Elvis Presley sold an estimated 1.6 billion albums in his lifetime. Loving You (1957) The mainly zippy soundtrack to Elviss first starring role (including a whole side of recent non-soundtrack cuts) transforms Elviss singing delivery man into something nicely cuddly on the albums best known and biggest hit, (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear, with a mean woman getting him good and hot on the scorching opener Mean Woman Blues. The loping drama of the Western number Lonesome Cowboy is a highlight, and theres a solid take on Blueberry Hill and a couple of sweet Cole Porter and Ivory Joe Hunter ballads. Luckily, we have much more data about each of them. Total USA share of market 33.7% (Note: it is probably down to 25% now)Rest of the World 66.3%. That will never change.Right from the start of my original research, it became evident that RCA's assertion that Elvis' US sales accounted for about 60% of the total, were simply not borne out by the market evidence past or present. "It got to the point where I was driving in my car, and I thought: I just want to know if Stevie Nicks and Lindsey . This endless Beatles v Elvis debate should end. LIVE. His album chart positions continue to emphasize that. What is the most valuable record? An LP had to sell $2,000,000 at the wholesale price (1975 LPs increased to $5.98 and $6.98) AND a minimumRead more . For Elvis fanatics, this is probably a godsend. I would rate RCA Victors Elvis Christmas Album from 1957 and RCA Camdens Elvis Christmas Album from 1970 as two separate albums, because while 8 songs out of 10 were same on both albums, the 1970 release has If Every Day Was Like Christmas and Mama Liked the Roses songs which were not even recorded in 1957. Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis (1974) At this point, Elvis hadnt played his hometown in 13 years, so why not make a major commercial enterprise of the last show of a big tour? Three Grammys were given to Presley, and at the age of 36, he was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Moody Blue (1977) Unable to get a full studio set out of Elvis, RCA settled for this combination of tracks recorded at Graceland and live versions of never-released songs from his final concerts, including his legendarily decrepit but moving version of Unchained Melody (which youre better off watching on YouTube). Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. How many records did Elvis put out? Cmon Everybody (1971) Even though hes wearing a 70s-era jumpsuit on the cover, this is another easy way to hear selections from the slew of 60s soundtrack recordings that never made their way to an LP, taken from Viva Las Vegas, Follow That Dream, Kid Galahad, and Easy Come, Easy Go. How can you sensibly compare a group of people to one especially when their music is as different as chalk and cheese? Guinness World Records recognizes him as the best-selling solo artist in the world, selling up to 1 billion records globally. The rapid increase in demand for Presley product in the lucrative South East Asia, during the early seventies, was the main driving force behind the sponsorship of the initial live telecast of the 'Aloha' special in 1973. I Got a Feelin in My Body is especially okay church-revival funk, and lots of swelling gospel-group vocals and string arrangements get busy throughout this Stax Studiorecorded batch. Elvis Presley's best selling album is "Elvis Presley" which was released in 1956. Elvis Is Back With New Money Maker As U.S. Some idea of the scale involved actually emerged through the 1977/8 interim and the final audited record company reports. 45. In the throes of her research, Reid found herself transfixed by their dynamic. Ten years ago I researched this subject in depth with help from Ernst Jorgensen and through him Sony BMG and compiled a comprehensive report, which was published on this site. var gcse = document.createElement('script'); That's about as many records as Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin have sold during their entire existence! after 1974 a GOLD LP had to sell $1 million AND 500,000 copies. For LP Fans Only (1959) A thoroughly enjoyable mixture of early RCA singles plus a couple of his first Sun singles newly issued on LP, this was designed to keep Elvis fans satiated with new product during his Army stint, and Elvis had terrific stuff in his back pocket. When sometime later, after BMG took over RCA, the new team tried and failed to elicit any kind of rational explanation from Don Wardell, it swiftly became apparent to them that he hadn't got one. (The remaining 500 were digital album purchases.) It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. That can only mean that the majority of these sales had been accrued from foreign parts. It could have been because he was expected to sing about Old MacDonald having a farm and going E-I-E-I-O, with the addition of embarrassing new lyrics about chicken fricassee, pork and beans, and burgers. This album was the painful result, a mix of new ones like the ultra-sexist What Every Woman Lives For and Petunia, the Gardeners Daughter, and traditional songs with an ersatz Dixieland flavor for this movies story of a 19th-century riverboat gambler. Spinout (1966) The older rock-and-roll tune Stop, Look and Listen that kicks off another Elvis race-car musical brings some heat that his last few soundtracks lacked, followed by an energetic but misogynistic song called