lunes, 24 de octubre de 2011

In October 1968, Elvis’s gold Caddy raised big money in Australia




 

In October 1968, Elvis's gold Caddy raised big money in Australia
 
In its October 9,1968, issue, Variety reported that, "One of the biggest long-running attractions to hit Australia is not 
even a person but a car—Elvis' Gold Cadillac." Bill Walsh, general manager for RCA Victor Records in the Southwest
 Pacific area, had arranged with Colonel Parker for Presley's car to be brought to Australia for a year-long tour to benefit
 the charitable causes of the Benevolent Society of New South Wales.
The auto arrived in Sydney on January 19, 1968. By October more than 400,000 Aussies had viewed the car at the admission
 charge of 30¢, for a total of $128,000. By the end of its tour, the total take was expected to be $165,000. Parker had insisted 
that "every single cent that came in was to go to the Society," and that there were to be no expenses charged against it, either.
The largest crowd to see the car had been at Sydney's Royal Easter Show in April. It drew 22,500 curiosity seekers. 
By October the car had visited all of eastern Australia, with upcoming visits planned for Tasmania, Adelaide and Perth.
 The car was being transported in a special truck donated by a car agency.
With Elvis's Caddy drawing so many fans, just imagine the crowds that would have come out to see Elvis himself had he 
ever chosen to tour Australia.

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Elvis’s EPs played at 45 rpm




 
All but one of Elvis's EPs played at 45 rpm (revolutions per minute). "Flaming Star."
 
In 1961 RCA test marketed singles and EPs that played at 33 rpm, the same speed as LPs. 
When the record-buying public rejected the experiment, RCA dropped the idea. When Elvis's next EP,
 "Follow that Dream," appeared the next year, it had returned to the old EP spinning speed of 45 rpm.
Elvis Presley Flaming Star EP cover


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Elvis Put up Big Numbers on Cash Box’s Singles Record Chart



Elvis Put up Big Numbers on
Cash Box’s Singles Record Chart

For statistics on recorded music, Billboard’s music charts have been the industry standard for decades. The magazine earned that honor with its continuous publication of weekly record charts beginning in the 1940s. Author Joel Whitburn’s published compilations of Billboard’s chart data.
Cash Box Elvis Presley Cover 2010 Cash Box magazine, a weekly music industry publication from 1942 through 1996, wasBillboard’s leading competitor in charting records during the early rock era. From the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, both magazines published multiple pop singles charts, including juke box and best seller lists. In 1958, though, both publications consolidated their specialty charts into one lengthy singles chart. That year Billboard launched its “Hot 100” chart and Cash Box expanded its “Best Selling Singles” chart and changed its title to the “Cash Box Top 100 Singles.” Billboard’s “Hot 100” ratings were based on a combination of record sales and radio air play reports. Cash Box, however, continued to compile its “Top 100 Singles” solely on record sales.
Since the two publications used different criteria for compiling their pop singles charts, they present slightly different versions of the chart history of Elvis Presley’s single releases. The Cash Box chart, based solely on record sales, provides a more objective record than Billboard’s, which depended on the subjective reports provided by disc jockeys around the country. A comparison of the Elvis’s recordings on Billboard’s “Hot 100” with Cash Box’s “Top 100 Singles” provides some new perspectives on the popularity of Presley’s singles from 1956-1977.


During that 22-year span, RCA released 79 regular issue Elvis Presley single vinyl records. At least one side of all of them appeared in both Billboard’s and Cash Box’s singles charts. A large majority of the flip sides of those releases also made both charts. Both charts also included a number of Elvis songs from his 45 rpm extended play records. However, there were still some obvious differences concerning Presley on the two charts.
• Some Presley recordings made one chart but not the other
For example, there were 18 Elvis recordings that made one chart but not the other. In 1956 alone 7 Presley songs appeared onBillboard’s chart but not on Cash Box’s list. Most of them were extended play cuts, such as “Money Honey” and “Paralyzed,” that disc jockeys were playing in an attempt to satisfy their listeners’ insatiable appetite for Elvis recordings in 1956. One of those songs that went unrecognized by Cash Box was “When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again,” which reached a fairly lofty #27 on the “Hot 100.”
Cash Box also didn’t list two Presley flip side single recordings that did very well on Billboard’s chart. “Anyway You Want Me” reached #27 and “Doncha’ Think It’s Time” #21 on the “Hot 100.” They were absent from Cash Box’s list probably because their hit single flip sides, “Love Me Tender” and “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck” respectively, were given credit for all sales of the two-sided singles.
One significant Presley recording that Cash Box ranked highly on its singles sales chart but didn’t appear at all on the “Hot 100” was “King Creole.” As the lead song on a 45 extended play record, “King Creole” spent 13 weeks on the Cash Box “Top 100 Singles” chart in the summer and fall of 1958. It peaked at #20 on September 13, 1958.
Despite the 18 titles that appeared in one chart and not the other, the final totals of Presley recordings on both charts were about the same. Billboard listed 134 Presley single titles between 1956-1977 and Cash Box listed 130 over the same time span.]

