1968–73 Comeback Special

The '68 Comeback Special produced "one of the most famous images" of Presley.    Taken on June 27, 1968, it was adapted for the cover of Rolling Stone in July 1969. Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, was born on February 1, 1968, during a period when he had grown deeply unhappy with his career.    Of the eight Presley singles released between January 1967 and May 1968, only two charted in the top 40, and none higher than number 28.    His forthcoming soundtrack album, Speedway, would die at number 82 on the Billboard chart. Parker, finding it difficult to obtain financing for more feature films, shifted his plans to television, where Presley had not appeared since the Sinatra-Timex show in 1960.    Parker maneuvered a deal with NBC that committed the network to both finance a theatrical feature and broadcast a one-hour special.

Recorded in late June, the special aired on December 3, 1968 as a Christmas telecast called simply Elvis.    Later known as the '68 Comeback Special, the show featured lavishly staged studio productions as well as songs performed live with a band in front of a small audience—Presley's first live appearance as a performer since 1961.    The live segments saw Presley clad in tight black leather, singing and playing guitar in an uninhibited style reminiscent of his early rock and roll days.    Director and coproducer Steve Binder had worked hard to reassure the nervous singer and to produce a show that was not just the hour of Christmas songs Parker had originally planned.    When the ratings were released the next day, NBC reported that Presley had captured 42 percent of the total viewing audience.    It was the network's highest rated show that season.    Jon Landau of Eye magazine remarked, "There is something magical about watching a man who has lost himself find his way back home.    He sang with the kind of power people no longer expect of rock 'n' roll singers. He moved his body with a lack of pretension and effort that must have made Jim Morrison green with envy."    The New Rolling Stone Album Guide calls the performance one of "emotional grandeur and historical resonance."

By January 1969, the single "If I Can Dream", one of the key songs written for the special, reached number 12.    The soundtrack of the special broke into the top ten.    According to friend Jerry Schilling, the special reminded Presley of what "he had not been able to do for years, being able to choose the people; being able to choose what songs and not being told what had to be on the soundtrack. ... He was out of prison, man."    Binder said of Presley's reaction, "I played Elvis the 60-minute show, and he told me in the screening room, 'Steve, it's the greatest thing I've ever done in my life.    I give you my word I will never sing a song I don't believe in.'"

Buoyed by the experience of the Comeback Special, Presley engaged in a prolific series of recording sessions at American Sound Studio, which led to the acclaimed From Elvis in Memphis. Released in June 1969, it was his first secular, non-soundtrack album from a dedicated period in the studio since Elvis Is Back!    As described by Dave Marsh, it "is a masterpiece in which Presley immediately catches up with pop music trends that had seemed to pass him by during the movie years.    He sings country songs, soul songs and rockers with real conviction, a stunning achievement." The album featured the hit single "In the Ghetto", issued in April, which reached number three on the pop chart—Presley's first top ten hit since "Crying in the Chapel" and his first non-gospel top ten since "Bossa Nova Baby" back in 1963. Further hit singles were culled from the American Sound sessions: "Suspicious Minds", "Don't Cry Daddy", and "Kentucky Rain".

Presley was keen to resume regular live performing.    Following the success of the Comeback Special, offers came in from around the world.    The London Palladium offered Parker $28,000 for a one-week engagement.    He responded, "That's fine for me, now how much can you get for Elvis?"    In May, the brand new International Hotel in Las Vegas, boasting the largest showroom in the city, announced that it had booked Presley.    He was scheduled to perform 57 shows over four weeks beginning July 31, after Barbra Streisand opened the new venue.    Presley assembled top-notch accompaniment, including an orchestra and some of the best soul/gospel backup singers available.    Nonetheless, he was nervous: his only previous Las Vegas engagement, in 1956, had been a disaster.    Parker oversaw a major promotional push, with billboards, full-page advertisements in local and trade papers, and souvenirs in the hotel's lobby.    He intended to make Presley's return the show business event of the year.    For his part, hotel owner Kirk Kerkorian arranged to send his own plane to New York to fly in rock journalists for the debut performance.

Presley took to the stage with no introduction.    The audience of 2,200, including many celebrities, gave him a standing ovation before he sang a note.    A second standing ovation followed his performance, and a third came after his encore, "Can't Help Falling in Love".    Backstage, many well-wishers, including Cary Grant, congratulated Presley on his triumphant return which, in the showroom alone, had generated over $1,500,000.    At a press conference after the show, when a journalist referred to him as "The King", Presley gestured toward Fats Domino, who was taking in the scene.    "No," Presley said, "that’s the real king of rock and roll."    The next day, Parker's negotiations with the hotel resulted in a five-year contract for Presley to play each February and August, at a salary of $1 million per year.    Newsweek commented, "There are several unbelievable things about Elvis, but the most incredible is his staying power in a world where meteoric careers fade like shooting stars.   " Rolling Stone called Presley "supernatural, his own resurrection."    In November, the double album From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis was released; the first LP consisted of live performances from the International, the second of more cuts from the American Sound sessions.    "Suspicious Minds" reached the top of the charts—Presley's first U.S. pop number one in over seven years, and his last.

Cassandra Peterson, later television's Elvira, met Presley during this period in Las Vegas, where she was working as showgirl.    She recalls of their encounter, "He was so anti-drug when I met him.    I mentioned to him that I smoked marijuana, and he was just appalled.    He said, 'Don't ever do that again.'"    Presley was not only deeply opposed to recreational drugs, he also rarely drank. Several of his family members had been alcoholics, a fate he intended to avoid.