Wednesday, May 16, 2012

May 16 - A Boy Named Elvis From Tupelo

The release of the long awaited Follow That Dream Sun project was confirmed by the FTD label. 


From the fan-club update:
'A Boy From Tupelo - The Complete 1953 - 1955 Recording' includes for the first time in one collection every known Elvis Presley SUN master and outtake, plus two private records Elvis paid for with his own money, as well as thrilling radio and concert performances from the period. This 3 CD package features 10 previously-unreleased cuts. 
The accompanying book is, in essence, a fully-illustrated travelogue. It thoughtfully details the birth of Elvis' career through facts, anecdotes, documentation, many rare photos, and a succinct narrative. Independence Day 1954 is when this uniquely American saga begins, less than 24 hours before his first professional recording session, and it ends in December 1955, when the rights to Elvis' SUN tapes officially expire, and the singer leaves Sam Phillips to record for RCA. This is Elvis Presley before he becomes world-famous, and the mystery of how this amazing young man readies himself for stardom, achieving success on a level that no one could have dreamed possible. 
All audio has been re-mastered and restored as best we could, but Disc 3 has pretty rough audio. The book is 512 pages in 12” by 12” format and includes more than 500 photos of which about 200 are previously unpublished. If you are not an expert in this period of Elvis’ career, a lot more photos will be new to you. Many familiar photos will be seen in best ever quality, but since this is a historical document, there will also be many images of less quality, included for their rarity value and support of the story. The book also includes, for the first time, Steve Sholes’ original notes on the Sun tapes. 
The project will come in a slip case (like the 'Young Man With The Big Beat') that holds both the book and the CD holder (a double album type package). The cover-art is a concept.


Free Vinyl
The U.K. based The Elvis Shop will add a free one-sided vinyl 45 RPM single featuring 'My Happiness' with the purchase of this set.
The Dutch Elvis Corner tops this with the give-a-way of Elvis first 5 SUN singles.




Lisa Marie Lists Her Favorite Elvis Songs on iTunes


Lisa Marie Presley is now sharing her favorite Elvis songs on iTunes. Lisa Marie recently listed her top 12 songs by her father in the iTunes playlist titled "Lisa Marie's Favorite Elvis Songs." Among her favorites include "Just Pretend," "How Great Thou Art," and many others. See the complete list below. 


Just Pretend
Mary In the Morning
How Great Thou Art
Polk Salad Annie
It's Over
You Gave Me a Mountain
Such a Night
An American Trilogy
I'm Leavin'
Until It's Time for You to Go
Ku-U-I-Po
Kentucky Rain 


Name Comeback


Elvis is coming back. He's worked his way back into the top 1,000 in the list of most popular baby names registered with it, the Social Security Administration reports. The federal agency today released the 2011 list, based on its annual recordkeeping. Top name for girls is Sophia while Jacob is No. 1 for boys. Elvis is at 904, which is better than falling completely off the list, as he did in 2010.


Collecting Elvis



Volume 10 in the "Elvis Collectors Edition" series was released in Germany. The lavishly illustrated publication from De Agostini and EPE contains the movie 'Girls! Girls! Girls!', a 28-page Elvis magazine and a variety of Elvis memorabilia reproductions. 



Teen Idol


Turner Classic Movies salutes 16 of the biggest teen heart throbs though out the years. Elvis, along with James Dean, Pat Boone, Ricky Nelson, and Davy Jones are just a few of the idols TCM will be saluting.
Turner released the following statement on why they chose Elvis  for the cover. “We looked at the festival as a whole, and thought that Elvis conveyed the concept of “teen idol” and was also a big enough sensation to carry the cover on his own, not to mention that he hasn’t graced the cover yet, so it was about time and this was the perfect tie-in!”




Grandes Musicales


Released in Spain is the DVD series 'Grandes Musicales' containing the movies Mis Problemas Con Las Mujeres (The Trouble With Girls) - Girl Happy - Pista De Carreras (Speedway) - A Lo Loco (Harem Holiday) - Puños Y Lágrimas (Wild In The Country) - Cita En Las Vegas (Viva Las Vegas).

(Source: FECC / ElvisMatters / The King's World / Elvis Express / Elvis Club Bedrlin)