Baby, Let's Play House

Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him

De: Alanna Nash

Narrado por: Erin Spencer, Alanna Nash - Introduction

Elvis Presley’s unbreakable stronghold on the psyche of women - and theirs on him - is the focus of this much-lauded book by Elvis expert, journalist, and Country Music Association Media Achievement Award winner Alanna Nash.

Called "by far the best study of Presley I have ever read...Impressively researched written - and felt" by New York Times best-selling author Philip Norman (author of John Lennon and Shout!) and “the most entertaining Elvis book ever” by New York Times best-selling author Jimmy McDonough (Shakey: Neil Young's Biography), Baby, Let’s Play House is the first ever Elvis book to focus solely on his complex relationships with women, starting with his mother, and including celebrities such as Ann-Margret, Linda Thompson, Mary Ann Mobley, Cher, Raquel Welch, Barbara Eden, and Cybill Shepherd.

Featuring dozens of exclusive interviews, Baby, Let’s Play House is a must-have collector’s item for fans of The King everywhere.

©2010 Alanna Nash (P)2020 Alanna Nash

Truthful

This gives you the story of Elvis and those closest to him. Not always flattering.

Wish there was more ~

I have been an Elvis fan/admirer for just shy of one year. ( I am 56 y/o) Planned a pre Covid adventure to Memphis in February. Prior to my bucket list Graceland experience, I attempted to watch Elvis movies. Listened to and watched every documentary and interview that is available. Researched and soaked in every aspect of "Elvis" that I could. For lack of a better description I fell in love/respect for the humanitarian that was Elvis. I am partial to the memoirs and writings of the inner circle, the Memphis Mafia and their legacies. I feel oddly blessed to be a generation that can have access/exposure to Billy and Jo Smith and Sheri Lacker who were with Elvis a large majority of time. With all of this being said when I started to 'listen' to Alanna Nash's "Baby, Let's Play House" I became defensive and skeptical of what I was hearing.(Denial of my own thoughts). With each chapter my skepticism lessened. What I was hearing only reinforced what I already knew. Ms. Nash not only delivers history with each relationship but psychological based facts that are DSM based.The amount of research, interviews, investigating and genuine sincerity that are revealed in this "Omg, I can't stop listening book" are revolutionary to any Elvis fanatic/fan/admirer. While I still have much to absorb about the life of Elvis Presley, Ms. Nash's book has brought me full circle to a better understanding of who Elvis actually was and why he followed the path and made the decisions that he did. Although eye opening for sure...it has left me with an even greater respect. Thank you Alanna Nash. Looking forward to reading/listening to more of your writing!

Wow!

Loved it, very well covered history, a little head spinning. Narrative was well done.

Elvis the Mortal Human Being

Wow, this is quite a book, rich in emotion and detail. Word of caution to Elvis fans: this is a full, unadulterated story of a man who like all other people born, experienced life’s hardships but unlike most, tasted life from the perspective of meteoric fame. Due to his massive popularity, he was almost worshipped and loved to a level that denied his mortality. If you are not ready to learn about his pride of life, his refusal to deny himself every pleasure, or his various heartaches suffered over time, perhaps this book isn’t for you. Of course you will also experience the highs you are likely seeking! If you choose to dive in, you’ll experience this rock-n-roll icon through a bird’s eye view with such up close and personal detail you’ll feel you were actually there! If you desire to learn about the man behind the legend, you will be satisfied that the author has done her work. This will illuminate your understanding of Elvis in a way that is both heartbreaking, and exhilarating. Grounded and out of control. While Elvis was adored for his down home, polite mannerisms, generosity and trail-blazer trend setting as well as his inimitable style, good nature and uncommon good looks (and yes, his music sense), he was without question a prisoner of a lifestyle that was both a product of his own making and also the predictable fallout of a shining star loved by millions and pushed by a greedy, dishonest manager. No human being is meant to handle that stage or pressure. Accordingly, Elvis’ life is, in a brief statement, a cautionary tale on the pride of life and its excess when indulged in without control as much as it is a fascinating read about the man who changed rock-n-roll forever. I was not surprised to learn Elvis had as much reign to do as he pleased whenever and with whomever he wished. I didn’t know his love of self and bevy of sycophants he placed around himself drove him to believe he was entitled to act that way. That being said, I remain a fan, in moderation, who loves Jesus and puts Elvis in the place he was meant to occupy: a gifted entertainer.

Entertaining, but Incomplete

I NEVER write full reviews for Audible, but here I feel I must. PLEASE DO NOT READ/LISTEN TO THIS UBTIL YOU HAVE READ PETER GURALNICK’S TWO VOLUME BIO ON ELVIS. Those books are works of art, establishing neutrality and honesty in beautifully written prose. They are the Encyclopedia Britannia of EP. This book, while immensely entertaining, led me to question A LOT of things, and left me feeling like I had just read the complete Daily Mail collective of all the confessionals of every woman Elvis ever knew, without proper footnotes. Ultimately, I think bc this book is SO focused on Elvis’s relations with women that so much is left out, eliminating the possibility to formulate true context of a most complex man.
Also, I am so sorry to whomever read this for Audible, but OMG. After listening to Alanna Nash’s intro, you hope to hear her narrate the rest… her raw and gravelly voice seems to truly channel Elvis. This narrator was sugary sweet, mispronounced or incorrectly stated a bunch of things (HEARTACHE HOTEL?????) and made it read like the most recent Harlequin Romance novel. Bottom line: read/listen to this if you are a hard core Elvis fan, absolutely. But if this is all you ever listen to, you are robbing yourself, the legacy of the King, and all of humanity his true story. READ/LISTEN TO PETER GURALNICK FIRST!!!! ELVIS DESERVES IT!!!