TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

Justin and Bec wrap their extensive exploration of Elvis' time at Chips Moman's American Sound Studio by covering the material recorded there in February 1969, from "Power of My Love" to "Kentucky Rain" and more, before pondering the many reasons, good and bad, why Elvis never returned to American. For Song of the Week, 1960's the year to focus on, as Justin picks "I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs...

This week, Gurdip and Justin sit down with a handful of their favorite Elvis country recordings. For Song of the Week, Gurdip picks the traditional Mexican song "Guadalajara," an ode to the city of the same name, which Elvis recorded for a 1963 film set in Acapulco, a city over 500 miles away... oops! Then, Justin bites the bullet and makes the case that "Barefoot Ballad" from Kissin Cousins was a...

Gurdip's back! This week we're visiting the 1983 overdub project "I Was the One" which paired Elvis' original recordings with new backing by Scotty, DJ, Emery Gordy, Dale Sellers and the Jordanaires, overseen by two of Elvis's own concert pianists, David Briggs and Tony Brown, as well as the medley they oversaw the production of. Is the album a lost classic, or was its flop status merited? Then, f...

This week, Justin and Bec go deep into the first portion of Elvis's iconic 1969 sessions at Chips Moman's American Sound studio in Memphis, starting from Long Black Limousine and concluding with what would become his first #1 hit since 1965. They also discuss what was so remarkable about Chips as producer, several of American Sound's other hit recordings, and the brilliance of the American house b...

Previously recorded in February 2022 as an exclusive bonus episode for Patreon backers, Gurdip and Justin sat down with iconic-but-deeply-underrated soul singer Chuck Jackson's 1966 Elvis tribute album "Dedicated to the King" and briefly discuss Chuck's lengthy entertainment career as well, including his biggest hit, "Any Day Now." Sadly, Chuck Jackson passed away at the age of 85 on February 15,...

Continuing on from TCBCast 255, Justin and Bec give an overview of some of their favorite songwriters for Elvis, how their material shaped Elvis's career, and why their work resonates with us, along with spotlighting some of the songs they wrote for other acts as well, whether they were solo singer-songwriters, regular collaborators, or Brill Building coworkers.  For Song of the Week, we're tackli...

This week's episode became an unexpected two-parter! After Justin's major misunderstanding the assignment from the Patreon-voted main topic, this first portion will cover not just the usual news, trivia and listener feedback but also the topic as suggested: some of the comments and perspectives from famous 70s-era singer-songwriters, offering their thoughts on Elvis' versions of their songs and a...

Due to extenuating circumstances, we've had to push our previously scheduled topic back one week, and so at the last minute, Justin and Bec just decided to have a very fun, very laid back Elvis chat. Beyond reacting to the new clips from Elliott Wheeler's "Elvis" score released this week in WB's "The Story of the Score", the hosts debate which approach to experiencing Elvis's music the first time...

This week, we're taking a look back at Elvis's March 1975 recording sessions that produced the heavily country-tinged album "Today" - his very last session in a proper recording studio. Can Gurdip overcome his longstanding beef with country music to give the material a fair shake or is that just a great big "Fairytale"? Do producer Felton Jarvis' heavy overdubs work or do they lead to "T-R-O-U-B-L...

Justin and Bec return this week to sit down with the shooting script for Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, now confirmed for 8 Oscar noms, to bring to light some of the many differences big and small between what was written and what made it into the final film. From full deleted scenes we've known about ("In The Ghetto") to ones we didn't (DID Colonel Parker kill someone?) to many notable minor dialog...

Rest in Peace - Lisa Marie Presley February 1, 1968 - January 12, 2023 It is okay to grieve. We all do it differently. But it's important to talk about it. Lisa Marie told us to. Gurdip, Justin, Ryan and Bec are all here to talk openly through our raw feelings and thoughts. Read Lisa's full essay on grief here: https://people.com/music/lisa-marie-presley-was-destroyed-by-son-benjamins-death-grief-...

Happy birthday, Elvis! This week, we're taking a look back at the 1966 soundtrack for the movie "Spinout," one of the first Elvis albums Gurdip ever owned and therefore one he holds with great affection. Has it been wrongly maligned and lumped in with other movie soundtracks? Or has it earned a place as forgettable 60s fluff? And what to make of the bonus tracks? All that and more, but before that...

