Before he was a fat joke, Elvis was *really, really* good.

[sir pball]

Like, god damn that poor boy from Tupelo could sing.

The problem with dying on the toilet as an obese spangled Vegas act…you're remembered as an obese spangled Vegas act that died on the toilet, not as one of the finest baritones to ever live.

[Ocelot II]

1. Elvis really did have a good voice.

I wouldn't call him one of the finest baritones ever - those dwell in other realms. The finest baritone who ever lived was probably Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, followed closely by Bryn Terfel and Gerald Finley. But for an untrained pop singer he was damn good, a real natural.

[brewens]

2. We had an unusual oldies station here. 50 & 60's, but deep into the Top 40. He also ran vintage

commercials all the time. I graduated in 1979, so a lot of what they played I vaguely remembered. One thing I loved was hearing a lot of Elvis that wasn't familiar. These days you mostly hear his huge hits. I'd guess half of his top 40 songs are rarely heard now.

[highplainsdem]

3. Elvis started out as a very good '50s rock'n'roller, then saw his career

nearly derailed by years of very bad movies with songs that were usually, at best, mediocre, and were often an embarrassment.

That was years before he became the bloated Vegas entertainer you're thinking of.

Elvis made a comeback in '68 with a great special I remember watching when it first aired. Some videos from that:

And then he went downhill again.

[niyad]

7. I watched a documentary some time last year that had several of his people saying

that, in the months before his death, Elvis had told that scum parker that he did not want to do a tour that parker had arranged, that he wanted to go to Hawaii for a year to heal himself, and then devote himself to acting. parker refused, and insisted that Elvis had to get ready for the tour. Elvis died shortly thereafter.

[highplainsdem]

10. How depressing. I can't help wondering how much better Elvis's career, and his life, would

have been without Parker.

[niyad]

17. Possibly much better. parker was a con man, heavy gambling debts. Elvis wanted

to do serious movies, stop touring and singing. But the contract that a young and naive Elvis had signed gave parker almost total control, including cutting Elvis off from European tours.

Reports indicate that, on the first day of filming for his first movie, "Love Me Tender", Elvis showed up with not just all his lines in the movie memorized, but the entire script.

The movie with Tom Hanks as parker looks interesting.

[highplainsdem]

11. How depressing. I can't help wondering how much better Elvis's career, and his life, would

have been without Parker.

[empedocles]

4. In the 1968 Comeback Special, there was an informal, very small stage, session, with Scotty Moore

on lead guitar, and DJ Fontana drumming on a guitar carringing case.

Elvis' voice carried the show impressively.

[highplainsdem]

8. Yep. That's the special I posted about in reply 3, with some videos.

[MerryHolidays]

5. I don't care if folks call him fat, bloated, obese, toilet-dier etc

He was simply amazing, with perhaps the finest voice in the history of rock.

John Lennon said he basically became a musician because of Elvis.

That's good enough for me.

[markie]

9. Bruno Mars as well...

[Cracklin Charlie]

6. My moms line about Elvis...

“He was a handsome cat.”

And, yeah. He could sing.

[blm]

12. His performance of Trying to Get to You is one of the most

sizzling live TV performances from a singer. Sizzling…..simply…..effortlessly.

[highplainsdem]

13. Another reason that comeback special was so amazing. Thanks for posting!

[Xoan]

14. +1

[Delmette2.0]

15. I become a mushy teenage when I hear some of his songs.

[Boomerproud]

18. I agree 100%. He could sing anything.

[MissMillie]

19. the voice was really quite something

and yes, he was versatile with it.

[malthaussen]

20. Many Elvis fans feel the Army cut off his balls.

That might be a bit harsh, though. Still, Elvis before the Army is pretty damned good. After, not so much. But even then he turned in some decent cuts.

-- Mal