Another chapter, and I don’t know how many are coming, of the adventures and misadventures of our beloved Elvis by this prestigious American magazine, which on this occasion takes us to the year 1967, in which events took place that have been recorded forever with capital letters in the history of music, what was playing in those days, what Elvis dedicated his life to, what social events took place in Uncle Sam’s homeland, and which directly affected record sales. In short, there will be everything, but always having our idol as a reference. See you in the next article, but in the meantime, be happy.

Cesar Valle, Torrelavega (Spain)

1967

In this year 1967, Elvis‘s recordings continued to focus on his soundtracks which, by the way, were of increasingly poorer quality, due to the rush, as Elvis was shooting movies non-stop, and also due to the cuts that were in Hiring composers.

On February 21 and 23 Elvis recorded the soundtrack for “Clambake” at RCA Nashville’s Studio B, and on June 20 and 21 the soundtrack for “Speedway“, this time at United Recorders studios in Hollywood. On October 10 and 12, Elvis recorded a series of songs that would appear as singles and as bonus tracks on his soundtracks. Finally, on October 2, at Studio B in Nashville, Elvis would record part of the music for the film “Stay Away Joe“, whose filming began on October 14 in Arizona.

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As for film productions, on April 5 “Double Trouble” will be released, film 24 of his filmography that, although its plot takes place in Belgium and England, all the scenes were filmed in the studios, without leaving the country. After this, “Clambake” came to the big screen, which had been shot in March in Miami and Los Angeles, between March 10 and April 27. Finally, on June 26, in Culver City, filming for “Speedway” begins.

But, without a doubt, the most important event in Elvis’s life that year takes place on May 1, the day he and Priscilla are married.

THE BILLBOARD IN 1967

The year 1967 is more than just a date or a year in the history of pop and rock music. It is, without a doubt, the most genuine milestone and the culmination of a great effort, fantasy, freedom, the ideal and the consummation of something great. That youthful invasion that began in the 1960s reached its climax in 1967. An entire generation spoke of love and condemned war, and communicated from one side of the world to the other through the language of music, and it vibrated like never before. All this around an overflowing maturity of a dream that had been forged years before.

A year full of musical events, the psychedelic rise, love and flowers of The Beatles with “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “All You Need Is Love“, to which should be added “Penny Lane” and “Hello Goodbye” and death of Brian Epstein, manager of the Liverpool four. Also, the Monterrey festival, where 300,000 people gathered, with its consequent hippy invasion, and where they saw Janis Joplin and Jimmy Hendrix perform, in overwhelming ascension. Other strengths: the appearance of Janis Joplin, the birth of Psychedelic Rock, with a key band like Pink Floyd, who released their single “See Emily Play“. Also Moody Blues and their “Nights In White Satin“, or the commercials of the Bee Gees, who came from Australia with their song “Massachusets“; the quality of Cream or Traffic, the hurricane of The Doors, with Jim Morrison at the helm, the rise of pirate radio stations, the arrest and imprisonment of The Rolling Stones for possession of drugs that, despite this, reached the top with “Ruby Tuesday.” And above all, we find the tremendous multicolored fantasy of the hippy world.

While all this was happening, the United States was a continuous coming and going of bright surprises between the songs that reached the top. Thus, we find universal songs like “The Letter” by the Box Tops, “Light My Fire” by The Doors, to which we must add “The End“, which would be rescued years later by Francis Ford Coppola for his film “ Apocalypse Now.” Also “Goovin” by the Young Rascals and “I’m Believer” by The Monkees, which had been number 1 at the end of 1966 and was still holding its own in 1967, to which should be added “Daydream Believer“, a composition by John Stewart, member of The Kingston Trio.

Along with this pop genre we also find Soul songs, such as those by Aretha Franklin with “Respect“, the color duet Sam and Dave with “Soul Man“, a composition by Isaac Hayes, “Sweet Soul Music” by Arthur Conley, and also The Supremes with “The Happening” and “Reflections“.

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We also find what could be classified as melodic singers, such as Frankie Valli with “Can’t Take My Eyes Of You”, which reached number 2, the incombustible Frank Sinatra who, together with his daughter Nancy, reached number 1 with “Something Stupid“, or the British Engelbert Humperdinck, triumphing with “The Last Waltz” or his eternal “Release Me” (which would become an Elvis staple during his first concerts in Las Vegas).

We also find girls who conquered the charts this 1967, like the British Lulu with “To Sir With Love“, Dusty Springfield with “The Took Of Love” (composed for the movie “Casino Royale“) or “Ode To Billy Joe” , by Bobbie Gentry, who won three Grammys.

Scott McKenzie‘s song “San Francisco” became the anthem of the hippie movement that year, a year filled with drugs, peace and a multicolored world whose phrase “make love not war” reached its maximum expression.

That year, 1967, the United States intensifies its intervention in the Vietnam War, causing massive demonstrations throughout the country. In a year in which the most watched film by North Americans was the Walt Disney production “The Jungle Book“, and in which actors like Spencer Tracy and actresses like Vivian Leigh left us behind. A year in which Che Guevara was executed by the Bolivian army and in which groups like Jethro Tull or Fleetwood Mac were born.

Finally, David Bowie published his first album that year, in a record market that was again controlled by the United States despite the fact that many ideas came from England.

Information provided by Cesar Valle, Torrelavega (Spain).

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