Piers' review of the month

News& info archives

Elvis books 2004

Elvis books 2005-07

About EIN

Links Page

Subscribe to EIN's FREE weekly newsletter

Selected back issues of EIN's FREE weekly newsletter

 

Quote: "Elvis Presley is the greatest cultural force in the 20th century." (Leonard Bernstein) Quote: "If you're an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary; If you're not an Elvis fan, no explanation is possible." (George Klein) Quote: "For a dead man, Elvis Presley is awfully noisy." (Professor Gilbert B. Rodman) Quote: "History has him as this good old country boy, Elvis is about as country as Bono!" (Jerry Schilling) Quote: "Absolute id crashed into absolute superego...as the uptightset man in America shook hands with just about the loosest." (Mark Feeney on the 'Elvis meets Nixon' meeting) Quote: "Elvis is everywhere" (Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper) Quote: "...especially in the South, they talk about Elvis and Jesus in the same breath" (Michael Ventura, LA Weekly) Quote: "The image is one thing and the human being is another...it's very hard to live up to an image"   (Elvis Presley, Madison Square Garden press conference, 1972) Quote: "Elvis was a major hero of mine. I was actually stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something" (David Bowie) Quote: "No-one, but no-one, is his equal, or ever will be. He was, and is supreme" (Mick Jagger) Quote: "I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother...there'll never be another like that soul brother" (Soul legend, James Brown) Quote: "Before Elvis there was nothing!" (John Lennon) Quote: "There were rock 'n' roll records before Heartbreak Hotel, but this was the one that didn't just open the door…it literally blasted the door off its rusted, rotten, anachronistic hinges…. producing....no propelling, an unstoppable, fundamental and primordial shift in not only musical, but social, political and cultural history" (JNP, BBC website) Quote: "Elvis, the musician, is largely a relic belonging to the baby boomer generation...Elvis, the icon, is arguably one of the most potent symbols of popular culture" ( Dr. John Walker) Quote: "It [rock & roll] was always about Elvis; not just because he was Elvis, but because he was the big star" (Bono from U2) Quote: "If they had let me on white radio stations back then, there never would have been an Elvis" (Little Richard) Quote: "Elvis loved opera, and he especially liked Mario Lanza. He would watch The Student Prince which was set in Heidelberg, over and over again. He loved the power of the big voices. And he loved big orchestras. He liked real dramatic things" (Marty Lacker in 'Elvis and the Memphis Mafia') Quote: "If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead" (Johnny Carson)

---

Elvis' #1 Pop Singles on Cashbox, USA:

Heartbreak Hotel (1956)

Don't Be Cruel (1956)

Hound Dog (1956)

Love Me Tender (1956)

Too Much (1957)

All Shook Up (1957)

Teddy Bear (1957)

Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Don't (1958)

Stuck On You (1960)

It's Now Or Never (1960)

Are You Lonesome Tonight? (1960)

Surrender (1961)

Good Luck Charm (1962)

Return To Sender (1962)

In The Ghetto (1969)

Suspicious Minds (1969)

Burning Love (1972)

(The Cashbox chart is now defunct)

---

Elvis Facts:

Elvis was 5' 11" tall

 

Elvis' natural hair color was dark blond

 

Elvis' blood type was O Positive

 

Elvis' shoe size was 11D

 

One of Elvis'( maternal) ancestors, Morning White Dove (born 1800, died 1835), was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian

 

Elvis' uncle, Noah Presley, became Mayor of East Tupelo on January 7, 1936

 

The Presley family moved to Memphis on November 6, 1948

 

Elvis was issued a Social Security card in September 1950 with the # 409-52-2002

 

In 1954 some of the shows played by Elvis & The Blue Moon Boys were at the Overton Park Shell; the Bel-Air Club; Sleepy-Eyed John's Eagle's Nest Club and the Louisiana Hayride

 

Elvis' first manager was Scotty Moore, then Bob Neal, before signing with Colonel Tom Parker

 

The first DJ to play an Elvis record was Fred Cook (WREC), not Dewey Phillips (WHBQ). However, Dewey had the distinction of being the first DJ to play an Elvis record in its entirety

 

Elvis once dated famous stripper, Tempest Storm

 

Elvis was filmed from the waist up only during his 3rd and final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show

