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Summary: Elvis 101
Review: "Last Train to Memphis" and its sequel, "Careless Love", make a deeply engrossing, carefully researched, finely written biography of Elvis Presley. Author Peter Guralnick took eleven years to exhaustively research sources and interview people who knew Elvis personally and would tell their firsthand experiences. Guralnick's scholarly approach automatically eschews any hint of the fan adoration that can taint celebrity biographies. Guralnick might even have erred on the dry side rather than the juicy or dishy side of the story. This is all to the good, because Elvis' life story, a fantastic, zany, epic arc through American pop culture, is one that needs no embellishment and is served well by a measure of journalistic restraint. Guralnick made a wise choice with the two-book format, because in Elvis' life there was a distinct "Rise and Fall." "Last Train to Memphis" is the rise: "Careless Love" is the fall. In each volume, Guralnick reveals much not just about Elvis, but about the people who were his family and closest friends and how their actions and relationships to him and to each other shaped Elvis into the man he became. Accounts of his school days, his early days as a musician, his early girlfriends, and his family life all flesh him out as a human being and penetrate the shell of celebrity to offer a three-dimesional glimpse of the individual and his own ideas and aspirations and insecurities. The first volume ends with the death of Elvis' mother, a loss that sent him into the first tailspin of many, from which he never seemed to recover. After reading this volume, you will be hooked on the story and will want to immediately begin the second volume, which is much darker and sadder as the King's world starts to unwind, chronicling his spiraling drug habit and his battles both public and personal. The second volume is catalogued and reported as dispassionately as the first, so that the same unblinking honesty that gave "Last Train" such sparkle and joy reveals the true depth of Elvis' isolation without having to resort to hyperbole. Guralnick said it himself; that the rise to fame and the person were larger than life, and so too was the decline larger than life. It's an ending that leaves you feeling sad that what began so brightly should end so awfully. I read these books because I knew very little about Elvis and wanted to know his life story, and they are a deeply satisfying and very credible account of the King's life. I can't imagine that there is a better bio out there for anyone who wants to study Elvis 101.
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Summary: "The story of the greatest entertainer who ever lived!"
Review: "This book was fantastic! I have read a lot of books about Elvis and this is by far the best.It is not only a history lesson on the birth of Rock and Roll,but a history lesson of growing up poor in the south.Buy this book you wont regret it."
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Summary: The Elvis we all want to know and love!
Review: A recent visit to Graceland and reading this book turned me into a confirmed Elvis fan. Extremely well-researched, it dials back time to Memphis in the '50s and paints a picture of what it was like to be caught up in the phenomenon of the Elvis craze. One of the best bios I've read; you learn Elvis is a charming bundle of insecurities, humility, talent, and mamma's good manners, not to mention the overt 'all shook up' sex appeal. The second volume, Careless Love, shows the inevitable downside of his fame. Last Train is a must-read for any rock or Elvis fan and even those who don't claim him as a favorite will enjoy this biography.
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Summary: And then Elvis went on WC...
Review: All my life I stayed away from Elvis Presley & his music as I just could not warm up to the whole paradoxal celebrity-myth about him.It took me 30 years to finally listen carefully his gospel albums which I found beautiful and start to wonder was I wrong,after all.The gospel albums were the reason why I pick up Guralnick book again,after I find it too detailed the first time around.I still think it's overwhelmingly detailed and it could have been half as long if Guralnick was not tempted to squeeze years of research on every page - description of every single concert Presley ever had,his dinner menu,every one of his girlfriends or wanna-be girlfriends left me with the same headache.Guralnick did a good job of not trying to make his subject God-like (I actually liked the character of Colonel much more than Presley himself) and he was relatively objective in his desciption of madness around big rock star.It's a looong book that left me with apetite for more - I am reading a sequel right now,but I am already prepared that along the way I have to deal with description of every time Presley looked through the window.
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Summary: Brings new life to Elvis
Review: Although I agree with some of the comments here, specifically those about Guralnick's confusing writing style, I truly enjoyed this book. Guralnick neither overly praises nor denegrates Presley's actions, but instead offers the reader as true an account as possible. The author does an excellent job of showing who influenced Elvis, both before and after he hit it big. I'm a-gonna' start Volume 2 as soon as I can!
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Summary: You're present at the creation
Review: An absolutely meticulously written, yet joyous, account of Elvis Presley's early life and most productive musical years. As you read this book, just bear in mind that you are "present at the creation" -- every rock'n'roll act and performer emanated from the early Presley sensation. I'm a 50-year-old who's come to appreciate Elvis just lately. And, this biography, if you're a fan, will enhance your appreciation for him; it's an emotional tribute to him and those days of innocence.
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Summary: Some People Actually Think He's Dead...
