TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

Bec & Justin continue their exploration through Elvis' creative journey during his military service. The piano-driven tracks on Elvis' 1958-59 home recordings from Germany notably feature much heavier distortion due to the tape recorder likely having been set either on or directly next to the piano, which Elvis plays heavy-handedly, but they remaing intriguing listens. While Elvis backs off from gospel, we instead hear him now exploring further ideas for his upcoming albums and singles, such as the operatic "There's No Tomorrow," the underlying public domain melody of which would become "It's Now or Never," "Soldier Boy," and "Such A Night." Elvis also sings songs that would not surface again until many years later in his recording career such as "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen," "I Will Be True" and "The Fool." But perhaps most fascinating are, as usual, the songs that Elvis never revisited professionally: "Apron Strings," a song originally demoed for him but later recorded by Cliff Richard, the mysterious "The Titles Tell," long known merely as "Number Eight," and of course, Elvis' poignant version of "Earth Angel" by doo-wop group The Penguins, among others. Finally - after having investigated for ourselves, do the recordings align with the widely-discussed insinuation that Elvis' time in the military was what turned him from dangerous rocker to smooth pop star... or is the story more complicated? Also, Justin sneaks a mini-Song of the Week midway into the episode, discussing briefly a little about Danny & The Juniors' iconic 1950s party song "At the Hop," which Elvis references during these home recordings.

This week, we're heading down to New Orleans circa 1958 to revisit the soundtrack and recording sessions for the iconic musical drama "King Creole." The Dixieland aesthetic gave Elvis an opportunity experiment, melding his now-signature rock and roll style with a small jazz ensemble, creating a soundtrack LP that had a distinct sound all its own. Although few outtakes remain, the songwriter demos for nearly the entire soundtrack provide insight on how Elvis and the band further developed such classic songs as "Trouble," "Hard Headed Woman" and "Crawfish" into the final forms heard in the film. Bec also takes the opportunity chat a bit about her appreciation for the movie itself, highlighting some of her takeaways from her most recent viewing, and posing questions about the Michael Curtiz-directed film as one of Elvis' best starring roles. For Song of the Week, Justin provides a little insight on what influences may have led Elvis to experimenting at home in the mid-1960s with an early 1950s pop ballad, "My Heart Cries for You." Finally, Bec rounds out the episode with a reflection on the intimacy of the underrated "I Miss You" which was also a home recording of sorts - as it was recorded professionally by RCA in Elvis' Palm Springs home! 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.

This week, Justin and Bec put on their dancing shoes and boogie back to the week of June 5, 1976 (just a hair under 50 years ago) to see what was happening in the world of American music and where Elvis' latest single "Hurt/For the Heart" ranked on the pop, easy listening and rock charts, before delving into what surrounded "Hurt" as it reached its highest peak at #6 on the Country chart - and RCA's Elvis compilation "Sun Sessions" was nearing the top of the country LP chart, too! What they're surprised to find is not only a popular culture swept up in both disco and 1950s nostalgia, but a snapshot of a time when connections to Elvis seep into most of the rest of the genre of country music, with songs like "Suspicious Minds" and and artists who ALSO once recorded at Sun Records like Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty and Narvel Felts or have other Elvis connections (Elvis movie demo singer Glen Campbell shows up too!) bringing their own stylistic throwbacks to the Top 10. For Song of the Week, Justin solves a mini-mystery surrounding what 1962 movie scene specifically inspired Hank Cochran to write the country classic "Make the World Go Away," which featured prominently on "Elvis Country" and Elvis was filmed performing during the making of "That's The Way It Is" in 1970. Then finally, Bec touches briefly on Elvis' studio and live versions of Kris Kristofferson's "For The Good Times." 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.

Justin is joined in this episode by Helene de Roux, writer and director of "Welcoming Grace," a new short film made to promote ZEISS's Aatma camera lenses, but featuring a narrative built around two Elvis fans meeting for the first time in real life and forming a bond despite many differences and minor obstacles. Helene is a fellow listener and patron of TCBCast, you'll have heard her words before on the show as she's written in a few times, but now you'll get to hear her voice as they geek out about Elvis and filmmaking. She even plays a round of Elvis trivia! It's highly recommended that you give "Welcoming Grace" a watch, free on YouTube, to get the most enjoyment out of that part of the discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjRWmSfH_Sg For Song of the Week, Helene circles back to one that Gurdip covered way back in 2018 to provide greater context for and history behind "Let It Be Me," the English language version of Gilbert Becaud's "Je t'appartiens" made famous by the Everly Brothers and featured in Elvis' setlist (and the "On Stage" album!) in 1970. Similarly, I dug into Elvis' hit version of "My Boy," the localization of Claude Francois' 1970 single "Parce que je t'aime mon enfant" and originally recorded in English by Richard Harris. Timestamps: 0:00 - Start & Introducing Helene 16:53 - "Welcoming Grace" 59:00 - TRIVIA! 1:11:45 - SotW: Let It Be Me 1:51:25 - SotW: My Boy 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.

