Elvis Presley: Elvis’ Greatest Shit!! (1983) 02/19/2009

I learned about the existence of this bootleg just last night during, of all things, a heated round of “Trivial Pursuit: The 1980s.” With such an intriguing title, I had to look it up. I’m no big Elvis fan, tending to agree with the great Chuck D: “Elvis was a hero to most/But he never meant shit to me you see/Straight up racist that sucker was/Simple and plain/Motherfuck him and John Wayne…” However, I do kinda enjoy a few Elvis songs, mostly from the end of his career: I’ll take the sappy, bloated, velvet Vegas Elvis, if you please. I’m not old enough to explicitly remember when he stole the “King of Rock n’ Roll” title from more worthy forebears, so only the ridiculousness of this hillbilly icon intrigues me. Well, Elvis’ Greatest Shit!! is all about Mr. Presley’s ridiculous side, compiling some of the stupidest songs from his movies, including a few flubbed versions, alongside his mangling of a couple of his own “classics.” The song titles alone should let you know what kind of chicanery is afoot. Who can resist the allure of Elvis songs called “(There’s) No Room to Rhumba in a Sports Car,” “Song of the Shrimp,” “Ft. Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce” or “Dominic the Impotent Bull”? Even better (or worse, if you somehow respect this clown) are a possibly drunk version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” a studio job in which he forgets the words and exclaims, “Hot damn, tamale!” and a live take of “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” which he mostly spends mumbling, rambling and laughing to himself. An embarassment no matter your opinion of the man, Elvis’ Greatest Shit!! is the funniest Presley compilation this side of the infamous Having Fun on Stage with Elvis, the nearly unlistenable official live album consisting entirely of between-song banter.

“Queenie Wahine’s Papaya” (from the film “Paradise, Hawaiian Style,” 1966)

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