Monthly Archives: January 2021

Here are two old posts.  The first one I originally wrote in 2006 and added pictures to it in 2016.  The second one I wrote in 2007 but never went back and added pictures.  I’m not going to do that now, either, because it would take a lot of time.  But you will still enjoy reading the story.

 

Elvis on the Milton Berle Show

 

Last week the Graceland Blog celebrated the 60th anniversary of Elvis’ earth-shaking second performance on the Milton Berle Show. It was a good article with lots of photos, but there is much of the story they barely touched on.

 

As the Graceland Blog explains, by 1956 standards, Elvis’ performance of “Hound Dog” on the show was scandalous. Actually, Elvis’ leg shaking and hip thrusts freaked out the entire country. The next day, a huge national backlash started, and Elvis rocketed into the entertainment stratosphere. Some day it might be fun to chronicle the worst of the press attacks on Elvis, but for now let’s start with what the New York Times had to say.

 

Jack Gould was the king of TV critics during his 35-year career with the New York Times. He was there when the new medium was born, and he was its most notable commentator for the next two decades. Like the rest of America, he saw Elvis’ second appearance on the Milton Berle Show on June 5, 1956. The next day, Jack Gould’s pen dripped with disdain for Elvis. It’s fun to look at some of his statements, line-by-line.

“Elvis Presley is currently the entertainment world’s most astonishing figure.”

So far, so good, but Mr. Gould gets no special credit for this statement. Whether people liked or disliked Elvis in early June, 1956, nobody disputed he was the most astonishing figure in show biz.

 

 

“Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability.”

This is the first indication that Mr. Gould just didn’t ‘get’ Elvis. And, we can safely assume Mr. Gould never went out and bought any Elvis records.

 

 

“His specialty is rhythm songs, which he renders in an undistinguished whine.”

I don’t know. Seems like  Elvis’ whine is very distinguished.

 

 

“His phrasing, if it can be called that, consists of the stereotyped variations that go with a beginner’s aria in a bathtub.”

What??? Certainly not the simplest and clearest metaphor Mr. Gould ever wrote.

“For the ear, he is an unutterable bore…”

You want boring? How about “stereotyped variations that go with a beginner’s aria in a bathtub”? Maybe Elvis was a bore to Jack Gould, but he could make the girls cry at his concerts. Elvis was anything but boring.

 

 

“From watching Mr. Presley, it is wholly evident that his skill lies in another direction. He is a rock-and-roll variation on one of the most standard acts in show business: the virtuoso of the hootchy-kootchy. His specialty is an accented movement of the body… identified with the repertoire of the blond bombshells of the burlesque runway.”

At the end of “Hound Dog” on the Berle Show, Elvis sure did do some classic bump-and-grind. Mr. Gould’s loquacious pontification took a long while to get to Elvis’ moves, but, you will note, he didn’t say he disliked them.

 

 

“The gyration never had anything to do with the world of popular music and still doesn’t.”

Boy, did Mr. Gould get that one wrong. It’s a good thing he passed away before music videos showed up on MTV. He’d probably roll over in his grave if he saw one now. Today’s popular music is synonymous with sensual gyrations.

 

 

Jack Gould was a middle-aged man when he watched Elvis perform on TV on June 5, 1956, so he can be excused for ‘not getting it.’ But millions of American teenagers saw the show and got it. Got it big time. Elvis’ career shot into overdrive, and all of the bad press from TV critics and others could not stop it.

 

 

In fairness, Jack Gould did not accuse Elvis of poisoning the minds of America’s teenagers as did many other entertainment critics, clergymen, disk jockeys, and high school administrators. He didn’t rant that Elvis would create a nation of juvenile delinquents.

Elvis’ performance of “Hound Dog” on the June 5, 1956 Milton Berle Show has become one of the most iconic events in Elvis’ career.

 

Love Me Tender

 

Earlier this year, we had fun looking back at the 1956 New York Times review of Elvis’ first movie Love Me Tender. To say the least, the reviewer, Jack Gould, didn’t like it. Do you think Elvis fared any better in the review published in Time Magazine? Of course not.

For some reason, the unnamed writer begins the review with a description of Elvis’ body. Considering that Pat Boone said Elvis looked like a Greek god, and Carl Perkins called Elvis the best looking man he had ever seen, it’s hard to figure out how Time could say this stupid line:

“Is it a sausage? It is certainly smooth and damp-looking, but who ever heard of a 172-lb. sausage 6 ft. tall?”

This was the opening lines of the review in America’s leading news magazine. It sounds like a fourteen-year old wrote them. Give me a break. They refer to Elvis as “it” and say he looks like a sausage.

“Is it a Walt Disney goldfish? It has the same sort of big, soft, beautiful eyes and long, curly lashes, but who heard of goldfish with sideburns?”

These lines are just as stupid, but at  least there is praise for Elvis’ eyes and lashes. What Disney goldfish was he referring to, anyway?

“Is it a corpse? The face just hangs there, limp and white
with its little drop-seat mouth.”

OK, lets summarize: The Time reviewer thinks Elvis’ Greek god face looks limp and damp and white and just hangs there. I’d like to know what this guy thinks a handsome face looks like.

Next, the reviewer describes Elvis’ body motions as he sings.

