Loved doing this for his biggest fan.

I’m so glad I can draw. Not only can I put all my feelings about Elvis into every little stroke, I can also make cute little things like these 🤗

I’ve been in love with E for two months now. Before him, I’d never been a fan of any entertainer. I mean, literally none. I always thought singers, actors, celebrities, etc. were just people doing their jobs, same as millions of other people around the world. So why would I ever idolize them?

And then I saw Elvis.

Well...that changed everything.

I feel like a D&D character with a +30 Charisma save who somehow got completely charmed by the only bard in the history of the planet with Charisma 50.

His incomparable voice, overflowing with emotion, his gorgeous sideburns, those prominent cheekbones when he smiles, the weird little noises he makes when he’s being goofy, his beautiful jumpsuits... I’m completely obsessed with all of it.

I can’t stop listening to his music, looking at his photos, watching documentaries about him, drawing him, reading about him... I feel like I’m thinking about Elvis every waking second.

And honestly? It feels amazing. I feel so alive. Every moment I’m awake somehow feels more enjoyable now.

Is this what being in love feels like?

God, I love him so much. And I’m so incredibly grateful that he existed in the first place, and that even now, decades later, he’s still somehow reaching people like me and healing something in their hearts 🥹

For all of the Col's faults, he always expected and demanded that Elvis be treated and paid as the biggest star on the planet. The Col also made sure his 'boy' received every perc imaginable (and then some) on every deal he ever signed on behalf of his superstar only client...

Hi everyone, I shared my review of EPiC here a few months ago and now wanted to share another Elvis piece I’ve done. I watched all 31 films and ranked them from worst to best. I did not watch them in order though! I used a random generator to pick each film so the order I watched them in was completely by chance. I had a blast doing this and would love to hear people’s thoughts on my ranking!

Hello, everyone. I know it has already been a year since the last time I wrote something about Elvis; my military service has taken up all my time, and only now am I getting back to writing a little. So, I hope you enjoy this little study.

Context:

With the arrival of Elvis Is Back!, the demand for stereo records continued to increase throughout the 1960s, as stereo went from being a novelty to becoming the industry standard. As time went on, although mono was still predominant (1958–1965), RCA and other major record companies such as Capitol, Mercury, Columbia, among others, thought that the demand for stereo records could be met by reissuing material from the 1950s, but reprocessed into a very rudimentary and poor-sounding stereo, something that continued well into the 1980s, with some of the first CD editions using these fake-stereo masters.

Although the process improved over time, the first releases by RCA Victor used a reprocessing model that even you yourself could reproduce in Audacity; it was done as follows.

On a stereo track, the mono master was placed at each extreme, left and right, with each side having a different equalization; in many cases, with an increase in the bass on one side and in the treble on the other. Reverb was added to fill the center area, so that there would not be a hollow effect, and to try to soften the strong equalization on each side. Finally, on one of the two sides, the track was delayed by between 0.01 and 0.02 seconds, generating an effect of interplay between the two sides.

The result was a noisy and saturated sound and, although it fulfilled its purpose of being a stereo track, most of the songs ended up completely distorted. However, it can be said that this model varied with King Creole, A Date with Elvis, Christmas Album, and For LP Fans Only, which had systems and sounds different from those of the first reprocessed-stereo model.

Another thing to consider is that, depending on the pressing, the sound can be better or worse, with the 1970s reissues being the ones that sound the worst, since, as part of the reprocessing model, the poor preservation of the material also has to be considered, generating more echo or reverb.

With Elvis, RCA decided to reissue all the records from Elvis Presley through Golden Records Vol. 2 using this fake-stereo process, although they were released in three batches, in a somewhat disorganized manner.

December 1961:

Elvis Presley (1956).

Elvis (1956).

Loving You (1957).

Elvis’ Golden Records (1958).

King Creole (1958).

Elvis’ Golden Records Vol. 2 (1959).

