'Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues'

This post continues a week-long tribute to Elvis Presley to celebrate Elvis Week 2013.

One of Elvis' most admirable attempts to shake up what had become a fairly rote stage show -- at least in terms of song selections -- happened on Aug. 19, 1974, the opening night of his summer engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Scrapping "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and "See See Rider" and the usual routine, he opened with "Big Boss Man" and forsake most of the '50s hits, too, for some more interesting material, including "Down in the Alley," "It's Midnight" (which became a staple for a short while), "I'm Leavin'," "If You Talk in Your Sleep," "Promised Land" and a song he had recorded but performed live only once -- Danny O'Keefe's elegiac, "it's past time to grow up" lament, "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues."

Elvis' live take of "Good Time Charlie" is a fine performance and also one of two songs during the '70s to showcase rhythm guitarist John Wilkinson on stage (the other being Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain"). He appears to be engaged and in great spirits, a far cry from the September tour a month later. (Arriving for a concert at College Park, Maryland, an obviously stoned Elvis fell while getting out of his limo and gave a performance so listless that one fan on an audience recording of the show can be heard to say, "He's lost it!") To his credit, he somewhat bounced back the following night, but a later show on the same tour is nearly as bad.

Anyhow, during "Good Time Charlie" back in August, Elvis tries to joke his way through parts of the song that hit too close to home. After he sings the line, "You play around, you'll lose your wife," he quips, "Already done that!" And when he sings "You play too long, you'll lose your life," he appears to utter, "Almost did that, even." (Whatever he says, Charlie Hodge breaks into laughter.) Tellingly -- tragically -- he chooses not to sing one line in O'Keefe's original version:

Got my pills to ease my pain; can't find a thing to ease the rain...

I don't say that with any judgment or sense of irony. I just think doing so would hover over a truth Elvis didn't or couldn't touch, even in song.

The critics were kind -- excited even -- by the new show, but the fans didn't care for the changes. The next night he brought back the same basic setlist he'd been singing for a couple of years and would continue to use -- with a few glorious exceptions -- until the final curtain fell in June 1977 at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. It was a chance to break the monotony, give him a challenge he desperately needed in hindsight, but, alas, it wasn't to be.

Thankfully, the show was recorded and is available on CD as "Nevada Nights" on Sony/BMG's excellent (albeit expensive) FTD label, which has been turning out true treats these last few years for serious Elvis fans.

I will be highlighting some of Elvis' lesser-known songs and hidden gems with Bradley Reeves on WDVX-FM's "East Tennessee Quiver" at 11 p.m. (Eastern) Thursday, Aug. 15. Tune in locally on 89.9 FM, 102.9 FM or online at www.wdvx.com. Call or email the studio with your favorite Elvis request. The only "rule" is the song must be a non-hit. 

This 'n' that

Fell asleep in my chair tonight while watching "Citizen Kane" on TV. Do you think that's a sign I'm getting older? Could be a combination of being tired and sitting this close to the fire.

Or it could be the movie. That Orson Welles epic isn't one you curl up with on a cold winter's night.

Guess that's why I quickly flipped to college hoops. Illinois and Clemson got into a good one earlier. Now I'm watching Duke and Purdue. Hoping the school board shuts up long enough for me to get in front of a TV to watch UT's game tomorrow night. We'll see.

Dickie V. is doing the Duke game on ESPN (big shock there, huh?), so I doubt I'll stay here long. Purdue plays in a pretty cool arena, though. Much better designed for basketball than, say, Thompson-Boling Arena.

Met a friend at Pete's Place in Maynardville tonight for dinner after work. Enjoyed a steak sandwich and a piece of peanut butter pie. Nice way to end the day.

It's cold outside. Winter comes quickly this year, me thinks.

Oh, this is cool. I found a YouTube audio clip of Elvis singing one of my favorite songs, Danny O'Keefe's "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues," from my favorite Elvis concert (the August 1974 opening engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton). He could sing anything, but here he really grabs hold of the song in this performance. To my knowledge, it's the only time he ever sang "Good Time Charlie" in concert.

Guess that's it for now. I'm going to cut off the basketball game, throw another "log" on the fire and read awhile before bedtime. Gotta find out what happens to these kids over in Spain...

Y'all have a good night. Peace out.

Good time Tigers fan's got the blues

"Some gotta win, some gotta lose. Good time Charlie's got the blues." --- Danny O'Keefe, "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues," 1972.

Yeah, yeah. Should be sleeping. Gotta get to the doc by 8:30, then try to work as long as I can later today.

Can't sleep. It just doesn't happen with these stones.

Anyway, turned on the tube tonight in time to see the Tigers blow a 5-2 lead to the hapless Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

I want to blame this on Todd Jones. I call him Cardiac Arrest. If I ever have a heart attack while watching baseball, send my hospital bill to Detroit's closer.

But nah. It isn't all his fault.

The Tigers stranded something like 8 runners. (I'm too tired to look it up.) And my man Curtis Granderson made a truly rotten defensive play late in the game. It swung the momentum decisively toward the Rays.

Give 'em credit. They rode its wave and never looked back.

I like Grandy. He's what you want in an American League leadoff hitter. He plays the field by taking a page ripped from the Thomas Magnum school of defense --- "Sometimes the best defense is a good offense." He's getting a write-in vote from me for this year's All-Star Team.

But, come on, Curtis. Sometimes you just gotta let 'em drop. A single would have been much better than that Rays dude standing on third.

By the way, the Rays' TV play-by-play guy Dewayne Staats drives me nuts. I'll figure out in a day or two who he reminds me of. Makes me wish DirecTV would let ya pick which feed to watch. I miss Mario and Rod.

(Well, I really miss Ernie. But legends only come around once in a lifetime.)

Who's complaining though? I'd let Bob Rathbun come back as long as the Tigers win.

(Did I really just type that? I must be tired.)

Speaking of the Tigers, just in case any of you Knox Vegas Detroit fans are looking in (that's you, Danny Sharp and Grant Rosenberg), check out this fantastic Tigers blog here.

Three weeks worth of stones means no trips to Comerica Park this year. That's OK. Tom Gage, the satellite dish, MLB Radio and blogs like that one will do the trick.

Hey, Jimmy: I love ya, pal, and I know you didn't ask me, but get the bullpen fixed. Now.

We gotta go to Cleveland this weekend and I'm tired of singing that old Danny O'Keefe song after every game.

If the Tigers lose tomorrow, I'm at least digging out Elvis's version, by god.

That's enough. Gotta go to bed. I'm already dreading the sound of the alarm clock.