First generation fans - A declining demographic

[billyblues]

Seen him live? Yes, several times. Meet him? No. Now you are making me feel guilty! Unfort a lot more folks on this site would have seen him live if he embarked on a European tour, and that, I feel is much worse than some TV shows not being released.

Well, the USA and Europe are not the only places on our planet... You know, some folk like billyblues here live in Brazil, for example. I love Elvis since I was 5 years old (I'm 25 now) and I can't tell you how lucky you are, sir, to be one of the "original fans". I collect vinyl records and every single time I get a "new" (not exactly new, right? heheh) one I feel a chill down my spine, to think how someone bought it back in the day and listened to it for the first time. I also can't express how many times I looked to my 50's Elvis records and thought: "wow, imagine listening to it back in the 50's!!". You had that chance, good sir. You're a lucky fella. Enjoy that because no one can take that from you! Not only Elvis, but you also were there to see many many great people like Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Ronnie Self, etc, etc. You were there to see Rock 'n' Roll changing shapes and evolving. This is priceless, something we, newer fans, will never be able to experience. As a Rock 'n' Roll fan of a newer generation, I lost most of my heroes before I could even think about seeing them. The last one I lost was Lou Reed in 2013 and to this day I feel terrible that I wasn't able to see him live (he came here a few years ago to sign the Brazilian edition of a book of his lyrics, but I didn't have the money to go see him back then). I fully understand your worries, but really, you're a lucky, lucky person!

May God bless you wich much happiness and health to live many more years and see more Elvis releases, besides sharing your experience.

[r&b]

Seen him live? Yes, several times. Meet him? No. Now you are making me feel guilty! Unfort a lot more folks on this site would have seen him live if he embarked on a European tour, and that, I feel is much worse than some TV shows not being released.

Well, the USA and Europe are not the only places on our planet... You know, some folk like billyblues here live in Brazil, for example. I love Elvis since I was 5 years old (I'm 25 now) and I can't tell you how lucky you are, sir, to be one of the "original fans". I collect vinyl records and every single time I get a "new" (not exactly new, right? heheh) one I feel a chill down my spine, to think how someone bought it back in the day and listened to it for the first time. I also can't express how many times I looked to my 50's Elvis records and thought: "wow, imagine listening to it back in the 50's!!". You had that chance, good sir. You're a lucky fella. Enjoy that because no one can take that from you! Not only Elvis, but you also were there to see many many great people like Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Ronnie Self, etc, etc. You were there to see Rock 'n' Roll changing shapes and evolving. This is priceless, something we, newer fans, will never be able to experience. As a Rock 'n' Roll fan of a newer generation, I lost most of my heroes before I could even think about seeing them. The last one I lost was Lou Reed in 2013 and to this day I feel terrible that I wasn't able to see him live (he came here a few years ago to sign the Brazilian edition of a book of his lyrics, but I didn't have the money to go see him back then). I fully understand your worries, but really, you're a lucky, lucky person!

May God bless you wich much happiness and health to live many more years and see more Elvis releases, besides sharing your experience.

Thanks ! I should have said world tour, but Elvis always referred to a tour of Europe mainly. May have mentioned Japan also. I felt any tour, if outside the USA, would have been limited only to a few countries, thus my statement

[Eggrert]

Elvis musical legacy is treated almost like a novelty act or a joke. You can feel the disrespect shown for the Elvis fan as if they were some hillbilly unsophisticated Walmart shoppers living in trailer down by the river by the way Elvis' catalog is generally handled, compared to how the catalog of Sinatra, Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles or Johnny Cash is handled.

I won't even try to figure out what generation I am as far as Elvis fans go - I was born in 1989, didn't really become a hardcore fan until 2011. And I agree with you that it's ridiculous that Elvis' lifetime catalogue has yet to be released on CD. But at the same time, I've been spoiled as an Elvis fan the way I never have been with any other artist (the thousands of hours of Bob Dylan bootlegs that I collected as a teenager notwithstanding). I can only wish that I could buy hours upon hours of studio outtakes, live recordings, etc. for Springsteen, Elvis Costello, etc. Sure, they've had archival releases, but they tend to be heavily sanitized ("The Promise," cough), and the volume is nowhere near as extensive as it is for EP.

I think the "disrespect" you're thinking of is really more disdain for the "casual" Elvis fan, or the person who's always heard about Elvis and decides on the spur of the moment to pick up whatever generic compilation they stumble across at Walmart one day. Or, arguably, that RCA treated Elvis' music shoddily from the start, with haphazardly assembled compilations/collections of songs (lest we call many of them "albums"); heck, part of the experience of being an Elvis fan is having to sort through a bunch of crap to get at the good stuff, tracking down a relatively rare CD just to get a slightly different edit/mix of some song that we have a particular fondness for. And in a rather perverse way, it's sort of fun, knowing that you can never have it all.

