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. But they were enough. If you include the soundtrack albums, Elvis had about 45 studio albums. 700 songs. 11. 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. Kissin Cousins (1964) Elvis feudin, Elvis lovin, Elvis swingin as he joins his mountain kinfolk for a hey, hey, hayride to good ol mountain music reads the movie-poster copy. Even Presleys worst soundtrack filler may get you there. 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. These cookies do not store any personal information. The vinyl version of the complete show went No. 15. 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. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. 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. In the case of Elvis other indicators include: # Those singles which were NEVER released in the States, but were huge hits in a wide range of countries overseas, including, amongst others, 'A Mess of Blues' (1960), 'Wooden Heart' (1961), 'I Just Can't Help Believing' (1971) and 'The Girl of My Best Friend' (1976). # In 1987 RCA gave Graceland a somewhat baffling award which listed no less than 48 million selling titles, that for the most part had not gained due recognition for past sales. How many albums has Elvis sold since he died? 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. We could stick around for the rest of this pleasantly pat stuff like the fuzz-funk moralizing of Change of Habit if we accept the platitudinal invitation extended by Have a Happy to let your address be sunshine place.. Required fields are marked *. [3] Music historian Joel Whitburn ranked Presley as the number 1 charting album artist of all time in the US. 'A Little Less Conversation' (2002), 'Rubberneckin' (2003) etc. 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. After going through thousands of releases on Discogs, Biwa and Elvisoncd, I concluded on 341 non-promotional albums that have been sold at some point. 27. Elvis Is Back! 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. During an incredible career cut short by an early death at age 42, Elvis recorded about 700 songs. We can read virtually anything when we talk about the number of albums the King issued in the US. 10. It is not generally appreciated, that during the 1950's Elvis probably sold more extended play albums, than he did long-playing albums. Good Times (1974) Okay times. There are the original Collectors CDs with CDs ranging from soundboard-recorded concerts (recorded from the mixing desk in mono) to full RCA professionally recorded concerts in stereo and CDs consisting of unreleased material from recording sessions, such as The Jungle Room Sessions, Memphis Sessions, etc. var gcse = document.createElement('script'); Elvis released his first album in 1956, and continued to put out records until his death in 1977. Combined with LOC-1037, this version sold more than 3,000,000 copies in the US. A few days ago we went through the 101 albums by Elvis Presley that have been certified by the RIAA in the US. Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound. 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 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. Elvis fans still prefer to have something physical in their hands, rather than a download. 500,000,000. 25. 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. There is no question that the American share of the global market had been in steady decline for several decades - dating back to the time that some countries as far apart as Brazil and Japan, first began to embrace Western music and culture. 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. 44. It is, after all, over 40 years since he died. 12. Half material from a few Vegas hotel dates and half studio record, Elviss first two-LP set shuffles us around the country to capture his first performances for a general audience, not designed for TV since 1961, and some of the soulful cuts left over from the great From Elvis in Memphis sessions. 52. . Speedway (1968) During the Summer of Love, Elvis was recording these iffy songs for his third onscreen appearance as a race-car driver, and it became his lowest seller yet it was also the last time he would release a full soundtrack album. 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. Davis' album, Elephant, is by far the best . For example little Denmark purchased an incredible 150,000 copies of a 1968 release entitled 'A Portrait in Music'; whilst in 1974 the double album '40 Greatest Hits' shattered every known speed sales record previously set in the UK. 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. ), to be consistent we need to treat these older releases the same way! TikToks Favorite Celebrity Couple Is Kim Kardashian and Michael Cera. 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. Despite being so prolific, there are many other songs we would have liked to hear him sing. The evidence is there - just not broken down to enable certification by individual title, correctly required under the RIAA rules. Did he really sell one billion records as has been frequently claimed? A dash of then-trendy bossa nova is sped up and rendered unintelligible for the lead single, and Elvis sings that (Theres) No Room to Rhumba in a Sports Car, which encapsulates the stilted rhythms here, incongruously imported from Brazil and Cuba, despite the fact that the film is set in Mexico. Now that Meredith is gone, it is business as usual at Grey Sloan Memorial. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. gcse.async = true; It also includes an extended version of the new hit Suspicious Minds, demonstrating that Elvis and his band know how eternally great the song is. The band brings a bigger ruckus here than on Elviss previous gospel outings, matching the levitating purport of songs like Ive Got Confidence to a fierce instrumental attack, and the backing singers sound possessed when counting down angels against the lockstep groove of I, John., 16. 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. + $35.13 shipping. By now, I suspect that most fans realize that Elvis Presley's sales figures have also not been immune to the odd spot of massaging over the years. 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. 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. Lets Be Friends (1970) Another budget-price compilation off-loading unused soundtrack material and a couple new ones. Songman and his far-from-actualized Love Song of the Year.. * The RIAA only certify sales which reach defined levels and, therefore, sales below their radar screen and between one level and the next level - don't count in their statistics. "Good Times" reached number 1 on the Cash Box Country Albums chart. 