History Music / ElvisNBCTVSpecial

''Elvis'' is the debut {{live album}} by Music/ElvisPresley, released in 1968. It is often [[FanNickname nicknamed]] ''Elvis NBC TV Special'', for there are two other albums by him with the same title. It's the soundtrack for the Creator/{{NBC}} special ''[[ProductPlacement Singer]] Presents...Elvis''[[note]]''Singer'' as in ''Singer Corporation'', the sewing machine manufacturer[[/note]], which premiered on December 3, 1968.

* DamnedByFaintPraise: Elvis claiming that "I like a lot of the new groups, you know. Music/TheBeatles and The Beards and whoever."[[note]]There's been speculation that "The Beards" was a garbled reference to Music/TheByrds.[[/note]]

* HitlerCam: At the end of the TV performance of "If I Can Dream", the camera tracks forward and lowers to frame him this way as the song finishes and he says his final "thank you, good night."

* CoverAlbum: "Up Above My Head", "Memories", "Nothingville" and "If I Can Dream" were the only songs written specifically for the special, and most of the older Elvis songs revived here were already a CoverVersion he'd done of an earlier song.

* FaceOnTheCover: Elvis seen performing in front of a neon sign spelling his first name.

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Well, Step Up to the Camera. The gospel medley opens on a close-up shot of the special's choreographer, Claude Thompson, who does a solo dance to "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child", before Elvis starts his portion of it.

By the end of TheSixties Elvis' career was pretty much in a slump. For most of the decade he had appeared in rather bad Hollywood films and released hit singles that were a watered down version of everything that originally made Elvis great. Many young people felt he had lost "it". In an attempt to revive Elvis' career he shot this special in June of 1968, which was a mix of live performances and production numbers.

It proved to be a huge media spectacle. Not only was this his first live concert since 1961, but it showed Elvis could still rock the crowd and reminded the world why he was such a RockAndRoll superstar. He was very enthusiastic about the concept and it really shows from his energetic performance. Although it sometimes shows him perform with a backing band and background dancers most of the concert is [[IAmTheBand a one-man special]].

It proved to be a triumph, attracting 42% of the American viewing audience when it debuted, making it the single highest-rated program of the 1968-69 network TV season. The show convinced many that Elvis was still the "king" and revitalized his career. Many music fans see it as his finest last hour before his Las Vegas period (which in many ways followed the template laid down by this show) set in and the quality of his concerts seriously went down the drain, not to mention his dignity.

''Elvis'' is the debut {{live album}} by Music/ElvisPresley, released in 1968. It is often [[FanNickname nicknamed]] ''Elvis NBC TV Special'', for there are two other albums by him with the same title. By the end of TheSixties Elvis' career was pretty much in a slump. For most of the decade he had appeared in rather bad Hollywood films and released hit singles that were a watered down version of everything that originally made Elvis great. Many young people felt he had lost "it". In an attempt to revive Elvis' career this comeback special was created and broadcast on December 3, 1968, on the {{Creator/NBC}} TV network.

The event was a huge media spectacle, breaking all records as the highest-rated TV special of that year. Not only was this his first live concert since 1961, but it showed Elvis could still rock the crowd and reminded the world why he was such a RockAndRoll superstar. He was very enthusiastic about the concept and it really shows from his energetic performance. Although it sometimes shows him perform with a backing band and background dancers most of the concert is [[IAmTheBand a one-man special]].

The program, officially titled ''[[ProductPlacement Singer]] Presents...Elvis''[[note]]''Singer'' as in ''Singer Corporation'', the sewing machine manufacturer[[/note]] but often known as the '''68 Comeback Special'', convinced many that Elvis was still the "king" and revitalized his career. Many music fans see it as his finest last hour before his Las Vegas period set in and the quality of his concerts seriously went down the drain, not to mention his dignity.

* UnpluggedVersion: The jam-session segment of the show, in which Elvis plays a mix of his older hits and blues classics with his old band members in an informal setting surrounded by a small audience, is considered a forerunner of this. Electric guitars are used, but drummer D.J. Fontana is keeping the beat on a guitar case.

* {{Corpsing}}: At some points Elvis cracks up, most noticeably during "Love Me Tender", where he adlibs certain lines, laughing with them as he goes along.

* GospelMusic: Elvis performs a medley of three gospel songs: "Where Could I Go But To The Lord?"/"Up Above My Head"/"Saved". During the performance he is backed by a group of Afro-American singers and dancers. Elvis loved the genre and explains during his intro:

* MinisculeRocking: While it's the opening number in the long medley toward the end, "Nothingville" on its own is barely a minute long.

''Elvis'' is the debut {{live album}} by Music/ElvisPresley, released in 1968. It is often [[FanNickname nicknamed]] ''Elvis NBC TV Special'', for there are two other albums by him with the same title. By the end of TheSixties Elvis' career was pretty much in a slump. For most of the decade he had appeared in rather bad Hollywood films and released hit singles that were a watered down version of everything that originally made Elvis great. Many young people felt he had lost "it". In an attempt to revive Elvis' career this comeback special was created and broadcast on 3 December, 1968, on the {{Creator/NBC}} TV network.

The program, officially titled ''Elvis'' but often known as the '''68 Comeback Special'', convinced many that Elvis was still the "king" and revitalized his career. Many music fans see it as his finest last hour before his Las Vegas period set in and the quality of his concerts seriously went down the drain, not to mention his dignity.

