November 20 - Baby Let's Play With Liquid Vinyl

Available for pre-order is a 10-inch 78 RPM 'Liquid Vinyl' re-issue of the Elvis' SUN 217 single 'Baby Let's Play House / I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone'. This 70th Anniversary Edition is limited to 125 copies worldwide.

(Source: Pascal Matteo)

November 19 - Elvis On Record Volume 3

Author Paul Alner announced that there will be a third installment in his 'Elvis On Record' U.K. discography book series. 

He posted: "With volume 2 having been received so well I can announce that there will be a volume 3. However it will not be released until late 2027 in order that the 70th anniversary of Elvis signing for RCA and the 50th Anniversary of his passing can be incorporated."

Delayed

The Follow That Dream collectors label informed dealers that the 'California Holiday' double LP set is delayed until the end of December due to a manufacturing delay.

On the positive side, this does give you extra time to order the LP-set from the >>> from the Memphis Mansion and pick-up a free bonus 45 RPM.

Elvis 86

Here is the 'Elvis 86' CD that Gold Members of the Belgian ElvisMatters fan-club receive with their copy of the fan-club's quarterly magazine. The CD contains 12 selections, linked to the content of the magazine. 

Tracks: Heartbreak Hotel (Milton Berle Show, April 3, 1956 / Ready Teddy (Ed Sullivan Show, October 18, 1956) / Hound Dog (Ed Sullivan Show, October 18, 1956) / Don't Touch The Hair (by Mick Stenders) / Welcome To My World (January 14, 1973 Hawaii) * / I Need Somebody To Lean On / Until It's Time For You To Go (February 2, 1973 MS) / Sweet Caroline (February 2, 1973 MS) / Suspicious Minds (February 2, 1973 MS) / Can't Help Falling In Love (February 2, 1973 MS) / Blue Suede Shoes (August 21, 1969 MS) / Memories (August 21, 1969 MS) / In The Ghetto (August 21, 1969 MS) * Wrongly listed as June 21, 1977 - Rapid City

 

(Source: Paul Alner / Elvis My Happiness / Elvis On CD)

November 18 - It's Elvis Video Time

Volume 308 of the Dutch It's Elvis Time fan club magazine dropped on the doormat of the the club's members. This issue a review on the 'Elvis Hero of the Comic Books' and the 'Memphis' box-set (co-written by me). The magazine also contains interesting background stories and some great in-depth CD reviews. 

Among other things, a wonderful story about Elvis in Florida 1956 and a great story about Elvis in the STAX studios in 1973. After the lesser recordings in July 1973, the sessions in December 1973 were back to normal with an energetic and enthusiastic Elvis and a selection of new musicians. This led to great recordings such as ‘I got a feeling in my body’, ‘You asked me to’, ‘If you talk in your sleep’, ‘Promised land’ and the magnificent ‘Loving arms’.

The magazine also highlights Elvis as a comic book character. In the book ‘Elvis, Hero of the Comic Books’ readers learn about the enormous cultural influence of Elvis on the genre of comic books. You can read the complete review at >>> Poplar Tunes.

The magazine als has an extensive review of the 5-CD set (and 2-LP set) ‘Elvis Memphis’ with recordings that Elvis made in his hometown Memphis. From the early Sun recordings, the first of which were recorded 70 years ago, to the last studio recordings Elvis made at Graceland. In between, recordings from the American Sound sessions of January and February 1969, Stax Studio recordings from 1973 and live recordings from the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis on March 20, 1974. With the exception of the Sun recordings, all songs were remixed and remastered by four-time Grammy Award winner Matt Ross-Spang. All overdubs were stripped. So that the listener hears what Elvis and his band members brought pure and unadulterated in the studio.

For more information on the magazine and the fan-club, please visit the club's >>> website.

Official and Bootleg Videography

Italian author Marco Durzu published the 438-page book ‘Elvis Presley - Official and Bootleg Videography’, a sequel to his previous overviews of Elvis’ songs, concerts and bootleg releases. The book is available in a paperback and a hardcover edition.

Publicity stated: This book is dedicated to and wants to honor the videography of Elvis Presley and covers both the official and the bootleg video releases, covering 48 official films and TV-shows as released between 1956 and 1977: 31 Films (1956 - 1969), 2 concert-movies (1970 - 1972) and 15 TV-shows (1956 - 1977).

Included are:

• The Official Videography with 115 titles as released by 27 companies.
• The Bootleg Videography 1969 – 1977 with 177 titles.
• The Bootleg Videography with 1359 titles as released by 130 companies.
• A chapter on the YouTube video of Elvis Presley (including several cover artists / impersonators).

The book ends with chapters on Elvis on YouTube, tribute artist Bouke Scholten 

and guide to viewing digital video covering technical standards (HDTV, 4K, 8K) and soft and hardware (interfaces, cables, video-coding).

The book is available from >>> Amazon (associate link).

(Source: It's Elvis Time / Amazon)

Review Elvis December 58 - May 1959

The ink of visual biographer Paul Belard’s ‘Elvis 59 - April - May‘ hadn’t dried yet when ‘Elvis 58 - December’ already dropped on the doormat. Therefore, here is this 2-for-1 personal walkthrough review of the two books, released in October and November 2024, covering 3 months in detail from a six months period from Elvis’ Army years in Germany.

