My favorite, by far, is the statue currently on display at the Tennessee Welcome Center on Interstate 40 (labeled as “Mud Island, Memphis, Tennessee” on the EIN page; you can also see some detailed close-up shots of it near the top of their page).
This bronze statue by sculptor Eric Parks actually stood on Beale Street from 1980 to 1994. Though it was only ten years old by the time I saw it in 1990, it had already significantly deteriorated due to weather erosion and fan graffiti.
In 1994, the statue was removed for restoration. It was replaced by the rather bland but weather-resistant Elvis statue that still resides on Beale Street today (labeled as “The iconic Elvis statue on Beale Street, Memphis Tennessee” on the EIN page).
The original Parks statue, refurbished to its former glory, made its return in 1997, this time inside the visitor center – safe from weather and overzealous fans.
I hope to return to Memphis within the next few years, and the former “Elvis On Beale” statue at the Tennessee Welcome Center is definitely on my list of must-sees.
Elvis Unlimited yesterday posted an update on Myrna Smith, who provided backing vocals for Elvis from 1969 to 1977 as a member of the Sweet Inspirations. “Myrna continues to be very weak, her health is not good, & she sleeps most of the time. She is still getting dialysis three times a week,” reports the site.
I was planning to have a review for you today of a new iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad app called the Official Elvis Challenge. I have an iPod Classic, so no go there, but I was hoping it would work on an iPod Touch (3rd generation). Unfortunately, it must not have the right operating system version to run the app, which requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
I wasn’t able to try it out, but I wanted to mention it anyway because this Elvis-themed trivia game from USAopoly looks really cool!
Official Elvis Challenge menu screen
First of all, I love that the main menu screen image is a photo from the mid-1970s. 1950s images of Elvis are so overused in marketing and products, so it’s nice to see a company do something different and use a 1970s image instead.
“So I was . . . shakin’. In fact, that’s how I got in this business, was shakin’. May be how I’ll get out of it, too,” Elvis said in 1969. Appropriately, the Official Elvis Challenge includes a shaking feature. It also has three levels of play and a variety of Elvis games.
If anyone has a chance to play the Official Elvis Challenge, be sure to post in the comments about your experiences.
Here is another sample screen, including an interesting trivia question:
Official Elvis Challenge trivia question
Do you know the source of the above quote? I’ll post the answer tomorrow. No fair Googling it!
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Original images courtesy of USAopoly. Used with permission.
“Most of all, I’d like to thank you. And I’d like to tell you, this is the last day of our tour, and we couldn’t have asked for a better audience. You’ve really made it worthwhile. […] If you want us back, just let us know, and we’ll come back.” –Elvis Presley, June 26, 1977, Indianapolis, Indiana, concluding his final concert
Now that we’re starting to get back to “normal” here on The Mystery Train Elvis Blog after wall-to-wall coverage of Elvis On Tour, I thought it would be a good chance to catch up on some of the other things going on in the Elvis world.
Too much, plus tax
While I’ve got some book and Blu-ray reviews in the works, one upcoming Elvis release I’m not likely to be reviewing anytime soon is The Complete Elvis Presley Masters collection, formally announced by Sony Legacy this week and available for pre-order. This 30-CD set checks in at $749 US, plus tax and shipping.
The initial run is limited to only 1,000 units worldwide. You get 814 recordings, a new 240-page hardcover book, and a display case.
Don’t get me wrong here. This looks like a terrific set, and I’m drooling over it as we speak! $749 is simply too much for me personally, especially considering I already have all of the songs (though not always in the same sound quality as what will no doubt be included on this set).
Checking out the other Elvis blogs
Over on Elvis Today, Thomas recently reviewed the FTD edition of How Great Thou Art. He notes, “Getting a front seat in RCA’s Studio B in Nashville and being able to listen to Elvis’ new producer Felton Jarvis directing the session with his supportive comments and encouragement, offers a valuable insight into how the recordings took place and how the songs evolved.” Certainly, a must-read post and, apparently, a must-listen CD set as well.
Phil has some great coverage this week on ElvisBlog about what he calls “Two Very Rare, Weird, and Valuable Elvis Records.” Each one of those rare records will actually cost far more than the 30-CD set referenced above, by the way. One features “Doncha’ Think It’s Time” by Elvis accidentally pressed by RCA on a record labeled as “One For The Money (Part 1)” by The Whispers. How Elvis’ 1958 recording ended up on this 1976 single is anyone’s guess.
This reminded me of a similar mistake that Sony Legacy recently made – in reverse! Some editions of their 2-CD reissue of On Stage-February 1970 have an Alice In Chains album as the first CD – though it is still labeled as Elvis. Sony is offering a disc exchange, but that’s one I’d recommend keeping if you happen to have it, even if you don’t like Alice In Chains. It’s kind of a double collectible, for Alice In Chains fans may want to obtain this unique disc as well.
Continue keeping Myrna Smith in your prayers
One of the beautiful voices you’ll hear on the real version of On Stage is that of Myrna Smith. Because of Elvis, I’ve been listening to Myrna for all of my life.
I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but I want to bring it up again. If you’re going to be in Memphis during Elvis Week, be sure to attend Elvis Unlimited‘s Back In Memphis concert, which will benefit Myrna – a founding member of the Sweet Inspirations vocal group that backed Elvis in concert performances from 1969 until his death in 1977. Myrna is hospitalized with a serious illness in California and the medical bills are quickly adding up. Kudos to Elvis Unlimited for taking the initiative to bring fans together to help her.
Even if you can’t attend the show, keep Myrna in your prayers, everyone. May she recover soon.
Back in the early 1990s, while finishing up high school, I spent all of the gift money I received for graduation on three Elvis items. My way of thinking was, what better way to further my education?
Here are some of the things I’ve learned from those items.
Elvis Today CD
About Elvis: Just because the record company actually bothered to print the lyrics in the liner notes of an Elvis CD doesn’t mean they always used the right words.
About life: Hold on to the most important pieces of your life, or they may soon be gone.
ELVIS: His Life From A to Z book
About Elvis: His favorite board games were Monopoly and Scrabble. He played Monopoly with the Beatles when they met in 1965.
About life: If an entire 620-page encyclopedia can be devoted to your life, you’ve hit the big time.
ELVIS: The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll-The Complete 50s Masters 5-CD set
About Elvis: He played electric bass on 1957’s “Baby, I Don’t Care.”
About life: Life can change at a moment’s notice, sometimes due to our actions (paying to record a demonstration record) and other times due to circumstances beyond our control (being drafted into the US Army).
No need to send me any gifts now, though, folks. My graduation from studying Elvis and life won’t be for some while, I hope.
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