ElvisNews.com: Elvis - The 30th Anniversary Blues

Elvis - The 30th Anniversary Blues

By Mark O'Neill, Nov 7, 2007

So the 30th Anniversary has been and gone and despite all the BMG promises, it was a bit of a let down. In fact it was an embarrassing bore. What inspirational release did we have? Why a CD album of greatest hits called "The King" with all the same songs as "30 No.!s", "2nd to None", "Elvis By The Presleys" "Hitstory" and "Love, Elvis". So maybe the much promised remix album would come out? The signs were there when the fantastic remix of Burning Love from last year never saw the light of day. In other words - nothing. There would be no ALLC like there was in 2002. Ok so maybe a duets album, after all we had the sublime Celine Dion/ Elvis appearance on American Idol this year. Nope. That never got released at all. Another missed chance. Instead we got a poor, hastily recorded duet with Lisa and an embarrassing. clichéd video to boot. What a let down. Even though it was No.1 download it never made the charts!! Someone explain that to me.

Ok maybe the unreleased material from Elvis On Tour would be released?? Nope nothing to report there. Ok Elvis in Concert - CBS Special? Amazingly no not a sign. Instead we get the, 18 songs that never made No.1 one but they might this time cause the suckers will buy the singles like they did two years ago release! What a cringe worthy thing to foist upon loyal fans. Elvis can't even break the top 10 because non-Elvis fans aren't interested in downloading it. Just wait until the Beatles songs are available to download - they'll be at no.1 for 6 months!

A totally missed opportunity for originality to mark the King's passing appropriately. To BMG I say this: no more releases of this boring nature! It was better in the Colonel's day.

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dbacke1 (profile/ contact) wrote on Jun 20, 2008report abuse

I was actually writing about this very topic about a year ago, and it was a reaction to the article titled "New Strategy Needed." In that reaction, I gave some ideas about 30th Anniversary releases, namely Elvis on Tour on DVD and the Elvis in Concert CBS Special, also on DVD. I know there is some controversy involved with EIC, but I truly feel that the response would not be that negative if the product were packaged and marketed in the right way. Unlike many entertainers of today, Elvis could SING, and he sang very well in EIC. Also, today's technology could really do wonders with the picture and sound of the original. I also wanted to comment on the issue of not caring whether or not new young fans are brought in. I myself am over 40, and two years ago I became a huge Elvis fan due to the fact that a friend of mine at work made me an ELVIS concert CD, and as I was playing it on the way home one night I became really amazed at the music as well as his singing. I was hooked, and I got a bunch of his albums and downloaded just about everything he did. Many of the songs on that CD were from the Elvis in Concert album that accompanied the CBS Special, and I thought they were great. True, Elvis did not look as fit and trim as he did in Aloha or TTWII, but he sang well, the TCB band was right on, and the Rapid City concert is actually a pretty good show by 1977 standards. I wish I knew why Trying to Get to You and I Got A Woman, among others, were deleted from the special. You Gave Me a Mountain is very powerful as well. I don't think any of today's performers would have the guts that it took for Elvis to mount that stage in the last few weeks of his life, and I think that his courage during that last tour stands as a testament to him as a performer and as a human being. He was the greatest, and releasing EOT and EIC would help to prove it.

Keriaboo (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 28, 2007report abuse

Sorry but I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting Elvis in the public eye and outside of the fandom. I don't like regular BMG releases and would rather they lay off releasing a CD per year, unyil they have a decent package to sell. The FTD releases are innovative and fantastic and cater superbly well for the fans, is it wrong to ask BMG to take some FTD imagination and put it to use. Yes the "Viva Las Vegas" CD album was great, an unreleased concert is fantastic. But just because some of you don't like downloads ( I don't myself) it is the way the future will be. Like vinyl before it CDs will diminish. I don't want re-mixes just for the sake of it but there is nothing wrong in trying something different every few years and not the regular "greatest hits" we seem to get. If BMG can't do that I'd rather they released nothing. Elvis will always be the King Greg, but no-one is looking to be the Colonel jnr, just looking for something different. You don't want it? Then don't buy it.

