"Where No One Stands Alone" reached number 1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums and the Billboard Vinyl Albums charts. Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas (1971) Elviss second Christmas album isnt as rock and roll as his 50s go at a holiday recording, but its infused with his later-period showmanship (check the extravagant flourishes of Winter Wonderland) and deploys his bigger-band sound and powerhouse vocals to bolster a selection of overly familiar chestnuts. $1 million was equal to about 760,000 copies and 608,000 copies at $4.98. Domestically the indications are that the sales of Elvis records has over the last ten years, together with the discovery of historic sales, pushed up the overall total from about 400 million records to an current figure of 430 million copies - which can be broken down and in much simply form than before as follows: Summary of American Sales from 1954-2018 Millions sold, RIAA certified sales 205 Awaiting certification 5 Sales above/between certification levels * 75 Sales below minimum certification levels* 70 Other sales** 65 Total 430 million. 27. The standout ballad Tender Feeling wasnt in the film, but got tossed in here as a pot sweetener. The music of Elvis Presley simply transcended language barriers in a way no other singer could do. Answer (1 of 2): Seriously. That can only mean that the majority of these sales had been accrued from foreign parts. In fact, less than a third of his official US releases achieved a Gold award or better. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. (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. The newly written title track, released as the single, is lyrically unique as a fairly detailed rundown of Elviss musical upbringing, but doesnt especially rock. Amazing Grace. 1. for 59 weeks and 4 No. The obvious killer is Elviss beautiful cover of Bob Dylans despondent Tomorrow Is a Long Time, left over from an unrelated gospel session. I dont see anywhere in the Elvis articles where its noted that RIAA certification of 1 million is units not copies shipped. During an incredible career cut short by an early death at age 42, Elvis recorded about 700 songs. 19. 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. 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. Another frustration is the absence of information about non-traditional releases. 47. 46. 11. This version was issued in 1959 and remained in print until 1969. Peppers. The RIAA certify all sales of a disc including re-releases, whether or not there has been a change in the catalogue number, provided the inclusion of any additional tracks, does not bring the total to more than 17. How many songs did Elvis sing total? Its a rare Elvis album from the 60s that was recorded with the intention of forming a distinct record i.e., it wasnt yet another soundtrack. 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.. Thats the Way It Is (1970) Elvis was cranking out records in 1970, and this one was a cocktail of Jumpsuit Elvis from his longstanding tenure at the International Hotel in Vegas and some Nashville studio stuff loosely tied to a documentary film. In the United States, Led Zeppelin has sold over 111 million albums. 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. Total USA share of market 33.7% (Note: it is probably down to 25% now)Rest of the World 66.3%. Like that earlier collection, the tone is mostly light but in this case, often grating: Yoga Is As Yoga Does gets Elvis tied up in an embarrassing knot, and The Love Machine awkwardly feeds Elvis through a fortune-telling scenario. And since . Elvis Presley (1956) This template for the hormonal enhancement of teens Elviss first long-playing record is also the first No.-1-charting rock-and-roll record, period, helping usher in the rock-LP era. 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. 1 albums ('56-'59). Girl Happy(1965) Elvis was so embarrassed by most of this soundtrack to his spring-break fantasy flick that he asked for his vocals to be lower in the mix on the exuberant title track. 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. (1962) Poor Elvis doesnt get to finish his sandwich because, as he tells us on the title track, hes too busy desiring something small and sassy, which might make for a realistic glimpse of his inner state, but not quite a recording for all-time, and neither is this soundtrack to Elviss second Hawaiian flick. In the last ten years the differential between Elvis' US and overseas sales has widened to the point whereby there really is no argument about it. The Elvis Presley: The Searcher (The Original Soundtrack) deluxe 3CD set includes a 40-page hardcover book featuring rare photography, liner notes by Warren Zanes, and a director's note by Thom Zimny. 54. gcse.src = 'https://cse.google.com/cse.js?cx=' + cx; Why this led to some confusion over what was and what was not recorded on the old RCA computer may be a bit of a red herring. " Heartbreak Hotel" "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" Release date: Nov. 8. Platinum was introduced in 1975. 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. A Date With Elvis (1959) Issued a few months after For LP Fans Only, this album was made with the same intention as its predecessor: to keep fans sated with Elvis material while he was off driving tanks in the Army. (This album irked White Christmas originator Irving Berlin and other purists, but youd think they got over it.) Its another group of castoffs from the studio, plus an endearingly schlocky one from a performance at the Las Vegas Hilton, rendered into another one of his vaguely conceptual wholes by the unwise crooners sense of desperation and self-contempt, at its most moving when Elvis is seated at the piano for a few songs, like on Ivory Joe Hunters gorgeously understated Its Still Here., 32. how many albums did elvis sell. G.I. gcse.async = true; You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. + $25.35 shipping. Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis's manager from 1955 to his death in 1977, earned an estimated $50 million from the singer's estate. 53. 700 songs. He overreaches on Peggy Lees Fever, but the album often achieves a mid-tempo grace, perfectly sprinkled with Elviss signature corn, and Reconsider Baby has a convincingly bitter blues vocal. RCA/Sony did once try to get their overseas outlets to send in their sales stats, but this request was misconstrued. [5] According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Presley has sold 146.5 million certified albums in the US, making him the third top-selling album artist in the country. ), to be consistent we need to treat these older releases the same way! If youre eager for a letdown that unwillingly owns its weariness, including a few outright duds like the depressing waltz This Is Our Dance, thisll suit your low expectations. 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. How many albums did Elvis Presley sell? 18. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. In 1959 RCA put total sales at 50 million; in 1960/1 75 million; in 1964/5- 125 million; in 1970 - 250 million, in 1976 - 400 million and at death a bit over 450 million, which the media rounded up to 500 million. 51. 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. For all those which werent, we will provide sales information to fill in the hole. ** In addition after the 1973 buyout and right up to the present day, literally dozens and dozens of heavily promoted Elvis compilations were released through other outlets, under special license. Elvis has sold a billion records. The final step will consist in crossing the data from all indicators chart runs, certifications, Soundscan, external sales data to establish how many albums the rock n roll legend moved in his native country. My original investigations revealed that Elvis was by some distance the greatest record seller of all time and ten years on it is that much easier to make a case for the claim that he has sold over a billion copies of his records. His album chart positions continue to emphasize that. 2. 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? Makes you blink a bit to think of that. Rating. The Rolling Stones have sold 66.6 million albums in the United States, while the Jimi Hendrix and Backstreet Boys have each sold 66,500 albums. Davis' album, Elephant, is by far the best . These cookies do not store any personal information. 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. Required fields are marked *. Fun in Acapulco (1963) Presley plays another romantically persistent boat worker in this movie, and we get another soundtrack of Elvis exotica. 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 was the first time rock-and-roll songs had been compiled into a hits-collection LP, in this case consisting of crisply remastered versions of the million-selling rockers and ballads released throughout 56 and 57 as singles, including the thrilling Hound Dog, the majestically lonesome Heartbreak Hotel, and the simply beautiful Love Me Tender. Despite being a Colonel Parker cash grab a designation that could be given to so much of Elviss ensuing work meant to tide over fans during the first stretch of Elviss two-year showbiz break, its a splendid summation of his pre-Army highlights, not arranged chronologically, but for listening pleasure. He said his surgery was a success, but he needs time to heal before he can tour again. 23. Roustabout (1964) Elviss slickster manager, a former carny who dubbed himself Colonel Tom Parker (formerly Dutch immigrant Andrea van Kuijk), got a picture made for his star which took place in Parkers old milieu, with Elvis playing the title fairground worker who could sing mellifluously while performing motorcycle stunts. Elvis Presley albums: How many albums did Elvis Presley make? The following updated version has been considerably shortened, where possible, in the interests of brevity. This password will be used to sign into all, Shania Twain Gives Rare Update on Her Ex-Husband and Ex-BFF, The 7 Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch This Weekend, 6 Stand-ups Analyze ChatGPTs Attempts to Steal Their Jobs, How to Watch and Stream Every 2023 Oscar-Nominated Movie, Rick Scott Is Unfortunately Kind of Right About Novak Djokovic, Rick Scott Is Unfortunately Right About Novak Djokovic, Travis Barkers Finger Is Now the Enema of Blink-182 Fans. Is Elvis the Biggest Selling Recording Artist? Or it could have been because he had to perform the rest of this familiar mishmash of pseudo-smooth (City by Night), pseudo-rocking (Long Legged Girl), and pseudo-polka (I Love Only One Girl) and release it on the same day as his supreme acolytes the Beatles released Sgt. Oh, Loosey! This is a moving document (and deconstruction) of Elviss unique embodiment of r&b, gospel, country, and rock and roll. These are albums which were never sold on standard retailers but instead by mail order or at Christian book stores. Before and during the holiday season after Presley's death in August 1977, the Pickwick LP was advertised and sold on television via mail order to enormous sales . Despite his undeniable talents, Elvis was a wildly uneven recording artist. 