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Welcome to the "Elvis Information Network", home to the best news, reviews, interviews, Elvis photos & in-depth articles about the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Aaron Presley...
The latest on www.elvisinfonet.com:
| Viva Elvis (CD Review) - a case of newbie versus traditionalist: In honor of what would have been Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday, Cirque du Soleil set about honoring the King with a show in the city that became synonymous with Presley in his later touring years – Las Vegas.
Taking a page from The Beatles’ Love, Viva ELVIS is a visual tribute to Presley with his music serving as the soundtrack.
Much like with Love, Presley’s music has been radically remixed but unlike Love - which was entirely the Beatles’ music - Viva ELVIS finds Presley’s classic tracks augmented by contemporary musicians in an attempt to make his sound current. Purists may scoff at the notion as many of these tracks are considered perfect as is, but the more open-minded may be pleasantly surprised by some of this CD.
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The opening of the CD serves as an overture, with a crowd swell; interview clips; sound bytes from Ed Sullivan; bits of “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” better known as the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey and the new drum beat leading into the opening song, “Blue Suede Shoes.” The track does a good job of building anticipation for the show to come. “Blue Suede Shoes” blends distorted guitars with handclaps and harmonica giving the song a garage-rock feel while “That’s All Right” bears an eerie resemblance to Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” or Jet’s “Are you Gonna Be My Girl?” while still utilizing Scotty Moore’s original lead breaks. The tracks work surprisingly well, but it’s clear from the get-go that this is not your parents Presley.
“Heartbreak Hotel” manages to combine three different versions of the song to create an entirely different listening experience. We start with Presley warming up his voice, followed by an acoustic blues guitar right out of the Mississippi Delta and Presley’s voice sounding like he was singing through a harmonica mic, but before the listener can get used to that, it jumps between the ’68 Comeback Special arrangement and the original 1956 version. This may be the best-realized remix on the album as the song lends itself well to this sort of treatment. “Bossa Nova Baby” plays up the Latin elements of the song, adding a trumpet solo, while staying fairly close to the original. Keen listeners will notice the guitar solo from “Hard Headed Woman” has been added here to great effect.
“Love Me Tender” has been given a modern acoustic feel and has been turned into a duet with Dea Norgerg. While Presley sounds great as usual, her voice just doesn’t work with the song and the parts where she harmonizes with Presley sound forced. “King Creole” has been given an unnecessary hip-hop treatment while “Burning Love” now sounds as if it could have been recorded by the Hives – not bad, but not really necessary either. Things improve with an instrumental piano version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and the closing track (and lead single) “Suspicious Minds,” which sounds like Presley channeling U2 with its jangly guitars.
Viva ELVIS is an interesting, often good (if unnecessary) reinterpretation of Presley’s remarkable catalog. Open-minded old listeners may find these new versions a fun twist and it may introduce Presley to an entirely new generation of fans. Those who want their Presley “as nature intended” would do best to stay far away from this CD though and listen to the original albums as this is nothing like the Presley they have come to love. (CD Review, Source: General Jabbo, http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-elvis-presley-viva-elvis/)
Marty Lacker to get Beale Street Blues Note Honor this Sunday November 7th: It was announced today that Marty Lacker will be honored by receiving a Beale Street Blues Note, the equivalent of a Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star this coming Sunday, Nov 7 at 5pm
Also receiving a Blues Note at the same time will be Chips Moman, the acclaimed record producer who produced Elvis' 1969 sessions at American Studios,Memphis. Moman is also noted for producing over 100 other big hit records by a number of major artists.
Lacker started his entertainment career in radio in 1957 and a few years later his former high schoolmate, Elvis Presley, asked Marty to work for him. Marty was with and close to Elvis for 20 years and served as his right hand man for a number of years as well as being his Co-Best Man at his wedding.
However, it was not really his association with Elvis that has brought this honor to him but his years after leaving Presley's payroll to become a vital part of the Memphis and National Music Industry. In 1967 Lacker started Pepper Records at which time he discovered Rita Coolidge and produced her first couple of hits for her. While at Pepper he also produced some young R&B groups with the help and songs of his close friends Isaac Hayes and David Porter.
Shortly after, Lacker was solely responsible for Elvis to return to Memphis to record for the first time in 14 years when Lacker convinced Elvis to record
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with Chips Moman and his American Studios Rhythm section. resulting in "Suspicious Minds" and "In The Ghetto' as well as other hits. It was a few months after that Moman asked Lacker to run American Studios for him which he did for a couple of years before opening his own company, Mempro,Inc. serving the entire Music Industry.. While at American, Lacker became one of the leaders of the Memphis Music Industry and produced, directed and wrote three highly successful Memphis Music Awards Shows featuring many of the big named artists who recorded in Memphis at the time as well as attended by most of the executives of the national music industry.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
Demystifying an Elvis myth - Aloha viewing audience figure in question!!: Was Elvis' historic Aloha From Hawaii satellite show witnessed by more than 1 billion people as is often claimed? Elvis author, Alan Hanson, says NO!! (See Marty Lacker follow-up below)
“In January 1973, Elvis gave a benefit performance at the Honolulu International Center Arena in Hawaii … Titled Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii, the program was the first worldwide television broadcast, and more than a billion people eventually watched this one performance—roughly a third of the world’s population at the time.” — Elvis for Dummies © by Susan Doll, PhD, film and pop culture historian
I hate to single out Ms. Doll, since she is only the latest in a long line of writers and internet bloggers who have perpetuated the above myth surrounding Elvis’s 1973 television special. And it hasn’t been just star-struck Presley admirers who have peddled these ridiculous assertions. Even TV Guide, a respected publication that should have known better, bought into this Presley fairy tale. In its issue for the first week of January 2000, the magazine asserted, “Number of people who tuned into Presley’s 1973 special, Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii, via satellite: 1.5 billion.” |
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To see how this Elvis fable got started, let’s first go back to 1973. Shortly after midnight on Sunday, January 14, 1973, Elvis took the stage in Honolulu. His performance was broadcast live by satellite to countries in the Far East and Oceania. Later that day a delayed broadcast of the show was beamed via satellite across Europe. Almost three months later, on April 4, 1973, an expanded version of Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii was broadcast in the U.S. on NBC-TV. Reviews of the show were mostly positive, and the concert soundtrack became Elvis’s first #1 LP in eight years.
To track the source of the show’s over-hyping, however, we must go back four months before Elvis’s performance in Hawaii. On September 4, 1972, Colonel Parker called a press conference in Las Vegas to announce Presley’s upcoming satellite special. Elvis was in attendance, as was Rocco Laginestra, president of RCA, which would produce the show using its communications satellite.
Parker issued a laundry list of Elvis “firsts”: In an announcement released prior to the news conference, Parker outlined several what he called historic “firsts” for the broadcast: (1) first entertainment special to be broadcast worldwide via satellite, (2) largest audience to ever see a television show, “in excess of one billion people,” (3) “the first time in the history of the record industry” than an LP would be released worldwide simultaneously.
Parker’s final “historic” claim is legitimate, I suppose, but there seems nothing significant about it. RCA could have used its foreign licensing system to do the same thing years earlier. It didn’t because there was no apparent commercial advantage in issuing an album on the same day around the globe. Whether releasing the Aloha From Hawaii LP everywhere simultaneously was a good marketing move or just publicity hype is a debatable question, but one of little import.
The other two supposed “firsts” for Elvis’s Hawaii show, however, were clearly misleading and phony claims churned out by the “Colonel Parker Propaganda Machine.” It’s surprising that the reporters at the 1972 press conference didn’t see through the sham immediately, and it’s absolutely amazing that Parker’s bogus claims have been reported as fact over and over again ever since.
Let’s start with the notion that the Presley show would be broadcast “worldwide.” According to Peter Guralnick in his Elvis biography, “six rows of Elvis Summer Festival hats festooned with the names of each country in which it was hoped the spectacular would be broadcast” were displayed at the press conference. An article in the Honolulu Advertiser reported that Laginestra “indicated that at least 34 nations will tune in to the Presley show.” Even the most gullible of journalists present should have realized that 34 nations don't qualify as a “worldwide” broadcast. (A quick look at the World Almanac reveals that in 1973 there were 140 countries in the world with more than a million in population.)
Mao and Uncle Joe were no Elvis fans: Keep in mind that the satellite feed was available only to those nations who had signed a licensing agreement with RCA to broadcast the show in their countries. At the news conference, Laginestra said RCA was “talking to the Russians and (we’ve) started negotiations with China” for possible hookups (Billboard, 12/16/72). There has never been any evidence, however, that Aloha From Hawaii was ever broadcast in China, Russia, or any other communist nation. (That didn’t stop Susan Doll from speculating that, “Even parts of Communist China supposedly tuned in.”)
Various reports indicate Aloha From Hawaii was eventually broadcast in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines, South Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, the United States, and 28 countries in Europe. That’s 38 nations plus the British protectorate of Hong Kong. The special was not broadcast in any country in Africa, South America, the Middle East, or South Asia. In fact, among the world’s five most populated countries in 1973, only the U.S. saw Aloha From Hawaii. So at long last, can we please dispense with the assertion that it was a “worldwide” broadcast?
Now, what about the claim that over a billion people actually saw the Elvis special? Remember that Colonel Parker’s printed announcement proclaimed that “in excess of one billion people” would actually “see” the Aloha broadcast. How could he determine the actual number of viewers four months before the broadcast? The obvious answer is that he couldn’t. Still, Presley pundits through the years have continued to insist that between 1 and 1.5 billion people worldwide saw Aloha From Hawaii back in 1973. (The amount 1.3 billion is the most commonly stated number.)
| The Colonel must have thought infants watched Elvis: First of all, the world’s total population in 1973 was 3.973 billion. Does it sound reasonable that fully one-third of the planet’s people were glued to the tube when Elvis’s special aired in 1973? Hardly. Consider how many Americans tuned in to Aloha From Hawaii when it was broadcast in the U.S. on April 4, 1973. Overnight Nielsen ratings indicated that 33.8 percent of all American televisions were tuned in to Elvis’s concert. But that also indicates that two-thirds of U.S. televisions were either turned off or tuned to other programs in that time slot. Now, if every family member in those 33.8 percent of households was sitting around the TV watching Elvis that evening, then the most that could be claimed is that about one-third of Americans watched Aloha From Hawaii. If barely a third of the U.S. population tuned in, does it seem reasonable that an equal amount would have done so in places like South Vietnam, where TV broadcasting only began in 1965? |
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So how was the exaggerated number of 1.3 billion viewers of the Elvis special reached? If you add together the 1973 populations of the 38 countries the actually did broadcast the Aloha show, the total comes to—you guessed it—about 1.3 billion. In what was perhaps the greatest snow job of his career, Colonel Parker convinced four decades of Elvis experts and fans that every single living person in 38 countries tuned in to Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii in 1973. Just in the U.S. alone, the Nielsen ratings make it clear that, at the very least, 140 million Americans were doing something other than watching Elvis that April evening.
Even the idea that Aloha From Hawaii was the first broadcast of its kind is flimsy. “The claim that this was the first worldwide satellite broadcast of an entertainment special was somewhat debatable,” noted Peter Guralnick, “in that the broadcast was not actually worldwide and Andy Williams had already done something of similar nature for the European market.”
Aloha concert should be allowed to stand on its own: In the end, much of the “historic” framework built around the 1973 Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii broadcast turns out to be nothing more than another example of Elvis enthusiasts trying to artificially embellish Presley’s legacy with bogus big numbers and dubious claims of being "first."
The problem with such an approach is that it distracts from Elvis’s real legacy—his unparalleled ability as an entertainer. His performance in the early morning of January 14, 1973, speaks for itself. Many say Elvis never looked nor sounded better in his entire career. And all that other stuff—the satellite, the dozens of countries, the millions of viewers—neither added nor detracted from his performance. It should be remembered for what it was —a final remarkable performance in the career of America’s greatest entertainer. (Source: Alan Hanson)
From Marty Lacker.
Here I am once again commenting on an EIN story (above), as written about an important moment in Elvis' great legacy by someone who wasn't present at the time!
Let me start off by saying this guy is nitpicking and who's to say he is factual.
The day after the show we were sitting in the suite in the Hilton Hawaiian Village when the Colonel arrived with a Japanese newspaper that stated that 98% of the Japanese households that had TV watched the show.
When Lagenestra and the Colonel said,"Worldwide" they used that term to denote that it would be viewed in countries in the world other than the U.S.,certainly there were places it wasn't seen, nothing has ever been shown in every single part of the world. As for the "First" in regards to an entertainment show via Satellite,it was in many ways and it was also the first show done on RCA/NBC's satellite.
To try to minimize Elvis' historic outstanding performance 33 years later by someone who might not have even been born then or if he was might have not been aware enough to witness the true worldwide impact, is like some uninformed Elvis fans who spout off about the kind of people Elvis and the Memphis Mafia were/are, yet they never spent one minute with any of us.
Suffice it to say, it was the largest audience in history by any artist especially for its time. I'm proud of what he did and that I had the pleasure of being there with him to see it first hand. I'm also glad that it was something that made him happy and proud.
- Marty Lacker |
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VILE STANLEY BOOK PULLED: Elvis Express Radio reports that.....the vile book of disgusting lies about Elvis Presley and his mother written by Dee Stanley has now been pulled from the Barnes & Noble site. Stanley told E.E.R that she had no idea the book was published and had taken no money for the piece of trash called 'The Intimate Life & Death of Elvis Presley'.
However, Billy Stanley has made a statement that he tried to stop the book being published? Whatever the truth is we hope to find out as we have contacted Barnes & Noble to get their comment on this story.
While I am pleased that the book has now been pulled, one thing has to be remembered and that is Dee wrote the book in the first place, tried desperately to get it published in the 1990's, had excerpts...including the whole incest story....published in the tabloid paper, the National Enquirer and went on national TV in America to try to sell her stories. Remember that!
STANLEY'S COMMENT ON BOOK - As we all know, since the early 90's Dee Stanley has claimed Elvis and his mother slept together in the biblical sense. Her book was never published except for excerpts in the sensationalist paper, the National Enquirer. Now though, her book is available for download as an E-book and here are comments from Dee's sons and also from Dee herself.
Billy Stanley: "I tried to STOP it, and I had NOTHING TO DO WITH IT... This is the last time I will comment on this... Lies about Elvis will not be tolerated, by me and I am ashamed by this book...."