“But suddenly the figure comes alive. The lips part, the eyes half-close, the clutched guitar begins to undulate back and forth in an uncomfortably suggestive manner. And wham! The midsection of the body jolts forward to bump and grind and beat out a low-down rhythm.”

This is a fine description of Elvis’ live performances in 1956, but it in no way describes his motions in the movie Love Me Tender. There were only four songs, and two were ballads, and Elvis is very restrained doing them. I guess the writer just had to get in some well-crafted lines whether they fit in a movie review or not.

Then it was time to describe Elvis’ singing voice.

“As the belly dance gets wilder, a peculiar sound emerges. A rusty foghorn? A voice? Or merely a noise produced, like the voice of the cricket, by the violent stridulation of the legs?”

Now, I like a good simile as much as the next reader, but that’s the dumbest comparison I’ve ever seen. Can you visualize Elvis rubbing his legs together to produce a sound like a rusty foghorn? Awful. And the Editor left it in the piece.

The review continues:

“Words occasionally can be made out like raisins in cornmeal mush. ‘Goan…git…luhhv…’ And then all at once everything stops, and a big, trembly tender half smile, half sneer smears across the CinemaScope screen. The message that millions of U.S. teenagers love to receive has just been delivered.”

How about that. Despite the knock on his diction (going, get, love), Elvis does get a begrudging compliment. And he’s right abiut Elvis getting that message out.

At this point in the review, there were only four lines left, and neither the movie nor Elvis’ acting had been discussed yet. Here is all they printed:

“In his first screen appearance, with a secondary role as the hero’s little brother, in an 000otherwise routine western, Elvis Presley all but steals the show from such better known players as Richard Egan and Debra Paget.”

Finally, a full-fledged compliment. Then the reviewer predicted Love Me Tender would be a box-office bonanza. At least he got that right.

 

 

©  2021    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

 

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

 

Post # 998

 

It looks like ElvisBlog will continue on beyond 1,000 posts after all.

Three weeks ago, I wrote about my plans to retire from ElvisBlog. I said;

My blog platform expires on January 31, and I’m changing www.elvisblog.net to a static site. No new posts will be added, but the old ones will still be accessible.

It appears I have some good news for those of you who have expressed sadness about no more ElvisBlog. Last September, I had a phone conversation with the man who owns and runs my blog platform. I explained what I planned to do and asked what the cost would be.

He was feeling generous because I had been with him for 16 years, almost right from the inception of his business. He said “I’ll cover you.”

I found out today that he actually gave me credit for another year of full posting. That helps. It has cost me a lot of money over the years to bring ElvisBlog to you. I kept my site clean – without any pop-ups or other advertising. In retrospect, that was probably stupid.

But there is another factor more important than the money. It is the time it takes to put together each new post. If you wonder what’s involved that requires so many hours each week, let’s just say it’s a lot.

The other time demand on me is as a caregiver for my wife. She has lymphostatic colitis which causes very bad abdominal pain. Her esophagus basically stopped functioning two years ago, so now I have to feed her three times a day through a feeding tube. She is no longer able to share the household responsibilities, so it’s all me.

That’s okay. I do it happily because I love her. But I really have to cut back on the time I spend on ElvisBlog. I’ll still be active for a while selling off the rest of my Elvis stuff. I seem to keep finding more around the house.

New posts will probably stretch out to once a month, or maybe they will just pop up at random.

 

So, this is ElvisBlog post # 997. Onward to #1,000 and beyond.

 

Thank you, thank you very much.

 

Phil Arnold

Original ElvisBlogmeister

This is a combination of three old posts from 2018 and 2015.  It is very long, so expect to be on here a while.

 

Pairing up Elvis and Marilyn Monroe seems to be a favorite thing for Photoshop jockeys. I have almost 50 Elvis/Marilyn pictures in my files. I like the pairing of the world’s two biggest pop culture icons because the photos are fun. I felt there was no intent to trick people into believing they are real.

Then I saw this one.

 

Somebody felt it was a smart idea to pair up eleven-year-old Elvis with a young Norma Jeane Mortenson, who later became known as Marilyn Monroe. Why? What’s the point?

 

Let’s Deconstruct THIS Photoshopped Elvis/marilyn Picture:

 

First, the original Elvis photo.

 

This is a photo of Elvis with twelve-year-old Mary Magdalene Morgan. It was taken in 1946 shortly before Elvis’ family moved from Tupelo to Memphis.   Go back to the first picture and note that Elvis has been flipped from this original shot .

 

And, now, the original Marilyn photo.

 

And here’s young Norma Jeane. She got flipped side-to-side, too, and other modifications were made with her arms.

 

Although I have an appreciation of this clever concept and skill to do it, I think it’s pretty crummy that people are now messing with kid pictures of Elvis.

 

 

That being said, I love the pictures of older Elvis and Marilyn together.  I know that Marilyn was nine or ten years older than Elvis, and they never met, so I just go with the flow and don’t worry about the pics being fake.  It’s just fun.

 

So let’s take a look at:

The Elvis / Marilyn Photoshop Awards — Part 1

 

For the past ten years, I have been collecting images of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe together. She was born nine years before him (and died fifteen years earlier), and there is no record of them ever meeting, let alone having any romantic liaisons.