JerryNodak (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 26, 2007report abuse

Well written, Greg. I'm in full agreement. Record/music store? What's that. Nowadays I save myself all the hassle by shopping online for my music. Be it Elvis or otherwise. No, I don't download music. I'm part of the "older" generation. Downloading music will never be a part of my routine.

mature_elvis_fan75 (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 26, 2007report abuse

I agree with that,i dont see the On Tour cd set being released in stores,remember the 2 cd set viva las vegas was only in one store here in the usa,theres only one local record shop i know of that still has a pretty big Elvis section and even its half of what it use to be,best buy and circuit city now have next to nothing of Elvis and have lowered there cd section all together!

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 25, 2007report abuse

I'm afraid Greg is very much on the money. We will prob never again see a nice non-FTD CD set put out. No one would buy it. And by no one I dont mean the fans on this site. To put things in perspective. We have a CD chain store here in NJ called Compact Disc World. Only a few years ago there were over 10 of them scattered throughout the state. Let me tell you this was a great store with a huge CD & DVD section as well as used CD DVDs. Today there are only 3 left and the stores are in disarray. Releases scattered about, non-informed sales clerks, etc. RIP CD.

Greg Nolan (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 25, 2007report abuse

Keriaboo, so you're older than me, and you still "want Elvis to be on top." On top? He's the King - a legend, all of that. But he's *done* competing. Does a man ever get to rest when he's dead? Some fans talk as if they aspire to be "the Colonel, Jr." ! Let the Jay Z's, and Beyonce's and other crap modern acts pretend they are in the same sentence with him but he's one for the ages now and most recogize that, even non-fans who follow music know he's permanently larger than life.

Lucille Ball, for instance, was just named as the "Top TV Icon Of All Time" (for VH-1's Top 50 countdown) and while there is a fan base for her, by and large, she's part of history and there's little reason to prostitute her beyond that. If they did, it would be transparently bad. Sure, polish up Elvis' musical jewels from time to time (I was behind a huge "EOT" petition a few years ago) and, yes, BMG could do better from time to time and avoid the rehashes, but it can't be said enough: the CD is dying, unfortunately.

I go over to friends and acquaintences house's lately and cannot find a CD player! They've got a damn "dock" for their I-Pod -and their CD's are thrown in a corner on a shelf in the basement, not unlike the way many did with their vinyl records years ago before selling or chucking them in the trash. It's sad, but I'm here to remind people of that. And forget young people: they want everything free and they only download. What a sad turnabout.

So to push for this or that "angle" for the mainstream releases is, sadly, very past its prime of late. The reason this O'Brien fellow got so much attention is that he staked out a controversial (and ill-informed, pseudo fan/populist knee-jerk) opinion that's at odds with the bigger picture.

After all, as Matt wrote: 2007's "Viva Las Vegas" (2-CD set) was an excellent release featuring basically an unreleased '69 concert and great-sounding disc one, then you had these FTD's ( as he wrote): "Unchained Melody CD - unreleased 1977 soundboard. You'd like that one since you're disappointed the CBS Special wasn't released on DVD (thank goodness). An American Trilogy CD - unreleased multitrack recordings from Feb '72.

50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong; Golden Records Vol 2 (2-CD) - the legendary Kevan Budd works his magic over more 50s material. Complete sessions released. Live In L.A. book/CD - picture book + unreleased soundboard show from 1974. Raised On Rock (2-CD) - does for this album what Jungle Room Sessions did for the '76 sessions. I Sing All Kinds CD - unreleased studio outtakes from 1971.

Still to come: Pot Luck 2CD - expected great mastering as usual along with unreleased session outtakes. And this excludes movie soundtracks. Sorry, you were saying?" Well said, Mark -and we've not even mentioned the great import titles on CD and DVD as well as the many new-to-DVD Elvis movite titles that finally saw print this year!

As for the mainstream pop world, he's *dead* folks. I enjoy the occasional positioning of Elvis back into the news, and hope they can do it a few more novel ways through the years, but get real, he's not alive and any over-promotion of him now (and I've seen it) tends to create a backlash. But pace it well and we'll keep him from totally going off the map in popular consciousness.

By and large, I sympathize with the frustration of every fan here (I'm one too) but with Tower Records closed, all the mom and pop record stores nearly gone and even Wal-Mart in many places with a CD pop section about as wide as my arm span (I'm serious), it's time to say "goodnight" to the record / CD" era, save for on-line, some older fans and of course the high-end collector speciality market. And I wish that wasn't the case.

