Finally news regarding the long awaited SUN Project! For over five years “Follow That Dream” /Sony Elvis Committee president Ernst Jorgensen has been working on the Definitive Elvis At Sun Records & book, which is possibly the most ambitious project of his entire career. The Genesis of rock n roll has to be the combination of Elvis and the Memphis based Sun Records Company, and at last this outstanding labour of love is about to be published.
This will be no ordinary volume of facts and figures. It will be a massive superlative Elvis Presley production including the rarest of pictures, recording data, the real story behind Elvis’ time at Sun with unique Elvis artifacts, photographs, together with a companion of Elvis Sun recordings on THREE CDs which will excite your senses.
'A Boy From Tupelo - Complete 53-55 Recordings'
Book + 3CD
“A BOY FROM TUPELO – THE COMPLETE 1953-55 RECORDINGS” includes for the first time in one collection every known Elvis Presley SUN master and outtake, plus two private records Elvis paid for with his own money, as well as thrilling radio and concert performances from the period. This 3 CD package features 10 previously-unreleased cuts.
The accompanying book is, in essence, a fully-illustrated travelogue. It thoughtfully details the birth of Elvis' career through facts, anecdotes, documentation, many rare photos, and a succinct narrative. Independence Day 1954 is when this uniquely American saga begins, less than 24 hours before his first professional recording session, and it ends in December 1955, when the rights to Elvis' SUN tapes officially expire, and the singer leaves Sam Phillips to record for RCA. This is Elvis Presley before he becomes world-famous, and the mystery of how this amazing young man readies himself for stardom, achieving success on a level that no one could have dreamed possible.
All audio has been re-mastered and restored as best we could, but Disc 3 has pretty rough audio. The book is 512 pages in 12” by 12” format and includes more than 500 photos of which about 200 are previously unpublished. If you are not an expert in this period of Elvis’ career, a lot more photos will be new to you. Many familiar photos will be seen in best ever quality, but since this is a historical document, there will also be many images of less quality, included for their rarity value and support of the story. The book also includes, for the first time, Steve Sholes’ original notes on the Sun tapes.
The project will come in a slip case (like “YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT”) that holds both the book and the CD holder (a double album type package).
Which means...? Who will be able to afford it. Three Cd's fine; but an expensive book? Probably cost way over $150.00 in U.S. dollars. Good luck FTD.
I stopped buying books some time ago but this one will be an exception. Plus the cd's will be a bonus.
Nice news but I bet it will cost more than the YMWTBB box, much more, and for that I may have to skip because a book is just a book, but I would like to know what the 10 cuts are before I make a decision.
Once in a while it pops up a release you just need to have ... I think this is such a release. Ok, it is expensive, perhaps too expensive, but still I consider this as mandatory in my collection. It’s like Christmas in august :-)
I will give this one a miss. Too expensive in my opinion.
Nothing is a 'must have' anymore. The only must haves are the orig Elvis masters which we have had issued many times over. If you look at it, Sunrise is the essential Sun release with 38 tracks. We also have had YMWTBB and with its Hayride show and the MRS release with all the Hayride shows. All touted as must haves (I think the MRS release is). Now we are getting this release with a big expensive book and possibly very bad sounding unreleased material(disc 3). I'm with Steve on this one. Want to see what the content is before I think about a purchase. Its very costly to be an Elvis fan these days. All pretty releases but nothing totally essential to justify the cost.
10 unreleased cuts...hmm. With a grain of salt: outtakes. Applying insanely wishful thinking: Rock Around The Clock (live, sometime in fall of 1955), Tiger Man (as Presley refered to it as his second recording, please correct me if I am wrong), an early version of Heartbreak Hotel ? Some other jams. A live version of When it rains it really pours ? A one liner of a Lefty Firzell song, Uncle Penn ? What else? Nespresso ;-) Cheers. Peter
Additional possibilities ; "Tennessee Saturday Night" (2 takes recorded July 5–7, 1954). According to Carr and Farren, RCA planned to include this recording on the 1965 compilation album Elvis for Everyone, but substituted the Sun side "Tomorrow Night" instead "Uncle Penn" (1 take recorded Sept. 9, 1954). Carr and Farren claim the existence of "Uncle Penn" is proven by it being listed on the session sheet for the recording session of December 8, 1954 that produced "Tomorrow Night" "Oakie Boogie" (1 take recorded Dec. 8, 1954) as found on wikipedia, Elvis Presley's Sun recordings.