Bec and John pitched Justin on the idea of assigning them ANY album from across Elvis's entire discography, from any time or country, and the two of them would have to try to make the case that their pick is better than the other's, even if it may challenge them to do so. So Bec was assigned the #1 2016 UK album "The Wonder of You with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra," the sequel release to "If I Can Dream," which we have not covered on TCBCast before! Produced by Nick Patrick, Don Reedman and Priscilla Presley, same as the first volume, which Bec really liked, can she make the case that it's a strong listen - or was there are precipitous drop-off in experimentation in favor of an overly safe, commercial follow-up, featuring recognizable hits like "Suspicious Minds," "Kentucky Rain" and "Always On My Mind"? John, on the other hand, being an avid study of Elvis' gospel music, was assigned the 2018 album "Where No One Stands Alone," a #1-charting album from the US's Top Christian Albums, which John had never listened to before except for the title duet with album co-producer Lisa Marie Presley. Although original backing vocalists who worked with Elvis such as Darlene Love, Cissy Houston, Bill Baize, Terry Blackwood, Armond Morales, Ed Hill, Jim Murray, Larry Stickland and Donnie Sumner were brought back to add authenticity to the project, the new arrangements by producer Andy Childs reflected contemporary changes in the field of American gospel music that when applied to Elvis' songs... well, let's say John will have his work cut out for him making a strong case for it being the better record. (Note from Justin: "Where No One Stands Alone" had been briefly reviewed at release on a very early episode of TCBCast, which Gurdip & I would probably re-evaluate our opinions from as well with hindsight.) For Song of the Week, John takes the opportunity of just having passed Easter to reflect on Elvis' interpretation of Shirl Milete's "Life," which was released as a single in 1971, and explores how its "Christianity-by-New-Age" approach may have resonated with Elvis' spiritual perspective on life, love and creativity. Then Bec digs into Pomus-Shuman's "Night Rider," featured on both the Pot Luck album and in the film "Tickle Me," highlighting its eerie lyrics despite its deceptively upbeat arrangement. 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.

Bec is joined this week by John Michael Heath to rank their all-time favorite co-stars from across Elvis's Hollywood career. From Debra Paget to Mary Tyler Moore, which ladies made the cut? You'll just have to give it a listen and find out... For Song of the Week, Bec spotlights the playful "Cross My Heart and Hope to Die" from 1965's "Girl Happy." Then John reflects on the somber brilliance of Elvis's interpretation of the classic folk tune "Danny Boy" - including his 1958 home recordings and the beloved 1976 "Jungle Room" version. 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.

Olivia joins Justin this week for a meaty follow-up to our EPiC review. Not only does she chime in with her thoughts and observations from her viewing experience, the duo also read and react to all of YOUR many wonderful emails, comments and submitted audio reviews of the film from TCBCast's Patreon supporters. Then, Song of the Week IS BACK, BABY!! Olivia, taking cues from EPiC, is feeling the "Sweet Inspiration," discussing the history behind the iconic hit recording by The Sweet Inspirations, its American Sound connections, and the time during the August 1970 engagement (narrowly missed by the TTWII film crew) that Elvis sang it to the Sweets, live on stage! Justin couldn't let the news slip by that Neil Sedaka had passed away, so he reflects on Elvis' 1976 interpretation of Neil's heartbreaking "Solitaire," and deliberates over whether Elvis' own preferred recording process by '76 may have accidentally led to a more claustrophobic final arrangement. They also consider the value of Bergen White's orchestrations and the thematic resonance Elvis may have felt with co-writer Phil Cody's lyrics. Thank you to all of our listeners for your support coming up on 400 episodes, and especially to our TCBCast patrons who wrote in to provide their insights and reactions to EPiC. We loved hearing all your perspectives! Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro & Olivia's Review 17:45 - Patron & Collaborator Reviews of EPiC 1:25:30 - SOTW: Sweet Inspiration 1:43:31 - SOTW: Solitaire

Gurdip, Justin and John quickly gathered last night to discuss initial impressions of the soundtrack album for EPiC which is now available on all major music platforms for purchase and streaming. At the time of recording, John's the only one to have seen the film, so we're judging it based on how it works as its own cohesive presentation, keeping in mind that like all Baz Luhrmann soundtracks, it's a companion piece, but also a standalone work. There's plenty of hubbub in the Elvis community about the remixing and re-recording of some elements for the soundtrack, but we have exclusive insights on some of the creative choices made for the film and album from Jamieson Shaw, music producer and supervising music editor on EPiC. Shaw very kindly responded to some questions we asked him via email, which John reads aloud for us on this episode (though without attempting Jamieson's Australian accent). We also break down plenty of the new mash-ups and discover the component elements from across Elvis's catalogue that were utilized in devising these more artful reinterpretations. We recommend checking out the soundtrack for yourself on your preferred music platform or choice or available physically on CD/vinyl from Sony Music!

