Eastern Chart Update: Return To #5

Is this the first sign of the download effect? Pity! Return To Sender is such a wonderful classic, it should have been higher!

still a top 5 hit and not 1 of elvis,s best

This should have been number 1. what is going on? How can this other S! beat Elvis!

The reason why it is number 5 is because it's 43 years old. This is the "pop chart." What was popular music 43 years ago isn't going to appeal to the majority of the buyers of singles today (ie, young people). And it would be a very dull world if things didn't move on and youngsters didn't have their "own" music. Someone growing up in the 1960s was hardly going to go out and buy a reissue of a 30 year old Bing Crosby recording instead of Return To Sender were they? It works both ways folks!

Of course another reason it "only" got to number 5 is because the shops, in my area at least, still don't have any of the Elvis singles available. Situation here in North Wales sees HMV not attempting to stock them since the fiasco of the first few weeks. Woolworths has a photocopied notice pinned to the singles rack apologising for being unable to obtain stock due to them being strictly limited. Asda reserves the #20 chart position every week for the latest Presley release, but the rack has been empty since the beginning of January.

Yeah, but stock is NOT limited. Stores can order as much as they want.

Elvis' label has got to be thrilled with the sales of these singles. It seems the least they sell is 20,000 units. That is amazing when you think about it.

Listen Shaneleebrown,you` re talking about `popular music`, are you trying to tell me that there are not more than 30,000 Elvis fans in this country, or 35,or 50,000 or whatever the songs above us sold ?! Sorry, but that is complete and utter you know what! If the copies were available,and every one of us bought the records, then even if no `new` fans bought the singles then we`d still be NO.1 every week! WE ARE popular music.We`re just not getting the chance to show it. Elvis Presley is the King of the World. Full Stop! TCB.

Shocking, unbelievable - RETURN TO SENDER should have been at No.1 - this is one of the very best single in this 18 No.1s series.

Hey c'mon, Tony Christie is the man !!

scsa, not all Elvis fans are buying these releases. Why waste their hard earned cash on recordings they have countless times? I certainly haven't bought them, any more than I would do an Elvis compilation of already-released performances.

I think Return To Sender done well to get to no 5.If it was not for the charity singles Elvis would have got to number 3 this week.I was not able to get RTS from any of the shops where I come from.I am still missing Rock A Hula Baby and Shes Not You in my box collection.

Well said, Shaneleebrown. To have all these reissues place in the top 5 week after week is an amazing feat. These are all old songs which have been repackaged countless times and can still sell in such a huge way in 2005! Can anyone name any other artist who, 28 years after his death, can place old hits back into the top five consistently? Only Elvis Aron Presley!!

I agree with scsa. if everyone bought a copy it would have made number1.

in short, my first post had said , Shaneleebrown = great post, keep them up ! SCSA = ridiculous. I cant even begin to start pointing out how silly that post was. GO Shaneleebrown !!!

get real-you`re right, getting real is what you need to do! please explain how my saying that Elvis fans should buy all the singles if we can get hold of them,and that there are more than 50,000 of us in the country is ridiculous?! It`s people like us,who are trying to buy them that keeps The King going strong. If anyone out there can`t be bothered saving a few pounds a week for the sake of getting Elvis high in the charts then it is them who is ridiculous!

well said,scsa! Get real and shaneleebrown - are you actually Elvis fans or did you just come across this website while surfing the internet? If that's the case, then next time just keep on surfing. In my opinion, any people who say that they are Elvis fans but can't be bothered to pay a couple of pounds each week for the singles (like thousands of us do even though we already have the originals) can not count themselves as true fans. Otherwise they would be trying their best to get Elvis to as high a chart position as possible, instead of riding on the back of Elvis' current success (which is maintained by all of us who actually do try to buy the singles).