 

Design

 

Belard added further detail to the ever growing Elvis Presley timeline, sticking to his format: a photobook focusing on one, two or three months of Elvis life with some additional (reproductions of original) articles, paperwork and memorabilia. 

 

The reproductions of original articles place the photographs in the correct context. I hope Belard will consider adding some more text to these books as he has a pleasant writing style and his biography format from his works on Bill Black and “The Jester” (aka Colonel Parker), which presents content as short stories, would work very well here.

 

Presented on a white background, the photographs - most black and white with some color(ed) ones in between - stand out better than in the previous black design the author used. The image quality still varies too much, unfortunately, but Belard wants to be as complete as possible, so we take the good with the bad here.

 

Content

 

I like to think of these books as little timeboxes, opening these you’ll always find something you remember and something that surprises you. And why a walkthrough? Well for us European fans Elvis’ years in Germany are as close as it gets to walking a mile in his shoes. 

 

In April and May 1958 we follow Elvis on winter maneuvers in Grafenwöhr (south-east Germany, near the Czech border) with the Russian Army just a few miles away. This godforsaken remote place is one of the last places in Germany I need to complete my ‘In The Footsteps of Elvis” trips in Europe. When we were on a family holiday, the family didn’t see the fun of a two-hour trip to no man’s land … Can you relate to that as an Elvis fan?

 

At the end of the month he returned to Bad Nauheim and Frankfurt where he leased his BMW 507 car. Bad Nauheim is the No. 1 Elvis-town in Germany and the BMW is on display at the BMW-Welt car museum in München. Can you imagine Elvis "workday"? Driving to work is a tuned sportster that was previously owned by a racer, only to step into an old army jeep? 

Having visited both places, something I can advise to all fans, especially as it is part of the Elvis story - this book brings back good memories. 

 

Also covered in this volume are the March of Dimes photoshoot and a visit to the Holiday on Ice show. Fun to see that not only the young girls get a smile on their face when they manage to obtain a signature from Elvis, so do the older men (who could be their fathers). 

 

I must compliment Paul Belard on collecting all these images and relevant articles to present this complete overview. I’ve seen many of these before, but presented here on the Elvis time-line with articles and paperwork providing the correct context, they help me to complete and understand all the fragments I recognized. It puts a picture, literally, to the Elvis locations. 

Moving up 4 months on the timeline, to April and May 1959, we see Elvis relaxing at home playing records and his Isana jazz guitar. Seeing all these images I’m actually surprised to see how many of the “relaxed at home” photographs ended up on the front and back-covers of Elvis releases, even in 2024! 

 

A few days later it is open house at Ray Barracks in celebration of the eighteenth anniversary of the 3rd Armored Division. The main attraction may very well be the tour guide … Elvis, who is involved in taking visitors around. 

It’s nice to see even Vernon taking the tour of the barracks too, and many of his Army buddies wanting to get a picture. I would have expected to see more locals at an open house, wanting to learn what those Americans were doing in their village.

We also see Elvis in Steinfurth, where he assists (for the cameras only) in erecting a memorial monument honoring veterans of World War I. Another “to-do” item for my next trip to Germany.

 

This is followed by four lucky girls who won a contest to have tea with Elvis, organized by the German mag­azine Star Review. The article with the personal memories of one of the girls, Miss Rose­marie Kiel, sounds so real, including all the awkwardness of meeting an idol, that I felt like I was watching over her shoulder while she went to see Elvis. 

As a fan it is in teresting to get a look inside the house he rented on the Goethestraße 14 in Bad Nauheim, because as a fan I could only walk up to the gate so many years later. 

 

And how casual the setting may have been, and how traditional (or old-man-style) Elvis dressed for the occasion, on some of the images he is that hunk all those girls fell for!

 

Great to see pictures from the secret Farewell party for Ira Jones, the Sergeant Elvis drove around for a “daytime job”. While on the road, they shared a lot and became Army buddies. Elvis had brought his Jailhouse Rock jacket with him to Europe, it’s nice to see him wear it on a night out with the boys and girls. 

 

While in Germany our man did several photoshoots, but only one for record covers, Belard collected a nice overview from the publicity photo shoot in Frankfurt, where Don Cravens was the photographer. Looking back now, you realize how many of these images ended up on a record cover. 

At the end of the book there’s a great picture of some “young ladies” (young of mind that is) with Elvis. General opinion may have been that Elvis’ rise marked a generation gap, but looking at that image, there was no gap at all! This is one of the best / fun pictures in the book.

In between, the BMW 507 pops up several times in the background of some photographs, connecting the two books. The day-by-day overview of April and May ends with more fans, and Elvis playing some guitar. This is reason enough for me to play some of his German home-recordings again, really stepping into the world I see before me.  

 

Conclusion

 

These two volumes are insightful contributions to the Elvis Presley timeline, bringing back nice Elvis memories. The books don’t feature all the images that the 'Elvis - Like Any Other Soldier' book by Jerry Osborne and Barbara Hahn includes, but the pictures are presented in a more pleasing way, less scattered all over the pages - and with the correct date, so you get a better feel for the timeline. 

If Paul Belard continues at this rate, building from the bookshelf he has already started to fill, the fifties will be covered in no time.

The author informed me that he is working on several Army books, four on 1958, six or seven volumes on 1959 and three on Elvis' Army years in the sixties. When he is done, he will have published 15 or 16 books on Elvis in the Army, with more pictures than have ever been shown so far. 

