Further Sony/RCA have released more than 250 uncertified albums in the USA alone (including Record Club only issues) over the years, some of which may only have sold as little as 50,000 copies apiece but they all add up. Posthumously, in 2018, Presley was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 56. 27. (The remaining 500 were digital album purchases.) **It appears that immediately the 1973 royalty buyout came into force RCA stopped issuing either Elvis or the Colonel with sales figures, relating to any of his records released before 1/3/1973. Male is a driving version of a choice pun about an extremely threatening M-A-L-E persona, Long Legged Girl (With the Short Dress On) is as irritating as it was on the Double Trouble soundtrack, and the silly funk of A Little Less Conversation and Rubberneckin ultimately worked better as techno-remixes in soccer and Toyota ads. So Glad Youre Mine, a great mocking Arthur Crudup song left over from an earlier session kicks off the second side, and when Elviss mournful desire peeks out on Hows the World Treating You, as elsewhere, the effect is spellbinding. Amazing Grace. 51. 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. 34. "The Sun Sessions" reached number 1 on the Cash Box Country Albums chart. " He charms on The Girl of My Best Friend and the saxophone-smothered Like a Baby, and the topical Soldier Boy has a lovely bridge for this officers pipes. The rapid increase in demand for Presley product in the lucrative South East Asia, during the early seventies, was the main driving force behind the sponsorship of the initial live telecast of the 'Aloha' special in 1973. There's no question that Beatles music sells. 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. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. How many albums did Elvis sell in 2019? The contents, sadly, aren't nearly as soul . That can only mean that the majority of these sales had been accrued from foreign parts. Im Comin Home attempts a rock-and-roll revival at the top of the B side and just about achieves it. In the tracking week ending Aug. 4, the Elvis soundtrack sold 8,000 copies (up 1,466%), with 7,500 of that sum on CD. In 1956, the famous singer known as Elvis Presley released his first album. This article will answer basically all these issues. Elvis recorded around 710 songs. Given the technology of the day, EP's were simply easier to handle and also less costly. As a reminder, Soundscan is the process which scans every sale at retailers since the start of 1991. (This album irked White Christmas originator Irving Berlin and other purists, but youd think they got over it.) [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. up to 1974 a GOLD LP is when sales reached $1 million of the wholesale price. The first record of Elvis gospel music, entitled "His Hand in Mine," was released in 1960. His work here is loose and gritty and inspired, with the opening medley of Trouble and Guitar Man leading to an extended hits medley, and his renewed sense of purpose is as irresistible now as it was to the fans present at the shows. 6 Blue Hawaii (1961) ~ 3 Million RCA During his lifetime, Presley starred in 31 movies and while every soundtrack issued from each film managed to sell a million copies, this one stood out the most. Elvis for Everyone! Much of this is owed to Wallen's fans streaming his Academy of Country Music Album of the Year award-winning "Dangerous: The Double Album" over 5 billion times since its 2021 release. 2. Although these figures should be treated with a certain degree of caution, it was only when Elvis died that things appeared to really go awry. Let Yourself Go has an unconvincing psychedelic flavor, but might be the most fun thing here, along with Nancy Sinatras take on Lee Hazlewoods cynical Your Groovy Self. The existentialism-light of Who Are You (Who Am I? Written and researched by Nick Keene with help from Ernst Jorgensen and source's at Sony Music for Elvis Australia. Breaking down the contenders in the seasons most unpredictable Oscar race. Again there may be some genuine lost sales here, because of incomplete returns to RCA, but I think we can ignore them. The problem remains the sales of records outside the USA. Historical consequence aside, the music is a dynamite convergence of older Sun and newer RCA recordings, which served to feed the growing nationwide Elvis bedlam, and its equally perfect as a showcase for the thrusting dancer of Blue Suede Shoes as it is for the sensitive crooner experimenting in nocturnal melancholy at its hypnotic best on the ethereal Blue Moon and I Love You Because. At the same time, the desperate Ill Never Let You Go (Little Darlin) and Money Honey reveal an essential dangerous-rebel aspect to his appeal. The recent international sales of 'Where No One Stands Alone' may be the first gospel album to suggest that this may no longer be the case. It adds up to an enjoyable mix of traditional classics (O Come, All Ye Faithful helped by the addition of a heavy bass line and funky drums), good new Christmas songs (the soulful Ill Be Home on Christmas Day), and newer songs like the stripped-down, randy Merry Christmas Baby. The holiday spirit gave Elvis a rare and welcome unifying concept to work with even though this album was recorded in May. Elvis has sold more albums then any other singer or group in the history of music. 52. "The Wonder of You" reached number 1 on the Billboard Classical Albums and the Billboard Classical Crossover Albums charts. Girls! There are a number of other points to be made at this juncture namely: Certification of record sales requires documentation not of any actual sales sheets, but of the shipping invoices sent to the distributor and the returns of unsold discs made to the supplier. 25. Despite being so prolific, there are many other songs we would have liked to hear him sing. "Good Times" reached number 1 on the Cash Box Country Albums chart. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. Learn how your comment data is processed. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. how many records did elvis sell worldwide. This is the third album recovered from the epic 1970 sessions that produced the competent light-country of Thats the Way It Is and Elvis Country its also the rejects. The evidence is there - just not broken down to enable certification by individual title, correctly required under the RIAA rules. Fun in Acapulco (1963) Presley plays another romantically persistent boat worker in this movie, and we get another soundtrack of Elvis exotica. The Polynesian furniture was cleared out of Graceland to make room for a recording setup to capture performances from the waning singer in between his obsessive viewings of Charles Bronson in Death Wish. Elvis did not sell 1 billion records by 1982, which claim first appeared via an article in the 'Washington Post' dated 12 July of that year and quoted RCA as its source. During his career, the prolific actor inhabited an array of troubled characters. As live/studio (2) or an single issues ,the physical sales of EACH justRead more . Points 39. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. An LP had to sell $2,000,000 at the wholesale price (1975 LPs increased to $5.98 and $6.98) AND a minimumRead more . Elvis recorded not only studio albums, but live albums and soundtracks, and released compilation albums:Studio 23Live 7Compilation 11Soundtracks 19This gives a total of 60 albums released in his name. Elvis doesnt quite convince you to rock out with the explicit dance instructions on the title track (clap your hands real loud and turn your head to the left) but it starts the album off with vim, which is followed by Elviss pleasant request for heavenly kisses on Angel. The rocker Easy Come, Easy Go comes and goes easily, as does this whole album, which sustains a light tone, unlike the laborious country-oriented material on Elviss other LPs from this period. 1 on the country and pop charts. Elvis Presley: The Searcher (The Original Soundtrack) is available for pre-order now: CD: https://Elvis.lnk.to/TheSearcher_StandardPR/amazon The title song simulates heavenly thunder over tinkling piano, and the rest of the A side is sweetly sung and gently soothing. 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. gcse.type = 'text/javascript'; 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. After the success of Elvis's 1973 Hawaiian TV special, an album only needed to have E looking like an impassioned eagle on the cover to sell well. Hes well-integrated with New Orleans brass on tracks like Leiber & Stollers Muddy Waters rip Trouble, and has fun laying it on thick on their greasy title track. Elvis Presley was included in the History Channel's 10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America video, and I believe that his effect on race relations and popular . Cmon Everybody (1971) Even though hes wearing a 70s-era jumpsuit on the cover, this is another easy way to hear selections from the slew of 60s soundtrack recordings that never made their way to an LP, taken from Viva Las Vegas, Follow That Dream, Kid Galahad, and Easy Come, Easy Go. 47. On Scratch My Back, Elvis coaxes his lover to get rid of our itch together, and Queenie Wahines Papaya turns the soothing fruit into an aggravating tongue-twister. 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. He previously suffered a brain aneurysm on February 18, and was ultimately taken off life support. "Christmas with Elvis" reached number 1 on the Billboard Classical Albums and the Billboard Classical Crossover Albums charts. 18. " Teddy Bear" 5. Elvis released his first album in 1956, and continued to put out records until his death in 1977. Beginning in 1954, he recorded at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who aimed to popularize African-American music. Is Elvis the Biggest Selling Recording Artist? The Official Top 50 biggest selling Elvis Presley singles revealed . Of course, we already saw that assuming 250,000 sales on average for each - mid-way to Gold - is not an accurate method. He sold over 600 million records in his lifetime, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. But they were enough. Elvis Presley's best selling album is "Elvis Presley" which was released in 1956. 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. From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis, Elvis sings The Wonderful World of Christmas, From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee, Im Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You), (Therell Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me), Ill Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms), 11. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Raised on Rock (1973) After the success of Elviss 1973 Hawaiian TV special, an album only needed to have E looking like an impassioned eagle on the cover to sell well. (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. His 25 percent commission from Elvis's tours and record sales alone amasses to nearly $14 million dollars, plus another $2 million for his film commissions. "Wonderful World of Christmas" reached number 1 on the Billboard Christmas Albums chart in 1972 and 1973. Yet even under those constraints, he could inhabit just about anything asked of him within the affable-sexy spectrum, leading to a range of results sentimentally perfect (Cant Help Falling in Love) or perfectly ridiculous (Song of a Shrimp, his fond send-off to a family of crustaceans). 12. Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis's manager from 1955 to his death in 1977, earned an estimated $50 million from the singer's estate. In its favor: Return to Sender.. may be re-printed for public display without permission. If you do the math, that's 341 minus 101 equals 240 albums completely unaccounted for under Presley's RIAA tally. However the 1972/3 Elvis record sales in the US were particularly heavy because of the combined impact of Aloha, the 'On Tour' film, the Madison Square Garden concert, the first greatest hit package, and the number one single, 'Burning Love' and so for a time US sales bucked the trend, which had very clearly been heading in the direction of overseas markets for some time before that. Even Presleys worst soundtrack filler may get you there. Elvis Christmas Album (1957) The all-time best-selling Christmas album in America is rounded out by four beautifully drowsy non-holiday gospel numbers. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Over the last decade the media have put pressure on the record companies to provide more details of their various claims, with the result that some of them have been revised, only to be replaced by statistics that do not differentiate as between actual physical sales and downloads. Later FTD introduced the Elvis Classic Album Series, releases of the original albums in deluxe 7" size packaging with a booklet and usually a second CD of outtakes from the same period as the recordings on the album. 57. This is clearly demonstrated by the total global musical sales for the year 2005, which I continue to use, and with figures cast in billions of dollars, reads as follows: 1 USA 7.02 Japan 3.73 UK 2.24 Germany 1.45 France 1.26 ROW 5.3. Somebody else in the old RCA backroom may have initially dreamt up the figures, but it was Don Wardell who publicised them and thus must bear the responsibility. Which is the best? Hes an impatient lover for the umpteenth time on Do Not Disturb, and chastises The Meanest Girl in Town on the closest this album gets to rock and roll. 44. Let me get this right, Chartmasters have managed to get all the sales records for those that RIAA were unable to confirm since the 50s?, the figures wont include the sales from independent outlets since his death or bootleg albums especially during the 70s, this figures are just an estimation, we will never know the actual figures for sure, It looks like CHARTMASTERS needs a better look at 1969s double -FROM MEMPHIS TO VEGAS/FROM VEGAS TO MEMPHIS (490,000).As on CHARTMASTERS (PAGE 13 of 13).The separate studio & live is muddy. He started to grow as a popular artist, and began to change both race relations and popular teen culture. According to Forbes' list of top earning dead stars, he earned $27m (21m) in 2016 and sold one million albums. 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. after 1974 a GOLD LP had to sell $1 million AND 500,000 copies. As a past Chief Executive of RCA Records (Mike Ormansky) once remarked - 'it's not even close'. 700 songs. And it was during his watch that the 'Washington Post' claim first began to appear on the back of Elvis albums and in press releases. Did Elvis record a gospel album? Elvis sings The Wonderful World of Christmas (1971), It Wont Seem Like Christmas (Without You), Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread), 19. RCA/Sony did once try to get their overseas outlets to send in their sales stats, but this request was misconstrued. 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. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. 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. The title track on Moody Blue is a would-be camp classic from Mark James, who also wrote Suspicious Minds, and the live half has a couple of enjoyably bouncy countrified versions of Olivia Newton-John hits in If You Love Me (Let Me Know) and Let Me Be There, as well as a goofy take on the doo-wop classic Little Darlin. Of the final studio cuts from October 76, Way Down is an up, and Pledging My Love is a strong-enough musical declaration. It would seem that the growth of sales in overseas markets - reflected in the success of such records as 'It's Now or Never' - generally began to take off around about the time Elvis was demobbed from the army in 1960. If you do the math, thats 341 minus 101 equals 240 albums completely unaccounted for under Presleys RIAA tally. In the UK, for example, the now long moribund 'Disc and Music Echo' pop magazine had, by the time it folded, awarded Elvis around two dozen silver discs-currently assumed to be lurking in the vaults - each for AUDITED sales of over 250,000 copies. Youve got some Janning to do! 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. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Elvis wasn't just the King of Rock 'n' Roll. This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 17:01. Pot Luck With Elvis (1962) Given the album title, this is predictably uneven. ( A Billion is 1 Thousand Million). Please notice that these statistics do not include Follow That Dream releases they will be treated later on this same article. Theres also blues, gospel, and gypsy music at their cheesiest. Singer Presents Elvis Singing Flaming Star and Others (1968) This budget-priced compilation mostly consists of unreleased soundtrack recordings from the 60s, aside from a version of Chuck Berrys Too Much Monkey Business that was recorded as a warm-up and the sloppily energized Tiger Man, which is the most exciting thing here: a sneak peek of the upcoming comeback special. Hurt is the open wound that gets this off to an epically melodramatic start and, at its best, ragged interpretations of songs like Danny Boy and Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain keep the album compellingly bottomed-out. Elvis fans still prefer to have something physical in their hands, rather than a download. Although the songs are mainly two or three minutes long, they feel like theyre taking their time without ever lagging, and the straight country material like Im Movin On benefits from elaborately funky interjections. This is the first reissue and repackaging of the twelve tracks from Elvis' Christmas Album (RCA Victor LOC-1035, above).