David Stanley: "It looks like a book written by my mother ( The Intimate Life and Death of Elvis) has been made available at Barns and Nobles via e-book. Let me make this clear - while I love my Mother my official comment on her book is that it is a pack of lies... I knew Elvis and knew him well. I am truly ashamed that my mother woul...d print such untruths. I am in no way connected to this trash."
Rick Stanley: "I have just heard of a terrible book written by my mother. It is filled with unspeakable LIES. I cannot believe I am just now hearing about this. Do not waste your time on it. This is the first we have heard of a book being done by our Mother. We are just now hearing these terrible LIES. Again we were not aware of any of this until about an hour ago."
So, Billy tries to stop it...David calls it a pack of lies and Rick says the book is lies and tells fans not to waist their money on it. Bravo to the Stanley boys on making these statements.
Dee Stanley trashes her own book: Inb a surprising development Dee Presley has also made a statement which says: "Dee Presley has no knowledge of a recently published book. She gave NO permission , NO money has been exchanged , and she looks forward to clearing up any scandalous words she may have said years ago, and who is responsible for releasing this trash."
There sure are questions raised with these comments, if Dee knew nothing about this book being released as an e-book that how could Billy Stanley have tried to STOP IT? Dee has said she wished to do an interview here on E.E.R in order to give her side of things and as always here on E.E.R we allow everyone the right to reply.
David Stanley (shown above with Elvis) told EIN yesterday: I just came across my mothers new book on the internet, The Intimate Life and Death of Elvis. I wanted to make my position very clear on this published work. It is a pack of lies and I am deeply saddened that she continues to say such horrible untruths about Elvis. While I love my mother – because she is my mother - I am ashamed of her and her actions concerning the publications of such untruths. I speak for all of us, The Stanley brothers, in saying that this book is truly a piece of trash and in no way are we associated with it or her lies.
To the fans I admit that over the years I have said things about my step-brother that I wish I had not had said. This was motivated by a deep sense of hurt and loss. As I recently confided with my fiend Joe Esposito, I was angered by the fact that Elvis left me so soon. For this I am truly sorry. I loved Elvis very much and miss daily.
What my mother has said is disgraceful. I, along my brother’s Billy and Ricky, stand by the Elvis we all knew and loved. I thank God more than ever that he was the Parent figure in my life. I will love and defend him for the rest of my life as being the greatest human being I ever knew. Shame on you Dee.
EIN Comment: Dee Presley's condemnation of her own book raises a few questions. Is the released book what she wrote or has she changed her mind on what happened? How did at least two online book outlets obtain the book to offer for "download" sale? And why did Billy Stanley know about its release and not Dee? (See our earlier stories dated Wed 20 and Thursday 21 October)
Elvis Cadillac for sale: Up for sale on eBay is this 1975 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, purchased by Elvis for his uncle, Vester Presley, on September 26, 1974. The purchase was verified by Howard Massey, salesman at Madison Cadillac in Memphis. According to the seller, all documentation available. It's not clear how many miles the Cadillac has done or in what condition the car is in. Bidding starts at 10,000.00 $US but the reserve price is more than that. (News, Source: Elvis News/ ElvisMatters)
Speedway a #1 hit in Sweden: On the FECC board earlier this week, dreambear (Bjorn), posted: Who would believed that the title track of the movie "Speedway" would hit hard by the listererns of Swedish radio - Jonkoping: You can vote on different songs:
Morgontoppen week 42:
1. Speedway - Elvis Presley
2. Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
3. Don´t eat that yellow snow - Frank Zappa
4. Baby love - The Supremes
5. Mama, I´m coming home - Ozzy Osbourne UT (lottad mot The Supremes)
Morgontoppen week 41:
Speedway - Elvis Presley
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Don´t eat the yellow snow - Frank Zappa
Baby Love - The Supremes
Zigenarvän - Agnetha Fältskog - UT
Morgontoppen week 40:
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Speedway - Elvis Presley
Don´t eat the yellow snow - Frank Zappa
Zigenarvän - Agnetha Fältskog
Black Velvet - Alannah Myles
'Suspicious Minds 2010' UK Single launch Disappoints: 'Suspicious Minds' was nowhere to be found on its official release day, 25th October. To make matters worse 'Suspicious Minds 2010' is to be included on the soon to be release hit single compilation 'NOW 36'. While 'Suspicious Minds 2010' has been flagged by SONY as the "Brand New Mix" - on this
new compilation, the song is listed as a BONUS.... FLASHBACK TRACK! Flashback? EIN contributor Brian Quinn asks "Who is responsible for this marketing campaign? Do SONY have any clue as to what this new recording is all about? Does a brand new modern mix really qualify as a "Flashback Track"?
“Now 36” comes with info on how to enter a contest to win a trip to Vegas to see “Viva Elvis by Cirque du Soleil” at that Aria Hotel".
More Bad News as the latest UK Susan Boyle Album 'The Gift' has had its release date changed from 15th November to 8th November - the same date as 'Viva Elvis'. Boyle is already No.1 on the Amazon (UK) chart and guess who Boyles' record company is.........SONY!!. So that means no No.1 for 'Viva Elvis'.
Following these releases I suggest all fans write a letter of complaint to the head of Sony(UK) complaining of the way Elvis and his Legacy have been treated.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork/BrianQuinn) |
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Sony Europe, will release a 'Suspicious Minds' two track CD single: In another strange twist to the VIVA ELVIS marketing saga, Sony Europe are apparently releasing a 'Suspicious Minds' two track CD single to promote the upcoming Viva Elvis CD release.
Suspicious Minds – Viva Elvis version of 4.24 minutes
Suspicious Minds – the normal Elvis version of 4.29 minutes.
This is despite SONY UK and SONY Australia's statement that a CD single version would not be released.
There is limited availability, because a lot of record stores do not sell cd singles anymore.
Watch this space for more info
(News, Source:EPGold) |
Lamar Fike Health Scare: Elvis' buddy Lamar Fike is not home yet - but is improving with physical therapy in a rehabilitation hospital. Lamar will be there for at least a couple of weeks and then be sent home. Lamar was recently transferred to a Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Center in his home city.
On 22 October Lamar was in Arlington Memorial Hospital due to dehydration and Kidney issues that were of concern. He has recently been in remission from an episode of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, along with his continuing treatment for Atrial Fibrillation.
Marty Lacker say that he speaks with him daily and Lamar is progressing ok.
Marty notes that Lamar does appreciate the sentiments that have been expressed online and that people are concerned and for that he thanks the Elvis world.
EIN sends Lamar Best Wishes for a speedy recovery.
Go here for EIN's exclusive interview with Lamar Fike
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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Craziness in the ELVIS website-world: There seems to be some strangeness, power-struggles and trouble brewing within the European Elvis World. Elvis Unlimited has posted some strange irregularities and lack of respect from another website who has been registering similar Elvis domain names.
Elvis Unlimited has asked for "Regard and respect for Elvis Presley and fellow fan clubs."
They have noted that ....
"We can’t find these evil practices in the dictionary of the regular Elvisfan, and it is not only happening in our country: it goes far away beyond our imagination: other European clubs had recently the same experience: fan clubs who existed for almost 50 years UEPS (Belgium)and Elvis Presley Society (Belgium) saw how some of their domain names being taken away with be. eu, .com .net.
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Various fan clubs in the same country can be healthy as long as their competition is fair. When you are an Elvisfan just to proof you can conquer the world to belittle others, you don’t have the right to call yourself “Elvis minded” anymore. If you fool your fellows, you probably fool your members as well.
Elvis would have been very mad and would never have accepted this kind of business!
Elvis website affected are noted as
Elvis Presley Society (Belgium)
itselvistime (Holland)
Elvis For Everyone (Holland)
Elvis Unlimited / GracelandRanders (Denmark)
(News, Source;EU) |
An Alternate Anthology: Tiger Man - Volume 11 new CD: We haven't heard from them for a while but the Shake record import label has announced the release of volume 11 in their "An Alternate Anthology: Tiger Man" series.
Tracklisting:
Gonna Get Back Home Somehow (Take 6) - Kismet (Take 4) - You Don´t Know Me (Movie Version - Take 18) - You´ll Never Walk Alone (Complete Take 1) - Stay Away (Take 6) - Swing Down, Sweet Chariot (With The Blossoms) - Have A Happy (Acetate Recording) - What´d I Say (Live Version - Improved Sound) - Viva Las Vegas / Froggy Went A Curtin (Rehearsal) - Heartbreak Hotel (Live Recording) - I Got A Woman (Live Recording) - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Live Recording) - Merry Christmas Baby (Version Form "This Is Elvis") - Burning Love (Rehearsal) - For The Good Times (Rehearsal) - Always On My Mind (Take 1 + Rehearsal) - Love Me (Live Recording) - |
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Love Me Tender ("Elvis On Tour"-Movie Version) - Take Good Care Of Her (Undubbed Master) - Young At Heart / Let Me Be The One (Homerecording) - Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Live Recording) - Let Me Be There (Live Recorded In Memphis) - Help Me (Live Recording) - In The Ghetto (Duet With Lisa Marie) - Don´t Cry Daddy (Duet With Lisa Marie) - On A Snowy Christmas Night (Duet With Renée Martel) - A Little Less Conversation (TV Commercial)
(News, Source: Elvis Club Berlin) |
Michael Jackson's impressive gross as he tops the Forbes Dead Celebrity Earnings list - But ELVIS back at #2!: The late King of Pop made more money over the past year than any other musician or actor, dead or alive.
Michael Jackson (#3 last year) never graced Forbes' annual Celebrity 100 list during his life. In death, the King of Pop earned more in the past year than any star on that list, apart from Oprah Winfrey.
It was enough to secure Jackson the No. 1 spot on our 10th annual Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list. With gross earnings of $275 million, he earned more than the other 12 deceased stars on the list combined. Still more impressive: His estate's 12-month haul was greater than the pooled earnings of this year's two biggest living acts, U2 and AC/DC. Jackson's posthumous earnings come from his stake in the lucrative Sony/ATV catalog, the hit Sony film "This Is It" and renewed fan interest in music, videos, and all things Michael Jackson. |
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"The death of Michael Jackson really put a focus on -- crassly, quite frankly -- what someone's worth when they're deceased," says David Reeder, vice president of Corbis' GreenLight, which manages the personality rights for Albert Einstein and Steve McQueen, among other dead celebrities. "In a more positive way, it exposed consumers to this idea that there actually is a market for, and an enduring legacy for, these people."
To place on this year's list, a deceased celebrity needed to earn at least $5 million between October 1, 2009, and October 1, 2010, usually through things like music royalties (John Lennon), book sales (Dr. Seuss), or the licensing of one's image and likeness (McQueen). To compile the list, we spoke to agents, lawyers, and other sources to estimate a star's gross earnings (before taxes, management fees and other costs).
Coming in at No. 2 is Elvis Presley (#4 last year). The King of Rock 'n' Roll's estate pulled down $60 million in the 12-month period, thanks to Graceland admissions and a heavily hyped Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. The estate's portfolio of more than 200 licensing and merchandise deals got a nice boost from the late star's 75th birthday celebration as well.
Stieg Larsson, author of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, debuts on this year's list at No. 6 with $18 million in earnings. The Swedish writer died in 2004 at the age of 50, before any of the books in his Millennium Trilogy were published. They have since sold 40 million copies, been translated into 44 languages, and spawned three hit Swedish movies.
No surprise, Hollywood has come calling. A U.S. version of the first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is scheduled to hit theaters next December. The film will be directed by "The Social Network's" David Fincher and star Daniel Craig as hero Mikael Blomkvist. A cut of the money from the American movies (and a reported fourth book) will go to Larsson's estate, which is being fought over by Larsson's longtime girlfriend and his brother and father.
Many dead celebrities make the bulk of their posthumous fortunes on licensing deals. Unlike their living counterparts, who can suddenly fall into a heap of trouble (eg.Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson), dead celebrities have images -- be they glamorous, rebellious or tough -- that are unlikely to change. For that instant and considerably safer brand association, marketers are increasingly attaching themselves to the dead, says Mark Roesler, chief executive of CMG Worldwide. (News, Source: Lacey Rose and Dorothy Pomerant, Forbes.com....additional reporting by Jake Paine and Zack O'Malley Greenburg)
For the full Forbes Dead Celebrities 2010 list click here
New book release announced: Elvis: All Shook Up - Stories and Insights from David Halberstam, William F. Buckley, Bono, Robert Plant, Ann-Margret, Peggy Lipton, and Many More. Roy Blount Jr. Jr. (Introduction). This 320 page hardcover release from Union Square Press will be published in May 2011. ISBN-10: 140278418X ISBN-13: 978-1402784187. Product Description: Elvis remains the “King” of rock-and this star-studded collection pays tribute to his enduring power. Admirers from all walks of life weigh in, including award-winning journalists and influential thinkers (William F. Buckley Jr.); rock stars (Kris Kristofferson, Bono); starlets (Ann Margret, Barbara Eden), Peter Guralnick and many others. Entertaining and illuminating, this anthology shows why people continue to be “all shook up” over Elvis. (News, Source: Amazon)
'Elvis Tattoos' and EIN Spotlight: Fans around the globe are inked with Elvis Tattoos. It seems like these days branding Elvis' name, his likeness, "EP" or even the TCB logo is quite a trend for the hardcore fan. Not to mention the odd celebrity here and there - from Robbie Williams and Fred Durst to Pink, Ed Westwick and even Linda Thompson's son Brody Jenner. During my last few visits to Memphis for Elvis Week, I noticed a lot more "Elvis ink" being displayed on fans' arms, legs, backs and even necks! I had my ink done on a trip to New Orleans about 14 years ago. At the time I remember thinking to myself "I love Elvis, I've always loved Elvis and I always will" - so it seemed like the logical thing to do to have his name marked on me forever.
EIN's Vice-President Sanja Meegin's search for Elvis tattoos saw images arrive from around the world - from the USA to Poland to New Zealand, UK and Turkey. Elvis is being branded on bodies all around the globe, and displayed proudly as a mark of loyalty and admiration.
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The second book will feature over 1,300 stunning photos in its 528 pages and all in quality printing.
All ELVIS EVENTS in this Time Frame Period 1957-1959 are shown.
- Every Working Moment...
- Elvis AT PLAY Images. (200+ Newly Discovered - seen for the first time)
- The Movies: Loving You, Jailhouse Rock and King Creole, are covered in Great Details with lots of unseen photos.
- Plenty of Off Set CANDID Moments.
