45 rpm singles - elvis – a touch of gold

coming soon! a new series about elvis’ gold standard 45s

April 14, 2020December 15, 2019 by Neal

Elvis 1964 BrowserBox Thibault 3 1500 crop copy

COMING SOON!
TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU

An all NEW series of updated and rewritten articles about the Elvis Presley Gold Standard Series of 45 rpm singles and EP albums!

NEW discographies – NEW labelographies – NEW photos of some really rather rare records!

Plus an all NEW, up-to-date price guide!!!

I have been busy completely revamping the series of nine articles I wrote about Elvis’ Gold Standard singles and picture sleeves and the new articles will be so, so, so much better:

More complete. READ MORE

so just what was elvis’ biggest hit of all time?

August 27, 2019 by Neal

WHAT WAS ELVIS PRESLEY’S BIGGEST HIT? The term “hit” almost always refers to one side of a single, whether it is an antiquated 45 rpm single (1949-1989) or a prehistoric 78 rpm single (1898-1958). The term is relative: A record that made it to #88 and stayed on the national Top 100 for three weeks in 1966 would be a big hit for a rock & roll band on a local record company that only received airplay and distribution in northeastern Pennsylvania. READ MORE

from elvis on thomas street, memphis, tennessee

March 9, 2020April 3, 2019 by Neal

BY JANUARY 1968, a new Elvis single was successful if it merely reached the Top 40 and sold 300,000 copies. This was a far cry from three years before when a new single reached the Top 20 and sold at least a half million copies. And that was a far cry from the dizzying heights of 1960 when a Presley hit sold in the millions!

what in tarnation are the “haircut sleeves” of the sixties?

March 23, 2020March 7, 2019 by Neal

Elvis IndescribablyBlue PS a 1500 crop 1

IN THE SUMMER OF 1966, I heard Elvis’s new single on the radio and hurried to the record store to buy a copy. I always tried to buy new singles as soon as they came out so that I could find a copy with a picture sleeve. Upon seeing the sleeve for this new Elvis single, Spinout / All That I Am, I was confused: Elvis’ face was puffy and round and he had the most ridiculous, un-hip hairdo imaginable. READ MORE

rca victor ads for elvis presley records in 1956

June 1, 2018April 15, 2018 by Neal

Elvis 1956 photo Wertheimer HudsonTheatre 1500 copy

ELVIS PRESLEY OWNED 1956! That year he ascended the heavens of popularity to become the most talked-about new personality in the last ten years of recorded music! By the end of the year, he had six #1 records on various charts, sold more than 12,000,000 singles, and was universally known, both derisively and affectionately, as “Elvis the Pelvis.” READ MORE

elvis’ fifty worldwide number one hits

September 30, 2018October 26, 2017 by Neal

IN THE YEAR 2000, instead of Y2K we got THE BEATLES 1, an album that collected Beatles’ number one hits around the world. Despite recycling endlessly recycled sides, it sold more than 10,000,000 copies in its first twelve months of release! And then it kept on selling: it is certified by the RIAA for sales of 11,000,000 in the US alone. READ MORE

the original RIAA gold standard was based on units of one million

March 10, 2020March 18, 2017 by Neal

THE ORIGINAL RIAA GOLD RECORDS were introduced in 1958, and there were only two awards: a Gold Record for singles, and a Gold Record for LPs. To qualify, a single must have sold a minimum of 1,000,000 copies, while an LP album must have sold $1,000,000 at the manufacturer’s wholesale price. There were no “unit” sales required for LP certification, and there were no Platinum Record Awards. READ MORE

elvis’ 50 worldwide #1 chart-topping hits

May 2, 2018October 9, 2016 by Neal

Lawdymissclawdy, but I accidental like pushed “Publish” instead of “Save Draft” and so I sent this article out onto the worldwide web well before it was completed. So I have to apologize and tell you that I’ll finish it lickety-split and get it back up here where it belongs!

PS: When the finished piece is published, this post here will be linked directly to the new article …

[social_warfare]

the elvis presley gold standard 45s part 8 (1976–2000)

March 11, 2020January 24, 2016 by Neal

IN 1976, the Gold Standard Series was revamped for the fourth and final time with a new ‘retro’ look. Along with the rest of the RCA catalog, the modern look and layout of the previous orange and red labels was jettisoned and the company opted for a retro look: black was back and so was Nipper! But the effect was cheesy: the paper used for the labels seemed of a lesser quality—a dull black rather than the high gloss stock of the past. READ MORE