Elvis Australia | Official Elvis Presley Fan Club

www.elvis.com.au has the latest Elvis Presley news and information, reviews, articles and interviews. Delve deeper and you will find we have an Elvis SongDataBase, Elvis Presley Biography, Elvis videos, Elvis photos. 100% dedicated to the king of rock 'n' roll since 1996. TCB. Available via our online Shop ElvisPresleyShop.com we have a huge selection of Elvis CDs, FTD Collectors Label CDs, DVDs, books and Elvis memorabilia.

Why Elvis matters

Anyone who grew up in the fifties, like I did or who studies it musically, has to conclude that it was inevitable that something big was going to happen.
Elvis Articles

Review : Crazy - The funny side of Elvis CD

If you want a funny insight to Elvis' humour this is the cd to get. It is very well put together and is a cd you can actually listen to. It is a cd I can play to my friends thatare not Elvis fans and it will still get them to smile. This cd is only pressed in 500 copies and will therefore not be available that long.
Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews

Elvis Books In 2003

2003 will be another busy year for Elvis books. The following titles have so far been announced for publication this year:
Elvis Book News

Review : Crazy - The Funny Side Of Elvis Presley CD

If you want a funny insight to Elvis' humour this is the cd to get. It is very well put together and is a cd you can actually listen to. It is a cd I can play to my friends thatare not Elvis fans and it will still get them to smile. This cd is only pressed in 500 copies and will therefore not be available that long.
Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews

Status of Elvis' TV Specials On DVD

The plan is to release these new editions worldwide in all formats sometime in 2003.
Elvis DVD News

Review - Elvis: Dinner At Eight FTD CD

I was really looking forward to this 'Dinner At Eight' FTD CD release, and I didn't get disappointed. This time we're back in Las Vegas, on December 13th, 1975 at eight o'clock. It's time for Elvis and dinner.... Or was it the other way around...? Elvis starts out as usual with 'See See Rider' and 'I Got A Woman/Amen'. His voice sounds good and he's obviously in a good mood. Just listen to how he lets J.D. take the B-52 down, and 'yells' at him afterwards... Fun! The sound is quite good too actually. Of course any reel-to-reel tape will suffer under the voice of J. D. Sumner.
Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews > FTD

Review : Spring Tours FTD CD

Back in 1977, RCA Records wanted to release a new Elvis album, but they only had six unreleased songs in the can. Obviously, that's not enough songs for an album. They couldn't get Elvis into a recording studio to tape anything else, so they followed him around on tour, hoping he would perform some songs he hadn't previously recorded. It ended up that he played only three 'new' songs during that tour. To save tape, no complete concerts were recorded. Only a few select songs were taped at each show. So what we have here is 23 songs taped at 12 different shows between March 26, 1977 and May 3, 1977.

Elvis : 24 Carat Gold CD

Released: 1997, by 2001 2TZ, '24 Carat Gold' is Elvis Presley at his best. And we all know how good that is.
Elvis Presley Bootlegs

Review : It's Midnight FTD CD - It's Midnight, and It's Magnificent!

It's Midnight, the latest release on the FTD label brings us another concert. This time the focus is on August 1974. Unfortunately the show isn't complete, as the producers explain in the notes that's because the average show in August 1974 was too long for a tape. The tape of this particular show from the 24th (Midnight) ran out after 'If You Talk In Your Sleep' and therefore the producers decided to complete it with a part of the August 29 Dinner Show for the 'complete concert' experience. The show itself is pretty good.


Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews > FTD

Review : ELV1S #30 #1 Hits CD

While many of the songs have been released in one form or another by RCA/BMG in the past, you haven't heard them quite like this before! The major selling point of this 79+ minute CD is the quality of sound. It clearly demonstrates how proper mixing can enhance a 40+ year old song to sound as if they were just recorded. Whether that alone will inspire the music buying public to pick it up, we'll find out Sept. 24th.
Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews

Elvis Presley - Australian Promotional CD's

Australia has issued some very nice promotional CD's. Two of these are alwas in constant demand by collectors worldwide. My personal view is that they are promotional item's and should be treated as such.
Elvis Articles

Japanese Prime Minister is an avid Elvis Presley fan!

Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, the new Prime Minister of Japan, is an avid Elvis Presley fan. The following special news release from the Elvis Presley Fan Club [Tokyo] Japan features the Prime Minister's message to Elvis fans.
Elvis Articles

FTD Press Conference 2002 with Ernst Jorgensen and Roger Semon

One of the highlights of Elvis week 2002 in Memphis was a session held by Ernst Jorgensen and Roger Semon to discuss their FTD project. This was a fascinating meeting where Ernst revealed some interesting inside information, including what material he might have left in the vault, and talked about future releases.
Elvis Articles > Elvis Interviews

Elvis - The Cashbox Top Selling Singles

Elvis' success on the Billboard Hot 100 is well documented. What isn't as well known is his comparable success on the Cashbox Singles chart.  Paul Gois takes a look at Elvis' biggest hits on Cashbox.
Elvis Articles

Yvonne Craig, a.k.a. Batgirl, not haunted by the past

Yvonne Craig proves it's possible to have a full acting career, date Elvis Presley, be stalked by Howard Hughes, star as a leatherette-clad sex kitten on a shagadelic 1960s TV show, and then put it all in the past and get on with life.
Elvis' Movies

Elvis, Clinton: Like 2 Peas In A Rockabilly Pod

The celebrity guest list at Graceland includes more than 430 of the best-known people in the world from Muhammad Ali to ZZ Top, but, so far, it doesn't include the man once known by the U.S. Secret Service as 'Elvis' - Bill Clinton!
Elvis Articles

Interview With David Bendeth Producer of the ELV1S 30 #1 Hits CD and DVD Audio

The following is an interview with David Bendeth (DB), producer of the Elvis Number Ones CD by Kevan Budd (KB). David Bendeth kindly gave permission to share this interview with all fans.

Interview with David Bendeth - Remastering for ELV1S 30 #1 Hits Will Astound You

Following is a Richard Sanders interview with David Bendeth, who is on the remastering team for ELV1S 30 #1 Hits. This interview is being circulated by BMG/RCA to its various territories. It explains some of the work that has gone into optimizing the sound for this special release. Graceland/EPE has had the opportunity to hear the new mixes and approve the recordings.

Interview with David Bendeth & Ray Bardani

For Bendeth, whose production credits include Bruce Hornsby's latest CD, Big Swing Face, as well as discs by Crash Test Dummies, Cowboy Junkies and others, and Bardani, who's engineered projects for the likes of Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Marcus Miller, Miles Davis and many more, the Elvis project involved more than merely digging up and dusting off the old masters.

Interview with Sonny West

Interview with Sonny West. Sonny, why have you decided to write a second book on your relationship with Elvis Presley, more than 25 years after 'Elvis: What Happened?', a book you co-authored with you cousin, Red West and bodyguard, Dave Hebler.

Interview - Greg Page of The Wiggles

Interview with Greg Page of 'The Wiggles'. The Sydney-based children's group began after, Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page met while studying Early Childhood Education at Sydney's Macquarie University. The three began writing children's songs as one of their music projects. They enlisted the assistance of Jeff Fatt, who played with Anthony in the popular 1980's band The Cockroaches, and The Wiggles were born. The Wiggles took the finished tape to ABC Music, who released a self-titled album in 1991.

Review : Fame And Fortune FTD CD

On March 20th 1960 when Elvis walked back into RCA's Studio B it had been an extremely long time since he had recorded anything professionally. Just 2 days earlier with the same Nashville 'A Team' backing band, The Everly Brothers had recorded their #1 Pop classic 'Cathy's Clown' and now Elvis had to prove that, after 2 years in the army, he too was still a creative force.

Colonel Tom Parker (Parker's Death Dark Shadow)

The darker side to Colonel Tom Parker has comme visibly to light in recent years.
Elvis Articles

Otis Blackwell, 70; Wrote Hits for Presley and Others

Otis Blackwell, who wrote 'All Shook Up', 'Don't Be Cruel', 'Great Balls of Fire', 'Fever' and more than 1,000 other songs, and had a major part in shaping the sound of rock 'n' roll, died on Monday in a hospital in Nashville, where he lived. He was 70.