Get right real. I think the Elvis singles and Elvis fans have done as well as they could have done given the scenario. If all BMG have to do is re-release an old Elvis single and put a number on it for It to be bought by all Elvis's fans then BMG would have it made . It obviously ain't so and there are only guaranteed sales of around 20,000 to 30,000 depending on how many copies avid fans such as myself buy of each single. I actually buy 4 to 5 of the latest cd and vinyl box set singles, some from the internet, and some from HMV, Virgin etc so the sales all count. When you start dividing that 28,000 or so sales by 5 you begin to get a feel for the actual number of fans who are buying the single. The number of individuals buying the singles is relatively low compared to present day acts obviously. The pre-release sales works in Elvis's favour chartwise also as that gives more fans and non fans the chance to buy the limited editions over the internet etc. BMG came up with a market winner in the limited edition gimmick which in itself took a hammering from the fans but was actually a big reason for the success of That's alright, Jailhouse Rock etc. The Limited edition gimmick probably can't go much further though so we'll see wait to see what BMG will do with future Elvis single releases.

shaneleebrown, It's precisely because young people have their own music that the current pop chart IS so dull. It's hardly their fault though, look at the music their parents listened to! Not an Elvis, Vincent, Stone, Beatle, Kink or Hendrix anywhere to be seen. Whilst I'm on the subject of rubbishing everything after 1969 (sorry), isn't it astonishing how the graphic design of the Elvis singles leap from the shelf at a distance of about 100 yards, compared to the other recently designed covers around them? It wasn't just the music that was better. Happy Easter to everyone.

i totally agree with emu if get real and shaneleebrown are Elvis fans they would be happy for him to get to number 1 no matter how old the songs are and doesn't it just show how much talent Elvis did have when he can still make the charts with them 40 years or so later! Happy Easter ranger!

Well done Priscilla!! What you have said is so true. If Elvis wasn't such a BIG STAR he wouldn't still be selling nearly 28 years after his death, no-one will ever achieve what he has both during his life and after and for all those saying that the music is so old etc and not worth buying cos you already have it then you are not a true fan as far as i am concerned!!

Just collected my copy of D.I.D,yet again there are none on the shelves for general purchase.Kylie, Rachel Stevens, and others are heavily promoted. Looks like NO.5 is the very BEST on offer this week(hope i`m wrong though!) TCB.

good news but i think that this should have been an number 1 song (like any song of elvis :P). i hope thet here in the netherlands elvis scores an number one hit again just like a few years ago with a little less conversation.

Wo wo wo! Hang on a minute! Please give me one good reason why any "fan" must buy every release that comes out? In my eyes it is absolutely ludicrous to suggest this. Yes, I have all the original albums, boxed sets etc, but I am sure that I'm not going to go out and buy something which I've already got! An Elvis fan doesn't, believe it or not, have to like solely Elvis. Bizarrely, I have other tastes too ranging from jazz through to classical. But I'm not going to buy an Ella Fitzgerald CD that has all recordings I have somewhere else simply because there are less songs on this new release and it comes in a slimmer case and is less value for money than I already have. Yes, it is you who are keeping Elvis in the top ten. Not new fans who are hearing these new releases and buying. If that was the case, the singles would have achieved something. And with some imagination and commitment from BMG this might have been achieved. Therefore you are achieving nothing except putting money in the pocket of BMG/Sony (or whoever they are now) who know they can release the same recordings time and time again and know that they have guaranteed sales of 25,000 copies no matter what. If this was new material, yes I would buy it. But it is not my duty to as an Elvis fan to buy it, having said that. Believe it or not, I have other priorities in my life other than Elvis (or any other) CDs. Finally, the comment on todays music scene: I'm sure the parents of those buying Elvis in the 1950s and 1960s were bemoaning the state of the current charts as well. Time doesn't stand still, better or worse. Except where it comes to Elvis fanatics, not fans.

Hmm,hit a nerve have we! What`s wrong with being an Elvis FANatic anyway? Some of us are obviously more dedicated than others. And yes some of us have lives,jobs,kids etc But The King gave and gives some of us tremendous enjoyment, and in return we will spend 3.99 a week to keep him riding high and making history.Saying it goes to BMG or whoever is a cop-out,i don`t care who makes the money as long as The King is at the forefront of music, which, primarily because of his talent and because some people on this site continue to buy his music, he is. Elvis is not only the greatest performer of all time,he also has the greatest FANatics! TCB.

