TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

Latest Episodes:

TCBCast 255: Elvis' 70s Career - Shaped By Singer-Songwriters Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

This week's episode became an unexpected two-parter! After Justin's major misunderstanding the assignment from the Patreon-voted main topic, this first portion will cover not just the usual news, trivia and listener feedback but also the topic as suggested: some of the comments and perspectives from famous 70s-era singer-songwriters, offering their thoughts on Elvis' versions of their songs and a light discussion on how Elvis's music was shaped, and restricted, by the advent of the singer-songwriter in popularity.

Then, TCBCast 256, going up next Tuesday, will be tackling an in-depth discussion between Justin and Bec on our favorite Elvis songwriters plus featuring the two patron-voted Songs of the Week!

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation 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 history and movie enthusiast.

TCBCast 254: A Loose Elvis Chat with Justin & Bec Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

Due to extenuating circumstances, we've had to push our previously scheduled topic back one week, and so at the last minute, Justin and Bec just decided to have a very fun, very laid back Elvis chat.

Beyond reacting to the new clips from Elliott Wheeler's "Elvis" score released this week in WB's "The Story of the Score", the hosts debate which approach to experiencing Elvis's music the first time provides better insight (chronological or at random), Bec tells us a little about her hobbies and interests outside Elvis, which leads into a discussion about movie musicals and which Elvis films fit into that mold, Justin follows up a bit more on last week's "Today" review, and there's a whole host of bits and pieces of Elvis-related chatter on albums, concerts, and more.

Hopefully this is as enjoyable to listen to as it was to record. It's not as information-dense or structured as most typical recent episodes and there's no Songs of the Week this week, but we think we still hit upon some nice insights. We'll be back next week to talk about our favorite Elvis songwriters, cover Patreon-picked Songs of the Week, and Gurdip will be back soon as well!

Baz Luhrmann's ELVIS: The Story of the Score is available to listen to on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxkvwq0fXJI

TCBCast 253: "Today" - The 1975 Sessions & Album Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

This week, we're taking a look back at Elvis's March 1975 recording sessions that produced the heavily country-tinged album "Today" - his very last session in a proper recording studio. Can Gurdip overcome his longstanding beef with country music to give the material a fair shake or is that just a great big "Fairytale"? Do producer Felton Jarvis' heavy overdubs work or do they lead to "T-R-O-U-B-L-E"?

For Song of the Week, Justin sticks with the country theme, picking Elvis's 1976 Jungle Room version of "Love Coming Down," originally by George Jones, while Gurdip muses over the lightweight "One Boy, Two Little Girls" from 1964's "Kissin' Cousins."

TCBCast 252: "Kat King" - Insights from the "Elvis" Screenplay Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

Justin and Bec return this week to sit down with the shooting script for Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, now confirmed for 8 Oscar noms, to bring to light some of the many differences big and small between what was written and what made it into the final film. From full deleted scenes we've known about ("In The Ghetto") to ones we didn't (DID Colonel Parker kill someone?) to many notable minor dialogue tweaks, character beats and musical cues altered, improved or removed in the final cut.

Despite the lengthy breakdown, we're not even scraping the surface of just how much the film evolved from the page to the big screen; You really owe it to yourself to read through the script, which was released by Deadline in anticipation of awards season, to appreciate how the movie was shaped into what it is today.

https://deadline.com/2023/01/elvis-script-baz-lurhmann-jeremy-doner-sam-bromell-craig-pearce-read-the-screenplay-1235213450/

For Song of the Week, both hosts follow a "carnival" theme, with Justin selecting "It's Carnival Time" from the 1964 movie "Roustabout" and Bec picking the understated "The Fair Is Moving On" from Elvis' iconic 1969 American Sound sessions.

As mentioned in the news section, we'd like to ask our listeners to, if they would like to contribute something in memory of Lisa Marie Presley, to do so to the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation, the non-profit arm of Graceland which handles their charitable efforts. You can learn more at: https://www.graceland.com/epcf-donate

Grieving Lisa Marie Presley Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

Rest in Peace - Lisa Marie Presley

February 1, 1968 - January 12, 2023

It is okay to grieve. We all do it differently. But it's important to talk about it. Lisa Marie told us to.

Gurdip, Justin, Ryan and Bec are all here to talk openly through our raw feelings and thoughts.

Read Lisa's full essay on grief here:

https://people.com/music/lisa-marie-presley-was-destroyed-by-son-benjamins-death-grief-essay/

Lisa Marie Presley's albums "To Whom It May Concern," "Now What" and "Storm and Grace" are all available to listen to on all major music platforms, as well as "Where No One Stands Alone," the 2018 project she produced centered around her father's spiritual music.

TCBCast 251: "Spinout" Soundtrack Album Review Jan 10, 2023

Show notes

Happy birthday, Elvis!

