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Elvis Presley left the building 38 years ago Sunday

 
The King is dead but lives long
The King is dead but lives long
Published Aug. 14, 2015

Where were you Aug. 16, 1977 when news came that Elvis Presley had died?

If you're reading this online, chances are high that you weren't born yet, or perhaps too young to notice. Thirty-eight years is a long time and a lot of technology ago.

But if anything could be considered going "viral" in the pre-internet era it was the sudden, shocking death of the King of Rock and Roll at age 42, at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tenn.

Good news for Elvis fans: Presley's voice will be heard again in October on a new recording of several old hits including Burning Love and Love Me Tender. The album If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra imbues the original recordings with melodic texture Presley's iron-handed manager Col. Tom Parker would never allow.

According to Presley's widow Priscilla Presley, the King would want it this way, so deep was his admiration for opera and classical singers like Mario Lanza and Enrico Caruso.

"When he'd see a band on television, he'd get up and imitate the maestro and get serious," she told Rolling Stone. "He loved their drama, their voices, their power,"

You can listen to the title track here: http://rol.st/1DNcJgz remastered from Presley's 1968 comeback TV special.

The album also features a duet with Michael Buble on the Peggy Lee standard Fever, and appearances by Il Volo and legendary guitarist Duane Eddy.

Rockin' good news (insert sexily curled upper lip).