However, Photoshop jockeys and artists love to morph these two pop culture icons into fun pictures. I have my collection of them sorted into five categories, and just for kicks I rated the images in each group. So here are my rankings in ascending order.

Head Shots:

This one is okay, but I’m not crazy about seeing the back of Elvis head or the streaks of gray in his hair. I realize others might disagree.

 

This is too pale and washed out to suit me.

 

This Andy Warhol wall-hanging tapestry is probably worth a ton of money, but Elvis looks really bad.

 

Even weirder colors on this one.

 

Good color here, but Marilyn looks better is so many other images.

 

I like this, but I wish it was in color.

 

This is interesting, because it shows us the original Marilyn Monroe picture before Photoshopping.

 

The images are starting to get very good now.

 

First runner-up. This was a tough choice to make, because this is really good.

 

My choice for best head shot of Elvis and Marilyn. I like him smiling and she looks sweet. By a very small margin, that nudges out the brooding and sexy one above. Feel free to disagree.

 

A Little Bit More:

 

This one is okay, but what is that weird thing in the sky in the background?

 

Serious Elvis fans will recognize that the original photo came from Love Me Tender where Elvis hugged Debra Paget.

 

The artist that drew this Montserrat stamp did a good job on Elvis, but Marilyn looks terrible.

 

There are a couple of these Happy Valentine’s Day images, but I prefer Elvis and Marilyn without messages.

 

Good artwork, but it would have been better in color.

 

I like the idea of having Marilyn and Elvis singing into a mic.

 

Here’s the other Valentine’s Day image.

 

And here’s the same Marilyn picture used with a different Elvis.

 

I wish someone had found a photo of Marilyn in a cowboy hat to use here.

 

Now we’re getting to the really good ones. This looks like a beautiful young couple out on a date.

 

Great picture. Love it.

 

My big winner. That cosmic background is so cool.

 

Like the first image in this group says:

Elvis and Marilyn – Stars Forever.

 

Next we have three other categories:  Full-Body Shots; Elvis, Marilyn, James Dean, and Humphrey Bogart, and Clever Combinations. All part of:

 

The Elvis / Marilyn Photoshop Awards — Part 2

 

 

Last week we looked at the Elvis and Marilyn images in two categories of my collection – Head Shots and A Little Bit More.  Now we will get into the other three categories, again ranking them in ascending order.

Full Body Shots:

 

There wasn’t not much talent needed to show them both side-by-side in gold outfits.

 

This could have been better if they had brightened it up.

 

Good concept, but the picture cuts off Elvis’ head and it is too fuzzy.

 

Why did they put a polka-dot necktie on Elvis?

 

This had to be pretty easy to put together, but I do like seeing their two most iconic photos together.

 

An older Elvis and an older Marilyn than on most of these images.

 

I found this on an Italian website. I’m pretty sure that is Elvis’ head on somebody else’s body.

 

This image just doesn’t impart much connection between Elvis and Marilyn.

 

Study Elvis in this. Doesn’t it look like the scene in Jailhouse Rock when he told Judy Tyler “That ain’t tactics, Honey. It’s just the beast in me.”

 

Great artwork. As before, I’d like more color, but there is probably something deeper I am missing.

 

This must be the most familiar of all the Elvis/Marilyn images. I found it all over the internet.

 

The big winner. I love the pose, but it has to be someone else’s body with Elvis’ head. I have never seen a photo of him in that position.

 

Elvis / Marilyn / James Dean / Humphrey Bogart:

 

There are a bunch of drawings of these four icons together in bars, diners, and other scenes. For my collection, I have cropped out Dean and Bogart, but I couldn’t do that with this one because it would ruin the coolness of the Mt. Rushmore image.

 

Marilyn and Elvis just seem to be plopped into this picture. No real connection.

 

Better. Elvis is singing to Marilyn, and she is swooning to his music.

 

First runner up. I couldn’t cut out Humphrey Bogart, but I love Elvis checking out Marilyn.

 

The big winner. Elvis has Marilyn on one side and a pile of money on the other.

 

Clever Combinations:

 

An interesting combination of images and design.

 

This is clever. I wonder what Marilyn was holding in the original.

 

Do you think Elvis and Marilyn had enough star power to get the police to buzz off?

 

Young lovers in Paris. I particularly like the rose.

 

How cool is this? Hard to believe this didn’t rank in the top three.

 

Outstanding, but I have one little quibble. Why didn’t they align the original pictures so Elvis was taller than Marilyn? Still, second runner-up.

 

This one is a bonus, not part of the ranking.  I made it wuth Windows Paint, and I wanted it to appear right after the one that inspired it.

 

First runner-up. In spite of it not being a sharp image, I am very impressed with this pairing of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. Powerful.

 

This is the grand winner in the Clever Combination group. And I created it by mistake. While watching a YouTube video that had a sequence of Elvis / Marilyn images morphing from one to the next, I clicked on Screen Grab a little late. So, two images were captured together. I love the result and gave myself the prize.

 

Elvis and Marilyn – Stars Forever:

 

Editor’s Note:  Several other websites and blogs lift articles from ElvisBlog to put on theirs.  I’m sure somebody will take this one.

 

 

© 2021 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

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Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

 

In Elvis Books, Part 1 we had groups of Elvis books at cheap prices. In Part 2 we had four titles from the Top 10 books for a basic Elvis library. Today, in Elvis Books, Part 3, I am offering three outstanding volumes of Elvis photo books.

