TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

• TCBCast 353: E.P.'s EPs: The Extended Play Records of Elvis Presley

  This week, Bec and Justin explore the history behind the Extended Play format and how this record format played an important part in the consumption of Elvis's music by fans during his early career with RCA, and also briefly explore some of the more obscure and interesting international EPs that caught their eyes while digging into the topic.  Then for Song of the Week, both hosts go for some serious weepers, tackling iconic 70s breakup songs, with Justin selecting Elvis's melancholy version of Tony Joe White's "For Ol' Times Sake" and Bec spotlighting the heartbreaking 1972 hit "Separate Ways," which Elvis fans know was co-written by Elvis's good friend Red West, who gave the song a slightly autobiographical bent. Some resources that were helpful to us EP-wise: https://www.sergent.com.au/elvis/eps.html https://keithflynn.com http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/elvis-extended-plays.html Plus Discogs.com & 45cat.com 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.

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• TCBCast 352: Double Trouble Review, Part Two: "Croisière Surprise"

  Gurdip and Justin continue their discussion of 1967's "Double Trouble" as this infamous Elvis film finally introduces its more zany comedic elements with The Wiere Brothers, Helene Winston's grabby "Gerda" and a goofy Captain and First Mate intent on blowing up their own ship. The wacky side characters liven up the back half of the story - though the script remains equally as confusing and its attempts at absurdity flounder.  But - what if there's a twist to the story of Double Trouble that no one's ever pondered before that may make revisiting the film a bit more tolerable in the future? Justin's come up with a theory that may change the way you view the movie, though definitely not intended by the filmmakers! Song of the Week will return next week with our episode on the history of Elvis's Extended Play records! 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.

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• TCBCast 351: The Worst Elvis Movie? "Double Trouble" TCBCast Review, Part 1

  This is it! We've finally decided to just do it and visit the one Elvis movie often considered to be among the worst of his narrative feature films, 1967's "Double Trouble," directed by Norman Taurog for MGM from a script by Jo Heims, and co-starring Annette Day, Yvonne Romain, John Williams, Monty Landis, Leon Askin, Norman Rossington, Chips Rafferty and The Wiere Brothers. It's classic TCBCast, just Justin and Gurdip on their own. Justin digs deeper than most and read through "The Choice," the obscure original 1960 novel that "Double Trouble" was VERY loosely inspired by (enough to merit a "story by" credit for author Marc Brandel, but that's about it.)  Then, the guys dig into the "comedy" renowned for its story about killers lurking in the shadows hunting a rich heiress, bumbling jewel thieves, slapstick police officers, a mysterious femme fatale and waiting patiently for the age of consent. Promoted as a fun romp across "mad mod Europe," yet filmed entirely on set in the United States (not counting second unit) and mostly just set in Belgium, "Double Trouble" is perhaps one of the most contentious narrative films in the Elvis canon. And yet... one of us ends up liking it more than you might expect? You'll just have to listen and find out... 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.

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• TCBCast 350: "A Valentine Gift For You" (1985) Album Discussion

  This week, to mark the Valentine's Day holiday, Gurdip, Bec and myself gave a listen to the one explicitly Valentine-themed Elvis compilation, released 40 years ago amid celebrations of Elvis's 50th birthday. Far from being a mere collection of famous love songs, some surprising deep cuts make the grade, but also a lot of songs about broken hearts, which confounds Gurdip. For Song of the Week, Bec digs into the title theme from 1961's "Wild in the Country," and Gurdip matches with another movie title track, this time from 1967's "Double Trouble." Justin, however, takes the opportunity to examine the history behind one of the few songs Elvis ever publicly declared among his favorites, "Padre," which he recorded in 1971 but wasn't released until 1973. Plus, if you're needing something to listen to today, we've got a special Valentine's Day playlist made up featuring songs from this album and a mix of other romantic tracks: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0eW2fGlc0x0CyAeTJIL9gw?si=dc41503407554785 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.

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• TCBCast 349: The "Almost Famous" Elvis Hot 100 Hits, Part 2 (feat. Chris Jones)

  Following on from Part 1, Justin, Olivia and guest host Chris Jones (of the "Hall of Songs" podcast) explore Elvis's Hot 100 hits that never made it to the Top 40, closing out the movie era with tracks from Speedway and Live A Little, Love A Little and moving into the 1970s, a decade that surprisingly offered Elvis far more pop success than may often be perceived, as only 5 of his single A-sides charted outside the Top 40 (and only the Christmas and gospel singles not charting whatsoever in the Hot 100). Also touched upon are the three posthumous Hot 100 hits that never reached the Top 40: The Elvis Medley, and the remixes of A Little Less Conversation and Rubberneckin'. For Song of the Week, Chris is inspired by having recently watched "The Big Lebowski" to pick Elvis's 1966 home recording of the Sons of the Pioneers cowboy classic that opens that film, "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds," while Olivia goes deep on the extensive history behind Elvis's version of the apocalyptic spiritual "I, John," rooted almost entirely in Black gospel tradition until Elvis's 1971 recording released on the "He Touched Me" album in '72. Visit hallofsongs.com or find it on your podcast platform of choice to hear more of Chris and his buddy Tim. 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.

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