IMAGE OF THE WEEK

This picture was taken sometime shortly after Elvis reached Germany.

Vince's Top 5

1. Suspicious Minds- TTWII
2. Rubberneckin'
3. Mary In The Morning
4. You Don't Have To Say You Love me
5. Patch It Up

Mike's weekly top 5

The fallowing are my top Elvis songs of the week.

1.Love Me(56)
2.I Don't Care Of The Sun Don't Shine(54)
3.Blue Moon(54)
4. Good Luck Charm(61)
5.Girls! Girls! Girls! (62)

Elvis at 21 NEW YORK TO MEMPHIS

Elvis at 21 is a book containing a collection of photographs by photographer Alfred Wertheimer. His subject was a twenty one year old Elvis Presley. This in my opinion is the best and most important photos of Elvis that was ever took. When Elvis was signed by RCA, they asked Wertheimer to photograph the rising star. He would start photographing Elvis in January of 56 and continue through July of that same year. He would later photograph Elvis in 58, but these picture are priceless. When he started in January with Elvis, he found a young singer that was on the rise but still not known all over. When he would get done in July Elvis owned the music world and was one of the most talked about people on the planet. These pictures take through Elivis' life pretty much in those months. He got him on stage,back stage, around town, and even at home. It shows you every side of Elvis. Wertheimer captured Elvis like no one else ever could. You see Elvis with his guard down and just by looking at this series of photos you get to know the twenty one year old kid who would go on to become the biggest and most successful entertainer ever. Every Elvis fan should own this book, it is worth every penny. These classic pictures of Elvis truly tell a story and you feel like you are kinda of going along the ride with Elvis. This is Elvis Presley, before he was the Hollywood star, or a 70's stage act. He seems so innocent, but at the same time so dangerous. He honestly defined the word cool. Just some of the highlights from this book are pictures from the Stage Show performances, Steve Allen, Russwood Park, and the best ones are of the Presley's at home. If you do not have this, go to shopelvis.com and buy it! I promise you will not be disappointed.

The importance of Television on Elvis' Career/Stage Show

1956, the year of Elvis Presley. This was the year he took it to a whole new level and blew up. One thing that made Elvis was TV. He was able to reach the whole country through this new technology that people were discovering. Parker was a very smart man, and used TV perfectly. I am going to discuss the different shows Elvis appeared on. Tonight I am going to start out talking about the Stage Show appearances. The Dorsey brothers hosted a variety show that came on CBS in the evening and was produced by Jackie Gleason. In late 1955 Elvis was signed to appear on the show four times. Later it would be extended to six appearances after a strong reaction to Elvis' performance. Elvis would appear on the show for the first time the last week for January.
Below is a clip from the first appearance on television by Elvis.




I love this performance of this song, and Elvis is just full of raw energy. Elvis would also appear on the show three times in February and twice more in March. Elvis gained some attention due to these performances, but nothing compared to what he would garner later on down the road. Elvis would sing Heartbreak Hotel for the first time on TV during the third appearance. The Stage Show did alright in the ratings, but was still getting beat pretty good by the Perry Como show. Elvis was still not all that well known outside the southeast. Elvis would move on next to the Milton Berle show. By the time he was done there, he would have the whole country turned upside down. I will talk in length about that in the future. Below is a clip from the fourth appearance Elvis made on stage show. It is one of my all time favorite Elvis songs. In closing I would say I would really like it if these complete performance from the shows would be released at some point. Clips from different songs scatted out among some collections on VHS or DVD but not all six in complete form. I wish they would do something for the Stage Show performances much like the did for the Sullivan shows.

Vince's Random Song Of The Week

Paul Oakenfield mix of RUBBERNECKIN'

The Gospel Side Of Elvis

I recently purchased "He Touched Me The Gospel Side Of Elvis" and I must say I was very impressed with it. I'm not a avid church goer or a bible thumper but this documentary showed you how truly Elvis was staying with his roots warming up with gospel songs. Everyone knows that after Elvis' mother died he was never the same. Gospel was his way to remember his mother and relax. The interviews on the movie talked about how Elvis would sing after a concert and go all the way up to the next morning. This DVD goes into detail how Elvis met JD Sumner and how he was influenced by black gospel groups One particular story I thought was cool is that when Elvis was supposed to record the Jailhouse Rock soundtrack, the executives were getting mad that he was warming up with gospel songs and just kept singing them, wasting heir time and money. Finally the execs told the Jordaniares I believe not to go to the piano to sing gospel with Elvis because he wouldn't quit. Elvis got wind of what was said and he was mad and took them back to his penthouse and sang gospel all night and coming back the next morning to record the soundtrack. The interviews in this documentary are really good and it's awesome to hear how they brag how Elvis was so big hearted. Its a definite must see.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

Chris Noel is the doll of the week. She had a very small part in the movie Girl Happy. She played in several movies in the 60's and appeared in a few television shows. She is probably best known for her role in Vietnam. She went over to entertain the troops and was very active with trying to help with anything she could. She was a DJ over there and had a program called A Date With Chris. She continues to work with veterans to this day.