Images of Elvis

 

Editor’s Note:  Images of Elvis  has been sold.

 

This is a British publication that measures 11” by 11” and contains 218 pages of Elvis photographs with accompanying text about each one. Unlike some books, there are no pages with multiple small pictures. Every photo in Images of Elvis is 3/4 page, full-page, and even double page.

A brand new copy from Amazon is $50.28 plus $3.99 shipping. Lowest price from Amazon for very good condition like mine is $32.29 plus $3.99. Or buy it from me for $25 delivered.

 

Elvis Presley: Unseen Archives:

 

Editor’s Note:  Elvis Presley – Unseen Archives has been sold.

 

Both Images of Elvis and Unseen Archives were compiled by the same person – Marie Clayton. Somehow, she got access to enough Elvis photos so that there is no duplication. Elvis: Unseen Archives measures 9” by 11”, weighs over four pounds, and contains 358 pages of great pictures. I have two copies, one from 2002 and the other from 2009, but the only difference is the picture on the dust-cover.

Unfortunately, there are many copies of this book on Amazon at a wide range of prices for like-new copies, so I guess I have to beat the lowest price which is really low-ball. You can buy Elvis: Unseen Archives on Amazon for $19.16 plus $3.99. You can buy it from me for $20 delivered. This is a real bargain.

 

Elvis at 21:

Editor’s Note:  Elvis at 21 has been sold.

 

This is the crown-jewel of Al Werheimer books of Elvis photographs. It is huge, measuring 11-1/2” by 14-1/4”, and it weighs over six pounds. It contains 249 pages of outstanding Elvis photographs and substantial text by Al giving the stories about the pictures. It has forward written by Peter Guralnick, the famous author of two Elvis books I’ve sold in the past week. But, the best news is that my copy of Elvis at 21 is autographed by Al Wertheimer

If you’ve read all my ElvisBlog posts about him, you know I wrote a long article for Elvis the Magazine. Al was very pleased with the article, and sold me this copy of Elvis at 21 at a discount. He autographed it as follows:

To Phil Arnold, a wonderful, talented writer and human being, who knows more about Elvis than anyone I know. Be well, A. Wertheimer.

I know some of you may be wondering how I could part with this incredible book with complimentary praise for me written by the most famous Elvis photographer. The answer is that Al contacted me a few years later to write the forward on his newest book, Elvis: The Early Years.

In addition to getting paid for my forward, I got a copy of the book with even more praise from Al. This is the book I am keeping.

The Amazon price for new copy of Elvis at 21 is $86.00 plus $3.99, and for a like-new  copy (like mine) the price drops to $75.57 plus shipping. I am willing to sell this autographed, like-new copy for $50. You will love this book.

 

Okay, If you like any of these books and would like to purchase them, let me know by email at philarnold@charter.net. Please don’t put it in Comments. These offers are for delivery to USA locations only.

Please indicate if you want a PayPal invoice, and I’ll get one right out. If you’d rather pay by check, let me know, and I’ll hold your selection for you until it arrives.

Thank you so much for your support.

 

Phil Arnold

Original ElvisBlogmeister

 

I’m finding some fun old posts as I search the archives for ones to repost. This article goes back to 2014.

 

If you are a news junkie like me, you’re probably aware of the buzz about this recent New York Times Magazine cover.

 

The subtitle is:

The gravitational pull of a possible 2016 campaign is bringing all the old Clinton characters into her orbit.

Well, Elvis has pulled all of us fans into his orbit for over fifty years, so I wondered if there had ever been any reference to Planet Elvis. I went to Google, the Exalted Source of All Knowledge, and did an image search for Planet Elvis. I had to scroll down the results for many pages to find good ones I could use in a post, and here they are now

 

When Elvis gave his four-show block of concerts at Madison Square Garden in June 1972, there were positive reviews all over the media. The most memorable line was in the New York Times, who said about Elvis, “He looked like a prince from another planet.”

 

I should have known this image would turn up in the search results. The planet is earth, and the satellite is beaming Elvis to all parts of it. This is a good concept for Planet Elvis.

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I love this T-Shirt. What a clever twist on Al Dvorin’s classic line at the end of Elvis’ 1970s concerts: “Elvis has left the building.” The phrase has since become a popular culture catchphrase, sometimes even a humorous punch line, but this is the best adaptation so far.

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You might say this is a variation on the ‘Elvis has left the planet’ idea.

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This sounds like fun. Has there ever been a Karaoke party where nobody sang an Elvis song? Hard to imagine.

 

I never heard of Planet Football, but I’m glad Elvis lives on it.

 

Has any celebrity been featured in more cartoons than Elvis? This one is pretty good.

 

There is no text at all on this image, so how does Google Images know to make it a result in a search for the words Planet Elvis? Maybe the Exalted Source of All Knowledge is magic, too. To me, it looks more like a fortune teller’s ball than a planet. But, it’s still a nifty image.

 

The site with this image didn’t have anything much to say about it. Maybe this is the artist’s interpretation of the man on the moon.

 

This is more like it. Here’s my interpretation: Planet Elvis with its moon circling by, earth off in the distance, and a white hot vortex sucking in all the Elvis music. What do you think?

