Archives

Is the 70s stamp coming soon? [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 19 when I wrote this article back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #8, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

The 70s Elvis stamp may be released as soon as 1995 if a growing number of fans have their way with the US Postal Service. In April 1992, the stamp was defeated by a 3-to-1 margin in favor of the 50s Elvis stamp that was released in January 1993. The 70s stamp, also known as “Stamp B,” was painted by artist John Berkey and depicts Elvis as he appeared in 1973’s televised concert Aloha From Hawaii.

The stamp was severely criticized by the news media and others who unfairly called it the “Old, fat Elvis.” Berkey defended his stamp by stating, “I understand what happened, the negative feelings. But I painted the King. That other guy is the prince. The fanatical fans like the 70s one. And as a matter of fact he weighed 160 pounds and he was 38 years old (at the time of Aloha From Hawaii). That’s not fat, and that’s not old.” [. . . .]

A record 500,000 of the 50s Elvis stamps were printed and all were sold out in days, making them the most successful stamps in history. Since most of the stamps will be kept by fans or collectors and will never actually be used in the mail, the Postal Service has made an incredible profit from them.

Additionally, the Postal Service has profited from the marketing of the stamp image, which has appeared everywhere on hundreds of items for sale. Economically, the Postal Service could make millions more if another stamp were released so there probably is a fair chance it will happen as long as fans show support.

Over a quarter of a million people voted in favor of the 70s stamp, which artistically was a better representation of Elvis anyway. [. . . .]

ELVIS DOLLS [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this piece back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #7, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

There are six new Elvis dolls available from Hasbro, including “Jailhouse Rock,” “’68 Special,” and “Aloha From Hawaii.” The 12-inch dolls retail for $50 each.

ELVIS: THE TRIBUTE [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this piece back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #7, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Elvis: The Tribute, an all-star salute to Elvis, has been announced. It will include a concert to be broadcast worldwide the weekend of October 7. The event will take place at the Pyramid in Memphis and will benefit several charities.

Priscilla Presley said, “We’ve been waiting for the right time, the most sophisticated technology, the greatest performing artists in the world, and the right people to be involved.”

Although no names have been officially announced, the concert portion is to include artists who influenced Elvis as well as artists who were influenced by Elvis.

60s MASTERS Strikes Gold [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this article back in 1994 for The Elvis Beat #7, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Elvis’ new release, ELVIS: From Nashville To Memphis – The Essential 60s Masters I, has achieved gold status, indicating sales of over 500,000 discs. The official presentation was made on January 8.

The award is Elvis’ 274th gold or platinum award for US sales officially confirmed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The 274 awards span 111 different titles.

Elvis’ status as the “Greatest Recording Artist of All Time” remains unchallenged, for he stands far ahead in gold and platinum awards. After Elvis come The Beatles with 41, the Rolling Stones with 39, and Elton John and Barbra Streisand, each with 37.

With the incredible success of this boxed set and its predecessor, RCA plans to release more boxed sets in the future. A boxed set for the 1970s is a certainty, but boxed sets for his singles, his gospel recordings, and the 1968 ELVIS (Comeback) special are also under consideration.

Review: FROM NASHVILLE TO MEMPHIS rates high [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this review back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #6, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

ELVIS: From Nashville To Memphis – The Essential 60s Masters I, has managed to exceed the quality of its excellent predecessor, ELVIS: The King Of Rock ‘n’ Roll – The Complete 50s Masters.

The outstanding 5-CD boxed set contains all of Elvis’ 1960s studio recordings, excluding the movie soundtracks, which are being released in the Elvis Double Features series, the gospel albums, and the ELVIS (’68 Comeback) special recordings, which are to be released in future sets, in addition to the 1970s material.

All of the CDs contain wonderful songs, including some that have not been available for a long time. By far, the best discs are four and five, which contain the complete 1969 Memphis recordings, assembled together for the first time, as well as outtakes from those and other 1960s sessions. Most notably among the new tracks are a studio jam version of “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and alternate versions of “In The Ghetto” and “Kentucky Rain.”

Rating: 10 out of 10

Volume II, Issue 1: Quick Reviews [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this piece back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #5, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

CDs

  • Elvis Country (1971/1993) – Rating: 9 out of 10
  • Elvis Now (1972/1993) – Rating: 7 out of 10
  • Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite (1973/1992) – Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Television

  • The Woman Who Loved Elvis (April 18, 1993) – Rating: 8 out of 10
  • Quantum Leap: “Memphis Song” (April 20, 1993) – Rating: 6 out of 10
  • America Comes To Graceland (August 1993) – Rating: 8.5 out of 10
  • Elvis: His Life And Times (August 1993) – Rating: 7.5 out of 10
  • A&E-Biography: Elvis Presley (August 21, 1993) – Rating: 6 out of 10
  • A&E-Time Machine: Elvis, The Beginning (August 21, 1993) – Rating: 2 out of 10

Review – ELVIS DOUBLE FEATURES: HARUM SCARUM/GIRL HAPPY [The Elvis Beat newsletter]

/ TY

I was 18 when I wrote this review back in 1993 for The Elvis Beat #5, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

Elvis Double Features: Harum Scarum/Girl Happy (RCA), recorded by Elvis Presley, June-July 1964 (Girl Happy), Radio Recorders Studio (Hollywood), and February 1965 (Harum Scarum), RCA Studios (Nashville). Released: 1993 (CD).

Elvis Double Features: Harum Scarum/Girl Happy is definitely the worst of the four Elvis Double Features CDs released so far . Of the 22 songs, there is only one that is above-average, “So Close, Yet So Far,” which is featured on the Harum Scarum portion and whose title could also sum up the songs from that movie.

Despite the excellent backing music on Harum Scarum, the lyrics of the songs are so awful that the efforts are wasted.

Girl Happy contains only typical movie songs, with the highlights being the title song itself and “Puppet On A String.”

The Elvis Double Features series does have some redeeming values for collectors.

Each of the songs sounds great, in  the sense that in most cases the sound is very clear, on a level comparable to ELVIS: The King Of Rock ‘n’ Roll – The Complete 50s Masters.

Each CD also comes with a nice booklet containing a brief history of his film career, information about the two movies featured on the CD as well as data on the recording sessions for the soundtracks. Several photos from the films, other miscellaneous information, and a complete listing of Elvis’ 33 films round out each booklet.

So, despite the mediocre material, the Elvis Double Features series is well-produced so far.

RCA plans to release the remainder of Elvis’ 1960s film music in this format, but let us hope that this is not their top priority when so many other excellent and certainly more deserving Elvis songs are awaiting CD release.

Songs:

  1. “Harem Holiday”
  2. “My Desert Serenade”
  3. “Go East Young Man”
  4. “Mirage”
  5. “Kismet”
  6. “Shake That Tambourine”
  7. “Hey Little Girl”
  8. “Golden Coins”
  9. “So Close, Yet So Far”
  10. “Animal Instinct”
  11. “Wisdom Of The Ages”
  12. “Girl Happy”
  13. “Spring Fever”
  14. “Fort Lauderdale Chamber Of Commerce”
  15. “Startin’ Tonight”
  16. “Wolf Call”
  17. “Do Not Disturb”
  18. “Cross My Heart And Hope To Die”
  19. “The Meanest Girl In Town”
  20. “Do The Clam”
  21. “Puppet On A String”
  22. “I’ve Got To Find My Baby”

Rating: 3.5 out of 10