Crazy - The funny side of Elvis CD

Colonel Parker was the first person to realise that money could be made by releasing an LP of only Elvis talking. At the time this seemed a total rip-off concept which 'The Colonel' first started by hawking it exclusively at Elvis' gigs via his own Box Car label. This first LP was also released by RCA in 1974 as 'Having fun with Elvis on stage'. I wonder what Elvis thought of this scam and whether he ever saw any royalties!

The newest entrant in this field is, luckily, not from that old carny hustler but from the reputable 'It's Elvis Time' team. Even then I still ordered it with a little trepidation so it was a nice surprise to discover just how professional the presentation is. Using a superb deluxe digipack cover it contains some great photos from the book Caught in a Trap which help set the scene.

Elvis always produced his best performances when he was in good humour (See Elvis at the International) and this CD nicely collates the best of Elvis' anecdotes from a multitude of hard to obtain bootlegged performances.

It has obviously been put together with care & affection and contains clips from an amazing number of performances (over 40 shows in fact) in its packed 78 minutes. Elvis never varied his set lists that much and often it is actually his banter between the songs that might distinguish one performance from another or help explain his mood or feelings on a particular night. The music from his most famous unreleased performance 'Desert Storm' would mean much less without the inclusion of his ramblings between the songs which end up making the whole concert so fascinating. Although a CD of just Elvis talking might make you beg for him to sing a song or two there is a definite appeal in this clever look at Elvis' sense of humour which, after all, was such an important part of his character. I even found myself giggling out loud.

There are plenty of highlights to be uncovered but some are definitely worth mentioning. All Elvis' chat from the 1969 (bootlegged) 'Opening Night' CD is cleverly edited together. Here Elvis tells a delightful version of his own 'Life story' in a nice, self-depreciating way. He was in excellent humour that night & talking about the dry air in Las Vegas he says 'A lot of singers have a problem with the Las Vegas throat. Of course I was never a singer so I don't have that problem!' Elvis delightfully laughs out loud when someone in the audience actually applauds at this comment. He acknowledges that he was rejected from the Arthur Godfrey Talent Show and thrown off the Grand Ole Opry - 'They gave me $6 and said 'Go Home''. Poking fun at himself he says 'People say 'I thought he was bigger than that, hair flying everywhere, he's got to be a weirdo. A stoned-cold natural freak man' - That's why I haven't been in public for 9 years'. Great stuff.

Another track shows his fun and admiration for J.D Sumner and there are some great interactions with the Sweet Inspirations & Kathy Westmoreland. In 1977 the words of 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' dramatically failed Elvis mid-song. Here we get the fabulous exchange when he asks Estelle of the Sweets what are the words that he has forgotten.

Estelle says - 'Does your memory stray on a fine summer's day'
Elvis, being smart, replies - 'Does yours?'
Estelle - 'No, but yours did!'
Elvis - 'Cute!!'

(I can't believe that Estelle actually said that!)

There are also some famous 'one-liners' along the way too. Crazy - The Funny Side Of Elvis Presley - Elvis explains how he'd prefer to be a crooner and not to have to move around so much and then sings Dino's 'Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime'. Good to hear him also sing 'Happy Birthday' to one of the few Australians who got to work with him, sound engineer Bruce Jackson.

Other nice stories are his tales of doing the Pontiac New Year's Eve concert and not knowing all the words to 'Auld Lang Syne' along with how he reads the newspapers to find out what was (supposedly) happening in his own life. He tells in 1976 how the papers said - 'You know. . I got married last week!'.

If you haven't heard the 1965 interview between Peter Noone (of 60's British pop band Herman's Hermits) and Elvis in Hawaii it is quite fascinating. It is obvious that both stars are at a bit of a loss as to what to ask each other but Elvis seems very relaxed. 'We're all crazy here. We sit here in the sun and it gets to your head after a while'. On why he hasn't ever toured England Elvis says 'Maybe we'll come over in a year or so.. . Well, Colonel Parker has a bad back. As soon as he starts feeling better we'll probably come over'!

The three extra tracks on the disc are also a real bonus.

For collectors there is the missing material from the Memphis 1974 concert including the 'Help Me' false start and the Tom Moffatt interview on the set of 'Blue Hawaii' also captures Elvis at a magic moment. Little did he know how much the movie would totally affect his future career. Elvis is nice and relaxed as he talks about his new interest in Karate and also the USS Arizona fund-raiser that he has just performed. 'I was glad everybody was yelling and everything as it covered up my mistakes! . . I've been out of practise. I hadn't been on stage since 1957'. At one point Tom Moffatt asks Elvis 'Have you had a chance to date any local girls?' and there is a fabulous pregnant pause when Elvis replies 'Ahh . . . . . . No, I really haven't'.  The final treat is the complete Hawaiian Hilton Press conference announcing the Aloha special. Although there are some annoying interruptions from spooling film cameras this is great to hear in full. Elvis talks of his love of gospel, his religious beliefs, touring overseas as well as future marriage and the importance of Lisa Marie. If you are interested in exploring another side of Elvis that isn't available through RCA then there is plenty here to fascinate you.