shameful ones that dovetail into each other to present a full picture of just how far (and how fast) the King was declining, both professionally and personally.First, there's the number of recording sessions held during this year: zero. Not a one. There were a number of live recordings made off the soundboard at Elvis' increasing number of concert dates, and two known recordings of Vegas rehearsals -- "Softly, As I Leave You" a morbid little ballad Elvis had fallen for, and "The Twelfth Of Never," made famous by Johnny Mathis -- but 1974 is one of only three years since Presley turned 18 where he didn't visit a recording studio. The others? 1959, when Army duty made that impossible, and 1977, when, to paraphrase his first big posthumous hit, the end was near.
This might help to explain fact two. Having Fun With Elvis On Stage was an album commissioned by Colonel Parker himself, a neat way through the loopholes of his meal ticket's contract and a way to sell a record of his own at concerts. The LP -- so bad RCA has even refused to reissue it in the US -- consists of nothing but 38 minutes of Elvis' between show banter: asides, jokes, false starts, recollections. It actually doesn't sound that bad on paper, sort of a concert memento for fans who already owned the teddy bears and stuffed hound dogs. But Elvis is virtually incoherent throughout the whole album, speaking in a language only the band (or maybe only another Elvis) could understand. By 1974, Elvis Presley wasn't simply an anachronism -- he was a show pony. And, worse, a bored, frustrated, and trapped one.
Next... Elvis 1974 timeline
