TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

Justin Gausman
  • 4.8 (10)
  • Music History
  • Updated Biweekly

"Elvis is history," Carl Perkins once said, "and anytime anyone or anything becomes history, whether it be Pearl Harbor or Elvis, it will never go away. The world will never tire of his songs." TCBCast is an unofficial fan podcast featuring co-hosts Gurdip Ladhar and Justin Gausman, along with regular guest co-hosts Ryan Droste and Bec Wyles, plus an array of Elvis fans and experts setting out to better understand that history, and those songs. Tackling topics from throughout Elvis's lifetime and beyond, TCBCast seeks to offer thoughtful, intelligent, heartfelt and honest discourse on Presley's career, his influences, the people who made his work possible, and the cultural phenomenon surrounding his iconography. TCBCast is not associated with or endorsed by Graceland, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Authentic Brands Group or Sony.

  1. 17 hrs ago

    TCBCast 411: Elvis' "Secret" Germany Home Recordings, Part 2

    Bec & Justin continue their exploration through Elvis' creative journey during his military service. The piano-driven tracks on Elvis' 1958-59 home recordings from Germany notably feature much heavier distortion due to the tape recorder likely having been set either on or directly next to the piano, which Elvis plays heavy-handedly, but they remaing intriguing listens.  While Elvis backs off from gospel, we instead hear him now exploring further ideas for his upcoming albums and singles, such as the operatic "There's No Tomorrow," the underlying public domain melody of which would become "It's Now or Never," "Soldier Boy," and "Such A Night." Elvis also sings songs that would not surface again until many years later in his recording career such as "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen," "I Will Be True" and "The Fool."  But perhaps most fascinating are, as usual, the songs that Elvis never revisited professionally: "Apron Strings," a song originally demoed for him but later recorded by Cliff Richard, the mysterious "The Titles Tell," long known merely as "Number Eight," and of course, Elvis' poignant version of "Earth Angel" by doo-wop group The Penguins, among others. Finally - after having investigated for ourselves, do the recordings align with the widely-discussed insinuation that Elvis' time in the military was what turned him from dangerous rocker to smooth pop star... or is the story more complicated? Also, Justin sneaks a mini-Song of the Week midway into the episode, discussing briefly a little about Danny & The Juniors' iconic 1950s party song "At the Hop," which Elvis references during these home recordings.

    1h 7m

  2. 5d ago

    TCBCast 410: Elvis' "Secret" Germany Home Recordings (Part 1)

    Across this episode and the next, Justin and Bec are taking an extensive look at Elvis' home recordings made during his time in the US Army while serving in Germany. Though none of them surfaced until after his death, as we learned from "The Colonel & The King" last year, Elvis was explicitly encouraged by his manager to record material at home in secret. Excerpts from the tapes have appeared on such releases as A Legendary Performer Vol. 4, A Golden Celebration, Home Recordings, and Memphis Recording Services' "Made in Germany" - and by sheer coincidence, on the day we recorded the episode, the official Elvis collector's label Follow That Dream announced an upcoming 2026 box set "Elvis - Soldier Boy" that will feature two books and new restorations of these home recordings. What we hear on the tapes is a a fly on the wall glimpse of a deeply private celebrity during a period of intense homesick and loneliness, coping with the grief of having lost his mother and being away from everything he's come to know as a successful musician and film star... but also a determined, fully invested artist developing his skills. Plainly evident is Elvis exploring concepts and styles with friends, family and creative collaborators like Red West and Charlie Hodge, for his return to his career upon the end of his military service.  Songs like "Like A Baby" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight" foreshadow Elvis' singles and secular "Elvis is Back" album from 1960, while his love of gospel continues to be evident as "He Knows Just What I Need" and "His Hand in Mine" similarly nod toward the coming gospel album. Yet there on these tapes that Elvis never again touched (on known recordings, anyway): Hank Williams' "I Can't Help It If I Still In Love With You," Nat King Cole's "Mona Lisa," and Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me," and many more! Was he just fooling around with songs he'd heard, or was he seriously considering these for his upcoming albums? And with material like "Are You Sincere," "Stand By Me" and "Danny Boy" popping up here, too: how do these home recordings fit into the larger puzzle of Elvis' musical journey from pre-Sun Records all the way to the Jungle Room? We ponder all that and more. A technical note: Aside from clips from the above box sets/compilations where specifically mentioned, most of the audio from the home recordings you'll hear is audio that has been "re-balanced" on a per-track basis for the purposes of education, analysis and historical interest. While the new FTD set is not available yet, and MRS's release was a decently faithful restoration of the tape, other releases have featured excessive noise removal, so much of what you hear in this episode are careful adjustments that aim to retain full content and quality while making the vocal nuances a bit clearer as though the tape recorder had been a bit closer to Elvis & the other vocalists' mouths rather than closer to the instruments. Hopefully you may hear little inflections or details you hadn't ever heard before!