Got a pocketful of rainbows

Tonight I am going to talk about one of my favorite movie soundtracks, G.I. Blues. When Elvis returned home he had to cut some records and start back making movies. Elvis would record this record in the spring of 60 in Hollywood. Elvis sounded great anyone that knows me knows I think Elvis was at his very best vocally in the early 60's. This album showcases Elvis almost perfectly. This was one of Elvis's biggest hit records but lets talk about the music first before we talk about what all the album did.I have the above CF which was a special collectors edition with alternate takes from this great album. The first song on the disc is Tonight Is So Right For Love. I think this song is pretty good and Elvis does a pretty good job. What's She Really Like is one of my favorite songs on the album. Beautiful song and Elvis delivers on it. Frankfort Special is a song that has grown on me over time and I must has grown in to one of my favorites as well. It is a fast pace song and Elvis seems to have a lot of fun with it. The song mixes in well with all the slower numbers that shows off Elvis as the true singer. Frankfort Special is a rocking number Elvis can just let go on. Wooden Heart is the one song that I probably don't go crazy over. Though I do not think it is as bad as some people I have heard criticize it. Interestingly enough Wooden Heart was a number one song in a lot of countries but was never released as a singer in the US until the mid sixty's.G.I Blues, this is just a classic movie song, not much needs to be said about it in my opinion. Pocketful Of Rainbows, my absolute favorite song of the movie. I think Elvis sound superb on it and masters the presentation. This song would be very ordinary and bland with most artist, but Elvis gives it a certain something and makes it sound so cool. Elvis could hear how a song should sound perfectly in his head and that one big reason he was as good as he was. Shoppin Around is another good song, that is a faster tempo song that again gives you another number to move around to, impossible song for me not to sing along to. Big Boots is probably my least favorite song on the album . I just can't get into it. Though I never skip it when I play the CD. Didja' Ever is the closing number and kind of has the same tone as G.I. Blues and is just as a good of a song. Blue Suede Shoes is a classic throwback to the days of the rock n roller days of Elvis and fits in nice in the movie. Doin' The Best I Can is a close number two for my favorite song on this soundtrack. I think it might just be the best all around song on the whole CD. Eight alternate takes appear on the collectors CD and they are all a great insight into the making of this special album. This CD is really solid. It is not only of his best soundtracks, but one of he best all around albums period. G.I. Blues the album made some history for Elvis. It would be a number one album for five weeks and would stay on the Billboard chart for 111 weeks. It would stay on the charts longer then any other Elvis album. Billboard ranks GI Blues on of the top number one albums of the 60's and in the top one hundred hottest albums ever. The album would go double platinum. I know this was a special edition back in the late nineties as well as a copy of Blue Hawaii, but I wish FTD would do a release on these two albums. If the have anymore material It would be worth putting out. The early sixties was something great musically for Elvis and some of his most successful work post Germany. Lets give these soundtracks of the early sixties there proper due. Please click on the video below and listen to my favorite song from the movie. Enjoy!

Poll Results

This past week Vince had a poll question up on the site. It was asking what was your favorite Elvis documentary. That's The Way It Is, Elvis On Tour, or This Is Elvis. TTWII took elven votes, while the other two took three votes each.

My vote went to TTWII, but that's probably just because I have seen it more recently. This was a hard question for me. Elvis On Tour might be my favorite, really I don't think I can pick a favorite.

How Great Thou Art

Ive worked 24 hours out of the past 2 days, im tired so I wont be blogging very much tonight. Im gonna leave you all with my favorite Elvis gospel song "How Great Thou Art" ‘Til we meet you again, may God bless you. Adios

Elvis rockin in 72

I don't really have the time to blog tonight with all my favorite athletes or sports teams on. I have to get back to watching the Gators but I will be back with a review of one of my favorite soundtracks tomorrow. Since I don't have anything useful to talk about, please enjoy the video of Elvis in 1972 below. Man just about anything from Elvis in 72 is gold. What a year, on of my favorites.

Today in Elvis history...March 25th 1958

Elvis would get the most famous haircut ever when he got his buzz cut for the army.

Today in Elvis history...March 24th 1958

Elvis Presley is inducted into the U.S. Army at the Memphis Draft Board and is assigned serial number 53310761. This is one of the most important events in the history of Elvis Presley. A lot of things would change in the time he was away and he would never be the same again.

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Elvis in 1972 looking as cool as ever.

Edwards/Everett Top 5

This week I am going to have to do Vince and mine. So here is what our top five Elvis songs at the moment are.

Mike
1.Love Me(56)
2.Playing For Keeps(56)
3.A World Of Our Own(62)
4.(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame(61)
5.Way Down(76)

Vince
1.Girl Next Door(60)
2.Too Much(56)
3.Don't Be Crule(56)
4.Such A Night(60)
5.Make Me Know It(60)

Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup and his influence on Elvis