- All the Recording Sessions
- All the " Interviews"
- The Tours of 1957
(News, Source;ErikL) |
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'Final Curtain' 1977 Deluxe set NEW Trailer: Boxcar have a new trailer for their deluxe 'Final Curtain' DVD/CD/Book set. It is now revealed that the set will not only feature plenty of unreleased home-video but it is rumoured also the complete concert recordings for the 1977 CBS TV Special.
It features for the first time and in perfect quality the complete Omaha June 19 1977 concert. It also features Elvis' Rapid City June 21st concert from a new tape source with unreleased material.
Plus complete soundboard concerts, brand new 8mm homevideo of Elvis' June concerts and a 400 page book! The set is limited to 1500 copies.
(News, Source;Boxcar) |
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Elvis’ Personal Jukebox in London on Display: Vee-Tone Records and Elvis Unlimited team up with HMV to bring a piece of Rock ‘n’ Roll history to London – for one day only on Thursday, 28th October 2010 (10.30 am – 8.00 pm) – to support the CD launch of The Memphis Jukebox Two (released 18th October):
On 28th October, Vee-Tone Records will be in HMV’s flagship Oxford Circus store (150 Oxford Street, London) accompanied by Henrik Knudsen of Elvis Unlimited, the new owner of the original Elvis jukebox collection. They will have over 40 original singles from Elvis’ jukebox as well as other memorabilia once owned by ‘The King’ on display.
Appropriately, Elvis released his early recordings in the UK on the HMV label. For almost twenty years, Elvis would relax at his Graceland home by listening to his personal jukebox filled with the records he had amassed over many years. These were the songs he loved and the music that inspired him – the tunes that made him ‘shake, rattle and roll’.
And now over forty of these 45 rpm vinyl singles – by artists ranging from Gene Vincent to Carl Perkins, Bo Diddley to Ray Charles and from Little Richard to James Brown, will go on display to the public for one day only.
(News, Source;Vee-Tone) |
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New "Suspicious Minds" Single now on iTunes: "Suspicious Minds," the lead single from "Viva ELVIS - The Album," is now available to download on iTunes! The album will be available November 9th in the U.S. and November 5th internationally.
Viva ELVIS - The Album re-imagines the king’s own vocal performances in a broad variety of new musical settings. This new sound echoes Elvis' own versatility and ability to master all music genres, from while incorporating modern elements of garage rock, punk, urban and hip-hop.
EIN notes that it is very odd to use a Fifties Elvis image for a 1969/2010 Remixed Elvis song!
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork)
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EIN's Best of Elvis on YouTube' October Update: We're back with a sensational EIGHTEEN new fabulous Elvis clips. Starting with a stunning 'That's All Right' 1954 capturing the excitement of the time, via 'So Glad You're Mine', 'It's Now Or Never' 1960, 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky' 1968 through to 'You Can Have Her' Live 1974. We have the important 'Johnny B Goode' missed from Elvis On Tour - plus a great 'Let Yourself Go' and 'Got My Mojo Working' Live 1970. Not forgetting the delightful 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' and don't miss the Elvis Interview 1957 in Canada. As EIN always says "Catch them now before they get taken away" ('EIN's Elvis on YouTube', Source:ElvisInfoNetwork)
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"Elvis Hollywood" Volume Two - STAR DVD Out Next Week!: All "doubting" fans will see, this a BRANDNEW "must have" series, with lots and lots of new clips and improvements. This release continues where volume one ended, movie number five G.I. Blues, followed by the next four movies Flaming Star, Wild in the Country, Blue Hawaii and Follow That Dream.
What's new? Let's name a few:
-Most important improvement is that all clips for Follow That Dream have been re-done, since much better footage came available, and the original MONO versions are used, for historic content.
- Clips for Wild in the Country are presented here for the first time (they have not been released on the "old" Hollywood series)
-Can't Help Falling in Love is replaced by the record version, the same goes for Summer Kisses Winter Tears, Big Boots, Shoppin 'Around and Beach Boy Blues, so now all tracks are presented as on the original albums.
All "rejected" clips are included in the bonus/deleted scenes section, and new alternate versions have been done, Frankfort Special fast version is hilarious, and looks like a real outtake, There's Always Me is a lovely new clip edited with Blue Hawaii footage, I'll Be There fits very well to the footage of Elvis visiting the man who wrote and recorded the song, Moonlight Swim has some behind the scenes footage of Elvis on the set of Blue Hawaii and there is a portion of an outtake of Didja Ever!
As on volume one, this dvd ELVIS HOLLYWOOD Volume Two is a DUAL LAYER and has full animated menus with sound.
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29 Unreleased Video-Clips - All Updated Sound And Footage - A total 75 Video Clips
Total Running time is 160 minutes!
With this new release, fans will see where the series is going, and that they're not "re-buying" the same dvds as previously released. This new series will have seven volumes, including all 33 movies in chronological order.
(News, Source;STAR) |
'Total Commitment' new Import CD: The first release from the Touchdown Label with the show from Anaheim 24-4-1973 is out now!
Described as a 'quite good' audience recording, Elvis delivers very good, focussed performance. Comes with a 12-page booklet.
Go here for full details - and all CD News 2010.
(News, Source;Touchdown)
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How many Elvis Presley iTunes Albums are too many! All the below are iTunes Elvis albums released later this month.
From the three Christmas albums to 'I Love Elvis Presley' they ALL feature the standard Public Domain Fifties Elvis songs. Even the 'Long Tall Sally' album features only 1950's songs but with a ridiculous 1970's Elvis image on the front.
Poor Elvis!
You can find them all via iTunes if you have to have them.
Most cost around $13.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
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Lisa Marie Presley on Oprah - Today!: This THURSDAY afternoon October 21 in most US states, Oprah Winfrey has Lisa Marie as her guest. In her one and only television interview, Lisa Marie Presley opens up about Michael Jackson, their misunderstood marriage, his tragic death and the parallels between Elvis' and Michael Jackson's tragic lives. The programme was filmed with Lisa Marie in England.
Showing this afternoon 4pm in most US states.
Go here for more Oprah info & listings for your area.
Click here for EIN's Spotlight on Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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Marty Lacker responds to the inane stories promised in the new E-book 'The Intimate Life and Death of Elvis Presley' by Dee Presley. (See yesterday's EIN news story)
"Dee ******* Presley"
Here I am again to comment on another piece of crap written by one of the most sleaziest people in Elvis' life, Dee Stanley. I prefer to call her Stanley as opposed to Presley so I don't denigrate the Presley name in connection with her any further.
This is a woman who Elvis despised, he didn't really like being in the same room with her but did so at times to appease his father.
(EIN also notes that Elvis even refused to go to his father's wedding to Dee Stanley in July 1960 - photo right, preferring to go water-skiing instead!)
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"Sleep with his mother?" Not in the way she tries to make it seem. What that was was just as normal for most little kids when they are scared and feel alone, they jump in bed with their parents or parent. It occurred when his father was sent to prison in Mississippi when Elvis was a little kid in East Tupelo.
As most know who have visited Elvis' childhood home in Tupelo, it consisted of two rooms and one bed. When Vernon was sent to Parchman Prison, Elvis would sleep in the bed with his mother to both feel safe and because he got to sleep IN A BED! This piece of trash Stanley tries to make it into something else. Elvis adored his mother just as any child does. Trust me when I say, if the nuts who think Elvis is still alive were right, he'd travel to Nashville and kill this bitch.
As for Elvis and Nick Adams. Elvis liked the actors who were in 'Rebel Without A Cause', Nick, Natalie Wood and he admired James Dean. He got to meet Nick in the 50's as he did Natalie, he dated Natalie but trust me, he did not date or have anything sexual with Nick. We didn't know Nick was bisexual until many years later when Nick was no longer around Elvis and us. Nick Adams was always straight with us and he was a lot of fun because he was crazy. If every male was as heterosexual as Elvis there would be no Gay men in the world.
(EIN note- It is also worth adding that Dee Stanley did not even know Elvis when both this incidents were supposed to have happened!)
Thank God for friends like Ann Margret who have always told it like it is and remained close in Elvis' heart and it seems he in hers too.
May I make a suggestion to all Elvis fans, don't be inquisitive in what this piece of trash lies about, don't buy the book. Don't contribute to this sleazebag who will say anything for money. This is the same woman, who among other false claims, endorsed the phony Billy Miller in his quest to milk all you fans out of your money with lies and false claims that he worked for and was associated with Elvis. He wasn't, at no time and no place. She was behind his attempt to con you.
- Marty.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
New official EPE European Shop opens: With Europe as a huge market potential, but with Graceland's EPE shop charging off-putting postage costs, EPE has recently decided to open up their own European branch.
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Live Nation Merchandise Ltd is registered in England & Wales and is handling the European version of the Graceland shop.
The information is now in English, French, Italian, German or Spanish and the costs are in Euros or Pounds Sterling. The prices are still high but the postage is less.
But fans beware since a regular FTD CD release will cost you 33Euros, compared with only 22Euros at other UK stores like 'Now Dig This'.
But if you are in Europe check it out before buying from Graceland Tennessee!
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
'Elvis Meets Nixon' new book:With the extended title of 'Elvis Meets Nixon: A Brief Look At The Oddly True Account Of Elvis Presley´s Visit To The White House' this book was released on October 10, 2010 (isbn 1610422171). The book's author is Dylan Stance.
The publicity states..
"In 1970, Elvis Presley went to the White House on a whim to request a meeting with the President; his intention: to become an honorary Federal Agent. This is a brief history of what took place.
It still is bitterly ironic and will remain as a historical fact that the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, prescribed on more than 14 drugs at the time of his death, was suggested by Nixon to use an anti-drug theme in his songs. The whole of the Nixon presidency can be wrapped up into three words ‘war on drugs.’ Elvis, dulled down by the military, and Nixon charged with energy by the Presidential campaign, were desperate to win over America."
(News, Source:ElvisClubBerlin) |
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Lisa Marie Presley: "Maybe I Could Have Saved Jackson": Lisa Marie Presley is haunted by the death of her ex-husband Michael Jackson because she believes she could have helped him turn his life around if she had known the King of Pop was so ill.
In her first in-depth interview since Jackson lost his life last summer (Jun09), Presley, who was married to the pop superstar from 1994 to 1996, tells Oprah Winfrey in a TV special to air tonight she feels she could have done more for the Thriller singer in the final months of his life.
She says, "I know that it's naive to think that I could have (saved him) but I wanted to. Had I made a call, had I stopped being so shut off from him, had I just said, 'How are you?' I really regret that I didn't."
But Presley fears that even if she had reached out to help Jackson, he would have refused her aid - and she knew the superstar was charting a course to destruction while she was married to him.
She adds, "I think that was a train headed in a certain direction that I don't know if anyone could have stopped and I've had to really get my head around that in order to stop the pain."
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Wednesday 20 October 2010 |
'The Intimate Life and Death of Elvis Presley' by Dee Presley Out Now: Written in 1991 but rejected by publishers, Dee Presley's 'The Intimate Life and Death of Elvis Presley' is now released via E-Books. In this unbelievable book Dee Presley claims, among other things, that Elvis had an incestuous relationship with his mother Gladys, that Elvis had a homosexual affair with his friend Nick Adams, and that Elvis committed suicide because he had been suffering from bone-marrow cancer.
The content of the manuscript is well known as a summary of these accusations was published in the National Enquirer in 1993.
- EIN wonders what her sons would say?
Elvis' good friend Ann-Margret is quoted as saying "Towards the end of his life, Elvis may have been self-destructive by taking all those drugs. But no way did he consciously end his own life.. Dee Presley was no longer living in Memphis at the time. All her claims are lies and based on hearsay."
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork)
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'Rockabilly Years: Just About As Good As It Gets' - new CD: Yet another EU Public Domain CD, this time 2CDs showcasing 65 of Elvis' public domain fifties songs.
To be released 25 October 2010. on the Smith & Co label.
Go here for track details
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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Seen this Elvis snap before? In this rare photo we see a memorial for Elvis Presley on the one-year anniversary of his death.
It was held at his ranch, the Circle G, in DeSoto County on Aug. 16, 1978.
(News, Source;SanjaM/ElvisInfoNet)
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Pocono Mountains Elvis Festival October 29 - 31: The annual Pocono Mountains Elvis Festival is a three day festival honoring the music, life and fans of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll.Working with Elvis Presley Enterprises, we've created a world class event respectful to everything that Elvis stood for.
At Fernwood Resort - Bushkill, PA, USA October 29 - 31, 2010.
The weekend will feature a three day Elvis Tribute Artist Competition, Elvis Collectibles for sale, and a big Las Vegas-style Headline Show on Saturday Night which will be "Raised on Rock" featuring internationally known, Shawn Klush and Dwight Icenhower performing his tribute to Elvis' early years.
Go here for more info and the weekend's full schedule.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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Australian 'Rock'n'Roll' Cruise for November: The "Blue Suede Cruise" about to set sail 20th Nov, 2010 leaving from Sydney, Australia. The luxury cruise features 12 great acts performing 50's and & 60's Rock 'n' Roll over a week long cruise around the South Pacific Islands. From Elvis, to The Beatles, Roy Orbison, including some great early Australian talent like Lonnie Lee, Jade Hurley, Darryl Cotton and more. Elvis entertainment features Mark Andrew, Elvis to the Max, plus She is the King.
Go here to check it out.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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Sam Phillips to be inducted into Radio Hall of Fame: Of all the accolades the late Sam Phillips received during his long and illustrious career, his youngest son said the one he would likely appreciate the most is his upcoming induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Sam Phillips is known worldwide as the “Father of Rock 'n' Roll” for discovering and recording legendary artists including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Howlin' Wolf.
But his start in the music business began in his hometown of Florence as a disc jockey for WLAY. Sam Phillips died July 30, 2003, at the age of 80.
“Most people don't really know about his radio career because it was overshadowed by his success in the music business,” Jerry Phillips said. Based in Chicago, the National Radio Hall of Fame and Museum was created to recognize persons living or dead who have made significant contributions to radio. (Right; Sam Phillips - and some other dude!)
“I personally think this award would probably mean more to him than all the ones he's got,” Jerry Phillips said. “He's a member of almost every hall of fame having to do with music that one can be in.”
Sam Phillips is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
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Sam Phillips will be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame on Nov. 6 during a ceremony at the WTTW studios in Chicago.
Sam Phillips is widely known as the founder of Memphis Recording Service and Sun Studios in Memphis and the Sun Records label.