Well said scsa, you are right. I am a mother of 3 and have a job too, but every spare penny i have i spend on Elvis stuff, i don't care if i already have it either cos i collect it cos i love Elvis and want to see him where he should be at the TOP, so if that makes me a FANATIC then that is what i am at least i have taste and am loyal to Elvis, also i do like other types of music and other artisits, i don't just listen to and buy Elvis but he will always be number 1 as far as i am concerned!!!

Shaneleebrown, well said, I agree with you totally.

Anyway, like Todd said, Devil in disguise could possibly hit number 1 with our support. Kylie and Rachel Stevens can't compete with our man (sorry K and R If you're reading) and If we make the effort. Those who can afford to spend the extra quids on singles for their collection go out and buy it!

scsa - you know what you are talking about. a fan (abbrevition of fanatic for those who obviously don't know) isn't someone who merely likes someones music, a true fan is someone who wants their idol to do as well as possible. The King left the building in 1977, so it's left to the fans now to carry the torch. we want the King to hold as many records as possible, and the only way that he is going to do it is through sales, which is down to us to do for him. If you can't be bothered to help him do that, then I don't see how you can call yourself a fan at all, in any shape or form. Think of all the pleasure the king has given you from listening to his records. Surely it wouldn't be too much to ask for you to help him break a few records. It doesn't take that much money or effort does it? I don't see that there is any excuse for the people who are sitting on their hands instead of getting out there and buying the singles where possible.

Well said emu!

I am fully aware that there the word fan is an abbreviation of the word fanatic, but the two terms do have quite a different meaning these days. In my eyes, the word "fan" describes somebody who likes the music, the films, etc of the person they are a fan of. But they do have the ability to distance themselves enough so that they don't fall from being a fan into a hero-worshipper. They can also see that the person that they are fan of was human, made mistakes and wasn't always at the top of his game or made the right choices. In other words (shock horror) he was capable of making bad records and bad movies - which, in my view, Elvis did on a number of occasions . A fanatic, on the other hand, would not be able (or willing) to see this. They follow their hero around (should their hero be living) and buy and collect absolutely everything associated with him. A fanatic would make out that that their hero never made mistakes or gave bad performances. I'm going to be controvertial here (as if that makes a change) and say that, if it wasn't for the fanatics, Elvis would still be alive today. I squirm in my seat when I watch Elvis On Tour. The fact that Elvis had to be snuck into his concert venues and raced out again simply because, if seen by his so-called fans, his clothes would be ripped to shreds and he would land up injured is scary. I find the actions and frenzy of Elvis "fans" during the movie as genuinely disturbing. Because of his fans, he had to basically have a self-imposed excile during the final years of his life. He couldn't go in a shopping mall (which even Michael Jackson could manage) during normal opening hours and do his shopping. Couldn't go to church. Couldn't go the cinema. It wasn't healthy to live like this, knowing everyone wanted a piece of you (literally). No wonder why the poor guy turned to "other means" in order to get some enjoyment from what was, by any standards, a miserable life. Yes, the fans put him where he was. But he was still, as much as could be expected, a down to earth man from what i can gather from what we are allowed to see and hear of him. I'm sure that the last thing he would approve of is the way in which some people buy every little thing associated with him. The way that they, quite happily, are lining the pockets of the men in suits at the record companies and at Elvis Presley enterprises. Did he want to be looked on as a God who did no wrong? No, I don't think so. And there are certainly lessons to be learned from his life. Yes, I buy as many of the FTD releases as possible, but whether Elvis himself would have approved of hearing him singing half-finished works is debatable. And yet we clamour for them Where does this tie in with the singles debate? Well, to be an Elvis fan do you have to buy every little thing associated with him? If a soundtrack LP has an Elvis song on it, should be buy it, despite having the track in question half a dozen times already? If we have DVDs of, say, Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas, should we buy them again if released as double bill on DVD? Does that mean we are any less of a fan than someone who, without even thinking about it, laps up everything that is released? And if you do have to do that to be a fan, then I'm sorry that I won't make the criteria.

i accept your apology!