Tonight I am going to talk a little bit about one of Elvis's greatest influences, Arthur Crudup. I am also a huge fan of his and enjoy his original recordings every bit as much as the same ones Elvis would go on to cover. Crudup was born in Mississippi in 1905. He went to Chicago in the late 30's or early 40's and begin working as a street singer but could barely get by. He was later on discovered and would record a lot of songs in the 40's and early 50's. He actually got paid very little for his record sales and it would cause him to leave the business in the 50's. He tried to comeback in the 60's but never made it all that far with it. He wrote and sang three great blues numbers. That's All Right, So Glad Your Mine, and My Baby Left Me. All three Elvis would record early on. My favorite song on the three is So Glad Your Mine. I love Big Boy's and Elvis' version. We all know of course That's All Right helped Elvis as it was his first record and would go down in history. My Baby Left me is an awesome song Elvis did and I like even more then That's All Right. So Glad Your Mine though is a true blues song and Elvis keeps it true to its original form in his recording. When Elvis did honest to god blues, he was the baddest white boy to ever sing it. He just never sang it as much as he should have. Especially post 1970. Anyway, back to Big Boy. He would eventually just go to moon shining in his later days. Crudup would pass away in 1976 at the age of 70. Elvis really thought a lot of Big Boy and loved his music and fell back on it a lot in his early days. Elvis would even pay for one of Crudup's recording sessions in the 1960's since Arthur did not have the money to do so. Elvis said the fallowing in 1956, "I used to hear old Arthur Crudup bang his box the way I do now, and I said if I ever got to the place I could feel all old Arthur felt, I'd be a music man like nobody ever saw.". Elvis was right, he was a music man like nobody ever saw. We will never see one like him again either. Listen Arthur's classic My Baby Left Me. It is truly something great. Listen, you hear some of the ingredients of the early Elvis sound.

Coolest cup car ever

As you probably have figured out I am a huge fan of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Last year he drove an Elvis themed car at Richmond last September. Jr has said it is one of his favorite schemas he has ever had since he is such an avid Elvis fan. The unveiled this car last year during EW at Graceland. Dale's grandmother, who is a big Elvis fan and got him into Elvis, was there as well. I ran across this picture last night and thought it was worth posting. Jr fan or not, you must admit this car is cool as all get out.

Come and drive the Fox-5 for me Mr. McCoy

The movie review im gonna do today is "Spinout". Released in 1966, Elvis stars as Mike McCoy, a part-time lead singer and a part-time racecar driver. The movie begins as Mike McCoy is taking a cruise in his race car when suddenly Cynthia Foxhugh (daughter of Howard Foxhugh) runs him off he road into a pond. When singing at a gig Mike McCoy is approached by Howard Foxhugh to sing at his daughter's birthday party and to drive his new race car "The Fox-5". Throughout the movie Elvis is approched by three women wanting to marry them, Cynthia, Diana (An author researching a book to find the perfect man), and Les (Mike McCoy's Drummer) Will he be the driver of the new Fox-5 and who will he choose as a wife?? It's not his greatest movie and definately not his worst. Im pretty keen on the songs spinout and smorgasbord. Overall it's pretty enjoyable and Diana is some really good Eye candy so CHECK IT OUT!!

SPEEDWAY!

Tonight I have been watching the movie Speedway. Elvis would start filming the movie sometime in the middle of 1967 and would be released in the summer of 1968. This would be Elvis's twenty-seventh film. He played the part of a race car driver named Steve Grayson. He has a manager who he trust with all his money that is not very good had handling it. He in turns gets into trouble with the IRS. A agent comes to break the bad news and set them on a payment plan that leaves them strapped because the have such a huge debt to the government. Along the way Steve had tried to help out people in need, but his manager had got that stuff on credit. When the government came in, they took it all away from them. So Steve had to go win races to help not only himself and his manager but all the people he helped out. Along the way Steve falls for the female agent form the IRS who is played by Nancy Sinatra. In the end Steve wins a big race to help with the bills. As usual Elvis also get the beautiful girl. I really do enjoy this movie a great deal. The soundtrack has a few good songs on it as well. I would rate the the movie and soundtrack both middle of the road, but it is definitely worth owning and watching over and over again. Then again I think all Elvis movies are worth watching over and over. I also really enjoy Bill Bixby in the movie. He is really good and interacts with Elvis well. Of course I love Nancy Sinatra, she is great. peedway would gross about 3 million for the last part of 68 and rank #40 on the list of top grossing films. A little bit better then some of his later movie roles, especially for the amount of time it was out in theaters for the year. It is worth saying that this is Dale Jr's favorite movie along with Clambake. Now enjoy the Speedway trailer movie below then go watch this movie.

There Must be Lights Burning Brighter Somewhere...

In June of 1968 Elvis recorded his hit NBC special "Elvis" (aka The 68' Comeback Special). The show was originally supposed to be dominantly Christmas Songs and was supposed to have "I'll Be Home For Christmas" as the finale. Earl Brown was asked to write a song to replace ''Ill Be Home For Christmas" and he came up with "If I Can Dream". Clad in a total white suit and a red tie, Elvis sang "If I Can Dream" as the grand finale of his NBC Special. You can clearly hear Elvis singing his heart out on the song. It was then first released as single If I Can Dream/Edge Of Reality in November 1968. It peaked on Billboard's Hot 100 at #12 for 13 weeks, one million plus sales. This personally one of my favorite Elvis songs and it defiantly is in my top performances of his. I searched the longest time for Elvis singing this song live or during a concert only to find out that he never performed it in that manner. "If I Can Dream" was one of the dearest songs to Elvis because it was written as an inspirational song in a time soon after the assasinations of RFK and Martin Luther King Jr. Although Elvis thought very highly of this song, Col. Tom Parker refused to let Elvis sing it live because he considered it to be too controversial and didnt want Elvis to be considered a hippy.

New from Clothier To The King

Lansky has got a new shirt out for 2008 under the Clothier To The King line. It is called the Zippin Pippin. Named after the famous coaster that was Elvis' favorite ride. I think this is one of the coolest shirts I have seen in a long time and I am going to get at least one of them for sure. They also have them in black and blue. I like the white one the best but If I can swing it, I might get the black on in the future. As usual Lansky's produces another great piece of clothing. I can't wait to get this.