 

In the 50s Elvis was friendly with rising stars, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner and Ty (Bronco Lane) Hardin

 

Gladys Presley was 46 years old when she died, not 42, as many books suggest

 

The Roustabout album sold 450,000 copies on its initial release, 150,000 copies more than any of the preceding three soundtrack LPs. It was Elvis' last "soundtrack" album to reach #1 on the major album charts in the US

 

Elvis received $1m for filming Harum Scarum (aka Harum Holiday). The film grossed around $2m in the US

 

Elvis and Priscilla married on May 1, 1967

 

They were officially divorced on October 9, 1973

 

Elvis earns nearly $3.5m in 1968 and pays just over $1.4m in income tax

 

Elvis' return to live performing in Las Vegas on July 31, 1969 was in front of an "by invitation only" audience. Stars in attendance included Wayne Newton, Petula Clark, Shirley Bassey, Burt Bacharach and Angie Dickinson

 

On January 9, 1971, the national Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) announced Elvis as one of "The Top Ten Young Men of the Year". Elvis spoke at the official awards ceremony on January 16

 

"Elvis: Aloha From Hawai" made entertainment history on January 14, 1973, when it was beamed around the world by satellite. In the Philippines it drew 91% of the audience, in Hong Kong 70%. The viewing audience was estimated at more than 1 billion

 

For his 4 week Hilton Vegas season in August 1973 Elvis received $610,000

Sales of Elvis' 1973 album, Raised On Rock, were less than 200,000 units on its initial release

 

Elvis paid $2,959,000 in income tax in 1973

 

In December 1976 Elvis was sworn in as a special deputy sheriff of Shelby County (Memphis) by Sheriff Gene Barksdale

 

Elvis' final live concert was in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977

When Elvis died, he and his father Vernon, were embroiled in an FBI investigation called Operation Fountain Pen

More than 1,500 books have been published about The King in more than 30 languages

 

At Dec 2005 Elvis' biggest selling album in the US is the budget priced, Elvis' Christmas Album, with accredited sales of 9 million units (fingers crossed it reaches 10 million to give Elvis his first "Diamond" award)

 

By early2006, Sony BMG's "collectors label", Follow That Dream, had released more than 50 Elvis CDs

 

During the 1980s, tour guides at Graceland stated that Elvis' biggest selling album (globally) was Moody Blue, with sales exceeding 14 million

 

While Sony BMG estimates Elvis' global sales exceed 1 billion, the company is unable to substantiate this figure. Accredited sales worldwide are estimated to be less than 400 million

 

 

 

 

