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List Price: $19.95 | | Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Salesrank: 477655
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| Our Price: $109.00 |
| Used Price: $16.06 |
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| Media: Paperback |
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Editorial Review:
For the first time, the complete story of Elvis Presley's recording career is told in this remarkable book.With exclusive access to the RCA vaults, producer Ernst Jorgensen brings to intimate life every moment that Elvis spent in the studio--from the spontaneous joy of his early sessions to the intensely creative periods of his later career.At once the definitive recording session guide and a compellingly readable narrative, this is the ultimate companion to the singer and his songs. AUTHORBIO: Ernst Jorgensen produced many RCA Elvis box sets, for which he was nominated for a Grammy Award.He lives in Denmark.
Elvis Presley: A Life in Music--The Complete Recording Sessions Reviews:
Elvis Presley: A Life in Music 
2008-02-23 - Elvis was drafted into the U.S. Army in March, 1958. He received a deferment to finish King Creole, considered by critics to be his best film. The draft was a reality in the 1950s. Young men were expected to serve their country and relished the opportunity. Elvis did his basic training at Fort Hood in Texas. While he was in basic, his mother died. Elvis never fully recovered from her death. He was in armor and worked with tanks. He got orders for Germany. In Germany, Elvis met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu. She became his wife and the mother of his daughter. Elvis' two years in the Army were something he and his fans remained proud of. Despite fame, he was not given special treatment. He pulled K.P.
Elvis was discharged in March, 1960. Music had changed. It had calmed down. Elvis' first record as a civilian was Stuck On You. Its sexual edge took it to number one. It's Now Or Never Came out that summer. It was operatic and proved Elvis could sing. Having served in the Army and mellowed, he appealed to older people. He starred in G.I. Blues with Juliet Prowse.
Part two of Elvis' career began. These were the movies years. Viva Las Vegas did well because of Ann-Margret. Elvis' manager, Tom Parker, controlled everything and saw "his boy" as a money-making machine. As long as the movies made money, they ground them out. Each was worse than the one before it. Elvis resembled a cardboard cut-out as The Beatles redefined rock music. Elvis and Priscilla married in 1967. Their daughter, Lisa Marie, was born 9 months later.
The Elvis Music Bible 
2008-02-16 - This is a catalog of ALL of the songs that Elvis ever recorded. Some of the of the other reviewers wrote that it is JUST about the music. But, in fact, there is a lot of commentary about things that were going on in Elvis' life during the recordings, too. So, this is a great chronology of his personal life that went along with the recordings. This is somewhat unique for books about Elvis, because while you read that this happened or that happened, it is hard to put it all on timeline. The bonus with this book is that there are a whole string of new people that you learn about, because you hear about the record company staff, the recording artists, and other people related to the production of his albums and even his movies. But, on top of everything, the music is ALL here!
Not the masterpiece it could've been... 
2007-12-19 - This book started off so good that I couldn't put it down. The author leaves no stone unturned in the 50's. Everything you wanted to know about how Elvis, the colonel, and RCA went about their business is there in black and white. You find out how and why every recording was recorded. You'll feel like you were there in the studio with Elvis and also behind the desk in the colonel's office.
But come 1961 or '62 this book starts slipping big time, especially pursuant to Elvis' movie recordings. Whereas for the 50's the author wrote paragraph after paragraph detailing each recording session, for certain 60's sessions all he did was give the statistics (song, publisher, catalog number, etc.) Near the end of the 60's and on into the 70's the author gets back on track and gives us plenty of background. But I can't help but be disappointed with approximately 1962-1966.
The Elvis Bible A Must Have
2007-10-17 - of all the 1,000 of volumes written about the life of Elvis,this collection....A Life In Music,stands alone as the best and really the only must have.It chronicles every Elvis recording session from his start at sun to the very end of his career.It takes you inside every session and gets you,in a sense,inside the mind of the greatest songman ever.This is the Elvis Bible and I absolutely love mine.It is the definitive work on Elvis.
Essential Elvis
2007-05-27 - Great book. Honest - not sleazy, not pandering. The sessions are fascinating, the studio people and musicians that mattered get their dues and the hard slog behind making it all sound so good, (as well as the causes behind the otherwise inexplicable trash) becomes clear. This one's for the music.
