Desperately Collecting ELVIS

Nearly thirty years after his death, the collectability of Elvis Presley is undiminished. Bob Solly surveys the current scene

Elvis Presley is not called The King for nothing. His influence irrevocably altered the course of popular music during the 1950s, and stimulated social change for young people. There was hardly such a thing as ‘youth’ culture before he led the way. So who is more important to musical history, Elvis or The Beatles? Consider this: if Elvis and rock’n’ roll had not existed, then The Beatles may not have existed; or they might have been an entirely different group, creating music 10 years behind the times. Without Elvis, we would be hearing a different kind of song today.

SUN RECORDS

Collecting Elvis’ original recordings is truly collecting pieces of history, and real history can be expensive. Not surprisingly, then, Presley’s first released recording, That’s All Right, for the independent Sun label in Memphis, continues to be a blue chip investment for anyone who has a spare £2000-£2500 for a Near Mint 45rpm copy. But although That’s All Right will always be the Holy Grail of early Elvis artefacts, because of its historic position, it’s not the most rare of his five Sun singles. His third release, Milkcow Blues Boogie, is definitely the scarcest, though it’s hard to see where Elvis was heading with his rockabilly version …

by Bob Solly
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