No one is pushing your arm up your back forcing you to buy this book, or any other Follow That Dream product, but this title will be so good that it should be put forward for a Grammy next year. The Elvis Presley legacy is frequently devalued by some fans' stupidity, and a project like this should be applauded even though the majority of fans may not be able to afford to buy it, especially during these times of austerity. A labour of love like this should be cherished because when the FTD brand is no more every fan will be poorer by its absence. Be realistic, if Tennessse Saturday Night and Uncle Penn were in the vaults then they would have been released twenty years ago, but there is always a slim chance that 70 year old materials might one day be unearthed. Because of FTD we are able to enjoy a wealth of Elvis and that surely is a cause for celebration.
I received a order form from the Elvis Presley fan club asking that to order the book you had to give a £100 deposit and the book was not expected to go over £150 in total. I think they need to give the cd tracks before people can give up that kind of cash for a book we don't have that much info apart from it being the SUN years.
One thing's for sure, I hope this isn't the final cover design. Not too keen on the 12" format either.
No one will know what the final price will be just yet because shipping from Denmark is expensive, once landed in the UK then the CDs will attract VAT at 20% and the fluctuation between the Danish Crown, The British Pound and the Euro will all play a part. In real terms I believe once all these costings are calculated, and the add on of postage packing overheads to customers is computed, then this should see a total price of around £120.00 - £130.00 which for a "boutique" limited edition print run of other cherished properties is not out of the ordinary. All that said we are 14 weeks away from publication date and economic factors outside of our control might affect the final price. There is a real world out there that is having an effect on everyone, and that includes everything Elvis. We Elvis fans have always been very blessed and we have survived dozens of recessions over the years, and we will come through this one! On a personal note I much prefer a 12" LP sized format to that of a 5" CD package because the cover art becomes a "feast for the eyes". Todd Slaughter
Perhaps Todd could explain this. So far. Now Dig This £93.95 + £8.00 post (although on the sight it also states £93.99) further down? Elvis Shop £93.99 + £8.00 post. Essential Elvis £94.99 + postage ?? Todd EPFC £100.00 now + £10.00 postage + more later upon release
Mr.Slaughter : absolutely agreed about the LP format sized release ! Now, about the price : this release has already a (final) price tag here in Belgium : 95 euros, (shipping costs not included ), that's +/- 77 £ or +/- 128 usd.
Shipping costs : Belgium 8,40 euros, The Netherlands 15,50 euros, Rest of the world : not mentioned.
About the 10 unreleased tracks : not a single indication if it's a matter Sun-tracks or not !
I'm waiting for the track-list. Always El.
Actually I like the cover. Big size translates to old eyes reading the liners better. It's expensive & I think the unreleased 10 tracks will be disappointing. Like the idea of a slipcase. Benny it amazes me how on top of things you are. SteveV just hit the Sun Fund.
Dear TCB1: To answer your question, we don't know yet. Even FTD cannot give us a price for shipping at this stage, and they have a caviat stating additional costs will be invoiced. The VAT element could be anything from £12 - £20.00 depending upon the word content against the picture fall. It is far safer to go in with a high price and reduce it, than try to increase. We all got caught out with "Fashion For A King" - we lost £10.00 on every copy shipped until we increased the price by a tenner. Also one book damaged in transit will mean that we have to sell 10 further books to break even. As I said before "No one is pushing your arm up your back forcing you to buy this book." As for the CD content - it's my guess that we won't know until we get the stock, because the bootleggers will replicate if an early announement is made, as has so often been the case in recent times.
I WILL be buying this but will avoid the incredable overseas expensive postage by sending it to my brother in the UK and i can pick up 1 month later. Postage KILLS sending heavy books overseas!~ I also am buying this because it represents a tremendous piece of history
Asking people to part with £100 now to "secure a copy" without any more facts- tracks etc is a bit harsh. Is it refundable if you change your mind? What happens if selling price goes down to £95.00? Do you get a £5.00 refund then? Sounds like a an admin nightmare and a good way to improve cash flow/bank balance to me
Though I am very much tempted to order in advance I hesitate. I will definitely love to have the cds, but well over 100 euros is too much for just 3 cds with unknown unreleased items. I know, I get a book, but I am not interested in a book that will cost me 50 - 60 euros extra. As they announced it's a limited edition, so I take a risk. Yet it's too expensive for me. The same holds for the Young Man With The Beat.
BUT why ask for a £100 up front? No one else is, and all others are stating price quoted is what you'll pay? Loosing out on Fashion For A King is not our fault, Fans want the best price not being coursed into parting with money early especially as there is no need for it, as all you (Todd) is doing is scare mongering making out if you don’t book it you’ll loose it, total bull.. and yes I will be getting the FTD book but I will await its release and buy from the dealer with the best price.. and I know if you get a damaged product from FTD how hard it is to get replaced and the profit margins are tight, but that’s your problem not ours... its called competition. But as I say not one other UK dealer is charging over £95.00 yet some European dealers are offering it at around £70-75 + postage and again not one asking for money up front? And with FTD they have a 30 day payment system so you don’t pay them for a month after you get your stock? So why demand £100 now? just a thought..