JimmyCool (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 17, 2007report abuse

Yes, we should be thankful, because we're not giving the company money for nothing, we are buying what we want (Elvis), we are both getting something of it, and I'm glad they've released all those wonderful things, don't you?

mature_elvis_fan75 (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 16, 2007report abuse

Be thankful to a record company? shouldnt they be thankful that fans will buy this stuff? shouldnt ernst and company be thankful that they have a great job,and they have that job due to us fans,As for On Tour its overdue,i dont see a delux dvd set coming,and i dont think you make your decision based on what they do or dont do with the On Tour footage!

JimmyCool (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 15, 2007report abuse

You shouldn't complain, you should be thankful of all RCA/BMG/Sony has put out all those years... Imagine if you have just started into Elvis' world and you want to buy all that has been on the market... you'd have to spend MILLIONS! The only thing we should do is to make a petition to see "Elvis On Tour - Special Edition" on DVD... We need it, man.

2kisses&3scarfs (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 15, 2007report abuse

I TOTALLY AGREE with Steve V, and I agree with some of the comments made by Mark O'Neill, as well as others. The 30th Anniversary may be the last one seen by many of us original Elvis fans, and we are the ones who will appreciate the unreleased EOT material the most. I'd also like to see an "offiical" DVD release of all the 1977 CBS CONCERT material as well. EPE has missed the boat on this one! I'd also like to see an "official" DVD release of ALL the "1977 CBS CONCERT" material before I die. (JMO)

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 14, 2007report abuse

Correct CircleG - 35th anniversary! Man does time fly.

circleG (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 14, 2007report abuse

Well said Steve V. This year was the perfect time for its release (the 35th anniversary, right?). The footage of EOT needs to be collected and preserved if it hasn't been already. A remastered version on Tv would have been great instead of 'the worlds greatest Elvis' competition. My 10 year old nephew is really getting into Elvis now (in fact ALL my nephews and nieces love him) and its odd how he sees the legacy as a whole piece to be enjoyed as opposed to certain 'eras'. From truck driver to death, to him its ALL Elvis. I reckon thats how he should be enjoyed, after all Marilyn Monroes tragic death hasn't stopped her popularity so why are some of us so anti- 77 ?

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 14, 2007report abuse

I hear ya Jerry. I too in my 50+ years of Elvis fandom have my own personal faves. I was just pointing out the fact that on the 30th I think the majority of us (me included) would preferred to have seen On Tour on DVD instead of what was released on DVD. On top of that it was the 25th anniversary of that film! Couldnt have asked for a better time for the suits to get their act together and release the ultimate version. Now the opportunity is missed.

JerryNodak (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 13, 2007report abuse

I march to the beat of my own drummer, Steve. During my 50+ years of Elvis fandom I often have refused to worship at the feet of various Elvis "sacred" cows while enjoying certain other Elvis "poducts" held in high disdain by other fans. It's not a matter of "Kissin' Cousins" before EOT. It just doesn't matter to me what order they come in. I've always been one who enjoys listening to Elvis much more than watching him. Hence my comment that I would prefer a soundtrack album over the movie. I'll listen to the soundtrack album repeatedly. On the other hand I'll watch the DVD several times and then it will sit on the shelf for a long time. It's not like I haven't ever seen the movie. Matter of fact I saw it in the theater in '72.

Elvisnites (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 13, 2007report abuse

Keriaboo, that's funny, I don't remember voicing an opinion on this article except to ask who is this individual? Obviously you don't know who he is either, which is why I was wondering why everyone was so upset over his opinion. I am well aware what this forum is all about and everyone has their own opinion, because if they didn't, it would be rather boring and no one would want to post here.

Keriaboo (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 13, 2007report abuse

It is quite obvious a chord has been struck here. There is no question that most fans want a full deluxe EOT. Who wouldn't? Ok not quite at his peak but live E footage is so rare then we should take what we can. To me it can't fail. Elvisnites - maybe Mark O'Neill is just a fan who cares - you might not like the opinion but that's what forums like these are all about. There is so much that can be done with E and yes we could learn a lot from The Beatles. They rarely release material but when they do it sells well. I think BMG should take a step back and not rfelease any more same old same old songs. Get the B sides and album tracks re-packaged and above all, what we really need is the NON-Fans, the kids getting curious about E.

circleG (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 13, 2007report abuse

Sorry folks but how can an Elvis fan not understand the facination with EOT ??? As for not being at his peak I personally consider 'Aloha' his peak which makes '72 part of that meteoric rise. He was ON TOUR folks not in vegas. He performed 15 shows in 15 cities and thats how the shows were crafted. I'm an fan of E'55-'77 and I know its rare on these posts but I enjoy the entire legacy of Elvis. EOT dvd deluxe and for pete's sake TTWII deluxe is needed before the public lose interest. These SHOULD have been released this year for the 30th and some of the releases that were should have been saved for next year. Great to hear everyones different opinions anyway.