Finally tackling a subject as big as "That's The Way It Is" (right on time for EPiC's release) deserved as big of an episode, so the whole core crew is on board: Justin, Gurdip, Ryan, Bec and Olivia. After having revisited both the original 1970 theatrical version directed by Denis Sanders, and the beloved-by-fans 2001 Special Edition overseen by producers Rick Schmidlin and Ernst Jorgensen, the group gets together to compare notes, discuss the merits of each, as movies and as concert films, and explore ideas and themes raised by each... and of course, which version we prefer over the other! Part 1 emphasizes the experience of rewatching the films, how the original 1970 came about, and whether either film depicts Elvis' personality authentically. Plus, Ryan recounts his recent trip to the Westgate and visiting the showroom! 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.

Sony & Baz Luhrmann have officially unleashed the new, enhanced and overdubbed version of "Oh Happy Day" from EPiC out into the world - the full regular host team was already about to record so without having previously discussed it and only having heard it minutes before, hear our gut reactions to the new single! "Oh Happy Day" (EPiC Version) is available on all major music platforms, and the EPiC soundtrack will be out at midnight EST on February 20, 2026.

Bec's back for 2026 and as we're working up an exciting meaty topic we decided to take it a little lighter to start with (kind of!) as Justin & Bec react to the official theatrical trailer for EPiC, then take a look back at a UK-exclusive Camden released in 1975 entitled "The U.S. Male." Featuring a "greatest hits" of sorts from several other prior Camden compilations, this unusual release from within Elvis's lifetime was a gateway into Elvis's music for numerous Brits, but does it cohere and hold up? And can the duo come up with tracklists that better suit the "US Male" theme? For Song of the Week, both hosts highlight gospel numbers, with Bec swinging in with "Somebody Bigger Than You and I" off the "How Great Thou Art Album" which overlaps Elvis's long affection for music originally by Bill Kenny & The Ink Spots and his love of spirituals. Then, Justin tells of the inspirations behind "Peace in the Valley," how Thomas A. Dorsey came to write it, and the world events which led to Elvis's performance of the song on the Ed Sullivan show (and subsequent recording) in 1957. 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.

Ryan & Bec's annual "solo" New Year's show is a DOOZY! Ostensibly presenting a few of their favorite preferred live performances over their studio counterparts, the two hosts go full celebration mode instead, breaking out the booze, and before you know it, Ryan's stretched the parameters of the topic, Bec's forgotten the meaning of the word "live," and they're both having giggle fits over innuendo. For Song of the Week, Bec rings in the new year with a reminder that "There Is So Much World to See" from 1967's "Double Trouble" - and Ryan forgets that Christmas will be over by the time this episode comes out, so we get one more holiday hit tackled, as he discusses the story behind songwriter Michael Jarrett and Elvis's 1971 Christmas cut "I'll Be Home on Christmas Day" 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.

MERRY CLAMBAKE! Featuring Justin Gausman, Olivia Murphy-Rogers, Rabia, Felix, John Michael Heath, David "Ghosty" Wills, Garrett Cash and Darin Evans. Part 1 opens with the revelation of how we tricked Felix into thinking he would have to watch Clambake again, then primarily covers our overall thoughts on the Norman Taurog-directed 1966 flick about a singing racecar driver, "Spinout." Sharing numerous overlaps with 1967's "Clambake", such as co-stars Shelley Fabares and Will Hutchins, "Spin-bake" puts the differences between the two Elvis films in sharp relief - and the earlier movie brings out a whole new world of fascinating themes to explore, from the way "Spinout" handles gender norms & expectations, to its origins as a deeply meta Elvis spoof, plus major cultural references, including allusions to the contemporaneous book & film "Sex and the Single Girl" by Helen Gurley Brown via Diane McBain's character. Unlike previous years' Christmas episodes, this discussion is much more free-flowing rather than having an overly structured beat-by-beat recap, so having seen "Spinout" is strongly recommended! Part 2 will emphasize the song sequences of "Spinout" more linearly, as well as touch on the film's soundtrack and bonus tracks (which Justin & Gurdip also reviewed in 2023) more strongly through its cinematic lens.