“I don't think anything would have thrilled him more or made him happier than being in the Radio Hall of Fame,” said music historian Terry Pace, who was personally acquainted with Sam Phillips. “Radio was his first and greatest love. He was a firm believer in the power of sound to transform people, to unify people, and that extended to his love of music.”
Pace said part of Sam Phillips' interest in sound was that he had an aunt who was deaf.
“The way she was cut off from the world of sound made him acutely aware of the power of sound,” Pace said.
Jerry Phillips said his father's expertise as a recording engineer was likely augmented by his experience in radio and running live broadcasts. Sam Phillips used to mix big band performances at the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis that were broadcast on WREC.
Jack “Cowboy” Clement, Memphis singer/songwriter/music and film producer, will present the award to Jerry Phillips and his older brother, Knox Phillips, during the ceremony.
Clement was an engineer and producer at Sun Studios who worked with Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis.
(News, Source;TimesDaily) |
'A Pair of Kings for Christmas' new CD: Since Paul Simon told us we know that there are fifty ways to leave a lover. But we certainly do know that there are even much more ways to make money by releasing Elvis' 1957 Christmas songs on budget cds again and again. The latest way was found by German-Dutch label "H'Art / Smith & Co." which will release the cd "Elvis Presley & Frank Sinatra - The Kings Of Christmas" on October 22, 2010. The album contains 24 well-known tracks, 12 of each artist,
public domain songs only.
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Elvis collection on show in Australia: Rusty Roberts is stepping back in to his blue suede shoes in the hopes of getting his Elvis Collector show back on the road. The Tweed Heads, Australia resident and Elvis enthusiast now has hundreds of his items relating to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll on display at the Cabarita Sports Club.
The showcase will culminate with a performance on November 6 by Mr Roberts, where he will present an insight into the life of an avid Elvis collector before suiting up for a few musical numbers.
“After the intermission I come back on stage with my Elvis gear his back-up singers The Sweet Inspirations. “We do songs from his early years and his movies.” Mr Roberts owns more than 20,000 items relating to Elvis, from oven mitts to key rings and records to concert tickets. “There will be a few hundreds items on display. I will be adding even more on the night.”
Mr Roberts said the show will be filmed with the hopes of showing the tape to other clubs, both in the Tweed and abroad.
The Elvis Collector will be at the Cabarita Sports Club on Saturday, November 6. Tickets are $10, doors open at 7.30pm
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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November FTD Release news: FTD have announced that due to a manufacturing error on the new Classic Album 'Elvis (Fool)' - "It is our intention to issue replacement discs for Disc 2 ASAP. FTD sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused". This is due to a track duplication on the Classic Album 'ELVIS (Fool)' Disc 2.
Ask your FTD dealers about this replacement if you already have your copy, or copy ordered.
- Late November 2010 Releases will be...
1. 'Jailhouse Rock Vol.2'
The next FTD release in the classi c albums series is Jailhouse Rock Volume 2. It is a 2-Disc Set in the Classic Album series (or EP in this case!) that complements its previous volume. It features all the missing outtakes for 6 great songs. The 7” inch digi-pack format features a 12-page booklet with great photographs and RARE memorabilia.
Go here for detailed review of 'Jailhouse Rock Vol.1'
2. 'Chicago Stadium' - Double soundboard CD:
The Chicago Stadium release is a 2-CD soundboard consisting of above average sound quality and features Elvis in absolutely great form for 1976. It’s packaged on a 5” gatefold digi pack with an 8-page booklet with many photos from the shows on October 14/15, 1976.
Recorded live on October 14 (Disc 1) and 15 (Disc 2), 1976 at Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois. The opening of the shows; “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and “See See Rider”(on the second show), were not recorded.
Go here for tracklist & full details
3. 'Viva Las Vegas' 2-LP Limited Edition Vinyl Set.
Following on from the success of previous releases, FTD is pleased to announce the release of VIVA LAS VEGAS - a special 2-DISC 180-gram 12” vinyl set.
Supplied in a high quality gatefold sleeve, the album features the original masters and many outtakes from this great movie.
Go here for full details & tracklist.
(EIN notes that this vinyl set looks like a real Collector's treat! The first RCA Victor album release of Viva Las Vegas!)
(News, Source;FTD/ElvisUnlimited) |
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More on Clint Eastwood and Elvis: Our previous EIN news item (see Oct 15th below) revealed that Clint Eastwood used to play "fast draws" with Elvis.
"I was always wearing a gun, Presley loved to do fast draws and stuff, so we always did fast draws together."
"I liked him," Clint said. "Elvis seemed like a good guy."
Marty Lacker has sent EIN this nice response... "One day at Samuel Goldwyn Studios where Clint was doing "Hang 'Em High" and Elvis was next door doing a movie, which one escapes me right now. Some of us guys were walking back to the stage when we came upon Clint still in his cowboy wardrobe. We talked about mutual friends including one of his co-stars Arlene Galonka and another mutual friend of ours, a real Hollywood character, Brandy Marlowe who used to come up the house all the time when we had people up. |
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Clint was always complimentary about Elvis and he was easy to talk to, as if he was an old friend. In one respect Clint had/has that same charisma that has endeared him to ordinary people and in addition to his talent has made him a favorite for so long. That is, he doesn't think he's too big to talk to ordinary folks and that he's this "big star" and he also shows them respect. There are many in Hollywood who are the exact opposite. He's a good man!
- Marty Lacker.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
‘The Original Elvis Tribute 2011’ to perform at prestigious Arena:
Several dates for the May 2011 tour have already been booked, including a very special concert on May 5th at the Tampere-talo in Tampere (Finland), which is widely acclaimed as one of the finest concert arenas in the North of Europe, with top-notch sound and lighting. Duke Bardwell says: “Tampere-talo in Finland is one of the most modern and outrageous concert arenas I have ever seen”, and adds that, “Hard to believe we are going to get in there and Rock It!!!”.
Other dates booked so far include: Ritz, Vaasa (FI) on May 3 & 4; Cosmopolite, Oslo (NO) on May 7; and Stadthalle Bad Godesberg in Bonn (GE) on May 14th.
The popular blog "Elvis Today' by Thomas Melin also has a nice article on ‘The Original Elvis Tribute 2011’ - click here to read it.
For more info, please visit: www.elvisnews.dk
(News Source;ArjanDeelen)
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Sue Moreno - her new album and Elvis: Sue Moreno's new album 'One Track Mind' is out now featuring the popular "sleaze-a-billy" band Jack Rabbit Slim and, as always, with an Elvis influence. Sue Moreno also appeared on the 2010 'Original Elvis Presley Tribute' tour.
The new album features Elvis' 'Gonna' Get Back Home Somehow' and tracks with a lovely 'Elvis feel'.
EIN asked her for a few comments about the release.
EIN: How much did the musical spirit of Elvis influence you in recording the new album?
Sue Moreno: Elvis has been a major influence throughout my career, whether it is recording or performing. As on most albums I recorded, I also included an Elvis song on this album. I can put a lot into it. Elvis has so many different styles, going from ballads to crooners to blues and rock 'n roll, and he captures you with whatever song he sings.
When I was about six years old I got 'hooked' on the king, and it will always stay that way.
So I guess his musical spirit is always there. |
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EIN: How did you choose which songs you record? And which was your favourite on this album?
Sue M: I worked together with Bob Butfoy and his band Jack Rabbit Slim. We wrote some tunes, together and separate from each other, and added some cover songs.
I personally would have wanted to throw in a ballad as well but since it is not the band's style we decided to focus on uptempo songs and 'strollers'. I like One Track Mind and of course our version of Gonna Get Back Somehow! - - - (Click here to Sue Moreno's website and more about this album)
EIN: Are you going to be performing on the next Original Tribute Tour? (see today's news item above)
Sue M: Oh yes, I sure am , and really getting excited about it already. New in the line up are the great Bobby Wood and Johnny Christopher, besides our man on bass Duke Bardwell, Chris Casello on guitar and Marc Singer on drums!
And of course it is a great pleasure working with the amazing Robert Washington whose voice is incredibly close to Elvis'. The shows will be in great venues and great countries.
It will take place in May 2011, and the tour is extra special to me as it will be the anniversary of my daddy's passing, who attended a show of the tour this year and totally unexpectedly passed away near the end, and who taught me all about music and Elvis.
Go here for the insider's review of 2010 'Original Elvis Presley Tribute' tour.
Click here to Sue Moreno's version of 'It's Midnight' - especially for her father who died this past May.
(News, Source;EIN) |
Sunday 17 October 2010 (3rd update today!) |
New RIAA certifications: Many thanks to Krister Alsander for this news item:
- It's Christmas Time 3xPlatinum Oct 11 2010
- How Great Thou Art 3xPlatinum Oct 13 2010
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Letter written by Elvis to be auctioned: Heritage Auctions is holding a Music and Entertainment Auction in Beverly Hills, Ca. on November 12th & 13th, 2010.
Included in this auction is the first known handwritten letter by Elvis Presley dated January 16,1956.
The attached files show the original letter, envelope, and letter from the woman who originally received the letter from Elvis.
This is truly a historical artifact.
The on-line bidding is to begin approximately October 25th. (Source: Clare DeCosmo)
EIN Note: A copy of Elvis' first Sun single, That's All Right is apparently also to be auctioned.
Click to see larger images and more info |
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The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face: Promo flyer from Straight Arrow for their next release. (News, Source: Elvis News/FECC)
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Viva Elvis: Australian release 5 November
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| Elvis doesn’t overplay his hand in Change of Habit: Although Variety contends that “Presley is strongly cast as the understanding medico,” the star certainly does not stretch himself in Change of Habit. He stays within the strong and confident, but measured screen interpretation he had perfected in earlier roles. “Presley displays his customary easy presence,” noted Variety, and Weile at the Times judged that Elvis is “mostly the somewhat subdued, callow, slightly unconvincing and largely mystified Pasteur to the poor throughout most of the proceedings.”
In Elvis’s defense, the character of Dr. John Carpenter is a static one, whose temperament remains unchanged throughout Change of Habit. The film’s acting challenge goes to Mary Tyler Moore, who, as Sister Michelle, must resolve multiple emotional conflicts. “Miss Moore delivers a spritely performance in this role,” noted Variety, “tormented by a decision she must make.” In addition, at the inner-city clinic Moore has issues with her patients, particularly with Julio, who eventually attempts to rape her.
Particularly well handled by Presley and Moore, with the guidance of director William Graham, is the affection that gently develops between the doctor and his nurse. It builds slowly and tastefully, without a hint of sex along the way. For Elvis it culminates in a touching scene in the convent, when he, even after learning she is a nun, speaks of marriage to the still conflicted Sister Michelle.
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Variety praised the romantic aspect of the film. “This situation is well developed, and an interesting aspect focuses on neither Presley—nor the audience—knowing in fadeout what the decision of this character bound to the church eventually will be.” Indeed, in the closing scene, the peaceful look on Moore’s face, as her eyes dart back and forth between Elvis and Christ symbols in the church, indicates that she has made her decision whether to become a wife or remain a nun. Leaving the resolution to the viewer is no doubt distasteful to some, but personally, I made my peace with the film’s conclusion years ago. Whatever Sister Michelle’s ultimate decision might have been, the film established that it was a well-considered one. Elvis gave credible performance despite his focus being elsewhere: Some close to Elvis at the time say that he reluctantly came to Hollywood to make Change of Habit. Certainly his focus was elsewhere. In April, while in the midst of filming the picture, Elvis signed a contract to appear at the International Hotel just four months later. During his time off the set of Change of Habit, he was engaged in selecting material for his upcoming stage act. Still, he offered a credible performance in Change of Habit, his Hollywood swan song at the young age of 34. When it was released, many critics and fans alike ignored it as a relic of Presley’s past. (It reached no higher than #17 on Variety’s weekly list of top grossing films.) But Change of Habit deserves to be remembered for its own merits. Its message that, even in the worst of times, committed people can be a force for good in the world, is an uplifting one that is and always will be relevant. Although one of Elvis’s weakest movies at the box office, Change of Habit deserves a place in the retiring actor’s list of ten best films. (Celluloid, Source: Alan Hanson)
Exclusive photos from upcoming Paul Lichter/Joe Tunzi book, Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway:
Thanks to the overwhelming success of Viva Elvis! Viva Ann-Margret! Viva Las Vegas! Paul Lichter and Joe Tunzi are proud to present Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway a deluxe hardback limited edition collectors book designed by Tristan-Elvis Lichter.
All the excitement of the original film and the Charlotte 600 Race are captured in words and stunning exclusive world premier color and black/white photographs from the famed Paul Lichter's Elvis Photo Archives.
As a special Thank You to all Elvis fans for their loyalty and support if you purchase the book now you will also receive a very special promo-only Speedway compact disc that comes in a deluxe hard cardboard mini LP Elvis portrait cover. As an added bonus an Elvis 2011 pocket calendar will also be included.
Shown opposite: one of the images from the book. (Note: This Internet image does no justice to the high quality of the photos in the book!!)
(Many thanks to Paul Lichter for providing EIN with photos from his upcoming book)
Special Pre-publication Offer - Normally $69.99 - Now $59.99........click here to order!!!! |
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Elvis Presley Masters SOLD OUT, 2nd edition for 2011: Good to hear that the limited first edition 1000 release of The Complete Elvis Presley Masters is sold out. However, due to popular demand, SONY will be releasing an unnumbered second edition in 2011.
This is the definitive collection: all 711 master recordings as released during Elvis' lifetime, mastered from the original analog master tapes where available. Each recording has been carefully restored to achieve the best sound reproduction ever without compromising the audio quality of the original master. The collection also contains 103 additional rare recordings and a 240-page hardbound book featuring an annotated discography, rare and classic photos, an essay by Peter Guralnick & housed in a beautiful, limited edition display case.
The second edition will cost the same - US$750 plus postage.
Go here to find out more details and to be notified when the pre-order is available.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
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Rescued Chilean miner gets Elvis invitation: A special invitation to visit Elvis Presley's Memphis, Tennessee, home awaited Edison Pena when he emerged from the San Jose mine Wednesday after more than two months below ground.
Pena, a die-hard Elvis fan, led his fellow trapped miners in Elvis sing-alongs to pass time while waiting for their rescue.
"A trip to Graceland in Memphis could be just the escape he needs after such a long period of time underground," said Kevin Kern, the spokesman for Elvis Presley Enterprises. The company and the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau has offered Pena an all-expenses-paid trip for two, Kern said. Pena, the 12th miner to be rescued, looked fit and exuberant as he emerged Wednesday.
