Some time ago I heard that the Beatles may have jammed with both Elvis and Bob Dylan (on separate occasions!) and that the results were recorded. This would have been around 1964/65. One rumour even suggests that Dylan sang the lead vocal on a version of “Help!”. The thought of these icons getting together is staggering…any Beatle fans out there with The Straight Dope ? I’ve never seen this verified in any biography but maybe you know the truth…?
According to the book “The Love You Make,” the Beatles did meet Elvis once, and only once. The story goes that they were in awe of ELvis, who finally sneered, “If y’all are just gonna stare at me all night, I’m going to bed.” That broke the ice, at which point the band and the King started chatting, then broke out guitars (Elvis played the bass guitar in this session), and they played a few rock and roll oldies together.
As far as anyone knows, this impromptu session was never recorded… but if it was, it would be of interest only to die-hard collectors. The music itself was probably forgettable. (Probably twenty seconds of Elvis singing “Maybelline,” while Lennon made bad jokes, or Ringo harmonizing with Elvis for a few seconds on a Carl PErkins tune…)
For a comparison, ever heard the “Million Dollar Quartet” sessions? Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and (briefly) Johnny Cash were together, fooling around at Sun Studios, and somebody decided to record it. They’d chat, play a little bit of a song, crack a few jokes, play a bit of another song, and so on. The quality of the music was weak, and there’s NO reason anybody should want to buy the recording… but it was sort of fun and interesting to hear four of the giants of music in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.
IF a bootleg recording of the Elvis/Beatles session ever turned up, treat it as an enjoyable novelty. Don’t expect a musical masterpiece.