Month: January 2011

Coming Soon: White Knight In Vegas (August 26, 1969, DS)

/ TY / 2 Comments

Follow That Dream Records will release in February White Knight In Vegas, a new CD containing Elvis’ August 26, 1969, Dinner Show (“New FTD Releases” — ElvisNews.com). FTD is Sony’s collectors label for Elvis fans.

Track Listing
01 Blue Suede Shoes*
02 I Got A Woman*
03 All Shook Up*
04 Love Me Tender*
05 Jailhouse Rock/Don’t Be Cruel*
06 Heartbreak Hotel*
07 Hound Dog*
08 Memories*
09 My Babe (previously released: Elvis Aron Presley)
10 Mystery Train/Tiger Man*
11 Monologue*
12 Baby, What You Want Me To Do*
13 Runaway*
14 Inherit The Wind (Collectors Gold)
15 Yesterday/Hey Jude*
16 Introductions*
17 In The Ghetto*
18 Suspicious Minds (Elvis In Person)
19 Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis In Person)

* = previously unreleased

Since five full shows from this same engagement have been officially before, some sad and disappointed fans in various places are already whining things like, “If you’ve heard one of these shows, you’ve heard ’em all” and indicating that White Knight is hardly an essential release.

Nonsense.

White Knight will actually mark the first full release of a show that contributed songs to the original Elvis In Person (From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis) live compilation album. Plus, the songs “My Babe” and “Inherit The Wind” have never been featured on any full show release before.

The 1969 Vegas season represents Elvis at the top of his game. Whether first, sixth, or fifty-seventh, every 1969 (and 1970, for that matter) show is essential upon release from the vaults. How many of them do I want? All of them. (And I’m not a “buy every concert no matter what” collector, either. These shows are special.)

Also coming in February is a vinyl version of the recent How Great Thou Art classic albums release.

FTD releases are available from ShopElvis.com and other online Elvis retailers.

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Additional Sources

Rock to the Jailhouse Rock

/ TY / 2 Comments

Well, Elvis Day is over. Right as midnight approached, I finished watching Jailhouse Rock on Blu. Outside of the concert documentaries, it’s probably my favorite Elvis movie. It looks incredible in high definition. I could almost imagine it was 1957 and I was in the theater. . . .

It’s been awhile since I’ve watched it, and I’d forgotten just how cool Elvis was in Jailhouse Rock. In fact, I would say Jailhouse Rock stands next to the ’68 Comeback and That’s The Way It Is as Elvis at his absolute coolest. I’m gonna have to pick up FTD’s Jailhouse Rock volumes soon.

This was probably his best acting performance, too – though 1958’s King Creole is surely a contender as well. It makes those 1960s formula movies seem all the more disappointing.

It’s been a long day, and I need some sleep. Good night, folks.

“I’d like to shove their conversation. I’m not even sure they were talking English!” –Vince Everett (Jailhouse Rock)

Happy Elvis Day 2011

/ TY / 8 Comments

As you probably know, today would have been Elvis Presley’s 76th birthday. Do you do anything special to celebrate Elvis Day? When I was in high school, I made it a point to watch That’s The Way It Is and the ’68 Comeback Special on VHS. Sometimes, I threw in One Night With You and Aloha From Hawaii if I had enough time.

Though I will sometimes pull out a DVD or two, these days I usually just try to fit in as much Elvis listening as possible. For instance, I’ve had my iPod set to play all Elvis all the time since Thursday. [Now playing is “Love Me” from the August 12, 1970, Midnight Show, on That’s The Way It Is (2000 Special Edition).]

Twenty-four years from now, it will be the 100th anniversary of Elvis’ birth. If I am fortunate enough to still be on this Earth and relatively healthy by then, I plan to spend January 8, 2035, in Tupelo, Mississippi. I can’t think of a better place to be on that day. By then, I will be approaching 60 years old, while The Mystery Train Elvis Blog will be approaching post #3,000. I’m not sure which of those numbers scares me more.

Wherever you happen to be this year, and however you choose to celebrate, I hope you enjoy Elvis Day 2011.

For The Heart: An Elvis New Year Workout Playlist

/ TY / 6 Comments

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that 2011 is full of health and prosperity for all of you.

This is the time of year when many of us set resolutions to do (or not do) various things. I often resolve to write my first novel. Hasn’t happened yet, but one of these years, I’m gonna get that one done! Maybe this will be the one. A popular resolution for many people is to become more physically fit. To that end, frequent commenter Ray Faithfull recently requested an Elvis playlist for working out.

Ray’s suggestion solved my dilemma of what to post here for New Year’s Day. This playlist is designed to start slow, get really revved up, and then taper off to nothing. Though you should feel like a king at the beginning, you may very well need somebody to lean on by the end of this high octane set.

Exercise, Elvis Style

Exercise, Elvis Style

For The Heart: An Elvis Workout (AKA Elvis Shakes His Excess Off)

  • King Of The Whole Wide World [C’mon Everybody]
  • Any Day Now (Alternate) [Memphis Sessions]
  • For The Heart [From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee]
  • A Little Less Conversation (Remix) [Elvis vs. JXL]
  • Polk Salad Annie (Live) [Close Up]
  • My Baby Left Me [For LP Fans Only]
  • His Latest Flame [Elvis’ Golden Records, Volume 3]
  • Jailhouse Rock [Elvis’ Golden Records]
  • Mystery Train/Tiger Man (Live) [Collectors Gold]
  • Power Of My Love [From Elvis In Memphis]
  • My Babe (Live) [From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis]
  • Hey Little Girl [Harum Scarum]
  • A Big Hunk O’ Love [50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong: Elvis’ Gold Records Volume 2]
  • Big Boss Man [Clambake]
  • Blue Suede Shoes (Remix) [Viva Elvis: The Album]
  • Heartbreak Hotel/Hound Dog/All Shook Up (Live) [ELVIS-TV Special]
  • Got A Lot O’ Livin’ To Do [Loving You]
  • Little Sister [Elvis’ Golden Records, Volume 3]
  • Good Rockin’ Tonight [A Date With Elvis]
  • Johnny B. Goode (Live) [From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis]
  • Rubberneckin’ [Almost In Love]
  • Bossa Nova Baby [Fun In Acapulco]
  • Hard Headed Woman [King Creole]
  • The Fool [Elvis Country]
  • Suspicious Minds (Live) [All Shook Up]
  • Follow That Dream (Alternate) [Today, Tomorrow & Forever]
  • Funny How Time Slips Away (Rehearsal) [Elvis On Tour: The Rehearsals]
  • I Need Somebody To Lean On [I Got Lucky]

I tried something new and published this playlist on iTunes as For The Heart: An Elvis Workout. If you have iTunes, you should be able to see it there by following the link (I am not sure if this will work for those outside of the US). Not all of the same versions were available, so I had to do a few substitutions.

Thanks to Ray for the idea. Good luck with your fitness goals, buddy. I’ll be right in there fighting, too.

Keep those suggestions coming, everyone. Have a fantastic 2011!