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.

Tracklisting:

Volume 1 – Center Stage
Money Honey (Dorsey Bros. TV Show)
That’s All Right (Mama)(Studio Recording)
Hound Dog (Milton Berle TV Show)
I Want You, I Need You, I Love You (Steve Allen TV Show)
Blue Suede Shoes (Studio Recording over Screen Test)
Love Me Tender (Love Me Tender Movie)
Heartbreak Hotel (Milton Berle TV Show)
Ready Teddy (Ed Sullivan TV Show)
Teddy Bear (Loving You Movie)
King Creole (King Creole Movie)
Jailhouse Rock        (Jailhouse Rock Movie)
Guitar Man (Elvis – Comeback Special)
Suspicious Minds (Elvis – That’s The Way It Is)
Unchained Melody (Elvis In Concert)
All Shook Up (Elvis – Comeback Special)

Bonus Material:
Working With Elvis – D.J. Fontana, Scotty Moore, Gordon Stoker, Milton Berle

Volume 2 – The Man And The Music
American Trilogy (Aloha From Hawaii)
My Happiness (Studio Recording)
Shake, Rattle, And Roll/Flip, Flop And Fly (Dorsey Bros. TV Show)
Blue Suede Shoes (Milton Berle TV Show)
Don’t Be Cruel (Ed Sullivan TV Show)
Got A Lot O’ Livin To Do (Loving You Movie)
Trouble (King Creole Movie)
Mean Woman Blues (Loving You Movie)
Treat Me Nice (Jailhouse Rock Movie)
G.I. Blues ( G.I. Blues Movie)
Fame And Fortune (Welcome Home, Elvis)
Return To Sender (Girls, Girls, Girls Movie)
Memories (Studio Recording over Home Movies)
You Gave Me A Mountain (Aloha From Hawaii)
Always On My Mind (Elvis On Tour Movie)
If I Can Dream (Elvis – Comeback Special)

Bonus Material:
Memories Of Elvis – Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Sam Phillips

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.

The actual box set will be available everywhere September 27, 2011, on RCA/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

The five CDs comprise the following, all material originating in 1956:

• CD One, Studio Recordings: 17 tracks recorded in New York, Nashville, and Hollywood, starting with the 12 songs on the debut LP, Elvis Presley (’1254′), followed by non-LP single A-sides and B-sides, and EP tracks;
• CD Two, Studio Recordings: 22 tracks recorded in New York, Nashville, and Memphis, starting with the 12 songs on the second LP, Elvis (’1382′), followed by non-LP single A-sides and B-sides, and EP tracks;
• CD Three, Live Recordings: Rare remasters of shows at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas (four songs); Little Rock, Arkansas (seven songs); and a recently discovered, previously unreleased concert in Shreveport, Louisiana, in December (ten songs);
• CD Four, The Outtakes:  Four outtakes from the first historic RCA session in January (“I Got A Woman,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “I’m Counting On You,” “I Was The One”), segueing into the complete session of February 3rd (11 takes of “Lawdy, Miss Clawdy” and 12 takes of “Shake, Rattle And Roll”); plus the first of the interviews — the complete Warwick Hotel (NYC) interview by Robert Brown in March;
• CD Five, the Interviews: The Paul Wilder interview, plus his interviews with Colonel Parker and Oscar Davis; plus two segments of Elvis’ rarely heard candid monologue, “The Truth About Me,” and two advertisements for RCA Victrolas.

Over the course of CDs One and Two, YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT compiles Elvis Presley’s complete 1956 masters.  The year was fueled by a run of hits that kept radio well-stocked: “Heartbreak Hotel,” “I Was The One,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Money Honey,” “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You,” “My Baby Left Me,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” and “Love Me Tender” topping the list.

In addition to the master takes, outtakes, and live performances heard on CDs One through Four of YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT , there is also the most extensive collection of audio spoken word material ever included on an RCA release. These extended and rare interviews are previously unreleased by RCA Records. The first of these segments, at the end of CD Four, is the complete Elvis interview by Robert Brown that took place at the Warwick Hotel in New York City on March 24th.  CD Five then presents:

• The Complete TV Guide Presents Elvis interview (Elvis interviewed by Paul Wilder backstage at the Polk Theater, Lakeland, Florida, on August 10th);
• Colonel Parker and Oscar Davis (interviewed by Paul Wilder backstage at the Polk Theater, Lakeland, Florida, on August 10th);
• The Truth About Me (Original spoken word 45 rpm disc included in Teen Parade magazine.  Recorded on the set of Love Me Tender, August 22nd);
• The Truth About Me Interview (Recorded on the set of Love Me Tender, August 22nd);
• RCA Victrola radio ad 1;
• RCA Victrola radio ad 2 (both ads never before released commercially).