Yes, Elvis fans are "disrespected," but we also have far, far more material available to us than fans of any other artist. That's nothing to sneer at. Yes, I'd love to get the EOT material (or the TTWII rehearsals, or the 50s TV shows in pristine quality), but what we DO have is truly amazing, and wonderful, and beautiful.

[Peter66]

I have become a fan in 1977. This has nothing to do with his death, I became a fan via the re-releases afterwards. So I would be a kind of first generation fan of the second series.

Some of my parents' generation were first generation fans; this means mainly a fan of the movies, because here in Austria he became famous because of them. In the late 50s he still was a minority programm, while in the early 60s he has become the ultimate superstar. Sadly all of those first generation fans I knew personally are gone now. And I never took the time to listen to their stories properly...

I have been to an Elvis birthday concert last Saturday and it was a joy to meet some first generation fans. As great as FTD is, most of this generation has no access to FTD, simply because they do not use internet in the same way my generation (born 66) does - not to speak of later generations. So IMO this decade should see an anthology-project on the main label, simply because this might be the last decade, where there still is a market for CDs and DVDs/blue rays. And this generation would treasure such a project because of the personal memories such an anthology would bring. I myself woud do. My kids like Elvis too (albeit no fans), but to them youtube is enough.

When I bought the TTWII-set this summer, a young girl looked at me and said: Wow, I love him too, but if could spend so much money, I would go to a concert of my favourite band. This is the future. The young generation would not buy such things because they would not have the money. As simple as that. (And yes, I felt very old at that moment).

Peter

[garyt]

I won't even try to figure out what generation I am as far as Elvis fans go - I was born in 1989, didn't really become a hardcore fan until 2011.

what was it that made you become an Elvis fan and than a hardcore fan?

I became a fan when I was 12 in 1982. I turned on the tv and Elvis On Tour was on. Somehow I knew he sang Hound Dog and I was waiting for him to sing it but he didn't. So I asked my mum if she had an Elvis LP. She had the original LP of Golden Records Vol 1 and when I heard "Well, since mah baby left me" I became an instant fan.

I can understand the first generation fans' fears of time running out but without people like you Elvis wouldn't have become the star that he was/is and rock 'n' roll would have probably dwindled away. Like others have said, you were there when Elvis started out. Some of you even saw Elvis live in 56 or 57. I'd give anything to back in time to see Elvis live in 1957!

[TheMaskedClown]

I am a first generation Elvis fan, having discovered him at a very early age in the 50's. My first recollection, altho a bit foggy, is the 2nd Ed Sullivan show. I was hooked as a young kid and preferred records (all singers/groups) over toys. But mostly, it was Elvis. I am part of a declining group. There are many other first generation fans still around but we are declining in numbers every year. Whats the point of this post? Well, many are sadly gone, and will never witness a release of Dorsey, Berle, and Allen shows on DVD if they ever decide to do this. Nor will they see TTWII outtakes in pristine quality if they ever decide to do this. And other releases. The point is the people that would treasure these releases the most are passing on. Sure newer fans want them, but the original first generation fans deserve them. We have been buying Elvis for close to 60 years now and these have been on our wish list since the days of VHS. An Elvis Anthology would have been nice. After The Beatles one in 1995, when Elvis was still riding high with stellar 90's CD releases, I thought it would come. I think now that it will never happen. We are a forgotten bunch, and the dwindling numbers dont help. Are the declining numbers being made up by new fans? I dont have those stats but I can tell you, that over 50 aged folks are like poison to retailers. A few years ago there was a Kathy Bates TV show on network TV. I can't recall the name, but the reviews were good, and ratings altho not spectacular were respectable. It was cancelled. Know why? Because it appealed mostly to middle-age America where advertisers feel its not worth their time to advertise. Such is the case with first generation Elvis fans. Am I too harsh here or too sensitive? What are your thoughts?

Do you want an honest answer?

Since Elvis's death, his label has provided fans with hundreds of hours of concerts, outtakes, home recordings and rehearsals. On DVD, virtually everything relating to the 68 comeback and Aloha has been released, alongside a few outtakes from EOT and a re-edit of TTWII containing unseen footage. That's not to mention the extensive bootlegged material from TTWII and EIC.