 

I wish I could end with a better picture of Planet Elvis.

 

This post started with Hillary wanting to be the President, but Elvis is already the king.

 

That picture of Planet Hillary at the beginning was about politics.  Because I am posting this on Inauguration Day, I had to sneak these two in.

 

 

 

However, I can’t end a post with two politicians, so I also found two new Planet Elvis images.

 

 

 

 

© 2021 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

 

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

 

Wow. Part 1 sold fast. Those were some good deals, and there will be a lot of good Elvis reading ahead for the buyers. Let’s see if we can do as good with Part 2.

 

My friend Alan Hanson is the man behind the Elvis History Blog. His approach to Elvis blogging was much more scholarly than mine, and he has read many dozens of Elvis books. A few years ago, he created his list of ten essential Elvis books. As Alan explained:

“An Elvis book has to pass a credibility assessment before I’ll even consider putting it on my reading list. It has to convince me that it contains pertinent, truthful, and interesting information about Elvis, told from a unique point of view.

“The following 10 volumes are my recommendations for a basic “Elvis Library.” Together they cover almost every aspect of Elvis Presley’s life and career from varying perspectives.”

It turns out that I own five of Alan’s Top 10. However, “Elvis, His Life from A to Z” is a book I have turned to hundreds of time for blog research, and it is falling apart. So, I won’t even try to sell it. Here are the other four with Alan’s short reviews. (His blog has long thorough reviews of each you may also want to check out.)

 

# 1 – Last Train to Memphis:

 

Editor’s Note:  Last Train to Memphis has been sold.

 

“Any Elvis library should be anchored by a biography, and Guralnick’s two-volume set is still the most comprehensive one available. Some find it tedious and lacking in enthusiasm, but no other existing Elvis biography can match the breadth and detail that Guralnick provides. Another advantage of Guralnick’s work is that the author wrote from the perspective of an historian and not as an Elvis fan. Thus his memoir is balanced. The reader sees both the best and the worst of Elvis along the way.”

This softcover book gets 4-1/2 stars on Amazon reader reviews. You can buy a copy on Amazon in very good condition like mine for $7.50 plus $3.99 shipping. Or you can buy it from me at $7 delivered.

 

# 2 – Elvis Presley – A Life in Music (The Complete Recording Sessions):

 

Editor’s Note:  Elvis, A Life in Music has been sold.

 

“Ernst Jorgensen has made his life’s work the preservation of Elvis’s music. In this book he chronicles every Presley recording session—studio, live, and informal—over the singer’s lifetime. A few other authors have taken on the same task, but none of them have had Jorgensen’s direct access to RCA’s files dealing with Elvis’s recording sessions. Jorgensen is a self-professed Elvis fan, as well, so his writing reveals his enthusiasm with his subject.”

This hardcover book gets five stars on Amazon reader reviews. You can buy a copy on Amazon in good condition like mine for $25.84 plus $3.95 shipping. Or you can buy it from me for $15 delivered.

 

# 4 – That’s Alright Elvis:

Editor’s Note:  That’s Alright Elvis has been sold.

 

“Scotty Moore, who was there from the very beginning, provides a unique perspective on the rise of Elvis Presley in his book. Scotty certainly gives Elvis his due but also outlines recurring disappointments in his relationship with Elvis. In his occasional inconsiderate treatment of his backup musicians, the reader begins to understand how Elvis refused to take control of his own career. It was not in Scotty’s makeup, however, to harbor resentment toward Elvis, and that comes across clearly in the title and content of his book.” (Editor’s note: This book is more fun to read than Alan’s review might imply.)

This hardcover first printing gets 4-1/2 stars on Amazon reader reviews . You can buy a copy on Amazon in very good condition like mine for $20.20 delivered, or you can buy it from me for $10.

 

# 6 – Elvis Day By Day:

 

Editor’s Note:  Elvis day by Day has been sold.

 

“As the title signifies, this volume provides a straight, chronological accounting of Elvis’s life from the day of his birth in 1935 until the day of his death in 1977. Guralnick, the biographer, provides Presley’s comings and goings, while music historian Jorgensen contributes the recording session and concert information.”

(Editor’s note: The description of this book on Amazon goes into greater detail. “From Elvis’ foremost biographer, Peter Guralnick, author of the bestselling two-volume biography, Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love, and Ernst Jorgensen, the premier archivist and reissue producer of Elvis’ recorded work, comes a unique chronicle of Elvis Presley’s life and music. Granted unprecedented access to hundreds of thousands of photos, documents, letters, artifacts, and memorabilia by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Guralnick and Jorgensen present the King as you’ve never seen him before. Elvis Day by Day is a complete account of public, private, rare, forgotten, and renowned moments, captured with such detail and immediacy they read like diary entries.”)

This hardcover book get 4-1/2 stars on Amazon reader reviews . You can buy a copy on Amazon in very good condition like mine for $40.98 delivered. Or you can buy it from me for $20.

 

Okay, If you like any of these books and would like to purchase them, let me know by email at philarnold@charter.net. Please don’t put it in Comments. These offers are for delivery to USA locations only.

Please indicate if you want a PayPal invoice, and I’ll get one right out. If you’d rather pay by check, let me know, and I’ll hold your selection for you until it arrives.