In tandem with the release of YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT , RCA/ Legacy will also release (on the same date) ELVIS PRESLEY: LEGACY EDITION .  This special double-CD package will couple, for the first time, the Elvis Presley and Elvis albums of 1956.  They will be heard as they are on CD One and CD Two of the YOUNG MAN box set (with the same bonus tracks).

ELVIS PRESLEY: LEGACY EDITION (RCA/Legacy 88697 90795 2) has as its cover image the classic Elvis Presley debut LP design that has been paid homage by the Clash ( London Calling ), Big Audio Dynamite ( F-Punk ), k.d. lang ( Reintarnation ), and many others.  The Legacy Edition booklet will contain new liner notes and rare archival photography.

YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT will feature one of the most extraordinary books every created at Legacy.  The focal point of the book, spread across its 80 pages, will be a unique, meticulously-researched, day-by-day chronology of Elvis’ iconic year, including every concert, every recording date, every television appearance, personal events in Elvis’ life, and much more.  A dazzling photo array of memorabilia will illustrate each day and entry.  Concert ticket stubs, RCA memoranda, letters from fans, postcards from Elvis to his family, tour itineraries, magazine covers and articles, trade charts, fan club relics, RCA publicity photos, concert photos, candid photos, and more will be a feast for the eyes and the imagination as 1956 unfolds.  The book was assembled by Elvis expert Roger Semon.

YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT will also include five rare 8×10 photographs (suitable for framing), five original-size poster replicas, and a replica concert ticket stub.

YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT was produced for reissue by Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, the respected director of RCA’s Elvis catalog for over two decades.  Jorgensen is also the author of the essential research guide, Elvis Presley: A Life In Music (St. Martin’s Press, 1998).  He recently completed The Complete Elvis Presley Masters , the 27-CD crown jewel in RCA/Legacy’s Elvis 75 campaign of 2010-2011.  That set contains all 711 master recordings released during Elvis’ lifetime, housed in a 12-inch square presentation case which includes a coffee table-style book.

After nearly a year and a half of studio recording and singles releases on Sun Records of Memphis, Elvis Presley’s recording contract was sold to RCA Records on November 21, 1955.  Elvis arrived at RCA Studios in Nashville on January 10, 1956, with his band, guitarist Scotty Moore, bassist Bill Black, and D.J. Fontana on drums.  It was the beginning of an odyssey that would not only transform the lives of Elvis and his buddies, but would also reshape the face of popular music, entertainment television, radio, concert promotion, movie production and more in America and around the world.

Buddy Holly: “Without Elvis none of us could have made it.”

Scotty Moore: “He had so much energy we had to sit up nights to wear him out so that we could go to sleep.”

John Lennon: “My crushing ambition in life was to be like Elvis Presley.”

Bruce Springsteen: “My mother was watching the Ed Sullivan Show and Elvis came on. I went out and bought a guitar straight away…”

James Brown: “Elvis taught white America to get down.”

From the master takes recorded at those January 10th sessions, “Heartbreak Hotel” (inducted into the Grammy® Hall Of Fame) and “I Was the One,” to the Million Dollar Quartet jam session back home in Memphis on December 4th, it was a year in music that will never be equaled.

Both the box set and the Legacy Edition are currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com.  Order YOUNG MAN WITH A BIG BEAT at http://amzn.to/jYSrkn; order ELVIS PRESLEY: LEGACY EDITION at http://amzn.to/izCRci .

YOUNG MAN WITH THE BIG BEAT by ELVIS PRESLEY

(RCA/Legacy 88697 93534 2)

CD One (1956 Studio Recordings, Part 1) – Selections: 1. Blue Suede Shoes – 2. I’m Counting On You – 3. I Got A Woman – 4. One-Sided Love Affair – 5. I Love You Because – 6. Just Because – 7. Tutti Frutti – 8. Trying To Get To You – 9. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You) – 10. I’ll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin’) – 11. Blue Moon – 12. Money Honey – 13. Heartbreak Hotel – 14. I Was The One – 15. My Baby Left Me – 16. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – 17. Shake, Rattle And Roll.