Shame. I was hoping you'd be able to fight your corner and state your case better than that.

Like everyone else on this site, I regard myself as a big Elvis fan, with a good collection of records, CDs, videos, DVDs etc. However, with this re-release campaign, i bought the first 2, couldnt get my hands on 3 and 4 and in all honesty, I just couldnt be bothered after that. Does this mean Im not a true Elvis fan ? Of course it doesnt.

If it was not for the charity singles Elvis would had 2 number 1s in the last 3 weeks

Shaneleebrown - I agree with your comments about fans possibly putting Elvis into an early grave (although we could debate on that until hell freezes over). But by many fans putting Elvis on such a high pedestal, did he really ever get true feedback to get out of the ruts he was in. First it was the movies, then it was the concerts.OK we know that in the mid to late 60's, ticket sales on movies went into decline, but what would have happened had they gone into decline a few years earlier. What would have happened if the concerts hadn't sold out around 1973 etc. Would it have forced the Colonel & Elvis to have a major rethink on what films he went for, and what songs he did on tour. Would poor gate receipts force Elvis into abandoning tours and returning to better films or maybe TV shows etc. Of course, we will never know. But getting back to this particular thread, I buy what I can when I can - I've been a collector since 1962 and I've managed to get all the current singles and it's a great feeling to know that my little bit of money is helping to keep Elvis up in the charts (I haven't bothered with the Love Elvis CD though and I do not buy a lot of the trashy items out there). But whenever anyone lays into Elvis about the way he was when he died and whatever else he did, my simple response is that he was simply a human being, who had faults and suffered from illnesses like we all do. I consider I am a fan but I do not think of Elvis as a God, but as an incredibly gifted human. And he has given me 43 years of sheer enjoyment. And I get a buzz seeing Elvis back at the top of the charts, and I do get a little dissapointed when he doesn't. As a fan and not a fanatic, am I wrong to feel like that.

Emjel; feeling happy when is Elvis NO.1 and disappointed when he isn`t is in no way wrong.It`s completely natural to want him to do well,and to feel pleased that you are contributing a bit to his success. Also,what some people call fanatical in a derogatory term,other people would call passionate.Why people are referring to his faults baffle me as this current subject is regarding the current release of his singles,and how most of us want, and take great pleasure in seeing,Elvis further his already-unmatchable achievements even more. I want him to be NO.1 every week.I want him to hold every possible record.I want to have people talk about his achievements 100 years after his death.I want him to be respected by all.I take GREAT pride in being an Elvis fan,i don`t believe anyone on this page has called him a God.I`m calling him The King,and i`m very PASSIONATE about that.TCB.

Wow, aren't folks getting hot under the collar. I have hundreds of Elvis vinyl albums, cd's, singles, cassettes etc. I consider myself a fan...not however a fanatic. I am a family man with kids and as much as I would like to spend some more time, money and effort into everything Elvis but I can't and won't. Elvis gives me pride everytime I hear any of his music, movie, studio or concert items. I also derive pleasure from seeing him at the top of the charts......but life goes on whether he's No.1 2 or 10!!! The best theing recent was when the british "stars in their Eyes" programme was on TV, Saturday past,and an Elvis impersonator won...hands down I may add, beating the nearest by tens of thousands of votes... a bit to do with a very competent impersonator but perhaps more importatnly to the fact that the legend lives on, through his music. let's stop the whining as to whether you've bought a recent single or not, some can, some can't or won't for various reasons. Well done to those who have, but unlike some my world won't fall apart after the next series of releases come out and maybe don't make no.1, as much as a fan of the king that I am.

Yet again,someone making sly childish digs when they are missing the point.Some of you people really baffle me.Let me try one last time.And i`ll be as basic as possible for those of you who are having trouble! I will not cry,or have my `world fall apart` if Elvis is not NO.1.I would cry if my 8 month old son was not well(God forbid...i may have said Elvis forbid but some of you might take offence!) I merely WANT him to be NO.1.I like him as much if he`s NO.79.NO.1 though is the pinnacle and i believe that`s where he belongs.If you are still having trouble as to my point,then i suggest you go and lie down.No offence! TCB.