The book, and all other volumes in this series, are available from the autor and online from Amazon. For the 'Elvis 58 - December' >>> click here. For the Elvis 59 April May' book >>> click here (associate links).

You can also buy your signed copy directly from the author. You can >>> contact him here by mail.

November 16 - Charts November 2024 - Week 3

After gaining some places on the charts last week, there was less movement this week with the wins and loss of places pretty much in balance. 

 

Official U.K. charts:

• Official Album chart: 'ELV1S 30 #1 Hits' lost 6 places, dropping from No. 43 to No. 49. 
• Official Streaming Album chart: 'ELV1S 30 #1 Hits' lost the places the album had won last week, and dropped from No. 36 to No. 39. 

Irish IRMA charts: 

• Official Irish Album chart: 'ELV1S 30#1 Hits' won 2 places, climbing to No. 82. 

Billboard charts:   

• Billboard Top Country Album chart: 'ELV1S 30 #1 Hits' remained steady at No. 36.    
• Billboard Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart: 'ELV1S 30 #1 Hits' climbed up 2 places, from the bottom-spot to No. 48. 
• Top Holiday Album chart: 'The Classic Christmas Album' lost 3 spots and dropped to No. 18. 

US Book Charts: 

Extra charts from the U.S. this week, for the Lisa Marie Presley biography. On the New York Times 'Combined Print and E-Book Nonfiction' bestsellers lists, 'From Here To The Great Unknown' lost 3 spots, dropping to No. 9. On the nonfiction hardcover bestsellers list the memoir remained steady at No. 6. On the Audiobook bestsellers list for November, the book is still listed at No. 2.

The book fell off the Publisher's Weekly Top 10 Non Fiction Hardcover list.

The new Netflix documentary 'Return of the King' is a hit. It made the top 3 on Netflix, rated 97% positive on 'The Decider' and got a 7.6 /10 score on IMDB. The documentary inspired Entertainment Weekly to revisit the King's cinematic footprint as they rank 'Elvis’ 10 best Movie Performances'.

Though renowned for his musical legacy, less respect is given to Elvis Presley’s varied filmography. While many Elvis films haven’t stood the test of time, it would be unfair to say his cinematic career was a flop. His work spawned entire genres of imitators, setting the tone for teenage delinquent and beach party movies in equal measure. The performer turned in more than a dozen exceptional performances on screen between 1956 and 1969.

The 10 Best Elvis Movies:

1. King Creole (1958): Directed by Casablanca’s Michael Curtiz is Elvis' best film by a country mile.
2. Jailhouse Rock (1957):  A rather stunning, surprisingly dark entry as Elvis’ filmography goes. Far more thoughtful and haunting than anyone probably expected from an Elvis movie, Jailhouse Rock remains a high watermark.
3. Viva Las Vegas (1964): One of the most rambunctious, fun, and least culturally problematic installments in the King’s filmography.
4. Loving You (1957).
5. Blue Hawaii (1961).
6. Change of Habit (1969).
7. Wild in the Country (1961).
8. G.I. Blues (1960).
9. Love Me Tender (1956).
10. Roustabout (1964).

You can't help falling in love with these classic films. Visit the Entertainment Weekly sebsite for the >>> complete article.

(Source: Billboard / Official Chart Company / IRMA / UK Mix Forum/ IPFI / Amazon / NY Times / Publisher's Weekly / Entertainment Weekly) 

November 15 - The Essential Presley Masters

Anthony Stuchbury shared the details of the RDM-Edition record label release 'PRESLEY - The Essential 50’s Masters'.

Publicity stated: PRESLEY is offered within a ‘slipcased’ 4 CD jewel case. Inside an eight page booklet with essay by esteemed Elvis author David Parker. The four silver pressed CD’s containing 109 tracks, as part of a conceptual design by Anthony Stuchbury and David Parker. The release date is to be announced. 

You’ve seen the slipcase cover, but now, here is the primary design artwork and tracklist.

Note: besides the Master, this se also contains some nice surprises like All Shook Up' with the count in', 'Party - Alternate Master', 'Loving You - Orchestral Movie Version ', 'Mean Woman Blues - Movie Master', 'Don't Leave Me Now' with the count in, 'White Christmas' with count in', 'Crawfish' in a Kitty White Duet Movie Mix, the LP version of 'Doncha' Think It's Time'  and the undubbed version with count in of '' Wear My Ring Around Your Neck'. 

CD 1: I Love You Because (RCA Master) - That's All Right (45 rpm Dry Master) - Blue Moon Of Kentucky - Blue Moon - I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin') - Just Because - Good Rockin' Tonight - I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine - Milkcow Blues Boogie - You're A Heartbreaker - I'm Left, Your Right, She's Gone - Baby Let's Play House - I Forgot To Remember To Forget - Mystery Train - Tryin' To Get To You - I Got A Woman - Heartbreak Hotel - Money Honey - I'm Counting On You - I Was The One - Blue Suede Shoes - My Baby Left Me - One Sided Love Affair - So Glad You're Mine -  I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You) - Tutti Frutti - Lawdy Miss Clawdy - Shake, Rattle And Roll - I Want You, I Need You, I Love You - Hound Dog - Don't Be Cruel - Any Way You Want Me.

