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Caveat: In the lead up to the second part of this interview there was an unfortunate email message circulated to a number of prominent people in the Elvis world including EIN. While we will not go into the specifics of the message it highlighted the, at times, politically volatile and nasty nature “behind the scenes” in the Elvis world. From EIN’s perspective four points: 1. EIN is not aligned with the MRS organization or any other group in the Elvis world. We appreciate its quality releases, as we do the quality releases from Sony BMG, JAT, etc. This is reflected in our reviews. At the same time we are critical if we believe a release warrants it. 2. EIN does not condone the use of intentionally negative views which only serve to destabilize and weaken the Elvis world. Most of us live in democratic countries where basic principles of freedom of speech and respect for others should be paramount. Sadly, at times they are not. 3. EIN does not use the positions of others to promote an agenda. As regular readers will be well aware, if we feel strongly about something we openly say so, be it positive or negative! We have no need to hide behind the views of others. 4. And in the context of this interview, as is always the case with what we publish, if any party mentioned in and offended by Joseph’s answers wants reasonable right of reply, we are only too happy to provide this. Simply email us Introduction: In July 2007 EIN published what turned out to be one of our most controversial interviews ever...with Joseph Pirzada, the man behind the Memphis Recording Service (MRS) organisation. In the past few years MRS has released some of the best ever audio-visual and photo journal Elvis releases including MRS Volumes 1 & 2; Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley; and The Complete New York Sessions. In part 1 of his interview with EIN Joseph took aim at a number of Elvis world identities and really stirred things up with his comments on a number of issues. To say the response from readers was very polarised is an understatement! While many fans applauded the quality releases from MRS a number of other fans found fault with how they perceived MRS had obtained parts of its material for the releases. In the concluding part to his interview Joseph again does not hold back, and also answers his critics from part 1 of the interview. Joseph addresses:
EIN hopes you enjoy what is another stimulating and insightful interview, and one which, again, is sure to be controversial! (April 2008) Read Part 1 of Joseph's controversial interview Reader feedback appears after the interview The Interview – Part 2 EIN: Joseph, the first part of your interview with EIN was one of the most controversial we have ever published. Did you expect your answers would be so controversial? JP: Not really, because what I said and the opinions I have are not the ones shared by many in the FECC and the more vocal in the Elvis internet worlds. I’d had a bit of a controversial reputation in the Elvis world just by releasing products and not being RCA, so I knew it would get a large reaction.
EIN: Let’s get the major issues arising from part 1 of your interview out of the way. There were three main accusations. Firstly, a number of people including Dr John Carpenter and The Purple Gang claim you “stole” photographs from other published books. EIN notes that you addressed this accusation in part 1 of your interview. However, given the specific photos cited by The Purple Gang and others, what is your response? JP: There are some elements of the Elvis world that have great sense of loyalty to the status quo, and have said many things in the past and will probably continue to do so. They can’t say anything about the video footage as it’s never been released before, so they go after the images. People have also claimed that I stole “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” from BMG, even though mine is the only complete version ever released and still is. Comments like these are nothing new. And there will be more. Does it affect the products popularity? Not a bit! The same accusations were made concerning photos owned by Stanley Oberst that were in both “Rockin’ Across Texas” and MRS vols. 1 and 2, but the versions in my books were higher quality and not as cropped. If not only that Stan and I have been friends for years. Obviously, when you’re using photos that have been previously released, these kinds of things will always come up. EIN: It was apparent that your detractors could only focus on a handful of photographs out of hundreds in your releases. Leaving aside what you have just said, what does this suggest to you about their motivations? JP: I don’t think it’s necessarily one motivation – some is a loyalty that they’ve had for RCA and FTD, and this may be a way of deeming it as a “rip-off” so they can continue that loyalty in an Elvis world where so much is changing. Some of it is politics and takes advantage of the first group. There are likely other reasons, but those are the first that come to mind. The thing is I think people should be judging the bigger picture of the whole release. It so obvious to the non vocal of the Elvis world that the usual detractors are looking for any small detail to criticise the production thinking it would blind people of the overall picture. EIN: The other main accusation is that you have waited for Public Domain and effectively used audio material that should be Sony BMG’s. Your response? JP: Rarely anything has one source. Many times there is another transfer or another set of reels. In some cases, I own the original source that RCA got their transfer from. You can listen to the sound on the New York project and tell that I like to find my own sources – they’re raw in that case, and can be cleaned to produce the sound I want, as opposed to something that was mixed and mastered previously. One must also bear in mind; the audio material does not belong to Sony BMG anymore. T hey belong to the free people and citizens of the European Union. EIN: MRS receives considerably more criticism than Elvis’ official record company Sony BMG, yet Sony BMG continues to recycle, repackage and rehash Elvis’ catalog with little or no apparent strategic direction. Why do you think some fans are very vocal about your releases and less vocal about Sony BMG’s efforts? The criticism also implies that a relatively small organization like MRS could undermine a large multinational corporation like Sony BMG. This seems very fanciful with an element of paranoia. Do you have a view on these issues? JP: I don’t think there’s any way for an independent label to undermine a large company with any kind of success. It’d be futile to try. I just see an opportunity to release a good product, in many cases a product that BMG simply can’t do for a variety of reasons, or can, but simply don’t want to spend the money (which is normally the case). I think they can compliment each other though. I have Audio DVD to provide a higher grade of audio for the fans than what BMG can logistically do. Especially for reel-to-reel sources, the higher the grade of audio means more of the original sound is represented. Regardless of my thoughts about BMG, the idea is a complementary one – to provide the fans with a product or presentation Sony can’t give or should I say wont give. When fans see the products, they’ll decide for themselves how it compares. EIN: The third criticism was that you were openly bitter about a number of other people in the Elvis world. Do you believe you were too strong in your opinions? JP: As you can probably see from these new responses, I think now that I was definitely too strong in how I chose to voice them. But that does not change what I think and should be said. With the internet, it’s so easy to get wrapped up in all the forum arguments and political shots and take them too personally. Once you add the net’s instant opportunity to reply, it’s a deadly combination. Being a fan that came into doing this for the love and passion for it, I wasn’t used to taking the kind of judgment and criticism that I got with the projects from people who were fans like me. Having “your own people” saying many baseless and degrading things about you and your products can really hurt, and everything has been a learning experience. The last EIN interview helped a lot in that way, I have a much tougher skin now that I’ve said my peace. EIN: Joseph, thanks for clearing up those issues. We know there are many people particularly interested in them. JP: No problem. I’m glad to be able to clear that up, because I don’t want some feud or off-moment to cloud the products – they should speak for themselves and they do. Everyone (speaking for myself) loves Elvis for the music he produced, not for the insides of his personal life of any rants, rages or drug abuse. We all have dark sides. But his music speaks for itself and that’s all that matters and that’s the way I believe my projects should be also, speak for themselves. EIN: Leaving aside the small but vocal lobby group against you, there were also a larger number who have welcomed your Elvis releases. For many they are a breath of fresh air in an otherwise largely predictable and often world of redundant Elvis releases. And the importance of footage like the Tupelo Elvis concert cannot be underestimated! JP: That’s correct, and also 50,000 MRS fans cant be wrong. Like you said the DJC’s (Johnny Saulovich) and the Ekenee ’s of this world’s vocal intentions just could not go far enough. So many fans I get emails from have always praised the products I produce and that encourages me to do more. The best ones for me are the new fans which is something Sony/BMG are at a loss to do.
EIN: Joseph, let’s deal with some specific issues raised after part 1 of your interview with EIN. The main question has to be about the legal side of the Elvis Public Domain dispute in the UK . We believe that your lawyers read the UK law as that anything RECORDED pre-1957 is now Public Domain. While BMG lawyers believe it is only what has been RELEASED pre-1957 that is now Public Domain. A lot of fans are confused by this. Can you elaborate and is BMG taking you to court over this? JP: We have never received any correspondence from Sony/BMG in any shape or form over this issue. However one of our distributors did receive a letter and our lawyers responded to Sony on their behalf informing them, the law they stated was out of date and that there was no basis for trying to stop distribution of the NY release. Our lawyers then wrote a further two letters informing them that distribution will continue as normal unless they can prove otherwise that it is unlawful. To this day we are yet to receive any reply. All the Elvis Sound Recordings on the NY release were created before the 1956 Act came into force on the 1 st June 1957. So at the time they were created, the 1911 Act 19(1) would have applied to those recordings. However in 1988 the law was then amended that all subsisting works still in copyright would then be 50 years from date of release. But there are transitional provisions to the 1988 Act which are contained in Schedule 1 to the 1988 Act. Paragraph 12(2d) of Schedule 1 provides that: Copyright in the following descriptions of work continues to subsist until the date on which it would have expired under the 1956 Act: … d)published sound recordings and sound recordings made before 1st June 1957 … Then in 1995 the 1988 act was amended and came into force 1st January 1996 . Of the amendments, the transitional provisions remained untouched and were not deleted and therefore were an exception to the rule for the application of the new rules for all existing works. One could go on here but in a nutshell Sony don’t have much of a case. If by somehow one argues that the transitional provision were no longer in place then comes a new problem. Section 13A of the 1988 Act (as amended in 1995) provided that: 4) Where the author of a sound recording is not a national of an EEA state, the duration of copyright is that to which the sound recording is entitled in the country of which the author is a national, provided that does not exceed the period which would apply under subsections (2) and (3). 5) If or to the extent that the application of subsection (4) would be at variance with an international obligation to which the United Kingdom became subject prior to 29th October 1993 , the duration of copyright shall be as specified in subsections (2) and (3). This was a rather complicated way of saying that a recording only got protection it was entitled to in a country of original author unless there was an INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATION requiring otherwise. Some International copyright conventions do require countries to afford ‘national treatment’. The Rome Convention is the only international convention on sound copyright on recordings made before October 1993 which required ‘national treatment’ to be afforded. Fortunately the USA is not a member of that so not affording ‘national treatment’ to a US national is NOT a breach of UK obligations under the Rome Convention. Any legal proceedings will have to derive from a US law point of view and go through the US legal system. Very hard to enforce I think but it is do able. So therefore there are two hurdles for Sony/BMG to go through, all very time consuming and very costly. No wonder our lawyers never heard from them on behalf of one of our distributors. Therefore as far as we are concerned we will continue to release all recordings made before 1 st June 1957 as we will adhere to the transitional provisions set out in the 1988 act section 12(d). However, we will only use Elvis material after 1st June 1957 that is 50 years from release date. There are more to this that can be explained but this could take forever to go through but I think I have covered enough without going into the nitty gritty details of it all.
The Rise of Elvis Presley (MRS 2) EIN: You are both an Elvis fan and a businessman. If we accept the argument of some fans, you as a fan should not stoop so low as to use legally available material in the public domain. What is your response to this? JP: On a business level it happens already by so many small companies, the only difference is we have a high profile because of being a fan. As a fan it is our responsibility to aim for high quality releases and sound superior to everything else released on the market by these companies and sometimes including Sony/BMG. No wonder we touch sore spots. EIN: EIN also finds it interesting that the fans criticizing you don’t blink when another “public domain” released of the Hayride or 1956 RCA material is released. MRS really has drawn the ire of a small number of very vocal fans. Of course there are also those fans openly complimentary about the MRS releases. Overall, has the feedback been positive or negative? JP: Any serious release gets attention in positive or negative way. That’s the freedom we all have. Useful arguments are taken and being worked with. Our feedback has always been positive, it’s always then minority that are very vocal. Some people don’t realize that we at MRS love and respect Elvis. We criticize each other on our work of the projects and adjust when needed before we find it fit for release. Making sure that get the best possible. But then again, those of the some people just have a political motive. EIN: Some fans were disappointed to discover that a few of your Tupelo book photos had been lifted from the FTD 'Flashback' book. As the author/producer of the book don't you have to accept responsibility for these copyright infringements? JP: Like any of my projects, there are some key people we approach for some photos. I used the majority of the photos directly from the photographers and from other people who have their own in private collections. With dealing with so many photos we get them from Elvis fans from all over the place and there is never enough time to check each and every photo of its origin. I do remember on the FECC board some time back where someone had spotted some photos they believed were taken from the Flashback book. That person told us exactly the page numbers they were on. I myself went to those pages and could not find where the fault was within the pictures. It took some time and a hard look to uncover what he was posting about. Those photos were obviously from an outside source that we used and were overlooked. In a situation like this one does have to accept responsibility. However if I had scanned those three pictures like people had suggested, there is no way I would have left those photos like that, they would have been fixed. I do not have time to scan photos. I did not even know what it was I was looking for until I looked long and hard enough to know what it was he was posting about. But when you have 100’s of photos in a book it is very hard to go through each and every one of them looking for faults. This was obviously scanned by someone we used which was wrong. But credit to the poster on this whose intention was to take probably the best release this century and tried to scrutinise it in some way and could only find this. Does this even take away a little from the overall picture of this release, no way! Don’t even try it.
There are many people out there that know for a fact that not one of those Elvis tracks on the NY MRS release was lifted from the FTD release. And if you were to ask Kevan and Ernst (and if they were to be honest about it) they would agree. Apart from the fact that in my previous interview to EIN, I clearly stated I would not use a Kevan track on this release because it was a mess and flat sounding, what I do know for a fact is that Kevan puts a hidden digital signature on all his mastering work. This would be impossible for me to find. I don’t want the Dudd tracks even if it was offered to me with payment. Our sources were different and we had safety masters. The NY sessions clearly beats the sound work on FTD in all areas which is why it has done so well. Just like I promised in the first EIN interview before it even came out. Once we get past the Sun years and into 56 onwards, the sources get easier so it’s easier to clean up the Dudd mess. Many people probably didn’t believe this when they bought the MRS NY sessions and were just buying it for the book. But I bet they were all shocked and surprised. They heard things they never heard before and everything was crystal clear and not just Elvis’ voice. Thanks Real, I knew you could do it! Proof is always in the pudding. Personally instead of those accusing me of taking the FTD tracks for the MRS NY release, I think they should start now of accusing me of what I will do in the future instead of what I have not done, that being, the moment Ernst releases the final Hayride show from December 1956, I will release it 1 month later from the source he releases it on. Being that the source was illegally recorded and then sold to Ernst in the first place from a person in T exas ; the book has already been prepared with the track listing. Now it just sits on the shelf, waiting. Now the FECC guys have a nice thread to start on. EIN - In part 1 of your interview you passed some rather derogatory remarks towards the restorative work undertaken by Kevan – you called this an “arguable mess”. While that is obviously your personal opinion, many would not agree. In light of the undeniable backlash against this particular co mm ent, do you have anything further to say on the matter? JP: I assume these are the same people voicing something they have never heard. People like Johnny Saulovich (on the FECC as Doctor John Carpenter) and the Matthew's etc etc of this world who have never bought an MRS product and continues to bag something they have not heard or seen. Have they compared it with FTD? There is no excuse this time since we now have a 16 bit CD version in the package and not just the 24bit DVD–A. Comparisons can now be done. Listen to the NY release and hear the difference for yourselves. You all thought you heard ‘Hound Dog’ but in reality, none of you had until now. Except for those that were in the studio with him when he recorded it, you can now hear what they were hearing. T his is no longer an opinion, it is fact. How was this achieved? Well let me start off by saying it is now impossible for Kevan to ever compete with the MRS sound as we move further down the years on Elvis recordings. First and foremost he would never have the equipment we used and Ernst would never spend that kind of money on it. I don’t even think Sony/BMG would either. We have been working with beta programs that are years away from purchase on the market and work with designers of those programs that in no way, BMG are able to get their hands. We are years ahead and it is impossible for anyone to get close to what we are doing now. Don’t get me wrong; while Kevan’s cleaning the audio was a good job, he removed too many elementary audio sounds as well. He should have restored the true sound and the sensation of the recordings made by Elvis and the rest of the group. While Elvis’ voice was crystal on his recordings, the instruments in the back had a very clear but flat sound. I believe he doesn’t have the feel for the instruments. Once FTD Sun is out, I doubt we will hear of him again. Remember Kevan does not work for Sony/BMG you can't be getting decent equipment when Ernst pays you in food stamps. Some people here can call this a direct attack, well I am not going to be taking it back and those of you who are offended for him, well that too bad. Everyone takes some flack and believe me I have had my fair share of it. As I said before in the previous interview, I have known Kevan personally and I cannot tell you how much he has tried to hinder my projects and it was he who started the whole hate MRS campaign from the beginning. He was the brains and architect of the whole FECC attack years ago with Dr John Carpenter (real name Johnny Saulovich). But since it has nothing to do with the people reading this I will leave it there and just you know there are both sides of the story and then of course, there is always the truth. He has had is say over the years hiding behind other people so I suggest everyone mind and let it be when I finally have something to say. If someone ones to give a real challenge to end all this, one should give Kevan and MRS a same track of the same source etc, give a time period for the work to be done, handed in and then see. Is he the Master Budder or the Master Dudder. That will end all arguments and we at MRS welcome a challenge. No doubt at some point in the near future EIN will interview Kevan Dudd when the FTD Sun comes out. I happily wait for his retaliation remarks then if not before. EIN: Dr John Carpenter from the FECC Board continues to wage his personal war against you. Have you ever met DJC and why is his animosity so strong? JP: No I have never met ‘Johnny Saulovich’ but hopefully; we will catch up together soon since I will be in the Berkley University area in Northern California. The whole thing is basically politically motivated as said before. He actually does work and has constant contact with Ernst on the FTD labels so one can see why he so critical of even the positive things MRS have achieved in the Elvis legacy. Quite frankly I am shocked that Ernst associates himself with this guy unless he is oblivious to Saulovich’s involvements in the Elvis world. EIN: Is there anything else you would like to say about Carpenter? JP: I have plenty to say. First and foremost I am sure many people out there who he has insulted consistently on the FECC board (who by the way protect him all the way) would like to finally know exactly who he is. His real name is actually ‘Johnny Saulovich’ and you can find his name on the FTD release ‘Live in LA’ and more than likely the upcoming FTD Sun release. Hence you can see why he has been so persevering in discrediting MRS to the max. Strange really, especially when it became evident that he had never ever even saw the early MRS releases.
Johnny Saulovich aka the FECC forum's infamous "Dr John Carpenter" and "Johnny Savage" But not to my surprise he is also a well known ‘bootleg’ supporter and you can normally find him credited under one of his other names aka Johnny Savage writing liner notes for these bootleg labels. On the one hand, he calls me a thief, then on the other, he is a well known writer for and supporter of thieves. I have nothing personally against bootleggers or import labels, I am just explaining the type of hypocrisy that is going on here. Quite frankly he is a saun-ov-o-vich. On viewing the FECC board is he countlessly attacking poor innocent people for voicing their own opinions that he does not share, especially when it comes to opinions on FTD, Kevan Dudd or Ernst. I even saw what appeared to be a new Elvis fan of the much younger generation who just joined the FECC board being viscously attacked for liking the new TAR remix and wondered what they had got themselves into. Not only that, then the poor new Elvis fan was accused of being me! Why? Because he likes a remix that I did not even do! I watched this new young fan being continuously attacked! This is totally inexcusable behavior. Is this how we treat new young Elvis fans? I felt really sorry for that person who was probably a young teenager. And what do the FECC administrators do? Nothing! If it was someone else, they would be strictened and put down real fast. In fact I have noticed that every time Saulovich opens his big mouth and is condescending, rude and attacking, FECC does nothing about it. He has free speech on that board and no else does. What Saulovich says goes. T his is probably why the FECC board has really gone down in the last few years when you have Saulovich dictating what Elvis fans should think or not. Many people have been witnessing how it is when they voice their own opinions and are then put down for not being with the status quo. But not for that DJC Saulovich and since this is the only way to say what a lot of the FECC board members feel, it is my absolute pleasure in exposing the ‘Elvis Terrorist’ for the fans sake. I would assume he works in I.T. and would guess he was a developer of some sort. I’ve known someone who works in training for many many years and they have extensive experience of working with I.T. people, trying to improve their soft skills. Given the solitary nature of the I.T. job, Saulovich is typical of one of these people in that he is pretty intelligent but doesn't have the skills to co mm unicate with people without upsetting them. I could add a lot more to what I consider to be his profile but I've met dozens like him in the I.T. world who are convinced they are always right and can't accept it when they are not. We should actually pity him! From what I have now noticed in recent months is that any person according to who speaks out against Ernst, Kevan, and FTD etc is me! I am not the only one in the world that can stick his finger up at Ernst and say F**k you. If other people have a view that is their opinion and I have nothing to do with it. I never go on that board, EVER! Not even under an assumed name. T he last time I posted on that board was in December 2005. I don’t need to and quite frankly, I don’t have time. I have problems answering emails, so where I get the motivation to go on that board would be beyond me. I then noticed he accused another poster named ‘Daryl’ as being me! Why? Because this person had his own opinions and that maybe, they are similar opinions to mine about Kevan’s work on FTD being ‘flat’ and from memory, maybe even opinions about Ernst and more. Let me now set the record straight to all those out there. I am NOT ‘Daryl’, don’t know any ‘Daryl’ from anywhere in the world, have never dealt and probably never sold any products to a ‘Daryl’, have never had any co mm unication with any ‘Daryl’ whether now or when I was a kid in junior school, have never worked with any ‘Daryl’ and if I ever was to make an assumed name, I would never have even thought of a name ‘Daryl’. ‘Daryl’ would never even enter my head. In fact the only ‘Daryl’ I am aware of is Daryl Hannah! And I have never met her either. So Johnny Saulovich give it a rest, not everyone shares your politically motivated opinions. Furthermore Mr Saun-ov-o-vich has the gaul to say to FECC members ‘why are you hiding behind your real name come out and come clean’ when the whole time he has done his best to continually conceal his own identity by using a nom-de-plume. Well Mr. DJC Saulovich, I have finally exposed you and this is what you deserve since your FECC administrator friends have been harboring you to only what I can describe you (as said above) the ‘Elvis Terrorist’. People, this guy terrorizes Elvis fans and the FECC guys do nothing. When a fan tries to defend themselves from Saulovich, the FECC guys immediately take it off. But they leave Saulovich’s insulting remarks for all to see. The poor little Elvis fan does not have a chance to even defend themselves from this terrorist. Well at least the FECC guys cannot take this off. And I know why they have been defending him and a few of us know exactly why he is given ‘Special Treatment’. This I will save for another time. Now that he is finally exposed after all these years, I know there are many happy faces out there today too. EIN: Given the years of research and effort you have obviously put in to your releases, the ongoing criticism by some fans must have hurt. How have you handled it on a personal level? JP: Can’t say I’m always happy with it since I do my best to produce the best release out of a subject possible. I realize there are always people who want to get personal in whatever you do. So I just leave it as it is and it’s something you get used to it. If you can’t accept it and get used to it after 5 years you should not be in production. The only negative criticism I enjoy and always look forward to is from Kiwi alan from the FECC board. I mean this guy has been bagging me ever since my Rubberneckin remix years ago. But I love it when he criticizes me cos they are funny and I’m so used to it. I welcome him and I think he is a great guy I would be very disappointed if he suddenly had something nice to say about me. In fact I think he did once over the MRS – MBLM CD Single, I was disappointed with the fact he was nice about it. It was only then I realized I missed him. But I always look forward to him the most when he has something to say, it’s always that one sentence straight to the point criticism and I think they are great. And I know he is not politically motivated. Kiwi alan if you’re reading this, cheers to ya pal. BTW mate, I’m also a fellow Kiwi as well, so double cheers to ya. EIN – In your first interview some fans believed one of your intentions was to hurt Ernst’s ongoing FTD project – how do you respond to this and what are your thoughts and opinions on the FTD project as a whole? JP: I don’t think that was the case at all if you look at the interview again. Yes there maybe some feeling of a personal gripe but as far as the work goes, I fully support the FTD project and I myself am looking forward to it. I was merely stating that Ernst has a very limited market. The general people in the market would also like to know who Elvis really was and the amount of work Elvis put in before he became famous. Ernst does not have that market and since I have, I can bridge the gap. Also I stated that there was enough room for everybody since he cannot publish every single picture he has because it is just too many. And knowing how Ernst tends to skimp on documentation, I wanted to paint a different picture to the way he does it. I am not saying mine is a better way, it’s just a different way. If you look at the first interview again I also explain the fact that as far as sound go, we are using different formats. I am sure he is now deciding what pictures have to be left out of his projects since he has so many, unless he plans on doing a 2000 page book!
EIN - With the many included audience shots cutting away from Elvis, even during songs, are we to assume that these were only used when the film maker stopped filming for a second then continued filming? I find it hard to believe that they filmed in such a choppy way. JP: Yes in fact they did film it in such a choppy way. You must remember they were not there not to film the whole show, but to film enough so they could use it for a news reel report. So they would trigger the camera on and off filming what they thought they could use so we had to use audience shot fillers to continue the flow of our release. Had it been choppier than it was, we would have had to scrub the project. This was the only way we could present an Elvis concert form the 50’s. This DVD im sure DJC (Johnny Saulovich) had to bite his fingers on what was a historically important release for Elvis in the last few decades and will now be preserved for generations to come. What was important for me on this was the fact that we finally had a performance of Elvis doing ‘Long Tall Sally’. Another first by MRS! EIN - Was every scrap of Tupelo footage included? Is there still 5 or 10 or even 15 seconds still unreleased? JP: I have gone through everything at Fox and can find no more. So as far as I am concerned, we have gone as far as one can go. EIN - With the editing needed to present the "complete" performance some fans wondered if you considered actually adding the un-edited raw footage on the DVD as well? JP: I can see no point to this. As you can see, the footage is still quite raw why bother showing bits all over the place. EIN - The film quality changes at various points. Is this because the already known Newsreel footage had been cut out of the film stock you found? JP: Basically yes. Going through the archives we did not come across any of the footage that was contained on the official news reels. I assume these were cut from the main film of course. So we had to source the rest of the footage from those reels to make it more complete. EIN - Was any attempt to clean up the footage done? JP: Yes but it depends on how much one wants to spend. Yes we did spend money on it, but you get to a point where you spend so much that it can turn out to be not co mm ercially viable anymore and still not make a great difference, to make it really satisfying. EIN - Why has EPE or such-like never discovered it or released it before you did? JP: Because in reality there are more interested in Elvis the image than anything else. T ack sells so they are more interested in that than sharing royalties with publishers etc. No way are they looking for material to release, even if you put it right under their noses. Look at Sheriff, he waves unreleased recordings and film under their noses all the time and buys chocolates and flowers every year for the staff at EPE and still it gets him no where. EIN - When in HMV London it was really noticeable that your stylish books and packaging really made your product stand out amongst all the other Elvis releases on the shelves. EIN does not understand why for the 30th Anniversary BMG can only put out the very minor 'Early Elvis' CD as their equivalent fifties release. Can you explain why with all Elvis' earnings behind them BMG can't release a quality package like 'New York Sessions' when MRS can afford to do so? JP: In all honesty, I believe them to be tighter than a monkey’s tail end. On the recent singles campaign they were trying to cut costs by less than half a penny by degrading the card stocks used on the release. I know this because I used the same company for my MBLM release and they told me many stories. EIN - The 'New York Session Masters' studio tape on your CD includes count-ins not yet officially released by BMG. The audio-quality is excellent so I believe that you might have got hold of the Safety T ape that they recorded as a back-up at this session. Can you confirm if this is true or how close to the first-generation Master was the tape you used? JP: Simply we used the safety master, the first generation master copy. Just like FTD. The only difference is we made our own digital master in 24/48.
MRS 1 EIN - With so many Public Domain releases of these very same 1956 songs, the debate over audio-quality still comes down to just two versions, yours & FTD's. In the end it must come down to personal choice but the debate is whether your version is actually an audio improvement over the 'Elvis Presley' FTD and Kevan Budd's BMG work. JP: I think I covered this area in the question you asked above in regards to KD. We are trying to bring the sound back how it did sound while Elvis was recording in the fifties I say again Recording and NOT Recorded. The limitations of the equipment used at the time did not fully reflect the recording, but you could feel it locked up. The classic jukebox gave some extension in sound. With the new techniques and skills that we have nowadays we are able to bring the sound to a point as if Elvis had recorded it today. The secret is that all is there but you don’t hear it. We have just opened up the sound and give you what Elvis REALLY heard in the studio. This is what brings the audio of these tracks into the sound of the new millennium, somewhat like David Bendeth did who after all, produced Elvis biggest ever selling CD and few fans complained of that . EIN - Comparing the tracks on 'New York Sessions' to the same songs on David Bendeth's 'Elvis 30#1 Hits' the audio does sound similar in having a new "fullness" and punch. Is this what you were trying to achieve? JP: Yes indeed as I said, this should bring Elvis back to a new generation discovering Elvis. There would be no point in releasing this if we didn’t think it would make a difference. The main difference between MRS and other labels is we do care about our releases, they should be historical releases and an asset to the Elvis legacy. We thought ALL the session tracks including the Outtakes deserved the same "new sound". There would be no point in just copying tracks off BMG Masters as all the other PD releases do. EIN - In most people's eyes (ears?) David Bendeth did some fantastic work with the Elvis Masters. Both the original 'Elvis 30#1 Hits' and 'Second To None' had a fantastic sound-quality. Perhaps this was messing around with the Holy-Grail for some purists. On 'New York Sessions' the sleeve notes credit Real Bouwman as the audio engineer, where were these tapes Restored & Remastered? JP: The main part had been done in The Netherlands in various studios including the ‘Heartland Studio’. David and Real know each other and share the mutual opinion that these old recording come alive again with the right approach of techniques we are now using. It took over 170 hours of restoring and mastering on this release. To my understanding, it took very long nights redoing tiny parts just to get it right and making sure all the grooves and feel of the tracks are correct with clear sparking sound. And we did it. We didn’t really have to alter anything in the songs since it was already there. With the increasing number of improvements of hi-fi installations people have in their homes, you are able to hear much more, so we are forced to deliver a CD that gives more otherwise the sound would be dated. EIN - As the original studio tapes were mono with little frequency response above 15Khz, is there really any audio quality improvement using the 'New York Sessions' DVD 5.1 disc over the CD and a good quality Hi-Fi? JP: This why we have given the idea of releasing it in 2 formats. The CD itself is excellent but can only be heard in the standard 16 bit format. But what about the fans with the new generation DVD-Audio/Video players with surround settings and want a better resolution recording playback whether it be DVD-Audio or SACD. T hey want a fuller sound and want to have the option to play the DVD-A disc on 1 channel, 2 channels or multiple channels. It appears from the last interview people think DVD5.1 is surround sound. T hey are mistaken! It’s an option of 1, 2 or even multiples of channels that you decide you want to hear. T hen again I should ask the fans who bark at this, why are they therefore listening to mono recordings in 2 channels when in reality it should only be heard on 1. One must also bear in mind that on a CD you can only hear the recordings in 16bit. Since all our mastering was done in 24 bit, the only way to hear this resolution the way we did it, is on a DVD disc. I have seen Japanese CD’s saying 24 bit on the back of their artwork. But they can boast 24bit all they like, they may master them in 24bit but in the end on the CD, you are only listening to lower resolution of 16bit. The difference is easily heard. EIN: Your latest project, the remix by Elvis featuring Lucy Clark on That’s All Right, is splitting fans. Not surprisingly the older fans and the music purists dislike it as many of them have disliked other contemporary Elvis remixes, while younger fans are more receptive and positive about it. How did the remix come about? JP: It is now emerging that record labels in the USA wish to also take advantage of the PD issue. Since they cannot release tracks through their own labels, they are approaching UK labels to release on their behalf for the European market. This is one such example. They had already done a remix of TAR and after some work on it I accepted.
