Rating: 
Summary: FASCINATING!
Review: I found this book a fascinating & riveting read. Of the two biography books of Elvis Presley by this author I think I prefered this one the best, possibly because in the second book you already knew of the ultimate ending and with each page you could see it coming. This first book was especially interesting I found because it was a social history of the American 50's as well. All credit to the author for such an incredibly well researched and thoroughly enjoyable read. I believe Elvis himself would have given this 5 stars!!
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing documentary
Review: This volume puts Elvis' life in perspective. He was the right person at the right time. The creation of rock 'n' roll at Sun studios in Memphis was an experimental, yet calculated, event that took off and left no prisoners. Rock 'n' Roll, as we know it, would not have been what it is, for better or worse, without Elvis. He was a musical prodigy that knew what he wanted from his music and tried desperately, especially later, to encompass all of 20th century American music. Yet, we also see the human side--the poor country boy, embarrassed by his lack of education, yet supremely confident in himself and proud of his accomplishments. This book was engrossing and I am currently reading the second volume.
Rating: 
Summary: A semi-talented writer with NO ELVIS BACKGROUND
Review: I am not impressed over Peter Guralnick whatsoever! WHO IS HE ACTUALLY?
A longtime Elvis fan? NO
An Elvis collector? NO
Someone who followed Elvis around? NO
A friend of Elvis'? NO Just how many Elvis concerts did ole Guralnick go to WHEN ELVIS WAS ALIVE? (impersonators don't count here?)
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: Guralnick writes an amazingly detailed account with deep insights into the feelings and motivations of Elvis and the people who surrounded him. I was left with the impression that his first objective was a quality product, not financial gain. I could envision him pouring over piles of newspaper clippings, photographs, and earlier biographies, and diligently interviewing a host of people, one after the other. His attention to detail does not destroy the book's read-ability. In fact, it reads easily, almost like a novel. It is a must-read for anyone wanting to know the real story of Elvis's life.
Rating: 
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.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely readable!!
Review: I was born the year Elvis hit it big, and I have heard his music all my life. Now, I got a chance to get into what Elvis was about, and how his music, his fame, affected him and others. It was wonderful reading..... a bit slow at times, but over all, it made me feel I got to know Elvis as a person, which I had never felt before. I definitely recommend this book, and am going to buy the next one as well!
Rating:
Summary: Objectively good, although I didn't like it
Review: I was a little disappointed with this. The author has clearly put a lot of effort into it, and a lot of people like it, but I find it to be one of those things that I can respect, without necessarily liking it very much. Don't get me wrong - it's big and detailed, and treats Elvis respectfully, as a human being - but it's very slow. Reading about one of the most vibrant times in modern history seemed dull, as the author concentrates exclusively on Elvis alone, with very little about the changing times around him. We are told that his singles sell over a million copies in three weeks, but we are not told whether this is a monumental achievement, or merely good, or whether this is unique or not; other emerging rock musicians are only mentioned in passing, as indeed is rock music in general; there are lots of dull descriptions of Elvis going out to restaurants or on holiday or to the beach, and then coming back again; facts and names and dates seem to blur together, and he doesn't attribute a lot of quotes; but in the end it's the lack of context that gets to me. And it's very clinical - although we learn a lot about the details of recording sessions, the songs themselves, songs which have since become standards, are barely mentioned. Despite all this, I can appreciate that it's still a great book, it just left me cold.
Rating:
Summary: Get on board! Elvis Presley is unbelievably great.
Review: I first read this while working as a convenience store clerk, and Guralnick's stories were so powerful that I hardly wanted to stop and sell lottery tickets! "Last Train to Memphis" shows the vulnerable, insecure Presley who transformed his wide musical background into a tsunami of energy. The book also focuses (justifiably) on Scotty Moore, Bill Black and DJ Fontana, the band members who made the music swing behind their whirling frontman. Just thinking about this book makes me want to swivel my hips too! Swivelling like Elvis, I am.
Rating:
Summary: should be assigned in history classes!!
Review: I don't own a single note Elvis Presley ever sang. I've never been particularly interested in his life or his music. The only other popular music books I've ever read are largely about punk rock, my true musical obsession. Yet my interest was piqued by the rave reviews this book received. Perhaps because of my interest in punk, and to a lesser extent 60's protest music, I've always been fascinated by the way in which popular culture both reflects and constructs its contemporary historical context. And what Guralnick does so brilliantly in this book is distill precisely that relationship. This book is simply a beautiful portrait of 1950s America, of a strange decade when outward moral propriety just began to hint at the possibilty of subversive rebellion. Who better to embody that contradiction than a shy, polite religious boy from Tupelo who somehow transformed his love of gospel into seminal - the MOST seminal - rock and roll? Guralnick eloquently portrays both the humanity and poignancy of his subject, and through it, the humanity and poignancy of a historical era on the verge of massive disruption. It still seems quiet and respectful and homely - like Elvis himself - and yet somehow you just know that lurking beneath the surface is genuine social rebellion. A great book, a page-turner. So good I might even pick up an Elvis record.
Rating:
Summary: Even the fan who knows "everything" will love this book
Review: The greatest book about the greatest entertainer of all-time. This book is excellent and, of course, the best Elvis biography ever. The extent of Guralnick's research makes this a must read for everyone, even the Elvis fan who knows "everything." This book is told more from the Elvis' point of view than its sequel, and is, consequently, a much better book. This book goes a long way in convincing those ignorant in the history of music that true Elvis rock-n-roll is simply a melding of Country and R&B.
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