    1h 34m

  3. Jun 9

    TCBCast 409: King Creole: The Soundtrack & Sessions

    This week, we're heading down to New Orleans circa 1958 to revisit the soundtrack and recording sessions for the iconic musical drama "King Creole." The Dixieland aesthetic gave Elvis an opportunity experiment, melding his now-signature rock and roll style with a small jazz ensemble, creating a soundtrack LP that had a distinct sound all its own. Although few outtakes remain, the songwriter demos for nearly the entire soundtrack provide insight on how Elvis and the band further developed such classic songs as "Trouble," "Hard Headed Woman" and "Crawfish" into the final forms heard in the film. Bec also takes the opportunity chat a bit about her appreciation for the movie itself, highlighting some of her takeaways from her most recent viewing, and posing questions about the Michael Curtiz-directed film as one of Elvis' best starring roles. For Song of the Week, Justin provides a little insight on what influences may have led Elvis to experimenting at home in the mid-1960s with an early 1950s pop ballad, "My Heart Cries for You." Finally, Bec rounds out the episode with a reflection on the intimacy of the underrated "I Miss You" which was also a home recording of sorts - as it was recorded professionally by RCA in Elvis' Palm Springs home! If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

    2h 20m

  4. Jun 2

    TCBCast 408: Our Favorite Songs Elvis Did First

    Gurdip & Justin decided for this week's episode to select 10 songs apiece that Elvis was the first artist to record and release commercially and discuss why they're our favorites and what about them showcases Elvis' capabilities as an interpreter and recording artist.  Naturally, Gurdip's list skews heavily toward the 1950s and early 1960s with a mix of hits like "Jailhouse Rock" and "I Got Stung" but a few surprises. Justin's list spans the breadth of Elvis' career, from "Heartbreak Hotel" to "It's Easy for You," the last song on Elvis' final album, Moody Blue.  We hope you enjoy this breezy, positive and hopefully insightful episode as we're rolling up on the start of summer in the northern hemisphere. The whole episode is a big gush-fest about our love of Elvis' music! If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

    1h 33m

  5. May 20

    TCBCast 407: "Hurt" - Where Did Elvis Stack Up on the Charts in June '76?

    This week, Justin and Bec put on their dancing shoes and boogie back to the week of June 5, 1976 (just a hair under 50 years ago) to see what was happening in the world of American music and where Elvis' latest single "Hurt/For the Heart" ranked on the pop, easy listening and rock charts, before delving into what surrounded "Hurt" as it reached its highest peak at #6 on the Country chart - and RCA's Elvis compilation "Sun Sessions" was nearing the top of the country LP chart, too! What they're surprised to find is not only a popular culture swept up in both disco and 1950s nostalgia, but a snapshot of a time when connections to Elvis seep into most of the rest of the genre of country music, with songs like "Suspicious Minds" and and artists who ALSO once recorded at Sun Records like Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty and Narvel Felts or have other Elvis connections (Elvis movie demo singer Glen Campbell shows up too!) bringing their own stylistic throwbacks to the Top 10. For Song of the Week, Justin solves a mini-mystery surrounding what 1962 movie scene specifically inspired Hank Cochran to write the country classic "Make the World Go Away," which featured prominently on "Elvis Country" and Elvis was filmed performing during the making of "That's The Way It Is" in 1970. Then finally, Bec touches briefly on Elvis' studio and live versions of Kris Kristofferson's "For The Good Times."  If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

    2 hr

  6. May 13

    TCBCast 406: An Elvis' Golden Records Debate: Vol. 1 (1958) vs Vol. 3 (1963)

