Elvis Presley Book Reviews
Read all the latest Elvis Presley Book reviews.
This 'Elvis On Tour' Deluxe | 9 CD | Hardcover Book boxset set contains 4 concerts, 'Hampton Roads', 'Virginia' (Richmond), 'Virginia' (Greensboro), and 'San Antonio' on 4 CDs, plus 4 CDs of rehearsals and 1 CD of interviews with Elvis. The concerts, with one exception ('Hampton Roads'), are Stereo. And the rehearsals, again, with one exception ('Buffalo'), are Stereo. The interviews are mono. It is true, 'Elvis On Tour' has been given a complete lack of attention by both Sony and Warner. It is indeed a shame that so few quality releases have emerged. But now thanks to Amiga with this deluxe package, this is no longer the case. Stunning Design and Production | So many photos I have not seen before - it is just a dream | A good 120 pages of photos and information | Great sound | Quality throughout.
Elvis Presley: Elvis Treasures - Robert Gordon Book and CD. For Elvis fans everywhere, Graceland has opened the doors to its extensive archives, allowing the historic documents and memorabilia within to be reproduced in facsimile, collectible form. With the expert help of archivists from Elvis Presley Enterprises, the King's life story is told through handwritten letters, press releases, movie scripts, and additional memorabilia and photographs from the Graceland archives. These historic documents, combined with the evocative text of author Robert Gordon, create a moving portrait of the legendary performer in this one-of-a-kind collector's book. Includes Elvis Speaks, an exclusive 60-Minute Audio CD of Candid Conversations with
The King Of Rock 'N' Roll. This unique interactive book also contains a 60-minute CD of interviews spanning his career, providing a formerly unavailable portrait of the King in his own words.
Elvis Presley In Person is set up like a diary that gives us in both words and photos what happened on that particular day in 1957. There are time period interviews and questions and answers from the press conferences Elvis gave that day. One of the things the authors chose to include are present day memories from fans and media that were actually there that day and this is a real bonus. Something that is clear from the press conferences is that only a few years after his career started Elvis knew how to handle the press. Performers today have the luxury of press agents, managers, and various other employees that either shield them from the press or do a lot of prep work. Elvis had none of this. The stories from fans are fantastic and the memories from the press all these years later put the day into proper context. The words are worth reading and would have been a great book even without all of the photos.
A Touch of Gold Lamé is a 450+ page Hardcover book by Erik Lorentzen author of the Elvis Files books and is the same size and weight (3.5kg/ 7.7 pounds) as these classic releases (i.e. HUGE) and will cover all you could want to know about Elvis and his 1957 concerts featuring the famous Gold Lame Suit. The wealth of material in this book is stunning with 420 pages of glorious photographs and articles of Elvis on tour!
Flipping through the '
The Definitive Vinyl Artwork of Elvis Presley 1956-1977' my first reaction is this book was put together very well, presented in the chronological form ... I can't help but be pleased, I could not see any better way of presenting the Elvis 45 record sleeves, Elvis EP & Elvis LP Covers than the way that they are presented to us in this book. The Vinyl Artwork book contains most of the
original photography for the albums, singles and extended plays released in Elvis Presley's lifetime. Many of the photos are the full gorgeous images as they were originally photographed with
many never before seen in their entirety. Many of these photos are considered to be some of the greatest photography on Elvis Presley.
'The Definitive Vinyl Artwork of Elvis Presley 1956-1977
' contains
The Singles,
The Extended Plays,
The Albums, Selective Back Cover Art, Letters, Documents, Layouts, Alternate Artwork/Photo's,
complete discography ...
'They' say 'don't judge a book by its cover, but you can with
King Creole Frame by Frame, it is a fine book and an equally fine start to the
FTD, '
Elvis In Hollywood' book series. This release offers anyone interested in the movie a fantastic photographic and written word account. The book is hardcover, it well researched and well presented - and as the fantastic glossy cover indicates - the book is high quality throughout. The work of true Elvis fans,
Erik Lorentzen and
Pål Granlund and published by the
Elvis Follow That Dream Collectors Label.
