Drunk on Danny Boy recording?

[Scott Haigh 781990EP]

In response to Elvis cutting is October 76 sessions short, i don't think he had a head cold

by 1975, Elvis was withdrawing from the studio. he hated studio recording, so this is why they had to put the recording equipment in the jungle room, to bring the studio to him. but even then, Elvis still did'nt like recording, and even in February, Elvis was still distracted. A good reason why Elvis cut the October sessions short. Also, Elvis was in the halloween spirit, and seemed to distracted at getting serious. but then Felton booked the sessions for January in Nashville, thinking with Elvis's great mood at the end of the year, Elvis would feel like recording. but we all know what happened there............

[Rob]

by 1975, Elvis was withdrawing from the studio.

This was happening long before 1975. After 1971, getting Elvis into the studio seemed to be quite a chore. Even when Felton managed to get him there, he soon found that only half of the task was completed.

[Scott Haigh 781990EP]

well he did pick up for the december stax sessions in 73. I wonder why, after such a short time since he'd been making 'real' songs other than sound tracks, that Elvis some how just got bored

[Juan Luis]

Since he was a perfectionist (in his heart imo) in the studio the thought of working hard or doing it not 100% probably frustrated him and therefore tried to get around not recording. Many of the songs (imo) in the 70s were unfinished by his 1950s standards. One Night is an example of him trying for perfection and thus preventing the song's release for a while.

[dannyboy1]

I know Mr. Rijff totally enjoys trashing Elvis in the 70's, but medication is by far a more accurate term. Drugs is a very general term that includes a wide range of substances taken for recreational purposes.

Elvis' addiction was to prescribed medication, Ger. That's not denying anything. It is simply the fact.

[Scott Hayward]

Elvis' addiction was to prescribed medication, Ger. That's not denying anything. It is simply the fact.

There's also no denying that this "prescribed medication" was used for recreational purposes.

[Tallhair AKA Ger Rijff]

... Enjoy trashing Elvis in the 70s?!

... Yes, Danny, What is more fun than seeing your life long hero going down the drain on drugs? Listen kid, come back to me when you know how drugs work, and how they fok you up.

... I dont even know why I bother to reply, to ignorant people like you.
... Tell me, which doctor will descibe liqued cocaine for medication?
... Answer: doctor Feelgood in Vegas.
... How I know? I was shown the inside of Elvis his leather pants, that he had worn on stage, in Vegas 74... Not a pretty sight all them little blood stains from injecting in his bum...

... Do I enjoy sharing this with you all? No, not for a second! But its sad, people, to this very day, still cant take the truth. I love the man, but Im neither blind, or deaf .

[Joe Car]

What's really sad is that we on this site rehash his problems over and frickin over. Elvis had a problem, as did many other entertainers back then and today. Were there shows in the seventies affected, of course, but he still put on many great, great shows during this particular era, an era in which a ton of people became EP fans. I was a big fan of Ali as well, am I going to go over and over about the fights he fought in which he was clearly in poor shape, of course not. Elvis was human and was on an unbelievable ride for 22 years, 22 years of unmatched fame and with no road map to follow, nobodies mistakes to learn from. If there been somebody else before him, it might have been different.

[Tallhair AKA Ger Rijff]

... No road map to follow...?!

... He only had to look what happened to Johnny Cash... He knew the dangers of drugs. Everybody in the music biz new what it could do to people.
You dont think, Elvis knew?... The word is denial.

[AndrewJ]

Of course he knew - he wanted to escape!

[Pete Dube]

The thing to bear in mind folks is that Elvis was addicted to the prescription 'medication.' He could not stop of his own accord even if he wanted to. Addicts usually have to hit rock bottom before they'll admit they need help. In Elvis' case because the drugs were prescribed by Doctors he was able to play the game in his mind of being on 'medication', while 'drugs' were the illegal street stuff used by 'junkies.' Compounding his problem was the fact that he was a prideful man, as well as probably having a sizable ego from being the biggest male singer on the planet for so long, an ego stroked and pumped up by being surrounded by yes men. This was an enormous hurdle for him to overcome if he was to admit he had a problem and needed help. Sadly, he was unable to overcome that hurdle. But the fact that he died an ugly death does not change the fact that he gave us much to enjoy over the course of his 23 year career.

