Do you think Elvis would be Dead if not for the Europeons?

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PEP
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Do you think Elvis would be Dead if not for the Europeons?

#305180

Post by PEP »

In some ways it looks like...if it weren't for the Europeans
Elvis would have been dead musically 30 years ago...

Maybe even earlier....

Not to say there isn't big fans in the United States
or Canada....

But with out the Europeans.....would Elvis had
been long forgotten an only remembered for
the wrong reasons?

Who really keeps the Elvis machine running today?

By saying that I know it's Ckx, but really is it?

How much of it is really is just the Teddy bear
things that keep Elvis in the public eye only?

What percentage?

Is it really Elvis' music that keeps him Alive?

Or all the other crap that surrounds him or that
he is remembered for.....?

ALLC remix was it that one song that changed it all?

Is Elvis really still cool in Europe in general?

or is that just an illusion too?

Any comments.....

PEP 8)




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I can only talk for my self

#305189

Post by Guest »

But, to me ( I`m from Denmark 45 years old, female), it`s the music that got me started to be an FAN about 3 years ago. My children was not baby`s anymore and suddently I had the time to get into it. I`ve heard a lot of Elvis in the past, but never took the time to REALLY listen. When I began to dig into the well, I found out just how much that HE left us and that I really liked the most of it. I`m doing all I can to OPEN the eyes and ears of others and actually suceeded a lot of times. All I can say "I`t`s just amasing what that voice can do to a human beeing"



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Christopher
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Re: Do you think Elvis would be Dead if not for the Europeon

#305192

Post by Christopher »

PEP wrote:By saying that I know it's Ckx, but really is it?
what means "ckx"?




Marko
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#305193

Post by Marko »

To me it seems that Europeans have been more into the music and the music is what accounts. The first proper book of his recording sessions was written by Europeans. RCA releases were crap before Ernst took the charge. Of course Ger did a fantastic job searching for never before seen photos and stories of early Elvis. It seemed that US fans (not all of them of course) were busy buying EPE crap while European fans were working hard to learn more of his music. Elvis' music seems to be appreciated more here.


"I've learned very early in life, without a song, the day would never end. Without a song, a man ain't got a friend. Without a song, the road would never bend, without a song. So I'll keep on singing the song."


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Re: Do you think Elvis would be Dead if not for the Europeon

#305194

Post by Marko »

Christopher wrote:
PEP wrote:By saying that I know it's Ckx, but really is it?
what means "ckx"?
It's the company that owns (85 %) and controls Elvis Presley Enterprise after Lisa Marie sold majority of it.


"I've learned very early in life, without a song, the day would never end. Without a song, a man ain't got a friend. Without a song, the road would never bend, without a song. So I'll keep on singing the song."

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BigredG
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Re: Do you think Elvis would be Dead if not for the Europeon

#305204

Post by BigredG »

PEP wrote:In some ways it looks like...if it weren't for the Europeans
Elvis would have been dead musically 30 years ago...
Very true!! We are the true Elvis fans not those yanks. :lol:


In all seriousness, 99% of the decent Elvis music products come from Europe. (Official and unofficial).

EPE just puts out tacky souvenirs (which presumably lots of casual US fans love).

Is Elvis still cool in Europe in general? I would say certainly no for the UK. Most non fans are unfortunately obsessed with talk of drugs and fatness. Elvis fan = wierdo to most people here.

But UK fans are the best!! Very committed and passionate collectors. I think this applies to all European fans, and I am sure there are more than a handful of American fans who also fall into that category :)



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dl
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#305206

Post by dl »

I think, that the americans don't think about history (their own and others) too much. Most of them don't give anything about yesterday. Preserving history is not their strong point and the same goes for Elvis. I guess the europeans are more interested in the past and therefore more interested in Elvis music. But maybe that's just my point of view as an european.



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#305218

Post by Christopher »

thank you, marko, i didn´t know that!

of course, elvis was not dead, if it wasn´t for the europeans,
but
he has a very strong following over here.
in the 80s and 90s they ran the bootleg scene with so many different colorful labels and spectacular releases,
today the ftd-label is run by europeans, too.
the "the concert"-tours, that started seven years ago now, were a huge success here, huge enough to come back again and again.
it was no problem to fill the capacity of more than 5000 seats twice in a row (and also again and again) at rotterdam´s ahoy-stadium (and that´s just one example), as i heard, "the concert" wasn´t always sold out in the u.s.
germany´s "graceland" is one of the oldest, regularly published fan-mags in the elvis-world today (established in 1978),
great britains fan-club-magazine and "elvis monthly" both exist even much longer.
so many presley-confidants and prominent personalities came over here through the years and are still visiting fan-club-conventions: james burton, john wilkonson, jerry sheff, ronny tutt, glen hardin, the sweets, the stamps, charlie hodge, bill burk, sonny west, joe espisito, larry geller and many more.
from my assessment europe´s strongest and most loyal followings come from great britain and the netherlands.



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#305226

Post by Cryogenic »

Interesting question.

