M U Z I E K M E N S M Y T H E - Marc Hendrickx - Biography - Published 1994 | ||||||||||||||
This is a very impressive book. It holds 587 pages filled with beautifull photographs, a lot of these in color, and very well researched information. The book is divided in chapters who hold one year each (Except the first years, chapter 1 holds he years 1935 untill 1955). Every chapter is conluded with an economic overview of the past year with record-sales, releases, efforts and achievements made by Elvis, all treated by medium (-Long play records, EP's, singles, movies, specials, sales). The writer shows (too much) respect for the subject, sometimes forgetting about the darker side of Elvis excistence which resulted in the excessive abuse of pills in the seventies, which, as we all know, ruined Elvis' life.I do not say that the drug-abuse should overwhelm every book, but it is a fact that Elvis was out of control, so there is no need to deny. As a seventies fan I only did read the years 1969 and up, going a little fast through the years 1935-1968. Reading this book makes you aware of the time and the energy the author must have put in this book, and it is my believe it comes straight from the heart. There is very detailed information about the tours, the music, there are a lot of newspaper articles printed in the book, box-office lists, and the book doesn't stop in 1977, but goes as far as the nineties, continuing to report the economic successes achieved after Elvis' death. The book first appeared in a limited number of copies, followed in a greater quantity and as an expanded version in 1998. The book is, as far as I know, only for sale in dutch, but it really deserves a translation in English to make it accessible for all the fans in the world. Great book.! This book got a German publication in 2003, so maybe an English version will appear also one of these years. Review: Hans |
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