TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

Just ahead of Halloween, Gurdip, Ryan and Justin wrap their review of the spookiest film in Elvis' movie oeuvre: 1965's "Tickle Me." With the back half of the film set in a haunted hotel aesthetically ripped right out of a Scooby-Doo cartoon, the guys finally settle on where this slightly outdated movie rests in Elvis' filmography before diving into their Songs of the Week. Apropos for the review...

Ryan Droste is back this week to join Gurdip & Justin in reviewing the 1965 musical film "Tickle Me." Notable for its extremely low budget and reused Elvis recordings, the film still had some comedy pedigree, with a script penned by writers known for working with The Three Stooges. Do the film's "far out" zany antics still hold up in 2020? What do the guys make of the recycled soundtrack? All this...

Justin & Gurdip reflect this week on the life and songs of singer-songwriter Mac Davis. For Song of the Week, they decide to pay tribute to Mac by selecting two of the biggest songs he wrote for Elvis. Justin selects "In The Ghetto," the plea against indifference toward the cycle of poverty, crime and systemic racism that unfortunately remains potently relevant. Gurdip, on the other hand, selects...

TCBCast listeners know that Gurdip has few good words for Elvis' 1973 album "Raised on Rock" due to an inexplicable title track and the universally derided "Three Corn Patches," but can Justin make a case for the rest of the album? And what were the implications of the album's commercial and creative disappointments for Elvis' career going forward? Was it genuinely a low point, or just a misfire?...

Justin & Gurdip spend the whole episode gushing over the very best of Elvis' performances - whether live, in the studio, or in the films - that have wowed them or evoked strong reactions from them. From fun rockers like "Ready Teddy" to inspirational and moving tracks like "If I Can Dream," sometimes it's just celebrate why we love listening to an artist's incredible music. Then, for Song of the W...

Professor Ladhar's class returns after a long summer vacation for a look at the chart where Elvis' last Top 10 R&B hit peaked. The Beatles haven't quiet yet came to the US, Motown is beginning to take hold, and things are about the change... but for the moment, Elvis is in good company alongside all-time great female vocalists like Doris Troy and Martha & the Vandellas, as well as icons such as Br...

EXCELLENT! Justin & Gurdip hop in their phone booth and travel back to 1992, the year that "Hunka Hunka Bill & Ted," an episode featuring Elvis from the short-lived Bill & Ted live action TV series aired. As the review goes on, Justin discovers to his surprise that his child-of-the-80s cohost has little love for Wyld Stallions! Bogus!!! Then, for Song of the Week, Gurdip takes us "Down in the Alle...

Justin & Gurdip are joined by Olivia Murphy-Rogers for a review of the pilot episode of the 2017 CMT miniseries "Sun Records." Intended as an adaptation of the stage musical "Million Dollar Quartet," did the series' attempt at making Memphis Recording Service's historic breakthroughs relevant to modern audiences work, or did the show give in to biopic tropes and stereotypes?  Then, for Song of the...

We wrap up our coverage of Elvis' 1950s non-soundtrack studio sessions with the last session Elvis had before shipping out to Germany. Backed by an A-team of Nashville players, Elvis worked no less hard turning out single material than he did with Scotty & Bill. And unlike several prior sessions, RCA kept the tapes, so we get to hear the artistic process in motion as Private Presley pushes for dis...

Justin rounds off Blue Suede Reviews highlighting some of the major posthumous projects that purported to offer "new" Elvis recordings via overdubs, remixes and reorchestrations, along with a brief discussion of the state of RCA's Elvis output between 1977 and the release of "Guitar Man" in 1981. Then, Justin offers an extended discussion of his Top 10 favorite Elvis lifetime albums. Later this we...

As promised, Justin revives Blue Suede Reviews for Elvis Week 2020 to look at the albums released during Elvis' lifetime that were left off the RCA Albums Collection box set, starting with the 1970 Camden release of "Elvis' Christmas Album" and ending with the album that eventually accompanied the 1977 CBS Special "Elvis in Concert." This episode also includes a discussion on the 1973 buyout deal...

This week, Justin & Gurdip return to their coverage of Elvis' non-movie recording sessions. First up are the sessions that not only produced his first Christmas album but also the smash hit "Don't" but also led to a rift between Elvis and his band members. Skipping ahead a few months (and a draft notice), the guys also explore the final sessions with Scotty & Bill in early 1958. With a couple Fran...