Europe undoubtedly forms a large part of "The Elvis World". I hesitate to call it the backbone, however. That did rest, does rest and surely always will rest with the United States. Interestingly, even in Elvis' lifetime, Europe had a big role to play -- EP not only came to Europe as part of his army service, but recorded many songs whose origins are distinctly European (Spanish, French, Italian, German etc). In a broader sense still, of course, Elvis was part European (his very name means "All Wise" in Nordic), having a surname that can be traced to Scotland, as well as Irish and Welsh blood (Gladys is a Welsh name), meaning that previous generations settled in America from Europe, and in Elvis' case, mixed with Cherokee Indians, like millions of other American citizens living then and today. Europe, with respect to America, might be half way around the world, but America means nothing without Europe, and we can see this connection in all sorts of ways with Elvis Presley.

But that was a bit of a philosophical/ontological diversion. Europe does play a serious role in modern Elvis affairs. The European fan base is staggering. Many members on this site are European, whether they live on the mainland or in the UK, and I am amongst them. It is the same across the Internet. Then there is Ernst Jorgensen, Elvis historian, researcher, archivist, author and producer extraordinaire, a Dane, and the FTD label, essentially his baby, and a huge source of historical significance and financial value, which also comes out of Europe. The JXL remix was also a European creation and attached to football/soccer, a distinctly, albeit not exclusively, British/European affair. Wow. It seems we really like Elvis on this side of the world. BMG itself, which owns the RCA label, is also a German conglomerate. While the impact of Europe cannot be directly measured in the strictest sense of the world, it can be felt tremendously. Too tremendously to imagine being without.



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#305231

Post by splanky »

RCA owned by BMG and handling Elvis issues ?
I don't think so.
Can someone please fill in the correct information ?


Best always,
Splanky

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Christopher
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#305238

Post by Christopher »

splanky wrote:RCA owned by BMG and handling Elvis issues ?
I don't think so.
Can someone please fill in the correct information ?
the information is correct.
in 1986 rca was sold back to general electric.
general electric sold it to the german media company bertelsmann ag.

in 2003/04 bertelsmann and sony consolidated and became one of the world´s biggest record companys, called sony bmg music entertainment.




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#305290

Post by Guest »

dl wrote:I think, that the americans don't think about history (their own and others) too much. Most of them don't give anything about yesterday. Preserving history is not their strong point and the same goes for Elvis. I guess the europeans are more interested in the past and therefore more interested in Elvis music. But maybe that's just my point of view as an european.
All you Europeans need to come over here and just sit and watch how many people go thru Graceland in one day and you'll get an education like you never had before. Americans love Elvis especially us southerners. This thread makes me laugh. By the way Elvis Presley's Graceland Mansion is a National Historic Landmark. http://www.doi.gov/news/06_News_Releases/060327.htm

Any of you that want to come visit are more than welcome to come.



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#305293

Post by midnightx »

I think, that the americans don't think about history (their own and others) too much. Most of them don't give anything about yesterday. Preserving history is not their strong point and the same goes for Elvis. I guess the europeans are more interested in the past and therefore more interested in Elvis music. But maybe that's just my point of view as an european.
Wow. :roll:




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#305295

Post by Pete Dube »

There's no denying that you European fans, particularly the Brits, have played the major role in keeping this Elvis thing a long running proposition, and this American thanks you for it. But I do find this ironic considering that the man was the embodiment of the American spirit.




Larry Dickman

#305296

Post by Larry Dickman »

What about we Aussies!
:D



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#305300

Post by Blue-Gypsy »

The music seems to be the driving force that is keeping Elvis alive. At least that is what I am able to determine from all of the young men and women who are carrying on the legacy (no matter the nationality). I will say there are as many if not more Elvis fans around the world as there is in the US but I would say that is more of a credit to Elvis and his international appeal than we just don't respect our history. Of course that comment would be made by someone that does not live here.

To address that comment let me say that we have the strongest military in the world that is made up by young men and women who enter the service of their own free will (for a paltry sum of money) in a large part because of all the men and women who have died defending the freedom of this country before them. Lets not forget the fact these people spend so much of their time protecting not only our history but most of the worlds as well.

Lets don't forget the United States does not have the deep history as other countries, simply stated, we have only been around for two hundred some odd years. That being said pop culture nostalgia is a large part of who we are as a people. It plays such a large part in this country that other countries are exposed to it and join in with us to celebrate our history.

Please don't make statements about the US that you really don't know about or understand. Taking jabs at the US seems the chic thing to do these days, of course this is done out of the corner of ones mouth because the other corner is firmly wrapped around the teat of our fair country.


Tony~

"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Gay, Straight, Disabled and not disabled, Americans who send a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are and always will be the United States of America."
-Barack Obama-


Promocollector

#305360

Post by Promocollector »

It is definately not Britain that is the main reason for Elvis' enduring legacy in Europe, i would place that honour with a handful of countries i.e Holland, Denmark and a couple of others.A danish guy (Ernst) has rebuilt (rebuilding) Elvis' legacy like NO-ONE ever has before, FTD is his baby, labels like Madison,Fort Baxter, Bilko etc are all mainland Europe. Probably 8 of the 10 best books on Elvis are European and the best and most informative websites are also from mainland Europe.