Adam and Evil and a couple silken ballads like the self-doubting Am I Ready? that go down easy enough. Elvis Now (1972) Elvis Now wouldve been more accurately titled Elvis Recently, presenting a variety of unrelated recordings from 69-71, many better as hit songs for other artists. If your fantasies involve tropical adventure with a handsome tour guide this lonesome beach boy there is no better album. He said his surgery was a success, but he needs time to heal before he can tour again. "The Sun Sessions" reached number 1 on the Cash Box Country Albums chart. " Pot Luck With Elvis (1962) Given the album title, this is predictably uneven. ( A Billion is 1 Thousand Million). The following updated version has been considerably shortened, where possible, in the interests of brevity. [3] Which is the best? Now that Meredith is gone, it is business as usual at Grey Sloan Memorial. So whether RCA simply looked at the total sales figures up to that point, current sales, or probably both, the conclusions reached may have been the same. Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix have broken up after he allegedly cheated on her with Raquel Leviss. It adds up to an enjoyable mix of traditional classics (O Come, All Ye Faithful helped by the addition of a heavy bass line and funky drums), good new Christmas songs (the soulful Ill Be Home on Christmas Day), and newer songs like the stripped-down, randy Merry Christmas Baby. The holiday spirit gave Elvis a rare and welcome unifying concept to work with even though this album was recorded in May. The received wisdom regarding his albums which prizes theSun Sessions(which, had this ranking included compilation albums featuring no new or previously unreleased material, wouldve been a strong contender for the top-spot), Elviss first records for RCA, and his 68 comeback recordings overlooks some worthy stuff within the often indistinguishable heap making up the rest of his corpus. Elvis did not sell 1 billion records by 1982, which claim first appeared via an article in the 'Washington Post' dated 12 July of that year and quoted RCA as its source. Beginning in 1954, he recorded at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who aimed to popularize African-American music. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. Let Yourself Go has an unconvincing psychedelic flavor, but might be the most fun thing here, along with Nancy Sinatras take on Lee Hazlewoods cynical Your Groovy Self. The existentialism-light of Who Are You (Who Am I? + $25.35 shipping. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Almost in Love (1970) This budget-price collection of 45s and EP-only tracks, culled mainly from soundtracks, redundantly includes Stay Away, Joe, which was already included on other compilations. 31. Elvis plays an Army man meeting his lookalike cousin and a couple of sexy relatives for the first time in rural Tennessee, set to discomfiting songs about polygamy (One Boy, Two Little Girls) and smooching technique. 25. The closing song If I Can Dream has a searing gospel intensity that his first couple of proper gospel LPs never quite captured. ), to be consistent we need to treat these older releases the same way! This is definitive feel-bad Elvis. Elvis Country (Im 10,000 Years Old) (1971), 15. The albums discography of Elvis Presley began in 1956 with the release of his self-titled debut album, Elvis Presley . Kissin Cousins (1964) Elvis feudin, Elvis lovin, Elvis swingin as he joins his mountain kinfolk for a hey, hey, hayride to good ol mountain music reads the movie-poster copy. If you do the math, thats 341 minus 101 equals 240 albums completely unaccounted for under Presleys RIAA tally. Rider that became the Elvis Shows frequent intro music, after which Elvis gurgles water into his mic, admits to being lost onstage, and indulges his love of sob stories on Release Me and new hit The Wonder of You.. 47. During an incredible career cut short by an early death at age 42, Elvis recorded about 700 songs. King Creole (1958) Elviss favorite movie role was as the new star of the King Creole nightclub, and the accompanying soundtrack album was also something strong. This is the material that the Beatles loved, and you can bet they listened especially closely to these songs and arrangements of tightly interwoven instrumentation topped with stirring guitar breaks and youthfully impassioned singing. On Stage (1970) Elviss second live album is mostly compiled from a few Vegas dates, collecting versions of hit songs associated with other people, like Neil Diamonds Sweet Caroline and Creedence Clearwater Revivals Proud Mary, and its fine though why not listen to Neil Diamond or CCR or the Beatles or Del Shannon or the Everly Brothers if you want to hear these songs? The hit Kiss Me Quick is a sly and sleazy keeper, and only the operatic ending of I Feel That Ive Known You Forever brings us closer to laughter than romance. He Touched Me (1972) Elviss final gospel record is his most contemporary-sounding and diversely arranged group of devotional songs, with fewer lulls than its predecessors and beautifully calibrated vocals: tender and sweet when beseeching the Lord, massive once they have his attention. Perhaps, not surprisingly, the last album released during his lifetime, 'Moody Blue', was by 1982 thought to be one of the King's top sellers - with global sales put at more than 14 million copies. })(); Best selling artists, albums and