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Elvis, The '68 Comeback Special (Deluxe Edition DVD)
The King Reclaims His Crown

by William Miller

By 1968, Elvis Presley was a frickin' joke. While he incessantly churned out schlock movies, each one eating away at his greatness bit by bit, the Beatles, Stones, and countless other artists born from Elvis' original sneer had eclipsed their former idol in both popularity and cultural impact. The King of Rock 'N Roll hadn't even scored a bonafide hit in the past three years.

Luckily for us, and of course for him, Elvis got off his lazy peanut butter cheeseburger eatin' ass and did something about it.

In a rare move, Elvis defied manager Colonel Tom Parker when the latter proposed a traditional Christmas TV special to spark some interest in the fading superstar. Yes, Elvis said he do the show, but Christmas carols and cutesy poo were out. Teaming with producer-director Steve Binder, Elvis instead came up with a program that not only resuscitated his career but lays claims to the greatest moment in Rock 'N Roll.

On the evening of Dec. 3 1968, Elvis stared right into the NBC camera with those eyes that made pubescent girls and blue haired bitties shriek in rapture and bellowed,

"Lookin' for trouble? You came to the right place."

And what a place it was. Back in a leather jumpsuit that Jim Morrison would die for, Elvis played his greatest hits and them some in both electric and acoustic formats. His old band was back. His command was back. His danger was back. This was an Elvis fighting to reclaim his crown, to defy the obsolescence that was threatening to envelope him.

Making up for the years of "Do The Clam" and other doggerel, he even served up a Rock 'N Roll state of the union with "If I Can Dream" one of the few message songs whose platitudes didn't drown out the OOMPH inherent in all good rock. Listen (and watch) Elvis toward the end of the performance - the guy practically has an orgasm on national tv.

While the Elvis renaissance wouldn't last long - the subsequent moribund Vegas gigs soon became substitutes for his crap movies - he did put out some of the best material of his career. The From Elvis in Memphis album and "Suspicious Minds" which followed closely after the 68 Special equal anything from his 1950s heyday.

Now just in time to celebrate, well... nothing really, we get a wonderful three disc dvd set containing practically every piece of footage shot for the show. While Elvis newbies will be content with just the core program, mega Presley fans will be going ga ga over the unreleased material for the next few months. There's even liner notes by the Walter Cronkite of rock critics, Greil Marcus.

It's interesting to ponder where the Elvis legend would stand today if he followed the Colonel's advice and warbled "White Christmas". Perhaps if his career had not been brought back from the brink of destruction, he would not have succumbed to the pressures of fame that claimed his life ten years later. Perhaps he would still be alive today, and not currently circling a Kalamazoo Burger King in a flying saucer.

On second thought, maybe its best not to ponder.