The Book, Teenagers' Hero is the definitive book - documentary - of Elvis' live performances in early 1956, with than 400 pages, 30cm x 21cm sized and featuring 445 photos mostly unpublished and never put in the right context. The book is of a high quality design (soft cover 300g, cloth binding, and 150 gram glossy paper). There were only
1000 copies printed, and each one is numbered - this is one book not to be missed!
The Definitive Vinyl Artwork of Elvis Presley 1956-1977 from
JAT Productions will be an Elvis keepsake forever. This book is the perfect companion piece to the elaborate Elvis Sessions IV The Recorded Music of Elvis Aron Presley 1954-1977. The Vinyl Artwork book contains most of the original photography for the albums, singles and extended plays released in Elvis Presley's lifetime. Many of the photos will be the full gorgeous images as they were originally photographed with many never before seen in their entirety. Many of these photos are considered to be some of the greatest photography on Elvis Presley.
Change Of Habit' from
FTD books is a high quality photo book covering Elvis Presley's last feature film with over 400 pages containing over 150 unpublished photos combined with interesting articles and interviews with cast and crew. To make this book really interesting, included are twenty six pages of candids taken by fans during 1969, all great shots, showing Elvis looking so good. And then there is the bonus CD, finally housed well at the back of the book, you can actually get the disc out easily.
Released by the
Follow That Dream label this is an extended reprint of the book '
Elvis in Texas' under the title 'Elvis Presley : Rockin' Across Texas'. This book comes in a bigger format than its original, has a hard cover, more pages and a better quality of paper and perfectly matches the theme; Elvis,
Scotty Moore,
Bill Black and
DJ Fontana live on stage in Texas. That's exactly what the book is all about.
Jim Cox, author of '
Inside Graceland: Elvis' Maid Remembers', has done a wonderful job telling Jeanne LeMay Dumas's story in the riveting '
Elvis, Linda & Me'. Miss Dumas has been
Linda Thompson's best friend since they met in 1972 as they competed for the title of Miss USA. With so many Presley books in print, it's rare that a new project will be so chock full of never-before-told stories and unpublished photographs that you want to tell everybody you know to go out and purchase a copy, but that's exactly how I feel about this book. For my money, the candids of Elvis in his Karate outfit/black belt during his June 1973 concert tour, with Lisa Marie in a Nashville hotel room in-between shows and unseen photos of Elvis' bedroom were worth the price of the book... and then some!
With the release of the Elvis Files Volume 1 we finally have the first volume in this amazing series of books, a series of seven, this is in fact the 5th book issued with volumes 6 and 7 to be released in July and December this year respectively. And perhaps as is to be expected, this is the best production to-date, with many photos dated, mainly in the 1954/1955 section. [For reasons I will explain below]. The book features mostly high quality images and a vast amount of interesting reading via original articles penned for this release along with newspaper reprints from the relevant time. Read the review.
The photographs featured in Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll were taken just as Elvis was emerging as a local southern star to a national one. This collection includes some of the most famous pictures ever taken of anyone ever. It includes photographs including such iconoclastic images as Elvis with cap sitting on motorbike, the kiss backstage, Elvis astride on stage with guitar, plus many more that are etched into the minds of Elvis fans and the public alike. Alfred Wertheimer didn't waste the opportunity .. The whole package is sheer class.
Immediately on hearing the first song I played [I started with disc 2] from the 'A Boy From Tupelo' set, [Harbor Lights] I just instantly felt - knew - I was hearing something for the first time, something very GOOD. Updated with
more thoughts after continued listening, along with
other input, and
feedback comments ...
The release was a strictly limited edition release of only 2000 Copies worldwide. Boxcar are now SOLD OUT so we can now only obtain a few copies from suppliers indirectly. The hardback book measuring 12 x 10 inches and weighs over 3 Kilo's and is bound with a hardcover cardboard sleeve slipcase precisely like their previous sold out outing of 'The Final Curtain' from last year. The book contains
450 pages and includes
over 1000 photos many of which are never before published with informative text (including Graceland's pre history before Elvis' time), original purchase documents, receipts, blueprints and much much more. It is the most comprehensive book on Graceland to date covering Elvis' time at his residence.