Justin & Gurdip start off this week's episode answering a listener question about reaction videos on YouTube about Elvis. Then the main topic goes to a strange corner of the Elvis fandom, looking at the history behind the two USPS stamps featuring Elvis' image, including the massive "young vs old Elvis" cultural debate of the early 90s. Then, for Song of the Week, Gurdip does the best he can picki...

Ryan, Gurdip & Justin return this week to wrap up their review of the 1963 film "Fun in Acapulco," including an mostly-irrelevant tangent about their experiences at gimmicky restaurants. But it's all good! Find out where the movie ranks among their favorites of Elvis' filmography. Then, for Song of the Week, Ryan highlights the heavenly "Angel" from 1962's "Follow That Dream" soundtrack while Gurd...

NOTE: This episode was recorded before news broke about the unfortunate passing of Elvis' grandson Ben Keough. We will not be addressing this tragic incident in this or the following episode. Our hearts are with the extended Presley family, and we hope that Elvis fans will continue to provide them the privacy they deserve at this time. This week, Justin, Ryan & Gurdip head south of the border for...

We're going to drop the third person pretense for this episode description. This week, we're review "Elvis From Outer Space," which is dropping on digital distribution platforms like Amazon and Apple on July 7, 2020. We were very graciously granted access to a pre-release screener by the distribution company. If you want, you can check the film out as it launches the same day this podcast is relea...

After 3 years of planning to do an episode on it, Justin & Gurdip deep dive the posthumous sessions that gave Elvis his first "remix" album, with overdubbed instrumentation. Not only is the "Guitar Man" album from 1981 covered, but so too is the "Too Much Monkey Business" Follow That Dream release, and newly discovered alternate and unfinished recordings from the sessions that were rediscovered by...

In this final collection of reviews covering the last 10 discs from the RCA Albums Collection from 2016, Justin examines Elvis' shift further towards the country genre leading up to the end of his life. The final 3 discs of the 10 showcase rare recordings ranging from amateur demos and home recordings to long-lost studio cuts and jam sessions, allowing Justin to make the case that these may be the...

We're nearing the home stretch of Justin's reviews of the RCA Albums Collection box set from 2016. This episode may reflect the the most "bottom of the barrel" releases put out during Elvis' lifetime, with budget movie compilations like I Got Lucky pushing right up against the erroneously titled Elvis Now. But there are a few bright spots, especially in the live albums.  If you haven't heard these...

Ten remarkable albums cover only a two year span in Elvis' career between 1968-1970 (11 if you count the double LP). These ten albums manage to encompass Elvis' biggest mid-60s pop hits, some of his finest movie soundtrack material, a milestone television special, three full albums worth of Elvis' most artistically mature studio material, and two vastly different live-on-stage experiences. Yeah, J...

On day three of his review of the the RCA Albums Collection box set from 2016... between utterly baffling "Elvis for Everyone" and the gamut of movie soundtracks... well, let's just say Justin isn't looking forward to revisiting "Double Trouble" anytime soon. But there's light at the end of the tunnel as bonus tracks on "Spinout" and the "How Great Thou Art" album let Elvis fans in on a secret: he...

As Justin continues his reviews of the RCA Albums Collection box set from 2016, with one bonus episode per day for six days, he examines the push and pull between albums accompanying movies starring Elvis, and Elvis' non-soundtrack material. Does Justin agree that the early '60s indeed hold "Something for Everybody" or do albums like "Kissin' Cousins" make him say "Once is Enough"? If you haven't...

Gurdip's off for Father's Day, but at his suggestion, Justin revisits his old reviews of the RCA Albums Collection box set from 2016, with one bonus episode per day for six days. From Elvis' debut album through his first album back after returning from the Army, this first episode covers some of Elvis' most game-changing material. If you haven't heard them before, or not in a while, this series wi...

Professor Ladhar takes off his tweed jacket and hands the class over to the country mouse as the guys look at the musical landscape in which Elvis landed his final US #1 single on any chart - the remix of "Guitar Man." Although Justin is right at home, will the twang be too much for Gurdip? Then, for Song of the Week, Justin highlights a transformed Roy Hamilton B-side that Elvis started working o...

In this episode (wah-wah-wah-wah) Both of our hosts (wah-wah-wah-wah) Look at the doo-wop (ah-oo-wah-oo) Elvis loved most (whoa-hoooooah!) Then for Song of the Week, while Gurdip takes a break from Elvis to celebrate "One Summer Night," Justin tries to figure out how to shake a chicken in the middle of the room... it's "Party" from 1957's "Loving You"! Featured Songs of the Week Gurdip: One Summer...