Cash Box
gave Elvis more #1 ratings
One big difference between the two charts, however, is in the key category of Elvis's #1 records. Thirteen Presley singles reached the top of both the Billboard and Cash Box charts. They were "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956); "Don't Be Cruel" (1956); "Love Me Tender" (1956); "All Shook Up" (1957); "Teddy Bear" (1957); "Jailhouse Rock" (1957); "Don't" (1958); "Stuck on You" (1960); "It's Now or Never" (1960); "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" (1960); "Surrender" (1961); "Good Luck Charm" (1962); and "Suspicious Minds" (1969).
Billboard credited Elvis with a fourteenth #1 when "A Big Hunk O' Love" sat atop the "Hot 100" for two weeks in 1959. According to Cash Box, however, that Elvis single never was the top seller during any week that year, and so it peaked at #2 on the magazine's "Top 100 Singles."
However, Cash Box more than made up for denying "A Big Hunk O' Love" #1 status by assigning Elvis 5 additional chart-topping singles that never reached #1 on the "Hot 100." They were "Hound Dog" (1956); "Too Much" (1957); "Return to Sender" (1962); "In the Ghetto" (1969); and "Burning Love" (1972). All of those Presley records had peaked at #2 on Billboard's chart, except for "In the Ghetto," which reached #3. What's more, Cash Box credited Elvis with having 8 consecutive #1 single records starting with "Hound Dog" in August 1956 and running through "Don't" in March 1958. The longest #1 streak for Elvis on the "Hot 100" was 5 titles from 1959-1961.
Overall, then, Cash Box credited Elvis with 18 #1 single records, while Billboard limited him to just 14 chart-toppers.
Cash Box gave Elvis more top 10 ratings
When it comes to singles that reached the top 10 on the charts, Cash Box was again more charitable towards Elvis than was Billboard. A total of 45 Elvis titles reached the top 10 of the "Top 100 Singles" chart, with just 38 achieving the same status on the "Hot 100." Obviously, Presley's heavy record sales, which earned him higher chart positions on Cash Box's sales chart, was blunted somewhat on Billboard's air play oriented chart by weekly DJ reports that were apparently a bit soft on Elvis.
A couple of other differences in Elvis's chart histories on the Cash Box and Billboard single record ratings resulted from the difference in how the two charts were compiled. The first has to do with how long certain Presley hit records remained on the two charts.