Graceland

A 13.8 acre estate with a white columned mansion is where Elvis called home from 1957-1977. Graceland was purchased by Elvis for more privacy and security compared to the Audubon Drive home. He purchased the estate for $100,000. The estate was named after the original owners daughter Grace. Soon after Elvis moved his mom, dad, and grandmother in, he started making modifications which that were a field stone wall surrounding the grounds, a wrought-iron music styled gate, a swimming pool, a racquetball court, and the famous "jungle room" (which features an indoor waterfall), and the Meditation Garden. I must admit, walking through the door was a feeling I never had, I was actually standing in Elvis' home which was very dear to him. In future blogs I will go into detail of the rooms and other parts of the property.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

The doll this week is Millie Perkins. She played alongside Elvis in the 1961 movie Wild In The Country. She played the part of Betty Lee Parsons, one of three ladies involved with Glenn. I always thought she was pretty good in the movie and found her to be very pretty. Millie also would go on to portray Gladys in the short lived TV series Elvis The Early Years. I thought she was also wonderful in that role. She has continued to work ever since the late 50's when she made her first movie. I have always found it interesting that mostly she has worked on TV shows and mini series and just a few movies here and there. I have always been curious why this was, I thought she was a pretty good actress.

Item I charish the most

I was talking with a guy at work not that long ago and he was asking me about my Elvis collection. He was wanting to know what item was my favorite. Without a doubt the picture above from Jailhouse Rock is my favorite. It is one of the nicest things I have. Though that is just part of the reason this is so dear to me. Back in 2005 when I first seen this on the Internet I knew I had to have it. For one I love the movie Jailhouse Rock. Also I just think this is a really cool image from the movie. It is hard to find good quality prints framed and matted right. This one has it all. Anyway the only problem was that is was about $450. I did not have the money to throw around at the time and decided I would save up for it. So monthly I put back money for it and about four months later I thought I had enough to get it. I had been keeping my money back in my bedroom. I came to find out this dirty poor guy who is my cousin had stole my money. He has took off with $800 which was not only for my picture but also for the next EW coming up. So by the time I had saved up the money to get the print again, you could not find it anywhere. American Royal Arts did this print but I could not find it on there site, as they are limited editions. I ran across one in Memphis during EW in 2006. I did not get it because I wanted to think on it a day. When I went back I decided to get it, but it was gone. I was truly crushed, I had never wanted an Elvis item so bad. So I said if I ever see one again I would get it, nothing would get in my way. When I arrived in Memphis last August the first thing I did was go to Gallery Elvis at Graceland to see if by some chance they had one. I was in luck, they had one on the wall! I snatched it up and took it with my, I did not care the cost! This is without a doubt the most money I have ever spent on anything in my collection. I have spent more money at one time on various Elvis items, but never on one single thing. Though because of the story above, The print is my favorite item ever.

I hope to get another one similar to it in August from the same people who put this one out. They are really nice and look great.

Random Elvis Song Of The Week

1956 Cadillac Eldorado

Im gonna start blogging about the cars of Elvis since car shopping was a huge hobby of his. The first car im gonna blog about is my favorite, The Purple 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Convertable. Elvis flew to Houston to purchase this car on June 12, 1956 at a cost of $10,000. Originally white (As seen on the left) with a black interior, Elvis squashed a handful of grapes on the fender and told the customiser, Jimmy Sanders of Memphis (who also customised the pink caddy), that was the color he wanted. The upholstery was changed to white roll and pleated leather, and the floor covered in fur dyed purple. Elvis's initials "EP" with a guitar and two musical notes were inscribed in the leather, the floormats and overhead. It is believed Elvis always had problems with this car, which is probably why he traded it in on December 23rd 1957. The car was then purchased by a fan of Elvis's, Mrs Lena Moskovitz of Memphis for $4893. After her death in 1974, the car was abandoned in an open field where it weathered badly. On July 31st 1976 the car was sold at auction to used car dealer James N. Cantrell of Columbus, Georgia for $975. This made news across the USA and the next day the new owner was offered $10,000 for it, but turned it down. Instead he started a slow, ground up $28,000 restoration, hoping to show it to Elvis when it was finished but, Elvis passed away before he had a chance.

The Dempseys!!!!

This past Monday Mike and I got to catch The Dempseys at Barley's Taproom in Knoxville. We we're both yelling the whole time because they played some cool Elvis tunes like "That's Alright Mama" and "Burning Love". I really yelled when they sing 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky" but it was just one line of the song. All night long we kept yelling "Little Sister" because Mike and I heard them sing that at Elvis Week 07, wouldnt ya know the bass player said "the song sucked" and they didn't play it. Anyways bsides that, they put on an awesome show and id definately love to see them live again. LITTLE SISTER!!!

Not much going on tonight

I do not have much to chatter on about tonight. I have been watching a lot of the Ed Sullivan shows from the three DVD set of Elvis's performances. I am going to take a break and watch Top Chef and then finish them up. I plan on going into detail about the three appearances and sharing my thoughts about them.

Danny Fisher jacket

This is a jacket a ran across on a site that has a lot of 50's and 60's style clothing. This is a jacket much like Elvis has in the movie King Creole. It is nothing really flashy or special. I still would like to have one. I think it could be key.