I would suggest, in an honest answer, that you prize those hundreds of hours of material and stop moaning about what you can't have. So, yes, there are several hour of unseen video footage not yet released officially? Perhaps you'd like to trade them for the 100+ FTDs, the Aloha/68 comeback releases and more? You can't have everything, no matter how much you might want it.

I see what youre saying. Thanks for being honest. I'd rather have the stuff I mentioned because its much more important to me than the many endless soundboards, outtakes, etc that FTD released. Those are really for the hardcore fans. What I want is part of history, Elvis' and TVs. With all the historic TV shows being made available for home retail, I assumed these 50's shows would be a natural for releases. Well thankfully we got the Sullivan shows and the 68 show. And yes, I would trade them for a lot of unnecessary FTDs, but thats just me. I only have about a dozen FTDs anyway.

The lack of the early 1956 shows is indeed a gaping hole (indeed, a chasm) in the Elvis catalogue at the moment, and needs to be put right - both from an audio and visual level - and on that I wholeheartedly agree. Sadly, I don't think that's going to happen for whatever reason - I can only assume it is due to copyright issues.

But sadly we can't have it all ways. Many here berate the 50 year (now 70 year) rule that allows PD companies to sell Elvis music in Europe, and moan how it damages Elvis's name, etc. And yet, at the same time, it's only through those PD companies that one can buy the audio of the 1956 TV shows at the moment. And if such a rule applied to American TV shows, the Berle and Dorsey shows would no doubt be available for all to enjoy on DVD!

"The lack of the early 1956 shows is indeed a gaping hole (indeed, a chasm) in the Elvis catalogue at the moment, and needs to be put right - both from an audio and visual level - and on that I wholeheartedly agree. Sadly, I don't think that's going to happen for whatever reason - I can only assume it is due to copyright issues."

Am I the only one thinking that there is no $$$ in putting out quality releases of the 56 shows?

[poormadpeter]

Am I the only one thinking that there is no $$$ in putting out quality releases of the 56 shows?

I'm no sure that's the case. There are plenty of TV shows from this era being put out that don't have big names like Elvis to help sell them - and the big sell here would be that they hadn't been released before, so it's not like some of us wouldn't buy them because we weren't worried about the upgrade. I think it is genuinely a case that the legal situation is more complicated than that for the Sullivan shows when it comes to copyright. That doesn't excuse Sony for not having remastered and re-released the audio elements however. They could and should have done this - and they should have been included as part of the YMWTBB release.

[r&b]

Am I the only one thinking that there is no $$$ in putting out quality releases of the 56 shows?[/quote]

I tend to agree with you. I think the market for such releases shrink every year, thus my initial post.

[Eggrert]

I won't even try to figure out what generation I am as far as Elvis fans go - I was born in 1989, didn't really become a hardcore fan until 2011.

what was it that made you become an Elvis fan and than a hardcore fan?

Nothing terribly exciting, unfortunately...I do envy those fans who first saw Elvis on TV, or at Madison Square Garden, and just immediately knew that he was something special. It took me a bit longer to appreciate Elvis. He was always on my radar (mainly because I was a huge Bob Dylan fan and Zimmy always spoke very highly of Elvis), and as a teenager I had a handful of compilation albums (Elv1s, 2nd To None, some crappy "Love Songs" comp that I got at Cracker Barrel) that I liked well enough, but he was never someone that I felt particularly strongly about. Sure, he had some great songs, but I preferred to listen to stuff like Jackson Browne and the Clash.

I became a hardcore fan around the same time I got my first decent job and had a bit more money to throw around (read: waste) on CDs. At one of the used shops that I frequented every week I found the 50s box for something ridiculous like $12 or $15. I figured "what the heck" and picked it up. It blew me away completely - the Sun sides, the first RCA session, the Army session...a few days later I went back to the store and bought the 70s box (I would have grabbed the 60s one too if they'd had it). Since then I've found it hard to justify listening to anything else for an extended period of time. I think I realized that I was a "hardcore fan" when I found myself buying compilations just to get one song (like picking up All Time Greatest Hits so that I could get the Hampton Roads version of Trilogy on CD). And to think I was once naive enough to think that the three decade boxes, Command Performances, and Memories were enough to satisfy my lust for Elvis music...

[stevelecher]

That 50's box set helped a lot of people discover Elvis. What a great release that was. So simple.

[elvis-fan]

Am I the only one thinking that there is no $$$ in putting out quality releases of the 56 shows?

With regard to the audio portion, I could see at least an FTD release (with remastered sound) of the Berle, Gleason and Allen shows doing quite well.

[poormadpeter]

Am I the only one thinking that there is no $$$ in putting out quality releases of the 56 shows?

