Publicity stated: Just in time for Christmas, Knock Out Records presents this Special Collector’s Edition of 'Elvis Presley - The Wonderful World of Christmas: The Alternate Album' Featuring Alternate Takes and new mixes, this release offers a different listening experience of Elvis’ much-loved Christmas recordings, presented in the best available sound quality.
The album is being released in two collectable colored vinyl editions, on red and on green colored vinyl. Each version also comes with its own unique 30 × 30 cm full-colour glossy bonus photograph, making both colors particularly appealing to collectors.
Duke Bardwell Died
Bassist Duke Bardwell passed away, he was 83.
Ronnie thought Duke fit for the job because he was. 'a simple but funky feel-good player'. Duke flew to the RCA studios in Los Angeles for the audition and in January 1974, got the job as bass player. "It was a dream come true, working for Elvis Presley!" Bardwell stated.
Although he wasn't as well known as Jerry Scheffs playing, his work with Elvis is well documented and well appreciated though various Soundboard and Audience recordings but most famously featured on the 'Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis' Album, recorded at the Mid-South Coliseum during Presley’s return to Memphis. He can also be heard on 'T-R-O-U-B-L-E' on the 'Today' album, his contributions on other songs was replaced before the final release of the LP.
In an interview with the magazine 'Elvis: the Man and His Music' Bardwell commented about his bass-playing being removed from the final 'Today' LP release.
He said, "I don't know whether they didn't like what I played - perhaps my parts were horrible, I don't know. But I was gone not too long after that and don't know whether they took me off the album just to be mean or not. I don't know. I understand that there are some tapes around with my playing still on 'em - the original session tapes, before they were overdubbed for release. I thought 'T-R-O-U-B-L-E' was great. I loved that. Elvis was so good at that syncopated funky stuff and always had lots of fun with it."
In the end Felton Jarvis used bass players Norbert Putnam and Mike Leech to record new bass lines on all the LP tracks, apart from the single 'T-R-O-U-B-L-E' which had already been rush-released. Further overdubs were also carried out, including the addition of excellent guitarists Chip Young and John Christopher (co-writer of 'Always On My Mind' & 'If You Talk In Your Sleep').
More Pure Elvis
The Knock out import record label released the LP 'More Pure Elvis' featuring 13 Undubbed and Unedited Masters on black and on red colored vinyl.
Experience Elvis as you’ve rarely heard him before, straight from the studio, without the additional overdubs, sweetening or embellishments of the finished commercial recordings.
This fascinating collection allows fans to appreciate the raw power, emotion and incredible quality of Elvis’s voice, bringing you closer to the original recording sessions. Each color comes with a unique 30 x 30 glossy bonus photo.
Tracks: Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On / I Really Don’t Want To Know / Bridge Over Troubled Water / It’s A Matter Of Time / I’ve Got A Thing About You Baby / Susan When She Tried / Hurt / Way Down and more.
I, Elvis. The Immortal Story of the King of Rock
Diarkos announced the March 31, 2027 release of an expanded 608-page edition of 'Io, Elvis. La Storia Immortale del Re del Rock' ('I, Elvis. The Immortal Story of the King of Rock') by Paolo Borgognone.
Paolo Borgognone traces his extraordinary trajectory: from the poverty of his childhood to his explosive rise to fame, from the glitz of Hollywood to his stint in the military, and ultimately to his status as the greatest of them all, a position that never shielded him from the personal torments and vulnerabilities of the man behind the legend. Featuring previously untold anecdotes and exclusive interviews, this new, updated, and expanded edition revisits a human story that came to a tragic end fifty years ago, on August 16, 1977, yet remains indelibly etched in the firmament of world music.
(Source: Facebook / Amazon / Facebook / Elvis Information Network)