Wednesday 26 June 2013

The Elvis In Demand Mystery

 
Back in 1976, in the days when I was a graphic designer, I went up to RCA's Curzon Street offices in London, not far from the famous Playboy Club, to pitch an idea for a five track EP of then unavailable movie songs, including the studio version of Johnny B Goode from Elvis On Tour. I did a full proposal and a full colour sleeve visual with Letraset and a letterbox still of Elvis in Charro, which I had picked up at the fan club convention in Leicester, that same year, where I had seen the Aloha From Hawaii TV special for the first time on a big screen. Seems incredible to think about now, but none of the British television companies had at that time scheduled it for broadcast. There was a whole campaign in Elvis Monthly to persuade the BBC to show it, and I seem to remember that RCA had offered to front half the asking price of £50,000, but it was still not enough to persuade the BBC to buy the special, and so it went unseen until a much edited version was eventually broadcast on BBC in 1978.

I can’t remember exactly the date that I went to RCA, but it was probably in the latter part of 76 as I remember being shown the artwork for the Elvis In Demand album, and getting given a poster for the Presley Gold singles campaign, which was a reissue collection of Elvis’s 16 Number One singles in their original U.S picture bags. The album and poster featured the same illustration of Elvis. It was during this meeting that I first heard about the then planned CBS TV Special which according to what I was told, was not going to be a concert special but a mix of concert footage, Elvis taking viewers for a tour around Graceland, and a gospel recording session.

The product manager Dave Mackay at RCA liked my proposal for the movie EP very much, and said that he wanted to make it happen, but told me he would have to get approval from the Colonel before proceeding any further, and would send it over to the Colonel to get it greenlighted. And that was the last I heard of it! A few weeks later, Dave left RCA and had cleared out his office, so I never did see my visual or proposal again. And no one at RCA could find it or trace a letter being sent to the Colonel's office about it.

Elvis In Demand though, was quite a unique album for its time. Marketed as "the most lovingly compiled album ever", it came about when RCA UK invited British fans of the official fan club to select 16 songs from Elvis's extensive recorded repertoire to represent his studio work, Hollywood film soundtracks and live shows. Most songs picked were an assortment of singles, B-sides, album tracks and some obscure movie songs. The idea was to have on one album, as many songs that were no longer available. When news of the project first appeared in Elvis Monthly, to celebrate the 21st birthday of the fan club, it was suggested that this would be a good opportunity to fill in a few gaps for songs that were not currently available in the UK. The article in the Monthly gave a list of suggested tracks that could be included and if memory serves me right, it was most of these tracks, seven of them in mono, that ended up on the final album. Although looking back on it now, the list of selected tracks may have seemed strange at the time, but there was a sensible logic behind it, and it proved to be a most successful idea. It sold over 100,000 copies, peaked at No. 12 in the UK album chart and earned itself a silver disc award. It was released one month after the album's lead single Suspicion had become a Top Ten hit. Many of the general record buying public seemed to think it was a new recording, and that Elvis had returned to his old 60s style, even though the track had first appeared on Pot Luck, his No.1 studio album from 1962. 

Even more strange is the story that Elvis personally autographed 15 copies of the sleeve in June 1977, with "Best Wishes Elvis Presley", which according to those who have claimed to have seen it, was clearly visible in black ink. If true, that would mean the album sleeves would have probably been among some of the last things Elvis would have signed for fans, but one also has to wonder what he must have thought about being asked to sign a record album with such a "ghostly" looking illustration. The 15 copies he is said to have signed, were then said to have been given away as prizes by the Daily Express, even though no cuttings from the newspaper have yet surfaced to support the story. Some say they remember it well, while others don’t, and most are sceptical about the whole thing. I don’t remember seeing any such competition in the Express, but that’s not to say it didn’t happen. It probably did when you consider that Todd Slaughter, the boss of the British Fan Club, had met Elvis to present him with some British awards, during the filming of the CBS In Concert TV Special in the same month that Elvis is said to have signed the copies of In Demand. Although the Fan Club did a lot of shouting about its contribution to the LP, and rightfully so, there are those sceptics who have suggested the whole signed copies affair was just a marketing ploy between the Fan Club and Express newspapers. It would be an interesting exercise to try and find out if Elvis did actually sign the albums, and if any fans do indeed, have a signed copy of it.
 

14 comments:

  1. I have one of the signed Evis in Demand LP's.

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    1. How good to hear! You are the second person to let me know! Thanks a million. NG

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  2. No problem.

    I won it in the Daily Express competition. It is signed in black felt pen 'Best Wishes Elvis Presley'.

    I spoke with Todd Slaughter a few years later and he confirmed he had got the LP's autographed by Elvis.

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    1. Would be great if you could send me a picture or scan of the signed album as I am intending to do a follow up post! Send me your email via the contact form and I will get in touch! Thanks! NG

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  3. Hi Nigel,

    the info about Elvis signing this LP is definitely correct. As a friend of Todd's I remember him telling me he actually helped hold them whilst Elvis signed them, so unlike so many other Elvis autographs, this one is 100% genuine! I have one, plus the letter from the Express verifying the authenticity. Email me & I'll send you a scan of this & the cover!

    Bernard Roughton, UK

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    1. That is great to hear.

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    2. Hi Bernard, I have emailed you! It was really good to hear all that you had to say and will look forward to receiving the scans, which will make great material for my intended follow up post! Thanks a million. Nigel

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  4. Good on you Nigel and Greetings from Oz. Hope all is OK in your neck of the woods. It's been a pleasure to read your blog. Methinks that the EID concept should be revived and there should be 40th anniversary edition of EID (a 2 CD including the original 16 tracker) next january on the FTD classic albums series, The FTD of course are including more compilations in recent years. Plus there are still substantial recordings and European mixes not yet available or is extremely rare and hard to find. Recently I started up a topic about it on the PHOENIX ELVIS FORUM. Well taht's it for me at this time. Cheers, WalterHaleJnr...
    http://www.theelvisforum-phoenix.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2839

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  5. Hi WalterHaleJnr... thanks for your comment, and pleased that your enjoyed reading my blog. I totally agree with you regarding an Elvis In Demand FTD expanded edition or at least a 2-disc Legacy Edition for 2017. Considering it was such a huge album at the time in terms of sales and the UK album chart, I would like to think that such a release will be among the releases that the Legacy label is said to be planning for next year to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Elvis's passing.

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  6. Why have Elvis sign 15 copies?... Why not 21 copies?

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  7. Nice write up. I have fond memories of this album growing up. It introduced me to a lot of tracks that were new to me at the time. I love the idea of an FTd / Vol 2. I might work on that one for my blog.

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  8. Hi
    I was wondering if this LP came with a Poster
    Kind Regards

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  9. I have a beautiful shop poster for IN DEMAND with the same picture as the sleeve cover but all in gold and black. Bottom of the poster just says 'In Demand' under that 'RCA', under that 'Records and Tapes'. Found it rolled up a a boot fair many years ago, had it framed and it hangs over my fireplace getting lots of admiration from visitors. Can email a copy of this gorgeous poster to anyone who wants one.

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    1. Hi, would love to have a picture copy of your poster. Thanks!.

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