singles of all-time. Rating. TikToks Favorite Celebrity Couple Is Kim Kardashian and Michael Cera. Guralnick, Peter and Jorgensen, Ernst (1999). (1965) After several so-so soundtrack albums in a row, Elvis returns to non-movie-related music, mostly, with a strong album released in celebration of the artists ten years with RCA. Elvis wasn't just the King of Rock 'n' Roll. To add some complexity, releases arent automatic on them, some albums were issued at BMG Music Club, others at Columbia House, some at both and some at none. [3] Music historian Joel Whitburn ranked Presley as the number 1 charting album artist of all time in the US. Despite the early-season drama, its still (almost) anyones game to win. Led Zeppelin IV, one of only three studio albums to sell more than . This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Male is a driving version of a choice pun about an extremely threatening M-A-L-E persona, Long Legged Girl (With the Short Dress On) is as irritating as it was on the Double Trouble soundtrack, and the silly funk of A Little Less Conversation and Rubberneckin ultimately worked better as techno-remixes in soccer and Toyota ads. gcse.async = true; But theres also I Need Someone to Lean On, a beautiful ballad from Viva Las Vegas in the vein of Chet Baker. Frankfort Special jauntily celebrates the presence of enough frantic fruleins to go around, theres a lullaby about daddys nickname, Big Boots, and a tender closer in Doin the Best I Can. Wooden Heart was the hit and offers the most lingering melody, a polka-spiced accordion ditty, half sung in German. How many albums has Elvis sold since he died? By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. 3. Once we will be up there, having a clear view of the full list of albums that were scanned, we will dispatch appropriately the career total of Presley into every release with the help of various known data. 18. Did he really sell one billion records as has been frequently claimed? However, we get Elvis tearing eagerly into Youve Lost That Lovin Feeling and Bridge Over Troubled Water. The studio tracks tend to be sluggish and overwrought, with lyrics about tasting the icing on the cake weve been baking with the past, on The Next Step Is Love. As tragic songs about cake go, its no MacArthur Park.. Published February 8, 2023, Your email address will not be published. This is a moving document (and deconstruction) of Elviss unique embodiment of r&b, gospel, country, and rock and roll. There Aint Nothing Like a Song tries to get you stoked about songcraft by getting you to chew on a tired rock groove with awkward interjections by the films co-star Nancy Sinatra. 27. Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) Elvis plays a rugged chopper pilot in this, his third Hawaiian movie, and again he cranked out a soundtrack with his regular studio gang and stable of songwriters. Even Presleys worst soundtrack filler may get you there. In fact, less than a third of his official US releases achieved a Gold award or better. Elvis' Christmas Album (also reissued as It's Christmas Time) is the third studio album and first Christmas album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley on RCA Victor, . As live/studio (2) or an single issues ,the physical sales of EACH justRead more . This insane number is made of 23 pure studio albums, 17 original soundtracks, 23 Christmas-related releases, 39 box sets, 29 live efforts, 200 compilations and 10 records tagged as other which include interviews and spoken discs. This is the third album recovered from the epic 1970 sessions that produced the competent light-country of Thats the Way It Is and Elvis Country its also the rejects. Nevertheless there is still sufficient, if largely circumstantial evidence available, to enable a researcher to arrive at some sort of ballpark figure. As of this year, the Beatles have sold 600 million albums worldwidewith 177 million sold in the U.S. alone, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Of note are the reissue series, Costello's back catalogue having undergone reissue three times by three different companies. (Okay, Night Rider and Fountain of Love are an awkwardly hilarious back-to-back pair, too.) Things you buy through our links may earnVox Mediaa commission. These are albums which were never sold on standard retailers but instead by mail order or at Christian book stores. 37. 34. C. C. This was the first way many people heard some of his best Sun tracks like Thats All Right and Mystery Train, and theres primo r&b like Lawdy Miss Clawdy to show how convincingly versatile young Elvis was. This time around, he plays explicitly with his suave military image with the hi-hello-Im-a-soldier-Elvis-doll cover shot and gatefold image of a calendar marked with the precise date of his U.S. return. "Elvis by the Presleys" reached number 1 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart. A total of 162,247,784 albums were sold by Elvis Presley, including 140,450,001 in the United States and 9,881,000 in the United Kingdom. Elvis Presley: The Searcher (The Original Soundtrack) is available for pre-order now: CD: https://Elvis.lnk.to/TheSearcher_StandardPR/amazon How much money did Colonel Parker make off Elvis? 