"He's just a true blue Elvis fan," Kern said. "I can only imagine that Graceland would be the trip of a lifetime."
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Kern suggested the best time for Pena's visit would be after Christmas decorations go up "inside and out" at Graceland on November 19. They stay up until Presley's birthday on January 8, he said.
"He's welcome to come whenever he feels up to it," Kern said. Pena would "experience everything Elvis, but also soak up some local culture. We had the idea to invite him to Graceland all along and now that he has made it up out of the mine safe, this is a happy ending to a sad situation. When he feels up to it, we'll welcome him to Graceland with open arms and make him feel like a rock star"
EPE sent Elvis music to Chile that was passed on to Pena underground and he listened to Elvis songs while running in the mine. (see EIN's earlier October 1st story below) A mining consultant involved in the rescue effort told CNN that Pena jogged an hour a day up and down some 2.5 kilometers of tunnels that were safely accessible.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
Solomon Burke, Influential Soul Singer, Dies at 70: Solomon Burke, a singer whose smooth, powerful articulation and mingling of sacred and profane themes helped define soul music in the early 1960s, died on Sunday October 10 at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam on the way to a new tour. He was 70 and lived in Los Angeles. "He was on his way to spread his message of love," his Web site announced, "as he loved to do."
Beginning in 1961 with 'Just Out of Reach (of My Two Open Arms),' a country song he sang with Elvis Presley-like inflections, Mr. Burke had a string of R&B hits for Atlantic. Drawing on gospel, country and gritty rhythm and blues in songs like 'Cry to Me' (1962) and 'Everybody Needs Somebody to Love (1964), Solomon Burke developed a vocal style that was nuanced yet forceful. Steeped in church traditions from a young age, he could make a sermon out of any situation,
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His career revival began in the 1980s, helped by Hollywood: 'Everybody Needs Somebody to Love' was featured in "The Blues Brothers" in 1980, and in 1987 'Cry to Me' had a prominent role in "Dirty Dancing." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2002 he released 'Don't Give Up on Me' with songs by Brian Wilson, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and others written for Mr. Burke.
Although he never attained the wide popularity of Otis Redding or James Brown, Mr. Burke had a broad influence on R&B and rock, and he was a favorite of musicians and connoisseurs. Mick Jagger sang several of his songs on early Rolling Stones albums, and Jerry Wexler, the Atlantic Records producer who recorded Mr. Burke at his peak, once affirmed a judgment of him as the best soul singer of all time.
In a genre known for outsize personalities and flamboyant showmanship, Mr. Burke stood out for his sheer boldness and eccentricity.
Marty Lacker comments about Solomon Burke and Elvis.
>> Elvis was very well aware of Solomon Burke and his music and enjoyed them. Elvis was also aware of many R&B singers that came before and after him. The fact is that Leiber & Stoller who wrote so many R&B hits marveled at Elvis' knowledge in the 50's of the old R&B and Blues singers who came before him. Elvis was steeped in Blues, Country and Gospel music and knew the words of many of their songs. I also used to bring him albums and 45's of R&B singers.
Unfortunately Solomon Burke was one I never personally met.
- Marty
Go here for EIN's special Spotlight on Elvis and James Brown.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
USA Ambassador to Australia talks about his Elvis collection on Aussie TV this week: Tonight, Friday 15th October on Australian ABC TV 'Collectors' programme, it's all the way with the USA, our salute to several things American, here in Australia. What better way to start than with the US Ambassador to Australia, Mr Jeffrey Bleich. From the Williamsburg-style splendour of the US Embassy in Canberra, Ambassador Bleich shares just some of his extensive collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia. The serious items are still back home (such as signed guitars played by the King, and pin-ball machines owned by him), leaving the more easily portable, and arguably more kitsch items, (of which Mr Ambassador is no less proud!) to come to Canberra.
He is particularly fond of his rare bottle of Elvis conditioning shampoo (you can use it daily, it says), his Elvis phone with mounted hip-jiggling doll that loudly sings two verses of Hound Dog even before you can talk to the caller (!), and his life-size Elvis gold-lame cardboard cut-out, which features prominently in a photo with the Ambassador and his good friend President Obama. But the best bits in the collection are Mr Bleich's personal stories that are not to be missed. Also on the show collectors talk about Barack Obama and Barbie while Mighty Mouse makes an appearance!.
Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich has a great sense of humour and signs off sounding very much like Elvis!
COLLECTORS Friday at 8.00pm, ABC1 ... don't miss it! Repeated on ABC2 6.05pm the following Monday.
(News, Source:ElvisInfoNetwork/AdrienneO'Connor) |
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Clint Eastwood play-dueled Elvis: Clint Eastwood has revealed he used to play "fast draws" with Elvis Presley.
The 80-year-old Hollywood legend says he and the late rock 'n' roll star were studio pals as Elvis was often working next door to where Clint was filming in the 1960s.
The pair struck up a friendship and it seems the dark-haired sex symbol could not resist meeting a "cowboy".
"I was always wearing a gun," Clint told USA Today. "Presley loved to do fast draws and stuff, so we always did fast draws together."
The pair were both doted on by women across the globe in their prime, so they had a lot in common. This made Clint warm towards Elvis, although there were big differences in the amount of security each required.
"I liked him," Clint said. "Elvis seemed like a good guy. Had a lot of guys hanging around, big entourage."
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
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Wednesday 13 October 2010 |
Jessica Mauboy to duet with Elvis on Australian CD release: The new Australian 'VIVA ELVIS' album will feature a duet with Australian R&B singer, songwriter and actress Jessica Mauboy. Mauboy's voice has been digitally inserted in Presley’s classic song Love Me Tender in a duet for the Australian edition of the King’s latest posthumous album, Viva Elvis.
The album, out November 5, features "reimagined" versions of Presley’s hits inspired by the Cirque du Soleil show of the same name.
Mauboy, who was born 12 years after Presley died, jumped at doing the beyond-the-grave duet. (To listen to the song - Click here)
“I grew up watching old Elvis movies with my sisters so it’s crazy to think I’ve actually done a duet with him now,” Mauboy said. "His songs and voice are so amazing. I feel honoured to be part of the project."
The album, billed as a "21st century celebration of Elvis and his music," arrives in what would have been Presley’s 75th birthday year.
Other songs reworked on the album include Blue Suede Shoes, Heartbreak Hotel, Burning Love and Can’t Help Falling in Love.
Pearl Jam producer Brendan O’Brien has given the first single Suspicious Minds a modern rock edge, while other songs have been updated with touches of everything from punk to hip hop.
Three of the tracks on Viva ELVIS – including "Suspicious Minds," the album's first single, were mixed by Grammy Award winning producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen). Four of the album's tracks were mixed by Serban Ghenea with the remaining five mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau.
Go here for more VIVA ELVIS information.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
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Viva ELVIS - The Album, is a 21st century celebration of Elvis and his music, featuring the voice of The King in a whole new context. Continue to suspicious-minds.com to sample the album and share it with your friends today! Viva ELVIS - The Album will be available November 9th in the US and starting November 5th internationally.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
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Graceland supports the American Red Cross for Holiday Celebration: Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis will officially begin the holiday season by “flipping the switch” for the annual lighting celebration on Friday, November 19, with the traditional lights and decorations on the 13.8 acre mansion property. The extensive display includes hundreds of blue lights along the driveway, a life-size Nativity scene, Santa and his sleigh and much more originally displayed at Graceland by Elvis and the Presley family.
The event this year will also support the American Red Cross, with the Bloodmobile on site as part of an awareness campaign to encourage the public to donate blood during the holidays.
Highlighting the 2010 lighting ceremony will be Lee DeWyze, winner of the ninth season of "American Idol," who will join with a Red Cross blood recipient to "flip the switch" and kick off the holiday festivities.
The interiors of Graceland mansion will also be decked in Elvis’ Christmas décor. Included will be his traditional red velvet drapes as well as Presley family Christmas artifacts on display around several trees throughout the home.
Santa will be available for pictures with the kids throughout the evening. The public is welcome to attend the free lighting event. Regular paid tours of Graceland will operate the day of the lighting ceremony from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Others from around the world can watch the lighting ceremony live on the GracelandCam.(News, Source;EPE) |
Exclusive photos from upcoming Paul Lichter/Joe Tunzi book, Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway:
Thanks to the overwhelming success of Viva Elvis! Viva Ann-Margret! Viva Las Vegas! Paul Lichter and Joe Tunzi are proud to present Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway a deluxe hardback limited edition collectors book designed by Tristan-Elvis Lichter.
All the excitement of the original film and the Charlotte 600 Race are captured in words and stunning exclusive world premier color and black/white photographs from the famed Paul Lichter's Elvis Photo Archives.
As a special Thank You to all Elvis fans for their loyalty and support if you purchase the book now you will also receive a very special promo-only Speedway compact disc that comes in a deluxe hard cardboard mini LP Elvis portrait cover. As an added bonus an Elvis 2011 pocket calendar will also be included.
Shown opposite: one of the images from the book. (Note: This Internet image does no justice to the high quality of the photos in the book!!)
Courtesy of Paul Lichter, EIN will feature more images from
Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway
in the next few days
Special Pre-publication Offer - Normally $69.99 - Now $59.99........click here to order!!!! |
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USA Ambassador to Australia talks about his Elvis collection on Aussie TV this week: From the media release: Episode 32, Friday 15th October On COLLECTORS it’s all the way with the USA, our salute to several things American, here in Australia.
What better way to start than with the US Ambassador to Australia, Mr Jeffrey Bleich? From the Williamsburg - style splendour of the US Embassy in Canberra, Ambassador Bleich shares just some of his extensive collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia. The serious items are still back home (such as signed guitars played by the King, and pin-ball machines owned by him), leaving the more easily portable, and arguably more kitsch items, (of which Mr Ambassador is no less proud!) to come to Canberra. He is particularly fond of his rare bottle of Elvis conditioning shampoo (you can use it daily, it says), his Elvis phone with mounted hip-jiggling doll that loudly sings two verses of Hound Dog even before you can talk to the caller (!), and his life-size Elvis gold-lame cardboard cut-out, which features prominently in a photo with the Ambassador and his good friend President Obama. But the best bits in the collection are Mr Bleich’s personal stories that are not to be missed. (Also on the show collectors talk about Barack Obama and Barbie while Mighty Mouse makes an appearance!). COLLECTORS Friday at 8.00pm, ABC1 … don’t miss it! Repeated on ABC2 6.05pm the following Monday. (News, Source: Adrienne O'Connor, ABC)
| The Memphis Lullaby (Whitehaven) - CD Review: Linda Ann McConnell’s The Memphis Lullaby originated as a poignant book which was followed by an equally poignant film and in January 2007, a single.
Coinciding with the 32nd anniversary of Elvis’ passing, Linda Ann has complemented these with a passionate 14 track album. Using the band name Whitehaven, Linda Ann has drawn on her emotional connection to Elvis and his music to write, sing and produce one of the finest tribute albums you will ever hear.
Like Elvis, Linda Ann has an amazing vocal flexibility and the ability to explore and inhabit different genres during her musical odyssey. Linda Ann’s crystal clear singing is equally engaging and impressive....
Read EIN's full review of this stunning debut album! |
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I'm Leavin' - unappreciated gem or run of the mill recording?: After our news item on Sunday (see below), Marty Lacker sent us his comments:
Reading your article about "I'm Leaving" makes me want to comment.
First of all, from a commercial standpoint it was a nice song but nothing spectacular. There are many nice songs that way. In addition it was not enhanced in the Nashville studio because back then those musicians were not innovative or creative, nor did they add those little sound touches or licks to make the song much better than what was on the demo. That was the problem with many of Elvis' Nashville and L.A. sessions since the early 60's. Don't get me wrong, the musicians he used for years were talented,good musicians, but they were not very innovative and basically did what was on the demo and Elvis was the same way, he just let it go. "Leaving: went to #36 because it was Elvis singing. That's why the '69 sessions were so good as were the results. Chips Moman and the American Studio musicians were highly innovative and creative and added great sound touches to the songs that made them standout and highly commercial. That's one of the big reasons they produced over 120 hit records and almost every record they cut became a hit by a vast variety of artists who came to Memphis just to get their sound and production touches. It's a shame that Elvis never returned to American because of the sabotaging of Chips by Colonel Parker and Felton Jarvis.
Exclusive photos from upcoming Paul Lichter/Joe Tunzi book, Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway:
Thanks to the overwhelming success of Viva Elvis! Viva Ann-Margret! Viva Las Vegas! Paul Lichter and Joe Tunzi are proud to present Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway a deluxe hardback limited edition collectors book designed by Tristan-Elvis Lichter.
All the excitement of the original film and the Charlotte 600 Race are captured in words and stunning exclusive world premier color and black/white photographs from the famed Paul Lichter's Elvis Photo Archives.
As a special Thank You to all Elvis fans for their loyalty and support if you purchase the book now you will also receive a very special promo-only Speedway compact disc that comes in a deluxe hard cardboard mini LP Elvis portrait cover. As an added bonus an Elvis 2011 pocket calendar will also be included.
Shown opposite: one of the images from the book. (Note: This Internet image does no justice to the high quality of the photos in the book!!) |
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Courtesy of Paul Lichter, EIN will feature more images from
Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway
in the next few days
Special Pre-publication Offer - Normally $69.99 - Now $59.99........click here to order!!!!
The Night John Lennon Met Elvis: Following our story yesterday, Memphis Mafia member, Marty Lacker, sent us these comments:
Jerry Schilling must have had plugs in his ears because you couldn't miss hearing Elvis and the Beatles singing and playing.
We were gathered around the piano and they were trading Chuck Berry songs as well as Elvis singing a couple of Beatles songs. Elvis and Paul alternated at the piano and Lennon was playing a guitar. Ringo was beating on a chair because there were no drums and George took turns joining in and then going out by the pool to smoke a joint. they also sang along with a couple of records. All in all they jammed in that fashion for at least 30 minutes.
It's funny that Ringo has no recollection of it as he stated during an interview and George one time said they did and another time they did not. My ears and the ears of most of the wives and kids that were there listened intently and I have always had a very good memory. |
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| Elvis Presley: I’m Leavin’: Elvis Presley wasn’t kidding. He was back and wanted our undivided attention. Excelling in a medium not easy for rock and rollers, his performance on the ’68 Singer TV special declared, in fact pretty much shouted, that he hadn’t lost a step. Elvis could still rock. He sang the tender ballads with poise. Once again,the guy was on top of his game. He still mattered.