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 13, 2007report abuse

The fascination with EOT? Well you can count on one hand the number of professionally filmed Elvis concert appearances. This is one of them. It needs to be released for that purpose. Yes, he wasnt at his peak (nothing beats Elvis in 1969-70 on stage) but he was enjoying a bit of a resurgence in 1972 and this film documents that. If you are more happy with Kissin Cousins & Tickle Me being released before this film, so be it, but I think most fans would have rathered seen this released before the ones that did come out.

JerryNodak (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 13, 2007report abuse

As I used the occasion of the 30th to finally buy Elvis' movies on DVD I was fine with what was released. I didn't expect any big, fantastic releases from Sony/BMG. The CD market is dying (or haven't you noticed). EOT! EOT! EOT! What is the fascination with this highly overrated film? Yes, I know it won a Golden Globe award. But I've never understood the allure. I suppose I'll buy it if it's ever released to complete my movie collection, but I'm in no hurry. I'd be more interested in the release of a proper soundtrack album.

Elvisnites (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 13, 2007report abuse

May I be so dumb as to ask who is Mark O'Neill that he has caused such a reaction?

Ruthie (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 13, 2007report abuse

Mr. O'Neill: You need an explanation regarding Lisa's duet? It was only meant to be a download, not a release for the charts. At least not at this time. She made that clear when she introduced it. It was done strictly for charity, you know c-h-a-r-i-t-y. Get it?

Narek (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 12, 2007report abuse

hmmm. another fan that's never happy. I'm sure even if they reincarnated Elvis there still'd be fans who'd think it wasn't good enough

Jumpin Jehosaphat (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 12, 2007report abuse

To BMG (Buy my Garbage) why the repeated junk. the CD"s from HMV were nice so why in Europe only whats the matter with the land of the free and the home of the brave. do you and SONY (step on New York) have against us.

MickeyN (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 12, 2007report abuse

I agree with Keriaboo and with the thrust of the article. I just cannot understand why BMG, EPE and CKX/Sillerman (whatever) do not promote Elvis's music more effectively to the general public. For example, there are so many great tracks which can be backed up with video footage that could easily challenge the current chart toppers. It would be great to see more Elvis success in the charts just for the sake of it - and to show the meaning of "class". I could not believe that, when the 18 #1s were released one a week, the Elvis marketing mob could not get their act together to support the releases with videos (and they still mostly made the top 5!) The same is happening now with the current 18 singles in the UK - they are all making it into the top 20 without any promo initiative. Love or hate the Colonel he'd do better than EPE etc. In my opinion EPE etc behave simply as a money making machine when in fact they are the custodians of a priceless legacy.

Keriaboo (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 11, 2007report abuse

Mmm some opinions for some against - and quite right too! Greg Nolan - I'm older than you are and I know exactly how it was when Elvis and the Colonel were alive. As for the "snide comments" - I refer you to JerryNovak and his "Elvis babies are crying...waaaaaahh!" Nuff said. The point being made is quite clear. If the die hard (whatever that means) Elvis Fans want to buy the FTD releases then great. There have been some fantastic ones but I wish they would put the same thought into the public releases. Let's face it there are so many outstanding album tracks that the public have never heard of that would (with the right approach) be fantastic. Can't understand why some of you hail the Lisa duet in one breath and then condemn a Duets album in the next!! I would rather there were no CD releases for a few years and then a new, properly marketed release is made. Like you guys I have been an Elvis fan since the early seventies but age makes no difference. I just want the King to be on top again.

mature_elvis_fan75 (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 10, 2007report abuse

Yes there was a time you could go to the mall and find a pretty impressive Elvis section,but todays shops are full of the same old ,same old that ios if you can find a regular cd shop,even best buy use to be great with there Elvis selection but you can find more selection now at walmart,as for Elvis products always coming up short,that goes for dvd's and the cd's,the recent release of the ttwii and This is Elvis proves that there no motivation to produce a quality product, and while there are many great releases coming,mostly from ftd and the importers,theres still room for improvement,why look back? think of what can be done better, doesnt mean we dont notise the good things!