CD 2: We're Gonna Move - Love Me Tender - Poor Boy - Let Me - Playing For Keeps - Love Me - How Do You Think I Feel - How's The World Treating You - When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again - Long Tall Sally - Old Shep - Paralyzed - Too Much - Anyplace Is Paradise - Ready Teddy - First In Line - Rip It Up - I Believe - Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do - All Shook Up (With Count  In) - Mean Woman Blues - Peace In The Valley - That's When Your Heartaches Begin - Party (Alternate Master) - Take My Hand Precious Lord - Lonesome Cowboy - (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear - Loving You (Orchestral Movie Version) - Hot Dog - Party - Mean Woman Blues (Movie Master).

CD 3: It Is No Secret (What God Can Do) - Blueberry Hill - Have I Told You Lately That I Love You - Is It So Strange - Don't Leave Me Now (With Count In) - I Beg Of You - One Night - True Love - I Need You So - Loving You (Record Version) - Jailhouse Rock - Young And Beautiful - I Want To Be Free - Baby I Don't Care - Don't Leave Me Now - Treat Me Nice - Blue Christmas - My Wish Came True - White Christmas (With Count In) - Here Comes Santa Claus - Silent Night - Don't - O Little Town Of Bethlehem.

CD 4: Santa Bring My Baby (Back To Me) - Santa Claus Is Back In Town - I'll Be Home For Christmas - Hard Headed Woman - Trouble - New Orleans - Crawfish (Record Vocal Mix) - Crawfish (Kitty White Duet - Movie Mix) - Dixieland Rock - Lover Doll - Don't Ask Me Why - As Long As I Have You - King Creole - Young Dreams - Steadfast, Loyal And True - Doncha' Think It's Time (Single Version) - Doncha' Think It's Time (LP Version) - Wear My Ring Around Your Neck (Undubbed With Count In) - Wear My Ring Around Your Neck - I Need Your Love Tonight - A Big Hunk O' Love - A Fool Such As I - I Got Stung.

Colored Vinyl

Due for release from the French V.P.I. Record label on November 15, 2024 are re-issues of the original German 45 RPM EP 'Peace in the Valley' and the Italian 'El Re del Rock & Roll'.

Publicity stated: Elvis Presley's 1957 single ‘Peace in the Valley’ contains four gospel songs, including the title track. This recording reveals Elvis's attachment to spiritual music and his ability to interpret religious hymns with depth, marking an important moment in his musical career. Available on blue, red, white, green and yellow colored vinyl.

Side A

1. There'll Be Peace In The Valley (For Me) 
2. It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)

Side B
1. I Believe
2. Take My Hand, Precious Lord

‘Il Re Del Rock 'n' Roll’ is an Italian single by Elvis Presley released in 1957, celebrating the King of Rock and Roll. It contains such iconic tracks as ‘I Got A Woman’ and ‘I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry’, offering a glimpse of Elvis' influence on the international rock scene. Available on white, red, yellow, transparent and orange colored vinyl. 

Side A: I Got A Woman / I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry.

Side B: Just Because / Tryin' To Get To You.

All colors are limited to 200 copies each.

You can order the >>> U.S. ‘Peace in The Valley’ EP and the >>> Italian ‘Il Re Del Rock & Roll’ single from the Culture Factory webshop. 

(Source: Anthony Stuchbury / Culture Factory)

November 14 - Review From Here to the Great Unknown

In 2022, audiences were introduced to the ‘ELVIS’ biopic, followed by the ‘Priscilla’ movie in 2023. In both films, Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ only child, was largely absent from the story, likely because she was still a child when he passed away. 

Now, in 2024, Riley Keough gives her mother a voice through this memoir. Does this biography complete the Presley family history?

Design

What first strikes you about this book is the cover. Taken from a well-known Presley family photoshoot, it’s clear that Priscilla has been cropped out. Elvis peers mischievously around the corner, while Lisa Marie stares into the camera with a cold expression. 

The initial reaction might be, why not use some of the more “happy” images from this shoot of Elvis and his daughter with her blonde pigtails? But as you read the book, the choice becomes clear: this is a fitting image.

When it comes to photographs, one thing missing in this memoir is a dedicated photo section. With so many beautiful and relevant images available, the biography would have benefitted from more illustrations to accompany the various stages of Lisa Marie’s life. Pictures help to keep the memory of a person alive, and here we’re only given about 10 snapshot-like photos. The one photo that stands out it the candid of mother and daughter on the back, where Riley sticks out her tongue playfully. A more cheerful image of Elvis and his daughter on the front would have complemented this one well.

Readers who bought the book through the Graceland webshop received a lithograph with a touching image captures a tender moment between a young Riley and her mother, Lisa Marie. The lithograph was hand-signed by Riley.

The title of the book, a lyric from ‘Where No One Stands Alone’, one of Lisa Marie Presley’s duets with her father, hints at the emotional depth of the book. Now, her daughter Riley has done something similar, using material that her mother recorded in the last years of her life. 

Keough enlisted help to bring her mother’s words to life, with actress Julia Roberts lending her voice to Lisa Marie. Roberts commented, “I was so moved by Lisa Marie’s incredible memoir. It was a real privilege to give voice to her wild and beautiful life, and I deeply appreciate Riley entrusting me with her mother’s story.” 
Audiobook listeners have said that it’s worth experiencing the audio version, as each chapter begins with a short clip from the tapes Lisa Marie recorded, making this memoir feel personal and poignant.