Elvis Presley All Shook Up sleeve In the 1950s, Elvis's big hit singles spent much more time on Billboard's chart than they did on the Cash Box best seller list. For instance, the Billboard-to-Cash Box "weeks-on-chart" ratio for some of Presley's early hits include "Heartbreak Hotel" 27-21, "Hound Dog" 28-21, "Teddy Bear" 25-16, and "Jailhouse Rock" 27-20. The biggest difference in length of chart run, however, goes to "All Shook Up," which remained on Billboard's chart for 30 weeks but stayed on Cash Box's list for only 18 weeks. The natural assumption is that long after sales of these Elvis hits had run their course in the record shops and dropped from Cash Box's sales chart, they continued to be popular on the radio. DJ air play reports to Billboard then kept those titles on that magazine's list for an extended period of time.
After Elvis returned home from the army in 1960, the discrepancy in chart run length of Elvis singles on the two charts essentially disappeared. The chart runs of his first four post-army singles—"Stuck on You," "It's Now or Never," "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and "Surrender"—were all within one week of each other on the "Hot 100" and the "Top 100 Singles."
Cash Box dilemma—how to handle Elvis's two-sided hit singles
The fact that both sides of Elvis Presley singles record releases were often popular presented the Cash Box chart compilers with a dilemma. When a consumer purchased a two-sided 45, which side should be credited with the sale for chart placement purposes? There was no problem when one side was clearly more popular than the other. For example, it was obvious which song most buyers wanted when they purchased the "Return to Sender"/"Where Do You Come From" single in 1962. The credit dilemma came when both sides of the single were seemingly equally popular.
Take, for instance, "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel," Elvis's biggest double-sided hit. When the single began flying off record store shelves after its release in July 1956, Cash Box assigned all sales credits to the "Hound Dog" side. It was logical to assume teenagers were purchasing the record for that side, since Elvis had recently performed controversial TV versions of the song on both "The Milton Berle Show" and "The Steve Allen Show." Elvis's "Hound Dog" recording was already at #2 on the Cash Box chart by the time "Don't Be Cruel" made its chart debut on August 11. Starting the next week, Cash Box listed "Hound Dog" as the #1 selling single record in the country for 4 straight weeks. As Elvis's single continued to out-sell all comers, Cash Box began assigning sales to the flip side, "Don't Be Cruel," which moved into the #1 spot on September 15. When that title remained atop the chart for 5 more weeks, it meant that Elvis's "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel" combo had been the nation's top selling single record for 10 consecutive weeks.
Elvis Presley Little Sister sleeve Things did not go so smoothly with Cash Box's handling of some other Presley two-sided hits. For instance, in the fall of 1961, RCA released Elvis's "Little Sister"/"(Marie's the Name of) His Latest Flame" single. Both sides received heavy radio exposure and seemed equally popular with Presley fans. Using their regular combination of sales and DJ air play reports, Billboard rated both songs almost equally on the "Hot 100." "Little Sister" was on the chart for 13 weeks, reaching #5. "His Latest Flame" charted for 11 weeks and peaked at #4. Cash Box, however, apparently chose to assign the majority of the record's sales to the "Little Sister" side. As a result, although both sides were on the Cash Box sales-only chart the exact same number of weeks they had been on the "Hot 100," "Little Sister" peaked at #5, while "His Latest Flame" stalled out way down the list at #21. It this case, the Billboard rating system probably provided the clearer picture of the record's two-sided popularity.
Cash Box provided better record of Elvis's singles
Overall, though, during the 1950s and 1960s, Cash Box's "Best Selling Singles Chart," untainted as it was by the biases of disc jockeys, offered a more objective documentation of Elvis Presley's single record releases than did Billboard. Cash Box's sales-only figures upgraded the chart position of many Presley recordings from their lower ranks on the "Hot 100." Unfortunately, Cash Box's singles chart did not remain true to its original reliance on sales data. In the 1970s, the magazine began adding radio air play to its selection criteria. For the next two decades, until its demise in 1996, Cash Box operated in the shadow of "Big Brother" Billboard.


miércoles, 19 de octubre de 2011

EP in the studio 1956 RCA


 

     

          

c  

 

 


martes, 18 de octubre de 2011

OCTOBER 10, ON THIS DAY IN ELVIS HISTORY


October 10, 1955
Elvis performed at the Memorial Hall Brownwood, Texas. This was sponsored by the Brownhood Volunteer Fire Department.
October 10, 1963
Elvis recorded his vocals for the Kissin' Cousins backing tracks at MGM's soundstage, which were recorded in Nashville.
October 10, 1966
Elvis filmed on location at the Long Beach Naval Station for "Easy Come Easy Go".
October 10, 1970
Elvis flew to Memphis, where he would stay the whole week, before returning to Los Angeles. There was a private ceremony arranged for him, where he received his official deputy sheriff's badge from the Sheriff. This badge permitted him to carry a pistol. Elvis was interested in police work for a long time and with all the threads in Las Vegas he was very pleased with it.

