We have at least two annual traditions this time of year on The Mystery Train Blog. One is that I make note of the fact that I haven’t posted in many months. The second is that I indulge my analytical side by looking at my music-listening history for the past year.
Indeed, it’s been many months since I posted. Outside of a quick tribute to Elvis Presley in August, my last real post here was in April! I did have a seemingly strong start to 2023 as I began (but never finished) a multi-part review series of Sony’s then-new Elvis On Tour set. I also examined a two more Elvis movies.
I still have a couple of posts to go in that review of the audio portions of Elvis On Tour. Will I ever finish them? I am not sure. Maybe. I will surely continue my re-watch of Elvis’ movies, Lord willing. My goal is at least three Elvis movies in 2024.
A few tidbits when it comes to Elvis news since I last posted. While reviewing the top-notch Elvis On Tour set back in the first few months of 2023, I kept thinking, “If only Madison Square Garden would get a similar treatment.” I thought it would never happen, since that event had already been revisited as recently as 2012 with Sony’s excellent Prince From Another Planet set. Wow, did I underestimate the Elvis re-release machine. Indeed, the FTD collectors label for Elvis fans released new mixes of the Madison Square Garden concerts not long after I had that very thought.
On the main Sony label, a set containing new mixes of the 1973 Aloha From Hawaii concerts and related material on 3 CDs as well as a Blu-ray version of that event were also released. Sony’s 2023 Aloha From Hawaii release was slightly controversial, though, and rightly so.
FTD only a year before had already released 2 of the 3 CDs of new mixes at a premium price. The remaining CD of the 2022 FTD set used a vintage 2013 Sony mix – meaning that, Blu-ray aside, fans that already bought the 2022 FTD set but wanted all of the new mixes would still have to buy the 2023 Sony set for the 1 CD. Why Elvis’ music catalog continues to be treated in this haphazard manner is beyond me. Incompetence? Contempt? Greed? A little of all three? Your guess is as good as mine.
While I originally intended not to touch Sony’s 2023 Aloha set until after I had listened to the “new” As Recorded At Madison Square Garden, I couldn’t help but watch the Aloha From Hawaii Blu-ray the night of August 16. I wanted to experience it as a fan rather than as a writer, so I did not take any notes or watch it from a critical or analytical perspective. I just sat back and immersed myself in the shows again. As I’ve mentioned many times on here, my mom was a first-generation Elvis fan who first started listening to him in 1956 when she was 12. For her, 1973’s Aloha From The Hawaii was the absolute pinnacle of Elvis. As for that FTD Madison Square Garden set, I still haven’t even opened it. So, I’m looking forward to listening to it in 2024.
There is also word that Baz Luhrmann, director of 2022’s very successful ELVIS movie, might be assembling a re-edit of “lost” footage from documentaries Elvis: That’s The Way It Is (1970) and Elvis On Tour (1972) – possibly as a streaming series à la Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back (2021). While intriguing, when it comes to any Warner Brothers project involving Elvis, I will believe it when I see it. I am very cautiously optimistic.
I have been tracking my music-listening numbers annually since 2010 (except, apparently, for 2017). I now have 5,000 unique Elvis tracks backed up to iTunes. Out of those Elvis tracks, the one I played most often in 2023 across all devices was…
Drumroll, please.
…the legendary “Jailhouse Rock” from 1957. It took the prize for my most-played song of the year with 17 plays.
Second place went to another killer track, 1972’s “Burning Love” with 16 plays.
I listened to 2,023 unique Elvis tracks on my devices in 2022 (meaning 2,977 Elvis tracks went unplayed all year). Including duplicate plays, I listened to 5,306 Elvis songs on my devices during the year. That is about 15 Elvis songs a day on average.
Out of 6,638 non-Elvis tracks in my collection, my most played song overall in 2022 was for KING & COUNTRY’s “The Proof Of Your Love” from the album Crave (2012). This recording played 7 times on my various devices, putting it in 50th place.
Overall, I listened to 6,692 recordings using my digital devices last year (including duplicate plays). That works out to 18 songs a day. I listened to 3,098 unique tracks during the year.
While a slight increase from 2021’s 17 songs a day, my music listening remains down compared to the 2010s. For instance, in 2019, I listened to 35 songs a day. I expected a more significant increase in 2022, as after 2 years of being fully remote, I returned to working in person a few days a week — and thus, had more car time for music during my commute.
In any event, Elvis dominated my listening in 2022 – leaving room for only about 3 non-Elvis songs a day! My listening is normally not that out of balance, but it was definitely an Elvis year.
Thank you for reading and for indulging me in my analytical diversion.
Jesus answered many prayers for me in 2022, filling my life with blessings. May He do the same for you in 2023.
TY
“God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”
2 Corinthians 9:8
The Mystery Train Blog 