Elvis Lives

I was originally gonna post on Harum Scarum but I'm sitting here watching ELVIS LIVES: The 25th Anniversary Concert on DVD and thought Id post some thoughts on it. This was one of the first Elvis DVDs I bought a couple years ago. Held at the Pyramid Coliseum in 2002, Elvis is reunited through modern technology with The TCB Band, The Sweet Inspirations, The Imperials, The Stamps Quartet, and The Jordanaires. The DVD has 25 songs on it along with interviews with some of the band. My personal favorite songs on here are "You've Lost That Love and Feelin", "Mystery Train/Tiger Man", "Walk A Mile In My Shoes", "Suspicious Minds", and "If I Can Dream". Hell the whole DVD is awesome. I envy Mike for getting to see the 30th Anniversary Concert live this past Elvis Week, It would've been indescribable to experience the closest thing to seeing The King in concert as they come. This DVD is a must for any fan and definitely anyone can enjoy it super fan or not.

Vince's Top 5

1. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
2. Don't Be Cruel
3. When It Rains It Pours
4.Only The Strong Survive
5. How Great Thou Art

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Since I am having a fit over Elvis Week I thought I would post a picture from Elvis Week 07. This is from Music and Movies at Graceland. Vince,me, and several other fans got to spend the evening on the front lawn of Graceland. We got to hear the Dempsey's and Andy Child's play. Also we got to see one of the coolest people ever that night, Dale Earnhardt Jr. He was the host for the evening. We also got to watch one of Elvis's best movies,Viva Las Vegas. It was a lot of fun.

EW 08 update

I got my tickets ordered today for most of the events that Vince and I will attend. We got tickets to the Elvis Insiders conference, Club Elvis, and Movies and Music at Graceland. It is just about all took care of and everything planned. Now August needs to get here. I am so ready.

Edwards top 5

I am back from Bristol. It was a blast but I am worn out. Jr ran pretty good and had a solid fifth place finish. He now stands fifth in the points race. Now for my top five of the week.

1.Love Me(56)
2.All Shook Up(57)
3.Blue Moon(54)
4.Baby Let's Play House(55)
5.Harbor Lights(54)

Elvis Week 07

The video above is a slide show that I did of some pics from my first Elvis Week. ENJOY!!! Let me know what you think please.

Off to see Dale Jr

I have dacided to wip off wildly to Bristol for the Nationwide race today and I will be back up there tomorrow for the cup race. So I don't know how much I will be on here. I trust Vince will jabber some on here and hold things down.

I thought we could go dancing....or something

Last night I watched Viva Las Vegas for the second night in a row. Viva was Elvis's fifteenth movie and would go down at one of his most popular movies ever. Elvis would start shooting this movie in mid to late 63 and the movie came out in the spring of 64.This movie also starred the wonderful Ann Margret. We all know the story there. Elvis plays the part of Lucky Jackson.The movie is about a race car driver in Las Vegas getting ready for a big race. Along the way he looses all the money he won while in Vegas and is in danger of not getting the motor he needs for the race. Lucky also falls for a lovely swimming instructor Rusty(Ann). Lucky enters a talent show to try to win some money and ties Rusty for first place. After winning a coin flip Lucky realizes the prize of a Honeymoon in Vegas does him no good, and he thinks his chances for the race are gone. Then a mysterious donor, who turns out to be Rusty's father, gives money for a motor. Elvis then enters the race, and of course go on to win it. He then marries Rusty. I suppose after that they live happily ever after. It is kinda of odd seeing them at the end of the movie getting married. Makes you think about what It would have been like had gotten married. The soundtrack is pretty solid and I think way underrated. It also has my personal favorite, The Climb, which Elvis sings back up on. Overall this movie is really great, and for sure an Elvis classic. It was one of his best because of the great chemistry he had with Ann Margret. He never had that kind of spark with any other actress. It is probably in my top ten favorite movie, and it is for sure in the top ten of Elvis's best work on screen. It was also one of Elvis;s most successful movies bringing in around 4.7 million at the box office.

Also, I have to admit something. I have seen this movie well over a hundred times in my life. I just noticed something though.I never noticed Red West and George Klein in the first of the movie and the casino. I thought that was pretty funny. I was actually yelling about it in the middle of the night. Funny how after all these times of seeing the movie that I just now noticed that.

EW website running true

The official Elvis Week website is up and running. It is found at Elvisweek.com. It has all the information you could need on the event as well as cool videos and pics from last year. 147 days to go. I can't wait. I am yelling.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

Ursula Andress is my doll of the week. She was in the movie Fun In Acapulco. I have always loved that movie, and really liked her. In other movies she is alright, but in this flick she really gets me. She is pretty hot and I thought she has a rockin body.If I made a list of the top Elvis girls I would have to say she would be in my top ten or so. I think I am going to go watch Fun In now because thinking about Ursula has got me in the mood.

Today in Elvis history

RCA released Elvis´ first album "Elvis Presley". The LP entered Billboard´s Best-Selling Pop Albums chart at #11. Within 6 weeks, it reached number one, remaining at the top for 10 weeks.The total stay stay on the chart was 49 weeks. It was the first album in history to sell one million copies. Certification as a million-seller was made by RIAA on November 1,1966.

In My opinion this is most important album Elvis ever recorded. It has some classics on it was well and is one of the best as well. It is for sure in the top five or six of best Elvis albums of all time. This album album blew Elvis up and helped send him to a level no one else has ever reached.