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. Elvis may not have fit in with the revolutionary spirit of 68, but he delivered an enjoyable group of songs: impassioned ballads like Love Letters and It Hurts Me, an energetic rendering of Ray Charless Whatd I Say, and the playful A Mess of Blues.. But whatever doubts I had about my conclusions have all but vanished with the passage of time. Ten years ago I researched this subject in depth with help from Ernst Jorgensen and through him Sony BMG and compiled a comprehensive report, which was published on this site. 42. Fun in Acapulco (1963) Presley plays another romantically persistent boat worker in this movie, and we get another soundtrack of Elvis exotica. I tracked the origin of this estimate back to the 1972/3 negotiations, which eventually led to the buyout of Elvis' back catalogue. On the eccentric Im Yours, we have the rare experience of hearing Elvis close-harmonizing with himself over some weirdly isolated organ, providing a nicely unsettling hall-of-mirrors effect. 20. 33. The following updated version has been considerably shortened, where possible, in the interests of brevity. Elvis Presley Career Statistics Data Total number of certified albums sold by Elvis Presley worldwide 206,800,000 Total amount Elvis earned during his career $1,050,000,000 Amount Elvis was paid per week . 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. Though the record doesnt exactly make sense or leave an indelible mark, the song selection and singing are solid a cockily sensitive version of Buffy Sainte-Maries Until Its Time for You to Go, the rousing gospel of Put Your Hand in the Hand a major exception being the goofy history lesson in the final tune I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago, which is no more vital here than it was when broken into snippets and sprinkled throughout Elvis Country. Some idea of the scale involved actually emerged through the 1977/8 interim and the final audited record company reports. Tony Orlando's song Halfway to Paradise serves as a fitting reminder of Elvis' enormous respect for other singers. Is Elvis the Biggest Selling Recording Artist? 51. A huge frustration for people interested into Presleys US album sales is the lack of Soundscan data. Despite somerecent hiccups in Las Vegas, 39 years after his death, Elvis Presleys career is still going strong his estateearned $55 million in 2015. 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. I would rate RCA Victors Elvis Christmas Album from 1957 and RCA Camdens Elvis Christmas Album from 1970 as two separate albums, because while 8 songs out of 10 were same on both albums, the 1970 release has If Every Day Was Like Christmas and Mama Liked the Roses songs which were not even recorded in 1957. How many records did Elvis put out? 22. Again. It doesn't come much more conclusive than that. Elvis recorded his second gospel album, also titled "How Great Thou Art," over four days in 1966. . The ballads also fail to ignite, making the record a bit of a slog. Hover to zoom. Breaking down the contenders in the seasons most unpredictable Oscar race. This is his big show, with the addition of a Honolulu orchestra, opening with the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme and an elaborate version of See See Rider, and continuing with a mix of early successes, new hits like Burning Love, concert staples (My Way and Im So Lonesome I Could Cry) that hadnt yet appeared on an Elvis record, and other popular covers. Powered by - Designed with theHueman theme. In the United States, Led Zeppelin has sold over 111 million albums. 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. As a past Chief Executive of RCA Records (Mike Ormansky) once remarked - 'it's not even close'. "Wonderful World of Christmas" reached number 13 on the Billboard Country Albums chart in 1978. 37. One more important notice is that reissues arent counted as new releases, instead they are added to original albums. 9. Elvis Presley albums: How many albums did Elvis Presley make? Elvis Presley was one of the most popular musicians of the 20th century. These are albums which were never sold on standard retailers but instead by mail order or at Christian book stores. 14. ) and the communist-baiting patriotism of Hes Your Uncle, Not Your Dad fare much worse. We will start by listing each and every release. 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. Love Letters From Elvis (1971) Why not get three albums for the price of two? " Hound Dog" Release date: July 1, 1956. 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. [1][2] Billboard ranks Presley as the 13th Greatest Artist of all Time. gcse.type = 'text/javascript'; 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. The albums strong B side starts with the chilling Its Midnight, then makes a touching mantra of Your Loves Been a Long Time Coming. Promised Land is one of his better mid-70s records, though its laden with a pair of duds in Elviss plea to Mr. 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 As Recorded at Madison Square Garden (1972) Taken from one show during his only set of New York concert appearances (hed performed on TV in the city during the 50s), then released in a hurry, this transports Elviss early-70s Vegas show to a much bigger venue, with enormous orchestral flourishes (accompanied by a backing band of New York jazzers), and the usual mix of Elvis-identified songs and songs that were hits for others like Three Dog Night and the Righteous Brothers. Despite his undeniable talents, Elvis was a wildly uneven recording artist. 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. It kicks off with the lush celeste and pedal steel of the title track, which is a sweet Bing Crosby update, and after the kooky saxophone and clonking sounds of Almost Always True, the island mood remains sustained, complete with frantic ukulele intros. 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? (The remaining 500 were digital album purchases.) So the next question then turns on whether Elvis' sales conformed to this pattern. This is definitive feel-bad Elvis. Singles released since Elvis died have consistently done better overseas e.g. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. In fact, less than a third of his official US releases achieved a Gold award or better. [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. 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. All this evidence seems to point towards an overall international sales figure, that at the very least is the equal of the domestic haul and almost certainly, I would suggest, much greater than that.