Elvis's '''68 Comeback Special'' convinced many that Elvis was still the "king" and revitalized his career. Many music fans see it as his finest last hour before his Las Vegas period set in and the quality of his concerts seriously went down the drain, not to mention his dignity.

'''''Elvis''''' is the debut {{live album}} by Music/ElvisPresley, released in 1968. It is often [[FanNickname nicknamed]] '''''Elvis NBC TV Special''''', for there are two other albums by him with the same title. By the end of TheSixties Elvis' career was pretty much in a slump. For most of the decade he had appeared in rather bad Hollywood films and released hit singles that were a watered down version of everything that originally made Elvis great. Many young people felt he had lost "it". In an attempt to revive Elvis' career this comeback special was created and broadcast on 3 December, 1968, on the {{Creator/NBC}} TV network.

'''''Elvis''''' is the debut {{live album}} by Music/ElvisPresley, released in 1968. It is often [[FanNickname nicknamed]] '''''Elvis NBC TV Special''''', for there are two other albums by him with the same title. By the end of TheSixties Elvis' career was pretty much in a slump. For most of the decade he had appeared in rather bad Hollywood films and released hit singles that were a watered down version of everything that originally made Elvis great. Many young people felt he had lost "it". In an attempt to revive Elvis' career this comeback special was created and broadcast on 3 December, 1968 on the NBC TV network.

* UnpluggedVersion: The jam-session segment of the show, in which Elvis plays a mix of his older hits and blues classics with his old band members in an informal setting surrounded by a small audience, is considered a forerunner of this. Electric guitars are used, but drummer D.J. Fontana is using a guitar case to keep the beat.

The event was a huge media spectacle, breaking all records as the highest-rated TV special of that year. Not only was this his first live concert since 1961, but it showed Elvis could still rock the crowd and remind the world why he was such a RockAndRoll superstar. He was very enthusiastic about the concept and it really shows from his energetic performance. Although it sometimes shows him perform with a backing band and background dancers most of the concert is [[IAmTheBand an one-man special]].

'''''Elvis''''' is the debut [[LiveAlbum live album]] by Music/ElvisPresley, released in 1968. It is often [[FanNickname nicknamed]] '''''Elvis NBC TV Special''''', for there are two other albums by him with the same title. By the end of TheSixties Elvis' career was pretty much in a slump. For most of the decade he had appeared in rather bad Hollywood films and released hit singles that were a watered down version of everything that originally made Elvis great. Many young people felt he had lost "it". In an attempt to revive Elvis' career this comeback special was created and broadcast on 3 December, 1968 on the NBC TV network.

Elvis's '''68 Comeback Special'' convinced many that Elvis was still the "king" and revitalized his career. Many music fans see it as his finest last hour before his Las Vegas period set in and the quality of his concerts seriously went down the drain, not too mention his dignity.

'''''Elvis''''' is the debut LiveAlbum by Music/ElvisPresley, released in 1968. It is often [[FanNickname nicknamed]] '''''Elvis NBC TV Special''''', for there are two other albums by him with the same title. By the end of TheSixties Elvis' career was pretty much in a slump. For most of the decade he had appeared in rather bad Hollywood films and released hit singles that were a watered down version of everything that originally made Elvis great. Many young people felt he had lost "it". In an attempt to revive Elvis' career this comeback special was created and broadcast on 3 December, 1968 on the NBC TV network.

'''''Elvis''''' is the debut live album by Music/ElvisPresley, released in 1968. It is often [[FanNickname nicknamed]] '''''Elvis NBC TV Special''''', for there are two other albums by him with the same title. By the end of TheSixties Elvis' career was pretty much in a slump. For most of the decade he had appeared in rather bad Hollywood films and released hit singles that were a watered down version of everything that originally made Elvis great. Many young people felt he had lost "it". In an attempt to revive Elvis' career this comeback special was created and broadcast on 3 December, 1968 on the NBC TV network.

The event was a huge media spectacle, breaking all records as the highest-rated TV special of that year. Not only was this his first live concert since 1961, but it showed Elvis could still rock the crowd and remind the world why was such a RockAndRoll superstar. He was very enthusiastic about the concept and it really shows from his energetic performance. Although it sometimes shows him perform with a backing band and background dancers most of the concert is [[IAmTheBand an one-man special]].

'''Elvis''', [[FanNickname nicknamed]] "Elvis NBC TV Special" is a 1968 LiveAlbum by Music/ElvisPresley, registrating his comeback special that same year. By the end of TheSixties Elvis' career was pretty much in a slump. For most of the decade he had appeared in rather bad Hollywood films and released hit singles that were a watered down version of everything that originally made "the King of Rock 'N' Roll" great. Many young people felt he had lost "it". In an attempt to revive Elvis' career this comeback special was created and broadcast on December 3, 1968 on the NBC TV network.

Elvis '68 Comeback Special convinced many that Elvis was still the "king" and revitalized his career. Many music fans see it as his finest last hour before his Las Vegas period set in and the quality of his concerts seriously went down the drain, not too mention his dignity.

'''Tracklist'''

[[AC:Side One]]

[[AC:Side Two]]

* {{Gospel}}: Elvis performs a medley of three gospel songs: "Where Could I Go But To The Lord?"/"Up Above My Head"/"Saved". During the performance he is backed by a group of Afro-American singers and dancers. Elvis loved the genre and explains during his intro: