NEWS January 2006
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Fraud Suits Imperil EBay's Business Model.
IN FRANCISCO - A year ago, Jacqui Rogers, a retiree in southern Oregon who
dabbles in vintage costume jewelry, went on eBay and bought 10 butterfly
brooches made by Weiss, a well-known maker of high-quality costume jewelry
in the 1950s and 1960s.
At first, Rogers thought she had snagged a great deal. When the jewelry
arrived from a seller in Rhode Island, however, her well-trained eye told
her the pieces were knockoffs.
Even though Rogers received a refund after she confronted the seller, eBay
refused to remove hundreds of listings for identical "Weiss" pieces. It said
it had no responsibility for the fakes because it was nothing more than a
marketplace that links buyers and sellers.
That stance - the heart of eBay's business model - is being challenged by
eBay users such as Rogers who are starting to notify other unsuspecting
buyers of fakes on the site. And it is being tested by a jewelry seller with
far greater resources than Rogers: Tiffany & Co., which has sued eBay for
facilitating the trade of counterfeit Tiffany items on the site.
If Tiffany wins its case, not only would other lawsuits follow, but eBay's
very business model would be threatened because it would be nearly
impossible for the company to police a site that has 180 million members and
60 million items for sale at any one time.
Of course, fakes are sold everywhere, but the anonymity and reach of the
Internet make it perfect for selling knockoffs. EBay, the biggest online
marketplace, is the center of a new universe of counterfeiting with
virtually no policing.
EBay, based in San Jose, Calif., argues it has no obligation to investigate
counterfeiting claims unless the complaint comes from a "rights owner," a
party holding a trademark or copyright. A mere buyer who thinks an item is a
fake has almost no recourse.
"We never take possession of the goods sold through eBay, and we don't have
any expertise," said Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesman. "We're not clothing
experts, we're not car experts, and we're not jewelry experts. We're experts
at building a marketplace and bringing buyers and sellers together."
Company officials say they do everything they can to stop fraud. The company
says only a minute share of the items being sold at any given time - 6,000
or so - are fraudulent. That estimate, though, reflects only cases that are
determined by eBay to be confirmed cases of fraud, such as when an item is
never delivered.
Experienced eBay users say the fraud goes well beyond eBay's official
numbers, and that counterfeiters easily pass off fakes in hundreds of
categories.
"EBay makes a lot of money from a lot of small unhappy transactions," said
Ina Steiner, editor and publisher of AuctionBytes.com, an online newsletter.
"If you've lost a few thousand dollars, you might go the extra mile to
recover it. But if you've lost $50 or $20, you may never be able to prove
your case, and in the meantime eBay has gotten the listing fee and the
closing fee on that transaction."
The Tiffany lawsuit, in addition to accusing eBay of facilitating
counterfeiting, also contends that it "charges hundreds of thousands of
dollars in fees" for counterfeit sales.
In 2004, Tiffany secretly purchased about 200 items from eBay in its
investigation of how the company was dealing with the thousands of pieces of
counterfeit Tiffany jewelry. The jeweler found that three out of four pieces
were fakes.
The case will go to trial this year, said James B. Swire, a lawyer with
Arnold & Porter, a law firm representing Tiffany. The legal question -
whether eBay is a facilitator of fraud - is a critical issue that could
affect not only eBay's future but Internet commerce generally, said Thomas
Hemnes, a Boston lawyer who specializes in intellectual property.
"If eBay lost, or even if they settled and word got out that they settled,
it would mean they would have to begin policing things sold over eBay, which
would directly affect their business model," Hemnes said. "The cost implied
is tremendous."
EBay members such as Rogers have little desire to wait for court decisions;
they say the uncontrolled flood of fakes is driving down the value of the
authentic goods.
For the past few months, Rogers and three women she met on eBay who are also
costume jewelry buffs have banded together to track the swindlers they say
are operating in their jewelry sector. "People have faith that eBay will
take care of them, but it doesn't," Rogers said. "EBay has done nothing."
An authentic Weiss brooch of good quality can command $150, Pollack said.
But she said the profusion of counterfeits has confused the market and
diluted the value of such a pin to as little as $30.
"It's a situation that's facing all of us in the jewelry world, and I
suspect other decorative arts as well," said Joyce Jonas, an antique jewelry
specialist in New York. "It's totally out of control."
Over the past few months, Rogers and her team have reported to eBay more
than a thousand jewelry listings they think are fakes; only a few listings
have been removed.
The women say that by watching the listings, they have uncovered a ring of a
half-dozen or so counterfeiters, most of them living in Rhode Island within
a few miles of one another. They say the sellers supply each other with fake
jewelry, conceal the fact that they are buying from one another to boost
their seller status, and regularly dole out positive feedback to each other
to fool potential buyers.
2006/01/31 By KATIE HAFNER The New York
Times / EpGold.Com.
ELVIS - THE MINI SERIES ON UK SATELLITE TV.
Elvis: The Early Years: Part 1' which
stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is being shown on Sky Movies 2 on Saturday 11
February at 10.45am and at 6.15pm and will have five more showings
throughout the month.
'Elvis: The Early Years Part 2' will be shown on Sky Movies 2 on Sunday 12
February at 10.40am and again at 6.20pm and this will also have another five
showings throughout February.
2006/01/30 Brian Quinn / Ep.GoldCom.
Surprise Hit !
This DVD is currently at No.2 on the UK Music
DVD Chart !
This is a surprising achievement because:
a] It is a rehash of previously available DVD's like His Most Famous Hits
which didn't do as well.
b] It has no remastered audio or visuals - just the same old stuff again.
c] It isn't really 'in concert' - just the 50's TV shows, and incomplete at
that.
d] It has an entirely inappropriate sleeve pic.
But there you go !
Seems the public's appetite for Elvis footage is as healthy as ever !
2006/01/30 Colin B / EpGold.Com.
Pearl Jam And Robert Palmer Cover Elvis.
As Pearl Jam nears completion on its new
studio album, the group has finalized the track list for its upcoming
holiday single, sent annually to members of its Ten Club fan organization.
This year's single features a live cover of the Elvis Presley - popularized
"Little Sister" with Robert Plant, taped last October in Chicago.
2006/01/29
www.billboard.com / EpGold.Com.
The best selling Elvis books of 2005.
ElvisBookResearch has published a list
of the biggest selling Elvis books of 2005 in the US.
Elvis By The Presleys
The King (Jim Piazza)
Elvis and the Memphis Mafia (Alanna Nash with Billy Smith, Marty Lacker and
Lamar Fike)
Are You Hungry Tonight? (Arlene Butler)
The list only includes Elvis books sold through retail and online stores. It
does not reflect sales of Elvis books marketed solely through fan club,
Elvis dealers and Elvis websites.
2006/01/29 ElvisBookResearch -
www.elvisinfonet.com / Ep.Gold.Com.
The Kauai resort seen in "Blue Hawaii" will be replicated for 2008.
Photo: Coco Palms following Hurricane Iniki
Coco Palms Resort, the last of Kauai's hotels still shuttered by Hurricane
Iniki and arguably its most famous, is finally getting a face lift, company
and Kauai officials announced yesterday.
The resort, site of the famous wedding scene in Elvis Presley's film "Blue
Hawaii" and the home of the last reigning queen of Kauai, will be
replicated, as the buildings are too damaged to restore, said Richard Weiser,
partner of Coco Palms LLC.
But Weiser said it is the company's priority to restore the grandeur and the
"aloha" that made Coco Palms the pre-eminent resort on the Garden Isle for
decades. The $220 million project is expected to begin in June or July, with
a grand opening scheduled for summer 2008. "We will continue to pay close
attention to that heritage" of Grace Guslander, the general manager of the
resort that turned Coco Palms into the icon it was before the devastation of
Iniki in 1992, Weiser said.
Plans include using the footprints and much of the architecture of the
former buildings, restoring the Polynesian decor and even building a museum
to Elvis, the Hawaiian culture and the resort's history. Coco Palms will be
"the remaining Hawaiian cultural hotel" in the state, said former Kauai
Mayor Maryanne Kusaka, who is working with the developers. Unlike the old
hotel, the new complex will be a combination of 196 condominium units and 48
hotel bungalows. It will also have a spa and two restaurants, including the
Seashell, which will be nearly on the sand in Wailua Bay. It will be
connected to the rest of the resort by a pedestrian overpass over Kuhio
Highway.
The main resort has been entitled by the planning commission, said Weiser,
and just a few more hurdles with members of the planning staff need to be
jumped before construction begins. The developers held a news conference in
Kauai Mayor Bryan Baptiste's office to announce the purchase of the
16.4-acre property, finalized yesterday. The deal also includes 17 acres of
coconut grove and lagoons leased from the state. The purchase price was not
disclosed.
Also as part of the project, Coco Palms will donate land to allow the state
to widen Kuhio Highway fronting the resort. Baptiste said the road widening,
from the Kapaa temporary bypass to the bridge spanning the Wailua River, is
"in the governor's budget this year," with groundbreaking coming in 2007
2006/01/28 The Star Bulletin / EpGold.Com.
ELVIS PRESLEY - SUNSHINE (PICTURE DISC)
Release date in the EC on March 6,2006 by the
Domestic label on Vinyl is the LP "Elvis Presley - Sunshine". Besides SUN
recordings this LP also contains the acetate "Fool, Fool, Fool", which Elvis
recorded January 1955 in Lubbock.
A juicy collector's item for all Elvis fans! No true fan will be able to
resist the temptation to have all Elvis's early Sun Studios recordings on
one extraordinary and collectable picture disc.
Recorded at SUN Studios, 1955.
1. That's All Right
2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
3. Good Rockin' Tonight
4. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
5. Milkcow Blues Boogie (Kokomo Arnold)
6. You're A Heartbreaker
7. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
8. Baby Let's Play House
9. Mystery Train
10. I Forgot To Remember To Forget
11. I Love You Because
12. Harbor Lights
13. Blue Moon
14. Tomorrow Night
15. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin)
16. Just Because
17. When It Rains, It Really Pours
18. That's When Your Heartaches Begin [acetate]
19. I'll Never Stand in Your Way [acetate]
20. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone [slow version]
21. Fool, Fool, Fool [acetate]
2006/01/28
www.amusicdirect.com / EpGold.Com.
Standing Room Only.
All seating tickets for the spectacular show
"One Night With Elvis" are sold out.
It's Standing Room Only from now on. If you haven't ordered your ticket for
this show on May 20th in Eindhoven (The Netherlands), be sure to do it:http://www.elvismatters.be/bestelling.htm
But remember: only front stage tickets are available, unless you prefer the
waiting list. Fans from Scandinavia are welcome to book their tickets
through the website of Elvis Unlimited:
www.elvisunlimited.com as they decided to
drive to Eindhoven by bus. "One Night With Elvis" features the TCB Band, the
Sweet Inspirations, the Imperials and Joe Guercio's 75 piece orchestra.
2006/01/28
www.elvismatters.be / Ep.Gold.Com.
Cover Art Love Me Tender 2006.
DVD, "Love Me Tender" (Special Edition) The
50th Anniversary of Love Me Tender 20th Century Fox's Cinema Classics
Collection Region 1 (US & Canada)
Release Date; Feb.28, 2006
Bonus Features: Audio Commentary by Elvis Historian Elvis Hits Hollywood
Featurette The King and the Colonel Featurette
Love Me Tender: The Birth and Boom of the Elvis Hit Lobby Cards Still
Gallery Trailers
2006/01/28
www.biwa.ne.jp / EpGold.Com.
Charlie Hodge health update.
Due to the various rumors circulating about
the health of "Sir Charles", we are indebted to Bill Burk for giving us the
latest: 'As Paul McCartney once said, "Stories of my death have been grossly
exaggerated!".
This too is the case with Charlie. While he is battling cancer he was very
much still alive yesterday.' I'm sure all fans would agree with EIN in
hoping Charlie continues to successfully battle the "Big C" and flourish!
2006/01/28 Bill E. Burk -
www.elvisinfonet.com - EpGold.Com.
U.S. Billboard Elvis Chart listings for the week of
February 4, 2005.
(sg - sales gainer, gg - greatest sales
gainer, ne - new entry, re - re-entry)
Hot 100 Singles Sales - Heartbreak Hotel - remains at #1
Top Christian Albums - Ultimate Gospel - down 19 to #45
Top Country Albums - Ultimate Gospel - down 12 to #65
Top Country Catalog Albums - Elvis 30 #1 Hits - down 6 to #22
New entries and Re-entries on the charts include:
- none this week.
Dropping off the charts include:
- none this week.
Notes of Interest
- Heartbreak Hotel remains at #1 on the Hot 100 Sales Chart for 2nd week!
2006/01/27
www.elvischarts.com / EpGold.Com.
THE KING & I THE COLONEL PARKER STORY.
The Colonel Parker Story is the stuff
of myth and legend, as Rob Brydon, a self-confessed Elvis fan and presenter
of this two-part series, can testify.
"...For Elvis fans like me, Colonel Tom Parker has always been cast as the
villain of the piece: at best, a salesman; at worst, a con-man. For fans,
it's a simple equation: Elvis = Good; Colonel = Bad... It's great to find
out about the man himself from the people who knew him best," he says.
From Memphis to Vegas, Nashville to New York, Rob seeks out the truth behind
the rumors surrounding the King's manager, with contributions from: The
Colonel's widow, Loanne Parker
'68 Special producer Steve Binder guitarist Scotty Moore and hotel and
casino magnate Barron Hilton.
Rob has exclusive access to members of the charmed inner circle of Elvis's
entourage - the infamous "Memphis Mafia" - and to a whole host of stories.
And what stories they are: terrible movie decisions; huge gambling debts
that allegedly forced Elvis into a punishing Vegas schedule; Hawaiian shirts
and shorts that The Colonel wore to the King's funeral; and the details from
his murky past that, even today, get the conspiracy theorists gossiping.
There are also exclusive, previously un-broadcast, recordings of the Colonel
himself.
Part 1 broadcast Tuesday, 31 January, BBC Radio 2, 8.30 - 9.30pm.
Part 2 broadcast the following week. Tuesday, 7 February
2006/01/27 BBC Press Office -
www.elvis-express.com / EpGold.Com.
Live At The Louisiana Hayride LP release.
Release date February, 2006 on vinyl , the
Hayride compilation "Live At The Louisiana Hayride"
(LIP1852).
This limited edition (1000 copies) comes on red vinyl.
".Track listing:
1. Heartbreak Hotel
2. Long Tall Sally
3. I Was The One
4. Money Honey
5. I Got A Woman
6. Blue Suede Shoes
7. Hound Dog
8. Baby Let's Play House
9. Maybellene
10. That's Alright Mama
11. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
12. There's Good Rockin Tonight
13. I Got A Woman - Alt Version
14. Tweedle Dee
2006/01/27
www.amusicdirect.com / EpGold.Com.
Evil Elvis
(ISBN: 1933417846) 25.01.06
Released on January 16, 2006 by the author
Virginia Brown.
Harley Jean Davidson tries to avoid Elvis week. Her job as a tour bus driver
gets hectic enough without a bus full of devoted fans singing Elvis songs
all the way to Graceland. It isn't that she doesn't like Elvis. She does.
After all, her father, Yogi, is not only a huge fan, but he dresses up as
Elvis every August and enters the Super Bowl of Elvis impersonators. But
this year an Elvis is targeting other Elvis impersonators for death.
Even though Harley doesn't want to be involved in the murders, she soon
realizes the killer is stalking her too. And if that isn't bad enough,
undercover cop Mike Morgan puts their hot relationship on hold, her best
friend cons her into fostering a new pet, her Siamese disappears, and her
great-grandmother is off her meds and shooting up the town.
Can it get any worse? Oh yeah. Just when she thinks the murders are solved,
Harley comes a little too close to an early grave... "
2006/01/26
www.elvisclubberlin.de -
www.imajinnbooks.com / EpGold.Com.
All Turkish Elvis VCDs
Maybe realizing that there are many
Elvis fans in our country, in the last three years, the companies that
imported the DVDs of Elvis movies, decided to release the VCDs, too.
1-Easy Come, Easy Go
2-Acapulco Eðlencesi (Fun in Acapulco)
3-Paradise, Hawaiian Style
4-Roustabout
5-Blue Hawaii
6-Frankie ve Johhny (Frankie and Johnny)
7-Tatlý Naðmeler (GI Blues)
8- Girls! Girls! Girls!
9-Lilo ve Stiç (Lilo and Stitch)
They are all dubbed into Turkish and some of them also have the Turkish
titles. The back sides are written in Turkish, too and two picture-CDs are
in every package. There are eight Elvis films and Lilo and Stitch, which
contains Elvis songs.
2006/01/26 www.elvisturk.com /
EpGold.Com.
Heartbreak Hotel" 50 Years Later - #1 Again! (2nd Week!)
Heartbreak Hotel is #1 on the singles sales
chart for a second week at Billboard chart 50 years after its initial debut.
2006/01/26 EPE / EpGold.Com.
New Elvis Skins Available For Your Electronic Device.
Personalize your favorite consumer electronic
device such as an iPOD, mobile phone or notebook computer with a
one-of-a-kind Elvis "skin". Elvis Skins are easy to apply, easy to remove,
and are available in a variety of unique designs. Over 500 consumer
electronic devices are supported.
Go to
www.cellfan.com/elvis,
choose your favorite design and choose the device that you want to "skin".
Shipping is free worldwide.
2006/01/26 EPE / EpGold.Com.
FREE "LOVING YOU" DVD IN DAILY MAIL - FEB. 4TH.
Buy the upmarket UK newspaper on feb 4th and
get a free DVD of "Loving you". This may go on to create new Elvis fans.
2006/01/25 Tony / EpGold.Com.
Sad ,Sad News.
Well Friends,
It seems like I'm doing more and more of this lately. A few days ago it was
Wilson Picket, a few weeks before that a member of the Chi-Lites and not to
terribly long ago, one of the Righteous Bros. This time however it's a
particularly hard blow because the last Carter family member, Jeanette
Carter died at age 82. I'm sure most if not all of you know who this dear
lady was but for those few who might not, she was the last surviving child
of Country Music's founding Carter Family and probably one of the most
elegant and sweet women I'd ever met.
Actually our meeting was very much by chance and only occurred a few months
back, when her daughter, Rita Forrester graciously invited me up the the
Carter Family Fold to do an interview with Janette. I can't begin to tell
you what a privilege that was and I will never forget the experience. I'd
arrived fairly late at night at the family compound, after a longer than
necessary drive from interviews with Brenda Lee, Mark Chestnut and Tanya
Tucker in Nashville and by the time I finally found the old playhouse it was
nearly pitch dark, with rain
threatening.
Rita said that ordinarily I could stay with them but that the house was full
and as their were no motels close by, would I mind sleeping on the stage of
the historic music house. I immediately jumped at the chance and Rita and I
had a brief conversation about the history behind the place and how it had
all pretty much happened right there. The Carter's, the Cashes, anyone who
was anyone had walked that state and played that stage and I killed her that
I guessed there must be some pretty neat ghosts there. Ms. Carter jokes that
from time to time when she was in the building all alone, she got the sense
that someone was behind her but when she turned around she never saw an
actual ghost.
Anyway, I finally bedded down for the night on an old sofa right there on
the stage and finally fell asleep with the sound of the rain beating down on
the huge tin roof. Somewhere around 3 in the morning, I suddenly felt
something the weight of a bowling ball hit me in the shoulder and
remembering our story about ghosts jump up with a start, grabbing at
whatever I imagined was attacking me. Of course there was nothing there and
I wasn't about to get out of bed to investigate so it wasn't until the next
morning when Ms. Jeanette and Rita came down to make sure I was well fed on
coffee and homemade bread that I told them the story. Suddenly both of them
started laughing and told me what had happened. They owned a wild cat name
Col. Mosby and apparently the couch I was sleeping on was his. Sometime
during the night, to avoid the rain, he came into the huge building across
the rafters that were many, many feet above me, didn't see me in the
darkness and jumped down to sleep. When he hit my shoulder he was apparently
startled and bolted away. "It's a darn good thing you didn't grab hold of
him," Miss Jeanntte said. No body's every been able to touch him and he
might well have beat the tar out of you." I immediately became an honorary
of the famous Carter family for being the only known human being to survive
a close encounter with the Colonel.
Over and above the huge loss to the music world, no one will ever be able to
replace Ms. Jeanette and Ms. Rita in my heart and I intend to do whatever I
can to help them keep the playhouse healthy. These two ladies were the
driving force behind keeping this music alive and I intend to help. If you
would like to make a donation to the Playhouse in Jeanette honor, please
make your check out to Ms. Rita Forrester and send it on to me, Ken Vrana at
102 Lantana Circle, Cary, NC 27513 and you can be sure she'll get it. I'm
hoping to be invited to the funeral but have no intention of intruding.
Meanwhile those of the rest of you who would like to offer up your prayers
or send me an e-mail of condolence to Jeanette please do, c/o this e-mail
address and I will get it off to the family right away. If you never met
Jeanette and Rita you have missed a once in a life time opportunity but
this is one way you can thank them all for bring every musician alive today
to where they are. I know Jeanette is singin' with the angles and I'd like
an autographed copy of the first CD they cut.
Love and Peace to you all.
Ken Vrana
(919) 469-5662
PS - To see a recent pic of Jeanette go to the Gallery page at
www.1in8.org
and remember, our job is to help any charity in need raise funds. If you
need my help contact us
2006/01/25 Ken Vrana - Andylon Lensen / EpGold.Com
News From Shaun Nielsen.
Shaun Nielsen is currently working on a CD project titled Now And Then
There's A Group Such As Voice. What the CD will contain is unknown at the
moments.
Shaun and his wife Brenda are also working on a CD titled Until The Twelfth
Of Never.
Shaun also still working on his autobiography, which will also include his
time spent with Elvis.
The picture shows Elvis and Shaun together on stage in 1976.
206/01/25 www.elvisunlimited.com
/ EpGold.Com.
Coming Soon: Love Me Tender (Special Edition) DVD.
A 'Special Edition' Region 1 DVD of 'Love Me Tender' will be released by Fox
on 28 February. This will be the first DVD release of an Elvis movie to
include some significant Bonus material.
The contents will be as follows:
- Widescreen Feature
- Commentary by Elvis Historian
- Elvis Hits Hollywood
- The King and the Colonel
- Love Me Tender: The Birth and Boom of the Elvis Hit
- Lobby Cards
- Still Gallery
- Flaming Star Trailer, Love Me Tender Trailer, Wild in the Country Trailer.
Retail price will be $15.98
2006/01/25 Chris / EpGold.Com.
Readers Digest Germany Presents: Elvis - The Definitive Collection.
Der King lebt: Elvis - The Definitive Collection
Reader's Digest präsentiert die größten Elvis-Hits in einer grandiosen
Sammlung auf 5 CDs - vor genau 50 Jahren war Elvis zum ersten Mal in den
Charts
Stuttgart, 18. Januar 2006. Genau 50 Jahre ist es her, als Elvis Presley zum
ersten Mal in den Charts auftauchte: mit "Heartbreak Hotel" begann 1956 sein
Siegeszug, auch in Deutschland. Dann ging es Schlag auf Schlag, im Laufe
seiner über 20-jährigen Karriere produzierte Elvis einen Hit nach dem
anderen. Von den frühen Rock 'n' Roll-Hits "All Shook Up", "Don't Be Cruel"
und "Jailhouse Rock" über Balladen wie "Love Me Tender" und "Can't Help
Falling In Love" bis zu den späteren souligen Hits wie "In The Ghetto" und
"Suspicious Minds" - alleine in Europa hatte Elvis 31 Nummer-eins-Hits,
weltweit wurden bis heute über eine Milliarde Tonträger verkauft. Reader's
Digest ist es gelungen, alle Hits des King of Rock 'n' Roll in einer
fantastischen Sammlung zu vereinen - fünf Stunden Elvis pur, ein Hochgenuss
nicht nur für ausgemachte Elvis-Fans. Die neue Elvis-Kollektion mit
insgesamt 115 Songs gibt es ab sofort direkt bei Reader's Digest.
Obwohl es den Rock 'n' Roll bereits vor Elvis gab und natürlich auch nach
seinem Tod - der Ausnahmekünstler verkörpert diesen Stil bis heute wie kein
anderer. "Der Schlüssel zum Verständnis dafür, dass Elvis zum globalen
Musikphänomen wurde, liegt darin, dass er sich über bestehende musikalische
Grenzen hinwegsetzte", schreibt die Musikredaktion von Reader's Digest im
Vorwort des Booklets. "Er sang einen Rhythm&Blues-Titel so, als ob es eine
Countryballade sei, er war mit hawaiianischen Liebesliedern genauso vertraut
wie mit dem ursprünglichen Blues, er verband weiße und schwarze Gospelmusik.
Er saugte Musik in sich auf und was er davon wieder herausbrachte, war auf
faszinierende Art und Weise neu zusammengestellt - darin lag sein Genie."Die neue Kollektion zeigt Elvis' ganze Bandbreite und verknüpft
verschiedenste Musikrichtungen wie R&B, Rock 'n' Roll, Pop, Country, Dance
und Rockabilly.
CD 1 präsentiert unter dem Titel "All Shook Up" die ersten großen Hits von
1954 bis 1956. Mit 19 Jahren nahm Elvis 1954 seine erste Single "That's All
Right" auf, die Platz 3 in den USA erreichte. 1956 hatte er dann mit
"Heartbreak Hotel" seinen ersten Nummer-eins-Hit. Die Single erschien am 27.
Januar 1956 in den USA und katapultierte sich nach Elvis' erstem TV-Auftritt
am 2. Februar in der Stage Show der Dorsey Brothers auf dem Sender CBS an
die Spitze der amerikanischen Single Charts. Auch "Love Me Tender" (1954),
Kassenschlager und Titelsong des gleichnamigen Kinofilms (1956), "Blue Suede
Shoes" und "Don't Be Cruel" finden sich auf dieser CD.
CD 2 "Jailhouse Rock" versammelt die Songs der Jahre 1957 und 1958 wie
"(Let's Have A) Party", "Hard Headed Woman" und "Jailhouse Rock", der Titel
zum gleichnamigen Film, der 1957 in Memphis in genau dem Kino Premiere
feierte, in dem der junge Elvis einst als Platzanweiser gejobbt hatte.
"Fame and Fortune" lautet der Titel von CD 3 mit Songs aus den Jahren 1958
bis 1962. Viele davon wurden durch Filme populär. So "Rock-A-Hula-Baby" und
"Can't Help Falling In Love" aus dem Film "Blue Hawaii". 1960 dreht Elvis
den weltberühmten Film "G.I. Blues"; "It's Now Or Never" wird über neun
Millionen Mal verkauft und kletterte auch im deutschsprachigem Raum bis auf
Platz 2 der Hitparade. "Fame and Fortune" und "Stuck On You" waren auf der
ersten Single, die er nach seiner Rückkehr vom Militärdienst in Deutschland
aufnahm.
CD 4 steht unter dem Motto "Viva Las Vegas" (1963 - 1968) und präsentiert
unter anderem die Titel "Kiss Me Quick", "Guitar Man" und "Viva Las Vegas":
Dieser Song ist nicht nur der Titel von einem der besten Elvis-Filme,
sondern auch inoffizielle Hymne der Wüstenstadt.
Die fünfte und letzte CD 5 "Always On My Mind" wartet mit Hits von 1969 bis
2003 auf, darunter die wilde Rockabilly-Nummer "Burning Love" und "In The
Ghetto", 1969 der erste Nummer-eins-Hit in Deutschland (aber bis dahin
hatten es immerhin bereits 34 seiner Titel in die deutschen Top 30
geschafft). Von "A Little Less Conversation" gibt es den Remix von DJ JXL
aus dem Jahr 2002 zu hören. Und den Abschluss macht die von DJ Paul
Oakenfold neu gemischte Aufnahme von "Rubberneckin'", die in Großbritannien
2003 ein Top-3-Hit wurde.
Neu und besonders waren nicht nur seine Musik, sondern auch die Art und
Weise, wie Elvis sein Publikum erreichte: erst seine Auftritte in Film und
Fernsehen machten ihn zu einem weltweiten Superstar. Mit seinem legendären
Konzert "Aloha From Hawaii", das 1973 über eine Milliarde Menschen in der
ganzen Welt über Satellit verfolgten, schrieb er Musikgeschichte. Die
Meilensteine seiner Karriere sind nachzulesen im Booklet, das reich
bebildert Elvis' Erfolgsgeschichte erzählt und die wichtigsten Daten aus
seinem Leben übersichtlich zusammenfasst.
Fazit
Die CD-Box Elvis - The Definitive Collection bietet ein Wiederhören mit den
unsterblichen Songs aus den verschiedenen Phasen seiner Laufbahn, die Elvis
zum "King of Rock 'n 'Roll" gemacht haben. Die Tracks zeigen den Verlauf
einer einzigartigen Karriere: von den ersten Aufnahmen in den 50er-Jahren
über seine triumphalen Comeback-Hits nach dem Militärdienst in Deutschland
und den Film-Hits aus den 60er-Jahren, den Klassikern der 70er bis zu den
Songs, die erst posthum zu Hits wurden. Elvis ist vor mehr als einem
Vierteljahrhundert gestorben, aber seine Musik lebt weiter und findet immer
wieder neue Hörer.
Elvis - The Definitive Collection, 5 CD oder 5 MC, über 5 Stunden
Gesamtspieldauer
2006/01/25 www.Readers-Digest.De
/ Ep.Gold.Com.
Long-lost Elvis photos to feature in Tupelo documentary.
A
collection of long-lost photos of Elvis that turned up in Dublin in 1997
will be included in a new documentary by Tupelo filmmaker Roy Turner. The
photos are on loan from Maurice Colgan of Swords, Ireland. He's also the
person who urged the city of Tupelo to erect a statue of Elvis next to his
birthplace, and he gets his fans to periodically pester local officials
about renaming Memphis International Airport.
Colgan found the photos in a market in Dublin -- 20 pages stapled together
in what appears to be a printer's proof, which was once used as a
preliminary step to printing a book.
The photos are all from the Mississippi-Alabama Fair of 1956, which was
declared the Elvis Homecoming Fair.
The King, with his parents in tow, were escorted from the state line at
Memphis to Tupelo by the Mississippi Highway Patrol. One picture shows
marching bands on parade and a street banner proclaiming "Tupelo Welcomes
Elvis Presley Home."
Colgan's collection also has pictures of Elvis on stage for a daytime and a
nighttime show. There's also shots of Elvis enjoying the fair and accepting
a guitar as a gift from the mayor.
Turner's documentary, "Elvis Homecoming 1956," will be released June 3.
Theater screenings are still being negotiated. It will also be available on
DVD.
EIN comment: The booklet referred to in this story is interesting. It is an
obscure release with no publishing details and the date on the cover is
incorrect - Elvis' Tupelo concert was the day before, September 26, 1956.
The concert was filmed by Fox Movietone News.
2006/01/24 Maurice Colgan -
www.elvisinfonet.com / EpGold.Com
Back To The Roots.
Elvis Unlimited will have a new show on April 21 & 22,
2006 called the "Back To The Roots".
In the line up you'll have Bob Moore, Reggie Young, Jerry Carrigan, Paul
Ansell & Number Nine and a special surprise guest.
For more information visit their site:
http://www.elvisunlimited.com
2006/01/24 www.elvisunlimited.com
/ Ep.Gold.Com.
Live From Vegas & Live From Fort Wayne.
Two new import cd's are announced :
Live From Vegas, it featured the concert from Las Vegas, March 30th (DS),
1975.
Track listing:
2001 theme/c.c. rider/i got a woman/amen/love me/if you love me let me
know/and I love you so/big boss man/love me tender/burning love/band
introductions/what'd I say/lawdy miss clawdy/hail hail rock'n'roll/how great
thou art/hound dog/the first time ever I saw your face/can't help falling in
love
The second CD is Live From Fort wayne and features the concert from Fort
Wayne, June 12th, 1972.
Track listing:
Opening theme (2001)/that's all right/proud mary/never Been to spain/until
it's time for you to go/you don't have to say you love me/polk salad
Annie/love me/all shook up/heartbreak hotel/teddy bear/don't be cruel/love
me tender/blue suede shoes/bridge over troubled water/hound dog/reconsider
baby/it's now or never/suspicious minds/introductions/for the good
times/American trilogy/funny how times slips away/I can't stop loving
you/can't help falling in love
2006/01/24 E-mail - EpGold.Com.
Ernst Speaks ... About The New FTD Southern Nights.
A pretty tightly focused conversation about the new
FTD release Southern Nights. (Again, this comes from Sirius' excellent --
and highly recommended -- Elvis Radio.)
Click here
to listen to Ernst (mp3)
2006/01/23 elvissessions.com / Ep.Gold.Com.
Elvis A Legendary Performer Volume 7 - CD Review.
Following The Colonel's marketing example of 'too much
is never enough', Madison released yet another volume in their 'Legendary
Performer' series.
With their high productions values can this really be as good as the first
two in the series?
Or is that the sound of scrapping at the bottom of the barrel that we can
hear!
EIN's Piers Beagley opens the lid and looks into the depths.
2006/01/23 www.elvisinfonet.com
/ EpGold.Com.
BACK TO THE END OF LONELY STREET.
BACK TO THE END OF LONELY STREET: "Grillz" (Derrty/Fo'
Reel) by Nelly featuring Paul Wall, Ali and Gipp is in control of the Hot
100 for a second week. That begs the question, can you imagine "Grillz"
returning to the top of the chart in 2056?
It's not a fair question, because there is probably only one artist who
could return to top a chart 50 years later with the same song, and he's done
it this week.
That one person is Elvis Presley. His "Heartbreak Hotel" was released 50
years ago this week. It was his debut single for RCA after recording for
Sun, and by April it was sitting on top of Billboard's Best Sellers in
Stores chart.
RCA has begun reissuing all of Elvis Presley's No. 1 singles, starting with
"Heartbreak Hotel." That title rockets 42-1 on Billboard's Hot Singles Sales
chart this week.
Before he made his debut on Billboard's pop singles charts, Presley charted
on the country tallies. His Sun single "Baby Let's Play House" debuted the
week of July 16, 1955, giving Presley a career chart span of 50 years, six
months and two weeks
2006/01/23 Billboard Magazine / EpGold.Com.
Elvis-A Legendary Performer Volume 8.
The
next release from the Madison label will be '' Elvis - A Legendary Performer
Volume 8 ''. Like the first three volumes from this series, '' Elvis - A
Legendary Performer Volume 8 '' will feature previously unreleased live and
rehearsal performances, unedited studio recordings in stereo, movie
outtakes, interviews, radio greetings, and previously issued tracks with
improved sound quality. The packaging will include a 16 page, illustrated
booklet and relevant text.
Some of Volume 8's highlights include great performances from the Ed
Sullivan shows, taken directly from the original CBS kinescopes, previously
unreleased rehearsals from February 1970, the unedited, undubbed stereo
master of '' Funny How Time Slips Away '' in perfect sound, an extended
stereo version of '' The Sound Of Your Cry '' ( alternate take 6 ), an
unedited stereo version of '' Danny Boy '' ( alternate take 9 ), a
previously unreleased live rendition of ''An American Trilogy '' from August
1972, excerpts from an Australian radio broadcast containing messages from
Elvis and a rare interview by DJ Tom Moffatt at the site of Elvis' arrival
in Hawaii on January 9, 1973, a great sounding version of Elvis' last live
rendition of '' For The Good Times '' from December 29, 1976 ( mixed down to
mono from the original binaural recording ) and more!
Upcoming from the Madison label will be soundboard recordings - and Volume 9
of the Legendary series will be scheduled before early Fall 2006.
2006/01/23 E-Mail / EpGold.com.
Elvis On The Radio All Next Week.
Elvis is on radio 4 (uk premier radio station if not the worlds ) at
3.30PM.To mark the 50th anniversary of Heartbreak Hotel.
2006/01/23 Paulone / EpGold.Com.
Elvis ranked #2 behind The Beatles in worldwide sales.
Wikepedia has published a list of the biggest
record/CD sellers worldwide.
Click to view list:
http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-best-selling-music-artists
2006/01/22 Wikepedia - Tony, alt.elvis.king / EpGold.Com.
New book - "Elvis: From New York to Memphis" (Alfred Wertheimer)
This hardcover release will be
published by Welcome Books in August 2006. No description as yet, but
obviously will feature Wertheimer's candid photos of Elvis from the 50s. For
pre-order from Amazon for US$60.00; ISBN:1933784016.
The publisher is also releasing a limited edition which Amazon has listed
for sale at a cool US$595.00! The limited edition apparently has an extra 26
pages and a release date of September 19, 2006. (ISBN:1933784113).
2006/01/21 ElvisBookResearch -
www.elvisinfonet.com / EpGold.Com.
n the Kingdom of Elvis; In the City of the Prince with
No Name.
Description:
In a distant future, new nations and beliefs have arisen from the ashes of
the past. A Kingdom that revolves around the worship of Elvis holds a dark
secret. Hadrian, a Coloradan Intelligence Officer, and his beautiful
two-headed bodyguard, Mirtha and Meera, go on a quest to stop the Elviites
from destroying their world. At the same time a group of mercenaries also
seek the ancient weapons. . The Wizard, who must choose between immortality
and love . Lara, a female warrior who will decide between her man and a
future . Frank Connors, a veteran of too many missions gone bad . Bill Hong,
an innocent scientist who has never drawn blood In their way is the Abbot,
the Elviite church leader who aspires to be more. And in the skies above, a
mysterious Starman who watches them all...
In the City of the Prince with No Name" (Phil Embleton): Obscure title
recently released by Lulu Press. ISBN: 1411670027. Available from Amazon for
US$14.75.
2006/01/21 www.lulu.com / EpGold.Com.
What is the Follow That Dream Elvis Collector's Label?
To explain what the Follow That Dream collector's
label is, following is an updated adaptation of the original 1999
announcement from the record company to introduce the label:
To serve the dedicated Elvis collector, Sony BMG created an officially
endorsed collectors label. Repertoire is issued on behalf of Sony BMG by
Follow That Dream Records (FTD).
Its mandate is to complement the commercial and artistic level of RCA's
retail release schedule by issuing repertoire that is considered of interest
to serious Elvis fans and collectors, material that is generally not part of
mainstream RCA label releases to the public at large. This special material
is being marketed directly to fans and collectors through fan clubs,
specialist magazines, specialist retailers and dedicated mail order
companies.
1. To make artistically and historically important material available for
the dedicated collector. This will allow Sony BMG's main retail focus to be
maintained and ensure that the general public does not confuse Elvis's
actual masters for general release with his substantial outtake material and
other specialty material.
2. To create and promote product that satisfies the insatiable appetite of
fans for material. It is also appreciated that the extraordinary maintenance
of Elvis's dedicated fan base by committed individuals needs commercial
support to ensure survival.
3. To steer fans away from buying illegal (bootleg) product. The volume of
unofficial audio product in the marketplace reached a level which Sony BMG
and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) could no longer tolerate. Sony BMG
and EPE vigorously prosecute any company or individual who violates their
copyrights, trademarks and other rights. Bootleg products are seized and all
conventions, record fairs, mail order operations and other activities are
monitored closely.
The Releases - Content and Schedule
Follow That Dream releases four new titles every year in January, April,
July and October. They come in various themes. For instance, a particular
FTD CD might contain a collection of multiple takes from a studio session
(much of it previously unreleased), previously unreleased concert
recordings, or concert "soundboard" (informal) recordings.
Additionally, there are re-releases of albums that were once available in
the mainstream, but have been deleted from Sony BMG's active mainstream
Elvis catalog. There are 4 to 6 releases of this type each year in FTD's
Elvis movie soundtrack re-releases and in their Classic Albums series.
Typically, these reissued albums have content in addition to what was on the
original albums.
Also, FTD releases special book/CD combos from time to time.
2006/01/21 EPE / EpGold.Com.
Love, Elvis Released In Germany For Valentine.
The CD Love, Elvis (BMG 82876691022) will be released
in Germany. February 10, 2006
Track listing:
Are You Lonesome Tonight? - Can't Help Falling In Love - Always On My Mind
- It's Now Or Never - Love Me Tender - I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
- Don't - A Fool Such As I - Any Way You Want Me - Surrender - Hawaiian
Wedding Song - Doin' The Best I Can - Fever - It Hurts Me - I Just Can't
Help Believin' - The Wonder Of You - Let It Be Me - It's Impossible - For
The Good Times (previously unreleased) - There Goes My Everything - And I
Love You So - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Unchained Melody - If I
Can Dream
2006/01/20 www.elvisclubberlin.de
/ EpGold.Com.
Elvis Tops The MTV Russia Vote!
Vote for Elvis' clip "Rubberneckin" on MTV Russia and help him to top the
bill again! You can vote as much as you want and/or can. Every vote will be
accepted. Help Elvis to top the bill in Russia!
Link to vote
Vote lasts until January 23, video will be transmitted at night, January 28. Video will be transmitted only over Russia, but you can help russian fans to se it once more. Please, send this message to your friends.
Thank you friends! Elvis Forever!
2006/01/20 Jul / EpGold.Com.
NORTHWICH CHARITY SHOW.
On
Saturday March 4th 2006 The Rotary Club of Northwich Vale Royal and St Lukes
Hospice Winsford are jointly promoting a fabulous 1970's Elvis Presley Las
Vegas Style Dinner Tribute Show.
The evening will include entertainment from Europe's No.1 Amateur Elvis
Tribute Artist Paul Rouse, accompanied by the Vegas Divas. The evening also
includes a sumptuous three course dinner.
Paul Rouse who is from Reading, is a life long Elvis fan and decided four
years ago to try to raise money for leukaemia research after his brother was
diagnosed with the disease.
Using his singing talent and love of Elvis, he started performing his Elvis
Tribute act in and around the South of England, and has since managed to
raise over £100,000 for charity.
The Las Vegas Style Dinner Show is being organised and promoted by The
Rotary Club of Northwich Vale Royal, with all profits going directly to St
Luke's Hospice in Winsford.
Tickets for the show cost £30, which includes a 3 course meal plus the after
dinner entertainment. Tickets are available from Trevor Meech on Tel: 01606
871670 or via e-mail at
trevor.meech@btinternet.com
2006/01/20 www.elvis-express.com
/ EpGold.Com.
Heartbreak Hotel Singles Sales Only 4,200 In The US.
In
an otherwise slow sales week, Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n' Roll, and
Mary J. Blige, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, held court over the charts.
Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" reigned supreme on the singles side, while
Blige's The Breakthrough recaptured the top slot on the Billboard 200, based
on Nielsen SoundScan sales figures released Wednesday. Fifty years after
initial debut, Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" sold 4,200 copies for the week
ended Sunday. The Breakthrough topped Foxx's Unpredictable that first week,
but for the two subsequent charts, the positions flip-flopped. Now, Blige is
back on top, selling 118,000 copies to Unpredictable's 103,000.
2006/01/19 E-Online / EpGold.Com.
Heartbreak Hotel" returns to the #1.
This week, Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" returns
to the #1 spot on a Billboard chart 50 years after its initial debut.
Presley's famous first RCA Studios session in 1956, just days after his 21st
birthday, produced "Heartbreak Hotel" and the song became his first #1 hit.
Recorded on January 10th and 11th in 1956, and released just a few weeks
later, "Heartbreak Hotel" spent 8 weeks on the Billboard Top 100 chart at
#1. The single crossed genres, topping the country charts for 17 weeks and
reaching #3 on
the R&B charts. This week, the single debuts at #1 on the Billboard "Hot
Singles Sales" Chart.
The Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group commemorates this milestone with the
January 24 release of a deluxe boxed set 'Elvis #1 Singles." The set
features all 21 #1 US hits on 20 individual CD singles together in a limited
edition, numbered collectors box set. (One of the 20 CD singles is a double
A-side containing two #1 hits, "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel"). Each
single is individually packaged in a dynamic mini sleeve reflective of the
original single artwork.
Preserving the look of the original 45's, each CD will be pressed on black
plastic with grooves to mimic vinyl.
The newly formed SONY BMG Strategic Marketing unit, a division of Sony BMG
Music Entertainment, works closely with the company's labels to oversee and
coordinate activities in a variety of areas, including master television,
film and commercial licensing, creative product development, partnership
marketing alliances, and the coordination of joint soundtrack projects
between the Sony Music and BMG label groups, as well as overseeing Elvis
Presley content management.
2006/01/19 Sony - BMG / EpGold.Com.
Wilson Pickett Died Of A Heart Attack.
Wilson Pickett died on January 18th,
2006 of a heart attack.
One of the most popular black singers of the '60s, Wilson Pickett helped
introduce the aggressive style of rhythmic style of soul music. Aided
immeasurably by the excellent studio bands backing him at the Stax Studios
in Memphis, Tennessee, and The Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals Alabama, Pickett
scored a series of R&B and pop hits on Atlantic Records between 1963 and
1972 that included "In the Midnight Hour" (was recorded in Memphis' Stax
Studios)," "Mustang Sally," and "Funky Broadway."
Raised in Prattville, Alabama, Wilson Pickett moved to
Detroit, Michigan at the age of sixteen and made his professional debut as
the lead singer of The Violinaires in the late '50s. From 1961 to 1963 he
was in The Falcons, writing and singing their 1962 hit "I Found Love."
Pickett then went solo and signed with Lloyd Price's Double L Records, where
he wrote and recorded "If You Love Me" and "It's Too Late."
In 1964, Pickett signed with Atlantic Records and did his early recordings n
the Stax studio in Memphis, Tennessee with Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper
of The MGs. Cropper co-authored three of his early hits, "In the Midnight
Hour" and "Don't Fight It from his debut album The Exciting Wilson Pickett
that established him as a major soul star. The album also included
"Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)," "She's So Good to Me," and "Land of a
1,000 Dances," all recorded at Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals.
Photo: Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff
Pickett then had hits with "Mustang
Sally," "I Found a Love," and "Funky Broadway," all recorded in Muscle
Shoals. Pickett then teamed with Bobby Womack in 1968 for Midnight Mover
that yielded a Top 10 R7B and pop hit with Womack's title song. In 1969,
Pickett had a major hit with The Beatles "Hey Jude,", followed in 1970 by
"Sugar, Sugar." Later in 1970, Pickett worked
with producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff at Sigma Sound Studios in
Philadelphia. The result was two crossover hits "Engine Number Nine," and
"Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You."
After crossover hits "Don't Knock My Love - Part 1" and "Fire and Water"
Pickett left Atlantic for RCA, with minimum success. Pickett later recorded
for several record companies, including his own Wicked label, but failed to
have anymore hits.
Wilson Pickett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.
2006/01/19 History Of Rock / EpGold.Com.
Live Chat with Archives Scheduled For Friday.
If you have questions about the archives at Graceland, now is your chance to
get some answers. We will have a LiveChat on the Elvis Insiders message
board on Friday afternoon, Jan. 20 from 4:00 - 5:00 pm CST. Joining us will
be Angie Marchese who is responsible for the Graceland archives. We'll have
a forum set up and you can post your questions and Angie will be able to
answer them live. If you can't make it to the chat, be sure to visit the
forum the next time you are on the board and read the transcript. Just one
more benefit only for you.
2006/01/19
www.elvisunlimited.com / EpGold.Com
U.S. Billboard Elvis Chart listings for the week of
January 28, 2005.
(sg - sales gainer, gg - greatest sales
gainer, ne - new entry, re - re-entry)
Hot 100 Singles Sales - Heartbreak Hotel - up 41 to #1 (sg)
Top Christian Albums - Ultimate Gospel - up 22 to #26 (sg)
Top Country Albums - Ultimate Gospel - up 15 to #53 (sg,
noted as Pacesetter)
Top Country Catalog Albums - Elvis 30 #1 Hits - up 2 to #16 (sg)
New entries and Re-entries on the charts include:
- none this week.
Dropping off the charts include:
- none this week.
Notes of Interest
- Heartbreak Hotel Makes the Leap to #1 on the Hot 100 Sales Chart!
2006/01/19
www.elvischarts.com / EpGold.Com
Elvis Lives On The US Singles Chart.
Elvis
Presley returned the top of the Billboard singles chart with Heartbreak
Hotel today, fifty years after its debut in 1956.
The King recorded the tune -- his first-ever Number One -- two days after
his twenty-first birthday during the now infamous first RCA Studios session.
The genre-crossing 'Heartbreak Hotel' originally spent eight weeks at Number
One on the pop chart, topped the country charts for seventeen weeks and
reached Number Three on the R&B charts.
The single is included in the deluxe box set Elvis #1 Singles, due January
24th. The collection features all of Presley's twenty-one Number One hits
packaged together on individual discs, including a double A side containing
'Hound Dog' and 'Don't Be Cruel'.
2006/01/19 Rolling Stone / EpGold.Com.
Gospel demo made for Elvis for sale.
'My old friend in California Norm
Pringle wants your opinion on the latest version of his song "TRY A PRAYER"
the gospel song he composed for Elvis.
The song has quite a history. Norm interviewed Elvis in 1957 at the now
famous Vancouver Press Conference. The press conference can be heard
www.cybercloud.com
Later when Norm was working at the Sam Goldwyn studios in Hollywood Norms
parking place was next to Elvis. One day when Norm drove in who should be in
his car but the King himself rehearsing a song. Norm presented a demo to
Elvis but the Memphis Mafia stepped in and asked Norm to send it by mail.
Elvis who used to receive over thousands songs a week probably never heard
it but a new version has been recorded by famous Elvis impersonator Duke
Hicks of Phoenix. The Duke and Norm have offered the song to the children of
the Sago Mine Disaster as a fund raiser. Norm would like your opinion of
this rendition at
Crashnorm@aol.com '
2006/01/19 Pete Smith -
www.elvisinfonet.com / EpGold.Com
'Heartbreak Hotel' studio coming down.
Historic site for music gives way for car
dealer's parking lot.
Photo:
Rubble remains yesterday after demolition began at the studio at 1525
McGavock St. where Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel single was recorded 50
years ago this month.
The Nashville recording studio where Elvis Presley cut the RCA hit
Heartbreak Hotel, the King's first breakout hit, is being torn down to make
way for that unmistakable sign of urban progress: A parking lot.
The studio, wedged between Broadway and Demonbreun at 1525 McGavock St. and
purchased by auto-dealership magnate Lee Beaman in 1999, was the longtime
home of the United Methodist Television, Radio and Film Commission.
Its most recent occupants of note were the television duo Lorianne Crook and
Charlie Chase, who used the studio to tape shows well into the 1990s.
Doug McClanahan, president of Beaman Automotive Group, said he hadn't known
about the studio's Elvis connection despite having been familiar with the
site for more than 20 years.
McClanahan added that Beaman had purchased the nearly half-acre property
under his own name and had been leasing it until recently, when the
dealership decided that it needed additional customer parking.
"Later on, our plans might include another building for either service or
sales," he said, noting that the area will be paved over within the next 60
days. As of yesterday afternoon, only the building's façade remained.
The studio, used by RCA in the mid-1950s before what's now known as Studio B
came along in 1957, is hardly the city's oldest or most famous. But it had
plenty of stars come through its doors.
During Presley's Heartbreak Hotel session - which lasted only three hours
and took place on Jan. 10, 1956, almost 50 years ago to the day - Presley
also recorded Ray Charles' I Got A Woman, according to John Rumble, senior
historian at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Other big-name artists recorded hits at the studio, Rumble said. In 1957,
Jim Reeves cut one of his biggest hits, Four Walls. Chet Atkins, The Everly
Brothers, Johnnie & Jack and Hank Snow also all recorded at the McGavock
Street studio.
Rumble said there were other studios in town that were bigger and may have
sounded better but New York-based RCA had a union obligation to use its own
engineers and technicians when making a recording for the label.
By the early 1950s, RCA found it harder to consistently book the time it
needed at one of the studios in Nashville, most of which were downtown.
Then, Rumble said, by 1955, RCA happened upon the usually empty recording
facility on McGavock Street owned and operated by the Methodists.
One of the people who wasn't especially fond of the studio was Chet Atkins,
who at the time was organizing recording sessions for RCA artists along with
company executive Stephen Sholes. Rumbles said Atkins thought the studio let
sound roll around too long.
But Gordon Stoker of The Jordanaires, Presley's primary background vocalists
from 1956 to 1968, has fond memories of recording in the McGavock Street
studio.
"I thought it had a real clean sound. I think it had as good a sound as
Studio B," said Stoker,81, of Brentwood. "It's sad to see it go."
Stoker sat in on the Heartbreak Hotel session and sang on Presley's I Want
You, I Need You, I Love You, which was recorded at the studio on April 14,
1956. He also recorded with Jim Reeves and many others coming through at the
time.
"It's hard to remember all of them. Fifty years ago was, well fifty years
ago," he said with a laugh. "That's a long time."
The success of the McGavock Street studio-along with a sound that label
executives in New York weren't altogether happy with-convinced RCA to find a
studio it could use exclusively.
That studio became what's known today as Studio B, at the heart of Music Row
between 16th and 17th avenues. RCA didn't own the building, but leased it
exclusively for its artists to record in.
Stoker said Elvis would go on to record more hits in Nashville and many
other places, including his home in Memphis.
"I'm disappointed that the studio is being torn down," Stoker said. "But you
can't hang on to everything your whole life."
2006/01/19 By RYAN UNDERWOOD, The Tennessean / EpGold.Com.
Flaming Star On Uk Television Screens Next Week.
BBC2 - Tuesday 24th January at 1.30pm.
2006/01/18 Mark Nicholson / EpGold.Com.
Red West In #1 Movie.
The movie "Glory Road," which opened last
Friday across the USA and was the #1 box office attraction of the weekend.
Red West plays Ross Moore, trainer and "spiritual advisor," for the old
Texas Western basketball team that became the first team to win the USA
college basketball championship using all black players.
Bill Burk says: "It's one of Red's better character roles. Josh Lucas plays
Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins and deserves Oscar nomination for his
inspirational performance. Haskins' assistant coach, Moe Iba, he of the
horned rim glasses, would coach at MEM State shortly after the Miners won
the NCAA championship. It's 2006's feel-good sports movie of the year.
2006/01/18 Bill Burk -
www.elvisinfonet.com / EpGold.Com.
EpGold Rare Footage Section.
Please Check Out Our Rare Footage Section
With More Than 300 Private Footage - Live-Shows - Film Clips - Remix
Clips - Outtakes And Much More.....
2006/01/17 Andylon Lensen / EpGold.Com.
Gibson Rocks CES 2006.
Henry Juszkiewicz Presented Scotty Moore With An exclusive Elvis Piano.
Jan. 7 - Gibson Guitar Chairman
and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz (left) presented the legendary Scotty Moore with
an exclusive Elvis piano produced by Baldwin Piano at this year's Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee participated in a special
celebration in honor of Elvis Presley's birthday at the Gibson Guitar booth
during the show.
2006/01/17
www.gibson.com / EpGold.Com.
Golden Globe For Elvis like Winning FA Cup.
Irish
actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers has said that getting a Golden Globe was like
winning the FA Cup. The 28-year-old scooped the Best Actor in a Mini-Series
or Film Made for Television title at the Los Angeles awards ceremony for his
performance in Elvis (see report 17 Jan 2006).
"It's like scoring a goal for Arsenal in the FA Cup to win it. It does big
things for your career. When you look at the people I was up against -
Kenneth Branagh, Donald Sutherland and Ed Harris - they're all very
accomplished actors," he said.
The actor said he had been shocked to win the award. "You kind of dream that
you'll win but you never think it will become a reality," he said. He was
previously nominated for an Emmy award and won a Satellite award for his
performance in Elvis, but had been apprehensive about taking the role.
"I never really expected anything great from it, but it just took off in
America and got 30 million viewers," he told RTE radio.
Rhys Meyers' breakthrough came when he played the young assassin in Neil
Jordan's 1996 biopic of Irish revolutionary Michael Collins. He has since
starred in Bend It Like Beckham and Alexander, and is currently appearing
with Scarlett Johansson in Woody Allen's Match Point. He said the Golden
Globe award could help him get an Oscar nomination for best actor.
"There is a good chance, with Match Point getting so much attention, that I
might get a nod for that. But you never know, it's a very tough category."
2006/01/17 Press Association / EpGold.Com.
THREE MORE ALBUMS IN 2006 SERIES.
This new series of themed albums will feature six single CD compilations to
be released in two instalments.
The first instalment of three albums will be available on 27th February 2006
and the second instalment will be released in August 2006, coinciding with
the anniversary of Elvis' death.
Each album has a contemporary designed and contains 20 tracks featuring
essential hits from the genres that made Elvis the most important
entertainer of the 20th Century:
February Releases:
Rock
Country
Inspirational
August Releases:
R&B
Movies
Live
2006/01/17
www.elvis-express.com /
EpGold.Com.
ELVIS - voted 10th Greatest Rock BAND.
The RockinTown.com Top 10 Rock Acts for 2005.
1. Nirvana
2. Led Zeppelin
3. The Beatles
4. The Doors
5. U2
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. David Bowie
8. Pink Floyd
9. AC/DC
10. Elvis Presley
Source: Web Site:
http://www.rockintown.com
2006/01/17 2ndtonone -
www.rockintown.com / EpGold.Com.
Vienna shows have ended.
Three times in a row, the TCB Band (John, James, Glenn D and Jerry) played
in front of a packed house in Vienna, capital of Austria. John Wilkinson got
standing ovations thru his entire set with, of course, "Early Morning Rain"
as highlight of the show.
The first pictures we got in, show us exactly what we expected: happy fans and a satisfied band. A big word of thanks to Jutta, for a flawless organization!
2006/01/17 www.elvismatters.be
/ EpGold.Com.
New Forum in France!
A new forum in France :"Elvis Presley Fever Forum" (photos,news,download
.....) Click the banner to enter forum
2006/01/17 JeanLois / EpGold.Com.
63rd Golden Globe Award Winners Hollywood Foreign Press Association 2006
Golden Globe Awards
for the year ended December 31, 2005.
Rhys-Meyers who starred as Elvis in the CBS TV mini-series "Elvis The Early
Years", beat highly noted actors Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Ed Harris and
Donald Sutherland.
Also nominated for the "Elvis" mini-series were Camryhn Manheim (Best
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or
Motion Picture Made for Television)
And Randy Quaid (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a
Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television), both of whom
lost out.
2006/01/17 www.hfpa.org /
EpGold.Com.
ELVIS TO APPEAR ON POP IDOL (U.S.A.)
NEW YORK - Sweat will pour from lots of brows tonight as American Idol
begins its fifth season.
Several deals cut over the last few months dramatically raised the financial
stakes for the businesses that make up American Idol Inc.
One of the most important is the commitment in November by Idol co-producers
CKX and FremantleMedia, Fox Broadcasting, and acid-tongued judge Simon
Cowell to keep the series going for at least four seasons starting with this
one. Fox agreed to pay a license fee of $18 million for this year, growing
to $35.5 million in 2009.
"Now that American Idol's longevity is guaranteed, we have been able to
focus on long-term initiatives," says CKX chief Robert F.X. Sillerman.
The companies are eager to cash in on a TV show that attracted an average of
27.4 million viewers on Tuesday nights and 26 million on Wednesday nights
from January to May last year.
But Sillerman made the biggest bet after plunking down more than $191
million last year for the British firm that controls the Idol franchise and
gets the revenue from related recordings, tours and merchandise as well as
the TV show. If Idol falters, it "would have a material adverse effect on
our business," CKX said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing last
week.
Sillerman's hoping his wager will pay off with revenue from a website,
AmericanIdol.com, that the co-producers and Fox are launching. CKX and
FremantleMedia plan to cash in from premium services, including video
outtakes. Sillerman says the site will start sometime "over the next few
weeks" and include "exciting ways for fans to participate."
CKX, which also licenses Elvis Presley, plans some corporate synergy. "Elvis
will be making an appearance on this year's series," Sillerman says.
Meanwhile, Tribune Entertainment just picked up syndication rights to this
season's shows - a gamble that viewers who already know the outcome still
will watch reruns next September.
And Fox doubled up its bet last week by signing a five-year deal with Cowell
and his company, Syco, to develop and produce other shows as well as
material for the Internet and cellphones. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
While it's impossible to say how this year's TV show will do, Idol still
appeals to music buyers. They've grabbed more than 2 million copies of the
first album from last year's winner, Carrie Underwood, since its release in
November. That CD, plus a new CD from runner-up Bo Bice and 2004 release
Breakaway from first-season winner Kelly Clarkson, all were among the USA's
10 biggest sellers last week.
2006/01/17 by David Lieberman - USA TODAY / EpGold.Com.
Elvis After Dark.
During the annual EPE fan club president's luncheon some details on the
changes at the Graceland Crossing were announced. We asked EPE's Todd Morgan
for more details, here is his reaction:
"One of the empty shops in Graceland Crossing will become a new mini-museum
called Elvis After Dark. The name has nothing to do with its hours of
operation, although it will remain open after other tour operations are
closed. The theme has to do with so much of Elvis's activity in life and in
his career having taken place at night. It's just a fun name. The other
vacant shop will be another EPE gift shop and will be tied thematically to
the exhibit. The Sincerely Elvis museum in Graceland Plaza changes themes
every year or so.
By the first week of March the new year-long theme will be Elvis '56 with
exhibits relating to the career and life events of 1956, the year Elvis's
career exploded. All this will be formally announced with details later this
year. Our staff clued the fan club leaders in on it in advance via the Elvis
Fan Club Presidents' Brunch during the EP Birthday festivities and that's
why it's all over the fan sites and messageboards.
At the Fan Club Presidents' Brunch one of the speakers was the prinicipal of
Humes Jr. High School (It was L.C. Humes High School when Elvis attended).
The principal said something about supporting the idea of changing the name
of the school to Elvis Presley Junior High School or Elvis Presley Middle
School. It took us all by surprise. We have no details yet. Frankly, we
think it's unlikely to happen due to the historical status of the identity
of the school. But it was a lovely gesture on the part of the principal.
The school auditorium was named after Elvis in the late 1980s and they have
had an Elvis exhibit room since the early 1980s. Since 1982, the year
Graceland opened, we have been involved with the school via the Memphis City
Schools Adopt-A-School program, an organization that connects schools with
business entities to offer support of various kinds."
2006/01/17 www.elvisnews.com - EPE
/ EpGold.Com.
Ernst Jorgensen Sun Boxset & Book.
"I'm an Elvis researcher especially on the
early days. Mainly all these researches are in relation to a book/CD project
for the Elvis fan club network I've been asked to help with.
It's a 3/4 CD 200 pages book about Elvis stay at SUN records by Ernst
Jorgensen. I am now helping detail the period from July 1954 through to the
end of 1955.
Ernst is BMG's chief at Elvis music archivist. The book will consist of more
than 400 early photos - half of them previously unpublished. It's not an
attempt of once again write the story of Elvis Presley, but more a
collection of information, photos, memorabilia and stories shared by fans
who where there at the time.
The book will not deal in gossip or other unpleasant material - it's all
about the innocence of the time and the impact of Elvis' music. We are
trying to document every single show Elvis did, and we have come fairly
close. So I'm looking for photos, recordings from Louisiana Hayride or Opry,
or any live radio gig or interview .... ANYTHING IS WELCOME FROM THE 50s!!
And while Elvis played the Mississippi area a lot during 1955 we have very
little information and no photos at all!"
If anyone can help us by providing stories or photos or archival material
you can contact Luca by
E-Mail:
plcpf@tin.it
Fabris G. Luca
2006/01/16 Fabris G. Luca / EpGold.Com.
Patsy Presley's Husband Has Died.
Lisa Marie Presley visited Graceland in
mid December, 2005 due to the death of Patsy Presley's Husband Clayton
Matthew Geranen. He died on December 12, 2005 only 40 years old. He was
buried at the Memorial Park Funeral Home in Memphis, TN.
Clayton Matthew Geranen was a member of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis
and a U.S. Navy veteran. He was a carpenter for Milan Decorators. He leaves
his wife, Patsy Geranen Presley, his parents, Sue Geranen of Sacramento, CA.
and Allan and Connie Geranen of Pollock Pines, CA. his grandparents, Ruth
Rennie of Modesto, CA. and Robert and Lucille Sullivan of Auburn, CA. two
sisters, Mary Ann Archer of Brawley, CA. and Stacy Lowry of Susanville, CA.
and three brothers, Brian Geranen of San Jose, CA. Jason Ross of Sacramento,
CA. and Matthew Geranen, stationed in Sasebo, Japan.
Clayton Matthew Geranen and Patsy Presley can be seen celebrating Christmas
at Graceland with the entire Presley family in the documentary Elvis By The
Presley's.
2006/01/16 Megan Murphy -
www.elvisunlimited.com / EpGold.Com.
RIAA Awards For Elvis - Presentation On January 8,
2006.
Photo:Memphis NARAS chapter leader Jon
Hornyak and EPE CEO Jack Soden show the fans the 4X Platinum RIAA upgrade
award for ELV1S 30 #1 HITS.
Photo: Hornyak and Soden are joined by Bill
Porter in the presentation of Sony BMG's special award commemorating the
50th anniversary of Elvis on RCA Records. Porter worked with Elvis as a
sound engineer in the recording studio in the 1960s and did concert sound
for Elvis for seven years in the 1970s.
Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton, after having rendered the official
proclamation of Elvis Presley Day in Memphis and Shelby County, joins
Hornyak and Soden in the cake cutting.
On January 8, 2006, as part of the annual Elvis Presley Day proclamation
ceremony for Elvis's birthday, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
awards will be presented upgrading the sales certification status of two
Elvis albums - ELV1S 30 #1 HITS and It's Christmas Time and the for first
sales certifications for the DVD Elvis By The Presleys. The album ELV1S 30
#1 HITS is to be upgraded from 3X Platinum to 4X Platinum (4 million units
sold). The album It's Christmas Time is to be upgraded from Platinum to 2X
Platinum (2 million units sold). The Elvis By The Presleys DVD is to be
certified 2X Platinum (200,000 units sold) in the category of Music Video
Long Form.
RIAA awards reflect only certified sales in the United States and do not
recognize sales in any other countries.
In addition to the RIAA awards, a Sony BMG award commemorating the 50th
Anniversary of Elvis on RCA Records will be presented. RCA Records bought
Elvis's Sun Records contract from producer Sam Phillips in November 1955.
Elvis's first RCA recording session was on January 10, 1956. That session
yielded Heartbreak Hotel, which became his first national #1 pop hit and his
first gold record award winner.
2006/01/16 EPE / EpGold.Com.
Elvis Presley - Legends In Concert DVD Video At
Woolworths UK.
PRICE:
£4.99
Description:
Elvis Presley was responsible for changing the youth culture of the western
world and the face of rock and roll forever. From his humble beginnings in
Tupelo, Mississippi to his meteoric rise to world Superstar through to his
tragic death aged just forty two in 1977 Elvis Presley truly earned the
title 'The King'. It is estimated that Elvis Presley has sold over 1.5
billion records worldwide and the sales keep rolling in as legions of new
fans discover the wonderful voice and the sexuality that was "The King -
Elvis Presley".
This DVD, featuring some very early footage of Elvis during his college
days, is a must for all Elvis fans. Packed with many of the songs that would
later become worldwide hits and overflowing with all the raw emotion and
excitement of his early years.
Track listing:
1. Money Honey
2. Witchcraft/Love Me Tender (Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra)
3. Baby Let's Play House
4. Too Much
5. Heartbreak Hotel (Version 1)
6. Love Me Tender (Version 1)
7. When My Blue Moon, Turns To Gold Again
8. Hound Dog (Version 1)
9. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
10. Heartbreak Hotel (Version 2)
11. Tutti Frutti
12. Don't Be Cruel (Version 1)
13. Blue Suede Shoes
14. Love Me Tender (Version 2)
15. Ready Teddy
16. Hound Dog (Version 2)
17. Shake, Rattle 'N' Roll
18. Don't Be Cruel (Version 2)
19. Love Me
20. Peace In The Valley
21. Hound Dog (Version 2)
For More Details go to:
http://www.woolworths.co.uk/ww_p2/product/index.jhtml?pid=50490015
2006/01/16 Brian Quinn -
www.woolworths.co.uk /
EpGold.Com.
Charlie Hodge Updated.
Charlie
Hodge, Elvis' army buddy and friend until 1977, has been diagnosed with
cancer. He has secretly been battling cancer the past two months, but today
the "news" leaked.
Charlie met Elvis on the boat from the USA to Germany in September 1958.
They stayed friends until Elvis' death in August 1977. Charlie was the guy
who sang back up, played guitar, handed Elvis water and gave him scarf's on
stage during the shows in the 1970's.
From Memories Theater, where Charlie Hodge has been performing these past
few years, and here's the straight poop:
Charlie Hodge, despite his ailment, continues to perform nightly at Memories
Theater and "if you were not aware of his condition, you would never know he
is sick." His humor remains high, as does his faith in God.
Here is an update on the condition of Charlie Hodge from his girlfriend
Jennifer:
"yes it is true that Charlie has lung cancer. he was diagnosed on December
21st and started his treatments January 2nd. for 2 months he has to take
radiation 5 days a week and chemo once a week. so far he is responding well
to the treatments with little side effects so we are staying positive. after
2 months of treatment they might continue with the chemo. every 3 months
they will do tests to see if his treatments are successful."
It would be wonderful if everyone in the Elvis world deluged Sir Charles
with Get Well cards. Send to:
Sir Charles
c/o Memories Theater
2141 Parkway
Pigeon Forge TN 37863
2006/01/16 Various / EpGold.Com.
EPE and Cranston Partner To Launch Elvis Fabric
Line.
Following is a press release from the fabric
company Cranston, a new EPE licensee. A few fabric pattern samples are
included in this posting.
Elvis Presley Enterprises and Cranston Partner to Launch Fabric Line New
York, NY - January 12, 2006 -- V.I.P® by Cranston® is pleased to announce
the launch of a new fabric collection called "Elvis Lives" in partnership
with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. of Memphis, Tennessee.
The new Elvis line is based on the essence of the style of the legendary
King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, and is a faithful translation of a mix
of photo realistic and graphic images on graphic-patch backgrounds offered
in both bright and muted color-ways. Fabrics are 100% cotton, printed in the
USA and consist of four designs in two different colorways. The new
collection is bold, exciting and ready to ROCK! From the die hard Elvis fan
to the fashion trendy, there is something for everyone. The "Elvis Lives"
collection is suitable for apparel, crafting and home décor and is sure to
inspire creativity.
"It has been years since Elvis Presley Enterprises authorized a fabric
release," says Carol Butler, Director of Worldwide Licensing for EPE. "We
are excited about this opportunity, and know that the consumers will be
pleased with the creativity Cranston has displayed with product
development."
Cranston's V.P. of Marketing & Finance, Jodi Beckett, stated, "We are very
excited to have the opportunity to work with Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
We're looking forward to a successful partnership and we are thrilled to
bring the King of Rock and Roll to this exciting and vivid collection of
fabrics."
The Elvis collection will be available worldwide to all fabric stores and
retail fabric departments beginning mid-January 2006. (For information,
please contact Cranston Customer Service at 800-876-2756.)
Thank you. Thankyouverymuch.
About EPE
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) is based in Memphis, with additional
offices in Los Angeles. In addition to Graceland and its related attractions
in Memphis, including the Heartbreak Hotel, EPE is aggressively involved in
a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing, and
television, film, video and Internet projects. For more information on EPE
and Graceland, visit Elvis.com. EPE is a subsidiary of CKX, Inc., a publicly
traded company listed on the NASDAQ National Market System (NMS) under the
ticker symbol CKXE.
About Cranston
Cranston, a division of Cranston Print Works Company, is an employee-owned
company established in 1824 and is the oldest textile printer in the
country. Much of Cranston's staying power through its 182 years has been
credited to the company's ability to produce cutting edge designs, customer
service and strong commitment to the community, all of which is made
possible through the dedication of their talented employees. Cranston fabric
is printed in the USA. For more information, visitCranstonVillage.com.
2006/01/15 EPE / EpGold.Com.
Shelley Winters Dies.
Actress Shelley Winters has died from heart failure aged 85. She had been in
ill-health following a heart attack last October. Ms Winters had a long and
distiguished career as a stage, TV and film actress, winning Academy Awards
as supporting actress in "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "A Patch of Blue".
Her other credits included "Elvis", starring Kurt Russell, in which Ms
Winters played Gladys Presley.
2006/01/15 http://www.ap.org /
EpGold.Com.
Elvis checked in, nationally, with 'Hotel'
Fifty years ago, it was as haunting and wounded an opening line as rock 'n'
roll had ever known -
"Well, since my baby left me ..."
Drenched in reverb, though not as much as memory might suggest, "Heartbreak
Hotel," signaled Elvis Presley's major label move to RCA Victor and onto the
national radar when it was released on Jan. 27, 1956.
Sony BMG commemorates the 50th anniversary of "Heartbreak Hotel" by
re-releasing it as a single on Tuesday. A new deluxe box set, "Elvis #1
Singles," arrives Jan. 24.
It didn't sound anything like his pre-fame rockabilly singles for Sun
Records. Gone, for the moment, was the slap-back tape echo perfected by Sam
Phillips and the fast, rattling country and blues twang of a train running
off the tracks.
But it was no less primal.
"It's strange, it's something you remember. It doesn't sound like anything.
It still doesn't sound like anything anybody ever made," said Sony BMG
historian, producer and author Ernst Jorgenson, an expert on Presley's RCA
Victor catalog, recording dates and rare tapes.
But even Jorgenson wonders: "Is 'Heartbreak Hotel' even rock 'n' roll?"
The future king of rock 'n' roll - who would have turned 71 today -
certainly thought so.
So lonely he could die, Presley delivered the lyric with down-and-out
believability. By the time Scotty Moore's guitar solo comes in and the
lopping piano rises up in the bluesy mix, listeners know they never want to
check in there.
But kids wanted to hear it again and again. It became Presley's first No. 1
record.
Presley had just turned 21 when he cut the mono track live. Take No. 7 was
the keeper.
RCA executives are said to have hated it. The day after "Heartbreak Hotel"
was released, producers of Presley's national television debut, on the
Dorsey Brothers "Stage Show" on CBS, asked him to sing another song.
Just in case, RCA prepared a four-song EP of unreleased Sun Records material
to rush out should it flop.
But Elvis believed in the song, written primarily by Mae Boren Axton and
Tommy Durden. Jorgensen learned that Presley had even introduced "Heartbreak
Hotel" from the stage at a small gig during Christmastime 1955, saying,
"This is going to be my first hit record."
Jorgensen, author of "Elvis Presley: A Life in Music - The Complete
Recording Sessions," said Presley "may have been the only believer."
KTSA's Ricci Ware said only Marty Robbins' "Don't Worry (About Me)," a
mournful honky-tonkin' lament, would ever again send such shivers down his
backbone.
"It was very different, and it did have a ton of reverb," Ware recalled
about first hearing "Heartbreak Hotel." "It was a very haunting tune."
He would spin it at night on his "Night Train" show at KREL-AM in Baytown.
"It wasn't so much dangerous as it was parents didn't approve of it,"
retired radio personality Bruce Hathaway recalled.
To some, Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" was considered vulgar.
"It was underground in that day," Hathaway said. "But the (rock 'n' roll)
craze was going that way. It's hard to believe that Elvis has been a
phenomenon for that long."
He was virtually unknown at the time outside of the hayride circuit and
small roadhouses and county fairs in the South.
"The world knew nothing at all," Jorgenson said.
But radio listeners of the "Louisiana Hayride" knew him well.
One such listener was 17-year-old Harlandale High School graduate Barbara
Jean McGarity Denecamp, who found herself face to face with Presley and his
mother at a "Louisiana Hayride" concert in Shreveport, La., in November
1955. She was participating in a stage contest called "Beat the Band."
"All the way around to the back door, there were hundreds of screaming
girls. You couldn't even move," Denecamp said. "Elvis was walking around
with his guitar and at the time, I didn't know it, but that was his mother
sitting up against the back wall. I said, 'Hello.' But I was so nervous.'"
Denecamp loved the spooky "Heartbreak Hotel," but she initially was
attracted to Elvis' country element.
"Oh, I loved it. When he had Scotty Moore and Bill Black, the three-piece
band was absolutely fabulous - the country sound," she said. "I liked
everything he had. I'll tell you the truth, he could play anything and I
liked him. He was just one of a kind."
In her mind, Presley took the place of Hank Williams. But in concert, it was
a sheer pandemonium Williams had never experienced.
"You couldn't hear him at all," she said. "It was just screaming and
screaming, lights, flashbulbs. It was just a madhouse. And I never ever in
my life thought Elvis Presley was vulgar."
The RCA hits followed in an avalanche. Ware remembered "Hound Dog" (the flip
side was "Don't Be Cruel"), which came later.
"We'd play one side, and 30 minutes later we'd flip it over and play the
other side," he recalled.
Jorgenson, the Sony BMG historian, called the two-sided hit a double whammy.
Dallas-based artist Jeff Scott sees Presley as the embodiment of the
American dream and "bringing along this gumbo of American culture" to the
forefront when he hit the national stage with "Heartbreak Hotel."
Scott's book, "Elvis: The Personal Archives," found clues to Presley's
mystique in the king's day-to-day belongings.
"He was able to communicate, through his personal style and thought, his
music to the world," he said. "You had this really humble man, on the one
hand, that wanted to communicate his soul, his inner excitement about the
music, and I think he used his clothes and his fashion sense as a way to
bring out, as an entertainer, to connect his soul and the soul of American
rural culture to a larger audience."
Tom Perryman was running KSIJ-AM in Gladewater in the late '40s and
mid-'50s. His show was called the "Hillbilly Hit Parade." He booked acts
that played the "Louisiana Hayride."
"The stuff he did for Sun Records was what we called catbilly," Perryman
said. "It wasn't rock 'n' roll so much. We were hillbilly music. When that
music came out with that beat, I was probably the only country station
playing it in East Texas. Nobody knew what he was. He didn't know what he
was. Being from Memphis, he liked that black music and all."
Perryman recalled booking Presley in October 1954, and the trio made all of
$90.
"They didn't have enough money to get out of Shreveport after the
'Hayride.'"
Though he personified youthful rebellion, Presley was a well-mannered young
man, Perryman said - despite his looking a bit like a Memphis peacock.
"He was good lookin', a nice kid," he said. "His hair wasn't coal black. It
was actually a dark dirty blond. But he was a phenomenon and it will never
happen again. I knew then he had something besides that rockabilly."
2006/01/14 Hector Saldaña - San Antonio Express-News / EpGold.Com.
"The Elvis Files" DVD released in Australia.
This budget priced 1990 documentary is now available in Australia. Despite
earlier indications, it is not the Bill Bixby hosted TV special but a
documentary about Gail Brewer-Giorgio's book, 'The Elvis Files'. Well
produced with a clever script, but overall its argument is unbalanced.
Conspiracy theorists will love it!
2006/01/14 www.elvisinfonet.com
/ EpGold.Com.
New 2DVD "on stage with elvis"
This new "unofficial" DVD is a follow up to
the double DVD release "BEHIND THE SCENES" and contains more unreleased
material from filming TTWII.
2006/01/14 Pavel Cernocky -
www.elvisinfonet.com / EpGold.Com.
Carrie Underwood Is Latest Celebrity
Visitor to Graceland.
Reigning American Idol and hit-making music
star Carrie Underwood toured Graceland on January 12, 2006.
2006/01/14 EPE / EpGold.Com
Charlie Hodge Has Been Diagnosed
With Cancer.
Elvis'
army buddy and friend until his death Charlie Hodge has been diagnosed with
cancer.
Charlie and Elvis met on the boat from the USA to Germany in September 1958.
They stayed friends until Elvis' death in August 1977.
Charlie was the guy who sang back up, played guitar, handed Elvis water and
gave him scarf's on stage during the shows in the 1970's.
Your thoughts goes to Charlie!
2006/01/13 www.elvisunlimited.com
/ EpGold.com.
'HEARTBREAK
HOTEL' U.S. SINGLE ALREADY IN CHARTS.
The U.S. re-release of 'Heartbreak Hotel' is already No.42 on the Billboard
Sales Chart after only 2 DAYS of being on sale.
With a bit of luck it should be No.1 next week.
2006/01/13 Brian Quinn / EpGold.com.
U.S. Billboard Elvis Chart listings
for the week of January 21, 2005.
(sg - sales gainer, gg - greatest sales gainer, ne - new entry, re -
re-entry)
Hot 100 Singles Sales - Heartbreak Hotel - re-enters at #42
(sg)
Top Christian Albums - Ultimate Gospel - re-enters at #48
(sg)
Top Country Albums - Ultimate Gospel - up 7 to #68 (sg)
Top Country Catalog Albums - Elvis 30 #1 Hits - re-enters at #18
(sg)
New entries and Re-entries on the charts include:
- Heartbreak Hotel re-enters the Hot 100 S