Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Post by TCB-FAN »

Barry wrote:The Canadian 1958--LPM-1951
DSCN0019.JPG

I bet it's worth a whole bunch.


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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Post by drjohncarpenter »

I uploaded some larger versions of my screen shots to the original post. Enjoy.


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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Post by elvisrecords.us »

The original shipping date for LPM-1951 was September 25, 1959 for October 1959 release.

I received this update from Keith Flynn. I have updated the dates on my website with the information he had provided me. References to all his material and interesting pieces of information are provided within each of the posts below.

My links
http://www.elvisrecords.us/lpm-1951-elvis-christmas-album/
http://www.elvisrecords.us/lpm-1951-elvis-christmas-album-release-year-determined/

I have also corrected the date for EPA-4340 which holds the same image as LPM-1951. Mistakenly it was 9/1958. Corrected with the relevant documentation and sources.

http://www.elvisrecords.us/epa-4340-christmas-with-elvis/
Last edited by elvisrecords.us on Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:52 am, edited 1 time in total.




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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Post by RonBaker2003 »

Any chance that this may originally have been planned as a 10" LP? 8 songs, 4 per side...no Peace in the Valley tracks?



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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Post by promiseland »

Doc this is one Kick-Ass Topic!!
Although I had nothing to contribute, I thoroughly enjoyed reading every post , These type quality topics is what makes FECC so much fun and at the same time very imformative reading.

Hope to have even more of these from the masterminds DJC and Company!
::rocks



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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Post by rjm »

promiseland wrote:Doc this is one Kick-Ass Topic!!
Although I had nothing to contribute, I thoroughly enjoyed reading every post , These type quality topics is what makes FECC so much fun and at the same time very imformative reading.

Hope to have even more of these from the masterminds DJC and Company!
::rocks
This has been a fascinating, informative read! Thanks, promiseland, for reviving it for those of us who weren't here to catch it the first time. The intricacies of the Christmas product, especially, but not limited to the first album, are quite complex. Thanks, Doc, for making it clearer!

rjm
P.S. -- Around a year ago, I was still messing with VERY old threads, and missed the then-still-current ones such as this. Well, it had additions, and I missed it then. I was still in awe of it all! :D


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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

#1158770

Post by drjohncarpenter »

I just found an interesting, double-page, late October 1957 RCA ad in Billboard. which includes a plug for both the Christmas EP and LP:

Billboard Oct 28 1957 Audition 2-3.JPG
Billboard - October 28, 1957
Full scan of two-page advertisement


Interestingly, a mockup involving the David B. Hecht cover shot for the second LP in 1956 is used:

Billboard Oct 28 1957 Audition 3_DETAIL.JPG
Billboard - October 28, 1957
Detail of Presley album


One might think RCA's ad department might have the cover art ready, but it seems this was not the case. The ad does serve to show the album was due out in November, not October.

Merry Christmas, everybody!
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.


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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Post by PetriTCB »

A very interesting find! Thanks for sharing!

Actually it was quite loosely Dinah Shore advertisement. Maybe that mock-up cover of Elvis' was at some time planned to be used for...



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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Post by drjohncarpenter »

Found a cool ad for the 1957 Christmas EP today, enjoy!


Image

Billboard - December 9, 1957


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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Post by minkahed »

drjohncarpenter wrote:As we pursue the release date of LPM 1951 -- circa Nov 1959 or 1960? -- another myth needs to be dispelled.

---

LOC 1035 -- the "deluxe" edition of Elvis' Christmas Album -- was apparently NOT deleted by RCA in 1958. Or 1959. Or ... 1963.

In fact, it is distinctive on Billboard's chart as late as December 1967!

It is clear now that RCA saw the "deluxe" package as able to coexist at retail with the stripped-down, new cover art version (LPM 1951). Fans could choose the edition they wanted from Santa at least until 1963, perhaps even until four years later.

---

A little more Christmas history, starting back in early 1958:


Image

Billboard - January 13, 1958
Elvis' Christmas Album - LOC 1035 hits #1 on the LP charts. Yay Elvis!



Image

Elvis and the Colonel Holiday Greetings, Billboard December 21, 1959
Nowhere in this or any 1959 Billboard is any mention of LPM 1951.


Billboard Dec 08 1962 p2.JPG
Billboard - December 8, 1962
Here we see Elvis' Christmas Album - LOC 1035 re-entering the charts at #143.

Elvis also hits #27 (Girls! Girls! Girls! - LPM 2621), #47 (Pot Luck - LPM 2523), and #118 (Blue Hawaii - LPM 2426).
Also, on the STEREO listing, Girls! Girls! Girls! - LSP 2621 appears at #36.



Billboard Dec 29 1962 p2.JPG
Billboard - December 29, 1962
Again we see Elvis' Christmas Album - LOC 1035 on the charts at #59.
Girls! Girls! Girls! - LPM 2621 is now at #5.




Some may feel that Billboard was making a mistake with the catalog number, or that LOC 1035 actually the album reissue using the original cover art, but history shows us something else:



Image

Billboard - December 7, 1963
11 - ELVIS' CHRISTMAS ALBUM, Elvis Presley, RCA Victor
LPM 1951 (M) and/or LOC 1035 (M); (No Stereo)
Here we see Elvis' Christmas Album - LOC 1035 and LPM 1951 BOTH being cited as available!



Image

Billboard - December 28, 1963
Again we see Elvis' Christmas Album - LOC 1035 and LPM 1951 BOTH being cited as available!



At Christmas 1964 and 1965, RCA pushed the reprocessed stereo version of LPM 1951.
No mention of LOC 1035:



Image

Billboard - December 5, 1964



Image

Billboard - December 2, 1965



In Nov 1966 there was a new holiday 45, along with LPM 1951 / LSP 1951e
No mention of LOC 1035:



Image

Billboard - Nov 26, 1966



The following week Billboard cited only LPM 1951 / LSP 1951e:

Billboard Dec 03 1966 p56.JPG
Billboard - December 3, 1966



At Christmas 1967, both LOC 1035 and LPM 1951 are highlighted!
Could this be correct?


Billboard Dec 02 1967 p8.JPG
Billboard - December 2, 1967



There was also a radio show for the 1967 holidays:

Image

Billboard - December 2, 1967



Finally, right after the phenomenal 1968 TV Special, RCA once again only offered LPM 1951 / LSP 1951:

Billboard Dec 07 1968 p82.JPG
Billboard - December 7, 1968

---


From all of this, it seems we cannot count the deluxe LOC 1035 out of the picture until at least Christmas 1964.

What do YOU think?
I think this is awesome !!!

Over 800,000 sold !? This must be the -re-issue Album ? Go Elvis ....


Image

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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

#1359640

Post by drjohncarpenter »

minkahed wrote:
drjohncarpenter wrote:From all of this, it seems we cannot count the deluxe LOC 1035 out of the picture until at least Christmas 1964.

What do YOU think?
I think this is awesome !!!

Over 800,000 sold !? This must be the -re-issue Album ? Go Elvis ....
Thanks a lot.

If you haven't picked it up yet, the recent Follow That Dream "deluxe" release of the 1957 album is well worth your time and money.


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Re: Elvis' Christmas Album --> Mystery No More?

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Post by drjohncarpenter »

Vintage newspaper report from Atlanta in December 1958 makes clear only the "deluxe" version of the Christmas album was available at retail:


Image

Atlanta Journal - December 1958
Wall image is new to me, article proves yet again that the re-release of the 1957 Christmas LP did not happen in 1958.
Thanks to MikeFromHolland for finding this article on a 2016 blog.


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Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!
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