a blog about elvis presley's music and records
ELVIS ON RECORD is a catch-all category for articles that cover a broad expanse of Presley’s career. Here you will find such articles as those that list his hit records from around the world, or reviews of boxed CD sets that collect sides from the 1950s though the ’70, or the latest updates on his RIAA Gold and Platinum Record Awards.
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SELLING ELVIS PRESLEY was never that difficult. Even during his low periods, each new record generally sold hundreds of thousands of units (although few were number ones) while his back catalog sold millions. Because of that, RCA took Presley for granted and failed to issue quality compilations and properly promote the ones they did release. [Read more] “elvis’ number ones and golden hits”
AN ELVIS REISSUE may be one of the rarest and most valuable Elvis records of the past fifty years. Or, it may be another fake collectible deserving no better status than that of a cleverly-made-yet-unnecessary bootleg. And it’s tied in with a fooked-up but very interesting picture cover and—get this—an illuminating turntable! [Read more] “elvis and the illuminating turntable”
BECAUSE I AM MORE FOCUSED OF LATE and therefore spending wildly better quality time with my blogs, I haven’t spent much time reading questions on Quora—either those of a musical or a political bent—and absorbing the wealth of informative data that can be found there. (I say—that’s a joke, son‚ a joke.) [Read more] “was elvis wildly better in the ’68 comeback than in anything else?”
RCA VICTOR’S “GOLD STANDARD SERIES” launched in 1955! The series is known for keeping Elvis Presley records in print since 1958. Dozens of Presley numbers went through as many as five major label designs, with many now selling for hundreds of dollars! But it was not conceived of as a resting place for Presley oldies. [Read more] “rca victor’s “gold standard series” launched in 1955”
I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT WIKIPEDIA and why it is an unreliable source of information about popular music and records. It seems that every time I look up anything about music and records, I find errors. Most are factual errors—titles, dates, catalog numbers, etc.—while some reflect the contributors not understanding the topic under discussion. [Read more] “quora is an unreliable source of information about records”
SALES OF PHYSICAL COPIES OF ALBUMS, both compact discs (CD) and good ol’ long-playing records (LP) certainly ain’t what they used to be. MRC Data recently tallied up those sales and provided the media with a Top 10 best-selling album artists of the first two decades of the 21st century. [Read more] “elvis still among best-selling artists of the century”
WHAT SERIES OF ELVIS SINGLES receives even less attention from collectors than the “new black” label Gold Standard singles from the late ’70s? The Collectables Records titles! In fact, most Elvis collectors have dismissed the idea of even adding Collectables 45s and LPs to their want-lists. [Read more] “elvis on collectables records discography and price guide”
FINDING A NEW ITEM TO COLLECT in the world of Elvis records is a rather rare occurrence. After all, the man has been dead for more than forty years and RCA stopped mass-producing vinyl records more than twenty years ago. Nonetheless, “new” things do appear, such as a stash of unusual picture sleeves that recently turned up for sale on the internet. [Read more] “unusual elvis “touch of marble” picture sleeve found”
TO RAISE FUNDS FOR HIS AIDS CHARITY, Elton John sold his record collection through a Sotheby’s auction in 1993. The collection contained more than 70,000 items, including singles, albums, 8-track tapes, cassettes, and compact discs. Proceeds from the sale went to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which remains an ongoing concern that has raised more than $400,000,000 over the past quarter-century. [Read more] “elton john used to collect elvis bootleg albums”
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a blog about Elvis Presley’s music and records
Mystically liberal Virgo enjoys long walks alone in the city at night in the rain with an umbrella and a flask of 10-year-old Laphroaig who strives to live by the maxim, “It ain’t what you know that gets you into trouble; it’s what you know that just ain’t so.
I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn, and a college dropout (twice!). Occupationally, I have been a bartender, jewelry engraver, bouncer, landscape artist, and FEMA crew chief following the Great Flood of ’72 (and that was a job that I should never, ever have left).
I am also the final author of the original O’Sullivan Woodside price guides for record collectors and the original author of the Goldmine price guides for record collectors. As such, I was often referred to as the Price Guide Guru, and—as everyone should know—it behooves one to heed the words of a guru. (Unless, of course, you’re the Beatles.)