Elvis News

Portrait of an Elvis Fan - Susan Brennan-Hodgson talks with Lynette Simon

My friend Lynette is one of the keenest, most intelligent Elvis fans I know! From the minute she greets you at her front gate with her dogs frolicking at her heels, Elvis is everywhere. Seated in her cosy lounge you are immediately drawn to the memorabilia on display, and an Elvis video is playing on the TV screen. 'Isn't he fabulous' she remarks.
Elvis Articles

Current Sales Position

Are Elvis' record sales declining?  Tony Galvin responds to our article suggesting The King's sales halo is slipping in a thoughtful and stimulating article.
Elvis Articles

Review - Elvis: Easter Special FTD CD

Easter Special is a brilliant compile of twenty (officially) unreleased Gospel songs and features some excellent alternate versions of old favourites as well as some fascinating Studio discussions. From the opening track of 'March of the Dimes' - Elvis Presley's 1957 plea for the support of Polio victims - to the fabulous 1973 finale of 'If that Isn't Love' this CD is a total delight.
Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews > FTD

Review : Elvis in Texas Book

In the last few years we have been almost overwhelmed with Elvis photo-books, almost all of them dealing with his touring period during the 1970s. I have to admit that these are not my favourite Elvis books and after a while I find them repetitious -- even if not exactly the same shots are used, there is inevitably a similarity. Fine if you're into jumpsuits, but I'm not!

Elvis' Cousin Harold Loyd Dies

Robert Harold Loyd, a first cousin to Elvis Presley, was the stalwart gatekeeper at Graceland who wrote a book about his experiences with the fans.
Elvis News

Review : Elvis: The Home Recordings CD

This latest release from RCA is a very difficult one to review. The reason for this is that in order to give it as fair and objective a criticism as it deserves (and it defiantly does) you have to look upon it with two different pair of eyes: The eyes of the devoted Elvis-fan and the eyes of the casual rockfan and cd-buyer.

Review: Dixieland Rocks FTD CD

Dixieland Rocks is out and will blow you away! - Is Dixieland Rocks the best ever soundboard release? If it isn't, it comes close and it certainly is a stand-out concert for a 1975 Elvis performance. It is a release you will want to play time and time again. Recommended.
Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews > FTD

Review | The Jungle Room Sessions CD

Since the Fan Club FTD CD series began it has given us the chance to hear some classic unreleased Elvis material but none more essential that their fourth release 'The Jungle Room Sessions'.

The French Meet Stig Edgren - Translated by Suzanne R. Planeix-Graf

Interview with Stig Edgren. The first time Stig Edgren collaborated with Graceland was in 1994, when he was instrumental in organizing the show 'Elvis - The Tribute' at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis. Then in August 1997, he produced the spectacular concert at the Mid-South Coliseum to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Elvis' death. Since that date, he has produced all the tours of 'Elvis - The Concert'.

Interview with Ernst Jorgensen

What did Elvis consider to be his crowning achievement? His ability to combine so many elements of original American music into his own art form, and make it successful.

Review : Such a Night CD : The Stellar Nashville Sessions, 1960 - 1964

The CD format holds 74 minutes and this latest release fills only 53 of those minutes. Lets add the bonus tracks now instead of later. A reprise of "Such A Night" as an alternate version would have been nice at the end as well as just a few more tracks. Nice job RCA and thanks for bringing these tracks to the public. There is nothing quite like feeling you're there as the records were cut and hearing different takes is certainly an added treat for Elvis fans and musicologist alike.

Review : On Stage 1970 CD

I am so excited about the new CD On Stage. I just got it today and was no less than thrilled as I listened to it for the first time. I was just expecting some 'unreleased' songs thrown into the mix, but was I surprised!

Review : Memphis Sessions FTD CD

Memphis Sessions is quite clearly one of the best Elvis Presley FTD / Sony CD releases ever! 'Memphis Sessions' represents the first CD from BMG with outtakes and alternative versions from the American Sound studios.

Is Elvis the Biggest Selling Recording Artist? - Sorting Out Records Sales Stats & RIAA Rules

Is Elvis the Biggest Selling Recording Artist? - Sorting Out Records Sales Stats & RIAA Rules EPE asked RCA/BMG to help explain Elvis' reacod sales and offered them an opportunity to vent their own frustrations. They responded enthusiastically and have provided the following article. For some it will help clear up a few things. For others it will just make things more confusing. For all it will fuel our frustration. But, this combined with what is already posted on our site should make for as comprehensive an explanation as feasible.
Elvis Articles

Review: Silver Screen Stereo FTD CD

Silver Screen Stereo is the 14th release of the Follow That Dream label, a sort of Out In Hollywood volume two if you like. It has a good mixture of songs, and contains, like the title suggests, stereo outtakes, or alternate takes, from Elvis' movies spanning from his second movie Loving You (1957) up to his last starring role in The Trouble With Girls (1968). I thought I would take the opportunity of reviewing this CD, as I personally love alternate takes and recording session's stuff. I actually prefer this sort of thing to live concerts.
Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews > FTD