Over the next year he would solidify his presence on the pop music scene. He began a series of concerts in Las Vegas. More importantly he would record several vibrant and substantial songs. The jokes about “Do The Clam” could end.
Presley offered social commentary on the hits “If I Can Dream” and “In The Ghetto” during a time of rage in America and much of the world. After seeming irrelevant for most of a decade, he appeared in tune with the concerns and accelerated pace of the late ’60s. Yes, the music world had experienced many changes, indeed for the better, in his years of drift. Now the drifting days were behind him. Elvis Presley was marching along to the rock and roll beat and perhaps could be among the leaders of the march. |
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Hopes were justified on August 26, 1969, less than 2 weeks after the conclusion of the Woodstock festival, with the release of his single, “Suspicious Minds.” The song was not only terrific, it confirmed Presley’s return as a dominant rock and roller. “Suspicious Minds” climbed the American charts, reaching the top spot on November 1. His future efforts were eagerly awaited. Would he continue in the spirit of the new times? He stayed busy, recording such hits as “Don’t Cry Daddy” and “Kentucky Rain,” commendable if not stellar releases. It appeared there were no plans to push the envelope further. Presley and the Woodstock Nation would not be marching together after all. Presley’s approach on “Suspicious Minds” was daring and confident. Most of the succeeding releases were pleasant and comfortable. A 1970 album, “Elvis Country,” featured some finely wrought covers of “There Goes My Everything,” “I Really Don’t Want To Know” and “Faded Love.” The album had the hit singles and critical acceptance, but Presley wasn’t breaking new ground. He might have produced a classic album had he and his band stoked the fires that made “Suspicious Minds” so exciting. But that wouldn’t happen again. Elvis had personal distractions that kept him from rocking the boat. He could still deliver quality work yet the bold moments were few and far between. Nearly all biographies on Presley focus on his troubled personal life. Problems less evident previously became more apparent in the early ’70′s. He had regained a place on the pop charts but became more addicted to a wide variety of drugs. His life was spinning out of control and even though he loved to sing, laziness and indifference had set in. The likelihood of his fully embracing a great and challenging new song was slight. Artistically, Elvis Presley would not reinvigorate his career as Frank Sinatra did with his in the ’50s. But now and then Presley would find a song worthy of his attention and extra effort. “I’m Leavin’,” recorded in May ’71, was such a song. Written by Michael Jarrett and Sonny Charles, “I’m Leavin’” is moody and restrained. Presley did not rely on his pipes to carry this song. Instead he depended on his artistic sensibilities to get the song’s story across. “I’m Leavin’” has Presley assuming the role of a lover with no place to turn but away. The lover feels unwanted and unnecessary. There’s hesitation when it comes to making that first step. Insecurities come to mind. He mulls it over. Leaving seems the thing to do. Presley’s vocal performance captures the sadness of a despondent and defeated lover. He wonders where he will go and laments the emptiness inside him. He declares his intentions to leave. Life as he has known it comes to a stop. The song evokes the feeling perfectly. The music is soft and slow but picks up during the bridge as the lover wrestles with his thoughts. He’s “living from day to day, chasing the dream.” The feeling conveyed recalls the sentiment in “Suspicious Minds.” Then Elvis sang “I can’t walk out.” This time there’s no choice. In Careless Love, The Unmaking Of Elvis Presley, biographer Peter Guralnick wrote of the Nashville sessions in which Presley and his group “committed a good deal of hard, sustained effort” to “I’m Leavin’.” They were not rushing through this one. Between takes, Presley acknowledged his fondness for the song, saying, “Phew man, it’s tough, but the thing is worth working on.” Presley was sure ”I’m Leavin’” would be a hit. Unfortunately, it did not catch on, peaking only at 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the decades since, however, the song’s popularity has grown. Listeners have been pulled in by the song’s haunting melody and Presley’s understated vocals. It may be considered an “art song,” similar to Bruce Springsteen’s “Brilliant Disguise.” The stories in both songs, after all, reflect confusion and weariness. Great artists ably portray those with insecurities as well as those happy and contented. On “I’m Leavin’,” Elvis Presley fills his role perfectly, revealing the talents he too often failed to cultivate. The song is another reminder of what could have been. (Source: Jeff Cochran, likethedew.com)
New book announced: " Elvis" is an upcoming new hardcover release by Michael Heatley. It will be published by Chartwell Books, Inc on 15 May 2011. ISBN-10: 078582779X/ISBN-13: 978-0785827795
The Night John Lennon Met Elvis: In commemoration of John Lennon's 70th Birthday, October 9th 1940.
"There's only one person in the United States we ever wanted to meet .. And we met him last night. We can't tell you how we felt. We just idolised him so much. ... You can't imagine what a thrill that was last night. Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been the Beatles." - John Lennon
- Another look at that famous evening.
>> No proper photos were taken. No tape recordings were made. Less than twenty people were present. All of which helps to explain why the greatest summit meeting in the annals of rock 'n' roll history has remained a relatively little-known bit of rock trivia. But the facts are this: on a balmy August night in 1965, inside a rented mansion up in the tony hills of Bel Air, Elvis met The Beatles.
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The mansion was Elvis', and The Beatles came to him - a fitting protocol for young superstars seeking to pay tribute to the older star who'd been such an inspiration for the group, and for John Lennon in particular. Lennon and Paul McCartney had both expressed a desire to try to meet with the King when The Beatles first toured the U.S. in 1964.
Over the years, there's been a fair amount of speculation about what may have happened after a few run-throughs of "Mohair Sam." There were other guitars at Elvis' place, and it's possible that he and Lennon traded a few licks of favorite '50s tunes. But there were no drums around, and nothing strung for a left-handed player, so rumors of an incredible all-night Elvis-Beatles jam are sadly far-fetched. "Uh, I was kind of paying attention that night," laughed Jerry Schilling. "If they'd really started playing, I would have dropped my pool cue in a hurry."
Go here to our updated Elvis/Beatles EIN Spotlight.
(Spotlight, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
Interview with Ernst Jorgensen and Sam Phillips: From US TV in 2002, a remembrance of rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley and discussion about his cultural and musical legacy. With presenter Charlie Rose talking with Elvis-historian Ernst Jorgensen, Anthony DeCurtis of "Rolling Stone" and Sam Phillips.
Click here for this interesting 25 minute interview. (Sam Phillips appears in the last 5 minutes)
EIN thanks Brian Quick for the link.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork)
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The Original Elvis Tribute 2011 Is Coming To Germany: In Germany fan service "The King's World" and event agency Bekra-Event have joined forces in order to bring the outstanding
show "The Original Elvis Tribute" to Germany in spring of 2011.
"The Original Elvis Tribute" features original Elvis musicians Bobby Wood (piano), Duke Bardwell (bass) and Johnny Christopher (guitar), who all accompanied the King in the recording studio as well as on the concert stage: Bobby Wood had been one of the key
persons of Elvis' American Sound Studio session in 1969 and at Stax in 1973, Duke Bardwell performed almost 200 concerts with Elvis as a member of the TCB Band in 1974/75 and Johnny Christopher played guitar at Stax plus wrote or co-wrote several
Elvis songs such as "Always On My Mind", "Mama Liked The Roses" and "If You Talk In Your Sleep". Two additional musicians from the
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US plus great American Elvis interpreter Robert Washington and last but not least beautiful singer/model Sue Moreno will complete a top-notch cast, which presents a unique journey through the muscial world of the King, Elvis Presley.
The concert is scheduled on Saturday, May 14, 2011 at the Stadthalle Bad Godesberg in city of Bonn and will be an EXCLUSIVE for Germany. Tickets will be on sale very soon.
"The Original Elvis Tribute" is represented in Europe by Arjan Deelen.
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New Elvis/Lisa Loïs Love Me Tender Duet Now Available: The 'Dutch Duet' of Love Me Tender by Elvis and X Factor singer Lisa Loïs is now officially available. The actual album release is scheduled for November 5th in the Netherlands, but this morning Sony Music put the duet on iTunes, which makes this track the first official Viva ELVIS recording in the world. It is not clear yet if other countries will sell their duets through iTunes as well.
(News, Source:ElvisMatters) |
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Exclusive photos from upcoming Paul Lichter/Joe Tunzi book, Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway:
Thanks to the overwhelming success of Viva Elvis! Viva Ann-Margret! Viva Las Vegas! Paul Lichter and Joe Tunzi are proud to present Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway a deluxe hardback limited edition collectors book designed by Tristan-Elvis Lichter.
All the excitement of the original film and the Charlotte 600 Race are captured in words and stunning exclusive world premier color and black/white photographs from the famed Paul Lichter's Elvis Photo Archives.
As a special Thank You to all Elvis fans for their loyalty and support if you purchase the book now you will also receive a very special promo-only Speedway compact disc that comes in a deluxe hard cardboard mini LP Elvis portrait cover. As an added bonus an Elvis 2011 pocket calendar will also be included.
Shown opposite: one of the images from the book. (Note: This Internet image does no justice to the high quality of the photos in the book!!)
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Courtesy of Paul Lichter, EIN will feature more images from
Elvis Presley And Nancy Sinatra On The Speedway
over the weekend
Special Pre-publication Offer - Normally $69.99 - Now $59.99........click here to order!!!!
Marty Lacker responds about Jaycees Award (see news item below dated Wed 6 Oct): Elvis was very thrilled by this award much more than I saw him react to any other award. He appreciated it so much that one, he flew in from Vegas to attend the awards. Before he left for Vegas when he found out about the award he asked me if I would do something special on his behalf for the award night.
He wanted to do something special to honor the other awardees. I suggested opening up Graceland to them and the Jaycee Officials and have a cocktail party and a tour of the house for each one. Then follow that up with a sit down dinner at one of Memphis' exclusive restaurants, The Four Flames. He loved the idea and naturally he didn't intend to handle it, although I was no longer working for him at the time, he very quickly said to me,"OK, do it!" I laughed to myself because until the end he continued to act like I was still working for him.
That was alright with me because I wanted him to be happy in this momentous occasion for him.
That night of the awards, we had Memphis Police outside the front door to make sure nobody who was not invited tried to get in. I had each member of the Memphis Mafia at the front door and they would greet each of the guests at the door and take them on a personal tour. The cocktail party was held in what now is the Trophy Room and was catered by a noted Memphis caterer, Monte's Catering.
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After the cocktail party, the cars were loaded and everyone travelled downtown to The Four Flames for the private sit down dinner which was held in the private dining room on the lower level. It was a great dinner with a slight interruption when a drunk Al Capp the creator of the comic strip Li'l Abner, entered from a patio door uninvited and wanted to be seated. he was supposed to be part of the Awards ceremony later that night and somehow found out about the dinner and was pissed because he wasn't invited. Richard Davis and someone else escorted him outside. After the dinner we all headed to the Downtown Auditorium for the Awards ceremony. At the end we all went back to the Hollywood Rivermont Hotel where Elvis stayed the night before when he flew in instead of staying at Graceland. The next day he flew back to Vegas. In ending I have to say that was a wonderful event in Elvis' life that I am proud to have played a part in. I liked to see him happy and get the accolades he deserves. I still do. (EIN Note: Thanks Marty!!)
Elvis the Movie starring Kurt Russell set for Aussie DVD release: Aussie fans will finally get to see the Kurt Russell TV-bio from 1979 on DVD when it is released "downunder" on Wed 10 November.
The release includes a booklet and rare interview with director, John Carpenter and star, Kurt Russell. Price: around A$24.95. (News, Source: EzyDVD)
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Sony Australia releasing Blue Christmas for 2010 yuletide season: Sony Australia has this 16 track release slated for 1 November issue. No word yet whether it is a full price or budget release.
Tracklist: 1. Winter Wonderland (2008) 2. Blue Christmas 3. I'll Be Home For Christmas 4. Silver Bells 5. Santa Claus Is Back In Town 6. The Wonderful World Of Christmas 7. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) 8. If Every Day Was Like Christmas 9. Merry Christmas Baby 10. The First Noel (2008) 11. White Christmas 12. If I Get Home On Christmas Day (2008) 13. It Won't Seem Like Christmas (Without You) 14. O Little Town Of Bethlehem 15. O Come, All Ye Faithful 16. Christmas Message from Elvis/Silent Night (News, Source: Email) |
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Elvis Presley: The Man The Life The Legend in audioplayer format: Blackstone Audiobooks has released a pre-loaded digital audioplayer containing Pamela Clarke Keogh's "Elvis Presley: The Man. the Life. the Legend" as narrated by Anna Fields. (News, Source: elv75/Elvis News)
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| Viva Elvis....the hunt for rarities: Here's the first 'rarity' of the upcoming Viva Elvis soundtrack. Up for sale on eBay is the promotional CD of the single "Suspicious Minds", another collector's item...(News, Source: elv75/Elvis Matters) |
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| Viva Elvis Live!: Another interesting ebay item is this rare 19 track promo album from Greece. |
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Wednesday 6 October 2010 - - Second Update!
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''Viva Elvis - The Album' Special 2CD version: EIN contributor Brian Quinn has the news hot-off-the-press that there will also be a 2 CD version of 'Viva Elvis'. This will be as follows:
CD1 - Tracks as already announced.
CD2 - The original versions of the tracks.
The 2 CD version to be released in the UK will be priced at about £1.25 (US$2) more than the single CD version.
For all your 'VIVA ELVIS' news click here.
(News, Source;BrianQuinn/ElvisInfoNetwork) |
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Elvis Jaycees Award with Unseen Footage: In 1970 Elvis was nominated for the award by former sherriff (and eventually Memphis Mayor), Bill Morris. Among the other nominees for 1970 were Civil rights activist Tom Atkins and cancer researcher Dr. George Todaro. Despite winning many awards during his career, those that were close to Elvis say that he considered this the most meaningful award he ever received. To say that Elvis was humbled by being nominated for this honor is an understatement. It represented Elvis' acceptance by his peers and proved that he was seen as more than just a pop culture phenomenon, but an outstanding humanitarian and entertainer as well.
A very interesting clip that helps explains the importance of this award.
