Return Of The King: Elvis Presley's Great Comeback

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Return Of The King: Elvis Presley's Great Comeback

by Gillian G. Gaar

4.00 · rating details · 8 ratings · 5 reviews

On January 1, 1967, a contract between "Colonel" Tom Parker and his sole client, Elvis Presley, gave Parker a 50 percent cut of profits that Presley generated. It was a shameless grab for a bigger piece of a pie that had actually been shrinking for some time. Though Parker's plan to reestablish Presley as a star after he left the army proved successful at first (...more

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May 23, 2010

Tosh rated it

Elvis Presley = sadness. It is truly the most depressing story of an icon music legend. On one level one would think Elvis was just dumb, but also he was a man who had the moment and the time (1950's) and he was sort of the force that got us over to the 1960's. The concept of Elvis is genius, but the life that is Elvis is not genius, but rather pathetic or someone caught is a strange depressive state of mind and body.

"Return of the King" is a well written researched boo...moreElvis Presley = sadness. It is truly the most depressing story of an icon music legend. On one level one would think Elvis was just dumb, but also he was a man who had the moment and the time (1950's) and he was sort of the force that got us over to the 1960's. The concept of Elvis is genius, but the life that is Elvis is not genius, but rather pathetic or someone caught is a strange depressive state of mind and body.

"Return of the King" is a well written researched book that focuses on Elvis' comeback years that quickly turned into a march to death. The great bio on Elvis is the two volume set by Peter Guralnick, and all others are just a shadow to that particular biography. Saying that, this is a very good book, but it has been said before, so there is really nothing new regarding Elvis and his world.

But for sure, anything on Elvis, one has to talk about Memphis and its culture. The Southern (gothic) culture basically made Elvis, and you can sort of see his world via the images of the great Southern photographer William Egglestion. Roughly both men are in the same generation, but it is interesting to see how outside influences such as the Southern family and settings can make a person tick. The big picture of Elvis is not his sad life, but how is life is part of a bigger puzzle that is the 20th Century South.

Elvis is fascinating in so many ways. A man who wore pink pants and eye make-up in his teenage years, and who adopted black culture as well as country music to make a hybrid sound - or a Frankenstein monster in a sense. Gillian Gaar is good with the facts, but there is no real analysis with those facts. She interviews all the key players but none can penetrate the Elvis wall. And I think even Elvis couldn't penetrate that wall.

So yeah if you are a Elvis fanatic this is a good book. But it has all been said in the Guralnick bio - but then again, like a car accident repeated in front of your eyes again and again, its hard to look the other way.

Also I want to note that the publisher Jaw Bone is fantastic. They don't do poorly designed books, and "Return of the King" is a beautiful production. Great cover, thick pages, nice photos - the whole package is great. (less)

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Aug 10, 2010

Jim Cherry rated it

By 1968 Elvis Presley was the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and a has been. Rock music had moved beyond and transcended him. He spent his post army years making movies and movie soundtracks of lessening quality with each passing one. Gillian Gaar’s “Return of the King: Elvis Presley’s Great Comeback” spotlights Presley’s December 1968 “comeback special” that revitalized Elvis and his career for a brief few years until Elvis fell back into old habits and relied on management that increasingly took for g...moreBy 1968 Elvis Presley was the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and a has been. Rock music had moved beyond and transcended him. He spent his post army years making movies and movie soundtracks of lessening quality with each passing one. Gillian Gaar’s “Return of the King: Elvis Presley’s Great Comeback” spotlights Presley’s December 1968 “comeback special” that revitalized Elvis and his career for a brief few years until Elvis fell back into old habits and relied on management that increasingly took for granted Elvis’ creative needs, and an entourage of yes men.

The comeback special featured Elvis in production numbers and in what could be designated the first “unplugged” performance, Elvis on a small stage with Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana surrounded by fans as he and the boys reminisced in between playing Elvis’ songs live. The show also introduced new songs that would soon become Elvis classics such as “Guitar Man” and In The Ghetto.” The special not only proved to the world that Elvis was a force to be reckoned with, it bolstered Elvis’ self-confidence and proved to himself that he could still be a vital and creative force in music.

In the aftermath of the special, Elvis felt a creative resurgence that led to some of Elvis’ most creative and productive recording sessions at the American Studios in Memphis. Another after effect of the comeback special was Elvis’ return to live performance the first of which would be in the newly built International Hotel where an excited Elvis assembled a band and back-up singers who challenged and enhanced Elvis’ performances. As Elvis’ manager Col. Tom Parker smelled the money in the air, the live performances quickly became a new kind of trap for Elvis.

It’s clear that one of Elvis’ major problems was his obsessive reliance on Col. Tom Parker. Parker, a former carny huckster should have been a transitional figure in Elvis’ life. However Elvis felt indebted to Parker, and Parker took advantage of Elvis treating him like a serf. When Parker found projects that at first engaged Elvis and offered a creative outlet, like the movies and later the Vegas live shows, Parker jumped on it and ran it into the ground booking Elvis for the same type of engagements regardless of quality or the toll it took on Elvis until all Elvis could do is joyless parodies of his former self.

The other detrimental factor for Elvis was his entourage. A group that treated Elvis with kid gloves and encouraged the worst aspects of Elvis’ personality. Ironically, it was with producers that challenged Elvis and told him the truth who got the better performances out of him.

Gillian Gaar does an excellent job of documenting this aspect of Elvis’ career. Gaar interviewed the members of the comeback special’s production team, the musicians and producers who recorded with Elvis and the musicians and singers who played live with Elvis (rarely were the groups the same). There are endnotes for each chapter, there’s a comprehensive listing of all of Elvis’ live performances between 1968 and 1970, and a selected discography and bibliography.

I’m not one to recommend a publisher or their whole catalog but Jawbone Press is publishing high quality books in both content and the actual physical book. If you’re a rock fan I would highly recommend other Jawbone Press books such as “Forever Changes: Arthur Lee and the Book of Love” and the forthcoming “Becoming Elektra” as well as checking their catalog for other books that may be of interest. I’ve made a space in my bookcase for Jawbone Press books.(less)

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Aug 05, 2010

Becky rated it

Shelves: biography

I learned that Elvis did a gross thing in that black jumpsuit, and I'm not going to tell you what it was. Read the book. :)

Really, though, this was a great book, and for all its profound effect on the life and career of an American icon, the '68 Comeback Special hasn't gotten much attention from biographers. Gaar is a meticulous researcher and a very objective observer. She allows interview subjects to tell their stories while verifying facts and eschewing editorial comment. (I've ne...more

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Jun 19, 2010

Danielle rated it

Shelves: nonfiction

see my review here: http://www.examiner.com/x-1361-Seattle-B...

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Oct 29, 2011

Melyssa rated it

Recommends it for: Elvis Fans

Recommended to Melyssa by: Graceland gift shop

Shelves: music-books, bought-on-vacation, read-in-2011

I got this book on a trip to Graceland. It is really well researched and interesting to read. It includes a lot of information about Elvis's 1968 comeback special, later tours and recording sessions, but it doesn't get bogged down in the details.

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Jan 28, 2012

Clara added it

Shelves: clara-s-books

Oct 18, 2011

Betsy marked it as to-read

Mar 13, 2011

Matt rated it

Shelves: half-read

Jan 21, 2011

Alex Bledsoe rated it

Aug 25, 2010

Donald Gibson marked it as to-read

Jul 04, 2010

David Gutowski added it

Jun 27, 2010

flo marked it as to-read

Shelves: music

Jun 20, 2010

Carrie Chappell marked it as to-read

May 29, 2010

Chris rated it

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