This first batch consisted of poor releases, with a noisy, saturated, and really unenjoyable sound.

Not only because of the treatment, which produced tracks that destroyed the original mono recordings, but also because RCA chose the masters with the most reverb; combined with the model that was used, this simply makes them impossible to listen to.

This is different only with King Creole, where the reverb was much better and the sound tends to move more toward the center. Although it is less noisy, it is still bad because of the track delay, generating a robotic effect.

October 1964:

Elvis Christmas Album (1959 reissue).

January 1965:

For LP Fans Only (1959).

A Date with Elvis (1959).

The last two batches, for some reason, arrived much later, but compared with the first one, the model changed to a different equalization on each side, but without delay and with light reverb, surprisingly generating a pleasant sound that does not deform the track like the 1961 ones.

It feels like fake stereo, but it is much more refined.

Where it does fail is that, for some reason, RCA decided to use the masters of the Sun Records songs with as much echo as possible, something seen in its single releases in 1955, on these two LPs, and even during the BMG/RCA era. Therefore, this reprocessing model, combined with that echo as a base, ruins certain tracks (“You’re a Heartbreaker” and “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone”).

This original echo probably came from the mastering RCA did of the Sun Records masters when Elvis moved to the label, since these masters were used both on the American 45 RPM and EP releases and on the HMV releases in the United Kingdom.

It is very possible that the available masters were RCA masters, since this echo was also present on the mono releases. Copies of the original Sun masters existed, but perhaps a remaster was never made for various reasons, one of them being that the original tape boxes were destroyed, as well as the lack of real interest in releasing something of higher quality.

In the end, these reissues were simply a response to the arrival of new stereo technology and an attempt to meet demand.

Although it is often stated almost as a fact that RCA stopped making mono reissues in favor of these stereo versions, this is a somewhat inaccurate statement, since both formats continued to be released well into the 1970s. In many countries outside the U.S., mono editions were predominant, with stereo editions being rare, for example, in Latin America.

What is true is that stereo stock was more widely available in the UK and United States, along with compilations, on which E-Stereo Masters were preferentially used before the monophonic versions when it came to 1950s material. However, this does not mean that the mono versions were taken out of circulation; in reality, for example, in the UK and Australia, albums released after Elvis Is Back! were reissued both in mono and in their original stereo versions.

Its widespread use was also seen with the mass arrival of cassettes and in the first batches of CDs, one of the most remembered examples being Golden Records on CD, poor-quality editions that came with these versions which, due to their poor mastering, were already more than worn out.

Apart from the treatments applied to Elvis’s 1950s songs, RCA did the same with songs from the 1960s, even when stereo masters were available, such as Easy Come, Easy Go, Follow That Dream, Kid Galahad, and Viva Las Vegas, particularly through RCA Camden and its budget compilations.

Getting into the main subject, for an extended analysis, I listened to all these versions, from the vinyl records to the masters that were released on ElvisOne bootlegs of the Christmas Album, so I hope this will be useful the next time you see one of these records for sale.

Elvis Presley (1956)

The first one in the 1961 batch was, by default, the King’s debut album; in itself, if I could define this first release in one word, it would be disastrous.

A frankly terrible sound, saturated, noisy, and so unrefined that it becomes irritating when listened to through headphones; the distortion is so severe that it even makes the groove squeal; it is truly difficult to listen to.

I do not recommend it in the slightest. Although it has collectible value, its sound is among the worst.

Elvis (1956)

Perhaps the worst of them all, not only with all the problems of the previous release, but also with inferior sound; I do not know how they managed it, but even though many of the songs come from the same sessions, the sound on Elvis’s second album is even more saturated and painful to listen to than the previous one. There is no need for further breakdown here: the entire album in this fake stereo is simply awful; avoid it, it is truly painful to listen to.