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| New albums from Gravel Road: The Elvis Summer Festival continues at Full Blast........recorded live at The International Hotel, Las Vegas, August 11, 1972 MS Tracks: 2001 Theme / See See Rider / I Got A Woman / Proud Mary / Until It's Time For You To Go / You've Lost That Loving Feeling / Polk Salad Annie / What Now My Love / Fever / Love Me / All Shook Up / Teddy Bear - Don't Be Cruel / Heartbreak Hotel / Bluede Suede Shoes / Little Sister - Get Back / Hound Dog / It's Over / Suspicious Minds / Band Introductions / My Way/ A Big Hunk Of Love / An American Trilogy / Closing Theme |
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Hilton’s All Shook Up........Recorded live at The Hilton, August 12, 1972 Dinner Show. Las Vegas, NV.
Tracks: 2001 Theme / See See Rider / Proud Mary / Until It's Time For You To Go / You Don't Have To Say You Love Me / You've Lost That Loving Feeling / Polk Salad Annie / What Now My Love / Fever / Love Me / Blue Suede Shoes / One Night / All Shook Up / Teddy Bear - Don't Be Cruel / Heartbreak Hotel / Hound Dog / Love Me Tender/ Suspicious Minds / Band Introductions / My Way / American Trilogy / Can't Help Falling In Love. (News, Source: Gravel Road)
Never Again CD: The Venus label continues its Welcome To The Jungle series with a new volume, Never Again.
Venus says.....
Welcome To The Jungle - Never Again is a great compilation of released and unreleased tracks recorded between February 5th through February 7th, 1976. First you can hear Elvis vocally struggling take after take to achieve a master take on Danny Boy, then working endlessly on Never Again until the finished master is in the can, and finally wrapping it up with the pleasant ballad Love Coming Down.
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No need to say again that the sound is again sensational, nothing is left out and without artificial fade outs. The out-takes are exactly like it was recorded some 34 years ago. Never Again is presented to you in a jewel standard case with a beautiful 16 page booklet.
Track list: 1- Danny Boy ( Take 5 ) 1:46; 2- Danny Boy ( Take 6 ) 1:29; 3- Danny Boy ( Take 7 ) 1:40; 4- Danny Boy ( Take 8 ) 4:06; 5- Danny Boy ( Take 9 ) 4:09; 6- Danny Boy ( Master ) 3:59; 7- Never Again ( Takes 1-3 ) 2:20; 8- Never Again ( Take 4 ) 3:00; 9- Never Again ( Take 5 ) 3:07; 10- Never Again ( Take 6 ) 1:32; 11- Never Again ( Takes 7-8 ) 2:26; 12- Never Again ( Take 9 ) 3:00; 13- Never Again ( Take 10 ) 0:43; 14- Never Again (Takes 11-12 ) 3:21; 15- Never Again ( Undubbed Master ) 2:51 ; 16- Never Again ( Master ) 2:54 ; 17- Love Coming Down ( Takes 1-2 ) 3:37; 18- Love Coming Down ( Take 3 ) 3:29; 19- Love Coming Down (Take 4) 3:08 ; 20- Love Coming Down ( Undubbed Master ) 3:09; 21- Love Coming Down ( Master ) 3:10 (News, Source: Venus)
| Brad Pitt channels Elvis for new film role: Brad Pitt drew inspiration from Elvis Presley for his latest movie role. The Hollywood hunk voices superhero Metro Man in new computer-animated film Megamind.
Will Ferrell voices the evil eponymous character, who gets bored once he realises he has no more rivals to fight.
The movie is directed by Tom McGrath, who was impressed with how seriously Brad took his role. He worked hard to get it just right, and based the character on the legendary smooth-talking singer.
“Brad Pitt was fantastic to work with, he's the perfect Metro Man,” McGrath said. “He really got into it with his Elvis swagger. In fact, when we recorded him he didn't want to sit behind a podium, he wanted to walk around the stage holding this mic and it really suited his character.” |
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McGrath was equally as happy with Will’s portrayal. He explained the American comedian ad-libbed many of his lines, much to the enjoyment of the rest of the cast and crew.
He was continually adding in his own jokes, often making the others giggle so much it caused problems.
“We laughed so hard in the control booth I had to cover my mouth,” McGrath said. (News, Source: stuff.co.nz)
Elvis (1968 TV Program): This book from the VDM Publishing House (Books LLC??) was published in August. In softcover format it has 142 pages. ISBN-13: 9786132620538/ISBN: 6132620532. Frederic P. Miller (Editor), Agnes F. Vandome (Editor), John McBrewster (Editor) EIN Note: While EIN has not seen a copy of this release we have viewed two other Elvis books (Elvis Songs....; Elvis Presley 1959 Albums: 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong) from the editors (each book released by Books LLC). While they contained useful information they were generally overpriced; poorly edited (with missing words/ends of sentences) and comprised of information sourced from other published books and Internet available material. A search of Amazon or Barnes & Noble will elicit several other Elvis titles from VDM Publishing/Books LLC.
Ultimate Film Collection on DVD: The Dutch chain Blokker sells The Ultimate Film collection (11 DVDs/ 1CD) for only 24.99 euro.
As the photo shows, the well priced set comes with bonus photos and what appears to be a booklet. (News, Source: EIN/ Elvis News) |
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Elvis' Christmas Album - The Yule Log DVD: Sony Legacy will release this new concept DVD on October 19. The DVD features the worlds greatest Christmas music (12 tracks from Elvis' (original) Christmas Album, what else!)
Featuring the world's greatest Christmas music set to your choice of three heart-warming holiday scenes, THE YULE LOG DVD lights up the holiday season. Perfect for entertaining, these songs and scenes instantly bring the good cheer and magic of Christmas to any holiday home.
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1. Santa Claus Is Back In Town
2. White Christmas
3. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
4. I'll Be Home For Christmas
5. Blue Christmas
6. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)
7. Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem
8. Silent Night
9. (There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)
10. I Believe
11. Take My Hand, Precious Lord
12. It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)
VIVA Elvis! on vinyl: Sony Legacy announced the release of an 180 gr. vinyl edition of the "VIVA Elvis!" soundtrack; release-date November 9, 2010. (News, Source: Elvis News/ elv75)
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Do you remember these?
(click to listen)
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........................................................and click here for something very different....................................................
The power of pink: Color spins a pop culture all its own: Elvis Presley gave his mother, Gladys, a pink Cadillac in 1955, and the car became a symbol of all things rock 'n' roll.
New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen made a pink Cadillac his anthem in 1984. Five years later, Clint Eastwood starred in a film about — what else? — a pink Cadillac.
Alecia Beth Moore might not have become Billboard's No. 1 Pop Song Artist of the Decade if she had opted for a stage name other than Pink.
And let's face it: Blue Floyd or Brown Floyd just wouldn't have had the same panache as Pink Floyd. Would anyone really have fallen in love with Molly Ringwald if she had been "Pretty in Purple?"
Pink also happens to be the color of some of our favorite treats: lemonade, bubblegum and cotton candy. Little wonder that paint manufacturers such as Benjamin Moore have turned to these favorites when creating shades of pink for their color palettes. (News, Source: Patti Martin, dailyrecord.com) |
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Elvis items up for auction: Never before released Lady Gaga demo CDs, along with a performance DVD from her days as Stefani Germanotta, all from her first manager Bob Leone will hit the auction block next week at the upcoming GOTTA HAVE IT! Rock & Roll Pop Culture Auction. Also up for auction is a spectacular line up of rock 'n roll / pop culture items that are as legendary as the stars themselves. The items run the gamut from the Paul McCartney's original handwritten lyrics for "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," including revisions to John Lennon's fingerprinted application for US residence from Elvis Presley's brown suede jacket worn at the "Million Dollar Quartet" Sun Studio sessions to Bob Dylan's handwritten and dated lyrics to "Song to Woody," the first song he ever recorded, The auction will go live at http://www.gottahaverockandroll.com/ starting Wednesday, October 6th through Friday, October 15th. Elvis Presley's Personally Used Gibson Guitar Also Used In "It Happened At The World's Fair": This is Elvis Presley's movie and personally used Gibson acoustic guitar that he frequently played at Graceland with his close friend Charlie Hodge in impromptu jam sessions. Elvis also played this beautiful guitar in his 1963 MGM film, "It Happened at the World's Fair." The guitar is featured prominently in the film during two production numbers, "The Sandman's Coming" and the popular "One Broken Heart for Sale." Elvis eventually gifted the guitar to Hodge and a letter of provenance from Hodge accompanies the guitar. The guitar also comes with color photographs of Elvis playing the guitar in a number of scenes from the movie. This is one of Elvis' most beautiful guitars used in a film. (News, Source: mi2n.com)
| Heartbreak Hotel for Elvis fan after collection stolen: A HEARTBROKEN Elvis fan has had 45 years worth of memorabilia stolen from his garage in St Albans while away on holiday.
Peter Johnson (shown opposite with part of his collection), of Richmond Walk, Jersey Farm, discovered the theft when he returned from the annual meeting of the Elvis Presley Fan Club in Maplethorpe, Lincolnshire. Thousands of pounds worth of collectors items had been taken by the thieves who had picked the lock on his garage and, despite being insured, Mr Johnson, 60, says the items, which included vinyl LPs, DVDs, CDs and signed pictures, are irreplaceable. |
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He said: “Many of the items can never be replaced and there was so much. My collection was so big that I am still going through my records of the things I’d collected and trying to find out what has been taken.”
The theft comes after a spate of reported burglaries and attempted burglaries from garages in the Jersey Farm area. A Herts Police spokeswoman said: “Officers have increased patrols in the area as a result and we are reviewing all of the crimes as a series, carried out by the same people.
“The vast majority of these have been attempted burglaries, so nothing has been stolen, but garage doors have been damaged. This kind of crime is unusual in the area and we have seen an overall decrease in all crime by 15 per cent so far this year – the biggest decrease out of any district in the county. We are encouraging residents in the Jersey Farm area to be extra vigilant for any suspicious activity. If you think a crime may be in progress, always ring 999.
“Police are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed these offences or has any information about them. Please contact officers on the non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222. Alternatively, you can ring Crimestoppers, an independent charity, anonymously on 0800 555111.”
Mr Johnson said: “I am devastated by this loss and would be very grateful for anyone with any information to come forward. If someone is trying to sell it on, please contact the police.”
He made a final emotional plea: “It’s a lifetime’s worth of collecting and it means so much to me.” (News, Source: hertsad.co.uk)
| Dutch 'X Factor' winner to duet with Elvis: The Dutch Viva CD will close with a "Love Me Tender" duet by Elvis and Lisa Loïs, winner of the tv show “the X Factor”. Lisa Lois is probably best known for her cover of Leonard Cohen’s "Halleluja", the biggest number one in the history of talent shows in Holland. (News, Source: Elvis Matters) |
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Straight Arrow news: Here comes the second volume of the Straight Arrow's special mini-series focusing on "two-mic ambient live recordings": "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" (SA/SP 2010-02-02).
Originally, the label slotted the February 21, 1973 Dinner Show for Volume 2, but during pre-production several technical problems cropped up which require additional studio work. To keep the fans happy the Straight Arrow producers decided to unleash another "two-mic ambient tape" from their vaults, a Valentine's Day special: the previously-unreleased February 14 Dinner Show.
This concert was captured by the same person using the same equipment and settings as the February 15 Dinner Show heard on Straight Arrow's recent CD "Faded Love." Thus, the audio quality is just as terrific as that disc, but with the added bonus of Elvis giving a much better performance. "Faded Love" showcased an interesting, albeit odd, evening where Presley was under the weather and his voice far from his best. The new CD has an Elvis who appears much stronger, singing surprisingly well just one day before.
"You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" features a fairly standard set list, with most songs performed at a high level. Among the highlights are "Steamroller Blues", "I Can't Stop Loving You" and a way cool performance of "Johnny B. Goode".
Like its predecessor, this new release will be presented in a beautiful digipak with all the necessary information and rare photographs. If you dug "Faded Love", we'll bet that you will love this one, too.
As a teaser, producers have included one track from the February 21 tape, a knockout performance of "What Now My Love," including a false start and a reprise. Again, the whole show will be out later this year under the title "I Can't Stop Loving You" (SA/SP 2010-03-02).
Straight Arrow is also planning another release, a jewel case CD with their standard 16-page booklet: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (SA 2010-16-02) and it will feature yet another unreleased Las Vegas set, this one from the August 30, 1973 Dinner Show, taken from the original source, a very good audience recording!
Tracks: 01. Introduction: Also Sprach Zarathustra - 02. C. C. Rider - 03. I Got A Woman / Amen - 04. Love Me Tender - 05. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - 06. Steamroller Blues - 07. You Gave Me A Mountain - 08. Fever - 09. Love Me - 10. Blue Suede Shoes - 11. Heartbreak Hotel - 12. Johnny B. Goode - 13. Hound Dog - 14. What Now My Love - 15. Suspicious Minds - 16. Band Introductions - 17. I Can't Stop Loving You - 18. An American Trilogy - 19. Can't Help Falling In Love - 20. Closing Vamp / Announcements.
Bonus: 21. What Now My Love (with false start and reprise, recorded at the February 21, 1973 Dinner Show).
Approx. running time: 50:37 (News, Source: SA)
Elvis in Germany....a recollection: Friedberg, Germany is a fairly small city just off the Autobahn in Bavaria. One of its claims to fame is that Elvis once lived nearby during his stint in the U.S. Army with the Third Armored Division. I heard from some friends that there was a Gasthaus (a bar) up in those parts, that it was basically an Elvis bar, that the owner had known Elvis personally during the two years he lived nearby in the early 60s and had dedicated every inch of his bar to Presley memorabilia. His jukebox was filled with Elvis records and nothing else. His walls were decorated with photos of Elvis with the owner, with the bar’s regulars, with their families, or just Elvis having a beer with buddies. I was in this bar more than five years after Elvis passed, but these people didn’t seem to think it made much difference, I interviewed maybe eight people who had known Elvis. As you might expect, he wasn’t treated like a normal soldier. He lived with family members in a series of hotels and actually rented a whole house when he was there.
That night I went to the bar just to see what kind of place it was when it was full and to have a few beers. There were a surprising number of young people there drinking and dancing to what seemed an unlimited number of Presley songs. Suddenly, a young woman tapped me on the shoulder. Her English was pretty good. She asked me if I knew Elvis or had ever seen him perform. I answered no to both, and figured that was it. Then she asked me where he was. I paused and told her he was dead. She said something like, “No he’s not, everybody knows that.”