Elvis at his best

I picked up a copy of the DVD Elvis #1 Hit Performances. This has been out a while but I had not got around to getting it. The reason is that I have all of the performances on one thing or another. I felt I needed this thought for the collection. For the average fan that might not have a serious collection of Elvis's work this would be great. This has some of his best work. A lot of good stuff that could have been added was left off, but I am going to focus on the positives. Hound Dog could have had several different performances chosen, but they went with the performance from the second Sullivan show. They hit a home run there, that is one of Elvis's greatest performances, period. This DVD showcases Elvis from early 1956 to 1973. My favorite performances on here besides Hound Dog are, Stuck On You and Return To Sender. A cool thing as well is the two bonus interviews on here. I have seen them both a million tomes but they are great. They are the 1960 press confrance at Graceland and the 72 press conference in New York for the Madison Square garden shows. Overall this is a pretty good DVD even though it does not really aim for the serious fan. I am sure a lot of casual fans will love this.

Don't Be Cruel

"Don't Be Cruel" is one of my favorite Elvis songs of all time. Written by Otis Blackwell, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greastest Songs Of All Time. "Don't Be Cruel" was originally the A Side of RCA single with "Hound dog" on the B Side although both sides became chart-toppers, RCA reissuing the single in later decades as double A side. The single was the first to top all three extant Billboard charts: pop, rhythm & blues, and country & western.
The song was recorded for RCA Victor by Elvis' regular band of Scotty Moore on lead guitar, Bill Black on bass, DJ Fontana on drums and backing vocals from the Jordanairs. Elvis recorded this song on July 2nd 1956 at RCA's New York City studio. The producing credit was given to RCA's Steve Sholes, however the studio recordings reveal that Elvis produced the songs in this session (as well as many others) himself, which is verified by the band members. Elvis selected the song, reworked the arrangement himself on piano, and recorded eight takes of the song with the band (number 7 being the take released on the record) during one recording session following the thirty takes of "Hound Dog" (number 28 being released on the record) recorded that day. "Any Way You Want Me" was also recorded in that same session following "Don't Be Cruel". "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog" were released on July 13th 1956
Elvis reworked the Otis Blackwell demo and changed the music and lyrics, just as he did to other compositions by Blackwell. Thats the reason he received co-songwriting credit.
Elvis, Scotty, Bill, DJ, and the Jordanaires first performed "Don't Be Cruel" on national televsion on the September 9th 1956 Ed Sullivan Show. They revisited the song twice more when appearing on the Sullivan Show October 28 of the same year, and on January 6th 1957.

Junior update

I am a huge NASCAR fan. Certified Elvis freak Dale Earnhardt Jr started out with a top ten at Daytona before getting into a wreck that was not his fault at California that left him in 42nd place. He has made a huge climb the last two weeks with a second and third place finishes at Vegas and Atlanta. He has climbed back to sixth in points. The drivers head to Bristol this weekend where Dale has had success before.

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

I ran across this picture the other day by accident. This is one of my favorite pictures ever. There is many reason why I like Elvis in the 50's the most and this picture sums it all up. Elvis was truly an original and always that coolest. Elvis did not have to act cool he just was that way. In the 50's Elvis was just truly being him self for the most part, and he came off cooler than anyone ever. This picture is from 1956 out at his house on Audubon. Most people think Elvis was posing this picture and trying to act like the 50's type rebel or bad ass much like Dean or Brando. That is not the case however. Elvis was having problems with his bike and was just pissed at his problem. Elvis just acting natural, but looking like the coolest cat ever.

Edwards top 5

Much thanks to Vince for holding the blog down while I was out of town this weekend. I am back and ready to post all kinds of stuff this week. Now to my top five songs of the week.

1.Paralyzed(56)
2.A World Of Our Own(62)
3.That's All Right(Mama) (54)
4.I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder-private recording in 1960
5.After Loving You(69)

Well i'll be damn, it's ol Mike

This pic is dedicated to Mike Edwards.

Vince's Top 5

1. Mystery Train/Tigerman (That's The Way It Is Disc 2)

2. Don't Be Cruel (Studio Version)

3. Blue Moon Of Kentucky

4. Earth Angel (Rare Recording from Germany)

5. Too Much

Although The Mystery Train/Tigerman was on the TTWII Cd, It looks like 50's Elvis dominated more than ever this time.

Vince Everette vs. Danny Fisher

2 key characters in Elvis's movie career duking it out. Both guys are bad asses, both guys can fight. Who do you think would win? Personally, I think Vince could take him. I think ol' Hunk might have showed him a move or two in prison. What do you think Mike?

Vince's Elvis Image Of The Week

This pic is one of the coolest if not the coolest 68 comeback pic ever. I'm a huge 68 Comeback fan and thought it was only necessary to make my first image of the week be one of the 68 comeback. This image of Elvis was also used for the 3oth anniverasy Elvis Week. He looks almost like a statue in the pic, it's definately in my top 5 fav pics of Elvis.

Is this train the frankfort special

GI Blues is the movie I am watching this morning. GI was the first film Elvis filmed when he returned from Germany in 1960. Elvis played the part of a GI in the army named Tulsa McLean. The story is of a singing GI on his way to spend some time in Frankfort Germany. He has to take on a bet where he has to try to spend the night with a dancer for the night. If he does not come through then him and his band mates loose a lot of cash. Along the way he actually falls for the dancer Lili(Juliet Prowse). In the end he ends up with her despite the fact she learns of the best. GI Blues featured elven songs and is one the best soundtracks of the 60's. My favorite song from the movie is Pocketful of Rainbows. GI is a pretty good movie. It set the tone for the Elvis movies of the early 60's. I really dig the music in it, for the most part it is really good and make the movie better. Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana would appear in one last movie as the have a small part as musicians at the first of the movie. Also the Jordanaires play the part of singing GI's. GI Blues is for sure in the upper tier when it comes to Elvis movies.For the year GI ranked #14 in top grossing films despite only being out for the last four months of the year. GI would bring in an incredible $4.3 million for the year of 1960. GI Blues was on of Elvis's most successful movies.