[Joe Car]

... No road map to follow...?!

... He only had to look what happened to Johnny Cash... He knew the dangers of drugs. Everybody in the music biz new what it could do to people.
You dont think, Elvis knew?... The word is denial.

Ger, I beg to differ, I don't think he did know as far as prescribed medicine went. A lot of people didn't know back then the extent of how dangerous pills could be if abused. My God, docs all around were precribing speed for people to lose weight. I believe when he thought of drugs, he thought, heroin, LSD and acid, like alot of us did. As far as Johnny Cash goes, perhaps Elvis wasn't aware of Cash's problems. Keep in mind, Elvis didn't know who Led Zeppelin were until clued in by one of his step-brothers. Perhaps it was that isolation that was part of his undoing.

[Joe Car]

The thing to bear in mind folks is that Elvis was addicted to the prescription 'medication.' He could not stop of his own accord even if he wanted to. Addicts usually have to hit rock bottom before they'll admit they need help. In Elvis' case because the drugs were prescribed by Doctors he was able to play the game in his mind of being on 'medication', while 'drugs' were the illegal street stuff used by 'junkies.' Compounding his problem was the fact that he was a prideful man, as well as probably having a sizable ego from being the biggest male singer on the planet for so long, an ego stroked and pumped up by being surrounded by yes men. This was an enormous hurdle for him to overcome if he was to admit he had a problem and needed help. Sadly, he was unable to overcome that hurdle. But the fact that he died an ugly death does not change the fact that he gave us much to enjoy over the course of his 23 year career.

Pete, well said!

[Melanie]

Seems as if we return to his addiction every once in a while. In my opinion it is ok to discuss this topic, to speculate, to present the hard facts. Ger is right. There are still way too many fans, not necessarily on this forum, that are still very much in denial. They think E is God and at the same time the poor victim. Glossing the situation over is not the right way. I guess we can all agree, that none of us is trashing E by pointing out his addiction to medication, but that we very much prefer to talk about his legacy and music.

Yes, he abused various substances, possibly experimented too much, too often just for the thrill of seeing how a certain pill would affect him. He was naive about chemical dependence. About how destructive, powerful and overwhelming it is.

There's something about stardom and the way it empowers people, he thought he was immune. Fame can draw stars into a kind of magical thinking, wherein the laws of humankind are suspended. Statistics show that the average age of death for celebrities is 58, compared to an average of 72 years old for other Americans.

Also when a performer goes on tour, he must be insured. He gets a physical, the results are cited when getting insurance, and there is a lot of money at stake. How was E even insurable, especially in 77?

There were facilities for drug treatment and E could easily have been admitted to a private center. Who knows if it would have been career suicide? Wouldn't fans have wanted to see him completely recovered again? Kind of ironic that stars seeking professional treatment today are sometimes even considered hip.

Kathy Westmoreland and others are saying, "Nichopoulos treated the drug abuse, even though I am also saying that we didn't know the dangers of drugs back then." So, I guess we're to conclude that Nichopoulos was the only doctor who knew the dangers of these drugs?

Fact is he got out of it all by having his ass covered. Could he still have been named in a wrongful death lawsuit?

[Juan Luis]

Everyone knew about Johnny Cash. I read an article or something by Johnny himself in elementary school 76-77. About the DRUGS and how he had overcome them etc.. I agree with Melanie 100%.

[Joe Car]

Everyone knew about Johnny Cash. I read an article or something by Johnny himself in elementary school 76-77. About the DRUGS and how he had overcome them etc.. I agree with Melanie 100%.

I never knew.

[Juan Luis]

Sorry about that . Instead of everyone knew I should have said well known since he got jail time for buying a bunch of pills in Mexico. Late 60's I think.