    Gurdip joins Justin to catch up on the latest Elvis news, read some listener feedback and hold a debate: if the guys were forced to select between only Elvis' Golden Records Volume 1 or Volume 3 on vinyl to give to a new fan, which would they recommend? Each makes a case for one of them. Volume 1, released in 1958, of course features many of Elvis' most iconic hits from 1956-1957 including signature songs like "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock" and "All Shook Up" - but it is as good of an album as 1963's "Volume 3" which includes many of Elvis' masterfully sung singles after his return from the Army, such as "It's Now Or Never," "His Latest Flame" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" For our listeners who are older fans - did you have these in your collection, and do you have a preference? For the newer fans: do you think such classic compilations are still useful, when today other more and thorough refined collections/playlists are available digitally? And to our non-American fans: isn't it weird that you were marketed Elvis' American gold records first and foremost instead of what may have been more locally popular? If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

    1h 11m

  7. May 5

    TCBCast 405: Discussing "Welcoming Grace" - A Short Film About Elvis Fans (feat. Helene de Roux)

    Justin is joined in this episode by Helene de Roux, writer and director of "Welcoming Grace," a new short film made to promote ZEISS's Aatma camera lenses, but featuring a narrative built around two Elvis fans meeting for the first time in real life and forming a bond despite many differences and minor obstacles. Helene is a fellow listener and patron of TCBCast, you'll have heard her words before on the show as she's written in a few times, but now you'll get to hear her voice as they geek out about Elvis and filmmaking. She even plays a round of Elvis trivia! It's highly recommended that you give "Welcoming Grace" a watch, free on YouTube, to get the most enjoyment out of that part of the discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjRWmSfH_Sg For Song of the Week, Helene circles back to one that Gurdip covered way back in 2018 to provide greater context for and history behind "Let It Be Me," the English language version of Gilbert Becaud's "Je t'appartiens" made famous by the Everly Brothers and featured in Elvis' setlist (and the "On Stage" album!) in 1970. Similarly, I dug into Elvis' hit version of "My Boy," the localization of Claude Francois' 1970 single "Parce que je t'aime mon enfant" and originally recorded in English by Richard Harris. Timestamps: 0:00 - Start & Introducing Helene 16:53 - "Welcoming Grace" 59:00 - TRIVIA! 1:11:45 - SotW: Let It Be Me 1:51:25 - SotW: My Boy If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

    2h 27m

  8. Apr 23

    TCBCast 404: The Impossible Dream & Snowbird - A SotW Special!

    Olivia joins Justin this week for a Song of the Week special as they deep-dive the stories behind two of their favorite Elvis songs. Olivia's up first, examining Elvis' exellent 1970 cover of Anne Murray's classic country hit "Snowbird" and the tragic story of its songwriter, Gene MacLellan.  Then, Justin saddles up and goes tilting at windmills in an attempt to explore the fascinating history behind "The Quest/The Impossible Dream" from the Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha," which Elvis is most known for having have performed in 1972 at Madison Square Garden, but is also unique in being the only song Elvis ever used to close his shows post-1969 besides "Can't Help Falling in Love." Justin looks back to understand why the song resonated so much with Elvis, why he may have chose to feature the song when he did, what versions he took influence from, how his deeply personal interpretation varies from the many dozens that came before him, and ponder why he stopped performing it. Also explored are the song's explicit ideas of heroism, sacrifice and fearlessness in spite of impossible odds - and the tension and dissonance between that message and Elvis' own human shortcomings.  If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

    2h 9m
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4.8
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

"Elvis is history," Carl Perkins once said, "and anytime anyone or anything becomes history, whether it be Pearl Harbor or Elvis, it will never go away. The world will never tire of his songs." TCBCast is an unofficial fan podcast featuring co-hosts Gurdip Ladhar and Justin Gausman, along with regular guest co-hosts Ryan Droste and Bec Wyles, plus an array of Elvis fans and experts setting out to better understand that history, and those songs. Tackling topics from throughout Elvis's lifetime and beyond, TCBCast seeks to offer thoughtful, intelligent, heartfelt and honest discourse on Presley's career, his influences, the people who made his work possible, and the cultural phenomenon surrounding his iconography. TCBCast is not associated with or endorsed by Graceland, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Authentic Brands Group or Sony.

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