Review |
Buy.
The Elvis Files Vol. 5 1969-1970 is bigger and better than ever, weighing in at massive 3.7kg [8 pounds] with 560 pages and 1600 photos and set out by date chronologically. There are lots of unseen/unpublished amazing photos of Elvis Presley with over 200 newly discovered photos published here for the first time. As with the previous volumes in this Elvis Files series [7 books in total] all the 'Elvis events' in the time period of 1969-1970 are shown with full information. Also included are all the recording sessions (Both Film & Studio), interviews, the movies, everything from 1969-1970. The articles by people likes of Mike Eder, original newspaper reports, recording info and more, it's no exaggeration to say this is one hell of a great book, a must have book for any fan. This book takes us through two years of Elvis' life, at a time when he arguably never looked better with some amazing photos, historic events and articles and much more as outlined here.
Read two rave 'reviews' [Feedback] from Elvis Australia club members and
View Photo Preview.
David English author of the FTD book release; Welcome Home Elvis has contacted us with some extra - and very interesting - information about the book. In regard to the CD we were most interested to learn that the mono CD of Elvis Is Back, was recently found in the UK. There has been plenty of speculation as to exactly what the master was. Then we have four [4] new pages of sample text from the book. As David explains; 'The idea first came to me to write an article about the Elvis Is Back Sessions, which then became too large, and it then expanded over a period of two years. This originally consisted of mainly text of each song having a detailed history, with songwriters, musicians, (in the form of the book 'Writing for the King') The book then expanded further to include the Sinatra Timex show and
now consists of the journey to Miami using original newspaper articles and photos which have probably not been seen since they were originally written.
View our
14 page close up preview of the soon to be released book, Welcome Home Elvis.
I would like to say the
MRS /
JAT Productions release of
The Complete Louisiana Hayride Archives 1954-1956 CD is a dream come true but I can't as there was no anticipation something like this would ever be released. For years now we have had the basic el cheapo compilation of the basic tracks but now we have a full CD with a running time of over 75 minutes that gives a very good overview of Elvis in concert in the 1950s.
The July 1, 1974 concert included with the new FTD book release, Fashion For A King proves that you do not have to have a stereo recording to have A grade sound quality. And this soundboard recorded concert is in A grade sound quality and it also may just about present us with Elvis' best concert performance from 1974, to my ears it is anyway. The sound is crystal clear and Elvis is in top vocal form, he certainly gives a far better overall performance, in my opinion, than the famous Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis concert recorded just three months prior ... The book is stunning ... a photo book ... also a tremendous photo book detailing Elvis' jumpsuit's and a detailed information book and then it is of course a great reference book ...
Elvis My Best Man By
George Klein comes across as an affectionate recounting of the times Klein spent with a man he considered his best friend. Klein called 'GK' by Presley offers a stirring account of how Presley coped with the untimely passing of his beloved mother, Gladys, whom Klein calls 'the anchor in his crazy life'.
Caught in a Trap oozes quality ... the major part of the book is reserved for the photographs that Laurens took during the course of three of Elvis' performances. And they really are excellent photographs! Over some 100 pages, the photographs, apparently in chronological order, in both black and white and full colour, show Elvis both having fun on stage and belting out for all he's worth. One sequence of pages of almost full-length close-ups are shots taken rapidly one after the other and give an excellent idea of Elvis in full flow.
Make no mistake this book is an important release, and essential, and to make it more so it is just one part of what will be a six volume set that no one will ever want to part with, the highlight of any bookshelf.
Filled with truly rare documents and photos, including one of Elvis visiting his mother's grave, '
Elvis Presley's Memphis' is a standout among the many printed works ...
Essential, must have book!!