1 on the country and pop charts. var cx = 'partner-pub-3868619518247857:4666236348'; Later FTD introduced the Elvis Classic Album Series, releases of the original albums in deluxe 7" size packaging with a booklet and usually a second CD of outtakes from the same period as the recordings on the album. Sales of such albums as 'ELV1S 30 #1 Hits' (2002), 'If I Can Dream' ( 2015 ), 'The Wonder of You' (2016), 'Christmas with the RPO' (2017) and just recently 'Where No One Stands Alone' (2018) all underline my point. 12. We will start by listing each and every release. 0000001) was sold for $790,000 in December 2015, according to . Despite being so prolific, there are many other songs we would have liked to hear him sing. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. ELVIS PRESLEY Vinyl LP LOT 50+ Album Collection Many Sealed VG~NM Condition. In any case, he had the privilege and the burden of a voice that sounded legit trying out everything from a quavery tenor to a hubristic baritone, unafraid of operatic grandeur or gruffness or languor, with vibrato and falsetto and commitment, traces of which are present even when one can hear the poor guy itching to get out of the studio and back to his Graceland. According to Forbes' list of top earning dead stars, he earned $27m (21m) in 2016 and sold one million albums. A huge frustration for people interested into Presleys US album sales is the lack of Soundscan data. This may do if you want more of what Blue Hawaii had pedal steel, tropical content but with a quarter of the charm. Over the last decade the media have put pressure on the record companies to provide more details of their various claims, with the result that some of them have been revised, only to be replaced by statistics that do not differentiate as between actual physical sales and downloads. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Blue Hawaii (1961) The second-most commercially successful LP of the 60s (behind only the soundtrack to West Side Story) is this iconic soundtrack, which comes as close to having a unifying concept as Elvis ever got, Christmas and Christ excepted. This is the first reissue and repackaging of the twelve tracks from Elvis' Christmas Album (RCA Victor LOC-1035, above). Elvis released his first album in 1956, and continued to put out records until his death in 1977. Aretha Franklin's album "Amazing Grace" sold more than two million copies, becoming the . So, with a hip-swivel and a lip-curl, heres our ranking of every LP containing new or previously unreleased tracks put out by RCA during Elviss lifetime. Peppers. Spinout could be the best soundtrack Elvis put out around this time, but thats not saying a lot, and it still has oodles of eminently skippable stuff, like the sex-is-food equation Smorgasbord.. Although the songs are mainly two or three minutes long, they feel like theyre taking their time without ever lagging, and the straight country material like Im Movin On benefits from elaborately funky interjections. 52. I tracked the origin of this estimate back to the 1972/3 negotiations, which eventually led to the buyout of Elvis' back catalogue. Each song nonsensically ends with a tiny snippet of the title theme song, sung from the perspective of an all-knowing, ever-present Neolithic being who hung out with Moses, giving the record a vaguely conceptual feeling, but sounding like an error every time. However no Elvis singles have been released in years. ", "American certifications Presley, Elvis", "Canadian album certifications Elvis Presley", "British album certifications Elvis Presley", "French album certifications Presley, Elvis", "Elvis Presley Chart History: Billboard 200", "Elvis Presley Chart History: Top Country Albums", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2008 Albums", Australian Recording Industry Association, "ARIA Charts Accreditations 1999 Albums", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2002 Albums", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2018 Albums", "Elvis Presley's Groundbreaking '68 NBC-TV Comeback Special Celebrated with Definitive 50th Anniversary Box Set Release", "Elvis Presley's Pivotal Year of 1969 Celebrated with 50th Anniversary Box Set at the International Hotel in Las Vegas: Live 1969, Available Physically & Digitally August 9th", "RCA/Legacy Recordings Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Elvis Presley's Legendary 1970 Studio B Marathon Sessions with the "Nashville Cats", "Kent Music Report No 453 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 1996 Albums", "Chart Log UK* Rodney P. The Pussycat Dolls", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2022 Albums", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2001 Albums", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2003 Albums", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2006 Albums", "Chart Log UK* New Entries Update 29.06.2013 (wk25)", "Star-Studded Music Video For "If I Can Dream" by Elvis Presley, Post Malone, Shawn Mendes, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, and Carrie Underwood Premieres Today on Apple Music", "ARIA Charts Accreditations 2016 Albums", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elvis_Presley_albums_discography&oldid=1142836866. If you do the math, that's 341 minus 101 equals 240 albums completely unaccounted for under Presley's RIAA tally. 29. The ballads also fail to ignite, making the record a bit of a slog. Elvis Christmas Album (1957) The all-time best-selling Christmas album in America is rounded out by four beautifully drowsy non-holiday gospel numbers. 