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. Why was the 1982 claim ever made? Music industry One step closer to being accurate. Musically, its a terrific mix of newer recordings like the chastising but flippant (Youre So Square) Baby I Dont Care and Sun tracks like Blue Moon of Kentucky (his other classic lamentation over a blue moon), and it showcases his enthusiastic inner-boy on Good Rockin Tonight and the delightfully cheery (but also menacing) entreaty Baby Lets Play House. I Forgot to Remember to Forget is another reminder that Elvis could be just as effectively sexy when silly. The Beatles - The Beatles (the "White Album") (Parlophone UK album, 1968) - Ringo Starr's personal copy (No. Tighter and more pleasurable than the previous bombastic New York and Hawaii live albums, this excises a lot of flab (while, this being an Elvis album, retaining some) and adds gospel grit via J.D. It was pretty much the same with 'Don't Cry Daddy'. Singles released since Elvis died have consistently done better overseas e.g. [6], FTD (Follow That Dream), Sony Music's Official Elvis Presley Collectors label, was established in 1999 to serve the dedicated Elvis collector and to complement the commercial and artistic level of RCA's retail release schedule by issuing repertoire that is considered of interest to serious Elvis fans and collectors, material that is generally not part of mainstream RCA label releases to the public at large. Elvis sings The Wonderful World of Christmas (1971), It Wont Seem Like Christmas (Without You), Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread), 19. Some idea of the scale involved actually emerged through the 1977/8 interim and the final audited record company reports. The Elvis cash machine is spinning while his record company, Sony , says that his U.S. album sales alone have now exceeded 146.5 million. Theres also blues, gospel, and gypsy music at their cheesiest. Almost overnight, Moody Blue shot to third place in the album charts, capping his career with it becoming his best-selling studio release. Elvis wasn't just the King of Rock 'n' Roll. From Elvis In Memphis (1969) Fresh off the success of his 68 comeback special, a reanimated Elvis recorded this album many fans favorite at a studio hed never before used, American Sound, getting its talented southern soul-style house band the Memphis Boys to back him rather than the usual gang. "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 . 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. 34. 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. 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. 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, . Elvis Presley's best selling album is "Elvis Presley" which was released in 1956. 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. But they were enough. 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Its padded out with a few decent newer recordings that Elvis actually chose to sing, like Jerry Reeds funky Guitar Man and Eddy Arnolds classic of misunderstanding You Dont Know Me.. He also made 17 soundtrack albums for his movies, 8 live recordings of shows, & a spoken word album called Having Fun With Elvis on Stage. Girls! Elvis Is Back With New Money Maker As U.S. This list will point out for all of them if they were available at Columbia House and / or BMG Music Club. When he croons, My eyes may grow dim, on I Believe in the Man in the Sky, youll believe him. ** It is true that sales returns for many individual titles particularly between March 1973 and January 1976 and August 1977 and August 1978 are incomplete because of computer problems and changes - but RCA still have an audited record of the overall annual, albeit unallocated figures for that period. })(); Best selling artists, albums and singles of all-time. Cant Help Falling in Love is the obvious peak, and even the silly calypso moment Ito Eats wiggles into its place. The Official Top 50 biggest selling Elvis Presley singles revealed . Cotton Candy Land repositions Mr. Sandmans dream as a terrifying sugar high, and the saccharine How Would You Like to Be? is sung to a kid in the film to placate her, but frazzles every other listener; Happy Ending is another unhappy event. After he visited Graceland recently Paul was interviewed about his experience and he was quoted as saying' I used to think that it was us (the Beatles) who sold the most records, but I have seen the evidence for myself and there is no doubt it is Elvis'. 42. Elvis Golden Records (1958) Historically important and precedent-setting, but even more delectable sonically, its another first for Elvis, and our pleasure organs can be as eternally grateful to this album as they are to the first ice-cream parlor to offer multiple scoops. The exception to the picture I have painted is Elvis' gospel music, which for many decades has found particular favour with the strong Christian movement in the States. Clambake (1967) Only about half of the songs that make up the Clambake soundtrack were actually in the movie Clambake; they are ludicrous (Who Needs Money?), bland (A House That Has Everything), or annoying (the chirpy Confidence), and Elvis sounds audibly exhausted throughout. The string of soundtracks he released in the 60s (largely at the behest of his exploitative manager Colonel Tom Parker) give the termformulaicas bulletproof a definition as anything in algebra, and consist of his shoddiest material. Of course, we already saw that assuming 250,000 sales on average for each - mid-way to Gold - is not an accurate method. Indeed not only did the 1974/5 single 'My Boy' actually sell more copies (450,000) in the UK than it did in the States, but a 1970/71 single 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' did likewise in Japan. Something for Everybody (1961) Elviss third post-Army record (he served, mostly in Germany, from 1958 to 1960) opens with the moody and introspective Don Robertson crooner Theres Always Me, but ditches the midnight mood thereafter, instead continuing with well-sung country-pop. Elvis has been on the charts more times than . In the throes of her research, Reid found herself transfixed by their dynamic. ELVIS PRESLEY Vinyl LP LOT 50+ Album Collection Many Sealed VG~NM Condition. 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. + $35.13 shipping. 40. From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee (1976) Its not a live concert album, but an album recorded live at a makeshift studio, and a powerful downer that gets us close to Elviss pain and far from rock and roll. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio. 7. This article will answer basically all these issues. Elvis recorded around 710 songs.