Gimme That Old Time Religion--And So Much More

Gimme That Old Time Religion—And So Much More

I’ve been having trouble sleeping. My radiation and chemotherapy are coming to an end, and between the pain in my mouth and throat, the generation of masses of sticky mucous, and an active imagination wondering where my physiology goes from here, I mostly snooze in bed with a renewable supply of music videos playing all night. Soothing, and I hear some damned good music every night. 

Last night I dug around the heap of DVDs and found the super-deluxe multi-CD version of Elvis Presley’s comeback special in Las Vegas in 1968. Elvis’ comeback may be the sole bright spot in that otherwise foul year. And it IS a bright spot. This set has all 4 of the smaller shows done with his original band, along with multiple angles, takes, versions, and interesting obscurities from the main show. 

This stuff is fabulous. No household should be without. And every household should be watching regularly. There are nuances piled on nuances here, and the shows are worth watching repeatedly. Go thou and slick down your hair, build up your guitar skills, and figure out how to charm the hell out of audiences of young ladies despite a paunch and many silly clothes changes. Great, great TV. By one of the great, great masters of rock and roll!