Why you should care
Because you wish your ramblings could sell copies of a record.
It’s easy to debate Elvis Presley’s best work — the man generated numerous No. 1 hits, films and unplugged concert videos.
His worst work, though, isn’t so hard to recognize. Having Fun With Elvis On Stage — a talking album only — was compiled by his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, in an effort to turn a quick buck, and comprises clippings of Elvis in between songs. There are no actual songs. Every grunt, wail and flirtation is captured on this record that is vehemently detested today as capitalizing on Elvis’ brand without providing any artistic value.
While the album’s difficult to listen through, in a way it provides a unique look at Elvis’ life on stage outside of his music. He plays with the audience with his own strange humor, and the unvarnished outtakes exhibit the King of Hip Shaking’s personality. Uh-huh. Yeahhhhh.
Video by Tom Gorman.