Content

The memoir can be summarized as: In this account of the Elvis’ only child, mother and daughter cover the highs and lows of a tumultuous life. Lisa Marie recalls her childhood at Graceland, including the trauma of finding her father dead at age 9, experiencing sexual abuse from her mother’s boyfriend a year later, and a suicide attempt at 16. Her teenage years were largely shaped by Priscilla Presley’s hands-off approach, which included dropping Lisa Marie off at the Church of Scientology’s Celebrity Centre. 

Searching for love, purpose, and belonging, Lisa Marie went through four marriages: with Danny Keough (her “partner” until her death), Nicolas Cage, and famously, Michael Jackson, before her final marriage to Michael Lockwood. Her relationships included one abortion (“the stupidest thing I’ve ever done”), a daughter and son (with Keough), and twin daughters (with Lockwood). 

After a C-section with her twins, she developed a serious opioid addiction, that escalated to 80 pills daily. Her grief compounded when her son took his life in 2020. After that, she was never the same, ultimately passing in 2023 from a cardiac arrest due to a small bowel obstruction.

Though the summary sounds harsh, so, unfortunately, was much of Lisa Marie’s life. On the first pages, she sets the tone, revealing that she adored her father, wanted to do anything for him, and was always seeking his approval, even when he was unfairly angry.

She recalls kissing her father goodnight on the night he passed, telling him she loved him, to which he responded, “Go to bed”. The next morning, the nine-year-old saw her father being wheeled into an ambulance, learning he had tragically passed. “My life as I knew it was completely over,” she wrote.

About her mother, she writes that she may have wanted to be rid of her (unborn child) even before she was born. Priscilla got pregnant at the age of 22, but she didn’t want to have a baby because she wanted to be that beautiful, slim woman beside Elvis, given all the competition she thought she saw. Lisa Marie said ”I was a pain in her ass immediately, and I always felt she didn’t want me”. 

Overall Priscilla comes across as a southern belle ice queen in the book. Lisa Marie wrote: “It was a one-two punch: he’s dead, and I’m stuck with her.” When they joined Scientology, Lisa felt her mother “dumped” her there. Later, they reached a truce when both had small children, but you don’t sense a real reconciliation. “People think I’m a bitch because I have my mom’s chilly thing” Lisa wrote. The book omits Priscilla’s role in caring for Lisa Marie’s twins during Lisa’s rehab battles. 

Many other details, including her music career and charity work with “Presley Place,” are only lightly touched upon. Also absent are Lisa’s half-brother Navarone and of course Lisa’s twins Finley and Harper and the custody battle with Lockwood (who is completely omitted), but perhaps that was done to protect these young girls. 

As Riley worked from tapes her mother recorded in her lowest moments they are “raw and honest”. She transcribed and edited the tapes, and adding her commentary, she noted in the preface that her mother “was constitutionally incapable of hiding anything from me”. 

The alternating mother and daughter narration, resulting in "a haunting harmony that builds to a crescendo of heartbreak" according to the New York Times. Reading the book you see that Riley add a more holistic view to these memories, as she set out to do.

As Variety aptly put it: “There’s a brutal honesty that you have to think probably wouldn’t have survived if Lisa Marie had survived long enough to clean up the rawness of her feelings on the tapes she left behind. For better or worse, and you have to think better, she was captured at a point in time when she had exactly zero fucks left to give. And Riley, for all of the relatively sanguine parts of her public persona, has admirably seen no need to sugarcoat any of it, either”. 

Riley has her way with words and provides a fitting context for the stories her mother left behind. These are written in a somewhat staccato manner, they seem like short quotes from the tapes, placed one after the other. I sometimes wondered whose biography I was reading because Riley used the first person form. But doing so, she took me on the journey of her mother’s life.

Listening to the audio-book edition it is a very strange experience to hear Lisa’s voice. I never really listened to her speaking voice, but listening now, it is a little haunting, and in some fragments she kind-off sounds like she is on something, just listening to how she talks. But perhaps that added to the honesty of the memories she recorded for herself.

Using fragments with Lisa's voice make the audiobook very real, Lisa's story comes alive, as it is not only told by others. Riley's voice sounds like she is telling the stories from her life and perspective. At the same time,  she also sounds a bit sad, which is completely understandable when you realize the task she gave herself finish her mother’s book so shortly after her unexpected death. I wouldn’t want to stand in her Gucci shoes. But being Lisa's daughter, listening to her voice makes adds to de personal listening experience of this memoir.  

That said, Julia Robert's narration of Lisa's voice had more, or should I say the right intonation, she plays this role perfectly, you can tell she is an actresses. I'm not a fan of audiobooks, but here it really has additional value and it is worth considering to get this a version next to the physical copy.

Some people will find the book too honest and / or won't like the book. Beginning with her mother Priscilla, who had a strained relationship with the daughter she didn't want / couldn’t love or the rumored rift with Priscilla in the final years before she died, or her opposition to the release of her self-titled movie. 

Elvis’ last girlfriend Ginger Alden may feel criticized. Lisa Marie doubts if she really loved her father since they had so many arguments (and which Lisa Marie overheard eavesdropping the phone at Graceland) and she asks the question if Ginger was really there for her father when he needed her. “I didn’t mind Ginger, but I didn’t like her. Nobody did”. 