Hi Oldscudder ! Thanks for the kind words, but being on top of (elvis) things is really not my merit, I just want to share with the other fans the info I found on other sites. ! I'm a member of 2 official Elvis fanclubs here in Belgium and both have their own (Elvis)shop. I know both presidents personally very well and it's a fact that both of them are always very fast to be able to announce the (their) price of a new product. How they do it to be so quick I really don't know, but they must have very good contacts with Ernst and FTD, allowing them to put a price tag on the products. One of the two fanclubs makes it possible for their customers to order the SUN release and to pay for it it as follows : paying 25 euros, 25 in June, 25 in July and the final 20 euros in August when the set will be available. For your info : check your contact/inbox of this site, I'll give you the addresses of the 2 Belgian sites . Best regards. Always El.
I meant : 25 euros in May, 25 in June...etc... Always El.
In my view, this one is for the super-collector, of which I am not. Not that I am saying it isn't interesting, because it is. I'd say this is a very ambitious outing by FTD, and I wish them the best. It's just something that would sit on my shelf virtually untouched, and for that I'm not going to forego the money. These days, I'm mainly interested in buying music that I'll listen to time and time again. Gratefully, there's plenty of Elvis music that fit that bill.
I got to agree with Dgirl. Sunrise contained all that is needed. The unreleased track will resurface somewhere later. This is only for hardcore collectors with a hardcore Elvis habit.
One way of saving money, of course, is to just download the 'unreleased' tracks.
I have to say, reading the official release notes on this, that it sounds worth having. A large 512 page book & all the (so far) available Sun-era tracks is a comprehensive package. Quality has to be paid for. Can't see anything wrong with the cover picture myself either! But as for "Uncle Penn"" & "Tennessee Saturday Night" – these were always nothing more than unsubstantiated rumours and I should be amazed if they ever turn up! A lot of work has gone into this, I enjoyed the MRS releases covering some of this period, but I look forward to also enjoying the results of Ernst's 5 year labours. I will bet this is going to be good!!
There's nothing wrong with the PICTURE but the overall design is simple and boring. Also I think the title should incorporate the word SUN somewhere. It wouldn't surprise me if this turns out not to be the final cover, maybe to ensure the proper design isn't copied.
How strange to say that you wouldn't buy this release for five dollars or euros. You'd be hard pushed to find a new Elvis magazine at such a low price so to pass on a 512 page book if it was being sold so cheaply!!!! - silly comment to back up an argument/reason for not buying this release. I do agree with the comments on Elvis' voice on those very early try outs being very weak etc, but once he'd nailed That's Alright etc, no problem at all ...but to criticise I'm Counting On You... unbelievable
agree about 'I'm counting on you' especially as it was recorded in at RCA in 56.
Question - is JeanMarie real? :) I am looking forward to purchasing this set, and, although I am 44, would not consider myself old, very old...
I find Brian Quinn's comments about downloading the unreleased tracks from this set incredibly pathetic. What a great way to show support for such an awesome project that's been so long in the making. He'd probably be one of the first to complain if there was to be no more 'new' Elvis music released in the future. In order for that to happen the people at FTD need income to secure such finds if they're in the hands of private collectors (as was the case with some of the stuff to be included on 'A Boy From Tupelo'). This stuff doesn't just "appear" out of thin air. Stick to your crusade for fake "duets" and updated hip-hop overdubs, Brian. You quite obviously haven't got a clue.
I would not have thought the tracks would be available for legal downloads as it is not a mainstream release
Such fantactic news and everybody talks only about the price ?!? Maybe they should release this also for the big public and not only on FTD.
This is great news as we have been waiting 5 years for this and what a release for the 35th anniversary! How about some good news on the mainstream label for the 35th? Best regards everyone.
E-vis: no, JeanMarie is not real. How could he be if he refers to Scotty and Bill als 'rural cheap musicians'?
Although I may or may not buy this (depends on content & price), bravo for FTD in finally getting it out. I am so not interested in boring 70's concerts (esp 1976) and the classic album series that contain outtakes of songs I dont care about. This project shows some thought and care. Yes it will be expensive but so was YMWTTB. Anyone know how that sold? Perhaps this should be released to stores? I just hope there are not a lot of rough sounding tracks which would ruin the whole listening experience. Maybe thats why it is being sold on FTD only. A couple of points, I think SUN should be mentioned on the cover somewhere, I dont think an FTD could be nominated for a Grammy and JeanMarie, words fail me!