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 10, 2007report abuse

I agree with most of the CD topics brought up here. With downloading, IPods, and no major retail outlets anymore, a deluxe CD package would go nowhere, earn no profit, and would be hard to find for a lot of people. Boy, do I miss Tower records. That said, it would have been damn nice to see a deluxe edition of Elvis On Tour for the 30th. This is what most fans were hoping for. We didnt even hear there was an effort to try & get this film released. The 30th would have been the perfect opportunity for it. If it does get released within the next few years, we would all be grateful but the marketing just wont be the same as it would have been for a major anniversary. Yes I saw The Beatles HELP! DVD package. Impressive. Thats what I'm talking about. Elvis products never quite match the products The Bealtes have out. Books are another example. Why couldnt we get a book as nice as The Beatles Anthology? ( I've given up on an anthology DVD set.)

Ton Bruins (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 10, 2007report abuse

First of all the duet from Lisa on "In The Ghetto" was great in my opinion. And yes, it's time they release one or two DVD's from "On Tour". It's unbelievable that it is not been released yet. Don't forget that Elvis left us 30 years ago..we can not expect too much "new" material those days. But I agree that BGM/The Estate did not had a real big surprise for the fans to celebrate the 30th Anniversary. They earn enough money anyway, so why borther about the fans...

Greg Nolan (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 9, 2007report abuse

Keriaboo writes: " why do I get an image of some of you guys who responded as sitting in your jumpsuit, eating burgers and thinking that Spinout was robbed at Oscar time?" First off, besides wondering who you are (new here?) why the snide attitude, trotting out the nastiest stereotypes about Elvis fans? Jerry deserves a little more respect than that. We here are Elvis music lovers of a hard-core sort, so in effect we've been bought off by the greatness of FTD and the import world. And that's not a bad way to be.

I have regularly railed against the state of the main BMG catalog and the often senseless repackagings. But let's face facts: the Elvis fan base (ALLC aside) is aging, i.e. dying off, litterally, to be followed in short order by the baby boomers who worship at the feat of the Beatles. Time marches on. On top of that, as stated, the record industry (CD, that is) is dying off in the USA and even worldwide leveling off. I'm sure BMG is aware that trotting out a deluxe "Close-Up" style release at the point won't cut it at the retail market. That train has left the station -and it's not just Elvis. I'm no defender of BMG's main label (they squandered momentum about five years ago), but have you even seen what a Wal-Mart "CD section" looks like in some US stores? Very tiny -and that's now one of the main outlets that sells CD's. That's just sad.

Mark O'Neill strikes me as a very young fan. I'm in my "relatively young" late 30's and even I know it's the better than it was in the '70s when I first got into this. So cheer up, Mark -and Keriaboo - it could be worse and again, it's actually pretty damned good, from the Memphis Recording Service, Straight Arrow, Madison, Audionics, Southern Comfort, and FTD, what's was that complaint again?

emjel (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 9, 2007report abuse

The marketing of Elvis products this year has been very poor. There might have been many releases to satisfy some fans and collectors, but the 30th anniversary just seemed to come and go. Some might dismiss "30" as a recognised occasion, but remember, many long and loyal fans might not be around to see the 35th, 40th or 50th anniversaries. We're all getting older!! But back to the marketing - there was none from BMG re the singles campaign, and you can tell by the numbers sold that just the hard core collectors were buying them. The Warner DVD's although very welcome did not exactly fire up any enthusiasm - the packaging was poor with no real extras on the discs, and absolutely zilch inside. If you can't understand what I am getting at here, just take a look at the release of The Beatles "Help" DVD. The whole film digitally cleaned - the print looks awesome - Lots of extras and the marketing get's the whole packaging right with booklet inside - and the deluxe version has a 60 page book with it. Then it gets advertised on prime time TV. Paramount re-released their Elvis films and what did we get - zilch again. Okay, so many of the Paramount films are not exactly box office, but cleaned up versions of King Creole & Blue Hawaii together with the lip sync problems sorted on the latter, plus some extras would be welcomed. After all, didn't Blue Hawaii give Paramount enough dosh to enable them to film "Beckett". Missed opportunities all round.

