TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

Latest Episodes:

TCBCast 229: Elvis's Best 50s Album? "For LP Fans Only" Review (feat. Julius Adame) Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

Justin is joined this week by record collector (and TCBCast Patreon backer) Julius Adame to review Elvis's 1959 compilation "For LP Fans Only" while Gurdip is out. Together, Julius and Justin rediscover how surprisingly cohesive this package, intended to keep demand high while Elvis was overseas in military service, still holds together. They also discuss at length how a younger fan like Juilius got into Elvis's music and vinyl buying/selling/collecting, as he also runs a business, Rock My Soul Records (https://www.instagram.com/rockmysoulrecords/)

For Song of the Week, Julius selects "Ask Me," the English adaptation of Domenico Modugno's "Io" (I tip my hat to Tony Plews for his comment on last week's episode remarking on "Io" during the GI Blues discussion!) that Elvis attempted in 1963 and finally nailed down in 1964.

Then, his pick for Justin was "And I Love You So," the Don McLean-penned ballad featured on 1975's "Today" album and throughout Elvis's concert setlists in 75-77. But a closer inspection of the lyrics leads him to a darker, sadder interpretation that some may have not considered.

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast, just like Julius! Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

Timestamps:

0:00 Start/Introductions

19:55 News

22:30 Main Topic

1:04:05 SotW: Ask Me

1:20:30 SotW: And I Love You So

TCBCast 228: 50 Years, 50 Hits & Artist of the Century Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

Gurdip and Justin, freshly reinvigorated, nostalgically dig up their very first box sets that served as their gateways to Elvis's discography: 1985's 50 Years, 50 Hits for Gurdip and 1999's Artist of the Century for me, and compare/contrast the packages, realizing that whether decked out with liner notes or bare-bones design, the music is powerful enough to speak for itself. To really bask in the nostalgia, you'll even get to hear Justin pick up live, exactly where he left off listening to one of the tapes countless years ago.

For Song of the Week, Gurdip marches to the beat of his own drum... because he's feeling the "G.I. Blues" tackling the title song of Elvis's 1960 film. Justin, on the other hand, taking a cue from the main topic looking back at their formative Elvis fan years, finally selects 1973's "Raised on Rock" since we all know Gurdip wasn't going to!

Timestamps:

0:00 Start/News

7:30 Main Topic

51:50 SotW: G.I Blues

1:01:33 SotW: Raised on Rock

TCBCast 227: "Something for Everybody" Album Review Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

Following on the heels of "I'm Comin' Home" being featured in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, Gurdip and Justin sit down with the very underrated and under-discussed 1961 album "Something for Everybody." Recorded in a single March 1961 session just ahead of the filming of Blue Hawaii, "Something for Everybody" has slipped under the radar of many... but it's one of our favorites!

For Song of the Week, Justin leads off by dreaming of a "Winter Wonderland" amid the summer heat, only to find the much more somber, and less well known, origin story behind the holiday classic that Elvis cut in 1971. Gurdip, meanwhile, is inspired by an extracurricular encounter with a Lonnie Donegan song to pick Elvis's cover of Donegan's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," made most famous by Tom Jones. But spoiler alert... there's secret connection to a notable candid Elvis on Tour moment hidden within the history of that song!

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

Timestamps:

0:00 Start/News

14:15 Main Topic

55:00 SotW: Winter Wonderland

1:13:45 SotW: I'll Never Fall in Love Again

TCBCast 226: Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" Soundtrack Review Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

Gurdip and Justin sit down with the digital version of the soundtrack album for Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis," to explore the remixes, covers and remasters of classic Elvis recordings, as well as finding as many musical Easter Eggs as they can.

Then, Song of the Week makes a grand return! Inspired by a similarly-themed track from the movie's soundtrack, Gurdip picks "I'm Gonna Get Back Home Somehow" from 1962's "Pot Luck" album. Justin, on the other hand, inspired by what the soundtrack left OFF, goes right back into the deep end of the pool to not only spotlight Elvis's 1967 cover of the country classic "Just Call Me Lonesome," but also discuss the influence of its songwriter, Rex Griffin, on early rockabilly and rock and roll.

TCBCast 225: Patreon Reactions to "Elvis" + The Man Who Was Elvis (feat. Austin Butler News) Jul 05, 2022

Show notes

On this super special episode of TCBCast, many of our Patreon backers who have had the chance to see Baz Luhrmann's Elvis sent in their reactions to the movie, both emailed and recorded. You'll get to hear a wide range of thoughtful opinions on the movie from the Elvis fans who are among our most engaged listeners and supporters.

Then, as a book-end to TCBCast 222 with Bill Bryan, Justin sits down with Anna, the woman responsible for Austin Butler News, the longest-running, #1 source on all things Austin Butler since 2013. Together, they discuss Austin's brief career leading up to his shouldering the weight of expectation by taking the role of Elvis Presley. We also get a glimpse inside of what a casual Elvis fan whose world does not constantly revolve around debates over things that happened 70 years ago thinks - not just about the movie, but about Elvis as a cultural figure, his music, the similarities and differences between fandoms of Elvis's day and today, and how Austin's performance may impact fans for years to come.

TCBCast 224: Baz Luhrmann's Elvis - The TCBCast Review, Part 2 Jun 30, 2022

Show notes

There are a lot of people saying a lot of things. Some would make him out to be the hero, the villain, the victim, the perpetrator... in their story of who Elvis was. Baz Luhrmann's Elvis is not Gurdip's, Justin's, Ryan's or Bec's Elvis. And we know plenty of people are happy to tell the world right now how it's not their Elvis, either.

