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Were The Beatles and Elvis friends or rivals?


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Old 03-03-2014, 22:44
djfunnyman
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Obviously both The Beatles and Elvis were huge in the 60's and 70's, but were they good friends or did they hate each other? Or did they never really cross paths?
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Old 03-03-2014, 22:47
BRITLAND
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I don't recall them crossing paths, I've always wondered if MJ & Madonna cross paths during the 80s?
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Old 03-03-2014, 23:07
pmw_hewitt
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They had an "arranged" meeting at Elvis' house as a photo opportunity, which was apparently amiable but without them hitting it off massively.

As The Beatles grew somewhat more rebellious and politically-minded, Elvis did publicly denounce them as "anti-American", I seem to recall.
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Old 03-03-2014, 23:17
meglosmurmurs
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I think The Beatles respected and admired Elvis while Elvis was just publicly civil, initially at least.
Apparently Elvis's manager was threatened by The Beatles from the start and Elvis gradually followed suit.
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Old 03-03-2014, 23:38
chrisqc
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John Lennon is quoted as saying

" Without elvis there would be no Beatles"
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Old 04-03-2014, 08:32
mgvsmith
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John Lennon is quoted as saying

" Without elvis there would be no Beatles"
Yes, Elvis ( and Buddy Holly) was an Idol for the Beatles but not the other way round.
The Monkees and The Beach Boys were meant to be rivals for The Beatles.
It was hearing 'Sgt. Pepper' that caused Brian Wilson's breakdown supposedly.
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Old 04-03-2014, 08:53
mushymanrob
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i cant add to whats been said, except that they were just two different acts from different (?) times. elvis domination of the charts came before the beatles and he wasnt that prominant after the beatles hit it big. music had evolved away from rock n roll.
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Old 04-03-2014, 12:31
unique
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they weren't really friends nor rivals. but they did meet and even jam together at graceland. the beatles were fans of elvis as most people were at the time, and elvis was interestest in beatlemania at the time. elvis was also a bit threatened by the beatles success, particularly in light of his waning fame in the midst of making 28 bad movies with bad soundtracks and asked the FBI to investigate the beatles as a threat to america. elvis was made an FBI member by nixon. and weird as it all sounds, it's all on record. the FBI also had files on elvis. elvis also covered a number of artists in his vegas years, including the beatles. but then most people covered the beatles around that time, and many still do to this day
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Old 04-03-2014, 12:38
unique
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Yes, Elvis ( and Buddy Holly) was an Idol for the Beatles but not the other way round.
The Monkees and The Beach Boys were meant to be rivals for The Beatles.
It was hearing 'Sgt. Pepper' that caused Brian Wilson's breakdown supposedly.
wilson had a breakdown before sgt pepper, and it was pretty much down to all the drugs he was taking and the crazy lifestyle he was leading. basically the beatles released rubber soul which was a much more mature sound for the beatles and marks a big step in the progression of contemporary popular music. it enthused wilson into creating pet sounds. he no longer wanted to tour with the band, but wanted to write and record instead. so the band toured whilst he created pet sounds, and the band returned to add vocals. pet sounds raised the game dramatically and to this day is still one of the greatest records ever made. in turn the beatles were enthused and created revolver, one of their best records. in turn wilson started work on smile, and entered a world of drugs and madness. the album was never finished (at least not at the time, not properly, but sessions were released in recent years after decades of bootlegs), but if it was then it was reckoned to have been what sgt pepper did become. however for one reason or another, it wasn't released and the beatles went on to record and release sgt pepper and the game was up for the beach boys as far as real competition to the beatles. wilson was way beyond return at that time
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Old 04-03-2014, 18:33
mgvsmith
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wilson had a breakdown before sgt pepper, and it was pretty much down to all the drugs he was taking and the crazy lifestyle he was leading. basically the beatles released rubber soul which was a much more mature sound for the beatles and marks a big step in the progression of contemporary popular music. it enthused wilson into creating pet sounds. he no longer wanted to tour with the band, but wanted to write and record instead. so the band toured whilst he created pet sounds, and the band returned to add vocals. pet sounds raised the game dramatically and to this day is still one of the greatest records ever made. in turn the beatles were enthused and created revolver, one of their best records. in turn wilson started work on smile, and entered a world of drugs and madness. the album was never finished (at least not at the time, not properly, but sessions were released in recent years after decades of bootlegs), but if it was then it was reckoned to have been what sgt pepper did become. however for one reason or another, it wasn't released and the beatles went on to record and release sgt pepper and the game was up for the beach boys as far as real competition to the beatles. wilson was way beyond return at that time
I guess that's why I used the word 'supposedly'. Brian Wilson has his last major breakdown in May 1967 and Sgt Pepper wasn't released until June 1967 so could he actually have heard it, he might have? It is one of those urban legends much beloved of some commentators.
http://www.pimplomat.com/2012/03/15/...rts-club-band/