Look folks. How this argument started, I think, was with me explaining why i wouldn't spend my cash on material I already had, thus provoking responses such as the following from Emu: * "In my opinion, any people who say that they are Elvis fans but can't be bothered to pay a couple of pounds each week for the singles (like thousands of us do even though we already have the originals) can not count themselves as true fans." * Now, I'm knocking people who go out there and buy the new singles. It is their choice on how they spend their money. What I was trying to point out is that the "if you don't buy the singles you're not a fan" type of comment is rubbish. We all have a head on our shoulders and we chose what we do. On the other hand, we shouldn't be saying if you don't do such-and-such then you can't join our club (so to speak). The second point I was making was that in order to be a fan you don't have to be "fanatical" about getting every last CD or piece of merchandise. I get as much as all of you get pleasure from seeing Elvis at the top of the charts. I have no problem with that. But, personally, the charts are to do with facts and figures. If the singles had been publicised in the right way or marketed in the right way they may have got Elvis some new fans. And that's the important thing. I, as a music lover, ( as obviously all of you are) think it is important that youngsters should be educated in all types of music. The fact that they don't like (for example) jazz or country is because they have never opened their ears to it. They don't know what's behind it, what the story of it is, what it's all about. They need something to give them the hook to make them try and find out what the fuss is all about. Now, "A Little Less Conversation" a few years ago, did that. It marketed Elvis in such a way that it got the general public interested in what was behind this. General public who bought the single then went back and picked up the Elv1s CD perhaps. That single got to number one (and stayed there) not just because of fans buying it (in fact many didn't buy it because they didn't agree with the remix) but because of the general public buying it as a whole. It opened their ears to Elvis in a way which they probably hadn't heard before. ALLC was, therefore, an important release. These single releases don't have that importance. They are getting to the top of the charts because of the fans that already exist. Not new ones. And, to be honest, many fans would buy a single of Yoga Is As Yoga Does backed with There's No Room To Rhumba In A Sports Car if it was released! It's because of this that I am saying that Elvis being in the top ten is great. But nothing special. If they were staying in the top ten for three or four weeks, then something great (new fans, new listeners) would have been achieved. But, because they fall so quickly, we know that its the fan turning up on the Monday and buying their singles (or sometimes multiple copies of their singles). And thats a shame. And, I'm not going to buy something just to get Elvis to the top of the charts, whether i want the release or not. All these recent releases are showing us is that Elvis fans are buying around 25,000 of these a week. Well, we all know that there are that many Elvis fans in the country (and more besides). If, and only if, BMG come up with something interesting as a single release such as a new version (whether it be remix or alternate take) of a song that might capture the attention of possible new fans will a number one single be of great importance to Elvis' name. There are songs out there that, I think could do this. How about a chilled out remix of "Tomorrow Is A Long Time?" Or perhaps a single release of Stranger In My own Home Town or Power Of My Love or something along those lines. But they need a hook to capture new fans - a use on a film soundtrack, an advert etc. A release on single for fans who already have the song seems pointless to me and is simply there for the moneymakers.

I really think some folk should be chilling out a little. SCSA. no-one is missing the point that you and the rest of us WANT the man to be no.1. the point I was making is that some of us are not "fanatical" about getting him there, as some of us can't afford the time, money etc, as much as we would want to get him there. Also bear in mind that comments made after one entry do not mean that they are specifically relevent to the immediately preceding entry. note SCSA. I agree largely with shaneleebrown's comments. My reference to the tv show illustrates that in Britain, in case there was any doubt, there is a huge "elvis" fan club, appreciation society out there, who would or could buy the discs if they were made available. Nonetheless the buying public, including Elvis fans have the right to buy what and when they like, that has to be respected by all. it's a free choice for each individual's own personal reason and it doesn't make you a "non-believer" if you decide not to buy something.

thank you miked :o)

As far as this promotion goes this is all becoming a bit academic as the singles chart merge on 10 April with the download charts meaning that DID and CITC are likely to be the last singles to make an impact on the charts(had wanted to see the public exposed to the more modern Way Down). Unless BMG bring out truly new releases like ALLC with same level of promotion it is likely that after the next 2 weeks we will never see Elvis in the singles chart again. Make the most of it folks

shaneleebrown, Get a life outside Elvis.

eddie....what? I don't think you've been reading what I've written now, have you??

fairly shocked at this result i just hope you are buying the single forget about the charts the single is great. it is one of elvis most important and happy tune during its days. if elvis had more of these he would have been on top forever. this song is sooooo commercial. today it is a cool song.