CD Two (1956 Studio Recordings, Part 2) – Selections: 1. Rip It Up – 2. Love Me – 3. When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again – 4. Long Tall Sally – 5. First In Line – 6. Paralyzed – 7. So Glad You’re Mine – 8. Old Shep – 9. Ready Teddy – 10. Anyplace Is Paradise – 11. How’s The World Treating You – 12. How Do You Think I Feel – 13. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You – 14. Hound Dog – 15. Don’t Be Cruel – 16. Any Way You Want Me (That’s How I Will Be) – 17. Too Much – 18. Playing For Keeps – 19. Love Me Tender – 20. Let Me – 21. Poor Boy – 22. We’re Gonna Move.

CD Three (Live, 1956) – Selections: 1. Heartbreak Hotel (A) – 2. Long Tall Sally (A) – 3. Blue Suede Shoes (A) – 4. Money Honey (A) – 5. Heartbreak Hotel (B) – 6. Long Tall Sally (B) – 7. I Was The One (B) – 8. Money Honey (B) – 9. I Got A Woman (B) – 10. Blue Suede Shoes (B) – 11. Hound Dog (B) – 12. Heartbreak Hotel (C) – 13. Long Tall Sally (C) – 14. I Was The One (C) – 15. Love Me Tender (C) – 16. Don’t Be Cruel (C) – 17. Love Me (C) – 18. I Got A Woman (C) – 19. When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again (C) – 20. Paralyzed (C) – 21. Hound Dog (C).

Key :

A – Tracks 1-4 live at the Venus Room, Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas, May 6, 1956.

B – Tracks 5-11 live at the Robinson Memorial Auditorium, Little Rock, Arkansas, May 16, 1956.

C – Tracks 12-21 live at the Hirsch Youth Center, Louisiana Fairgrounds, Shreveport, Louisiana, December 15, 1956, previously unreleased .

CD Four (The Outtakes) – Selections:  1. I Got A Woman – take unknown – 2. Heartbreak Hotel – take 6 – 3. I’m Counting On You – take 13 – 4. I Was The One – take 2 – 5. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 1 – 6. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 3 – 7. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 4 – 8. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 5 – 9. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 6 – 10. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – takes 7, 8, 9 – 11. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – take 10 (Master) – 12. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – takes 11, 12 – 13. Shake, Rattle And Roll – takes 1, 2 – 14. Shake, Rattle And Roll – takes 3, 4, 5, 6 – 15. Shake, Rattle And Roll – take 8 – 16. Shake, Rattle And Roll – takes 9, 10, 11, 12, 12 (Undubbed Master) – 17. The Complete Warwick Hotel Interview by Robert Brown, New York, N.Y., March 24th.

Tracks 1-4: First RCA Session Outtakes, January 10-11, 1956.

Tracks 5-16: The Complete February 3, 1956 Sessions.

Track 17: Extended and rare interview previously unreleased by RCA Records.

CD Five (The Interviews) – Selections: 1. The Complete TV Guide Presents Elvis interview (Elvis interviewed by Paul Wilder backstage at the Polk Theater, Lakeland, Florida, on August 10th) – 2. Colonel Parker and Oscar Davis (interviewed by Paul Wilder backstage at the Polk Theater, Lakeland, Florida, on August 10th) – 3. The Truth About Me (Original spoken word 45 rpm disc included in Teen Parade magazine.  Recorded on the set of Love Me Tender, August 22nd) – 4. The Truth About Me Interview (Recorded on the set of Love Me Tender, August 22nd) – 5. Victrola Radio ad 1 – 6. Victrola Radio ad 2.

Tracks 1-4: Extended and rare interviews previously unreleased by RCA Records.

Tracks 5-6: Victrola Radio ads never before released commercially.

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.”

Joining Elvis for his sessions at RCA’s Studio B in Nashville were his long-time guitarist Scotty Moore, drummer D.J. Fontana, Floyd Cramer on piano, guitarist Hank Garland (also on bass), bassist Bob Moore, and drummer Buddy Harman, plus the Jordanaires on harmony vocals.  Among the six masters they cut that night were Elvis’ first post-Army #1 million-selling single “Stuck On You,” and three tracks that would be chosen for the new album.  They reconvened two Sunday nights later on April 3rd (adding saxophonist Boots Randolph to the lineup) and finished an astounding 12 tracks.  The unprecedented results included Elvis’ next two #1 million-selling singles, “It’s Now Or Never” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” plus the nine tunes needed to complete the LP.  Elvis Is Back was rush-released days later on April 8th.  Any concerns about Elvis’ ability in the studio after more than two years away were set aside forever.