Release Date	Title	Country/Region Code*	Official/Unofficial	Other Details
late 2005	Behind The Scenes At The World's Fair	USA/Region 0	Official	available from www.fairvideo.com
late 2005	Bubba Ho-Tep (Collector's Edition)	Australia/Region 4	Official	Magna Films; cult film starring Bruce Campbell as a geriatric Elvis; 2DVD release including bonus features
late 2005	Elvis Has Left The Building	Australia/Region 4	Official	Comedy starring Kim Basinger; Paramount Pictures
late 2005	A Tribute to the King (Scotty Moore & Friends)	UK/Region 0	Official	Bonus features: Interview with Scotty Moore. Interview with Jerry Schilling. Interview with friends. Approx 25 minutes behind the scenes/rehearsal footage.Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo: English DTS 5.1: English
late 2005	Colonel Parker: De Manager van Elvis Presley	EC/Region 0	Official	Documentary tracing Colonel Parker's Dutch roots; available from Elvis Australia
late 2005	That's The Way It Is - The Rehearsals: Outtakes	Taiwan/Region 0	Unofficial	Popa Bear Productioons; around 90 minutes of footage; available both in DVD & DVDR format
late 2005	The Legendary Guitar of James Burton	USA/Region 0	Official	Released by Hot Licks
late 2005	Elvis Presley Story of A Legend	USA/Region 1 NTSC	Official	A&E Home Video; ASIN: B000AABKY0
late 2005	Elvis Presley: Spirit of Memphis	UK/Region 2	Official
late 2005	Sing Like The King: The Professional's Guide to Impersonating Elvis	USA/Region 0	Official	available from: www.almostelvis.com
late 2005	Doug Church: The Voice of the King in Concert	USA/Region 0	Official	available from: www.almostelvis.com
late 2005	Elvis Presley Karaoke	UK/Region 2	Official	OVC Media Ltd; ASIN: B0000V6S6O
late 2005	Elvis The Early Years (Legends In Concert)	UK/EC	Official	Claims to have footage of Elvis during his college days
late 2005	Elvis Meets Nixon	UK/Region 2	Official	CTD10383; ASIN B000BRBA24
late 2005	Time Warp	Czechoslovakia/Region 0	Unofficial	DVDR from Czech Republic; lip-synched audio; audience recorded video performances from 1974-1977; Chapter Menus; Dolby Digital 2.0 sound
late 2005	Elvis - His Best Friend Remembers	UK/Region	Official	by Joe Esposito; ASIN: B000BNT9C6
late 2005	Kid Galahad	USA/Region 1	Official
late 2005	Elvis Presley: In The Beginning	UK/Region 0	Official	released by Clasic Rock Legends
late 2005	Elvis Presley The Early Years	UK/Region 0	Official	released by Classic Rock Legends; ASIN: B000BVK846
early 2006	on stage with elvis	EC/Region 0	Unofficial	2DVD follow-up to 'Behind the Scenes"; More footage from TTWII; available from Pavel Cernocky
Jan 2006	Elvis The Early Years	Australia/Region 4	Official	Universal
Jan 2006	Elvis Presley: Spirit of Memphis	Australia/Region 4	Official	www.rajonvision.com.au
Jan 2006	Elvis By The Presleys	Japan/Region 2	Official	2DVD; available from Amazon
Jan 2006	The E Files (The Elvis Files)	UK/Region 2/Australia Region 4	Official	1990 Gail Giorgio documentary based around her book of the same name ; budget price; available from amazon.co.uk
early 2006	Elvis On Tour Outtakes Vol. 2	EC	Unofficial	Footage from 1972
early 2006	Elvis On Tour Outtakes Vol. 3	EC	Unofficial	Interview with picture slide show
Feb 2006	Love Me Tender (Special Edition)	USA/Region 1	Official	20th Century Fox; first ever real 'special edition' Elvis film DVD release: features are 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; available from Amazon
Feb 2006	Elvis Presley	UK/Region 2	Official	60 minutes playing time
Feb 2006	Remembering Elvis	Australia/Region 4	Official	released by Force Entertainment; budget price; available from www.ezydvd.com.au
Feb 2006	The Memphis Flash	USA	Official	US release of DVD released in EC in August 2005; Bonus Features: Hardest Elvis Trivia Quiz in the World; Interactive Discography; NTSC format; ASIN: B0009WWEDA ; Music Video Distributors
Feb 2006: postponed until at least 31 Dec 2006	Elvis On Tour	Germany	Official	Warner Home Video; PAL Widescreen (1.85:1) format with Dolby Digital 1.0 audio in English and German. The running time is 90 minutes and the region code is "2". The DVD will not contain any bonus material. EAN-Number: 7321921501531
Feb 2006	Flaming Star	UK/Region 2	Official	20th Century Fox
March 2006	Wild In The Country	UK/Region 2	Official	20th Century Fox
March 2006	"Elvis The TV Times" DVD	Czechoslovakia	?	This 2 DVD set features all of Elvis Dorsey Brothers Stage Show appearances, the Ed Sullivan Shows, Elvis with Milton Berle, plus the complete Frank Sinatra "Welcom Home Elvis" Timex show. As a bonus an exclusive 1972 TV News Extra featuring Elvis live on stage at the Hilton, the Aloha press conference and the commercials for Walls, Cresta and Nike.
