In his sleeve notes for the new Elvis collection “Close Up” Colin Escott makes the following observation, “We’re still coming to terms with the recorded legacy of Elvis Presley. Generations that neither knew him nor saw him are discovering him, and discovering that so much that they take for granted in popular music started with him”, and these are indeed true words. 

I was ten years old when Elvis died in the summer of 1977, and the images I saw on my TV screen back then from the young rebel on the Ed Sullivan show to the superstar entertainer of the seventies as the various news crews looked back on his life and career, not only introduced me to the music of Elvis Presley, but started an interest in rock music that has stayed with me ever since. Many of the great records I have listened to since Elvis’ passing would never have been made if it wasn’t for his huge influence over popular music and culture, and I’m sure twenty years from now many of the new fans who recently discovered Elvis though the success of the “ELV1S – Thirty Number One Hits Album” last year will be able to say the same thing.   

The demand for new Elvis material shows no sign of slipping. New fans are still discovering Elvis’ music, and it’s testament to Elvis’ unique talent that his best music sounds just as fresh and exciting today as it did on the day it was recorded. Fans are keen to speculate on the content of forthcoming releases long before they are issued, and discuss them in depth when they are finally released, and in Ernst Jorgenson BMG have a man at the helm that cares deeply about the way the musical legacy Elvis has left behind is represented. His latest compilation “Close Up”, a four CD set that explores four separate aspects of the Presley career was recently released, and the purpose of this article is to take a closer look at the performances showcased on this set. 

Whilst many interesting alternate performances have already been released, there are a number of additional session tapes that remain unaccounted for, and it is to the credit of Ernst Jorgenson, Roger Semon and their team at BMG that they continue to search for missing tapes that could be used on future Presley releases. 

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