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Collective Soul will perform Tuesday at Pikes Peak Center.
Collective Soul will perform Tuesday at Pikes Peak Center.
Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper once sang that Elvis was everywhere — to hilarious effect. In the case of the most recent Collective Soul record, the two-CD “Here to Eternity,” the spirit of Presley was omnipresent.
Recorded on site at Presley’s California estate in Palm Springs, the album project was a dream come true for Collective Soul founding member Ed Roland, who was a devout fan of the “King” while growing up in Atlanta.
Collective Soul will perform Tuesday at Pikes Peak Center.
“The year before Elvis passed, he spent his last Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthday and did his last three gospel records there,” Roland said in an interview.
“RCA (Records) had set it up — soundproofing the Big Room and Elvis was able to record live. That’s how we record. I had met the guys who bought it on the courthouse steps because (Presley’s wife) Priscilla and (daughter) Lisa Marie wanted nothing to do with it, so it was dormant. So we had to stage it by bringing furniture in and things like that. We set the control room up in Lisa Marie’s room. Our producer/engineer was in Priscilla’s room and I got to sleep in Elvis’ bedroom. I’m the only man that can say that.”
After recording began in January 2023, Collective Soul banged out a dozen songs in four days. Realizing the band still had a month available at the estate, Roland decided to pursue his dream of making a double album.
“Somehow, I got 10 done in four days,” Roland said. “Then they (the band) came back in and we recorded in five days. I told them that I was done and tapped out.”
The resulting 20 cuts range from the piano ballad “Be The One” and hearty Beatlesque earworm “La Dee Da” to the live gem “Bob Dylan (Where Are You Today),” which resonates with a delicate balance of solo acoustic guitar, mournful harmonica and some topical lyrics.
Throughout this joyful recording experience, Roland insists Presley’s spirit could be felt the whole time the Georgia native and his crew were there.
“There was a place where Elvis would sing, so I would sing there,” Roland said. “And he’d usually sing out by the pool, so I would do my vocals out by the pool. And it’s just part of knowing that nobody had been there since he died.
“The night Lisa Marie passed, we had set the control up in her bedroom and the ceiling fell down, so it was kind of a spooky vibe. We just absorbed it. We couldn’t believe we were there to be honest with you. The excitement is definitely there.”
Collective Soul, with Rubikon, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., $52-$375; pikespeakcenter.com, axs.com
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