Elvis: The Comeback Special

1968. The "Colonel" had managed Elvis' career so poorly that the man who invented rock n roll was now second fiddle to the British Invasion. Raw talent, drive, energy, good looks and determination gave Elvis one chance to take back his throne. And he pulled it off. But his reward was a regimen in Vegas which was too much for the King. A sick and overweight Elvis would be gone within a decade. Must see. Must.

I have absolutely no complaints about this special because I think it did a great deal of justice to Elvis Presley's stellar career. Everything about it makes it great from the pit session to the musical production numbers. Elvis even closes it out with the awesomely compelling 'If I Can Dream'. This is very easily Elvis at his absolute best. I highly recommend it to any fan.

Recently purchased the deluxe box set of Elvis' 68 Comeback Special and must say there are not enough superlatives to describe it's magnificence as a quality piece of Elvis history, and contemporary music history. Elvis, simply put is Elvis at his best, loose, playful, sizzling, simmering and engaging. That's not to mention the stellar performance. His voice is strong, his moves magic and he has never played the guitar so passionately and vigorously. The performance engages from the opening lines of "If you're looking for trouble, you've come to the right place," through the playful musical nuances and partying of Good Lawdy Miss Clawdy, to the memorable closing performance of "If I Can Dream." This is musical entertainment at it's best. Some of the production numbers are less entertaining than the concert performances, but demonstrate an important part of Elvis' legacy. He is having a great time. Watching it, nearly 40 years later, you will too. Just when the world thought Elvis has left the stage, once again he demonstrates why he is still rock n roll's King. No one can hold a candle to this.

After much convincing, Elvis Presley does something about his career teetering on the brink of stagnation. During the last week of June 1968, the man who almost single handedly led a musical revolution in the mid '50s made use of "Western Recorders" and the "NBC Studios", Burbank, California to put on tape a TV special. The Elvis NBC Special came to be known as "The '68 Comeback Special". It was originally aired on the night of Dec 3, 1968 and slaughtered the competition: 'The Red Skelton Show', 'It Takes a Thief' and 'The Doris Day Show'. Made up of production numbers and mini-concerts in front of live audiences, this TV special afforded a lost man to find his way home. Elvis Presley was back and once again his career would regain meteoric flight.

Producer/director Steve Binder would be swamped with accolades. NBC took the chance and came out looking like a champ. Elvis' fan base would swell. The lp "Elvis(TV Special)" would rapidly peak at #8 on the Billboard Top Albums chart. This 76 minute video is highlighted with a Gospel Medley, the Guitar Man Medley, and songs like 'Lawdy Miss Clawdy','Jailhouse Rock', 'Tiger Man', 'One Night', 'Memories' and the great finale number, 'If I Can Dream'.

Even non Elvis fans will appreciate watching this. In a way it is like watching musical history...hell it is musical history.

The circumstances surrounding the creation of this TV special are well known to all Elvis fans. This is a movie which should be seen by those who are sceptical that Elvis ever had any musical talent; clearly he did have an extraordinary talent and it's on display here. In the acoustic sections of the concert, Elvis jams with some of his Sun Records bandmates and proves that he can rock for real (something he hadn't done is his 20-someodd mostly mediocre movies for MGM, Paramount, and Sam Katzman in the 60s). There are also surreal dance interpretive numbers that feature Elvis karate fighting to the tune of "It Hurts Me" and a spoof (presumably) of spy movies. Thus, this film, more so than any of Elvis' films or other filmed concerts, presents a full view of the artist and his capabilities, which were great indeed. Elvis looks great, probably better than he ever would again, and fans of outre clothing may appreciate the film on a purely fashion level.

This is one to be enjoyed many times.