When one hears 'Elvis Presley' what exactly comes to mind? Talent? Wealth? Fame and Fortune? What is usually overlooked is the fact that before all of that was possible, Elvis needed to grow up, be nurtured, educated and try his hand at forging relationships and find religion. All of this took place in East Tupelo and Tupelo from birth to age thirteen when Elvis' family made the move to Memphis, Tennessee. Wanda Powell Heagy is also a native of East Tupelo and shares growing up in practically the same environment as Elvis separated by only a few years. Most Elvis fans have a general idea of Elvis' background, but this engaging book gives the reader a much better understanding of Elvis' surroundings and relationships than ever before.
King Creole is the best photo book released by FTD. It is true to the pre-publicity claim, 'with the
majority being previously unpublished and taken by the
original still photographers on the set (no freeze-frames). View
Elvis Presley Photos : From the King Creole FTD Book.
Return Of The King is a well written and researched effort by Gaar, that also contains just enough new information to qualify as a welcome addition to any Elvis fan's library. It is also one of the more engrossing reads about Elvis' 'comeback years' to come down the pike in awhile.
View some great photos from the
Elvis Presley: Images II Photo Book by Patick Janssen & Constantijn Zantingh. This is a very high quality photo book, with the best quality printing we have seen - Elvis would be very proud of this release, what more can we say? oh, buy it, you won't regret it.) ....
Elvis Presley: Pan Pacific Auditorium, Los Angeles - October 28 & 29, 1957 (1),
Elvis Presley: Greensboro, July 22, 1975 (1),
Blue Hawaii, 1961 (1),
Paradise Hawaiian Style, 1966 (1). [
Plus one more ...]
Having received the photo book Elvis : The King Of Las Vegas, all of 5 pounds (2.3 kg) and 25cm (10") x 30cm (12") of it, I can say I am just amazed, stunned, I went through it page by page, got to the end, and did it all over again, and there are 360 pages! This is without doubt the best Elvis Presley photo book I have seen. It covers in great style, Elvis' life in Las Vegas from 1956 to 1976 in pictures.
'
Baby, Let's Play House - Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him', reading the title, the book sounds good doesn't it? The problem is as the saying goes, you can't judge a book by it's cover, or in this case, by it's
title.
Elvis: Vegas '69 is a quality hardcover book and is without doubt the best book on Elvis Presley produced to-date ... And it is something altogether new .... It is not a photo book ... It is not an information book ... It is not an interview book.
Yes it has all three elements - and
in abundance - but the way it is formatted -- presented -- is completely new, refreshing, easy to read or just to flick though - (when time is limited) - and enjoy some great photos of Elvis, or read some quotes taken from the many interviews Ken has conducted.
Elvis In Gold does start with it's first chapter showcasing Elvis posing for photos in his new Gold lame' suit -- including one with the suit's creator Nudie Cohen -- and gives us text with the story of the suit. But after these first pages, the book can be said to be a photo book of Elvis in 1957. And a high quality hardcover one at that! Not 100% essential but this is one book that will definitely be finding a home on my bookshelf.
Elvis Presley Images By Patrick Janssen lives up to its claim as a 'quality Hardcover photobook with a unique collection of 300+ exclusive photos in B/W and color, including more than 250 previously unpublished photos'. The photo's are from the 50's to the 70's. Crystal clear photo's from negatives and transparencies. Included is a limited edition collectors DVD and special bonus photo (not published in the book). The DVD contains some newsreels & some footage of Elvis arriving in Huntsville in 1975. View some sample images.
Do you have this fantastic book and CD?, the price increases substantially once current stock is sold.
Flashback is a fantastic package, one of the very
best, and illustrates Elvis' transition from the Hillbilly Cat to the King of Rock and Roll who dominated the charts before being drafted into the army.
The latest King-ly tome, Adam Victor's 598-page '
The Elvis Encyclopedia' isn't as chronologically obsessive as 'Elvis: Day by Day' (1999). But it is an engaging, often insightful and frequently maddening work.
I cannot praise 'Elvis live at Del Webb's Sahara Tahoe' more highly. It sits proudly next to 'Elvis - The Concert Years 1969 - 1977', and I recommend it to any fan of Elvis in the 70's who wants to be taken to a time and place which up until now has not been well documented.
