Posted August 2, 200717 yr Lifting the Lid on the King's record sales By: Nick Keene - Aug 3, 2007 Source: Elvis Australia Some might say spin and hype did not start with politics, but in the entertainment world way back at the time of the Roman circuses. And nowhere will you find the air more thick with spin or hype than in the record industry. It seems that pretty well everybody in the business exaggerates the achievements of their clients perhaps because they assume that everyone else is doing the same. 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, nor is there any validity in the current claim of 1.5 billion – whatever RCA/BMG may say in the liner notes on the back of one or two recent DVD releases. So what happened? So how many records has Elvis actually sold? Nick Keene has researched this subject in depth with help from Ernst Jorgensen at Sony BMG and has compiled the following report. http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/one_billio...ord_sales.shtml I particularly like the last paragraph B) But finally please remember that statistics alone do not prove that any particular recording artist or group can be said to be the best of all time. Certainly in terms of hard facts and figures it might be argued that Elvis was the greatest artist or act we have seen so far- but anything else is just an opinion not a fact. And as for the continuing Beatles v Elvis debate it is surely a flawed one. How can you sensibly compare a group of people to one especially when their music is as different as chalk and cheese? Whereas Elvis' claim to musical prowess was based on the magnificent instrument that was his voice not to mention his extraordinary interpretative powers, both of which continually served to inspire his session musicians to raise their game to new heights , that of the Beatles rests on their superb song writing skills and inventiveness. In more ways than one these two greats came from a different place. Let it finally rest there I say. But of course, we all know Elvis is the best ;) :yahoo: :naughty:
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