I replied that he was certainly dead. She told me that someone had seen him in Berlin just a few weeks back getting into a taxi with a lot of shopping bags from expensive clothing stores. More than that, there had been at least two dozen sightings of Elvis since his death five years ago. I told her there were also unsubstantiated sightings of Elvis in the United States, but no, he was dead. At this point she looked like she might smack me. In so many words she reminded me that someone with Elvis’s money could move around the world at his own will and could be in Germany, the United States, just about anywhere at various times. I discovered myself nodding my head, as I imagine doctors must do with delusional psychiatric patients. I can remember telling her that she might be right. I can remember how beautiful she was. I can remember that she was just on the verge of crying until I changed direction and began to
agree with her. (News, Source: Lyndon LaRouche, capecodtoday.com)
New October FTDs Released: The new FTDs are Out Now!
- ELVIS (Fool):
A 2-CD 'Classic Album' release. Originally released in 1973, the track listing was changed substantially before its commercial release. Here for the first time, ALL the proposed recordings are in included for the first time.
In addition it features great unreleased outtakes plus a 12-page booklet with great photographs and wonderful unseen memorabilia.
As a treat it features plenty of unreleased Outtakes, Steamroller Blues (45rpm mix) and the longest 'Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right' unedited at over 11 minutes.
EIN notes: Features a BRAND NEW unreleased 'Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right' jam.
(Go HERE for full tracklist)
- Elvis As Recorded At Boston Garden '71:
The highly regarded concert that Elvis performed on November 10, 1971. Still at the height of his power, Elvis received critical acclaim for this show and now this official release finally makes it available for fans around the world. With so few live recordings available from this period, this is a key release for anyone’s collection.
(EIN notes: This was an essential 1971 bootleg that deserves an official release - Go here for EIN detailed bootleg review)
Go HERE to EIN 2010 CD releases for full details.
(News, Source;FTD) |
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Graceland Goes Pink For National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: From today Graceland will show its support for National Breast Cancer Awareness month by illuminating the mansion in pink. It will stay lit up through to the end of October.
The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign was launched 25 years ago to promote education surrounding the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States.
Go here to Gracelandcam to see it lit up in pink.
(News, Source:ElvisInfoNet) |
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Tony Curtis Dies aged 85: Tony Curtis, the classically handsome movie star died Wednesday of cardiac arrest in his Las Vegas area home. He was 85. As a performer, Mr. Curtis drew first and foremost on his startlingly good looks. With his dark, curly hair, worn in a sculptural style later imitated by Elvis Presley, and plucked eyebrows framing pale blue eyes and wide, full lips, Mr. Curtis embodied a new kind of feminized male beauty that came into vogue in the early 1950s.
Curtis himself never professed to be, marrying five times, claiming affairs with all his leading ladies, including Monroe, making his share of what he called schlock and admitting to working "to pay the bills".
His first wife was Janet Leigh, victim of the famous shower scene in Psycho, and their daughter is actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
In a recent UK interview Tony Curtis talked about meeting Elvis on the film-set.
Curtis: Elvis raised his hair like mine. I was making a |
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picture at Paramount, and Elvis was on the lot. He had these big trailers, about a hundred feet long. I liked to get out, put on a sweater and shorts and walk around on the backlot, it was a lot of fun. I was immersed in movies, I just love them. So I walked by his trailer, the door opened, I looked up, and there was Elvis. And he grabs me and pulls me in. And Elvis said, "Mr Curtis, I want you to know what a fan I am. I used to watch your movies in Tennessee." And I said, "Please, don't call me Mr Curtis." And this handsome kid looks at me and said, "So what do you want me to call you?" And I said, "Just call me Tony." And I said, "So what do I call you?" And he said, "Mr Presley!"
Bam, was he funny! We had a great time together. We passed a few girls between us, that's what guys do."
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
Listen to 'Viva ELVIS - The Album' samples: You can now preview "Viva ELVIS - The Album" before it becomes available in November via Amazon.com.
The tracklist & remixers are listed below.
1. Opening (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau)
2. Blue Suede Shoes (mixed by Serban Ghenea)
3. That's Alright (mixed by Brendan O'Brien)
4. Heartbreak Hotel (mixed by Brendan O'Brien)
5. Love Me Tender (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau)
6. King Creole (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau)
7. Bossa Nova Baby (mixed by Serban Ghenea)
8. Burning Love (mixed by Serban Ghenea)
9. Memories (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau)
10. Can't Help Falling In Love (mixed by Serban Ghenea)
11. You'll Never Walk Alone (piano interlude) (mixed by Robert Meunier & Erich van Tourneau)
12. Suspicious Minds (mixed by Brendan O'Brien)
GO HERE TO LISTEN & pre-order.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
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EPE supporting Trapped Miners in Chile: As you will recall, one of the Chilean trapped miners is an Elvis fan and insisted on a photograph of Elvis being sent down to him. He also raised the spirits of the other miners by organising Elvis singalongs. It was anticipated that the miners would not be freed until around Christmas time but rapid progress has been made and it is anticipated that they will be free in around two weeks time.
EIN contributor Brian Quinn and others, thought that it would be a nice gesture if EPE were to arrange a free trip to Graceland for him and perhaps, the other miners, when they were rescued and had time to overcome some of their trauama. An e-mail was sent to EPE. and I am very pleased to print the following reply I have just received from them:
EPE: "Yes, we are in touch with CNN Chile and have sent a big package of movies and music to him that they are sending down to him for the rest of the time. We are also talking with them about a visit!"
(News, Source;BrianQuinn) |
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Viva Elvis' Album - Big UK Marketing Campaign: Look out for the huge promotion and marketing that is planned in the UK for the new 'Viva Elvis' The Album. Cirque du Soleil, Pricilla Presley and the album producer Erich Van Tourneau are all undertaking the promo circuit and Priscilla has already appeared on “The One Show” and with other Major TV interviews being lined up.
- The Marketing aspects will feature a very heavy TV campaign across ITV, C4, Five and satellite space booked from launch up to Christmas plus a national “X Factor” launch-spot the day before release. There will also be outdoor poster campaigns and radio campaigns booked with Heart, Smooth and Capital radio stations. There will also be On-Line Facebook, Youtube and Google promotions.
There will also be plenty of national press campaigns and full page adverts.
The presss publicity has already started with The Sun today writing "Elvis Gets A ReVamp On New Album; HERE'S a real treat for ELVIS fans. The King's new album - his first in 33 years - sees the late singer's music reworked for Cirque Du Soleil show Viva Elvis"
Go here for the SUN article..
(News; Source;BrianQuinn/ElvisInfoNetwork) |
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(News, Source;BrianQuinn/ElvisInfoNetwork) |
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Myrna Smith health update: On Saturday, 9/25, Myrna was sent to Northridge Hospital ER with an infection, she was given two antibiotic treatments intravenously & then sent back to Canyon Oaks Rehab. Center. Myrna was extremely weak. By the time we got back to the center, she was exhausted & went right to sleep. I visited Myrna on Sunday, 9/26. She was better than on Saturday, but still very weak & talking only a little.
Thank you for all the cards with love & good wishes, we read all of them & Myrna thanks everyone for caring about her. Thanks to those who helped raise the money in Myrna's account at Premier America Credit Union, she really appreciates it. Because of the generosity of Myrna's friends & fans, we are able to pay the $5,184.00 to Canyon Oaks for Myrna to stay there. That amount is Myrna's share of the money owed to them for her stay to date, plus the month of October (they require October paid in advance), & must be paid to allow her to stay there through the end of October. The check has been mailed. If it were not for all of you, Myrna would not have the care she needs for October.
Myrna's condition is very serious. Please keep her in your prayers. (News, Source: Elvis Unlimited) |
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The Elvis you should rediscover: Most people think about Elvis Presley in two simple ways: There’s the young Elvis, the hip shaker who brought “black” music into white homes, or the jump suit clad,sweating, drug fueled and fat Elvis. Which one is your favorite?
I’ve always dubbed my favorite Elvis Presley period as the “Comeback Elvis.” From 1968 to 1972, Elvis Presley hit his peak creatively, vocally, and musically. Let’s take a look:
Coming off the heels of the 1967 MGM film “Speedway”, co-starring Nancy Sinatra, Elvis felt dissatisfied with his career and his last four singles released failed to chart. Music had changed as well. 1967 saw the release of The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, and months later, the epic single - “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys. Psychedelic culture was influencing music, its artists and popular culture. |
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Elvis packed up, left Los Angeles, and decided to take everything “home.” This meant pulling stakes and getting back to his roots, going home to Memphis, Tennessee. Arriving right on the heels of the birth of his daughter, Lisa Marie, Elvis contracted an agreement with NBC that had them hooked into financing another Elvis theatrical feature film, as well as a television special.
The result, originally called simply - Elvis, aired on NBC television on December 3, 1968. This Christmas special of sorts would go on to become known as The Elvis ‘68 Comeback Special. Up until this time, there had been nothing like it on television ever.
The ‘68 Comeback Special was the blueprint that MTV would eventually steal and use to create their infamous “Unplugged” series. Elvis and band sat mingled with their crowd, playing stripped down versions of all his classics from his early era. Between songs Elvis would remind the world exactly how he’d become the star he was, by cracking jokes about his lip twitch and playfully bantering with his audience members. He also introduced quite possibly his most infamous stage outfit, one that people have never forgotten, the black leather jumpsuit. It was the essence of cool, and the creation of “Comeback Elvis.”
As the final minutes of the ‘68 Special played out, NBC came back from its final commercial break, and Elvis sang a song that was written exclusively for the television special, called “If I Can Dream.” Simple, intimate and very emotionally powerful, it resurrected Elvis like a phoenix rising from rock-n-roll ashes, and sent shivers down the spines of millions, reminding us that Elvis is truly king.
One Rolling Stone magazine critic was quoted after the performance: “I bet that just made Jim Morrison shake in his boots.”
Soon followed the best album of his entire catalog, 1969’s “From Elvis In Memphis”. This 1969 release would produce something that had never been heard before on any Elvis album. Every song on the album was a classic cut. Up until this time, Elvis was still a victim of record company foolery dictating that an album should have just a few really good songs on it, and the rest forgettable filler.
Songs like “Long Black Limosene”, “In The Ghetto”, “True Love Travels Down A Gravel Road”, “Power Of Love”, and “Only The Strong Survive” showcase a worn man trying to get back what he’d lost and reminding us just how good he truly was.
Even though, they didn’t make the final 1969 “From Elvis In Memphis album” two of Elvis Presley’s greatest singles ever to be released, “Suspicious Minds” and “Kentucky Rain”, were also produced by at this time.
Oppsosite: Elvis and band at the American Sound Studio in 1969 |
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Not long after the success of the television show and album, Elvis was given the opportunity to produce his own live show for Las Vegas. The initial Las Vegas concerts of the 1970s were massive events, featuring celebrities. The shows always sold out. A documentary crew followed Elvis from Memphis to Las Vegas as he prepared in the studio rehearsing for his big Las Vegas premiere. The film also documented the first Elvis in Las Vegas performances in their entirety.
“That’s The Way It Is: Elvis Live From Vegas” was released into national theaters in late 1970 to massive success. The film showcased Elvis in prime peak, blasting through classics like “All Shook Up” and “Jailhouse Rock”. Another documentary film would be produced and released into theaters by late 1972, Elvis On Tour.
Highly successful in Las Vegas and touring again across the US, Elvis found out that his wife, Priscilla, was leaving him. He never recovered and neither did his career, until his life was cut short in 1977.
Essential Elvis Presley 1968-1972 Releases:
* Complete 68 Comeback Special: 40th Anniversary Box Set (2008)
* Memories: The 68 Comeback Special (1998)
* From Elvis In Memphis (1969)
* The Memphis ‘69 Anthology: Suspicous Minds (1999)
* From Nashville To Memphis: The Essential 60’s Masters (1993)
* Walk A Mile In My Shoes: The Essential 70’s Masters (1995)
* Elvis: That’s The Way It Is Soundtrack Special Edition Box Set (1971, 2000)
* Back In Memphis (1970)
* Elvis Country (1970)
* Elvis Now (1972)
* Elvis On Stage (1972) (News, Source: Justin Buzong, collegenews.com)
Elvis on Tour Aussie DVD release under $10.00!: It was only released yesterday in Australia, but already major outlet, Kmart, is selling Elvis On Tour for only A$9.00!
Earlier in 2010, Sony Australia's TV promoted CD release, Elvis 50 Top Ten Australian Hits, also flopped with sales (<11,000) well below even Gold award status (35,000). (News, Source: Kmart catalog/ARIA)
EIN Note: EIN recently watched the Region 1 (USA) Blu-ray edition of Elvis On Tour.......and compared to the original video release it is simply stunning!!! The audio and video quality is brilliant!!
Go here for special EIN On Tour DVD/BluRay Review
'Viva Elvis' Album – Worldwide Update: It is now coming to light that a lot of countries are going to get an extra local bonus 'duet' track with an artist from that country. The Belgian version has 13 tracks including 'That's All Right', 'Burning Love' plus a 'Love Me Tender' Duet with Belgian singer Dani KLEIN from the group Vaya Con Dios. This is in addition to the 'Love Me Tender' remix.
In France local singer Amel BENT is an added duet on 'Love Me Tender' whilst Spanish singer Lourdes HERNANDEZ (aka Russian Red) also duets on the same song on the Spanish version.
This a similar local promotion concept to what happened on the 'Christmas Duets' album last year.
An Aussie duet is reported to be on the ' Viva Elvis' Album downunder version to be released on November 5th. The 13 track album will include an Australian artist Duet. (TBA).
However on the Viva Elvis' UK Album SONY(UK) has assured EIN contributor Brian Quinn that there will be only be 12 tracks on the their version, for some reason with no added bonus duet.
SONY state that they believe it is a fantastic new Elvis album and will be a big record when compared to any artist.
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The Complete Elvis Presley Masters - Less than 300 Copies Remain: Less than 300 copies of "Complete Elvis" now remain available for purchase.
Over 35 Hours of music: All 711 MASTER RECORDINGS plus 103 RARITIES ON 30 CDs.
The Unique package features 240-page hardbound book printed on archival paper, with annotated discography and artwork for every original Elvis album, single and EP, plus rare and classic photography and new 6,000-word essay
Limited edition first run of 1,000 copies worldwide, each set individually numbered.
If you are interested in getting one of these first run, limited editions, the time to order is now.
Go here to EIN's special spotlight on this great release and other FTD releases.
(News, Source;EIN) |
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Elvis Presley, Elvis and Graceland are trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises.
The Elvis Information Network has been running since 1986 and is an EPE officially recognised Elvis fan club.
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