Book
review
Elvis
Presley The Complete Guide to His Music
John Robertson, Omnibus Press, USA, 2004, ISBN: 1844497119
This
is an updated edition of the book first published in 1994
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Despite
its title and back cover promotion, Elvis Presley The
Complete Guide to His Music is neither complete nor
does it include a track by track run-down of every song
released by The King.
Nevertheless,
as an overview of Elvis' amazing recorded career and
its eclectic, often mesmerizing output, John Robertson's
book has merit. The chronological and period chapter
structure is excellent, ranging from the Sun Years through
1950s RCA, Hollywood recordings, the Comeback, final
years and a section devoted to primary "live" recordings.
(Cover
photo - USA edition)
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There
is also a section covering CD Compilations up to the Elvis
Ultimate Gospel release in 2004.
There
are a number of interesting extras in The Complete Guide including
a look at the famous Pied Piper footage and synopses for each
of Elvis' 31 narrative films, while the author has wriiten
interesting and incisive introductions for each section in
the book.
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Displaying
a clean and inviting page design in a small format (just
larger than pocket sized) it offers enough information
about each of Elvis' singles and albums to add to our
knowledge and keep us entertained. Robertson's narrative
is strong and succinctly paints a solid musical biography
of The King.
The
middle section features an array of colorful photos
of Elvis over the years including some great jumpsuit
shots. The photos are a significant improvement on the
black & white visuals featured in the 1994 release.
(Cover
photo - Australian edition)
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Verdict:
With
superior design features than its first edition, Elvis
Presley The Complete Guide To His Music is a very useful
"quick" reference tool for all Elvis fans.
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(Book
review, Source: EIN)
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