This week, we're taking a look back at the 1966 soundtrack for the movie "Spinout," one of the first Elvis albums Gurdip ever owned and therefore one he holds with great affection. Has it been wrongly maligned and lumped in with other movie soundtracks? Or has it earned a place as forgettable 60s fluff? And what to make of the bonus tracks?

All that and more, but before that, we react to the single of Jamieson Shaw's fun new "Toxic Las Vegas" remix from Baz Luhrmann's film, mashing up Britney Spears and Elvis, as well as Rolling Stone magazine's placement of Elvis in their Top 200 Singers list.

For Song of the Week, Gurdip dons his matador costume and faces down "El Toro," the "Fun in Acapulco" song about an unbeatable bull. Then, Justin delves into Bread's heartbreakingly beautiful minor 1972 hit "Aubrey" then tries to unpack one of the most obscure, rarely-heard Elvis concert recordings and speculate on what a seemingly minor lyrical tweak might have meant, if intentional.

TCBCast 250: TCBCast 5th Anniversary + Listener Feedback Catch-Up Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

Gurdip and Justin look back at 2022 and the last 5 years of TCBCast before digging into a stuffed-to-the-brim inbox of listener and patron feedback and comments. Don't forget - this coming Sunday is Elvis's birthday!

For Song of the Week, Justin gets his soul rocked in the "Bosom of Abraham" learning about the history of Elvis' 70s cover of an old, subversive gospel song, while Gurdip takes a listen to the spiritually inspired "Sing You Children" from the 1967 movie "Easy Come Easy Go."

Timestamps:

0:00 - Start/News

13:40 - Trivia

42:35 - Listener Feedback/Main Topic

1:25:45 - SotW: Bosom of Abraham

1:46:50 - SotW: Sing You Children

TCBCast 249: The Final Ed Sullivan Shows (feat. Ryan Droste) Dec 24, 2022

Show notes

For the first time since Baz Luhrmann's Elvis dropped, Ryan returns to TCBCast for an extensive discussion on Elvis's final two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show on October 28, 1956 and January 6, 1957, with the latter being the infamous "filmed from the waist up" program. Are these performances truly as legendary as the myth around them? We'll find out together!

Then, Ryan finally get to put forward his list of favorite Elvis songs by year in lieu of Song of the Week while Justin closes out the episode and 2022 by spotlighting the history behind the understated hymn, "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem," from Elvis's best selling 1957 Christmas album.

It wouldn't be a TCBCast Christmas without starting out scratching the surface of the life story of its lyricist, Phillips Brooks, and his choice to imitate an archaic style of writing and ending up spiraling into an unexpectedly heartfelt exploration of the history of the Puritans and the Church of England, early America, the literary impact of the King James Version of the Bible, Abraham Lincoln's funeral, and the perpetual conflict between sincerity and crass commercialization.

Happy holidays to all our listeners near and far! Thank you for a wonderful 2022 - see you next year!

TCBCast 248: Elvis On Tour Box Set Impressions & Highlights + Where Do Elvis Releases Go From Here? Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

In this split-host episode, Gurdip and Justin give their initial impressions of the new Elvis On Tour box set, recorded shortly after its early December release, as well as highlight certain performances that stick out as noteworthy listens. Then they briefly speculate on what the future holds for Elvis box sets going forward now that Sony seems to have mostly caught up with securing their continued international copyrights.

Then, Bec tags in for Song of the Week, making amends with "Have A Happy" from the 1969 movie "Change of Habit" after downplaying it a few weeks ago on the vocal evolution episode. Justin closes out the episode with perhaps the most bleak Christmas song Elvis recorded, "Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees," penned by Red West and Glen Spreen.

TCBCast 247-B: A Very Clambake Christmas - All You Need is Confidence Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

The epic conclusion of our gigantic, four-part, 6-hour Clambake review episode draws to a close in a wonderful, incredible way as Justin and Rabia finally deliver on what they had foreshadowed to Felix all the way back in the first part: you get to hear someone who mere hours before previously knew only the most basic pop culture knowledge about Elvis Presley, experience the highest highs of the 1968 Comeback Special and in real time, you get to hear the creation of a new Elvis fan.

Naturally, given our guests, Song of the Week is Sinatra themed. Justin starts off by taking Frank's time machine back to 1960 for the iconic TV moment when Elvis tackled the elder artist's 1957 smash "Witchcraft" and everyone gushes over how great the two sound together, harmonizing on "Love Me Tender." And Rabia closes things out with an attempt to cut through the cliche and noise around Frank Sinatra's signature hit, Elvis's famous cover, common misunderstandings around Sinatra's comments about Elvis, and pondering whether "My Way" belongs now only to the selfish individualists who constantly claim it... or if it can be reclaimed by the truly courageous.

We hope you have enjoyed the journey. As Felix says... "Merry Clambake!"

Suddenly: A Frank Sinatra Podcast is available on all major platforms you'll find TCBCast on.

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