'Smile' didn't make it, so as it stands Sgt. Pepper is the better album but both are amongst the greatest records ever made.
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Old 05-03-2014, 07:21
unique
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I guess that's why I used the word 'supposedly'. Brian Wilson has his last major breakdown in May 1967 and Sgt Pepper wasn't released until June 1967 so could he actually have heard it, he might have? It is one of those urban legends much beloved of some commentators.
http://www.pimplomat.com/2012/03/15/...rts-club-band/

'Smile' didn't make it, so as it stands Sgt. Pepper is the better album but both are amongst the greatest records ever made.
smile started being recorded in early 66 and it was during that period wilson went crazy taking drugs. it had nothing to do with sgt pepper. in fact there was a friendly rivalry between them . rivalry isn't even perhaps the best word to use. i wouldn't take some blokes blog as anything other than some blokes writing. there are a few bio's relating to both the beach boys and the beatles that document the recording of the aforementioned albums and the madness of brian wilson that at least had some research into the facts with people who were around at the time
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Old 05-03-2014, 07:37
hopwoodl
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The. Monkees weren't rivals either. Mickey Dolenz has often quoted Lennon as saying the Monkees were more like the Marx Brothers, which he agreed with. There are several photos of Monkees meeting Beatles and they got on fine
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Old 05-03-2014, 09:05
mushymanrob
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The. Monkees weren't rivals either. Mickey Dolenz has often quoted Lennon as saying the Monkees were more like the Marx Brothers, which he agreed with. There are several photos of Monkees meeting Beatles and they got on fine
true, they werent, but they were marketed that way at first, it was the aim.... they were also known as 'the pre-fab four' (as opposed the the beatles 'fab four') (info for those who might not know)
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Old 05-03-2014, 10:13
mgvsmith
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smile started being recorded in early 66 and it was during that period wilson went crazy taking drugs. it had nothing to do with sgt pepper. in fact there was a friendly rivalry between them . rivalry isn't even perhaps the best word to use. i wouldn't take some blokes blog as anything other than some blokes writing. there are a few bio's relating to both the beach boys and the beatles that document the recording of the aforementioned albums and the madness of brian wilson that at least had some research into the facts with people who were around at the time
That was the point of the quote- that stories emerge which are just people opinions and it really is hard to get the truth of the story, if there even is a truth in this situation.