lunes, 17 de octubre de 2011

October 09, On This day in Elvis history

October 09, 1955
This was the first show in a weeklong tour with Johnny Cash, Wanda Jackson and Porter Wagoner at Cherry Springs Dance Hall, Cherryspring, Texas.
October 09, 1956
Elvis paid his dentist $150 for plastic inserts for his upper anterior teeth.
October 09, 1965
At home for the first time in 7 months Elvis purchased a 1966 Olds Toronado and 3 days later he bought a 1966 Electric Glide Harley-Davidson for $1,941.25 from Taylor Harley Davidson Sales. He liked to ride on his new bike around Graceland grounds.
AND
 Elvis's single "I'm Yours" hit #11 in the U.S.
AND
The Elvis compilation album "Flaming Star And Summer Kisses" hit #11 in the U.K.
October 09, 1967
Principal photography on Stay Away Joe began.
October 09, 1970
Elvis bought a black 1971 Stutz Blackhawk from Jules Meyers Pontiac in Los Angeles and turned it over to George Barris for customizing. According to Barris, the car, first of its kind in Los Angeles, was meant to be for Frank Sinatra, but Elvis managed to talk Meyers into selling the car to him.
October 09, 1973
Elvis was in Los Angeles, where the divorce was finalized at the County Superior Courthouse in Santa Monica. The custody of Lisa - Marie was shared and gave Priscilla a cash payment of $725,000. She would get $4,200 each month for spousal support for a year, plus $6,000 a month for 10 years, plus $4,000 a month in child support. As for the sale of the Hillcrest house she would get half.
After a short hearing, only 20 minutes, Elvis and Priscilla came out of the court walking hand in hand.
October 09, 1974
Elvis performed at the Expo Center, Abilene, Kansas. After this show Elvis flew to Lake Tahoe. The 15th day tour left Elvis and the Colonel with $960,000 to divide.
October 09, 1975
Milo High, the personal pilot of Elvis, flew his boss and 8 others to Dallas and back.
Date:
09 Oct 1974
Time: 8.30pm
Venue: Abilene, TX.
Exposition Center
Tickets: 8,604
Costume:
Blue Rainbow suit
Track list:
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
I Got A Woman/Amen
Love Me
Trying To Get To You
All Shook Up
Love Me Tender
Hound Dog
Fever
Polk Salad Annie
Why Me, Lord
Suspicious Minds
[band introductions]
I Can't Stop Loving You
Help Me
An American Trilogy
Let Me Be There
Funny How Time Slips Away
Big Boss Man
Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
Can't Help Falling In Love
 
 



domingo, 16 de octubre de 2011

Elvis in October




Elvis in October: A list of important events that occurred in October during the life and career of Elvis Presley
October 3, 1945 — A ten-year-old Elvis sang "Old Shep" at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in Tupelo.
October 2, 1954 — Elvis appeared on The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. He sang "Blue Moon of Kentucky."
Elvis Presley in army in Germany 1958 October 11, 1956 — Elvis appeared before 26,500 fans at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. It was the largest crowd to see him perform in the 1950s.
October 17, 1957 —Jailhouse Rock, Elvis's third movie, premiered in Memphis. Elvis did not attend.

Elvis on October 1, 1958, the day of his arrival in Germany.
October 28, 1956 — Elvis appeared for the second time on The Ed Sullivan Show . He sang "Don't Be Cruel," "Love Me Tender," "Love Me," and "Hound Dog."
October 28, 1957 — Elvis gave his infamous concert at Los Angeles's Pan Pacific Auditorium. Complaints about the show caused the city vice squad to film Elvis's show the next night to make sure he didn't violate the city's indecency law.
October 1, 1958 — Elvis arrived in Germany aboard the U.S.S. Randall to start his army deployment there.
October 15, 1961 — Elvis recorded "Good Luck Charm" at RCA's Studio B in Nashville.
October 23, 1968 — Elvis's 28th movie, Live a Little, Love a Little, opened in theaters nationwide.
October 9, 1973 — Elvis and Priscilla's divorce was finalized at the Los Angeles County Superior Court House in Santa Monica.
October 29, 1976 — Elvis's Jungle Room recording sessions began at Graceland.


viernes, 14 de octubre de 2011

Variety’s magazine


 



As a weekly entertainment trade magazine, Variety has been published continually since its founding in 1905. Although primarily known for its coverage of motion pictures, the tabloid also has reported on many other fields in the entertainment industry. When Elvis Presley exploded on the scene in 1956, Variety's weekly issues contained a section devoted to recorded music. Included were updated charts and reviews of recently released records. Starting with "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956, Variety reviewed most RCA Presley single releases through 1971, when the magazine scaled back its coverage of recorded music.
Below are Variety's brief reviews of Elvis Presley's four major single record releases in 1956. In reading them, it is important to keep in mind that the journal's subscribers were record sellers. The reviews were intended to help retailers decide which records to stock in their stores. Also, since a good portion of the magazine's advertising space was purchased by record companies, Variety's reviewers were mindful to keep criticism to a minimum, lest RCA and other labels take their advertising dollars elsewhere.

