Review From Memphis To Tokyo

Dick Dekker and David Ward published their mammoth compendium on the Japanese Elvis Presley vinyl titled ‘From Memphis To Tokyo: A Reference Guide to the Absolute Mastery of Elvis' Japanese Vinyl’. And what a mastery it is!

 

Design

 

The design of this hardbound book is modern and authentic; modern as in “crisp and clean”, authentic through the subtle use Japanese elements and Japanese texts. The cover with a typical Japanese single design takes you straight to Japan, and the record-arm is a subtle hint to the books title. 

 

The almost LP-size book has the same format as Dick Dekker and Ferry van der Werf’s predecessor on the colorful magic of Asian vinyl. So this new reference fits in nicely on your bookshelf (although the shelf itself may need some extra support with a book weighing in at no less than 4,5 kilos). 

The graphic and text elements are placed well on the pages, with supporting tables and explanatory text elements that complete the illustrations. 

 

All images are presented in such a way that they are shown to their full potential. For a book with so many graphic gems like this, this is of course a must. The previews in this review don’t do the book justice.

 

And although a book like this has the risk to become repetitive and “boring” - meaning you start flipping through the pages instead of reading them - the wide variety and design never made me do that. But it also helped that the hefty book was too big to read in one go, the 700 pages kept me engrossed for a while. Hidden between the covers are several “easter eggs” by the authors, try to spot them! 

 

Some reference books are text-heavy with small print because of all the information they contain. This book is almost the opposite, it is easy on the eye and easy to read. I must compliment David Ward for the latter, as it isn’t easy to write short to the point notes on detailed subjects like little differences on covers, record labels OBI’s and so on. This also illustrates how the contributions by both authors complement each-other, with Dick in charge of the design and David writing the texts. 

 

Looking back now, the beforementioned book on Asian vinyl, would have benefitted from these kind of explanatory texts had they been added (and had the authors been able to find the correct information on those rare bootleg releases). 

Buyers who pre-ordered the book received a 45 RPM single that was planned for release in the sixties, but never released. With the help of collector-friends Ryo Okamoto and Atsushi Nakamura, the authors managed to track down a test-pressing and now, 60 years later, the single has been released. 

 

And for the real collectors, a second edition of this single, pressend on gold colored vinyl and with a different cover, was printed as a “thank you” to those who contributed to the book. Happy hunting! 

 

Content

 

Knowing the author’s pedigree from previous publications as David Ward’s ‘From Elvis in Japan: Elvis Presley Japanese LPs 1956 - 2018‘ (>>> read the review) and Dick Dekker’s ‘Bootleg Elvis’ and ‘From Memphis to Taipeh - A Reference Guide to the Colorful Magic of Elvis' Asian Vinyl’ we had high hopes, and the guys delivered, combining the best of both in this volume. 

 

The book opens with an historical perspective of the business-side of Elvis Presley releases in Japan, the companies involved and the records themselves. This is followed by an explanation of the system the authors adopted to write the book, catalogue the records and identify the different variations and of course the typical promotional OBI’s we know from Japanese and Asian releases. 

 

The authors go in detail, for example the effect of shortage of ink on the record covers from that period, but not so deep that it becomes “too nerdy”. They stick to the facts they think are important to mention with a short explanation. 

 

In the >>> interview I did together with Nigel Patterson of the Elvis Information Network the authors explained a little about their modus operandi and how even they learned new things writing this book. Like learning how to read and interpreted the lead-out of vinyl records in the dead wax section of the records and how they used this to identify record releases and place them on the release time-line.  

 

Inside the book we find all the Japanese Elvis Presley vinyl, from the first 78 RPM ‘Mystery Train / I Forgot To Remember To Forget’, released April 20, 1956 to ‘The Number One Hits’ as released on vinyl on August 21, 1987. In between these the authors managed to track down and identify no less than 1,020 variants on 78, 45 and 33 RPM and in 7-inch, 10-inch and of course the 12-inch LP format. 

On the 700 pages we get the front and back covers A and B sides of all the records the authors could track down. Added to that are inserts (mainly in the fifties), OBI’s, bonus photos, booklets (mainly in the sixties), stamps, posters (mainly in the seventies) and a few other pieces of memorabilia like record catalogues including the first one mentioning Elvis, Scotty and Bill. How great that it survived and the authors found it to add to this book. The soundtrack vinyl is illustrated with some fun movie posters among other memorabilia. These additions complete the vinyl and provide the necessary historical context. 

 

Also interesting to see are the many promotional and demonstration records, or collectable releases like the 2006 single for ‘Love Me Tender’ - which is as rare as the 1957 original - only available as part of special promotions done in Japan. 

 

It is too hard to single out any of the original records for this review, that wouldn’t do the others justice. Read the >>> interview with the authors for their favorite findings. 

For many fans and collectors, the Japanese Elvis Presley vinyl holds something special because of the different and usually more colorful designs and Japanese fonts and the rarity these releases have, or must I say had, until the contents of Japanese attics appeared on eBay. And even then, this reference show you the ones to get! 

 

The authors decided to list all releases format by format and in chronological order. The index for each section is in alphabetical order, a smart choice which will be appreciated by the collectors having to find their way through so many different titles. 

All records present are meticulously researched with an interesting narrative, helping collectors to identify the variations they have or are looking for, and providing scholars like me with a complete overview and insight into the absolute mastery of Elvis' Japanese Vinyl. 

 

Conclusion

 

‘From Memphis To Tokyo’ is an important release and a worthy addition to the Elvis Presley library as it provides the definitive record on Elvis in Japan. To be honest, there is “Too Much’ to be found on the 700 pages of this illustrated reference.

 

It is essential for collectors and offers an interesting, well-researched yet easily accessible introduction to the absolute mastery of Elvis' Japanese vinyl. So if, after reading this book, you think that Japanese vinyl records are your thing, here is your shopping list. 

For more information on the book, and to order it directly from author Dick Dekker contact him at: asia@theelviscloud.com.