What the hell is wrong with the world....

when Roy Orbison is beating out Elvis Presley in anything. Roy is cool and all but he could not ever touch Elvis in a million years. SunRecords.com has a poll on what is your favorite Sun artist. Roy was killing Elvis. I don't understand it, I think Elvis has ten fans for every one fan Roy has. I can't figure it out, there must be some odd fuckers that are part of a Roy group voting every day. That's alright though, the Elvis Insiders are coming out of the wood work. No way we can let Elvis loose to Roy Orbison in this thing. We can play this game too. We have done it! Elvis is leading at the moment over Roy 3,281-3,035. It is not over yet, we took the lead once. We have to keep voting. These crazy people I think are out there voting just to have Elvis loose I think. If you can go to sunrecords.com and vote. If for some crazy reason you are not going to vote for E, then at least vote for the freaking Killer. The one that could at least come close to rivaling Elvis.

DOLL OF THE WEEK

Juliet Prowse is our doll of the week. She appeared in the movie GI Blues. She was actually to have appeared in Blue Hawaii as well but because of her unreasonable demands, she was replaced. I love her in GI but can't see her playing the lead in Blue. At the time of the movie she was was engaged to Frank Sinatra. She still had a fling with Elvis, and she did not care to tell you about it. She once said, "Elvis and I had an affair.... We had a sexual attraction like two healthy young people, but he was already a victim of his fans. We always met in his room and never went out." She can be seen on the original release of That's The Way It Is, as they are interviewing people as they come in. She is ranting on about him being so great and how she has seen him already several times. She seemed like she always had a thing for him afterwards.

I was reading once that Elvis used to come home and talk about Juliet's athletic abilities and how she could be bent into any position when in bed, which was a delight for Lamar. This always makes me giggle when I think about this for some reason. Lamar could only get off on listening to Elvis's stories. Cracks Me Up. I am going to go watch GI and enjoy those nice legs of Juliet's.

I am in shambles

No blog tonight. I am highly irritated because the Gators lost tonight. My life comes to a stop and I have to mourn a minimum of one day when Florida loses. Hopefully tomorrow I am over it and can come back strong with some Elvis stuff. I am off to try to calm myself by watching Blue Hawaii.

Do You Smell What The Rock Is Cooking?

I recently watched a movie called "The Gameplan" starring "The Rock" as a star football player who has recently found out he's a father. This movie has so many Elvis references in it. The Rock's character is such an Elvis fan he has lots of gold records from Sun Studios displayed throughout his his home along with pictures and movie posters. To top things off, he has a replica Gibson guitar that he uses to sing a horrible rendition of "Are You Lonesome" and the "Burning Love" jumpsuit dislpayed in his daughters room. If you pay attention closely even his doorbell is "Love Me Tender". It's not a terrible movie, I actually recommend Elvis fans to check it out. I think it's pretty enjoyable.

BURBANK 68

Today I got my new CD Burbank 68. It is a FTD of course, that's about all I buy anymore. It was the first release they had back in 1999. I did not really want this CD a lot, but thought I might need to get it now. It is pretty old and thought I might miss out since they don't always produce these long. I was wrong, I definitely needed this. I thought most of the material would be stuff I had but that is not the case at all. Nine of the songs are from recording of Elvis in his dressing room singing and playing with Scotty,DJ, and Charlie. Most of the recordings I have never heard. The twelve songs are takes from one of the stand up shows that was not included in the Memories two disc set. It also contains some dialogue throughout the disc that is entertaining. I am totally blown away with this CD. I am so glad I got it. The 68 special is alright in its original form. It really is not that great when you know of all the great stuff they left out. You can't appreciate how great the whole deal was until you see all the footage and hear all the music and the process of making the show. I feel now I have all the pieces to the puzzle. Back in the late 90's I bought CD of the original album that came out at the time of the show. Man, that CD is really bad when you hear the stuff they have put together since then. Memories the two disc set, Tiger Man, Let Your Self Go, and Burbank 68 really paint the whole picture. The Let Your Self Go and Burbank Cd's are FTD's and are as usual top of the line releases. The sound and production is out of this world. I honestly think of all the stuff I have that has to do with the 68 special, this new CD is my favorite though. You even get to hear Elvis jam to Blue Moon Of Kentucky which was pretty neat because I had not heard that before. That with the version of Love Me and One Night are my favorite tracks off the disc. The two instrumentals to start the CD off, Danny Boy and Baby What You Want Me To Do are fantastic as well.

I am up to 124 Cd's now! I already have the FTD in mind I am going to order this month. These things are high as all get out at thirty dollars. Tax and shipping puts them around thirty seven. My point is, they are worth it. I hope they keep putting these things out. For the serious Elvis music collector they are the real deal. I just wish it had not took me so long to catch on to them and would have just spent the money on them. I have missed out on a few that I wont ever be able to get. You get a lot more out of these then the same old re released stuff you can buy at the stores.