Thank you so much for your support.

 

Phil Arnold

Original ElvisBlogmeister

 

Post # 993

This is a second look at a post from 2012.  Over the years, several of you readers have commented that ElvisBlog covers topics you don’t see on any other Elvis sites.  This certainly qualifies as one.

 

Three weeks ago, when I was doing research for the article “Elvis Has Left The Building,” I learned something about Wikipedia.  If you type Songs About Elvis in the search box, it comes up with a list of 112 songs.  About half of them were by people or groups I had never heard of, but some of the familiar names have songs with interesting lyrics.  Here is a sampling.

 

He Was the King – Neil Young

Neil Young wrote this song with many verses that traced Elvis’ entire life as an entertainer.  Except for the reference to pills in one verse, I found it to be the best lyrics in the group.  Unfortunately, it appeared on one of Young’s least popular albums, Prairie Wind.

 

Back To Tupelo – Mark Knopfler

You may know Mark Knopfler as the front man of the group Dire Straits.  His ode to Elvis song appeared on his solo album Shangri La.

 

 

 

(619) 239-KING – Mojo Nixon

Most of Mojo Nixon’s songs are raunchy and funny, but he played it pretty straight on this CD single release.

 

Black Velvet – Alannah Myles

I never listened to the lyrics of this big hit closely enough to realize they were about Elvis.

 

Disgraceland – Alice Cooper

This song was included on his Dragontown album.  I expected the lyrics to be disturbing, and they were.  Here is the only verse worth including.

 

Elvis – Sister Hazel

I thought this was a woman, but it’s a five-man band.  Their song is more about a velvet Elvis painting than Elvis himself, and it appeared on their Fortress album.

 

Boy From Tupelo – Emmylou Harris

This soulful song tells of a spurned lover going away and disappearing like the buffalo, Elvis, and the five and dime stores.  Harris included it on her album Red Dirt Girl.

 

Elvis and I – Denis Leary

I never knew he was a singer as well as a comedian.  I never knew he spelled his name Denis.  I also couldn’t find a picture of the album Other Songs D-K that this one came from.

 

 

Elvis and Andy — Confederate Railroad

There are probably plenty of Elvis fans who also love Andy Griffith and the Mayberry gang.  Confederate Railroad celebrates one of them on this song from their album Notorious.

 

Elvis Has Left the Building – Jerry Reed

Elvis recorded four songs Jerry Reed wrote, including the hits “Guitar Man” and “U.S. Male.”  Reed also had a hit in 1967 with a song about Elvis, “Tupelo Mississippi Flash.”  He wrote a second Elvis song and sang it with other country stars on the album Old Dogs.

 

Elvis on Velvet – Stray Cats

The Stray Cats patterned their music after the Rockabilly sound of the early Elvis Records.  They also released this single about him.

 

 

I Saw Mr. Presley Tip-toeing Through the Tulips – Tiny Tim

Fortunately, the lyrics of this song are better than the artwork on the Tiny Tim album where it appeared.

 

 

©  2012    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

 

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Post # 992

 

The magazine offerings from a few days ago were completely sold out.  Thanks for your support.  Let’s see how things go with Elvis books.  In Part 1, we’ll have groups of books at cheap prices, and in Part 2, I’ll list some more special books individually.

Skinny Books, Skinny Price: 

Editor’s note:  The Skinny Elvis Books are sold.

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s a pretty interesting collection covering a variety of subjects.  Eight Skinny Elvis Books for just $10 delivered.  (US locations only)

 

Paperback Elvis Biographies:

Editor’s Note: The Elvis Biographies are sold.

 

If you haven’t read Priscilla’s take on living with Elvis, here is your chance to get it at a discount price.

 

 

This was written one year after Elvis’ death and explores everything that happened in that time.

 

I wrote an ElvisBlog article on the author of this book and her relationship with Elvis.This book is Interesting reading from a top Hollywood columnist.

 

       

Jerry Hopkins is a noted Elvis author, and he did a great job on these two.

 

Fortunately, these five Paperback Elvis Biographies don’t have much content overlap at all.  Some of them are gently worn.  A good buy at $12.

 

 

Eclectic Paperback Package:

Editor’s Note: The Eclectic Paperbacks have been sold.

 

I like this book because George Klein had his own life and career, as opposed to the Memphis Mafia guys that wrote Elvis books.  His friendship with Elvis did have plenty of perks, though, and it’s fun to read about them.

 

407 pages of funny Elvis stories collected from several dozen other books. I wish I had thought of the idea.

 

The cover tells it all, but the author ought to do an update now that we have the Graceland Guesthouse and Elvis Presley’s Memphis.

 

This is so much more than a dry encyclopedia of all things Graceland.  The author tells a story that is very enjoyable reading.

 

These four large paperback books are what is called Trade Paperbacks, the less expensive version of the hardcover editions.  All are in very good condition.

This Eclectic Paperback Collection that will provide you many, many hours of reading.  Just $14 delivered.

 

Elvis Fiction:

 

Editor’s note:  The Elvis Fiction Books are sold.

     

 

Daniel Klein now has four mysteries featuring Elvis Presley.  These two for sale are hard-cover editions.

 

 

 

The last three books are Trade Paperbacks, as explained above.  All five fiction books are in very good condition.

