Blue Suede Shine: Collective Soul recorded new album ’Here to Eternity’ at Elvis’ estate

To record their new album Here to Eternity, Collective Soul headed to the late Elvis Presley‘s estate in Palm Springs, California. Once there, the “Shine” rockers found the house largely untouched since The King passed away.

“[It had] the same stove, same refrigerator,” frontman Ed Roland tells ABC Audio. “I mean, I showered in his shower.”

While recording, Roland and his bandmates would often invite Elvis fans and tourists who visited the house inside.

“It was kinda fun to watch people be excited about their experience,” Roland says. “I would talk to some of ’em [about] how much Elvis meant to ’em, how much music meant to ’em. It was kinda inspiring, it kinda helped, I think, our whole gig and our vibe while we were there.”

Collective Soul certainly felt inspired and ended up turning Here to Eternity into a 20-track double album, which had long been a dream of Roland’s since growing up with records such as Elton John‘s Goodbye Yellow Brick and The Rolling Stones‘ Exile on Main St.

While the creative juices were flowing in Elvis’ estate, Collective Soul’s stay wasn’t without an eerie moment or two. Roland remembers they were at the house the day Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, died in January 2023.

“The day she passed, the ceiling fell in her bedroom on all our gear and everything,” Roland says. “So, yeah, there was a lot of vibe going on.”

Here to Eternity is out now.

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