Rock Encyclopedia

The ultimate DVD collection celebrating the life of Elvis Presley returns to the marketplace, after several years, boasting over 2 hours of remastered video, new packaging and never-before-seen interviews with legendary artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins along with others who were close to the beloved and undisputed King of Rock ‘n Roll.

The two-disc Elvis: The Great Performances (Hip-O/SOFA Entertainment), released August 2, 2011, brings together classic  performances spanning more than 20 years, from his first televised appearance that shocked a nation to a concert a few weeks before his death on August 16, 1977.  Footage mined from TV shows and specials, films and home movies, capture Elvis’ mesmerizing stage presence and irresistible charisma as well as provide a revealing look into his private life and the realities of his unprecedented fame.

Of particular interest to Elvis fans are the previously un-released bonus interviews, conducted by producer-director Andrew Solt in the early and mid-’90s. Included are rock icons Lewis and Perkins, Sun Records head Sam Phillips, drummer D.J. Fontana, guitarist Scotty Moore, Jordanaires member and backing singer Gordon Stoker, and television host Milton Berle, on whose show Elvis appeared twice in 1956.  The bonus material adds more than 30 minutes to the original two-hour production. Also, Jerry Schilling, long-time childhood friend of Elvis, was instrumental in producing and overseeing the set.

With Elvis: The Great Performances, fans can not only experience the excitement surrounding Elvis but also understand his influence on music and popular culture, a legacy that is greater than ever today. (more…)

The explosion of Elvis Presley‘s career on RCA Records during the 12 months of 1956 was a wondrous evolution.

By the end of that fateful year, the rockabilly singer from Memphis whose audience was rooted in the deep Southern states, would be the most famous person in the world.

How did it happen?  In one word: music.

“…My pelvis had nothin’ to do with what I do,” Elvis said in 1956.  ”I just get kinda in rhythm with the music, I jump around to it because I enjoy what I’m doin’, I’m not tryin’ to be vulgar, I’m not tryin’ to sell any sex, I’m not tryin’ to look vulgar and nasty.  I just enjoy what I’m doin’ and tryin’ to make the best of it …”

The rest, of course, is history.  Ten million singles sold, three million EPs, and 800,000 LPs’ worth, in just that first year. 1956.

YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT puts the focus on Elvis in 1956.  The package includes his RCA studio master recordings and outtakes in New York, Nashville and Memphis; live performances; interviews; and much more.  Taking its name from an RCA poster campaign for his debut album, the super deluxe 5-CD, 12-inch square box set (with an amazing 80-page book with timeline) is available now for pre-order at www.elvis1956.com.  Pre-order customers will also receive an exclusive replica vinyl 7″ of Elvis’ first 45rpm EP for RCA Records.  Sharing the same striking cover art as Elvis’ debut album, the EP (“extended play”) features “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Tutti Frutti,” “I Got A Woman” and “Just Because.”  This vinyl single is only available through this special website offer, and it will ship upon payment for the box set. (more…)

Two words exploded worldwide on December 19, 1957 – “Elvis Drafted!” – but three words resounded across the universe even more explosively on March 3, 1960: “Elvis Is Back!” The album that Elvis Presley began recording in Nashville on March 20th, and finished in the legendary overnight session of April 3-4th, is widely regarded as possibly the best album he ever made.

A half-century later, Elvis Is Back is now coupled with 1961′s Something For Everybody, an album he recorded back in Nashville one year later.  Along with one dozen hit single sides recorded (also in Nashville) and charted over roughly the same period of time, the deluxe Elvis Is Back: Legacy Edition will be available at all physical and digital retail outlets starting March 1, 2011, through RCA/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

Elvis Is Back: Legacy Edition follows the template of the recent RCA/Legacy releases, From Elvis In Memphis: Legacy Edition and On Stage : Legacy Edition.  With each title, the definitive version of one of Elvis’ most essential albums has been expanded to include another historically significant album from the same time period, along with the hit singles associated with both albums.

Adding wit and nuance to Elvis Is Back: Legacy Edition is a new essay by New York-based journalist Stuart Colman, former member of ’60s UK pop group the Flying Machine (“Smile A Little Smile For Me”), and former BBC radio host, recording studio owner, and Nashville-based record producer. Colman, a liner notes writer specializing in early roots-rock, R&B and rockabilly, sets the stage for that landmark evening in Nashville, the third Sunday in March 1960, two months after Elvis’ 25th birthday.  ”Right up until the point where cars were being parked and instruments unpacked,” Colman writes, “the assembled musicians were under the impression they’d been booked to record with Jim Reeves.  This was a half-hearted attempt to thwart the fans gathered outside who knew full well who was coming in.” (more…)