When was the last time the UK & the US released something worth getting excited about? the Aloha & '68 Comeback DVD's are about it.

I am not trying to knock the US or Britains immense role in Elvis' legacy but i firmly believe that in the recent past, that a small handful of European countries(the ones i mentioned above) have really given all of us fans something to be really proud of.



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#305364

Post by Cryogenic »

Yep. Mainland Europe is where it's all been a-happenin'.

But my first thought when I saw this thread title was...

Hang on, he's already dead!




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#305370

Post by Guest »

Don't forget that also Japan is a big Elvis Loving country.
And Yes the Europeans are IMO more into the Elvis after life,
It has been proved by the facts That Elvis the concert is continuesly a big succes for years now, and kept returning,Also in the charts he had more hits in Europe (UK).And then the US stole the idea. And what about those crappy ducks and guns and other tasteless stuff by EPE ,they were made for the US fans, In Europe we prefer audio/video from our hero,and good books..not the GUNS and DUCKS ...But then Elvis was a US male,so therefore we will forgive the US! :)



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#305377

Post by Kingtiger0321 »

As an Elvis fan in the US I would have to agree that the UK seems to have a great Elvis following. I'm actually embarrassed :oops: about the ducks and the guns and the slippers, ect.. I'm all about the music and the videos. Unfortunatly Elvis is considered a joke by most in the US. It's just to bad because people don't know what they are missing.


Random qoutes:

"I'll be dog gone Nick! Your house done blowed up, s'on fire too!" - Elvis

"You fed them DOG FOOD! How Dare!!!!" - "Paradise, Hawaiian style"


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#305379

Post by Guest »

Kingtiger0321 wrote: I'm actually embarrassed :oops: about the ducks and the guns and the slippers, ect..
We've got a guy over hear who sells the same (from what I'm told, never been to the shop myself). I'll take a share in that embarassment...




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#305413

Post by Guest »

ChrisG- the younger wrote:
We've got a guy over hear who sells the same (from what I'm told, never been to the shop myself). I'll take a share in that embarassment...
Off course there are always people who will buy the stuff,and wouls like to make a buck out of it, also in the UK..
And the Elvisly Yours Merchandise is not that good either,in fact even worse,But the most of the EU countrys make it up releasing nicer stuff to buy. In fact if I'm informed right The Netherlands is maybe a small country,but big in the Elvis World!




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#305422

Post by Daryl »

Hello,

Being an American, I'd like to throw my 2 cents in on this subject. Why do some European fans feel the need to justify that they've supported Elvis more than the Americans? I would surmise that it is because it gives them something to feel good about. Unfortunately some European fans take this to the extreme of bashing the American fans in the process, which is plain petty and unjust. As someone mentioned in a previous post, Graceland is open year round and many Americans walk through those gates to see Elvis' home. Just look back to 30 #1 Hits, with 4 million sold in the U.S. and the rest of the world only able to muster 8 million. If you took the combined sales of the European countries for 30 #1 Hits it wouldn't even equal the United States. Clearly the American sales were the largest percentage of any country, by far. After that I would guess that Great Britain, Germany and Japan followed suit in some order. Ironically that was Elvis' bread and butter in 1970 as mentioned in "That's The Way It Is" and that still holds true today. It would seem the problem some European fans have understanding is that as Americans we have alot of choices in what our interests in music, sports, television, movies, vacationing could be and sometimes Elvis gets put on the back burner from time to time. It's called having a life. When I read in another thread Ger Rjiff commenting that FTD was started without any help from our American cousins I have to laugh. Wasn't all of the music that FTD is putting out made by Americans with American musicians, engineers and producers? And yet throughout that whole thread on the birth of FTD no one person makes mention of the real person who made FTD happen, Roger Semon. And it wasn't because it was going to stop the bootleggers either, despite what has been stated by FTD. It was because there was a market for the material out there. Has the FTD label really stopped bootleggers? Looking at the number of bootleg releases coming out in the last couple of years, I would say that it hasn't done the job. But it has provided material that probably would have stayed unreleased (some of it should have stayed unreleased irregardless). It all comes down to making money.

Daryl



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#305431

Post by paulsweeney »

Interesting comments - but I believe all fans, regardless of what country they are from, have kept Elvis' music going all these years, even humble Canadians like moi 8)




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#305433

Post by Guest »

Nora Sivle wrote: Off course there are always people who will buy the stuff,and wouls like to make a buck out of it, also in the UK..
And the Elvisly Yours Merchandise is not that good either,in fact even worse
Indeed.
Nora Sivle wrote: But the most of the EU countrys make it up releasing nicer stuff to buy.
Not sure if I'd go that far.
Nora Sivle wrote: In fact if I'm informed right The Netherlands is maybe a small country,but big in the Elvis World!
The Netherlands seem to be the leaders in Interview Discs & Talking Albums............ so yes, alot of material is put out from that part of the world.


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