The :That's All Right" remix featuring Lucy Clark will be released "any day now" EIN: What is the extent of your involvement in the remix? JP: Quite basically I had no involvement in the actual remix itself. I did however get Real Bouwman to master the recording since the original mix had some errors and at the same time, some more ideas were thrown in and now the mix has changed. Once the mix was acceptable, I would then approve the mix to be released on my label, and then upload the tracks to our download stores. So at the end of the day my involvement is just as the Exec. EIN: It appears to EIN that many of those who dislike the duet remix have not recognized it is targeted at the youth market rather than long time fans. How important is it to expose Elvis’ music to a younger demographic in a contemporary way? JP: This I believe is the most productive way of getting new fans into the fold. No matter what the remix and what the regular fan opinion of it. If a remix helps the legacy of Elvis Presley then it cannot be a bad thing. I cannot see how remix can ruin the name of Elvis Presley. First and foremost everyone would know it’s a remix. But going back tom the first part of the question, yes, fans have missed the point. It’s not for them. Hence the release is only being released on download stores and will not be a regular release. Unless it becomes necessary. We all know the youth market is a download market since that is what they have become accustomed too. If it helps bring in a new generation why are these guys knocking it? This is the idea is it not? Or do we simply want Elvis to die with us which is the way some people out there think. Are these really Elvis fans? Sounds very selfish to me. If they loved Elvis you would want him to go on would you not. Elvis is For Everyone not just the fans. It’s not about pleasing the Elvis fans that does not come into it; it’s about keeping Elvis in the limelight. And I see nothing coming from the Sony/BMG camp to address this. The best idea they can come up with is just rehashes and another greatest hits or Christmas CD spending as little as possible. I know that this remix in particular does appeal to very young people in their teens and if they do like it, they will themselves want to know more about Elvis Presley and who he was and, the impact he had on popular music. A lot of kids don’t know this. Is this not what is important? But one must also bear in mind, when Elvis recorded ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’, there was uproar of people calling it blasphemes to a Bill Monroe song. That was like a remix for those days, Elvis changed it. Granted we all think it was much better than the original but at the time, most of the people in the country field hated it. Personally, I don’t think it was for them, but the young kids loved it and it was them who took Elvis to the top. Also bear in mind it was never Elvis’ song to fool with in the first place, just like TAR. Now we see a familiar ring do we not. When the song TAR Mix was previewed on the Elvis Express radio show in January (since then the song has been again remixed with even more positive reactions), there were a lot of listeners writing in with their opinions. One in particular caught my eye on the messages the site received was from a 14 year old girl who said she became an Elvis fan from hearing remixes. With permission from Lee of the elvis-express.com (Elvis Express Radio) website I will place here her comments which I feel confirms exactly what we are trying to achieve:
This is what we need to create, more of these to keep Elvis going into the latter part of the century, and if this is the only way to create interest, then I am all for it. Whether you like a particular remix or not is another story. But Elvis is not always about you, the Elvis fan. EIN: How is your planned Graceland book coming along? JP: With the surprise that Elvis Unlimited and supposedly Sheriff Hanna released a photo book with ALL my photos, we have speeded this project since it was originally planned for 2009. Many of you out there are totally unaware of the politics of the ‘Inside Graceland’ book released through Elvis Unlimited (EU). Sheriff never lets anything go but he managed to get a CD disc of the Slides that I own, realized I own all the photos, slides and negatives and passed them onto EU as his own for a trade. As to reasons of this, I really don’t want to get into it since there is enough politics on this interview to last you all a year, but, when it comes out you will all know. Remember Sheriff never lets anything out and has had the Elvis world at ransom for many years. In the meantime the book will be much better in a solid hardback book with hundreds upon hundreds of pages with and including Elvis, and including the photos in the ‘Inside Graceland’ book since they are all mine. Because of the amount of research, it will take some time still as it will have very informative texts, by proper writers and as you all know, we will make this release worth your while with the quality you have come to expect from MRS with some fantastic photo surprises. This will be an in depth Graceland book with hundreds and hundreds of pages and photographs in a large Hardback bounded book all full UV gloss. In the meantime those of you who have the ‘Inside Graceland’ book with my stolen photos, I suggest you put it up on eBay ASAP before it loses all its value. EIN: Do you have a proposed release date for the book? JP: We currently focusing on or around the July period but can't say for sure since we don’t want to rush. We just want to spend time on the quality. It has to stand the test of time. EIN: What is next for MRS? JP: Apart from the book we do have a number of releases planned but unfortunately we cannot give away too much. As you know, as soon as we give a wind of what we are up to, some of those who are politically motivated may try to hinder our projects, contact people I may or could be working with, and try and stop or alter their opinions that may jeopardize what we are trying to achieve. Had we told the fans earlier than we did of the Tupelo DVD, Im sure someone from either the BMG or EPE camp would have tried to get to Fox to stop this. So I had to wait till I had the license in my hand before I could do so. Another example was the NY project. Had I announced we were using the Alfred Wertheimer photos to accompany the release, EPE would have put a stop to that with their idle threats to him. Once I paid him and got the photos and made the announcement, that is exactly what EPE did, they contacted him, made it clear to him they were not happy with it etc etc, but of course it was all too late. I will say for the benefit of the fans, you will definitely be getting more unreleased 50’s footage this year. However, it will be sometime before MRS does a regular release, as some of you may know, I have just moved to Sydney Australia and have been flat hunting, buying cars, equipment etc etc and this has been/will be taking most of my time during the first half of the year. EIN: Joseph, thank you very much for talking again to EIN and all the best with your future projects. JP: Thanks EIN for taking time in asking some important and what needed to be asked questions. I may have not answered some questions to full extent as some fans may have liked but I hope I have cleared some areas up. Thanks again. Read Part 1 of Joseph's controversial interview Reader Feedback (including comments recorded on the FECC forum) Glenn: Very good interview and certainly right on the money as far as DJC Saulovich is concerned. No FECC admin to hide behind