With regard to the audio portion, I could see at least an FTD release (with remastered sound) of the Berle, Gleason and Allen shows doing quite well.

At least some of this material should and could have made up the second disc of the FTD release of the second album, instead of a half hour disc with a concert most people had bought a year previously.

[DEH]

There is really no money in most cd releases anymore even with acts that are still alive nevermind Elvis.

[SamMcK]

I'm 20 and I became an Elvis fan in about 2010 or so. It's amazing how massively a part of the public conciousness Elvis still is! He's been around since 1954 and 60 years worth of fans have listened to him. He influenced a whole generation and he's still influencing the ones that have followed since. Discovering everything in hindsight has been quite overwhelming as there was/is so much material to discover but i've grown to love so, so much of it. I could honestly say that while I don't love everything the man ever did, he recorded 100's and 100's of great recordings that i'll always come back to time after time. There's still so much to discover (Concert DVD's, Vinyl albums, vinyl singles, FTD Box Sets, documentaries etc. etc.) but being a part of the whole Elvis experience is just wonderful.

God bless everyone of you.

[poormadpeter]

There is really no money in most cd releases anymore even with acts that are still alive nevermind Elvis.

Nonsense - if that were the case we would not see the endless stream of reissues of classic artists of the past (and I don't mean PD releases).

[DEH]

There is really no money in most cd releases anymore even with acts that are still alive nevermind Elvis.

Nonsense - if that were the case we would not see the endless stream of reissues of classic artists of the past (and I don't mean PD releases).

go ask around about how much they sell. I have a few friends who work at HMV. They will tell u about CD Sales. For current artists and oldies acts.

[drjohncarpenter]

I am a first generation Elvis fan, having discovered him at a very early age in the 50's. My first recollection, altho a bit foggy, is the 2nd Ed Sullivan show. I was hooked as a young kid and preferred records (all singers/groups) over toys. But mostly, it was Elvis. I am part of a declining group. There are many other first generation fans still around but we are declining in numbers every year. Whats the point of this post? Well, many are sadly gone, and will never witness a release of Dorsey, Berle, and Allen shows on DVD if they ever decide to do this. Nor will they see TTWII outtakes in pristine quality if they ever decide to do this. And other releases. The point is the people that would treasure these releases the most are passing on. Sure newer fans want them, but the original first generation fans deserve them. We have been buying Elvis for close to 60 years now and these have been on our wish list since the days of VHS. An Elvis Anthology would have been nice. After The Beatles one in 1995, when Elvis was still riding high with stellar 90's CD releases, I thought it would come. I think now that it will never happen. We are a forgotten bunch, and the dwindling numbers dont help. Are the declining numbers being made up by new fans? I dont have those stats but I can tell you, that over 50 aged folks are like poison to retailers. A few years ago there was a Kathy Bates TV show on network TV. I can't recall the name, but the reviews were good, and ratings altho not spectacular were respectable. It was cancelled. Know why? Because it appealed mostly to middle-age America where advertisers feel its not worth their time to advertise. Such is the case with first generation Elvis fans. Am I too harsh here or too sensitive? What are your thoughts?

You have every reason to feel disenchanted. The first-generation fans are well outside the desired demographic for pushing the Presley legacy in the 21st century. And in the nearly twenty years since the enormous success of the Beatles Anthology project (multi-night TV special - three 2xCD sets - VHS box set release - DVD box set release), EPE has done nothing of a similar fashion.

But at least you are in the same company as other first generation fans like John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Bruce Springsteen, Robert Plant, Ron Wood, Keith Richards and so many others. And no one can take away the fact that you were there when it happened. And you lived through the good and the bad, and the good, and the bad.

What it must have felt like, on Tuesday night, December 3, 1968, when you tuned in "Elvis" on NBC-TV, and from a black screen, cold, came his face and the declaration, "If you're looking for trouble, you came to the right place" is a moment few of us can share. And no one will ever take than from you.


"I'm evil, so don't you mess around with me."


..

There were many emotions that night. Happiness, anxiety, relief, being proud, and a feeling of. 'I knew it. I knew he was more than Harum Scarum & Double Trouble!' Its hard to put it all into words. These feelings continued for the most part through 1970, but none were as powerful as that December night. And let me make this clear. Yes, I am in my 60's now, but I have no health or money issues. I choose not to buy 300.00 books, FTD soundboards & a lot of classic albums because basically I have no interest in them, not because I cannot afford them. If given a choice I would rather put that money toward upgrading my Sun 209 or 215. The TV shows at least I would watch on numerous occasions. Cant say the same for most FTD releases & books.

