Comments on: ELVIS PRESLEY – “His Latest Flame”

By: swanstep

swanstep — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:49:37 +0000

I recently discovered that this track was strip-mined 3 years before The Smiths, on an excellent album track, ‘Want’ by The Expressos. It wasn’t anywhere on youtube so I’ve put it up there with a Ball of Fire (1941)-flavored vid. if anyone’s interested.

By: swanstep

swanstep — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:34:04 +0000

A terrific record, certainly at least a 7 (but then things like Jailhouse Rock have to go to 9). Not just shrewdly strip-mined by Marr for the brilliant Rusholme Ruffians (‘a skirt ascends to a watching eye, it’s a hideous trait on her mother’s side’ – god, how I wished to have written that!), but segued to and fro’ RR in live performances, e.g., as collected on Rank. Vids are on youtube if you are interested, e.g., here.

By: wichitalineman

wichitalineman — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:49:07 +0000

Thanks boss!

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:25:15 +0000

If you’re logged in both are visible! The average so far on this is 6.8

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:17:22 +0000

His best double A apart from Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel, has to be a 9 or 10, but I can’t remember what I gave it (drunkenly did the whole lot in around 45 mins) – can we possibly see our marks out of ten again? And/or the average so far?

By: jeff w registered

jeff w registered — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:12:03 +0000

My third 10 (chronologically) and my favourite Elvis track – curiously it shares a couple of lyrical ideas with “Cathy’s Clown”. Don’t know what that says about me.

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:17:23 +0000

Morrissey was in NME around the time of Shoplifters in mascara, as I recall, but denied he was trying to look like Elvis. This was shortly before he decided he’d rather look like Stinky Turner, the clot.

It’s a shame in a way that His Latest Flame and Little Sister were used on the same 45 as they were equally popular (reached no.4 and no.5 respectively in the US) but, if separate A-sides, would have leavened the weight of Nashville slowies and lightweight film songs that made up his next few releases.

Both sides written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman at their peak. They had given him the rollicking A Mess Of Blues, a no.2 the year before, and would also punt the glowering Suspicion and Viva Las Vegas his way. But they stopped trying so hard when the films got sillier – the themes from Double Trouble and Girl Happy will make you squirm with their rote melodies; the latter is played incredibly fast, as if people couldn’t wait to get the thing over and done with.

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 10:50:07 +0000

Well, Elvis was on the cover of one of the Smiths’ singles (I think “Shoplifters Of The World Unite” but I’ll have to check on that). Morrissey did get dolled up as Terence Stamp for the cover of “What Difference Does It Make?” since the Smiths couldn’t get clearance in time to use the original photo…

By: Lena

Lena — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:34:47 +0000

Or, you know, when the Smiths were around…such a short time, come to think of it…

By: Lena

Lena — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:32:24 +0000

Ah, thanks! And didn’t he get dolled up (as the British say) to look like Elvis for a cover too? Hmmm…

By: Marcello Carlin

Marcello Carlin — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 11:40:29 +0000

Rusholme Ruffians

By: Lena

Lena — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 11:28:32 +0000

I am trying and failing to think of The Smiths song that is clearly influenced by this…

By: Joe Williams

Joe Williams — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 22:29:00 +0000

Another Elvis double A you’ve missed – ‘Little Sister’ was on this too, though ‘His Latest Flame’ is better known.