But we're here to tell you, Baz Luhrmann's Elvis is a beautiful work of art, one that has not even begun to be fully appreciated. We explore the artistic necessity of the film's bending of history, try to understand the narrative reasons for exclusions, as well as celebrate the film's underlying message that music is a power that brings people together and lifts us above the worst of who and what we can be.

Oh, and... on the the theme on flying... what does a 1960 Marlon Brando movie, based on a Tennessee Williams play, have to do with Elvis? Has every single critic out there except us missed the most poignant and touching final detail? You may never watch this film the same after hearing Part 2 of our review.

Our deepest gratitude to our Patreon supporters, and to all of our listeners these past four years: thank you.

TCB.

TCBCast 223: Baz Luhrmann's Elvis - The TCBCast Review, Part 1 Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

Join the TCBCast gang for part one of the most in-depth analysis of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis yet to be done. In part one, Gurdip, Justin, Ryan and Bec explore how the film sets itself apart by giving the audience a unique, fantastical point of view from which to witness its events, the significance of Captain Marvel's lore to this telling, the use of historical figures to properly contextualize the protagonist's impact, and of course, looking at where the filmmakers chose to bend history and whether those changes serve a greater purpose. We cannot stress enough how much we recommended that you watch Baz Luhrmann's Elvis before listening to this two-part review. The entire film will be spoiled in service of analyzing the creative choices Baz and his team made. It is currently screening in theatres as of this posting and in the near future will also be coming to HBO Max.

We also highly recommend you consider experiencing the soundtrack to the film, available from RCA Records, via music streaming platforms, digital storefronts, or on compact disc. The musical selections made by the team are incredibly significant to understanding the themes of the film and we think it's important to support all of the performers and songwriters who contributed to this production.

Part 2 is available immediately to TCBCast Patreon supporters at all tiers as an early access episode. It will be released on the main feed in a couple days to give folks a chance to process this one. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy. Thank you to all of our current Patreon backers.

TCBCast 222: Just Pretend: The Men Who Were Elvis (feat. Bill Bryan) Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

Justin sits down with filmmaker Bill Bryan for a lengthy, standalone episode (No Song of the Week!) delving into the actors who have played Elvis prior to Austin Butler, from as early as Kurt Russell in 1979 to as recently as Drake Milligan (both in CMT's "Sun Records" in 2017 and also before that in "Nobody," Bill's own officially authorized biographical short film about Elvis's high school talent show.)

To varying degrees of accuracy, whether in biopics about people around him like Elvis and Me or fully fictionalized portrayals like Bubba Ho-Tep, from more grounded tellings like Elvis & Nixon to outrageous spoofs like Walk Hard, each actor has brought their own unique talents in their attempts to capture a slice of who Elvis was and what he has represented to his fans and to our culture; good and bad, serious and silly, joyous and dramatic.

Gurdip, Justin, Ryan and Bec will be back after the release of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis with a thorough breakdown of the film, and plenty more including its soundtrack, and so much more. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

TCBCast 221: Elvis Direct from Graceland at Bendigo Art Gallery (feat. Rabia) Jun 19, 2022

Show notes

No, you're not mistaken. This is a proper TCBCast dropping on a Sunday - because ya'll are getting a double dose of the show this week!

In this episode, Gurdip and Justin catch up on the very latest news from Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, including Eminem's big single "The King and I," before Justin sits down with Rabia, who appeared on the show last December.

Rabia gives us a breakdown and essentially a mini-walkthrough of Graceland's official exhibit at the Bendigo Art Gallery in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. This exhibit is running until July 17, 2022 so we wanted to make sure we got this covered and didn't lose it in the hype around the movie before the event ends for our Aussie listeners.

Then, Justin celebrates the title track from 1958's "King Creole" as Song of the Week in all its glory, while Gurdip spotlights the poppy, lightweight track "I'm Not the Marrying Kind" from 1962's "Follow That Dream."

More information about the Direct from Graceland exhibit at the time of this episode's posting is available here: https://www.bendigoregion.com.au/bendigo-art-gallery/exhibitions/elvis-direct-from-graceland. Rabia's new show, "Suddenly: A Frank Sinatra Film Podcast" will be coming to most major podcast platforms in the near future.

Timestamps:

0:00 Start/News

21:30: Main Topic

1:40:45: SotW - King Creole

1:54:25: SotW - I'm Not the Marrying Kind

TCBCast 220: The Complete 50s Masters Box Set - The 30th Anniversary Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

Gurdip returns just in time to cover the winning subject of our Patreon poll: the impact and our memories of the 1992 box set "The King of Rock and Roll: The Complete 50s Masters." As the centerpiece of the early "Elvis in the 90s" campaign run by BMG, The 50s Masters set, once described by Rolling Stone as a "Rosetta Stone of rock," was hugely formative in many Gen-X & millenial fans' appreciation for Elvis's music, and fun is had between Justin and Gurdip reminiscing about the set.

For Song of the Week, like a Mississippi bullfrog sitting on a hollow stump, Gurdip doesn't know which way to jump after being out of the water so long, so he loosens up with "Flip, Flop and Fly," the spiritual sequel to Big Joe Turner's "Shake Rattle and Roll" that Elvis mashed up on his first TV appearance in 1955.

Then, Justin takes a closer look at the history of arguably the best song from 1967's Clambake, "You Don't Know Me," and its famed country songwriter, Cindy Walker, who took an idea from Eddy Arnold and crafted an iconic standard.

Timestamps:

0:00: Start/News

19:04: Main Topic

58:00: SotW: Flip Flop & Fly

1:12:30 SotW: You Don't Know Me