Gurdip and Justin look back at 2022 and the last 5 years of TCBCast before digging into a stuffed-to-the-brim inbox of listener and patron feedback and comments. Don't forget - this coming Sunday is Elvis's birthday! For Song of the Week, Justin gets his soul rocked in the "Bosom of Abraham" learning about the history of Elvis' 70s cover of an old, subversive gospel song, while Gurdip takes a list...

For the first time since Baz Luhrmann's Elvis dropped, Ryan returns to TCBCast for an extensive discussion on Elvis's final two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show on October 28, 1956 and January 6, 1957, with the latter being the infamous "filmed from the waist up" program. Are these performances truly as legendary as the myth around them? We'll find out together! Then, Ryan finally get to put fo...

In this split-host episode, Gurdip and Justin give their initial impressions of the new Elvis On Tour box set, recorded shortly after its early December release, as well as highlight certain performances that stick out as noteworthy listens. Then they briefly speculate on what the future holds for Elvis box sets going forward now that Sony seems to have mostly caught up with securing their continu...

The epic conclusion of our gigantic, four-part, 6-hour Clambake review episode draws to a close in a wonderful, incredible way as Justin and Rabia finally deliver on what they had foreshadowed to Felix all the way back in the first part: you get to hear someone who mere hours before previously knew only the most basic pop culture knowledge about Elvis Presley, experience the highest highs of the 1...

As 1967's Clambake passes its balls-to-the-wall groovy titular scene, it quietly becomes a relatively mundane little sports flick about the formulation of a protective sealant for boats... but Justin blows Rabia & Felix's minds by revealing that the infamous "GOOP" later effectively became a reality, before providing historical insights into the 1967 Orange Bowl Regatta held in Miami, Florida, and...

Part 2 of our massive review of 1967's "Clambake" centers around the two most memorable musical showpieces in the film: "Confidence" and "Clambake." It's here in Part 2 that we learn the true reason why the Frank Sinatra podcast peeps are here: not only "Confidence"'s infamous similarity to "High Hopes" from the 1959 movie "A Hole in the Head", but Rabia & Felix's recent encounter with a prominent...

You folks have no idea what you are in for. Over the next couple weeks, as a holiday treat, Justin is joined by Felix and Rabia of Suddenly: A Frank Sinatra Podcast for perhaps the most in-depth exploration of the 1967 cinematic classic "Clambake" that maybe anyone has ever undertaken in the last 55 years. Including Song of the Week, our holiday special "A Very Clambake Christmas" (further split i...

A note from Justin & Gurdip: "This episode takes some pretty sharp turns. We hope that after you hear us 'give it the old college try,' you all will appreciate and understand the approach that we eventually landed on for the Patreon-picked main topic on the abundance of conspiracy theories that loomed over pop culture after Elvis's death in 1977, and our pivot to discussing some great music from 1...

Six performances on television across nine weeks in early 1956. Not only did Elvis's life and career changed so dramatically between them, but the face of America's cultural landscape, as the establishment voices of popular and country music fought the tidal wave of rock and roll on all fronts, winning some small victories like Dot Records's attempt to obliterate Little Richard's original "Tutti F...

From its misleading title to its meme-status cover, for all our joking about 1972's Elvis Now, it's time to put our money where our mouths are and actually see if the music itself is as misguided as the cover that contains it would seem to imply! For Song of the Week, Gurdip realizes that the 1963 "Return to Sender" sequel song, "Western Union," still sounds good despite being an outdated culture...

Justin, Jamie, and John continue their exploration of Hal Wallis's 1957 production, "Loving You," by delving into the stories behind Elvis's costars and how they ended up in the film, particularly Lizabeth Scott and Dolores Hart. Then the guy ponder Loving You's legacy as to how the film handles the cultural zeitgeist around Elvis Presley, seriously contemplate whether Loving You or Jailhouse Rock...

Musician, actor, songwriter, producer and past TCBCast guest Jamie Kelley returns with Elvis collector & expert John Michael Heath, the co-host of their new YouTube video series EAP Society, to sit down with Justin to talk all about what they've been up to in the past couple years, their history as collectors, and then get down into the nitty gritty behind the classic 1957 film starring Elvis Pres...

This week, Justin and Bec are joined by Rick London, longtime Elvis fan since 1955, and music history aficionado. Rick provides a wealth of insights and experiences on what being a contemporary Elvis fan felt like, and how the process of learning about him and consuming pop culture has evolved in the years since, and in a fun sidebar, Justin even gets him to discuss his brief stint in the mid-60s...