Review: But it's not true...Elvis DOES live...in the pages of Guralnick's outstanding biography of Elvis Presley, a biography that will stand the test of time as the definitive study of the King of Rock n Roll. In Volume One, Guralnick takes us from Elvis' humble beginnings in Tupelo, Mississippi to his departure for Army duty in Germany twenty-three years later. In between, readers will be fascinated with what they THOUGHT they knew about Elvis. LAST TRAIN differs from other books about Elvis in two very distinct ways: First, the author gives us first hand accounts from the people who were actually there. There's no tabloid journalism or second-hand anecdotes. Guralnick has done his research and it shows. Second, Elvis is never presented as an icon or an idol. Guralnick has the unique ability to step back away from the action as an impartial observer and give us an extraordinarily clear image of what Elvis was really like - a really nice, clean, religious kid who was consumed with music and making people happy. You can almost feel the electricity of the recording sessions at Sun Studios. You can watch Sam Phillips as he realizes that this boy could change the course of popular music forever. Elvis' girls, friends, musicians...they're all here and they all have a piece of the story to tell. And what about the "Colonel" Tom Parker? Genius or huckster? Of course, the hysteria is recorded as well. After all, it's part of the story. Crazed fans were nothing new. After all, girls had been going nuts over singers like Frank Sinatra and many others for years. But the world had never seen anything like this? How can you explain it? Guralnick never really comes right out with an explanation, but you'll be able to pick it up between the lines. But you'll enjoy the book so much in the process, all you'll care about is what happens next. The writing, the storytelling, the descriptions...it's all outstanding. But if I had to pick two moments that really struck me, one would be Elvis near his popularity peak looking out of a train window. He saw a lone dog running in a field and longed for the freedom to roam the world unhindered by masses of admirers. It's a very simple, but powerful image of things to come. The other is the [end of life] of Elvis' mother near the end of the first volume. In one of the most heartbreaking scenes I've ever read, Elvis kneels beside his deceased mother's body, crying out that he would give up all of his success and go back to digging ditches if he could only have her back again. If you have dry eyes at the end of this book, your heart needs to be jumpstarted. Like all good writers, Guralnick expertly foreshadows the tragic events that will take place in Volume Two. Even if you think you know the full Elvis story, you'll learn plenty by reading this book. The only bad part about finishing Volume One is not having a copy of Volume Two nearby. Buy both. You won't be sorry. 488 pages of text, 50 pages of notes and bibliography
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Summary: Like EP in concert... hot, sweaty, dangerous and rockin'
Review: By far the most exciting and real book ever written on EP.
Goes beyond the myth to explore the underlying story of how a confluence of time, place and talent resulted in EP's phenomenal rise from local hero to national icon. The most interesting passages, to me, describe what it was like when EP hit the stage during his first live performances. Guralnick made me FEEL what it must have been like both for EP and the crowd. Hot, sweaty, dangerous and rockin"
A real appreciation for EP as a musician.
Can't wait for the sequel
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Summary: Heir To The Rock and Roll Throne
Review: Dee-Dee Da Dee Dee Listen to the first Sun Records single by Elvis, "Thats Alright". This was the song that captivated Sam Phillips late one night in the studios at the near end of Elvis's first recording session. It was unlike anything he had ever heard. Because it was Rock And Roll. And it was done by Elvis months BEFORE Bill Haley and The Comets recorded Rock Around The Clock. Galarchuck captures an Elvis far removed from the myths, misunderstandings, and now common apathy. Galarchuck reintroduces the reader to Elvis Aron Presley. Gone are the twelve pound gold belts, diamond encrusted shoes, fried peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, excessive weight and Vegas. In its place is Elvis, too complex and talented to sum up in pithy remarks in a review. Galarchuk does not put the reader in Elvis's mind or heart as much as he puts you beside Elvis. But you know his fears, ambitions, hopes, dreams, and finally tears as his mother and then all he has worked for is gone. Read the book and then listen to the music to hear his voice.
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Summary: THE ONLY "ELVIS" BOOK YOU EVER NEED TO READ.
Review: Even if you've read 25 five other Elvis books & think you've heard it all before, your in for a real treat with this book. Well written, interesting, Often illuminating thoughts & emotions of "the king" are disclosed at a very entertaining & well crafted pace to make you re-experience the Real life of Elvis as he himself lived it. This book gets to the heart of Elvis's life, Dreams, Woes, & Dispare. It teaches you that even "the King" had lots of normal, human feelings. You see in all to clear detail how many around him manipulated him for their own concerns. As surprising & sad as it is, after reading this book, you almost don't envy Elvis, but almost feel sorry for him & how he let his own life & destiny slip from his own control & never really went back to what he really was famous for, Rock & Roll. Overall: The Absolute, definitive, last word book on Elvis Presley's Miraculous rise as a living legend, right down to his fall as a sad & lonely, & confused normal human being. The King is Dead....But his Name Lives on!
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