158 days to go

The countdown continues for Elvis Week 08. Plans are almost set. Tickets go on sale of the Elvis Insiders in two weeks so I will know for sure what I am doing then. Plans my change a little from now but I doubt it. Here is a list of things going on for Vince and I so far.

• Post up to watch PGA Championship(new EW tradition)
• VIP Graceland tour
• 2 nights of music and movies at Graceland
• 2 days of the Elvis Insiders Conference
• Elvis Expo
• Club Elvis(dance party)
• meet and greet
• Elvis style tour of Memphis
• Sun
• Tupelo-birthplace,fair grounds, Tupelo Heardware,ect.
• Candlelight Vigil
• Tent activities

IMAGE OF THE WEEK

Elvis at sixteen. Pretty cool picture because you don't see a lot of pictures of Elvis from this time. Elvis was probably the most photographed person to ever walk the earth. I have a lot of favorite pictures of him, but the early ones have always been my favorite.

Edwards Top 5

My top songs for the week go something like this.

1.Good Luck Charm(61)
2.Blue Hawaii(61)
3. Cross My Heart and Hope To Die(64)
4.Moonlight Swim(61)
5.My Baby Left Me(56)

Elvis and the Man Of Steel

Im a huge Smallville fan and as I was watching a few episodes I noticed that there was a couple of Elvis songs in the series. I thought there were more but I was wrong but you can find the following songs on Smallville:

Season 2- A Little Less Conversation, Episode - "Heat"

Season 3- (It's not a song by Elvis but it's about him) Walking In Memphis, Episode - "Perry"

Season 4- It's Now Or Never, Episode - "Unsafe"

I swear I heard Burning Love on an episode and i'm gonna keep researching it. Anyways this was a pointless blog pretty much but im a huge Superman and Elvis fan, I thought it was cool they were together in a couple episodes.

The Everett Top 5

This is been the hardest weekly Top 5 Ive done yet but here it is:

1. Such a Night
2. G.I. Blues
3. Gotta Know
4. Mess of Blues
5. All Shook Up

Sad news out of Memphis

Todd Morgan who has been the face of EPE for many years was found dead in his apartment. Todd has been with the company since Graceland opened in 82. He started out as a tour guide. Word is he has just got a promotion where he would report directly to Gary Hovey but remain in Memphis. He was going out with friends last night to celebrate but never showed. It is assumed that he died in his sleep. The cause of death has not been announced. Todd was a great guy and did a lot for the company. He was a true fan favorite and will be dearly missed by all.

Look whats new on exbit on Graceland

I just got in and decided to check out the the Elvis Insiders forum before I went to bed. A lady was talking about going to Graceland and seeing the new exhibits. She has a picture of the leather bombers jackets Elvis(Mike Edwards) wore in It Happened At The Worlds Fair. I am having a fit. I have been wanting to see this forever. I knew that had it in archives but had just about gave up on it. I have been to Graceland now elven times and had never seen it. It is on display now and I hope it is still there in August. This is the best news I have heard in a long time. I have had seeing this jacket as one of my top goals for a long time. I am truly having a fit over this. If I see this jacket during EW it will be the highlight for sure. If I could have anything from the Graceland archives this might just be it.

Blue running true

Blue Hawaii has been playing on my TV for the last twelve hours straight. Since I have got up this movie has played three times and has just started over. I think I will watch it one more time. Blue is going strong. Great movie, can't get enough of it.

Lets go on a moonlight swim

This morning I have woke up watching one of the best movies ever Blue Hawaii. One reason this movie is so great is the soundtrack. I am going to talk a little bit about it today.I think this soundtrack is the best of all that Elvis did. It is my personal favorite barely edging out IT. The title song Blue Hawaii is a terrific song and one of my favorite movie songs ever. It is so soothing and Elvis does a great job on this. I think this is one reason I like to go to sleep to this movie. The song relaxes me and puts me at ease. Almost Always True is a fun song that fits in the movie well. Aloha Oe is a Hawaiian song that Elvis does a pretty good job with. Can't Help Falling In Love is a classic and is one of the songs people think about when they think of Elvis. I think this song is the best one on the soundtrack. Elvis would end up singing this song to his fans to close shows in his live acts later on in his career. Rock-A-Hula Baby might not be the best song on the track, but might just be the most fun. The scene in the movie where he sings it is one of the coolest parts of the movie. Moonlight Swim is my personal favorite from the movie. I don't know why but I have always thought this song was top notch. I think like all the songs in this movie it just fits with the flow of the movie and actually makes me the movie better. Slicin' Sand is a a fun song to jar around to and Elvis has a fit during the scene in the movie.Hawaiian Wedding Song I have always thought was pretty good. Other songs from the soundtrack Ku-U-I-Po,Ito Eats,Hawaiian Sunset,Beach Boys Blues,and Island Of Love. They are all pretty good songs for the most part. Steppin Out Of Line is also on the CD. The version of the soundtrack shown above also has some bonus alternate takes on it that are really good. It includes the movie version of Can't Help Falling In Love. As I said before this is my favorite soundtrack and in my opinion his best. Elvis's vocally was at his best around this time and really shined. Also unlike many of his later movies where most of the songs did not make sense in context with the movie, this does not suffer from that. I think the music actually lifts the movie and make it better. in closing all I can say is that Blue Hawaii(movie or soundtrack) is the freakin truth.