#hi parker!! 📀

[hooked-on-elvis]

Elvis' perfectionism 📀

Author's note: Okay, I'm beyond excited with this post, so please take your time reading it. You won't regret a bit.

So, things just got more interesting for me.

If you read my content for a while now, you must be familiar with the fact that I'm a huge fan of "Elvis On Tour" documentary. There's this scene in the middle of the movie where they play instrumental of "Don't Be Cruel" while some 50s pictures of Elvis are "randomly" shown onscreen... well, not as random as one may think.

"Elvis On Tour" is mainly a live concert documentary but it tells Elvis' history as well. His history as a musician is delivered through his own accounts (Elvis talking about his music preferences, his love for gospel music, etc) and by family members' accounts too, such as an interview with Vernon Presley, his father, that is also featured on the film, when Mr. Presley talks about how Elvis' tours in the 50s were wild with all the fans going extremely hysterical over his son.

One of the pictures in particular, displayed during the "throwback scene" in the movie, is immensely significant to the story that documentary meant to tell the viewers. This one right here:

July 3, 1956: On The Train back to Memphis, Tennessee. Photograph by Alfred Wertheimer. Below, other pictures from the same moment. Note the little record player on Elvis' lap, it is important.

The day before those pictures on the train were taken, Elvis had cut some new songs, soon to be released, "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" are among them, but also "Any Way You Want Me".

Elvis during Studio Sessions for RCA July 2, 1956, at RCA Studios in New York. Photograph by Alfred Wertheimer.

About that recording session, on the precise moment EP was recording "Hound Dog", below is an excerpt from "Elvis Presley: A Life in Music" by Ernst Jorgensen and Peter Guralnick:

This was the session where Elvis’s perfectionist streak first became apparent. From [Steve] Sholes’s point of view several of the earlier takes would have been just fine, and he tried to get the singer to listen to the playbacks, but it was obvious that the singer was marching to his own beat; he wouldn’t rest until he had recorded the song to his own — not anyone else’s — satisfaction. Finally, with thirty-one, Elvis declared himself satisfied, and the room breathed a sigh of relief.

Side note: Before recording the song on studio, Elvis performed "Hound Dog" on the Steve Allen Show, on July 1, 1956. They were all worried about how to turn the live performance into a record, and Elvis was the one who was intensely dedicated to make it work. That's why he took 31 takes to finish working on particular track. It really paid off in the end.

Back to the train pictures on July 3, 1956, the photographer, Alfred Wertheimer, shared his accounts on the moment. He said:

"Elvis in on the train. He had just recorded these three songs but two of them became his third and fourth gold records: "(You Ain't Nothing But A) Hound Dog" was the third and "Don't Be Cruel" was the forth. Here he's listening to it over and over again on the way down to his home [Memphis, Tennessee], and he's listening it on this inexpensive little record player and here, I mean, while the other musicians are horsing around, while Colonel Parker is somewhere else, Elvis keeps listening and listening and listening. He's a serious guy! I asked him 'Why are you listening to it on this tiny little machine with a terrible speaker and you just heard it yesterday on a fourteen inch speaker in a studio, beautiful reproduction?' He says: 'Al...'

"'...This is the way my fans listen to my music. That's the way I wanna hear it.'"

— Elvis Presley, July 1956

On more train picture (Elvis going to Memphis, Tennessee on July 3, 1956):

On that photograph, Alfred Wertheimer said on 'Elvis '56' book:

"Listening to the previous day's work one more time before going to sleep, his teddy bear keeping him company. The record player is sitting on a ledge to the right of his berth."

ABOVE: "Elvis On Tour" (1972) snippet with "Throwback scene". Instrumental of "Don't Be Cruel" is playing on the background while pictures from Elvis' early tours are displayed onscreen. The first picture, that one from July 3, 1956, that Mr. Wertheimer shared his memories about.

The footage on that scene from the documentary is from September 9, 1956 on The Ed Sullivan Show. If you'd like to watch the full performance, here it is:

Well, I don't know about you but I will never see the throwback scene the same way.