Shaneleebrown - i don't think Eddie was referring to the content of your posts, more your tendency to bang on for most of the page each time you have a post about how your idea of a fan (god forbid anyone think you are a fanatic) is the definitive version. Just think, if you had decided to buy the singles and had put in as much effort and determination as you do onto this website, we'd have been number 1 every week! I suppose you're just not interested in playing your part in getting the king as many records as possible. And I know you're going to write a massive reply to this arguing your case, but guess what? I still think that you not being bothered about helping Elvis break more records does down-grade your fan status to a certain extent.

I'm reading over these opinions and I'm so proud of all of you fans who want elvis to be no1. I can understand why most of you are upset with shaneleebrown's opinion being a fan for over 20 years I would probably spent my money getting the latest dvd release quicker than the latest upcoming elvis release but that doesnt mean I love Elvis any less. But I would love to see some more songs revamped the way 'little less conversation' was done , I mean those fans who have said 'I buy any elvis song released to see el no 1' I would like to see you get a little extra for your money. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK T C B

re King14, what you have said about downloads,and making the most of what we have now is EXACTLY my point. This is why, in my opinion, it is important to buy these singles because it could be the last time we see Elvis anywhere near the top. People talk about times moving on, well if the downloads are the new way forward then Elvis` achievements on the current `real` charts will be consigned to history and glossed over, and i don`t think he deserves that. It is down to US to keep him relevant. If people are saying they don`t have the money then that is an entirely different matter, and i`m nowhere near saying people HAVE to spend money they don`t have. Believe me, the majority of people on this page are probably in a far better financial position than i am, and this statement is not intended to provoke violins, but i think he is worth £3.99 a week of my money! As regards to this `fanatical` business which some of you seem to be using as a put-down,well i really don`t understand where you are coming from. What is wrong in wanting the best possible outcome for your favourite... anything. Be it Elvis,Football, Salary etc. I believe the dictionary definition is something along the lines of `excessive enthusiasm`.Well if wanting Devil In Disguise to get higher than our current NO.5 chart position= excessive enthusiasm, then i`ll proudly call myself an Elvis Fanatic all day long. TCB. Ps: emu,i think i may have joined the wittering on brigade! pps: perhaps people writing pages and pages worth of comments are writing with `excessive enthusiasm`. Now what does that mean again...! TCB.

Lawdy Miss Clawdy- some scary people on this site now.Hey number 5 is great especially now we are in charity single season - and all the record stores where I am, Richmond and London, are overflowing with all the singles.There are dozens of copies of DID in Virgin,Piccadilly. The general public just don't want to buy them in great numbers mainly because they don't want to be seen to be buying an Elvis record. Sadly there is still a real credibility problem with Elvis being cool even after all the great work of the last 5 years. Why? Because of a section of the fans - Some Elvis fans have a terrible reputation for being narrow minded,highly reactive, disrespectful to non Elvis music etc. That is why many music and entertainment magazines won't publish Elvis features - because of the responses from some fans. So hey SCSA,Elvis Girl go easy, you are entitled to your view of course, but in the wider context that view probably is n't helping the Elvis cause much.FANatics in all fields tend to frighten people off. Elvis, through some of the fans is certainly viewed by a lot of people as a strange cult with strange people who don't get out much. This is probably one of the biggest challenges in relation to getting Elvis the credit he deserves. By the way I work in cultural research and time and time again a section of Elvis fans are seen by all sorts of companies as the big problem with the Elvis brand.

I can assure you i am not at all scary just don't like to see Elvis get bad things said about him......

