Piers Beagley of the >>> Elvis Information Network wrote the first review on the 2017 edition of 'Elvis Day By Day'. Thanks for you valuable contributions to the book, and still being able to write an unbiased review.
Kees Mouwen's very first 'Elvis Day By Day' Special' was his year-book compiling "everything Elvis" from 2019. In his introduction that very first year he wrote that "perhaps this is the start of a tradition" - and indeed it was and with every year-book since then being bigger and brighter.
Not only do these annuals show fans’ fascination with Elvis Presley but also how his legacy is still growing even after all these years. It demonstrates the power of our hero that there are still so many books, CDs, vinyl, dvds and bootlegs being released every single year. It was after his first two volumes 2019 and 2020 that Kees Mouwen decided to publish the backstory of "The Year In Review 2018". Being the 50th anniversary of the Comeback Special, as well as the year 'Elvis Presley: The Searcher' was released, it was an important 12 months.
Of course, since Elvis’ untimely death in 1977 every decade since then has been a year of not only remembering Elvis' tragic passing but also an important reminder that we all need to celebrate what an amazing legacy he left us with. So I was more than pleased when Kees announced his publication of another 'backstory', his "2017 The Year In Review".
There was a lot going on back in 2017 including the "40th Anniversary" and once again it is a beautifully compiled 480-page book of “everything Elvis” that was in the news that year.
First a declaration of interest since the Elvis Information Network and Elvis Day By Day are two of the world’s key websites posting daily news in the Elvis world. There is no doubt that this is the kind of book that would appeal to me - and both Nigel Patterson and I are credited with helping with the book - with some of our articles and reviews included. However we had nothing to do with the book's design, decision on content nor the publication. This is all Kees Mouwen's hard work.
How he finds the time to write these books, as well as keep his Elvis Day By Day blog updated I truly have no idea. The book’s design, with a packed 480-pages, is as always top-notch, nicely laid-out, easy to read and with lots of glorious photos of our man.
The Foreword by Paul Sweeney neatly affirms: “Thanks to Kees’ dedication, fans can look back at 2017 as not only a celebration of the past but a living testimony to Elvis’ enduring power.
What made 2017 even more remarkable was how it revealed the way Elvis continues to connect across generations. Fans who had followed him since the 1950s found themselves standing alongside younger listeners who were just discovering his music for the first time.
That blend of old and new audiences proved what many of us have always known: Elvis is timeless. His voice, his presence, his artistry, none of it has faded.”
The book as always lists what happened day-by-day and the revelation is that hardly a day went by without some kind of product or Elvis news being publicised. For instance in the month of January 2017 there were only nine days that didn't featured some kind of Elvis news.
The year started with the beginning of Elvis' "Birthday celebrations" in Graceland and with the first publication being 'The World Of Follow That Dream' the 1,200-page triple-deluxe-volume on everything FTD had released up until then. To me it was a great book but, Ok, I was a co-author! Kees in fact concludes that being such a large book "it may be too much for some readers"! And it is his neat reviews and summaries that help make this volume such an enjoyable read.
Whereas in previous volumes Kees has often published one personal review of a new release, in this 2017 book he has found the time to combine multiple reviews and interviews into a much more interesting overall summary.
At the end of most major articles, or reviews, he usually credits four people or more for their combined input. For instance with the controversial 'Elvis Christmas with the RPO' album review it was clever to use seven people’s differing opinions (all credited) - which, with such a contentious release, was a great idea. And on FTD's 'Speedway' double-vinyl he wrote "this isn't an album many fans will frequently return to"
While they were a large number of fine quality publications in 2017 there were also a fair few real stinkers purely released to grab unsuspecting fan’s hard-earned cash. And a real positive of Kees’ reviews is that he doesn't hold back in his thoughts if the product is bad.
For example, of the audience recorded ‘Wild In Wichita’ December 27, 1976 release by ‘EP Collectors’ he concludes... “This release is so bad it is truly for EP collectors only”. About the January 27, 1973 audience recorded concert released by the bootleg Ampex label as ‘Long Tall Sally’, Kees similarly concludes “This CD is a release for completists only.”
On the other hand I really enjoyed reading through the articles and reviews of top-quality Elvis products from the year, such as Paul Sweeney’s book ‘One Night in Toronto’, the FTD book ‘Elvis At Madison Square Garden’, the photo-book ‘Strictly Elvis Vol 1’ (what a beauty that was!) and Shane Brown’s fascinating examination of Elvis' recording sessions ‘Reconsider Baby’ (Revised Ddition).
I also really enjoyed the reviews of all the Elvis vinyl that is pumped out in Europe every year. Being in Australia the overseas postage makes vinyl a very expensive proposition so detailed reviews that help reveal what is good and what is disappointing are really important. Of course with vinyl it is the tactile feel and glorious large Elvis images that make some of the product a joy to own.
Very sadly in 2017 there were several tragic deaths from within the Elvis world, including Red West, Marty Lacker, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. All these important characters are rightly given well deserved lengthy tributes in this book.
Other articles that were a highlight for me were ‘Elvis At 40: Still Relevant Today’ an 18-page examination of Elvis’ legacy in 2017, Kees’ personal review of attending ‘Elvis Live In Rotterdam’ along with an 8-page review of the ‘Elvis On Tour’ exhibition in London.
The book ends, as always, with his personal list of the 'Top 10 releases of 2017' - along with plenty of suggested runners-up. I always find these so fascinating since they are never going to match your own personal favorites.
And if I was over in the Netherlands I would certainly be discussing with Kees, over a few beers, why he chose the ‘Alternate Moody Blue’ set as one of his top 10 of the year! Elvis fans are fascinating people. But you will have to get the book to discover his other top choices. Worth mentioning is the very detailed index, which I have already used multiple times.
Overall Review
While I understand that this book might not be for everybody - after all some fans are purely interested in the 'newest never-seen-before product' being released this week - I find it fascinating looking through what was being released back in 2017 and the Elvis highlights from the year.
Not only did this 2017-year-in-review book provided some very satisfying reading but it also got me spinning some Elvis CDs and vinyl that I haven't played in years. And also had me looking through some of those glorious Elvis books that I have left gathering dust on my shelves for far too long.
And perhaps best of all, using Kees’ list of top quality Elvis products that were released back in 2017 I have tracked down and ordered some older items that I missed out on from eBay. In the end, it’s all about the joy of being an Elvis fan - there’s always more to read and discover.