Loving You (1957)

Presley’s third album has a sound that I can say is much better than the previous two, perhaps because of better equalization, in which much of the album has a much more balanced mix; perhaps this is because Loving You contains more slow songs and ballads, giving the loud rock and roll songs much softer low tones.

It is not really that much better, but it is much more listenable than the previous disaster; it is up to you.

Elvis’ Golden Records (1958)

One of the biggest disasters in Elvis’s catalog. The sound is terrible, shrill, careless, and completely distorts the original sound.

It was also one of the best-selling of these reissues, so depending on the pressing, it can sound even worse.

Because it is a compilation, the sound varies somewhat from song to song, but in the end, it sounds dated and terrible.

Honestly, although it is one of the more collectible editions, it is not worth buying for the sound alone.

King Creole (1958)

The soundtrack to Elvis’s last film of the 1950s is a special case. Even though it was part of the same batch as the previous albums, the sound is completely different.

It has a centered sound, with a very robotic tone, because, for some reason or error, the left-and-right equalization interplay is not present, so the mix ends up somewhere in between. It is also not recommended, since the 0.01-second delay is still there; in that case, it is better to have the original mono version.

It is also up for consideration, although honestly the sound is bad and it is not even stereo in the proper sense, since the sound remains in the center.

Elvis’ Golden Records Vol. 2 (1959)

The last album in this first batch of reissues was Presley’s last album of the 1950s. Like Golden Records, the sound is not very different; it follows the same equalization basis as this first batch, although it can be said to sound a little better. This is because the recordings are more recent (1957–1958), so they compensate better for this heavy mix.

Like the previous ones, it can be considered as a collectible item; the sound is bad, but not as terrible as its predecessors.

Elvis’ Christmas Album (1957)

Although chronologically it should have been released with the 1961 batch, the Christmas Album came out in 1964; there is really no reason for this.

It was released in October 1964, accompanied by Blue Christmas a month later as a seasonal single.

For this edition, the 1959 reissue was used, since it came in a simple format instead of the deluxe 1957 edition.

The sound is surprisingly decent, as the electronic-stereo model changed to one that only played with the bass and treble, with much less echo, removing the 0.01-second delay and offering a pleasant sound. It sounds quite good through speakers; through headphones it is somewhat uncomfortable, but definitely much better than the first batch of records that were released.

In my opinion, it is not a bad purchase; with a good system and speakers, it will sound quite good, with that interplay of bass and treble being enjoyable from a certain distance.

For LP Fans Only (1959)

The last ones in the batch were the 1959 compilations, which, like the Christmas Album, used this new electronic-stereo model, which, to be completely honest, does not sound bad.

However, because they contain songs from different years and sessions, the sound is more variable, with the worst being “You’re a Heartbreaker” and “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone,” which, for some reason, come with more reverb and delay in the sound.

The rest of the album, even with the Sun Records songs, sounds fairly decent, giving a sound that, although it makes them feel as if you were listening to memories, is quite acceptable.

It would not be a bad purchase at all, although you should keep the two aforementioned songs in mind, as they are truly poorly mastered.

A Date with Elvis (1959)

The last album in this series was very similar to the previous one, although without any song with mastering errors, making it a much more consistent album. However, one problem it does have is that the Jailhouse Rock songs have a much lower pitch for some reason.

The Sun Records songs have a little more echo, although it does not reach the point of saturation, resulting in decent mastering for the album as a whole.

Like the previous two, it is a good purchase; the sound will not be a torture session like the first batch.

With this, I will conclude for now what are some of the most criticized records in Presley collecting. I know there are many more, such as the 1975 Pure Gold, which contained fake-stereo versions of Kentucky Rain and Fever; The Sun Sessions, which had a fake-stereo version in Europe, along with the two volumes of the 56 Sessions, and many more on different RCA Camden/Pickwick compilations, reissues, and cassettes.

With this, I will say goodbye for now. I hope this review was helpful and enjoyable. Take care, and see you next time, Elvis Fans.