Hi CEP, i`ve taken your comments on board and am only posting this as you have referred to me as an example-which is cool by the way. If you`ve read all my comments i`m sure you`ll note the gist of it being about chart positions. I`ve not been narrow minded,rude, or offensive(not that i`m saying you are accusing me of that). If, and i say IF, you are implying that fans like myself are damaging Elvis` image due to our longing for him to be a continuing chart success, then i`m afraid you are confusing me, a `normal` 29 year old with no reactionary tendencies, with a disgrace of an overweight,over-dyed, over the top Elvis impersonator! By the way, i thought the Stars In Your Eyes guy was pretty good-couldn`t move, and suit didn`t match the song, but pretty good and glad he won!! TCB.

WOW CEP If thats true!! I would like to see that changed. But we are only sticking up for ourselves and Elvis's intergity. Most articles only deal with the down side of Elvis Life etc. I dont like to be classed as some part of a cult. Anyway all the public see of Elvis fans ie in jumpsuits, wigs,funny glasses no wonder we are percieved that way. There are different types of fans ... I challenged those people come to a club night!! You might just enjoy yourself. T C B

Hi cathyreno, just letting you know i went to my 1st club night this saturday, it was held in Victoria, and it was amazing. And to my great delight not an impersonator in sight! TCB

Hya Scsa!! Excellent hon, A club night is a great way to meet new friends and listen to the King and watch him in action and as you know we dont go around in jumpsuits etc GOOD CLEAN FUN T C B My Friend

Ok, yes I know the posts have been long-winded, but at least they have created some debate over something which I think is very important. And I agree wholeheartedly with CEP in what he says about Elvis getting a bad rap (wrap?) due to the actions of some of his fanbase. As some of you already know through posts on other subjects on this site, I am far from a yes-man when it comes to these things. I have my own theories on things and don't feel it necessary to bow-down to others opinions or expectations when I don't agree with them. Even though I know I am in the minority. I am happy to praise the great recordings to others as much as possible (King Creole soundtrack, Elvis Is Back, Memphis 69, Nashville 70, Stax 73 etc.) but I am just as willing to put my hands up in the air and admit that the guy also made some rather pathetic efforts (for example he sounds as bored as hell on the 2nd Christmas album) and then of course there are the sondtracks to Speedway, Harem Scarum and most of Clambake. If the downloading of music is going to affect the sales of Elvis singles inparticular then I have two things to say - I'll keep them brief! 1.) If all of you who say that fans should buy the single, downloaded the material instead (or, if you like, as well as) wouldn't it all amount to the same amount of sale in a combined chart? 2.) With the download charts coming into the arena in the coming weeks I think it is even more important for pressure to be put on BMG/Sony to release "new" material. Now, I know this is rather difficult for someone who died nearly 30 years ago, but as I said in an earlier post, there are ways to do this if BMG ceased to be so lazy about the whole thing. Despite this, the FTD label is, of course a great piece of work and we should be thankful to BMG for that if nothing else. To end, I know this isue has raised some tensions here, but thats no bad thing. These issues are going to raise their heads again, no doubt, over the coming weeks, months and years. But, in the end, we look at the news in the morning and see that we're lucky not to be suffering at the hands of yet another earthquake halfway round the world, wars and famines and we should really be sitting here and thinking - in the great scheme of things getting people to listen to the words of If I Can Dream might just be a better cause for us to fight than us buying any single.

How can you argue with that!!

Sorry I also posted this on another string. I am still puzzled by the almost total lack of any promotion or media coverage of this achievement - thirteen successive top five singles in thirteen weeks! I am surprised that EPE does not give away video clips for free to ITV and BBC (I know they have some sort of dispute); after all, why deny the real thing to a whole generation of kids brought up on pap? It makes no sense commercially, nor does it make sense to anyone who would just like to see Elvis promoted for the greater good of his (well-deserved) legend.

