Elvis Presley Reviews and Articles by By Thomas Melin
Reviews and articles about Elvis Presley by By Thomas Melin.
Interview with D.J. Fontana (April 2006) : 'I Tell You What, He Loved Gospel Music'
Eleven years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Elvis' first drummer D.J Fontana. I was working as a reporter at a radio station, when, one day in April, 2006, a press release caught my eye. It announced that Fontana was touring Sweden as part of a Swedish group called The Cadillac Band that would be playing my home town that very night. As my news editor didn't seem to understand the significance of this, I practically had to beg him to let me interview the drummer instead of doing the news piece he had in mind for me to do.
Review | Promised Land FTD Special Edition 2 CD Classic Album
Ever since Good Times was released by the Follow That Dream label two years ago I've been looking forward to Promised Land getting the classic album treatment as well, and earlier this month it finally arrived. After listening to the two CD's packed with alternate takes and interesting studio dialog as well as some rehearsals and undubbed masters, I can say that it was definitely worth the wait.
Review | Elvis (Fool) Special Edition 2 CD from FTD
In the 'Behind the scenes' section of the booklet accompanying Elvis (Fool) it states that the original LP 'is in essence an album of leftovers'. I guess the same can be said when it comes to 'Elvis Now', although to a lesser extent. But the FTD treatments of these two albums are essential, as they together include outtakes of all the non gospel and non Christmas songs Elvis recorded during the March–June 1971 Nashville sessions. Buy Elvis (Fool) : FTD Special Edition 2 CD you won't regret it!!!
Review | He Touched Me FTD Special Edition 2 CD
Unlike Elvis' first two religious albums, His Hand In Mine and How Great Thou Art, his third and last one, He Touched Me, was a mix of traditional gospel and more contemporary Christian music. Recorded in Nashville in March, May and June 1971, the recently released FTD treatment of the album opens the door to RCA's Studio B to let us experience these recording sessions first hand. It makes for a fascinating visit.
Interview with Per-Erik 'Pete' Hallin about Elvis Presley and gospel
Interview with Per-Erik 'Pete' Hallin about Elvis Presley and gospel by Thomas Melin. Per-Erik Hallin sang and played piano with Elvis Presley in 1973 and 1974 (when he was Voice's piano player).
Review | Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas FTD 2 CD Special Edition
FTD's treatment is Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas, released this month with the help of outtakes not being overdubbed in any way ... reveals a more intimate and sensitive side of the Christmas recordings that took place in Nashville during two nights in May, 1971. When released on the original album back in 1971, Felton Jarvis had just about used every trick in the book when it came to making overdubs on If I Get Home On Christmas Day, adding strings, horns and a lot of backing vocals, creating what I like to call a 'bombastic Elvis sound'. Listening to the alternate takes, especially the early ones, you can almost be fooled into thinking it's another song, it sounds so much more intimate.
Review | Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis FTD CD | Live Richmond, Virginia
Our focus today is Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis : Recorded Live On Stage In Richmond, Virginia : March 18, 1974, one of the latest CDs from Sony's Follow That Dream Records. The Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis title reflects that Elvis closed out his tour two days after this Richmond concert with a show in Memphis - portions of which became the 1974 album Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.