“Elvis Is Back was a triumph on every level,” wrote Jorgensen in his essential research guide, Elvis Presley: A Life In Music (St. Martin’s Press, 1998).  ”Elvis had never been heard like this before, except perhaps by himself in his own head.  There was new depth to his voice; his interpretations were increasingly sophisticated; the group was probably the best studio band in the business; the song selection was imaginative and varied, the technical quality excellent.  Most surprisingly of all, the new album pointed in no one musical direction… It was as if Elvis had invented his own brand of music, broken down the barriers of genre and prejudice to express everything he heard in all the kinds of music he loved.”

After spending the rest of 1960 in Hollywood filming and recording the soundtracks for G.I. Blues , Flaming Star, and Wild In the Country, Elvis returned to Studio B on Sunday night, March 12, 1961.  With the exception of  ”I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell” (imported from the Wild In the Country tapes), the other 11 tracks on Something For Everybody were all finished on that equally legendary overnight session.  Among them were Elvis’ takes on “I Feel So Bad” (from Chuck Willis) and “I’m Comin’ Home” (from Charlie Rich).  Elvis’ next batch of hit singles were recorded at Studio B in June (“(Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame” b/w “Little Sister,” both sides penned by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman); and October (“Good Luck Charm” b/w “Anything That’s Part Of You”).

“Something For Everybody and its accompanying singles hit the market at a time when Elvis Presley was right at the top of his game,” Colman concludes.  ”The man could do no wrong in the eyes of the public and he was rightly thought of across the globe as the arbiter of popular music.  He was most definitely the right man for the job.”

ELVIS IS BACK: LEGACY EDITION by ELVIS PRESLEY (RCA/Legacy 88697 76233 2) CD One – Selections: 1. Make Me Know It • 2. Fever • 3. The Girl Of My Best Friend • 4. I Will Be Home Again • 5. Dirty, Dirty Feeling (Hot 100 #70, 1965) • 6. Thrill Of Your Love • 7. Soldier Boy • 8. Such A Night (Hot 100 #16, 1964)• 9. It Feels So Right (Hot 100 #55, 1965) • 10. Girl Next Door Went A’Walking • 11. Like A Baby • 12. Reconsider Baby (Tracks 1-12 from Elvis Is Back , RCA Victor 2231, released April 8, 1960) • THE HIT SINGLES : 13. Stuck On You (Hot 100 #1, 1960) • 14. Fame And Fortune (Hot 100 #17, 1960) • 15. It’s Now Or Never (Hot 100 #1, 1960) • 16. A Mess Of Blues (Hot 100 #32, 1960) • 17. Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Hot 100 #1, 1960) • 18. I Gotta Know (Hot 100 #20, 1960) • 19. Surrender (Hot 100 #1, 1961).

CD Two – Selections: 1. There’s Always Me (Hot 100 #56, 1967) • 2. Give Me The Right • 3. It’s A Sin • 4. Sentimental Me • 5. Starting Today • 6. Gently • 7. I’m Comin’ Home • 8. In Your Arms • 9. Put The Blame On Me (Hot 100 #70, 1965) • 10. Judy • 11. I Want You With Me • 12. I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell (Tracks 1-12 from Something For Everybody , RCA Victor 2370, released June 1961) • THE HIT  SINGLES : 13. I Feel So Bad (Hot 100 #5, 1961) • 14. (Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame (Hot 100 #4, 1961) • 15. Little Sister (Hot 100 #5, 1961) • 16. Good Luck Charm (Hot 100 #1, 1962) • 17. Anything That’s Part Of You (Hot 100 #31, 1962).

Elvis Presley, the most popular singer of his time, handed the White House security agents a handwritten letter addressed to the President of the United States, Richard Nixon, requesting a meeting with him. His five-page letter, written on American Airlines stationery, also indicated his desire to become a federal agent in the war on drugs and said, “P.S. . . I have a personal gift for you which I would like to present to you and I hope that you can accept it. . . ” The gift was a World War II-era Colt 45 pistol.