on this site. And the truth shall set you free. Thanks Joseph for your excellent, value for money product and EIN for keeping the balance. Charlie Peters: Wow, what a good interview. I hadn't read the first part but I will today. Kris P: Great interview, EIN. Certainly put a few babies to bed. Jeff d: HOLY SHIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Luuk: Thanks for the link. Interesting interview. I hope Joseph Pirzada keeps up the good work and releases many more great books and CD's. Richard Palmer: I can imagine parts of this interview being deleted in the next couple of days, under pressure from certain parties. Read it while you can, and then save a copy onto your PC. Brilliant stuff. EIN Comment: Richard can be assured we will not be bowing to pressure to remove parts of the interview. It is after all, simply an interview, and the personal views of Joseph Puirzada. If the interview contains any factual errors, we would of course correct them. Brenda Jarman: Last week you gave us a terrific interview with straight shooting Lamar Fike. This week you've kept us entertained with an interview with straight shotting Joseph Pirzada. What a joy! John C: Superb! Thanks a heap. Kylan: I like his stuff, but i see no reason to call him Kevan Dudd.. rather silly! deadringer (2): - not quite. But this is not my agenda. Just an opinion - to use this photo without permission isn't polite at all - and DJC is not my friend so I am NOT BIASED. If you wil use my photo is such 'attacking' interview I will be not hppy too. Also I can't say that I like this interview ... but again not my business. EIN Comment: deadringer, a reasonable point. However, EIN would suggest that anyone who actively participates in debate on boards has to be able to take what they dish out, whether it be in writing or a visual. Carolyn (2): This interview is a great refreshing change from the dribble we are usually subjected to....there is something in this interview for everyone. Elvis' Girl: Really enjoyed your interview with Joseph P. His MRS releases are fantastic and I hope they continue for many years to come. James: Joseph, "don't let the turkeys get you down". Hugh Smith: Top read! I don't know how you guys keep on coming up with such good stuff, but just keep on doing it. deadringer (1): EIN is making friends again, right? Btw, it is 'nice' from them to use photo of Johnny WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION? EIN Comment: The photo of Johnny S. aka DJC has been circulating in the "public domain" of the Internet for quite some time now. Richard Palmer: It's his opinion [re Kevan Budd], and it's no sillier than some of the comments made about Pirzada himself over the last couple of years. That's an excellent picture of DJC, isn't it? Very clear, very detailed. You can even see the computer he uses to Google all the information he passes on to his gullible fans. Carolyn (1): EIN is the most informative site in the Elvis World....They don't ask you to agree or disagree with their editorials, but they print the information they receive, or the interviews they have, without fear or favour.....This interview is not the normal interview one would have with say Ernst or KB, they have their jobs to look out for, so they are always very subdued with their answers....JP has nothing to lose....neither does EIN.....It's a welcome change really....not the kind of thing you will find on the EPE site that's for sure..... The one thing that I have been advocating since I joined this message board (FECC), was to get people to read everything they can get their hands on, and make up their own minds about everything. Elvis and his music is a fascinating subject, one that will never come to any obvious conclusion, just take in everything you can find on the subject, and you will never be bored. EIN Comment: Carolyn, thank you for your very kind words. They are appreciated. omnipresence: Great news about more 50's footage before the end of the year Thanks a lot Joe and all of MRS. The Purple Gang: Just to set the record straight...I notice that an observation I made on this forum about some of the photos used in the Tupelo’s Own book has been referred to in that interview. I would like to state that I never used the word “stole” when I made my observations about the photos. This is an emotive word with an accusatory tone that I deliberately avoided but one that EIN have supposedly “quoted”. EIN Comment: The Purple Gang, we weren't quoting you, rather summarising a view put directly to EIn by a number of parties and also stated on a number of messageboards. gary dt: woohoo! More 50's footage! Bring it on Joe! Dare we hope it's from a 57 concert in the same quality as Tupelo's Own!? That's really would be the holly grail for me! Keep up the good work! memphisblues: What a great read, and im sure the response on this board will be just as good to read. Jeremy Singleton: Without a shadow of a doubt your two interviews in the past week have been the best of 2008. Keep up the good work. John Saulovich: Hello - It has come to my attention you have misused my name and posted a stolen
image on your site: The photo is from my friend Gene Wood's personal Web site: It is being used without permission. You will need to remove this image immediately or we will use all the legal remedy at our disposal to have it removed.
Furthermore, the associations made on your page using my name are spurious, and if not deleted will be also given appropriate legal action.
We will contact your Web hosting company as well to alert them to all of this activity if you do not comply.
Your renewal will most certainly be jeopardized if changes are not made immediately.
Thank you, John Saulovich.
EIN Reply To J Saulovich: Hi Johnny, You will understand EIN cannot blindly accept your claim based on an
email. Greg N: I'm someone who bought (and enjoyed) the first MRS release and still had planned on getting the acclaimed "Tupelo" release. It's hard to ignore the quality put into many of these releases and on that level, Mr. Pirzada launches a welcome challenge to the throne, one we ultimately could benefit from. And take issue with Kevan Budd's remasterings if you must, but what does it say about the character of a man who would lampoon his alleged lack of means, and casually and sourly refer to him as "Dudd"? I hate to draw such conclusions, but if this was a sporting game, he'd be in the penalty box or suspended for bad behavior. It doesn't matter that DJC has clearly thrown his weight around on this forum: nothing he has "done" approaches this level, it seems to me. And if he has, I"m sure he's been appropriately called on it. As much as I enjoy a fruitful debate and even comuppance, it's hard to miss the low road Mr. Pirzada has taken. I like Piers and Nigel 's usually superb EIN site and appreciate the middle ground they attempt to take (although a few comments give them away), but the subject would have benefited from a friendly editor. A few more sensationalist "scoops" like this and one can imagine future MRS releases being greeted with the sound of crickets on principle alone. Make no doubt about it: Mr. Pirzada has done some interesting and often excellent work and even levels some interesting charges that make for good reading. The main label indeed has been coasting for years with a decided lack of enthusiasm and a cheapskate mentality (such as the cardstock anecdote) but surely someone like Ernst does his best as a truly "embedded" fan to counteract that. Elvis Presley Scrapbook: BULLSEYE a second time with part two of the interview.
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