Review - Elvis: Tucson '76 FTD CD

Elvis: Tucson '76, the first soundboard that we have for a long, long time from the official label is a good show with some surprises. The show was recorded in Tucson, Arizona in June 1st 1976. The artwork is weak, but I have seen worse on the FTD-series. I like the design of the disc itself.
Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews > FTD

Review : Sunrise CD

There are many good things to be said about this latest RCA/BMG release, and it is in many ways a very welcome addition to the catalog. However, it is at the same time rather disappointing - not for what it is, but rather for what it isn't but could quite easily have been.

Jackie Kahane: Reflections on working with Elvis

I was the comedian with Elvis Presley for seven years. Colonel Parker, his manager gave me a lifetime contract with Elvis. This was all in a handshake. You didn't need a contract with Colonel.
Elvis Articles > Elvis Interviews

Elvis! Elvis! Elvis! The King and His Movies

Reading Elvis! Elvis! Elvis! The King and His Movies, I often wanted to put the relevant video on to take another look at the film about which I was reading, the comments and viewpoints being so refreshing. There really weren't that many beaches, you know, and this book proves it!

Review - Fortunate Son: The Life of Elvis Presley

'Fortunate Son: The Life of Elvis Presley' is accurate; sympathetic, honest, well written ... a real pleasure. A joy from beginning to end, from cover to cover. If you buy just one Elvis book this year, make sure it's this one: You will not be disappointed.

Elvis pal produces his final tributes

Jerry Schilling first left the auspices of employer and friend Elvis Presley in the late 1960s. Safe to say, he has never really left.
Elvis Articles

Was The King baptized in two beliefs?

Spinoff church's pastor says yes. Here's an Elvis story you haven't heard. Elvis was baptized twice - once in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and once in the name of Jesus only. Is it true? No one seems to know for sure.
Elvis Articles

World's At Standstill For Elvis' Fiancee

Ginger Alden, the dark-haired beauty who in five months was to become the next Mrs. Elvis Presley, was still wearing her 11 1/2-carat diamond engagement ring as she recalled the final hours of the singer's life.

Elvis Presley Meets Mario Lanza

There has been some recent controversy as to whether or not Elvis and Mario knew each other or ever personally had a face-to-face meeting.
Elvis Articles

Marco Island pilot flew The King

Strauss, 59, flew the Lisa Marie, Elvis Presley's big private passenger jet named for his daughter, from 1975 until Elvis' death on Aug. 16, 1977.
Elvis Articles

I Met The Colonel (Elvis Presley's Manager, Colonel Tom Parker)

Lee Gordan came to Australia and started business around 1954. He came from the United States of America and it was not long before he bought the biggest names in the music world to our shores.
Elvis Articles

Woman With Elvis No Longer A Mystery

For 27 years, the mother says she has remained silent, watching over and over as her daughter showed up in photographs on a motorcycle with Elvis Presley.
Elvis News > Elvis Articles

The [Australian] D.J. Fontana Interview 1995

The 15 most common questions from the audience during the 1995 Eddie Youngblood 'Always Elvis' tour.

Elvis, The Early Years: A 2001 Fact Odyssey

Elvis, The Early Years does not appeal to me, I have to say: I dislike the staccato, limited information entries and contradictions and errors make me doubt the veracity of the information. I prefer a narrative style book, but if you want to find a few trivia questions without too much work, this might be the book for you.

Red Robinson Reflects on Rock & Elvis Presley

He talked about cars and girls with Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, got cursed on stage by John Lennon, and engineered hoaxes that created unruly street scenes.
Elvis Articles

A Broken Heart... Hastened Death

'He needed help from a standpoint of forgetting the damn money, forgetting the damn fame. I'm not putting anybody down, but I'm sure that after a long time Elvis just felt like he didn't know how to do that'.

Presley's Death Writes New Chapter in History

It was a crazy, mixed-up pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming week of tragedy and love, foolishness and devotion, horror and tenderness, star-worship and grief, insight and confusion.
Elvis Articles

Julian and Joachim 'Jean' Aberbach and Elvis Presley

In 1955, Hank Snow told Julian Aberbach of a young singer whom he had recently picked up for his road show. 'He was a young man who worked without a cowboy outfit, with black pants and a white shirt, and once onstage, the girls would not let him off', Aberbach recounts. 'I asked for his name, and Hank told me it was Elvis Presley'.