The letter set of a chain of events that eventually led to a meeting — within hours — between the “king of rock ‘n’ roll” and the “leader of the free world.” Security prevented Presley from presenting the President with the gun, but Nixon’s aides accepted it on his behalf, complete with some bullets.

At the meeting, pictures and detailed notes were taken. The photograph of Presley and Nixon, major figures in American culture and politics at the time, is still one of the most requested photographs from the National Archives’ holdings of 15 million images.

The famous meeting will be the highlight of a special event at the National Archives on Wednesday, January 6, 2010. Two eyewitnesses: Egil “Bud” Krogh, who was an Assistant to the Counsel to the President, and Jerry Schilling, a music industry professional and long-time friend of Presley will describe the encounter. The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will be moderated by Timothy Naftali, Director of the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California, and introduced by David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States.

The program commemorates the 75th anniversary of Presley’s birth on January 8; the next day is the 97th anniversary of Nixon’s birth.

The program will be held at 7 p.m. in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives. Admission is free. The McGowan Theater will open 30 minutes before the start of the program. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The public should use the Special Events Entrance to the National Archives, 7th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW.

Source: National Archives

Few figures in popular culture have endured in our collective consciousness as has multi-Grammy® Award-winning artist Elvis Presley. Crowned as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Presley’s revolutionary rockabilly music and captivating performances were as much a part of his legend as his uninhibited hip swivels, blue suede shoes, his charm and good looks. There have been motion pictures, television specials and books chronicling the roller-coaster life of Elvis Presley, and one of the most successful of these properties came in the acclaimed 1979 film ELVIS, starring Golden Globe nominee Kurt Russell in the title role, directed by John Carpenter. This highly regarded production captures the essence of The King at a time when his many fans were still mourning his passing. Hailed by audiences as one of the most powerful and moving biographical films, ELVIS garnered a Golden Globe nomination and multiple Emmy® nominations, including one for Kurt Russell as Outstanding Lead Actor for his incandescent performance as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. The film also marked Carpenter and Russell’s first collaboration in what would become a legendary pairing.

Timed closely to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birth, Shout! Factory, in association with dick clark Productions, present ELVIS on DVD for the first time March 2, 2010. This collectible DVD features the main presentation of the movie restored from the original film elements as it was meant to be seen, as well as an array of bonus features including: “Bringing A Legend To Life,” a featurette with archival interviews of Kurt Russell and John Carpenter (1979); commentary by “The Voice Of Elvis,” Ronnie McDowell, and author Edie Hand; rare clips and captivating photo gallery. Even 33 years after his passing, Presley continues to burn a powerful image of rock stardom and still conquers new legions of fans through his indelible mark in worldwide pop culture. Available for the first time in the home entertainment marketplace, this long-awaited DVD debut of the film ELVIS is priced to own at $19.97.

Directed by John Carpenter, the biopic of Elvis Presley stars Kurt Russell and features the voice of ’70s country music hitmaker Ronnie McDowell re-creating Presley’s signature vocals. Tracing Presley’s life from his impoverished childhood to his meteoric rise to stardom to his triumphant return to Las Vegas, this film boasts an all-star ensemble including Academy Award® winner Shelley Winters (A Place In The Sun) as Elvis’ mother Gladys; Season Hubley (All My Children) as his wife Priscilla; Kurt Russell’s real-life father Bing Russell (The Magnificent Seven) as Elvis’s father Vernon Presley; Pat Hingle (Batman) as Colonel Tom Parker; Robert Gray (Murder She Wrote) as Red West; Golden Globe nominee Joe Mantegna (Searching for Bobby Fischer) as Memphis mafia member Joe Esposito; and Golden Globe nominee Ed Begley Jr. (St. Elsewhere) as D.J. Fontana.

IN-DEPTH DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
– “Bringing A Legend To Life” Featurette With Archival Interviews Of Kurt Russell And John Carpenter (1979)
– Commentary By “The Voice Of Elvis” Ronnie McDowell And Author Edie Hand
– Rare Clips From American Bandstand
– Photo Gallery

Source: Shout! Factory

Legacy Recordings is proud to announce the release of Elvis 75 – Good Rockin’ Tonight, the ultimate career-spanning collection of seminal recordings by Elvis Presley, in commemoration of the King of Rock & Roll’s 75th birthday (January 8, 2010). Elvis 75 – Good Rockin’ Tonight — a four CD, 100 song collection — will be available everywhere on Tuesday, December 8.