Keriaboo (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 9, 2007report abuse

Why do I get an image of some of you guys who responded as sitting in your jumpsuit, eating burgers and thinking that Spinout was robbed at Oscar time? I think the point here is quite clear - Yes there have been some fantastic FTD releases but they are for the fans. What we want is fewer releases of better quality for the non-fans to buy like ALLC. That ain't gonna happen with the same old songs again and again. You want Elvis at No.1 in the singles charts - you're gonna have to get a song few non-fans know. So I agree with releasing album tracks as singles. jerrynodak - gee great response. I look forward to further witty comments in your upcoming DVD, 1001 Great Putdowns!!! Not. Is it so much to ask that Elvis releases are more for the 21st century? Elvis was about originality and despite the criticism of The Colonel (a lot of it justified), lets not forget he was the first manager of the first, greatest and most influential rock star ever. As Priscilla herself said, "Who else was going to manage Elvis?". For all his faults he did do some great stuff for E. Though his album/ single covers were awful. So if you think everything is ok with what BMG are doing then pleae don't let me disagree. Just you relax and watch Harum Scarum! Me I'll be hopeful of a bit more originality from those in charge of an artist I've admired all my life.

Lefty (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 9, 2007report abuse

We all have our Elvis wish lists. Some of the stuff we want will most likely see the light of day--for example, the On Tour material. Other stuff will most likely never get beyond the wish stage--for example, In Concert. On that note, the In Concert footage is the only stuff EPE has officially stated will not be released! In my humble opinion, Mark's complaint revolves around the way Elvis is marketed. I guess there's room for improvement. Of course, I'd like everything to be what I want, but that's not going to happen. I'm certainly glad for what we do have, even if it includes stuff I'll never buy. I don't know if Mark was around before Elvis died, but I was. Believe me son, it was a hell of a lot worse back in the Colonel's day. He was the King of cheap and cheese. We should count ourselves blessed. I'd like to see FTD take a shot at some of the classic boots. The market would be a little smaller, but for us in the United States, where boots are almost impossible to buy, it would be a gold mine.

Matt W (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 9, 2007report abuse

Why this 'news' has any greater importance than a regular forum thread is beyond me, its last sentence would have disqualified it for me but here goes:
2007 : Viva Las Vegas 2CD set - fantastic remastering on disc 1 and an unreleased live disc in awesome sound on disc 2. Unchained Melody CD - unreleased 1977 soundboard. You'd like that one since you're disappointed the CBS Special wasn't released on DVD (thank goodness). An American Trilogy CD - unreleased multitrack recordings from Feb '72.
50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong 2CD - the legendary Kevan Budd works his magic over more 50s material. Complete sessions released. Live In L.A. book/CD - picture book + unreleased soundboard show from 1974. Raised On Rock 2CD - does for this album what Jungle Room Sessions did for the '76 sessions. I Sing All Kinds CD - unreleased studio outtakes from 1971.
Still to come: Pot Luck 2CD - expected great mastering as usual along with unreleased session outtakes. And this excludes movie soundtracks. Sorry, you were saying?

JerryNodak (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 9, 2007report abuse

The Elvis babies are crying again. We didn't get what we wished for (read: practically demanded). Waaaaaaaaah!!

Greg Nolan (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 8, 2007report abuse

With all due respect to Mark O'Neill, as I can understand some of the frustration, but just what did you expect? "30" is not even that major of a anniversary in most cases, and on top of that, if you view what Roger Semon and Ernst Jorgensen have done going back to the early '90s, I think you risk sounding like an ingrate.

If anything, 2007 had a huge turn-out at Graceland and got a lot of coverage about Elvis that I didn't take for granted. In fact, as GOLDMINE magazine headlined it in their regular Elvis column, it was a "last hurrah" for Elvis fans. It truly was in many respects. As for main label CDs, granted, I don't like all the re-hashes either and wish the main label would be more imaginative (less so with remixes, however) but how much more material do you really think there is??

The man hasn't set foot in a recording studio since 1976! We're reaching the bottom of the barrel...and yet Sony-BMG's "Follow That Dream" (FTD) label is still doing major work that should please any collector. And perhaps you're not in the US, but here, our whole record / CD industry is under collapse due to the download phenomeon, with leaving only a few outlets for selling CD's (outside of websites and TV offers) so why would Sony/BMG go all out this year?

