Quote:
"Elvis Presley is the greatest cultural force in the 20th century."
(Leonard Bernstein)
Quote:
"If you're an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary; If you're not an Elvis fan, no explanation is possible."
(George Klein)
Quote:
"For a dead man, Elvis Presley is awfully noisy."
(Professor Gilbert B. Rodman)
Quote:
"History has him as this good old country boy, Elvis is about as country as Bono!"
(Jerry Schilling)
Quote:
"Absolute id crashed into absolute superego...as the uptightset man in America shook hands with just about the loosest."
(Mark Feeney on the 'Elvis meets Nixon' meeting)
Quote:
"Elvis is everywhere"
(Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper)
Quote:
"...especially in the South, they talk about Elvis and Jesus in the same breath"
(Michael Ventura, LA Weekly)
Quote:
"The image is one thing and the human being is another...it's very hard to live up to an image"
(Elvis Presley, Madison Square Garden press conference, 1972)
Quote:
"Elvis was a major hero of mine. I was actually stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something"
(David Bowie)
Quote:
"No-one, but no-one, is his equal, or ever will be. He was, and is supreme"
(Mick Jagger)
Quote:
"I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother...there'll never be another like that soul brother"
(Soul legend, James Brown)
Quote:
"Before Elvis there was nothing!"
(John Lennon)
Quote:
"There were rock 'n' roll records before Heartbreak Hotel, but this was the one that didn't just open the door…it literally blasted the door off its rusted, rotten, anachronistic hinges…. producing....no propelling...an unstoppable, fundamental and primordial shift in not only musical... but social, political and cultural history"
(JNP, BBC website)
Quote:
"Elvis, the musician, is largely a relic belonging to the baby boomer generation...Elvis, the icon, is arguably one of the most potent symbols of popular culture"
( Dr. John Walker)
|
|
Book Review:
"Elvis Aaron Presley: A Candle In The Wind"
|
Bill E. Burk, Propwash Publishing, Memphis, 2005, Hardback, 112 pages, Illustrated, ISBN: 1879207885
Price: US$49.99 plus FREE surface postage (add $5.00 for Airmail postage)
The latest coffee table photobook from Elvis World's "007", Bill E. Burk, is designed to please all fans.
A nicely formatted balance of strong visuals and fascinating narrative, Elvis Aaron Presley: A Candle In The Wind (aka "Candle"), rates as one of the "must buy" releases of 2005.
While Bill Burk complements the visual side of "Candle" with an authoritative and stimulating narrative, this element of the book is initially overshadowed by the many historically rare and stunning visuals which quickly attract your interest.
However, written with Bill's customary flair and engaging style, "Candle" includes many great stories (eg. Elvis going to jail, his generosity to others, and first hand accounts of his relationships with early girlfriends like Anita Wood and Barbara Hearn).
|
 |
If you want to know what Elvis' female co-stars thought about him, then "Candle" is the book for you. Bill provides candid comments from Dolores Hart, Ann-Margret, Shelley Fabares, Mary Tyler Moore, Celeste Yarnall, Julie Parrish and Suzanna Leigh. Many female fans will drool over the numerous full-page color shots of Elvis performing live on stage in the 1970s or off-stage practising karate and riding "Rising Sun" at Graceland, but what impressed me the most were the just as impressive and historically very rare black and white visuals from the 1950s.
Elvis' first ever publicity shot (with the future rock & roll King dressed in a tux with bow tie!), the print advertisement featuring Elvis promoting the Memphis-based Hungerford Furniture Company, a fan photo snapped before Elvis walked out on stage at the Overton Park Shell stage on July 30, 1954, and a casually attired Elvis with school friend, Rosemary Barrocco, are only four of the very rare photos Bill Burk has secured for his latest book.
There is also an eye catching early b&w visual of an attractive couple, Elvis with girlfriend Barbara Hearn, and some great photos in the section, Elvis in Deutschland (although we're sure Bill managed to slip in one visual actually from a few years later), not to mention photos from Elvis' Family Photo Album.
Other inclusions which add real value to "Candle" are:
- the Elvis and Magdalene Morgan "faked" marriage certificate
- Elvis "hanging loose" in Biloxi, Mississippi
- Elvis with the King and Queen of Thailand
- Elvis with not one, but three Scandanavian princesses!
- deatils of the member of a royal family who laughed at Elvis
- Elvis' first four-wheeler (and it isn't what you might think)
- Elvis photographed in a '62 Ford T'bird
- the day young Tanya Leny met Elvis
- a stunning b&w photo of a young Lisa Marie on her swing set at Graceland
- several photos from the Jaycees Top Ten Award ceremony
- Elvis' Jaycees Acceptance Speech
- a promotional visual for the "Elvis Innocence" fragrance
- what other "stars" thought about Elvis
- a fantastic color shot of Elvis and Vernon during one of Elvis' live concerts
Elvis gives author Bill E. Burk (left) an autographed photo |
 |
The photos in "Candle" were sourced from various impressive collections, including Bob Heis, Keith Alverson, Robin Rosaaen, Bob Zimmerman and Wolfgang Hillenkoetter. The front cover photo is from the archives of Keith Alverson and noted Elvis sketch artist, Betty Harper, designed both the front and back covers.
The hardcover, saddle stitched binding means "Candle" will last for many, many years.
Verdict: The name Bill E. Burk has long been synonymous with solid, investigative reporting about Elvis and the discovery of rare items. Elvis Aaron Presley: A Candle In The Wind continues the Bill Burk tradition of providing fans with something special, something that adds value to both the narrative and pictorial history of the King of Rock & Roll. Recommended.
Signed copies of "Elvis Aaron Presley: A Candle In The Wind" can be ordered directly from the publisher:
PROPWASH Publishing
Box 16792
Memphis, TN, 38186-0792
USA
or order by email using a credit card (Visa/Mastercard):
email: Bill E. Burk
Visit Bill E. Burk's "Elvis World Online"
Click to comment on this review
|
Quote:
"Elvis Presley is the supreme socio-cultural icon in the history of pop culture"
(Dr. Gary Enders)
Quote:
" Elvis is the 'glue' which holds our society together....which subconciously gives our world meaning"
(Anonymous)
Quote:
"Eventually everybody has to die, except Elvis"
(humorist Dave Barry)
Quote:
"He is the "Big Bang", and the universe he detonated is still expanding, the pieces are still flying"
(Greil Marcus, "Dead Elvis")
Quote:
"I think Elvis Presley will never be solved"
(Nick Tosches)
Quote:
"He was the most popular man that ever walked on this planet since Christ himself was here"
(Carl Perkins)
Quote:
"When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew I wasn't going to work for anybody...hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail"
(Bob Dylan)
Quote:
"When we were kids growing up in Liverpool, all we ever wanted was to be Elvis Presley"
(Sir Paul McCartney)
|
