Eilert Pilarm

Eilert Pilarm (1953- ), born Eilert Dahlberg, is an Elvis Presley impersonator from Sweden. He first came to public notice on the TV programme Morgonpasset in 1992, and self-released several tapes (imaginatively titled Elvis I, II and III) before signing to the Green Pig Production label, which issued Greatest Hits in 1996 (in the same year, he realised a long-held ambition to visit Presley's former home at Gracelands). It rapidly caught Peel's attention and thereafter he became something of a favourite. John frequently questioned whether he was aware of his idiosyncratic style or was happily oblivious of his off-key, hesitant and badly pronounced crooning. His version of 'Jailhouse Rock' was featured on Songs In The Key Of Z: The Curious Universe Of Outsider Music, alongside tracks by such luminaries as Joe Meek, Legendary Stardust Cowboy and Captain Beefheart.

Festive Fifty Entries

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  Eilert Pilarm Jailhouse Rock

  Jailhouse Rock

Sessions

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Shows Played

(The listing below is researched only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive via Phil's Mighty Database. Please add more information if known.)

1996

• 27 April 1996: (JP: ‘I’m gonna introduce into the programme at about this stage every Saturday, until I get bored with it. An exciting spot to be titled: Elvis Is Alive And Living In Sweden.’)
  'Blue Suede Shoes (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 04 May 1996: 'Jailhouse Rock (CD–Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 04 May 1996 (BFBS): 'Blue Suede Shoes (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 11 May 1996: 'A Fool Such As I (CD–Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 11 May 1996 (BFBS): 'Jailhouse Rock (CD–Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 18 May 1996: 'One Night (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 18 May 1996 (BFBS): 'A Fool Such As I (CD–Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 25 May 1996: 'She's Not You (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 25 May 1996 (BFBS): 'One Night (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)

(JP: 'I hate myself for saying this, but do you think he knows? D'you know what I mean? I wonder (if) it's one of those things where it's actually some terrifically ironic Swedish person who speaks flawless English and can sing perfectly. If he does do it like that, if he really does know and does it deliberately, then he's an extraordinarily gifted man really, because it must be very very difficult to do.')

• 01 June 1996 (BFBS): 'She's Not You (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 01 June 1996: 'Blue Christmas (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 09 June 1996 (BFBS): 'Blue Christmas (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)

(JP: 'And in next week's John Peel's Music From BFBS, Eilert does Long Tall Sally in a version of it so far removed from the original I'd say he had a good case for calling it his own composition.')

• 15 June 1996: '‎All Shook Up (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 22 June 1996: 'Heartbreak Hotel (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 29 June 1996 (BFBS): 'Heartbreak Hotel (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)

(JP: 'He's a lad, isn't he, though? Isn't he wonderful?...One hopes, of course, that Eilert is at this very moment working on a new LP: I look forward to it a great deal. Since I spoke to you last, a week ago here on BFBS, I've been contacted by no less than three different advertising agencies who are all anxious to use Eilert's music in some sort of campaign or other: I wish 'em well, I must admit, and I hope that Eilert becomes a great global star, which is obviously his wish. I'd like to see him, Dennis and I were just discussing this, I think Eilert Pilarm at the Albert Hall, I think one of those things to kind of yearn for, really.')

• 17 August 1996 (BFBS): ('I was rather regretting the fact that I seem to have no more tracks to play you by the Swedish Elvis, Eilert Pilarm, and so I thought I'd start again at the beginning of the LP. Frankly, I can't remember whether I've played you this one or not, but, er, I didn't play them all because there are, I forget how many tracks there are on there - 22 - but this is how Eilert does Are You Lonesome Tonight. It's pretty moving.') Are You Lonesome Tonight (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 31 August 1996 (BFBS): 'It's Now Or Never (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 16 October 1996: 'One Night (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)
• 16 October 1996: 'Long Tall Sally (CD-Greatest Hits)' (Green Pig Production)

1998

• 08 December 1998: Hound Dog (LP - Eilert Is Back) Green Pig
• 09 December 1998: That's All Right Mama (LP - Eilert Is Back) Green Pig
• 10 December 1998: Green Green Grass Of Home (LP-Eilert Is Back) Green Pig
• 13 December 1998 (BFBS): ‎(JP: "And there will be those amongst you, I like to feel, who will be familiar with the work of Eilart Pilarm, the Swedish Elvis Presley, and probably have copies of his debut LP. He's done a second one, and once again it's all songs associated with Elvis in one way or another: this is one of them, and in a way there are one or two songs on this second one which also occur on the first one in a different version, and this one is even wider of the mark than he is on the first one, which leads me to believe that he's doing it on purpose. But who cares when he does it as well as this?")
  Green, Green Grass Of Home (CD-Eilert Is Back) Green Pig
• 15 December 1998: Jailhouse Rock (LP-Eilert Is Back) Green Pig
• 16 December 1998: In The Ghetto (LP-Eilert Is Back) Green Pig
• 17 December 1998: Suspicious Mind (LP-Eilert Is Back) Green Pig
• 20 December 1998 (BFBS): Jailhouse Rock / In The Ghetto (LP-Eilert Is Back) Green Pig

1999

• 05 January 1999: Blue Hawaii (LP-Eilert Is Back) Green Pig
• 19 January 1999: Don't Be Cruel (LP-Eilert Is Back) Green Pig
• 24 January 1999 (BFBS): 'Playing For Keeps (CD-Eilert Is Back)' (Green Pig Production)

(JP: "He is majestic ... Some of the tracks at the end of this LP are actually Elvis songs done in Swedish, and I am looking forward to hearing those a great deal. I'm kind of rationing myself to one track a week, or perhaps two ... Anyway, great stuff, no question about it ... I can't wait to see Eilert. I'm trying to persuade people to book Eilert for some gigs, in London at least, so we can see the great man in person.")

External Links

• Wikipedia
• Official site
• My Space
• Blog An appreciation of the great man