Win you some Elvis!

As I mentioned yesterday, I just got back from a little vacation to Memphis, a town steeped in musical history, and was able to take in some truly historic sites: the Stax Museum of Soul Music, the Rock and Soul Museum, the Sun Records studio, the Gibson guitar factory, and last, but not least, Graceland. I'm not going to lie to you, I was initially hesitant to visit Graceland, fearing it would be the creme de cheese of tourist attractions, with a kitsch factor off the scale. Don't get me wrong, I can dig Elvis' music, his snear, and his pelvic thrusts, but I was afraid of running into too many folks who believed he was still alive and popping up for sitings every so often for the National Enquirer. I ended up saving Graceland for my last day in Memphis, and ultimately I'm very glad that I went.

Graceland itself (the house that Elvis lived in that is) is amazingly humble by today's superstars' cribs' standards. You can actually see the front door from a main road, and the property is bordered by normal, everyday houses that you can clearly see. There's no 10' fence around it, no wall of bushes too dense to see through. And while there are some eccentricities (the Jungle Room, the racquetball court building, the separate building for his staff to take in fan mail and deal with business), I can actually imagine someone legitimately living there and there not being rooms and parts of the property that no one ever gets to.

Across the street from Graceland are the museums that house all of the Elvis memorabilia and paraphernalia, including exhibits detailing his wardrobe and sense of style, the news coverage he received, a small portion of his car collection, his two private jets, and his '68 comeback special. Oh, and literally about 8 or 9 different souvenir shops. Here are a few pics I snapped:

ANYWAY, all that leads up to today's contest for a brand new Elvis release that's coming out March 8th from the Legacy label. It's a double disc release collecting two of Elvis' albums (Elvis Is Back! and Something For Everybody) and his hit singles from that period (including Stuck On You, Are You Lonesome Tonight, Little Sister, and others). These two albums came out right after Elvis returned from his stint in the Army over in Germany, hence the title of the first album. Both of them were a tour de force for Elvis, presenting him and his music in a new light, with more sophistication, more depth of material, with the first recorded over the course of only two nights, and the second in only one! Along with the tunes is a set of liner notes that, much like most Legacy reissues, adds another dimension to the albums for listeners. 


I've got an extra copy of this release to share with one lucky reader. All you need to do to be in the running is to leave a comment (or email me) with your name, email address, and favorite Elvis tune. I'll pick a winner next Wednesdayish and notify them via email.

Elvis Presley - I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell : Elvis is Back! (Legacy Edition)

Visit the official Elvis website, and the Legacy Recordings website.