March 2006	Elvis 56	EC/Region 2		Official reissue from Wienerworld
March-April 2006	Elvis A Legendary Performer	EC/All Region	Unofficial	Based on the CD releases of the same name; expected to include the Ina Balin "nude" scene cut from most pressings of Charro; Charlie Hodge home movies and Houston Astrodome footage
April 2006	Broadcasting Live	EC/Region 2
April 2006	Charro	England/Region?		Offered by Todd Slaughter's British Fan Club; Hollywood Pictures
April 2006	Loving You	EC/Region 2	Official
April 2006	The Story	EC/Region 2	Official	IMC Vision; budget release
April 2006	Chain Reaction	EC/Region O	Unofficial	Digi-pack format; contains 8 mm footage from 1970 and 1971; running time 73 minutes
April 2006	Prince From Another Planet	EC/Region O	Unofficial	Digi-pack format; contains 8 mm footage from Madison Square Garden 1972 and as a bonus the press conference from June 9, 1972; running time 66 minutes
April 2006	Live Memories 1970	EC/Region O	Unofficial	Digi-pack format; contains 8 mm footage from 1970; running time 115 minutes
April 2006	Elvis Has Left The Building	Australia/Region 4	Official	Discount price reissue of Kim Basinger film
April 2006	The Elvis Jukebox	Australia/Region 4	Official	Discount price reissue
April 2006	Return To Splendour 2006	Czechoslovakia/Region 0	?	Czech fan club release; updated edition of earlier 'Return To Splendour'; Dolby 5.1 Surround; This edition comes with bonus material; 10 concert recordings, digitally remastered and in lip synch. NTSC
May 2006?	Elvis: The Movie	Japan/Region 2		Kurt Russell biopic; release announced on elvisnumberones messageboard but not listed on Amazon.jp in early May 2006
May 2006	Elvis: The Echo Will Never Die	Australia/Region 4	Official	Casey Kasem's famed documentary; discount price; available from EzyDvd
mid May 2006	Elvis The Early Years	Australia	Official	Mid priced release from Universal
May 2006	The Definitive Elvis	Australia	Official	"Revised" reissue of 8DVD boxset originally released in 2002
May 2006	Elvis: A 50th Anniversary Celebration	Australia	Official	Reissue
May 2006	Rock Milestones - Elvis Presley The Rock 'N' Roll Years	Australia	Official	Reissue of "Elvis Presley - Classic Albums"
May 2006	Elvis The Early Years	Australia	Official	CBS TV mini-series; Universal
May 2006	Celluloid Rock Volume 1	EC/Region 0	Unofficial	From Wonderland Records; 80 minutes; 2.0 Stereo; songs from Elvis films; digipack format
May 2006	Celluloid Rock Volume 2	EC/Region 0	Unofficial	From Wonderland Records; 73 minutes; 2.0 Stereo; songs from Elvis films; digipack format
May 2006	The TV Times	EC/Region 0	Unofficial??	All of Elvis' TV appearances except for the Comeback Special, Aloha & Elvis In Concert. Available from Elvis Unlimited.
May 2006	Elvis Presley Forever	EC/Region 0	Unofficial	Import compilation DVD with 26 performances from "That's The Way It Is", "Aloha From Hawaii" and "The '68 Comeback Special"(Source: Elvis For Everyone Fan Club
mid 2006	10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America - When America Was Rocked	USA/Region 1	Official	Part of the History Channel's documentary series - this episode looks at Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show
June 2006	Elvis The Later Years	EC/Region 2	?
June 2006	Gold Aus heißer Kehle (Loving You)	Germany/Region 2	Official	Being released with its German title!
August 2006	Elvis The '68 Comeback Special	USA/Region 1	Official (BMG)	Single disc edition postponed from 2005
August 2006	Elvis Aloha From Hawaii	USA/Region 1	Official (BMG)	Single disc edition postponed from 2005
Undated	In The Beginning	UK/Region 2	Official	Visuals: Black & white
Undated	Memphis Recording Sevice Vol. 2 1955: The Rise of Elvis Presley	USA/Region 0	Official	Follow-up to 2005 released Audio DVD; digipack format with book & 7" vinyl of "Mystery Train"
Undated	Heartbreak Hotel	UK/Region 2	Official	Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the release of Heartbreak Hotel
Undated	Elvis On Ed Sullivan	All regions	Official	BMG planned release with all 3 Elvis performances and bonus material; 1 or 2 disc release; mastered for optimal sound & picture quality
Rumoured release	Charro (see April 2006)			Unsubstantiated rumor
Rumoured release	Tickle Me			Unsubstantiated rumor
Rumoured release	Stay Away, Joe			Unsubstantiated rumor
Rumoured release	Kissin' Cousins			Unsubstantiated rumor
Rumoured release	Girl Happy			Unsubstantiated rumor