Review: Elvis: In The Eye Of The Storm Book/CD
Source: www.elvis.com.au
September 4, 2003
Buy Elvis: In The Eye Of The Storm
This new booklet and combined CD is another look at Elvis in the early years, 1953-56, but this time from an interesting new angle.
The booklet itself examines Elvis' early years with a nice mix of some interesting & rare photos, press clippings and interviews. Several pages look at Elvis' pre Graceland home, Audubon Drive and fans also explain what it was like seeing the young Elvis live in concert.
I enjoyed reading press clippings that I had never seen before. For instance Variety in 1956 said 'He walks like Marilyn Monroe but at home he's a model son' while an article from the Sentinel Star features a short interview including these great questions.
Q. Do you sleep in pajamas?
E. No ma'am. Ah sleep in my shorts.
Q. Do you kiss all those girls you read about in the papers?
E. Only upon special request.
The booklet also features interviews by Arjan Deelen with Scotty Moore & D.J Fontana and, while you can find them on this very website, here with additional photos they fit perfectly into context.
The book's introduction describes the format as 'almost like a scrapbook' and you can imagine it to be similar to the one Gladys would have kept.
Some of the pages really delight, for instance the colour photos with Ed Sullivan and the 'Love Me Tender' section.
On some of the photos I felt that I would have liked more explanation and my one real complaint is that a couple of the pictures lack resolution and two of the full page colour photos have annoying patterning across them.
However this is definitely forgiven with the stylish design of the CD itself and what a great cover!
Running nearly an hour the CD has a clever concept containing interviews with Elvis and also featuring eight songs that Elvis is rumoured to have performed or recorded but have not yet been released.
The most renowned of these are 'Uncle Penn' & 'Satisfied' along with 'Little Mama' which the authors say definitely exists.
A rare, scratchy & distorted 'Uncle Penn' was released several years ago on a bootleg which at the time fooled many Elvis fans into believing it to be the genuine article. A cleaner version of that performance is here, while I actually prefer the alternate, 'Rockin' version'. All the songs are by the band Number Nine and have that particular 'Sun' sound which makes it easy to imagine Elvis performing these songs himself. I particularly enjoyed hearing their take on 'Icecold Love' which was a new track to me. If you have never heard 'Uncle Penn' or 'Satisfied' (clearly noted on a Sun tape handed to RCA) then you will find this a fascinating listen.
I also appreciated the CD's clever production values for instance placing Elvis' interview about performing down in Texacana next to the Number Nine version of 'Cotton Fields' - 'It was down in Louisiana, half a mile from Texacana.'
Another bonus is the chance to get the full 1956 Elvis interview for TV guide. A lot of fans will have part of this important interview as it was released in the CD with the gorgeous Elvis Treasures book last year. However that version only ran 10 minutes and missed out on some of the best points of the interview. Here we get the full 28 minutes including Elvis' showing his annoyance as he bad-mouths his critics
'He ain't nothin' but an idiot or he wouldn't write all that stuff. He just hates to admit that he's too old to have any more fun'
Elvis also talks about signing up with the Colonel, having to calm himself down for the Steve Allen show as well as girls trying to grab him on stage.
'She made a dive for the stage and almost got up there- She was screamin' 'let me at him,' stuff like that.'
While the booklet doesn't have the high quality production of, for instance, Arjan Deelen's hardcover book Caught in a Trap it is at a far lower price and with the combined CD and booklet costing less than a new FTD CD I reckon that it's great value for money.
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Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD
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.