After all, they did put out a much praised "VIVA LAS VEGAS" set with an unissued second concert - plus all the great stuff on FTD. I often here it said that as fans, be it FTD or import CDs and DVDs, we've never had it better. And it's true! (Just look at the great new thread on FECC about the often-overlooked "WRITING FOR THE KING" project put out by Sony-BMG's FTD label. I can barely keep up with the avalanche. And yet some people want to complain?

You do collect FTD's and imports, don't you? If not, your complaint is hard accept. The show is moving on, just as it did for Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, the Everly Brothers, ABBA, you name it. No one, not even Elvis, gets to be in the limelight forever and I'd say his name (the so-called "brand") still gets great play every year.

P.S. to Theo: I also read the same thing, that BMG was not pleased with EPE's use of impersonators and scaled down plans accordingly. Fine - it freed me up to buy $100's of FTDs from ShopElvis when on sale. Again, in reality, we've never had it so good (the hard-core fans). As for the oldies market, as goes the brick and mortor record store (or CD department in some department stores), then so go "oldies" and "oldies" packages: 'cuz that is what Elvis is, and so be it.

Viva (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 8, 2007report abuse

I don't know about being "better in the colonels day", but it's certainly about the same, and that's still a pretty sorry state of affairs in my book.

colnago (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 8, 2007report abuse

I agree with the article entirely.I was very disappointed with the releases.I want Elvis On Tour special edition dvd and Elvis In Concert dvd containing all the songs but carefully edited.Once again with Elvis it's quantity instead of quality.I haven't bought the singles this time round.I wil buy In The Ghetto as it seems this is the single everyone's going to buy in order to give it a better chance of getting into the top 10.We'll see.

DeLorean (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 8, 2007report abuse

I can't imagine why either a remix album, a "pretend" duets CD or a release of Elvis dying on his feet during the CBS Special would be considered a fitting tribute. Sure the recent releases haven't set the pulse racing but I would rather listen to the original music than have endless gimmicky releases that aren't considered "boring". As for 'it being better in the Colonel's day' I think you have totally undermined yourself. No one can possibly take such opinions seriously.

Theo (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 8, 2007report abuse

I read somewhere (some Australian site? Can't remember) that Sony/BMG would not do a major CD project this past Elvis Week, if EPE would continue with the Elvis Tribute Artists contest. Has anyone else seen this? It sounded like a false rumor back then, but maybe there is some truth in it. Nothing new has been released (well, except for the redundant film 2cd, The King 2cd and the 18 singles, but those weren't really new). Fortunately, we still have FTD.

Sirbalkan (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 8, 2007report abuse

First of all... The single Lisa did was GREAT.Why do some elvis fans try to hear the same style and same voice;same effect as Elvis did from Lisa? She is another personality... And I think she shows it in her last album. The other things? YES... I agree. The only thing succesful was this dvd release.. Nothing at all... BMG sould release top rockers like Polk Salad Annie from Hampton 72 concert as a single instead of silly re-rereleased singles. Or a full concert footage circa 1972 tours. I understand their policy. People we must accept that there is no enough material for another 30 years. So they must keep somethings in the vaults. But just a sngle concert release dvd could be a huge advertisement and reason to achive success for the charts for our guy. Release non single songs as new singles from the past and get the attention within single concert footage( with a little help of ad.) NO ELVIS IN CONCERT 77 PLEASE....

gary 1 (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 8, 2007report abuse

I can't say i'm surprised.After all it is Sony/BMG we're talking about here.I'm not holding my breath until The day they finally get something right.

Viva (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 7, 2007report abuse

Absolutely agree. Except about the Celine Dion thing. She makes my ears bleed. But that aside yes, as usual a wonderful opportunity completely and utterly wasted. The impersonator brigade did very well though didn't they. That says it all when they get more publicity than The King himself. I'm not suprised anymore though, the whole Elvis industry is an absolute embarassment to me these days.

Lex (profile/ contact) wrote on Nov 7, 2007report abuse

Once again Elvis was the most earning corpse... so the strategy of those companies is not too bad... Not that I am not waiting for On Tour (the other things you named I can live without, especially more remixes), but stating it was better in the Colonel's day is way out of line. Louzy pictures, "Having Fun With Elvis On Stage" and... Elvis was nearly flat broke when he died, I rest my case.