Review: Long Lonely Highway FTD CD

Long Lonely Highway contains alternate takes from eight different recording sessions throughout the 1960’s. Starting with March /April 1960, going on to April & October 1961, March 1962, May 1963, May 1966, September 1967, and finishing off with January 1968. So this CD gives a good scope of alternate takes. I personally like alternate takes because it’s amazing how different a song can sound compared to the released version or mastertake. Sometimes they can sound like a completely different song, as is the case here with 'Stay Away'. So if you like alternate takes, then you won’t be disappointed with this CD.
Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews > FTD

Review - Careless Love Book

Have you ever picked up a book and, just by the feel of it, known that you are holding something special? Well, that's how I felt when I picked Peter Guralnick's latest Elvis tome, Careless Love, out of its package after it had been delivered by the postman.

Review | Burbank '68 CD

Burbank '68 is composed of 2 main parts: rehearsals recorded in Elvis' dressing room at NBC (June 25), and the majority of the 8 p.m stand up show (June 29). The first half starts off with a 5 minute 'intro', which are the 2 instrumentals of Danny Boy and 'Baby What You Want Me To Do' (aka Walkin' The Dog). Then Elvis launches into the songs that were all later done in the 2 sit down shows except for 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky'. (Burbank '68  is FTD release #1 and also is now deleted, we have 4 copies left).

Review | Burbank '68 CD : Review by Jakob Skjernaa Hansen

Burbank '68 is the first release from the long awaited 'collectors label' Follow That Dream. And what an arrival! A plethora of unreleased tracks from one of the only parts of Elvis' career that almost every fan and critic agree on: The TV-special filmed and recorded for NBC in June 1968. What we get here are 23 tracks (including two tracks of dialogue) of which no less than 14 are previously unreleased. The parts of the TV-special in focus here are the June 25th so called 'dress rehearsal' and the June 29th, 6 PM 'stand up' show, supplemented with a few studio tracks.

What is the FTD Elvis Presley Collector's Label?

To explain what the Follow That Dream collector's label is, following is an updated adaptation of the original 1999 announcement from BMG/RCA to introduce the label: To serve the dedicated Elvis collector, RCA Records and its parent company, Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), created an officially endorsed collectors label. Repertoire is issued on behalf of RCA/BMG by Follow That Dream Records (FTD).
Elvis Articles > FTD

Review - Elvis : Day By Day Book

'Elvis Day By Day' is excellently bound and printed. I must admit that I have not yet read the book thoroughly from cover to cover, but I get the impression that it is perhaps not quite as revolutionary as we had expected, as far as new photos and information are concerend. Nevertheless, it will make a nice addition to any collection, and if you don't yet have any books about Elvis, then this is certainly a good place to start.

Review: Out In Hollywood FTD CD

There's nothing really outstanding on this Out In Hollywood CD, but they are all new alternate takes. A lot of these have been released before on Import releases, but for some, it is the first time they have been released in any form so I personally like this CD. In this review I refer a lot to the released version of a song, this is the master take of the song already released by RCA or BMG on the soundtrack Album.
Elvis Reviews > Elvis CD Reviews > FTD

Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's Manager, Dead at 87

At age 87, Col. Tom Parker was still working as a consultant for an upcoming Elvis Presley movie and advising the Hilton hotel chain on entertainment when he suddenly suffered a stroke.
Elvis News

Opening Night, 1969 Fort Baxter CD

Opening Night, 1969, Recorded live at International Hotel. Actually recorded August 3rd, 1969 Dinner Show.
Elvis Presley Bootlegs

Doctor Elias Ghanem and Elvis Presley

Elias Ghanem's life is the fascinating stuff movies are made of, and since he's tall, dark and handsome, the role should go to somebody like, oh, Elvis Presley. Ghanem is a Palestinian immigrant who became a doctor and worked at Los Angeles County Hospital until he realized he had more important things to do. He set out for a place where people were desperate for medical help, Las Vegas.

Interview with Joey Kent : Owner of the Louisiana Hayride archives

With the new book, 'Elvis - The Hayride Years 54-56', by Frank Page and Joey Kent about to be released we have this very interesting interview with Joey Kent, the owner of the Louisiana Hayride archives.
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Elvis Presley Video 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.