And finally is Michael Edwards, who molested / sexually abused her and used drugs with Priscilla in a violent relationship, according to the memoir. This part of the book is deleted from the book in the United Kingdom, Australia and several other countries. 

Various media outlets have asked Priscilla for a comment, but she has not commented, though she may address these claims in her own memoir expected in 2025. Edwards reacted that some parts regarding his feelings for Lisa Marie in his own biography (1988) were written to “sell books”, but the notion that he molested Lisa Marie was “just a fabrication” according to Edwards. 

Lisa Marie credited her mother for choosing not to spoil her, unlike her dad, and instilling discipline, sending her to boarding school where she could be herself, work in her own tempo, finding her own way in life. Unfortunately, she took a wrong turn ending doing the works: “sex and drugs and Rock and Roll”.

Surprisingly, Michael Jackson is portrayed positively. Keogh recalls: “At home they were a regular married couple. They would drive us to school together in the morning, just like a normal family, though sometimes Michael would bring along a chimpanzee". It revealed a side to the man rarely seen. Presley and Jackson were the only two people who could understand the fundamental strangeness of each other’s lives, and they could bare their souls to each other without fear of judgment. “I fell in love with him because he was normal,” Presley writes, a comment on Jackson you don’t read every day.

Danny Keough, her first love, remained her soulmate to the end, living in the same house. And although they knew they would not make it as a married couple, they stayed connected while living their own lives “together”, until the very last moment. He seems always present in the background throughout the book.

Reading her story, Lisa Marie resembled her father more than expected, both seeking life’s meaning through destructive paths. Both found comfort in spirituality and similar books, revealing the close bond she shared with her father, with her first line: “I felt my father could change the weather. He was a God to me. A chosen human being”.

Curiously, the 10 happy years in England were also the years that the addiction to drugs returned. This is not really explained, other than that the addiction had always been lurking, and moved far from the friends who had surrounded her before they got a hold of her again. Her son Ben, whom she compared to Elvis’ bond with his mother, eventually shared her struggles.

Despite the personal experiences with drugs-users, Riley sounds a little naïve about the use of substances and even Elvis abuse, downplaying it. At one point she even contradicts her mother’s memories of Elvis’ outbreaks when he needed a fix, saying Elvis just followed doctor’s orders. No it was the other way around, he told the doctors what to prescribe him. 

It was sad to read the chapter about Riley’s brother Ben. His death and farewell are mainly told through the eyes of Riley, while it was the proverbial final blow for her mother. From then on, Lisa Marie’s own death was something of a foregone conclusion. If his mother felt that, both by nature and by nurture, “Ben didn’t stand a fucking chance,” then she was equally cursed: “I guess I didn’t really have a shot in hell”.

The book also highlights Priscilla’s absence during Lisa’s hardest times. It’s painful to read how Riley had to inform her mother of Ben’s death and how she learned of her mother’s passing while on a plane to Los Angeles on the way to see her. 
The book ends with a personal touch from a daughter who recently had become a mother (new of the birth of Elvis’ granddaughter Tupelo broke during the memorial service for Lisa Marie) and the joy the newborn brought Lisa Marie.

Conclusion

This memoir is the story Lisa Marie never completed. Writing this book, Riley Keough wanted “to make her mother known”, and she succeeded, these are the last words of the only child of an American icon. It’s also, in part, Riley’s memoir of her first 35 years, as she literally presents her mother’s story and her version of the events. Riley’s words give context and continuity to the stories her mother left behind. 

And although it is not an Elvis book - he is only present in the first two chapters - it is a real gift to Elvis fans. It offers a unique, intimate insight into the idiosyncrasies of growing up Presley, with all its wealth and absurdities and surprising normalities like Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson being “an ordinary couple” bringing the kids to school (OK, occasionally with a chimpanzee in tow).

The conclusion left after reading the book is that Lisa Marie had a sad life. She is quoted saying that grief “anchors itself in your system”, and for Lisa Marie, this may have started even before she was born. That makes this book, at moments, a gut-punch and a jaw-dropper. 

But what also comes through the pages is a sensitive, gentle but not whitewashed portrait of a woman who is kind, intuitive, insecure, funny as hell, generous, flawed, loyal, and fiercely loving, making this a warm book, lovingly written by her daughter. It is a recommended read for anyone wanting to understand Elvis’ daughter beyond her public image and an important addition to the vast Elvis library as it paints a picture of the impact of the Presley dynasty. A dynasty enshrined in the cultural history of America like the Kennedy’s - and the problems that came with it. 

This is definitely the story of Lisa Marie Presley. Perhaps not 100 percent complete, but a 100 percent pure and soul-baring look into her life, which is important to keep the memory of the woman she truly was alive. 

Fortunately I also learned that Riley Keough is a very strong woman. She found a way to use the strength of her mother and her own talents - not using the Presley name like others - in a positive way and into decisive action. How she ended the family troubles after her mother died, and how handled the recent troubles regarding the plot to steal the Graceland Mansion are good examples. 

Riley Keough seems willing and able to safeguard the future of her family’s legacy, and that is a positive conclusion from a sad memoir.

The book is available from all major bookstores, on online through >>> Amazon.com and >>> Amazon U.K. or a local Amazon near you.

November 14 - Vintage Retrospective at 90

An unknown record label announced the  November 25, 2024 release of ‘Retrospective Elvis 1969 - Selected Recordings Volume 1 to 4’.

