Unreleased Tracks On FTD Vinyl

Reading the latest issue of Elvis The Man And His Music that arrived with the mail today, I was a bit disappointed to learn that FTD's vinyl version of Viva Las Vegas included two previously unreleased tracks. Although not mentioned in pre-release publicity, the LP edition features "The Lady Love Me" (take 2) as well as "If You Think I Don't Need You" (take 2).

Apparently I'm not the only one who feels a bit cheated. Another reader who, just like me is a loyal supporter of the FTD CD's, a Mr Gary Thompson from Cambridge, calls it "cheap tactics to try and sell their over-priced vinyl."

I have to agree, at least to a certain point. If you own the FTD CD version, that should be enough. You shouldn't have to buy an expensive vinyl album just to get two unreleased takes not found on the CD. Hey, many fans don't even own a record player.

Speculating a bit, maybe the problem is that many of the soundtracks were released on just one CD in the classic album series, as opposed to the the non-soundtrack albums that came later on. As I discovered a while back, a lot of outtakes were missing on the FTD Kid Galahad CD, and this probably has to do with the limited space a one CD release offers.

In all fairness, the Viva Las Vegas CD is packed with music, running for almost 79 minutes. But a look at the track listing reveals that a lot of takes seems to be missing here as well, as verified, at least to a certain point, by the two unreleased takes recently released on the LP edition.

So isn't it a good thing that a couple of more outtakes are made available to the fans? Sure, but I for one still feel that the price to obtain them is to high. Why don't sell them individually on iTunes as well? That, I can afford.

The Elvis Today Blog Cover

February hasn't been a very active one when it comes to new posts on the Elvis Today blog. With a four month old baby girl at home and a hectic time at work right now, I guess I can be forgiven.

But as some of you have been wondering how my blog book is coming along, I thought I'd tell you that it's a bit delayed (what good Elvis products aren't?!) but should be finished in March.

Until then, this is what the cover will look like:

Elvis 67 - Clambake!

When Troy announced that The Mystery Train Elvis Blog would honor the 44th anniversary of 1967 with special features on that Elvis year all throughout 2011, I couldn’t keep my fingers away from the keyboard. Not only does 1967 mark the year I was born, it also saw the release of the soundtrack album Clambake. So I wrote a guest blog where I talk a little bit about the latter.

Check it out over at The Mystery Train Elvis Blog

The Truth About Me

Hi, this is Thomas... I'm 23 years old and my interest in Elvis started when one of my two brothers bought the double LP Elvis Forever in the late 70's. I became a real fan a short time later when I borrowed a couple of Elvis albums from a classmate, among them Elvis In Concert.

During the years me and my other brother have built a record collection that we're proud of. Not because it includes a lot of valuable editions, but because we think we own most of the stuff released officially by Elvis, and to us it's the music and not the value of the collection that counts.

My favorite period with Elvis is 1968–77, when Elvis was at the peak, artistically as well as vocally.

When it comes to fan clubs, I joined the British Official Elvis Presley Fan Club in 1982. Two years later I became a member of the Swedish fan club Tidskriften Elvis, and in issue number 1, 1988, my first article was published.

Although I listen to other artists as well, not a day goes by without a dose of Elvis; by listening to a record or occasionally catching a video. Like a certain singer once said (with some slight modifications): "Without an Elvis song a man ain't got a friend. Without an Elvis song the day won't ever end. So I'll just keep listening to his song..."

I wrote the above (in Swedish) 21 years ago, when the members of the staff of the Swedish fan club magazine Tidskriften Elvis presented themselves in issue number 2, 1990. I'd written a couple of articles for that magazine (here's an example) , and felt proud to be considered part of the team.

I stumbled across the short text I'd written back then while leafing through a heap of old Elvis magazines. And although I no longer think Elvis was at his peak in 1977 and I'm no longer a contributor to Tidskriften Elvis, the rest of the stuff still holds true. Especially the last paragraph that actually was the reason I started the Elvis Today blog in 2007.

PS: I remember thinking that the other staff members were looking really old, like in their early to middle 40's or something, and now I'm as old as they were then...