The year 2017 marked four decades since Elvis' death. Yet his music still topped charts worldwide, and he earned over a dozen new Gold and Platinum awards. Proof that Elvis "never left the building." The 'Elvis Day By Day 2017 - The Year In Review' documented this on 475 pages.
Alan Barbara read the book and shared his review:
I’ve been collecting the Elvis Day By Day yearbook series since it began, and I have never once been disappointed. There are now eight volumes and the whole concept is simply brilliant: a day-by-day chronicle of everything that happened in the Elvis world during a given calendar year.
What always strikes me first is the layout and design. These are genuinely beautiful books, full-color, quality with eye-catching graphics on every single page. The design feels smart and carefully planned and text are perfectly balanced; it never feels cluttered, yet there’s an incredible amount of detail.
The 2017 volume is particularly strong on product reviews. Every CD, vinyl release, book, DVD, or piece of merchandise that came out that year gets its own entry with an honest, thoughtful, and genuinely kind assessment. The authors clearly love the material but aren’t afraid to point out flaws when something falls short. Because the reviews are written from the perspective of real fans who actually bought and listened to (or watched) everything, they ring completely true.
Reading through the 2017 book recently, I kept having “Oh yeah, I forgot about that one!” moments. Several releases I already owned suddenly sounded fresh again; I found myself digging through boxes in the attic to pull them out and give them another spin. Even better were the items I completely missed at the time, now I know exactly what I need to track down.
In many ways, this series functions like a dictionary or encyclopedia of modern Elvis releases: if you want to know what came out, when it came out, what it looks like, how it sounds, and whether it’s worth owning, it’s all right there in one reliable place.
If you’re a serious Elvis collector, these books are essential. 'Elvis Day By Day 2017' (like the others in the series) is much more than a reference work, it’s a book you actually sit down and enjoy reading cover to cover. Highly recommended.
One thing I’d love to see from Kees (the author) is a willingness to tackle the years when Elvis was still alive. The current 'Elvis Day By Day' series is fantastic for tracking everything that’s happened in the Elvis world since his passing, but imagine the same beautiful day-by-day format applied to 1969, 1973, or any peak year of the King’s career. That would be an incredibly tough research project, tracking down every concert date, recording session, movie shoot, TV appearance, press conference, fan sighting, and newspaper mention from a time before the internet, but if anyone could pull it off with accuracy, depth, and that gorgeous full-color layout, it’s Kees. A 1969 or 1973 volume done in the same style would be the ultimate Elvis reference book and something fans would treasure forever.
Kees, if you’re reading this: please consider it! I’d buy those books in a heartbeat.
Thank you for these kind words Alan, I appreciate it. It is a nice challenge you provided :-)
The Deluxe Edition of the latest Poplar Tunes Publishing release 'Elvis Day By Day 2017 - The Year In Review' is temporarily available from Blurb with a 25% discount! From now until December 11, you get 25% off your book with the code GIVINGTUES25.
Alan Barbara is a graphic artist using A.I. for Elvis Presley artwork. You can see his work on his >>> Facebook website.