You can now
View a photo preview on Elvis Live at Del Webb's Sahara Tahoe book, including text, photos and Flash presentation. Almost every existing photo of Elvis' performances in Tahoe from 1971-1976 has been tracked down and restored for the use in combination with historical information in this book.
They say 'a picture paints a thousand words',
here is our 6000 'word' review of the new deluxe set,
Inside Love Me Tender, clearly the best of the recent 'Inside' Elvis books series.
The Rough Guide To Elvis must surely be destined to become the Elvis fans' Almanac. More than worth its price, a delight to read through or browse in. Do yourself a favour -- I like this book a lot!
buy it!
All in all, then, I have to admit to being sorely disappointed with 'The Gospel Side Of Elvis'. It's too short, it offers little new, it is lightweight, it fails to live up to its promise and my expectations.
Elvis '57: The Final Fifties Tours is propped full of information and anecdotes, much of which was new to me. It 'Elvis is one of the best Elvis books in many a year and deserves to gain the full support of all Elvis fans.
The 140 B&W photos in
Elvis Presley: The Family Album are beautiful to look at, but the 27 color photos hold your attention just as long. The blue suede-looking cover is nice to touch and padded for thickness. The labels under the photos provide detail, but the greatest part of this book
are the framed statements accompanying the photographs. This exquisite book is well suited to reflect the life of such a great man.
Elvis Presley: The Family Album and 'Frank Sinatra: The Family Album' (Both Hardcover) take a refreshing approach to an appreciation of the two American musical icons by assembling collections of photographs in faux family photo albums. The images range from the familiar to the rare.
Elvis On Tour '75 is a book for fans prepared by a fan. It outshines many of the more commercially produced efforts in both quality of printing and binding as in photographic content. It is large-format book and the photos are all excellently reproduced and beautifully printed on high quality paper. The sequences of photos provide an idea of the dynamic nature of Elvis' show. Believe me, Elvis Presley 1970's concert fans will not wish to miss out on 'Elvis On Tour '75'.
Review of
Elvis Presley - Paternity Suit. Mr. Glass's research is well documented and presented in a sequential order. This sequential order definitely for me pointed out the strategy used by Mr. Paul Caruso the lawyer for Ms. Parker, to literally push Elvis to the point of settling out of court just to save his sanity.
Elvis Presley - Paternity Suit - The whole case lasted for more than 6 years in Elvis' life and was not such a small thing as most people thought. This set reveals information which was totally ignored until now.
Elvis On Tour '75 - Photos from the heart offers lots and lots of high quality pictures to look at, a remarkable and never before seen layout of an Elvis book and a story told by a fan who was at the concerts and knew Elvis personally. Way to go Praytome Publishing! Highly recommended.
There is little doubt that 'Elvis By The Presleys' is a good-looking and well made book: an attractive and inviting dust-jacket covers the almost metallic-sheen boards of this hardback edition, which contains good quality paper and is well bound. The printing is clean, the photographs well reproduced. It is, then, a shame that each chapter is introduced by a page or two of introductory text that is set in a very large typeface with an almost total lack of leading (space between lines), making the texts appear to be a jumble of letters and thus difficult to read -- a poor layout technique indeed.
A treasure trove of Presley ephemera,
Memphis Recording Service: The Rise Of Elvis Presley Volume 2 1955 offers a fascinating peek at the meteoric rise of the Sun Records star. Highly recommended.
Elvis at 21: New York to Memphis is a book of exquisite Presley photos taken in 1956 by
Alfred Wertheimer. These are remarkably intimate and revealing portraits, mostly shot 'fly-on-the-wall' fashion as Wertheimer followed Elvis in the recording studio, on a train ride and at home in Memphis, with his parents and friends. Through it all, Wertheimer was apparently so unobtrusive that Presley never seemed self-conscious. The photos, including ones of the actual TV show performance, are splendid.
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever.
+ Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.