 
 
Elvis Presley Heartbreak Hotel sleeve Variety, February 1, 1956:
Elvis Presley: "Heartbreak Hotel"-"I Was the One" (RCA Victor). Elvis Presley, country singer, is a compelling stylist who tears his tunes to tatters a la Johnnie Ray. "Heartbreak Hotel" is an ideal piece of material and he goes to town with the help of an excellent background. It could establish Presley in the pop picture. "I Was the One" is a slow rhythm ballad, also with a good idea and potently rendered.

 
 

Elvis Presley I Want You sleeve Variety, May 9, 1956
Elvis Presley: "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"-"My Baby left Me" (RCA Victor). The current phenom of the music biz, Elvis Presley probably could have a hit if his name were on a blank disk. This coupling is sure of a big ride even though the material is not up to the level of his "Heartbreak Hotel" smash. "I Want You" is a slow ballad with a strong beat and Presley belts it with his identifying vocalisthenics. Flip, in a traditional blues vein, also gets an energetic workout.
 
Elvis Presley Hound Dog sleeve Variety, July 15, 1956:
Elvis Presley: "Hound Dog"-"Don't Be Cruel" (RCA Victor). Like Ed Sullivan found out, you can't fight statistics. Elvis Presley may not be the most polished singer but he's the most popular and these new sides will ride along the top of the wave. He gives "Hound Dog" a typical word-swallowing, beat-belting workover with some machine-gun drums in the background. "Don't Be Cruel" is another uptempo ballad with equal chances. The controversy still will go on between those who think he's not even a beginner and those who say he's the end.
 

Elvis Presley Love Me Tender sleeve Variety, October 13, 1956:
Elvis Presley: "Love Me Tender"-"Anyway You Want Me" (RCA Victor). Like his previous disks, this Elvis Presley platter is an automatic hit. But "Love Me Tender," the title song from the 20th-Fox pic in which Presley is making his film bow, is a change-of-pace material for this singer. Instead of the frantic, note-breaking style which has characterized Presley's other vocals, he makes an effort to sing in a legit ballad style. The result is not too striking, but the Presley fans will undoubtedly go for it. On the flip, Presley reverts back to his normal style, and this side could be the one to step out as the top side.
In the September 5 article, Variety acknowledged that Elvis Presley was "the hottest disk name to turn up in this era." On track to sell 10 million records during his first year on the RCA Victor label, Presley's royalty payoff was estimated at $400,000 in 1956. Those 10 million records sold would also mean a gross income of $5 million for RCA. And sales would only get better during the following year.

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jueves, 13 de octubre de 2011

October 08, On This day in Elvis history

October 08, 1955

Elvis performed at the Louisiana Hayride, Municipal Auditorium , Shreveport.

October 08, 1956

Elvis was released from the film Love Me Tender, because all the work completing the production was done.

Elvis turned down NBC-TV's suggestion he sing in a forthcoming special
for the "Kraft Television Theater" about a singing idol.
Newsweek said NBC and CBS rejected Elvis's appearances because the new
asking was fee was too steep at $300,000.
Time magazine announced that RCA had an all time high advance sale for
'Love Me Tender" records.

October 08, 1960

Elvis and the group stopped off in Las Vegas for some time before returning to Memphis.

October 08, 1967

Elvis arrived for shooting Stay Away Joe in Sedona, Arizona.

October 08, 1971

The LP Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas was released.

October 08, 1972

Between this day and the end of October 1972 Elvis watched almost every night movies at the Memphian or the Crosstown.

October 08, 1974

Elvis performed at the Convention Center, San Antonio, Texas.

October 08, 1975

Elvis took a short flying tour in his newly bought Lockheed JetStar, with 5 others and his personal pilot, Milo High.

Elvis suffered from some undisclosed disorder and was very ill.

October 08, 1992

The U.S. Postal Service announced the commemorative stamp booklet that would include Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Clyde McPhatter, Dinah Washington, and Otis Redding.
October 08, 1994

In Memphis, TN, Michael Jackson, Lisa Marie Presley and Janet Jackson attended the all-star "Elvis Aaron Presley - The Tribute."

Date:
08 Oct 1974
Time: 8.30pm
Venue: San Antonio, TX.
Convention Center
Tickets: 10,500
Costume:
Peacock suit
Track list:
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
I Got A Woman/Amen
Love Me
All Shook Up
Love Me Tender
Hound Dog
Fever
Polk Salad Annie
Why Me, Lord?
Suspicious Minds
[band introductions]
I Can't Stop Loving You
Help Me
An American Trilogy
Let Me Be There
Funny How Time Slips Away
Big Boss Man
Don't Be Cruel/Teddy Bear
Can't Help Falling In Love