The authors did not only compile a complete overview of the CD titles available, they also went behind the flickering of the silver discs, investigating the business and companies involved, the licensing, the marketing, the production (including the plats used), the history and pretty much all other possible aspects of these digital discs including errors and mis-prints collectors love so much.
The result was a mammoth work of 1,402 pages and "an incredibly detailed narrative and visual record of Elvis Presley CD releases in the U.K. from 1983 to 2005 .... that maintains the high standard set by the earlier volumes" according to Elvis book expert Nigel Patterson in his review on the Elvis Information Network.
There was only 1 complaint, the book was only available as an online digital flip-book.
The choice for this format was a deliberate one, as publishing these kind of content (and thereby paper) heavy books isn’t that simple in a declining physical book market with an aging readers base. And while the technology selected by these gentlemen worked flawlessly, many fans, including myself, prefer to hold a digital copy in their hands.
Fortunately for us, the authors listened to their reader's feedback and returned to publishing physical copies of their books again. Following physical re-releases and new titles in the 'ELVIS UK' series we now hold 'Elvis UK - Compact Volume 1 - The Ultimate Reference Guide to Elvis’s UK Compact Disc Releases in the UK between 1983-2005' in our hands.
Design
With the first volumes in this series the authors set a strong design that benefits the content of their books, and they rightfully stuck to it. You could say that once you’ve read one ‘Elvis UK’ book, you’ve “seen them all”. Lucky for us, the authors were able to add more and more color over the years, and now present us the book in full color.
There is a good balance between the narrative - these are text-heavy books - and graphical elements, but personally I’d love to see a few more graphical pages, as collecting Elvis is not only about the content, but also how it looks and feels. This is something where Paul Alner’s books compliment this series.
And while a trilogy of 1,402 pages may seem large, it could have been much larger if the writers had not chosen such a small font and compact design as they did. Using a standard font, they may have come close to 2,000 pages I guess.
So once start reading this book, you'll be engrossed longer than you may have expected.
Content
This first volume details 170 of the 450 CDs covered in the three volumes. Known for their in-depth research the work of the dynamic duo John and Gordon speaks for itself. For the digital edition I wrote:"The beauty of this release is the tremendous amount of research behind these pages, all CDs are presented individually in meticulous and unprecedented detail and carefully cross-referenced.
The book also includes sections on various artist CDs containing Elvis material, as well as company promos, including BMG in-house CDs, etc. The huge song index is presented in forensic detail, indicating exactly where each master (and any known outtakes) can be located and, in the case of live performances, when and where they were recorded.
Adding extra depth to the information are the contributions by former RCA / BMG personnel who helped with key background information and thereby adding the inside story. Especially the insights from Greg Geller, Mike Omansky and Klaus Schmalenbach clearly show that each CD - especially from Elvis’ official record company - was the product of a multi-year strategy.
One name missing in the introduction is Ernst Jorgensen. I would have loved to see his perspective, as expert and as keeper of the flame, on bringing Elvis Presley back and re-branding ‘Elvis the artist’ through key-releases."
Each CD has it's own ID in the book, and the information on each entry includes items like the title, tracklisting, writers, versions, CD features (matrix numbers, barcodes), running-times, mechanical rights societies, SPARS codes, source identification codes, details on the booklets and inlays, bonus material and more.
It is both a wonderful history of the emergence of the CD as a new music medium and of the cautious move RCA made to transfer Elvis' catalog from old-fashioned vinyl and tape to this digital medium.
And if you buy all three volumes in this series – and which collector wants and incomplete set … – the authors award you with the complimentary CD, ‘Elvis Beyond the Legend’. This 23-track digipack CD features 22 songs and the extended version the ‘Elvis Answers Back’ interview which first appeared in the November 1956 on paper and later as a flexi-disc in Teen Parade magazine.
Conclusion
The book is a valuable addition to the history of Elvis Presley releases on the various formats. Not only because it is complementary to the books that document Elvis' catalog on vinyl and tape, but also for fans like me, who grew up in the CD era and then laid the foundation for their collection.
In my review for the flip-book edition I wrote that I was happy that I’m not a die-hard Elvis Presley CD collector, I noticed I missed quite a few CDs over the years. And I probably see more releases than the average fan due to my blog trying to cover everything Elvis Presley on a daily basis. And this book only covers official U.K. releases from 1983 to 2005, did did anyone keep track of all CDs released since that date? I can only hope the authors find the time and courage to do a follow-up covering all CDs until present day. I'll try to keep quiet about a book on the CD bootlegs ...
I can’t imagine how much work went into creating this body of work, so a heartfelt “thank you” to the authors, these are the kind of encyclopedia’s that deserve a place on the bookshelf of SONY’s headquarter and in the British National library.
In addition to being a reference book, it is also a history book that you can pick up again and again. I know what I will be reading between Christmas and New Year’s day, and if you’re fast, you can do the same.
The book is available online from the authors for the reasonable price of 50GBP at the >>> ELVIS UK Books webshop.