I mean, if I'm being honest here, I used to often skip that scene just because I've seen the pictures over and over again and the footage from Ed Sullivan Show as well, so when I watch the film I used to be much more interested on the 1972 live performances, the backstage scenes and so on, but now I know the story of that picture, the scene is a lot more meaningful. That 1972 documentary, friends, is not only about Elvis' performances or the lasting love and adoration from his fans. It has a lot more to do with who Elvis Presley was, specially how he felt about music and how he gave all of him to please us. The film shows Elvis talking about how, in the 70s, after many, many years of experience onstage he still felt anxious before performing... and that picture from the 50s that is shown on the film tell us his dedication to his music was to the extent of listening his records on home record players just to make sure it would sound as flawless as it could be... all for us. After hearing the picture story from Mr. Wertheimer, I just fell in love with that 1972 documentary, and with El, even more. ♥

[spydergaz]

⋆⭒˚.⋆ not a lot, just forever.

🍂📀🍁

word count : 654

cw: fluff, no actual pronouns used, peter is awkward as hell, idk your vibe, but it’s a good one, peter is a cranberries fan.

a/n: i haven’t properly written something in forever :/ but i’m trying i swear lol. i was also listening to Adrianne Lenker while writing this so that may have influenced this a bit.

the leaves crunch under your converses as you walk, your arms swinging loosely by your sides as you wave your hands in the breeze. you’re walking across campus to your next class, a routine you've grown fond of due to the simplicity of it all. you consider yourself a simple person, you enjoy small things like rocks and the sound of the river that flows under the bridge of your campus.

you’re also noticeably quiet, so much so that your teachers have stopped trying to get you to participate in group discussions. you don’t mind though, you’re content being by yourself.

and so is peter. he’s just as quiet as you, he always has headphones on. you can faintly hear his music, you like the fact that he likes the cranberries, you do too. but he tends to sit away from you, he doesn’t hate you, how could he? the way you skip around campus, the way you collect and paint rocks, the way you sit by the river, the way you’re so freely yourself.

his crush on you is something you’re oblivious too, and he’s too scared to even look at you. he’s read so many books on nature related topics that he might turn into a walking weed, he’s replayed a conversation with you in his head so much he could write a script about it. he wants to ask you to get coffee, he’s seen you sip coffee once or twice, maybe he’ll ask you to see a movie?

he knows you like superheroes, he sees the superman pin on your tote bag. but talking to you seems like his kryptonite, like he’ll die if he tries.

but today he’ll try, he’ll try and push past that fear and talk to you.

~

it’s the afternoon, you’re sitting on a bench and quietly sketching the trees in front of you. your foot lightly tapping on the grass to your music that plays softly in your headphones.

he feels like he’s being creepy, holding flowers for a person who doesn’t even know him. but he sighs and walks up to you, cringing at himself as he taps your shoulder.

“hi uhm, i’m not trying to be creepy but-“ he’s cut off by your eyes peering into his, he feels so small when you look at him with those pretty eyes.

“are those flowers?”

“for you.”

“me..?” you smile as he hands them to you, they’re some sunflowers, they’re fake, but the gesture is nice anyways. “the real ones are super expensive and uh-“

you shake your head and look up at him again. “i get it, it’s okay.” he nervously laughs, mindlessly fidgeting with his fingers.

“could i ask your name?” you reply with your name and he smiles, smiles that you trust him enough already for that. “i’m peter parker, i promise i’m a lot more composed usually.”

you laugh at the self deprecating joke.

“i’ve seen you in class.”

“well i don’t tend to turn invisible, i’ve seen you too. which is why i’m giving you flowers.”

you smile, you appreciate how nice he is and how awkward he is too. “i was- am asking you out by the way, if you’re… interested?” you nod, laughing a bit.

“well don’t laugh at me, i’m trying!” his voice is mockingly whiny as he laughs with you. “but you’re like.. okay with going on a date?” you nod again, stifling your laughter for his sake.

“how does a cafe sound?”

“i like the sound of that, I’m always in a mood for coffee.”

“when do you… wanna go?”

“tomorrow? after class?”

“holy shi- uh- yeah that’s okay.” and with that he stands there awkwardly before clearing his throat and nodding, sighing of relief. “yeah i’ll see you tomorrow! uh, i’ve gotta bounce.” you nod in response and wave him goodbye as he runs off, you can practically hear the smile in his voice.