4. This is clearly demonstrated by the total global musical sales for the year 2005, which I continue to use, and with figures cast in billions of dollars, reads as follows: 1 USA 7.02 Japan 3.73 UK 2.24 Germany 1.45 France 1.26 ROW 5.3. It was pretty much the same with 'Don't Cry Daddy'. One more important notice is that reissues arent counted as new releases, instead they are added to original albums. Its fun to hear the swaggering ebb and flow of the full Elvis package of this era captured on tape, unlike the smaller samples offered by previous live albums, though its never as raw and nervously idiosyncratic as his vaunted NBC-aired comeback special of 1968. It Happened at the Worlds Fair (1963) The soundtrack to Elviss expensive Space Needle romp begins with a bland song about going into the unknown (Beyond the Bend) followed by a remake of Fever called Relax, which advises listeners to defrost, and is set to slimy finger-snapping. This is also the home of Diddley-beat-plus-bongos kitsch master class Do the Clam., 48. Elvis and his original band distill r&b, country, blues, and rockabilly into primal pop music. Historical consequence aside, the music is a dynamite convergence of older Sun and newer RCA recordings, which served to feed the growing nationwide Elvis bedlam, and its equally perfect as a showcase for the thrusting dancer of Blue Suede Shoes as it is for the sensitive crooner experimenting in nocturnal melancholy at its hypnotic best on the ethereal Blue Moon and I Love You Because. At the same time, the desperate Ill Never Let You Go (Little Darlin) and Money Honey reveal an essential dangerous-rebel aspect to his appeal. Elvis As Recorded at Madison Square Garden (1972) Taken from one show during his only set of New York concert appearances (hed performed on TV in the city during the 50s), then released in a hurry, this transports Elviss early-70s Vegas show to a much bigger venue, with enormous orchestral flourishes (accompanied by a backing band of New York jazzers), and the usual mix of Elvis-identified songs and songs that were hits for others like Three Dog Night and the Righteous Brothers. The title track tries to explain how to get your best girl excited on the drag strip and, despite the occasional genuine revving sound, never fully turns over. Elvis doesnt quite convince you to rock out with the explicit dance instructions on the title track (clap your hands real loud and turn your head to the left) but it starts the album off with vim, which is followed by Elviss pleasant request for heavenly kisses on Angel. The rocker Easy Come, Easy Go comes and goes easily, as does this whole album, which sustains a light tone, unlike the laborious country-oriented material on Elviss other LPs from this period. It is clear that no worldwide Elvis release, whether a long playing album or single, has sold less than half a million, including the most forgettable single, which must surely be 1965's 'Do the Clam' (900,000). This is his big show, with the addition of a Honolulu orchestra, opening with the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme and an elaborate version of See See Rider, and continuing with a mix of early successes, new hits like Burning Love, concert staples (My Way and Im So Lonesome I Could Cry) that hadnt yet appeared on an Elvis record, and other popular covers. Elvis Country (Im 10,000 Years Old) (1971) Cut during the same sessions that produced the studio portion of Thats the Way It Is, this is similar stuff, but features a somewhat better selection of tunes that had previously been hits for Willie Nelson, Bill Monroe, Jerry Lee Lewis, Anne Murray, and others, presenting a wide variety of its styles (bluegrass, outlaw, Bakersfield, honky-tonk) played smoothly by studio pros. The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio. No less than a staggering 30 or so major independent labels operating in the mail order sphere, have been involved at one time or, not to mention untold numbers of smaller scale regional enterprises. Girls! & George Michael Popularity Analysis. Privacy Policy and var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; + $4.35 shipping. Singles released since Elvis died have consistently done better overseas e.g. Then we will get into every non-RCA releases Time-Life, Provident Music, Razor & Tie, etc to see which ones were tracked by Soundscan or left out. Elvis (1956) Elvis is great, if not as strong as Elvis Presley from half a year earlier. Hes an impatient lover for the umpteenth time on Do Not Disturb, and chastises The Meanest Girl in Town on the closest this album gets to rock and roll. "Good Times" reached number 1 on the Cash Box Country Albums chart. On the eccentric Im Yours, we have the rare experience of hearing Elvis close-harmonizing with himself over some weirdly isolated organ, providing a nicely unsettling hall-of-mirrors effect. This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 17:01. Mahalo from Elvis" album Side 1 had previously unissued tracks recorded in Honolulu on January 14, 1973, for inclusion in the U.S.-version of the live concert TV special Aloha from Hawaii, side 2 were previously issued recordings from various movie soundtracks. The List of Alice In Chains Albums in Order of Release, The List of Slayer Albums in Order of Release, The List of Bob Marley Albums in Order of Release, The List of John Mellencamp Albums in Order of Release. 26. How many records has Elvis Presley?
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