The Comeback: Elvis and the Story of the 68 Special

by Simon Goddard

"He wasn't dead and gone to Heaven. He was alive and still in Graceland. Cursed to live another year on God's earth as Elvis Presley. The man from yesterday trapped in a today of tomorrows..." As 1968 dawns, the once King of Rock 'n' Roll faces cultural oblivion. While elsewhere the Sixties are swinging, for Elvis they're sinking - in terrible films, drug addiction, paranoia, religious mania and the mercenary wiles of his psychopathic manager. At 33 the legend who once had it all is lost, lonely and slowly going insane. Until thrown a last lifeline. His own one-hour TV a do-or-die final chance to remind the world who, and what, Elvis Presley really is. The Comeback plots the incredible true story of Elvis' fall and rise from Army discharge to iconic black leather resurrection. Simon Goddard takes the reader inside the life, music and mind of a 24/7 delirium of women, pills, midnight movies and holy mumbo jumbo, isolated from an America unravelling in its own Sixties chaos of war, racism, riots and assassinations, until his world and theirs collide in the greatest performance of his life. A genre-busting modernist rock 'n' roll fable unlike any music biography you've ever read, The Comeback is the definitive account of how it took Elvis eight years on the big screen to lose his crown - but just one magical hour on a small one to win it back.

Genres: Music

352 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2018

About the author

Simon Goddard was born in Cardiff in 1971.

He is the author of over a dozen books, most prominently the Bowie Odyssey series.

He is not religious and ought not be confused with anyone of the same name on Goodreads who has written religious stuff.

agent: thenorthlitagency.com

Reviews

[Andrew Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book for anybody with a vague interest in Elvis…

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t put into words my thoughts on this book, however this Amazon review from C. Manley says it all -

Brilliant
1 March 2019
Well it's certainly not written like any other Elvis book I've ever read but...I loved it! Many die hard fans won't like the way he characterises Elvis in the 60s but that only underlines how much of a triumph, and how much of a "comeback" from the doldrums of the movies, the 68 special really was. It isnt cover-to-cover about the 68 special and neither should it be - the early parts of the book are setting the very important context, both in terms of Elvis career and the times: what it isnt is a sanitised re-hash of the "life story" as many Elvis books end up being. And whilst the language can be both creative and blunt at the same time, it certainly pulls no punches (even more so when it comes to the Colonel!). I laughed out loud at some turns of phrase, both at how forthright it is and how true. How about this about the Colonel: "A crooked-lipped humpty dumpty with a patty of pork mince for a head, asphalt for eyes, a medieval torture device for a brain, a stack of casino chips for a heart and blood of ice cold p**s he wouldn't spill to save a burning orphanage". I mean you gotta admit it kind of sums him up!! Next to the Guralnick two-volume Bible, I think this is probably the best (certainly the funniest and most enjoyable) Elvis book I've ever read - anyone remotely interested in Elvis should definitely read it

[Brian Rothbart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing style won't be for everyone. It took me awhile to get the rhythm. This is a no holds bar about Elvis and the great triumph of the 1968 Elvis Special. I don't agree with all of Goddard's critiques or interpretations, but on the whole he give a fair take on Elvis of the 1960s. I learned a few things. Which is hard since o have read over 200 books on Elvis. However, I wonder how much was accurate. For example, he said that the Colonel had Elvis sign a contract after Elvis was recovering from concussion that gave the Colonel 50% of his earnings. However, Elvis signed that contract on Jan. 2, 1967 and the incident where he hit his head happened on March 10, 1967. It is worth the read though.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read about that wonderful comeback, how it came about, and how they duped the Colonel! What a time to have been around they didn’t know how lucky they were!

[Kaye · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I had could give a negative review to this book, I would. Don't waste your money.

[Samuel Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colonel Tom Parker sounded like a real piece of shit

[Amelia Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

unapologetic Elvis defender. soz