The first major Elvis Presley retrospective to cover the full spectrum of the artist’s world-changing career, Elvis 75 – Good Rockin’ Tonight runs from “My Happiness,” the acetate Elvis himself paid nearly four dollars to record at the Memphis Recording Service on July 18, 1953, a year before signing with Sun Records, to “A Little Less Conversation (JXL Radio Remix Edit),” a posthumous #1 hit for Elvis in the UK, Australia and more than 20 other countries in 2002.

Offering fans an unprecedented range of essential material, Elvis 75 – Good Rockin’ Tonight provides a generous selection of the electrifying earth-shattering primal rock & roll of young Elvis; the swinging good vibes of Elvis’s soundtrack recordings; the heartfelt humility of his gospel performances and the intimacy of his ballads; the pure pop power and show biz magic of Elvis in Vegas; and a record-setting number of #1 and Top 10 international smashes.

The lavish Elvis 75 – Good Rockin’ Tonight box set includes an 80-page booklet featuring many rare photographs and a new essay by musical and cultural critic Billy Altman (Rolling Stone, The New Yorker).

A single disc edition of Elvis 75 – Good Rockin’ Tonight, featuring key tracks culled from the four-disc set, will be released on January 5, 2010 (the week of Elvis’ birthday: January 8).

Legacy’s release of Elvis 75 – Good Rockin’ Tonight kicks off a year-long celebration of the life and music of Elvis Presley, the world’s first rock & roll star.

Elvis 75 – Good Rockin’ Tonight – tracklisting

DISC 1
01 My Happiness
02 That’s All Right
03 Blue Moon Of Kentucky
04 Good Rockin’ Tonight
05 Baby Let’s Play House
06 Mystery Train
07 I Forgot To Remember To Forget
08 I Got A Woman
09 Heartbreak Hotel
10 I Was The One
11 Blue Suede Shoes
12 My Baby Left Me
13 One-Sided Love Affair
14 I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)
15 Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
16 I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
17 Hound Dog
18 Don’t Be Cruel
19 Love Me Tender
20 Love Me
21 Paralyzed
22 Too Much
23 All Shook Up
24 Mean Woman Blues
25 (There’ll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)
26 (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
27 One Night
28 Jailhouse Rock
29 Treat Me Nice
30 Blue Christmas
31 Don’t

DISC 2
01 Hard Headed Woman
02 Trouble
03 King Creole
04 Wear My Ring Around Your Neck
05 I Need Your Love Tonight
06 A Big Hunk O’ Love
07 (Now And Then There’s) A Fool Such As I
08 Stuck On You
09 A Mess Of Blues
10 It’s Now Or Never
11 Thrill Of Your Love
12 Such A Night
13 Are You Lonesome Tonight?
14 Reconsider Baby
15 Doin’ The Best I Can
16 Pocketful Of Rainbows
17 Surrender
18 Crying In The Chapel
19 I Feel So Bad
20 There’s Always Me
21 Judy
22 Can’t Help Falling In Love
23 (Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame
24 Little Sister
25 Good Luck Charm
26 Suspicion
27 She’s Not You
28 Return To Sender

DISC 3
01 Bossa Nova Baby
02 (You’re The) Devil In Disguise
03 (It’s A) Long Lonely Highway
04 I Need Somebody To Lean On
05 Viva Las Vegas
06 It Hurts Me
07 This Is My Heaven
08 Adam And Evil
09 How Great Thou Art
10 Tomorrow Is A Long Time
11 Guitar Man
12 Big Boss Man
13 Too Much Monkey Business
14 U.S. Male
15 If I Can Dream
16 Memories
17 Don’t Cry Daddy
18 In The Ghetto
19 Suspicious Minds
20 Stranger In My Own Home Town
21 Kentucky Rain
22 Only The Strong Survive

DISC 4
01 Polk Salad Annie
02 The Fool
03 Funny How Time Slips Away
04 I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
05 I Just Can’t Help Believin’
06 I’m Leavin’
07 An American Trilogy
08 Burning Love
09 Always On My Mind
10 Steamroller Blues
11 Loving Arms
12 Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues
13 Promised Land
14 T-R-O-U-B-L-E
15 For The Heart
16 Hurt
17 Way Down
18 Unchained Melody
19 A Little Less Conversation (JXL Radio Remix Edit)

www.LegacyRecordings.com
www.MySpace.com/LegacyRecordings
www.YouTube.com/SonyMusicUSA

Source: Legacy Recordings