I have read an interview with Wilson in which he described his relationship with drugs as double edged, they helped him create 'Good Vibrations' but they also 'f**ked his brain'.
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Old 05-03-2014, 10:21
mgvsmith
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The. Monkees weren't rivals either. Mickey Dolenz has often quoted Lennon as saying the Monkees were more like the Marx Brothers, which he agreed with. There are several photos of Monkees meeting Beatles and they got on fine
Being rivals or competitors doesn't imply they didn't get on with each other.
Dolenz has described The Monkees tv show as being 'about a band who wanted to be The Beatles'. I'm sure there were lots of bands who wanted to be The Beatles at that time.
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Old 05-03-2014, 10:27
FrankBT
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'Smile' didn't make it, so as it stands Sgt. Pepper is the better album but both are amongst the greatest records ever made.
Sgt Pepper wasn't even the best Beatles album neither was Smile the best Beach Boys album... Today both sound really dated and of their time, whereas the Beatles Revolver has aged a lot better IMO and was more groundbreaking as it was the first album where the Beatles experimented with sound effects in the studio. It should be Revolver that's compared to Pet Sounds as the latter is recognised by many music critics as being the best Beach Boys album. and both were recorded in 1966. Like SP, Smile was overblown and somewhat pretentious.
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Old 05-03-2014, 11:55
hopwoodl
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Being rivals or competitors doesn't imply they didn't get on with each other.
Dolenz has described The Monkees tv show as being 'about a band who wanted to be The Beatles'. I'm sure there were lots of bands who wanted to be The Beatles at that time.
Yes I know but having read his autobiography and other Monkee books (not to mention hundreds on The Beatles) I really don't think they saw each other as rivals. I guess there was a healthy rivalry with The Beach Boys maybe, and they got on and respected each other as musicians
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Old 05-03-2014, 14:38
mgvsmith
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Yes I know but having read his autobiography and other Monkee books (not to mention hundreds on The Beatles) I really don't think they saw each other as rivals. I guess there was a healthy rivalry with The Beach Boys maybe, and they got on and respected each other as musicians
Probably better to say that The Monkees were inspired by the success of The Beatles.
The Beatles were inspired by Elvis to some degree as well and I think that was the original question.
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Old 05-03-2014, 15:33
Honestweegie
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They were inspired by Elvis but their music was totally different
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Old 05-03-2014, 15:44
Cat Simon
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Elvis did not like John Lennon the moment they met. Apparently Lennon was putting on an Inspector Closeau accent which pissed-off Elvis and his cronies, and it was Lennon who Elvis blamed for the druggy counter-culture which had engulfed the US.
The only other time a Beatle was in the same room as Elvis was when Ringo saw him perform at Las Vegas in the 70s.
On the Beatles anthology, Ringo said he was sad to find out that Elvis had wanted them banned from the US.
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Old 05-03-2014, 20:22
Lazlo_St_Pierre
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Elvis did not like John Lennon the moment they met. Apparently Lennon was putting on an Inspector Closeau accent which pissed-off Elvis and his cronies, and it was Lennon who Elvis blamed for the druggy counter-culture which had engulfed the US.
The only other time a Beatle was in the same room as Elvis was when Ringo saw him perform at Las Vegas in the 70s.
On the Beatles anthology, Ringo said he was sad to find out that Elvis had wanted them banned from the US.
I read in a book that Lennon's reaction to Presley's death was "Elvis Presley died when he joined the army."

It sounds like Lennon was pretty disillusioned at the pro-establishment conversion of somebody whom he'd previously admired as a kindred spirit.
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Old 05-03-2014, 21:37
jackol
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Lennons own words

http://features.absoluteelsewhere.ne...s_meeting.html
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Old 05-03-2014, 23:01
Lazlo_St_Pierre
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What a fantastic piece, thanks for posting.

My favourite bit it this...

George was busy looking over his instrument, and it was a few minutes before he joined in. If I remember correctly, it was Cilla Black's hit record You're My World that we first got off together. After that I said, "This beats talking, doesn't it"--and we had at last found a way of communicating through music. Only Ringo looked a bit down. He could only watch us and drum on the side of his chair. "Too bad we left the drums in Memphis,” Elvis said, as if trying to console him.


Really humanises these fantastic icons of music.
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Old 06-03-2014, 00:42
FMKK
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I do vaguely remember a quote where Lennon basically expressed disillusion with Elvis and his horrible film career ruining his legacy. I wouldn't be surprised if Elvis somewhat resented their success and them moving into his role as the teen idols of the era.

I find a lot of these supposed pop rivalries to be press fabrications though. The big one in Britain was The Beatles and The Rolling Stones because the Stones were marketed as the bad boys in comparison to the more clean cut Beatles and the press really made a thing of it but in reality, they were and are (surviving members that is) pretty good mates. I'm sure there was a sense of them looking at each other's work and being motivated but nothing more than that.
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Old 06-03-2014, 11:13
JohnnyForget
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According to rumour sometime in the early 1970s George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley planned to make record together - the trio even got as far as booking a recording studio but, sadly, the project never materialised.
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