[elvis_mania54545]

Joe car your right 100%, but people being respectful on this board will never happen. people love going in to detail about all his problems & then if u say something then your wearing blinders. i think we all know by now elvis had problems but i guess some people like to have something to talk about so they tell us all how they would have did it! and the way some of u people talk to eachother is rather childish no matter how many books u have written or how much of an expert u might think u are, of course its done to shine the light on yourself. oh yea i dont think elvis is a god,sorry i just dont want to spend my time going into to goring details.

[Melanie]

Joe car your right 100%, but people being respectful on this board will never happen. people love going in to detail about all his problems & then if u say something then your wearing blinders. i think we all know by now elvis had problems but i guess some people like to have something to talk about so they tell us all how they would have did it! and the way some of u people talk to eachother is rather childish no matter how many books u have written or how much of an expert u might think u are, of course its done to shine the light on yourself. oh yea i dont think elvis is a god,sorry i just dont want to spend my time going into to goring details.

Why will people on this board being respectful never happen?
I guess I can only speak for myself, but I always try to treat all users on this board equally nice. And since you mention God, I can only assume you directed your answer at me. But I didn't mean YOU. I was talking about the fans, who parade infront TV cameras every year come August, and announce to the world that they have been visited by his ghost or make other fantasy statements. Each to his own, but in my opinion that is not only very damaging to E, but also to the fans, who beg to differ with them.

[dl]

Thanks Ger, for telling the truth. People with a sence of reality are always welcome! But back to the "Danny Boy" thing: To me this is a great performance and Elvis sounds just great. This may not have been the case with every song on that album, but "Danny Boy" is outstanding!

[Juan Luis]

I would love it (Danny Boy) even if they mix everything out and he would sound a capella!!!

[Joe Car]

Thanks Ger, for telling the truth. People with a sence of reality are always welcome! But back to the "Danny Boy" thing: To me this is a great performance and Elvis sounds just great. This may not have been the case with every song on that album, but "Danny Boy" is outstanding!

A sense of reality is fine but so is having compassion, something that's sorely lacking by a few people on this board.

[Tallhair AKA Ger Rijff]

... Yes, Joe, it hurts me to, when you can hear, or see him struggle his way through a song, or a stage performance in his final years...

... I share things, that I know, with everybody else here. And I do know, its not fun reading, all the time... But it is the truth. You, and others, rather have me shutting up? Certain things can be told, while others should be left, locked away, because it hurts sometimes...? Maybe I do cross the line sometimes?

... But thats because, 30 years later, blind fans still deny his intake of drugs, and will still call all the sh* t that he took- "medication"...

... And yes, this topic turns up every so many months here... But so are another 100 topics being re- hashed all the time. Most are lightweight discussions about "whats your favourite this or that " subjects, or did, or didnt he had plastic surgery?... I feel that there also should be room for more serious matters. But maybe I just should stay away from these heavy topics for a while...?

[ColinB]

Actually, I don't recall reading or hearing of Elvis being drunk anytime !

I think we can discount the accusation from Stella Stevens about Return To Sender !

[Juan Luis]

... Yes, Joe, it hurts me to, when you can hear, or see him struggle his way through a song, or a stage performance in his final years...

... I share things, that I know, with everybody else here. And I do know, its not fun reading, all the time... But it is the truth. You, and others, rather have me shutting up? Certain things can be told, while others should be left, locked away, because it hurts sometimes...? Maybe I do cross the line sometimes?

... But thats because, 30 years later, blind fans still deny his intake of drugs, and will still call all the sh* t that he took- "medication"...

... And yes, this topic turns up every so many months here... But so are another 100 topics being re- hashed all the time. Most are lightweight discussions about "whats your favourite this or that " subjects, or did, or didnt he had plastic surgery?... I feel that there also should be room for more serious matters. But maybe I just should stay away from these heavy topics for a while...?

I agree with you. If I were to read something like Oh Col Parker did not protect him from this or that! The first thing I would think of saying would be geez..He was !@#@ 42 years old. A big boy!!! I will never agree with people placing Elvis as the victim and everyone else to blame...