I'm really looking forward to this release! Especially the book and maybe,just maybe,there are some (unreleasesd) treasures on the cd's! But please consider a new design!There has to be some yellow on it.......!!! and jean marie:you're giving me one laugh after another!thank you very much!
Steve V and Michael.W. : I agree with all points mentioned, JM included. Steve : as for the possible rough sounding tracks : there will be some. That's why we are warned by FTD/Sony in advance :" disc 3 has pretty rough audio "
Personally I'd have preferred to read : " disc 3 has SOME( but not all) tracks sounding rough". Well, let's wait and see (hear!) Always El.
I almost forgot : if you surf to the site of ElvisMatters you already can here via/on YouTube 11 seconds of "That's All Right Mama",performed on May 26, 1956 at Junior College Stadium, Meridian, Mississippi, and also 12 seconds of an announcement for a show on February 23, 1956 at Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Always El.
I think the Elvis At Sun cd has the best audio quality so far, better than Sunrise (just my opinion), but Sunrise is more complete and has more tracks on it. A pity though, you still can hear the RCA-added echo on That's All Right. Hope on the forthcoming box ALL 10 Sun titles (masters) will have the original Sun sound. Always El.
While I am not interested in the book, I will probably be buying this for the music. Is there any ope that the 3cds will be released seperately?
This is great news indeed. It's been a long time coming. For those complaining about the book, this release is more about the book than the music. The music we all have it. Elvis At Sun has great sound quality and includes all the music that really matters. The 10 unreleased tracks are probably bad quality live recordings that most people will listen to once or twice and then forget about them.
The book though will surely be a very interesting read, full of pictures and information. It takes a lot of time and effort to assemble the information, verify the facts etc. This is what makes this release costly. I hate to pay that much just of a book and some cd's with music I already have but for this one I will do it gladly. We Elvis fans cannot hope for many new unreleased material to be released, they just do not exist! Books like that is the best we can hope for in reality...
I deliberately did not buy The Man With The Big Beat. I deliberately did not buy the MRS equivalent of the box. I knew - like many among us - that this project was in the pipe line for a long time. So the money I had put aside will certainly go into the purchase of this CD/Book. I would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You to Ernst for dedicating so much time and effort to a Fifties-project! He takes a big risk with it. The figures show that 'Seventies'-projects are the biggest sellers. Despite the many-many language errors in 'Elvis Fashion', it is the biggest FTD-seller in the book department. So thumbs up and support this release.
In regards to JeanMarie's (multiple) missives about the commerciality of these releases, I present the mission statement of FTD directly from shopelvis.com - "The Follow That Dream collector series is a program created by Sony BMG that serves the dedicated collector". To restate, for those that can't/won't follow, these releases are intended for a specific audience, not mass consumption. So, can we stop harping on this, please? (I obviously didn't get enough sleep last night :)) That is all - have a great weekend, everyone!
I couldn't agree more ! Always El.
Having read all the posts by JeanMarie about this FTD Release, I still do not know whether the writer is against this release or not.
A question towards the more experienced collectors among you: Is the 11 second sample of "That's Allright" posted on Elvis Matters to be considered as one of the unreleased tracks or is it a teaser soundquality wise? Thanks for any additional info. Cheers, Peter.
sitdown revamped : in fact the sample is 15 seconds instead of 11, (my mistake, typo, my posting of May 18). It was annonced by ElvisMatters as follows : " exclusive audio sample from the forthcoming Sun Box". Hope this info answers your question. Best regards . Always El.
Love the FTD product in general and will certainly buy this release. I am fortunate and can afford it but truly understand it is frustrating if you want to buy it but cannot afford it and rather have all the new stuff on 1CD for $10 but that would not be in the interest of the companies behind Elvis legacy. A labour intensive quality products produced in relatively low quantities will be expensive and providing new pictures and takes in piece meal fashion will bring in more money in the end. It is logical and not wrong, as you always have a choice. The only thing I find somewhat amazing is the claim that some FTD product is selling only 2,000 copies. If true, than this series will stop very soon.
It's ALMOST CERTAIN that the song "Little Mama" will be one of the unreleased tracks, this according to another site. The acetate, at first believed to be impossible to repair, should sound better than expected. Always El.
I think it´s a great release for many Elvis fans, especially those collectors who are interested in the early years. Ernst has put a lot of time, passion and heart in this project, so let´s see what surprises he has found!
This is an absolutely major release for Elvis fans, with some great unseen photos & some unheard recordings. I'm amazed some well known fans are saying they will not be buying it. (Bet they change their minds!)
Although expensive I have changed my mind and have now ordered it. It is too historic to miss out on.