If you want more information about these Elvis novels, please check them out on Amazon, and be sure to note the prices.    Then, you will know what a deal it would be to get all five Elvis Fiction for just $18 delivered.

 

To summarize, there are four groups of Elvis books for sale:

Eight Skinny Elvis Books for just $10 delivered.

Five Paperback Elvis Biographies for just $12 delivered.

Four Eclectic Elvis Paperbacks for just $14 delivered

Five Elvis Fiction Books for just $18 delivered.

 

Okay, If you like any of these items and would like to purchase them, let me know by email at philarnold@charter.net. Please don’t put it in Comments. These offers are for delivery to USA locations only.

Please indicate if you want a PayPal invoice, and I’ll get one right out. If you’d rather pay by check, let me know, and I’ll hold your selection for you until it arrives.

 

Thank you so much for your support.

 

Phil Arnold

Original ElvisBlogmeister

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been thinking about how to say thank you to ElvisBlog readers at the end of the month.  I’m sure I will think of something eloquent to say, but for now, I will rely on the famous words of Elvis, “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do thank you very much.  Knowing that all you folks read my stuff each week does a lot for my sense of self-worth .

 

Phil Arnold

Original ElvisBlogmeister

Post # 990

 

© 2021 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.Thank y

Between Covid 19 and the cold winter weather, you are going to be spending a lot of time indoors. So, what better way to spend it than by reading about Elvis? Here are some groups of magazines to keep you busy.

Magazine Group #1:

Editor’s Note:  Magazine Group #1 has been sold.

 

This issue celebrated the 10th anniversary of Elvis death in 1987. There is a seven-page article with ten photos, including three I’ve never seen before. Also reviews of three Elvis videos: Elvis Presley’s Graceland, Elvis-His Memory Lives On, and Elvis-Ten Years Later.

 

From August 1978, one year after Elvis’ death. Nine pages about Elvis and Vernon (and Gladys), and two dozen photos. Plus lots of stories about other stars of the day.

 

How could you pass up a story about Lisa that promises, “A hunky love and a hot rock voice made Elvis’ sad princess smile again” This issue is from 1984 and she was just sixteen. The boyfriend is twenty-year-old cinematography student Scott Rollins. Five pages of compelling reading, plus four pics of teenager Lisa I’ve never seen before.

 

This is from 1963. There is a 2-1/2 page article on Elvis and the movie Girls, Girls, Girls. And you might be curious to read the lyrics of 59 song hits of the day.

 

Country Weekly, August 16, 1994 issue. Eight-page article full of photos, many in color, and two I’ve never seen before. Five country music stars share their memories of Elvis.

 

A special double issue from 1992. It has just a full-page of text and a full-page color photo of Elvis. But I’ll bet you’ll read about every other teen idol they profile.

 

So, there it is. Magazine Group #1 – six magazines loaded with Elvis. They are all in great shape. I should probably sell each one as a collectible on eBay, but that would take too much time. You can get the whole group for just $15 delivered. (To the U.S. only)

 

Magazine Group #2:

Editor’s Note:  Magazine Group #2 has been sold.

 

This is another magazine that came out while Elvis was still alive (December 1975). It contains a three-page article focusing on a “mysterious malady” that kept Elvis off the stage in Las Vegas for a while. Lots of other good celebrity stories.

 

From September 1979, this issue features an eight-page article that is Part 1 of an exclusive article by Earl Greenwood who grew up with Elvis in Tupelo. He also served as Elvis’ press secretary from 1958 until 1963, and the bulk of his memories are from this period. There is also a tribute to Vernon who had died a few months earlier.

 

As the cover says, Elvis was still the king back in January 1965. The reference is to a contest where readers were to send in their votes on who was the top idol (Elvis won handily). Ten Elvis fans explain their votes. There is also an article titled “The New Elvis,” which explains how Elvis had come a long way from his image as a wild, hip-swinging, rockabilly guy.

 

January, 1987 to celebrate the 10th anniversary. Twenty-four pages on Elvis – seven different articles, including one with seventeen remembrances of Elvis by musicians and actors. Dozens of pictures.

 

Another August, 1978 issue. Those special women in Elvis’ life are profiled about who misses him the most, but it pretty much ends up a three-way tie. Of course, the rest of the magazine is full of celebrity pictures and stories.

 

Elvis was in pretty good shape in 1975 according to this four-page article. It talks about him training with 20-pound weights and wearing a bullet-proof vest while performing. And for some stupid reason there’s a photo of Priscilla with Mike Stone.

 

There you are. Magazine Group #2 – six more magazines with enough reading about Elvis to keep you busy for a long time. $15 delivered for all of them.

 

 

Eclectic Reading Group #1:

Editor’s Note:  Eclectic Group #1 has been sold.

 

This magazine contains a sixteen-page article about Elvis and the musicians who played with him. It features eight Al Wertheimer photographs. Even better are the memories of Elvis by a huge list of players, including Scotty Moore, DJ Fontana, Mike Stoller, Jerry Leiber, Bones Howe, Boots Randolph, Gordon stoker, Charlie Hodge, James Burton, Kathy Westmoreland, and more. These memories are about Elvis in the recording studio or performing on stage. There’s a lot of new stuff here that you will find intriguing.