© spydergaz.tumblr please don't claim my work as your own, copy it, or put it on different websites without my consent. Translations are welcome if you do not post them. ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖

[hooked-on-elvis]

Elvis' first LP cover 📀

A LITTLE BACKGROUND STORY ABOUT THE PICTURES USED AS COVERS FOR ELVIS' FIRST LP "ELVIS PRESLEY" RELEASED ON MARCH 23, 1956. All the pictures were taken in 1955.

THE FRONT COVER

Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley and Bill Black in July 31, 1955, during concert in Tampa, Florida. Photo by Williams V. "Red" Robertson.

Known as the "Tonsil Photo", the picture of Elvis holding his 1955 Martin D-28 guitar (with custom made tooled leather cover with his name "Elvis Presley" blazoned across the front), as used on the front cover for his first RCA LP, was taken on July 31st 1955 in Tampa, Florida, according to Tampa photographer William V. "Red" Robertson, who took the picture.

Colonel Parker hired quite a few different studios and photographers to photograph Elvis in the 50s for commercial purposes. Williams Vernon "Red" Robertson was one of the professional photographers hired by Parker, in his case to photograph a show with Elvis Presley on July 31, 1955. Robertson did field work for his Robertson & Fresh commercial photography studio, a firm active in Tampa from 1932 to 1960. Roberton's business partner, Harry Fresh, processed and printed the images. You can see some other pictures from Robertson & Fresh's studio in here (digitalcommons.usf.edu archives).

The "tonsil photo" since taken was extensively used in newspaper and print to promote future shows in the 50s, and due to its use in Elvis' first LP, specially, it's one of the most famous pictures of the King of Rock and Roll.

[1] Elvis' Martin D-28 guitar backstage at the Mosque in Richmond - June 30, 1956 Photo © Al Wertheimer -- [2] The "Tonsil Photo" used in a February 8th ad for the shows on the 10th in the Charlotte Observer. Friday, February 10, 1956, Elvis, Scotty, Bill and DJ made their first appearance in Charlotte with four shows at the Carolina Theatre. [3] Elvis' tooled leather cover (trimmed) and D-28 - Aug 5, 1956 Photo © Bob Moreland.

Other pictures of Elvis taken that same day, July 31st 1955, in Tampa, Florida:

Elvis at Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory in Tampa, FL on July 31, 1955.

THE BACK COVER

On November 30th 1955, Elvis and the Colonel flew to New York, where they register at the Hotel Victoria on Fifty-first Street.

On Thursday, December 1st 1955, Elvis and the Colonel met RCA executives, including president Larry Kanaga and publicity director Anne Fulchino, at the RCA's Twenty-fourth Street studio in New York.

JUST SO YOU KNOW: I think there isn't photos of Elvis with RCA's president Larry Kanaga (at least I haven't found one yet) but below is a photograph from another day (in the future) of EP and Anne Fulchino, publicist for RCA Victor's Pop Record Division. They were waiting for the elevator at CBS Studio 50 in New York City on Saturday, March 17, 1956. Photo by ©Alfred Wertheimer.

Back to December 1st, 1955: A photo shoot was arranged and pictures of Elvis and the Colonel, Elvis and Steve Sholes and Elvis and fellow RCA recording artist Eddy Arnold, who happened to be in New York for a session, were taken in December 1st 1955.

December 1st, 1955, RCA's Twenty-fourth Street studio in New York: Elvis and Steve Sholes; Elvis and Eddy Arnold; Colonel Parker, Eddy Arnold, Elvis and Steve Sholes.

After the pictures with other people, Elvis was photographed by himself... a lot (I mean it). From all the pictures, four of them (posed action shots of Elvis) were used on the back of Elvis' first album.

THE PICTURES ON THE REAR JACKET OF ELVIS' FIRST RCA LP:

Note: I haven't found the 2nd picture in a satisfying quality yet but if I do, I'll update the post.

Some other pictures taken that same day:

Elvis Presley. December 1st 1955. Photo shoot at the RCA's Twenty-fourth Street studio in New York. Photographs by William "Popsie" Randolph.

Credits: Pictures from Pinterest Elvis fan accounts (too many different accounts); Discogs (album sleeves), elvispresleymusic.com.au (some more pictures and info from the December 1955 day in Elvis' life); scottymoore.net (some other pictures and info from the December 1955 day in Elvis' life); digitalcommons.usf.edu (information about one of Elvis' early photographers, William V. "Red" Robertson, who was responsible for the "Tonsil photo").