This is an Elvis forum and, as much as we don't always like to watch images of Elvis in the last year of his life, as it upsets us, I won't shy away from doing it. We all wish he was still with us in 2006, still making music and enjoying his grandchildren :)

The reason I mentioned this, is a subject was brought up on another Elvis board and I thought I would bring it over here ;)

 

Elvis recorded My Way and performed it at Aloha In Hawaii in 1973. He performed it also, during his last concert tour in 1977.

The question I'm asking is, which of these 2 versions do you prefer and I'm thinking of the vocals and not his physical appearance :) By that time, he was very ill and should have been getting the treatment he so obviously needed.

 

Having said that, for me personally, as much as I love Aloha, it has to be the '77 version, for the reason that, IMO, his vocals were so strong and his delivery of them, more passionate than in '73 - Was he thinking about his own life? He may have been very ill, but his voice was tremendous right up to the end of his life

 

But what do others think? ;)

 

My Way:Aloha 1973

 

[flash=450,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRUej62Amqw.swf

 

My Way:1977

 

[flash=450,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIWWQpZOYA8.swf

 

Just bumping this back up cos I'd love to hear what other's think

OOOOh that's a hard one But i will say the one n 73 it seems much stronger his voice and every word he says it comes from within himself from the heat :wub: and gives an amazing performance as allways. He gave it 100% to say he was'nt to well

 

Who origionally sang the song was it frank sinatra? i love frank's version too :wub:

Hi Ana :D

 

I always thought it was Frank who recorded it first, we all know his version, but I've found out he wasn't the first :o Apparently the song was originally recorded in French by Claude François in 1967 :blink: then none other than young David Bowie recorded an earlier English translation, titled "Even A Fool Learns To Love," in 1968. :o Paul Anka recorded it in 1969 and bought the rights to the song after having heard the French version and when Sinatra asked him to write a song for him (Sinatra was toying with the idea of early retirement), he offered him "My Way." B)

 

I never knew any of this, but I found it out on a great site which tells you all about Elvis songs :dance:

 

http://users.pandora.be/davidneale/elvis/o...nals/index.html

 

Anyone else have any thoughts about the two Elvis versions ;)

well both versions are better than Sid Vicious' :lol:

well both versions are better than Sid Vicious' :lol:

I don't know about that, Brian :lol: Didn't I ever tell you that I used to be a safety pin wearing punk rocker :rofl:

Sheena(Carole) is a punk rocker :rofl:

Wouldn't let the Ramones use my real name cos I was a shy punk :yahoo:

Wouldn't let the Ramones use my real name cos I was a shy punk

 

that i don't believe, i bet you were in the front row :dance:

 

My hair was natural :dance: Wake up every morning, take one look in the mirror and I've still got the look :lol:

:lol:

 

Oh that's interesting thanks tilly for that i would never have known

 

I'll have a look at that page there's loooooooooooooooads of songs to get through :lol:

 

Think I have to agree with you Carole, if you close your eyes and listen to them, I think his performance in '77 was stronger, I don't know whether he felt he had more to prove because of his physical appearance that he tried just a wee bit harder or whether he was thinking about his own life. It's the one concert I find difficult to watch, like most Elvis fans but that's probably because in hindsight we knew what was round the corner. You could see how ill he was but he still gave evrything he had to his fans

 

I must say, I was very surprised to see it playing on a tv in the raquetball building at Graceland a few years ago when I was there

I know what you mean, Jac, I find it really hard to watch Elvis in that concert in 1977, it's so painful to watch :( yet, despite everything, like you say, he gave his all!

 

And I know what you mean about the video footage of '77 being shown in the Raquetball Court, I was a little surprised. But that room is amazing, each time I went into it, I was so overawed. Seeing all those awards and the jumpsuits, funnily enough, even though I felt a shiver go down my spine in the Jungle Room, listening to one of the songs he recorded in there, the place where I was most reluctant to leave, was the Raquetball Court. When you first walk in and see the piano where he played those last few songs early in the morning of August 16th 1977, it's a very emotional experience. In the actual 'court', I just couldn't take my eyes off the display with his 'Aloha' jumpsuit and kept looking from that, to the screen showing him at Aloha singing 'An American Trilogy'. That was a moment when I really thought I was dreaming, I just couldn't believe that I was actually there, because, for me, it was seeing Aloha, about 10 years ago, that brought me back to Elvis, big time

 

Here's a couple of pics I took in the Raquetball Court

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/racketball.jpg

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/aloha.jpg

 

 

I know exactly what you mean Carole, you can imagine what it would be like to be there but, it doesn't compare to the emotions you actually feel when you're standing in his surroundings, where he lived his life and loved so much. I just get lost in it all everytime I'm there you finally get a sense of his size etc when you see his clothes and jumpsuits, it's and elvis fans drram come true :wub:

 

Think my absolutely favourite moment was one of the first times I was there. I was on one of the last tours of the day, and I always take my time and drag it out going through everything there :D I ended up being one of the last to leave the meditation garden and the peacefulness and tranquility was unbelievable, the whole place just had a calm about it. I just sat on the steps until the last minute and it's a feeling that I've still never had since, can't wait to go back :wub:

 

 

Your pictures from inside turned out great, they're really clear

It's so beautiful In The Meditation Garden, isn't it, Jac? It's lovely when you go on the tour and up to the Garden, the music that's playing in your headphones got me every time, it's just so apt :cry: But for me, the best time is the walk up time in the morning before the tours start. The first morning after I arrived in Memphis, I was up at the crack of dawn to walk through those gates and up the drive to the Meditation Gardens. It's so peaceful at that time of the day and it was so moving, just standing there and taking it all in. A very emotional experience :wub: I did loads whilst I was in Memphis, toured Memphis with Mike Freeman, taking in all the sites important to Elvis and visiting Tupelo with Mike, but for me,all the times I walked up there early were very special moments :wub:

 

 

I managed to see most thing when I've been but I wish I had walked up in the morning, but unfortunately, I really am not a morning person :wacko: so never did any of the times I've been there. I'm gonna try and get back for Aug so I will def do it next time

Have to admit, Jac, that I'm not a morning person, probably cos I stay up too late :lol: But when I was there, I was up at the crack of dawn cos there was so much I wanted to do, but even then, I've got to go back to see it all again