Publicity stated: Selected Recordings celebrates the 55th anniversary of Elvis' legendary recordings at the American Sound Studio in Memphis, Tennessee plus other recordings from that magical year of 1969. This is the perfect addition to the official CD releases such as the fantastic CD box 'American Sound 1969'. 

This collection is a collection of recordings that have been released over the years on dozens of import CDs and LPs. The collection also contains recordings that have never before been released on CD, as well as some unreleased recordings! Some outtakes that have already been officially released on, for example, 'American Sound 1969' can now be heard in the uncut version. Of course, we used the very best sources for these recordings. 

Never before has such an extensive and diverse collection from 1969 been brought together, including many other (unique) recordings in addition to the many alternative recordings from the American Sound Studio. 

Each CD is beautifully designed and comes with an 8-page CD booklet. In addition to the official releases, this is the ultimate alternate Elvis 1969 collection! 

The first CD, covering January 1969, contains 33 tracks, including recordings from the Draft Mix tape, a vocal only version of 'Don't Cry Daddy', 2 original different mixes of the track 'Poor Man's Gold' (instrumental only), and more! 

Also included is the complete rehearsal / session of 'Come Out, Come Out (Wherever You Are)'. This complete rehearsal / session was only released on CD once in 2002. After that, the session was only released incomplete. Fortunately, you can hear the complete rehearsal / session on this CD! 

CD 1 - From The Draft Mix Tape: 01 This Is The Story (Backup Vocals Overdub) 02 Wearin’ That Loved On Look (Unused Composite) 03 In The Ghetto (Backup Vocals Overdub / Unrepaired Vocals) 04 Rubberneckin’ (Backup Vocals Overdub - Partial Backing Vocals) 05 Inherit The Wind (Unused Composite) 06 Mama Liked The Roses (Harmony Vocal Overdub By Elvis - Not Used) 07 Don’t Cry Daddy (Harmony Vocal Overdub By Elvis) 08 From A Jack To A King (Backup Vocals Overdub) 09 Suspicious Minds (Harmony Vocal Overdub By Elvis - Not Used) 10 Gentle On My Mind (Track Replacement / Vocal Repair) 11 Come Out, Come Out (Wherever You Are) (Instrumental Take 2) 12 Poor Man’s Gold (Instrumental Take) 

Vocal Overdub: 13 Don’t Cry Daddy (Vocal Only) 

Come out, Come Out (Wherever You Are: 14 Rehearsal Instrumental 15 Slow Tempo Rehearsal “Number One” Instrumental 16 Slow Tempo Rehearsal “Number Two” Instrumental 17 Medium Tempo Rehearsal “Number One” Instrumental 18 Medium Tempo Rehearsal “Number Two” Instrumental 19 Rehearsal (1) Instrumental 20 Rehearsal (2-4) Instrumental 21 Rehearsal (5) Instrumental 22 Rehearsal (6) Instrumental 23 Rehearsal (7) Instrumental 24 Rehearsal (8-10) Instrumental 25 Rehearsal (11-12) Instrumental 26 Rehearsal (13) Instrumental 27 Love Is Strange 28 A Blues Jam (Instrumental) 29 Rehearsal Before Take 1 Instrumental (Part Only) POOR MAN’S GOLD 30 Instrumental Take 12 31 Vocal Overdub (Part Only) Take 1 / Abandoned (Vocal Only) 32 Instrumental Take 12 With Abandoned Vocal Overdub 

A Private Phonecall: 33 Arlene Cogan Calls Elvis In Memphis Telephone Call From Chicago, Illinois To Memphis, Tennessee.

CD 2 – February 1969: contains 30 tracks, including many studio outtakes, 2 original different mixes of the track 'Memory Revival' (instrumental only) and some rare recordings from acetate. 

Outtakes: 01 True Love Travels On A Gravel Road (Take 3) 02 Power Of My Love (Rehearsal + Take 2) 03 Kentucky Rain (Take 1) 04 Do You Know Who I Am? (Take 7) 05 If I’m A Fool (For Loving You) (Takes 4 & 5) 06 After Loving You (Take 1) 07 Any Day Now (Take 1) 08 Any Day Now (Take 2) 09 And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind (Rehearsal And Tuning) 10 And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind (Take 1 & Take 3) 11 And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind (Take 4) 12 True Love Travels On A Gravel Road (Take 5) 13 True Love Travels On A Gravel Road (Take 8) 14 True Love Travels On A Gravel Road (Takes 9 & 10) 15 True Love Travels On A Gravel Road (Guitar And Tambourine Overdub - Not Used / Incomplete) 16 Power Of My Love (Take 4) 17 Power Of My Love (Take 5) 18 Power Of My Love (Take 6a) 19 Only The Strong Survive (Rehearsal) 20 Only The Strong Survive (Take 2) 21 Only The Strong Survive (Take 3) 22 Only The Strong Survive (Take 4) 23 Only The Strong Survive (Take 5) 24 Only The Strong Survive (Take 6) 25 Only The Strong Survive (Take 7)

Track Recording: 26 Memory Revival (Instrumental Track) 

Acetate Recordings: 27 Power Of My Love (Harmony Vocal Overdub / Incomplete) 28 True Love Travels On A Gravel Road (Harmony Vocal Overdub) 29 Do You Know Who I Am? (Harmony Vocal Overdubbed After Vocal Repair) 30 Memory Revival (Instrumental Track)

CD 3 – January – May 1969: contains 20 tracks, including recordings from the overdub sessions, a rare acetate recording of 'Mama Liked The Roses', outtakes from February 1969 + 2 track recordings. 

