Elvis Presley’s 78s Around The World
by Andre Helling

Some of the rarest 78s in all the world

What makes record collecting such fun is the diverse nature of the addiction. In this digital age Elvis Presley’s music may be feverishly downloaded, but his original 50s recordings were waxed when 78rpm records were selling and are still sought by devoted collectors. German Elvis fan Andre Helling not only slavishly acquires original King 78s but, in this labour of love, sets out to catalogue over 1000 different Presley shellacs released around the world.

Spread over 46 large A4 colour pages are 50s Blue Suede Shoes and Hound Dogs ranging�from Pakistan, Brazil, Chile, India, Norway, Finland, Holland, Japan, America, Argentina and the Phillipines. It’s fascinating to see that, because of their small runs, Irish 78s pressed in the Emerald Isle are some of the most rare and collectable. This slim tome is chock-full of pictures of records, labels, test pressings, demos and picture sleeves. It’s eye candy for the Presley obsessive and a delight for 78 collectors. The only thing that lets this self-published book down is that there are no prices. Helling should address this in his next edition and, in doing so, make Presley’s 78s a really essential tool for Elvis collectors.

no ISBN

Reviewed by Ian Shirley
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