Just to clear up a few things, I wasn't saying that every fan should go out and buy every single item of Elvis memorabilia/cd's that they come across. I am also not tunnel-visioned into thinking that everything that the King did was equally amazing. However, I do think that EVERY fan should make a concerted effort to buy these singles. Like scsa said, if you are not buying them because you can not afford it, or are trying and can't get hold of one, then that is a completely different matter. This recent campaign is being done for us UK fans (not sure what the situation is elsewhere) to help us celebrate the King's 70th birthday and I think it is a reward as it allows us to get the King back to the top of the charts. True, the record labels will be making money from this, but we would soon be up in arms if they had let the Kings 70th birthday pass without them doing something over here that we could all contribute to or be a part of in some way. Think of all the younger kids whose parents aren't into Elvis. They've been made more aware of him due to this campaign. We may be lining the pockets of all those record company fat cats, but by buying Elvis' recent singles, we are raising his profile, breaking records and hopefully doing Elvis proud. If Elvis were alive today and someone came round collecting for his 70th birthday present, would you begrudge giving them a few pounds a week? He may not be alive to see it, but I would like to contribute as much as possible to his birthday. He was a very gracious and appreciative man, and as the only way i can show my gratitude to him is through buying his records and helping him set other records for himself, I'll just have to keep on doing it.It's the very least I can do for all the pleasure he has given me. By the way, Shaneleebrown, I thought a one-off waffle wouldn't do any harm.

I think Shaneleebrown likes to think of himself as a bit of a rebel, as someone who says his own thing, doesn`t bow to pressure, sees himself in the minority fighting for a worthy cause...hmm! If there are more than 25,000 Elvis fans for example, and i think we can be sure there are far more than that,and his sales are roughly 25,000 then it seems SLB is in the MAJORITY, and it`s us who are standing up and urging people to buy the singles who are in the minority! It seems he thinks he`s fighting a certain point all by his poor put-upon self,whereas i`m reading many posts SUPPORTING Mr Underdog! Also, throwing in World Affairs, when we are talking about the entertainment achievements of Elvis Presley is a very cheap and easy to say remark. We are aware of what is going on in the World and are not cheapening ourselves by commenting on it as a back-up to our not buying certain singles! SLB i`m afraid you are one of the crowd,one of the people who follows along and ducks out when the going gets tough. This is a fun site,about the greatest Entertainer of all time.Please stick to the subject in hand which i believe was about RTS getting to Number5 ie Chart Positions!!! TCB.

For goodness sake...and Elvis's sake, lets stop carping, trying to score points and basically bitching...the bottom line is that I think you will find that nearly everybody who uses this site wants, and in some cases craves for the King to be at the stop..some will stop at nothing to get him there, some can't or won't.. lets just get on and those who can, go out and do you stuff by supporting the King's cause and buy the singles, those who can't/won't, I'm sure will find some other way of showing there appreciation in keeping his name and music going, the example of supporting and voting for the "stars in their eyes" contestant being a good one....Did you know that, if i recall correctly, over 180,000 people voted for him. Lets just remember we are all individual and have our own agenda's and ways of showing support and enthuisism .

I agree with 'Miked' we all show our apprecation in different ways lets keep up the good work. T C B PS Missed 'stars in their eyes' was he good did he do our man justice???

MickeyN, I've also been surprised at the lack of information in the music press following the initial (seems a long time ago!) adverts. You would have thought that 'Record Collector' would have made more of the singles given their 'collectable' nature and Elvis's standing. Instead, in the last two issues, there have been a couple of letters about availability published, and a two/three paragraph article in the news section which essentially repeated the info from the adverts anyway!

Hi cathyreno,regarding Stars. I am always ready to cringe when there is someone trying to do Elvis,but this guy was pretty good.He sang Suspicious Minds wearing the black leather,which we know isn`t historically correct but for the purpose of the general public i`m kinda glad he didn`t wear the jumpsuit. He was also pretty young which is another plus point.He played safe with the moving as he settled for a sideways rocking motion,to be fair who can imitate The King `going into one`! He didn`t overdo it in general but sounded better than a lot of others i`ve heard,he definitely deserved to win.TCB.

Hi Scsa , I'm not a lover of impersonators either give me the real thing any day thanks for replying ..