 

From 1976, this magazine has a five-page article about the early days of Rock & Roll, including sections on black roots, the phonograph record, the rise of the DJ, the electric guitar, and more. Elvis gets his share of the text, but I could have used more. Still, great reading.

 

This is very unusual. It has almost no text but does have sixteen full-page photos culled from the video for the CBS special xxx. Elvis was filmed on June 19 and 21, and he looks pretty good in most of the pics. All but one were new to me.

 

Goldmine is a record collector’s magazine I have subscribed to for over thirty years. Every once in a while they do a cover story about Elvis. This time it was the back-stories of the reissues of Elvis’ old hits in compilations starting with the five-CD “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Complete 50s Masters.” That opened the floodgates for many other comprehensive sets, and they are all covered here.

 

You probably watched the three-hour documentary “Elvis – The Searcher” two years ago. So, you know it was not like any previous Elvis documentary. It portrayed Elvis as a serious artist, not the phenomenon, and it was very satisfying. So is this five-page article that digs deep into the planning and choices that were made. There are three Elvis photos I have never seen (actually four, counting the cover).

 

If you want some really different reading material about Elvis, the Eclectic Group #2 is a great choice. Just $8 delivered (US destinations only)

 

Eclectic Reading Group #2:

Editor’s Note:  Eclectic Reading Group #2 has been sold.

 

Believe it or not, this magazine is published by the Indiana Historical Society. But it has a wonderful eight-page article on Elvis’ last concert in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977. It was written by the assistant arts and entertainment editor for the Indianapolis Star who attended the concert and posted a review of it the next day. Then, twenty-one years later, she revisited that review and all her memories of the concert. This is first-class writing on a subject you haven’t read much about.

 

This magazine is a handy reference with the lyrics for 100 of Elvis’ biggest hits. In addition, there are eight articles on Elvis, each with photos. And there are four full-page collages of pics from Elvis movies.

 

The most interesting thing about this magazine is its salute to 32 rock, country, and blues artists born in Mississippi. Of course, Elvis gets special coverage with two articles. One is a standard biography as they installed Elvis into the “Y’all Hall of Fame.” The other covers his return to Tupelo, Mississippi for a concert on September 26, 1956 during the “Tupelo Welcomes Elvis Presley Home” celebration.

 

The cover story here is ten-pages of Al Wertheimer’s photographs of Elvis back in 1956. They used twenty of them, not just the most familiar ones, but several I haven’t seen before. And the accompanying text is built around an interview the author did with Wertheimer. Interesting stuff.

 

There it is. Another assortment of Elvis reading material you don’t normally find. The Eclectic Group #2 is also $8 delivered.

 

Erotic Magazine Rarity:

Editor’s Note:  Erotic Magazine Rarity has been sold.

 

 

OK, I am going to sell one magazine separately because it is a genuine rarity. This has to be the only magazine you will ever find that combines full female nudity with a story about Elvis and Col. Parker. What else would you expect from a Special Kinky Sex & Rock ‘n’ Roll Issue? And they certainly delivered with a lot of erotic stuff. In the midst of all this are five pages about Elvis where the author totally slams the Colonel. The three photos of Elvis weren’t new to me, but the three-dozen nude photos certainly were. Wow. $7 delivered.

 

18 Elvis Articles from Goldmine Magazine:

Editor’s Note:  The group of 18 magazine articles has been sold.

 

 

These are old Goldmine magazines from 1987-90 before they changed their format from tabloid paper into magazine. They’re big, thick and heavy with many pages of albums and CDs for sale. So, I’ve culled out just the Elvis articles plus the covers. Here’s the list of articles:

August 4, 1987:

DJ Fontana – Elvis’ Drummer Capsulizes the King’s Career
Sam Phillips – America’s Other Uncle Sam

January 9, 1988:

Elvis & the Press
Graceland – The Business End of an Elvis Mecca
Elvis on TV
Elvis LPs – His Most Collectible Records

August 28, 1988:

Elvis’ Rarest Recording?
Elvis on TV – Part 2
Bill Black – Elvis, Scotty and Who?
From Elvis in Memphis – New Information about the Sun Recordings

August 10, 1990:

The 1956 Hy Gardner Interview
Elvis, Doc and Mojo Are Everywhere
The Russian Elvis Album – A Translation of Liner Notes
Elvis in the Projects
Elvis Presley – Archeology or Garbology
The King and Them
Elvis Book Update
Retracing Elvis’ Memphis & Tupelo Footsteps

That’s eighteen different articles on a bunch of interesting Elvis subjects. If you want to get the stack of stories and the four covers, the price is just $5.

 

To summarize, There are six offerings here. There are Magazine Groups #1 and #2 at $15 each. Then there are Eclectic Reading Groups #1 and #2 at $8 each. Next was the Erotic Magazine Rarity for $7. And finally, the collection of eighteen good, long magazine articles for $5.

Okay, If you like any of these items and would like to purchase them, let me know by email at philarnold@charter.net. Please don’t put it in Comments. These offers are for delivery to USA locations only.

Please indicate if you want a PayPal invoice, and I’ll get one right out. If you’d rather pay by check, let me know, and I’ll hold your selection for you until it arrives.

 

Thank you so much for your support. Happy reading.

Phil Arnold

Original ElvisBlogmeister