Overdub Sessions: 01 Stranger In My Own Home Town (Brass overdubbed, after string overdubs) 02 Power Of My Love (Backup vocals overdub / Unedited master) 03 Only The Strong Survive (String overdubs) 04 I’m Movin’ On (Band and brass overdubs / unrepaired vocals) 05 Suspicious Minds (String overdubs) 06 Inherit The Wind )String overdubs - V.O. 1) 07 Inherit The Wind (String overdubs - V.O. 2) 

Acetate Recording 08 Mama Liked The Roses (Strings overdubbed, after brass overdubs)

February Outtakes: 09 Any Day Now (Take 3) 10 Any Day Now (Take 4) 11 Kentucky Rain (Take 1) 12 Kentucky Rain (Take 2) 13 Kentucky Rain (Take 4) 14 Do You Know Who I Am? (Take 2) 15 Do You Know Who I Am? (Take 3) 16 Do You Know Who I Am? (Take 4) 17 Do You Know Who I Am? (Take 5) 18 Do You Know Who I Am? (Take 6) 

Track Recordings 19 My Little Friend (Instrumental track) 20 Mama Liked The Roses (Instrumental track)

CD 4 – January – September 1969: contains outtakes from January 1969, soundtrack sessions for 'Change of Habit' including the complete movie version of 'Change of Habit' (with bass by Carol Kaye) and 'Have A Happy', scoring sessions for the movie, and much more! A total of 36 tracks! 

January Outtakes: 01 In The Ghetto (Take 1) 02 In The Ghetto Takes (2 & 3) 03 In The Ghetto (Take 12) 04 Wearin’ That Loved On Look (Take 4) 05 Wearin’ That Loved On Look (Take 6) 06 Wearin’ That Loved On Look Takes (7, 8 & 9) 07 Wearin’ That Loved On Look (Take 11) 08 Long Black Limousine (Take 4) 09 From A Jack To A King (Take 4) 10 Rubberneckin’ (Take 1) 

Vocal Overdub: 11 In The Ghetto (Vocal only) 

Change Of Habit Soundtrack Sessions: 12 Change Of Habit (Movie version / bass by Carol Kaye) 13 Have A Happy (Movie version) 14 Let Us Pray (Backup vocal overdub on March 26 / not used) 15 Have A Happy (Instrumental track) 

Change Of Habit Scoring Sessions: 16 Universal emblem 17 Empty street 18 Have A Happy 19 Bags of paint 20 Chi Ki - Chi Ki 21 Elvis leads Barbara away 22 Girls enter church 23 Have A Happy 24 Irene at desk 25 Michelle undressing 26 Neighborhood heckling 27 Have A Happy #3 28 Instrumental (Not used) 29 End Title 

From The Movie Change Of Habit: 30 Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Jam session) 31 Let Us Pray (Movie version) 32 Rubberneckin’ (Movie version) 

For The Movie Change Of Habit: 33 Radio Spot 34 Interview at Universal City with Mary Tyler Moore 

Unrepaired Live Masters: 35 Runaway (August 25, 1969 dinner show) 36 Johnny B. Goode (August 24, 1969 midnight show).

Graphic Elvis

Graphic artist Alan Barbara updated the information on his upcoming DVD project, they will come with a small gift. 

He posted on Facebook: I'm thrilled to share an exciting update about my upcoming Elvis documentary that’s currently in progress! This project is my labor of love, inspired by a lifetime of admiration and countless hours spent watching every Elvis documentary out there. Of all the tributes to the King, This Is Elvis has always held a special place in my heart, and my documentary is envisioned as a spiritual continuation of that classic.

What sets my project apart is the unique storytelling approach, using Elvis’s voice and cutting-edge AI technology to guide you through the journey. Imagine hearing Elvis himself narrate the chapters of his incredible story, taking you deeper into moments you’ve never experienced in this way before. This isn't just a documentary; it’s an immersive journey that aims to captivate and inspire, leaving every fan with chills and a renewed connection to the legend.

Every chapter of this documentary is crafted with immense dedication, each one taking up to two months to perfect because I believe Elvis and his fans deserve nothing but the best. This is my first venture into documentary filmmaking, and with over 10 years of experience in video creation, I’m determined to make this one to remember. I ask for your patience and support as I put everything into this project, aiming to honor Elvis’s legacy and make him proud.

This is more than a documentary; it’s history reborn. One fan, one vision, and one unstoppable drive to make history all over again. Stay tuned, it's coming, and it will be worth the wait.

Clambake In Stereo

The Elvis Files website announced the Easter 2025 double LP release of 'Clambake '67' in full stereo. The discs come housed in two separate gatefolds, with aa 350-page hardback book containing hundreds of unseen pictures. 

More information when available. 

Vintage Rock

Issue 72 of the Vintage Rock magazine is out. With Sam Cooke on the cover, the magazine looks ahead of what would have been Elvis’ 90th birthday next January. The editors gazed in their crystal ball to plan out an alternative future for the King of Rock ’n’ Roll had he lived.

(Source: Elvis Shop London /  Vintage Rock)