November 08 - The Making Of A Cover Story At Bennies

The recently announced Deluxe Edition of 'The Making of G.I. Blues' is nearing completion. The printing plant is currently working diligently, and the packing of the new Follow That Dream release box-set set is going full steam to have everything ready in time for the planned release, no later than early December.

The printing looks great and it is a real beauty according to Kenneth Dokkeberg, who posted the pictures on Facebook. 

The photos show one of the creators, Pål Granlund, personally present during the quality control of the CDs that make up this impressive set. Granlund, along with David English, spent months working on what will undoubtedly be another magnificent Follow That Dream release. 

This Deluxe Collector's Edition consists of two beautifully designed hardcover books, totaling over 460 pages, supplemented by five CDs of recordings and an exclusive 33 RPM vinyl single. The set offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at Elvis's first film after his military service, and includes numerous previously unpublished photos, documents, outtakes, and session information.

The set should be out at the end of the month November / early December and is already available for pre-order from the >>> ElvisMatters webshop.

Elvis UK - Cover Story Released

John Townson and Gordon Minto published a physical re-issue of 'Elvis UK - Cover Story' which was previously released as digital flip-book in 2022.

Publicity stated: Originally published as a downloadable flipbook in 2022, this volume of 'Elvis UK' will shortly be available – ‘by popular demand’ - as a print copy version.  

It is an invaluable adjunct to each of the other Elvis UK books in the series. Importantly though, in all major ways this print version is almost identical to the digital one with the exception that this version has a newly written Foreword and includes closing remarks (And Finally …) which means a couple of pages have been added, thus increasing the page count slightly. 

This slightly modified 291 page, fully-comprehensive soft-backed book, provides the ultimate guide to every aspect of Elvis’s EP and LP album sleeves released in the UK between 1956-1977. It adds to, complements - and expands greatly in forensic detail - a lot of the information originally included in our original book 'Elvis UK' (1987) - and much more besides!

• Extensively illustrated in full colour.
• Arranged in 20 discrete sections, this book addresses an extraordinarily wide range of topics including back cover photographs, printing companies, sleeve notes, adverts, and many other areas of interest, etc. 
• There are also extended sections including Front Cover – Fact File, and For UK Fans Only, an in-depth study of those albums that originated in the UK, or were only ever available in the UK  
• And, as readers have come to expect from Elvis UK publications, there is a wealth of well-researched and accurate background information and illustrations incorporated into the text, all of which has an application at some point to each of our other books in the 'Elvis UK' series – providing a one-stop reference point for this information.  

The print copy of Cover Story costs £40 and can only be ordered via our website >>> Elvis UK Books website. You can also find details of all their other recent publications: 'Elvis UK' (digital copy only), 'Elvis UK2', 'Beyond RCA', 'Extended', '78 RPM' and, most recently, the three volumes of 'Compact'. Each of them highly acclaimed. 

Elvis Day By Day 2017 at Bennies Fifties

All the 'Elvis Day By Day' yearbooks are available at Bennies Fifties. I delivered them in person. Go to the >>> Bennies Fifties webshop to get the latest edition on 2017, as well as all other volumes covering 2018 to 2024.

No Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

Bass-player Carol Kaye, who played bass on the 'Change Of Habit' overdub sessions, turned down the honor of being inducted into the the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on November 8, 2025. 

Kaye object to being singled out for an honor apart from the greater collective, stating “You are always part of a team".  She also objected to being labeled as a member of the "Wrecking Team", stating "I was never a ‘wrecker’ at all ... that’s a terrible, insulting name ... Please know our only name was 'Studio Musicians'."

Although Kaye is opting out, the Hall will still induct her.

(Source: Gordon Minto / NPR / Kenneth Dokkeberg)