At 15, on Dec 3, 1968, I have to admit I didn't know what to make of the new raspy voice. It was cool watching him in a non movie setting though. I think the greatness of this special became more evident to me later.

As an Elvis fan who did see the 68 TV special premiere, to those who have only seen it much later from a historical perspective, I can tell you it simply knocked me out. There was no way to even hope for, let alone expect such a fantastic performance, after having gotten lulled into such low expectations with his mid to late 60s movies. He was the 50s Elvis again, but even better on that show.

I felt victorious over those who made fun of my liking him.

It was very enjoyable to read your replies to my post. Anyone who doesn't recognize the significance of his 1968 TV Special, and the amazing performances from him in that hour, especially the small combo jam, is a very misguided human being.

[stevelecher]

There is really no money in most cd releases anymore even with acts that are still alive nevermind Elvis.

Nonsense - if that were the case we would not see the endless stream of reissues of classic artists of the past (and I don't mean PD releases).

go ask around about how much they sell. I have a few friends who work at HMV. They will tell u about CD Sales. For current artists and oldies acts.

You really don't care much for Elvis' best work, do you? Just an " oldies act."

[poormadpeter]

There is really no money in most cd releases anymore even with acts that are still alive nevermind Elvis.

Nonsense - if that were the case we would not see the endless stream of reissues of classic artists of the past (and I don't mean PD releases).

go ask around about how much they sell. I have a few friends who work at HMV. They will tell u about CD Sales. For current artists and oldies acts.

HMV is on the high street. If sales were that bad, the reissue programs we have all seen across all "speciality" genres (including classic pop) would not happen. They're not releasing them for the love of it.

[mike edwards66]

Anyone who doesn't recognize the significance of his 1968 TV Special, and the amazing performances from him in that hour, especially the small combo jam, is a very misguided human being.

Are you trying to invalidate yourself from Jury Service.

[poormadpeter]

Anyone who doesn't recognize the significance of his 1968 TV Special, and the amazing performances from him in that hour, especially the small combo jam, is a very misguided human being.

Are you trying to invalidate yourself from Jury Service.

Judging by the way he evaluates evidence, I'm hoping that has already happened.

[elvisa]

"Doncha' Think It's Time"...., yes I do. I`d certainly like everything out there to be released before my time is up. But no matter how many years has gone by, it seams that new stuff is coming all the time.......like it`ll never come to an end. So I`ve started thinking........what am I gonna loose.....will there be more after I`m gone? And, yes......there probably will. I just hope there will be youngerst to enjoy it all when it comes avaible.

[Eggrert]

That 50's box set helped a lot of people discover Elvis. What a great release that was. So simple.

Oh, definitely! The cover was (still is) beautiful, and though the sound has been much improved on future releases, when I first heard it I just figured that it was the way that stuff was supposed to sound...rather flat, and oddly squashed (and, I assumed, more authentic than the obviously compressed sound on Elv1s/2nd to None). And you know what? I didn't care. I could still hear the raw energy of those tracks, despite the crappy mastering.

...and then I got to appreciate all that music on a whole other level when I picked up things like Sunrise, the Legacy edition of the first two albums, etc. Stuff I'd fallen in love with but hadn't really, truly heard yet? I'd call that a win-win situation!

[stevelecher]

When the 50's set came out in 1992, IIRC, the sound was thought to be amazing. I still play it regularly. I'm not the audiophile I was when I was younger.

[Chris Roberts]

I am a first generation fan since purchasing Heartbreak Hotel in mid 1956. I have followed his whole career very closely since. All the highs such as the automatic entry of all his record releases to the top of the charts during the 50's and early 60's, the return from Germany in 1960 and all the excitement that entailed, the 1968 TV special - one of the most exciting events of my live, the great comeback where I felt vindicated for remaining a fan after the lean years, and the most exciting part of seeing Elvis live in both 1972 and 1973.

Also, of course, the lows including the ever increasing blandness of the movies particularly post 1964, the fall from grace as a new generation of musicians replaced my hero at the top. and the sad declining years post 1974.

I will be age 70 this coming June - 10years and 5 months younger than Elvis would have been - and feel very lucky. Lucky that I have all the records Elvis released in pristine condition, all the movies, good and Bad, on either DVD or Blu-ray, many of the shows from 1956 to 1973 also on DVD. In the early years of being a fan I could never have imagined that one day I would own all of these. When I went to the cinema how could I ever have envisaged that one day I would own a copy of the film, and the '68 special - when I first saw it I thought that it was a one off event, never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever have my own personnel copy. I personally believe that we are very lucky indeed.