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Presleys in the PressSony/BMG UK's release of Elvis Presley singles 2005 | Home | |
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Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart on BBC Radio 1; Official UK Top 40 Album Chart on BBC Radio 1 
Released 7th February 2005 (Yahoo! News, February 14, 2005) U2 are celebrating after their new single went straight to the top of the charts.Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own claimed the number one spot ahead of Elvis Presley's re-release Wooden Heart. The Irish rockers' track is taken from their latest album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. ... (Reuters, February 13, 2005) Irish rockers U2 have roared straight to the top of the pop charts with their new single "Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own", fending off competition from the latest Elvis Presley re-release. The confessional ballad, U2's second track from their critically acclaimed album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb", was reportedly performed by the band at the funeral of Bono's father. It went to the top spot ahead of a re-release of Presley's "Wooden Heart", the latest of 18 Elvis number ones being reissued before the 50-year copyright protection on sound recordings in most European countries expires on his earlier hits. Six former hits by the King now hold spots in the top 40, according to the Official UK Charts Company on Sunday. ... (BBC News, February 13, 2005) Rockers U2 have beaten Elvis to the top of the chart with the their latest single You Can't Make It On Your Own. They pushed Eminem's Like Toy Soldiers down two to three, beating off competition from Elvis' Wooden Heart which went in at two. ... Back in the singles chart there are now six Elvis tracks in the top 40 including Are You Lonesome Tonight at number 20, It's Now or Never at number 27 and Jailhouse Rock at number 37. Click here to tell us if you're fed up with Elvis in the charts. And there are another 12 tracks still to be released over the year. (contactmusic.com, February 13, 2005) Veteran rockers U2 are sitting at the top of the UK singles chart, after their new single SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN beat off competition from ELVIS PRESLEY to secure the number one spot. Presley's WOODEN HEART is another new entry at number two. The track is the latest in a succession of Presley songs to storm the charts in recent weeks - his record label are releasing his 18 number one hits this year (05) to mark the 70th anniversary of the rock 'n' roller's birth. Last week's (06FEB05) number one, EMINEM's LIKE TOY SOLDIERS is down to third place, while SOLDIER by DESTINY'S CHILD/TI/LIL WAYNE is a new entry at number four. ... (Yahoo! News, February 13, 2005) Irish rockers U2 went straight into the charts at number one with their new single Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own. The track, from their How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb album, claimed the top spot ahead of Elvis Presley's re-release Wooden Heart. Rapper Eminem's Like Toy Soldiers, last week's number one, slipped to number three. ... Elvis now has six of a planned 18 re-released hits occupying spots in the top 40 with Are You Lonesome Tonight at number 20, It's Now or Never at number 27, One Night/I Got Stung at 31, A Fool Such as I at 32 and Jailhouse Rock at 37. ... By Maurice Colgan (Express Press Release, February 8, 2005) The late Elvis Presley currently holds places 2, 14, 22, 26 and 27 on the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart and 9th place on the Official UK Top 40 Album Chart with "Love, Elvis", a compilation CD. Three of the singles by Elvis went straight to Number 1 on the above chart. Others would have too. BUT. For reasons beyond mortal comprehension BMG the record company did not issue enough of the singles to meet the extraordinary demand. British Newspapers responded to angry Elvis fans from all over the UK who were searching in vain for the rare singles. Rumours of Chart Rigging circulated. This very morning the writer picked up two of the Numbered singles in a HMV shop in Ireland! Number 28911 on the classic, "It's Now or Never", and 29006 on, "One Night". How many more were released too late to impact on the charts? Elvis' 1961 chart topping, "Wooden Heart", re-released on Monday 7th February 2005, is up against U2's latest single release. Elvis fan Bono of U2 could be forgiven for saying, "Elvis U1". 
Released 31st January 2005 (Sound Generator, February 6, 2005) Eminem has landed the sixth UK number one of his career today, as 'Toy Soldiers' narrowly beats Elvis to the top spot. Eminem's Martika's-sampling single (taken from her 1989 hit of the same name) denies Elvis Presley his fourth number one of 2005, as 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' enters at two. ... (BBC News, February 6, 2005) Rapper Eminem has denied Elvis his fourth number one of the year, after his song, Like Toy Soldiers, stormed to the top of the singles charts. The track claimed the top spot ahead of The King's latest re-release, Are You Lonesome Tonight. It is the fifth in a series of 18 reissues to mark the 70th anniversary of Presley's birth. Almost Here, the duet from former Westlife star Brian McFadden and Delta Goodrem, went in at number three. ... Last week's number one, Elvis's It's Now or Never, slipped 13 places to number 14, but all five of his re-released songs are in the Top 40. 
Released 24th January 2005 (BBC News, January 31, 2005) Elvis Presley has taken the top spot in the UK singles chart for the third time in four weeks. It's Now Or Never is the fourth in a series of 18 reissues to mark the 70th anniversary of Presley's birth. Last week's chart-topper, Goodies by US R&B singer Ciara, fell to number three after keeping the re-released Elvis track A Fool Such As I off the top. The charity tsunami single Grief Never Grows Old, featuring Sir Cliff Richard and Boy George, entered at number four. (Sky News, January 30, 2005) Elvis Presley is top of the singles chart again after his latest re-release, It's Now or Never, went straight to number one. The King's ballad bumped last week's chart-topper Goodies, by newcomer Ciara, into third place. Last week Elvis's A Fool Such As I only made it to second place, following on from Jailhouse Rock and One Night which both went straight to number one. The operatic, It's Now or Never, which is based on the Italian ballad O Sole Mio, was recorded after Elvis was discharged from the army in the '60s. ...  (Yahoo! News / Reuters, January 30, 2005) Elvis Presley has recorded his third number one in January with "It's Now or Never", the Official UK Charts Company says. The reissue was Elvis's 21st British number one -- more than any other solo artist -- and comes more than 27 years after his death. The song is one of 18 Elvis number ones being re-released in consecutive weeks, in time to cash in before the 50-year copyright protection on sound recordings in most European countries expires on his earlier hits. ... (Sound Generator, January 30, 2005) Elvis Presley has returned to the top of the UK charts tonight, landing his third number one of 2005. 'It's Now Or Never' is the fourth in a series of 18 re-releases this year by the legend's record label and takes over from Ciara's smash-hit 'Goodies' ft. Petey Pablo. ... (contactmusic.com, January 28, 2005) LATEST: ELVIS PRESLEY'S record label have finally agreed to release all the late rocker's singles - after fans accused the company of rigging the British singles chart, so Presley's re-released hits all hit the number one spot. All 18 of the JAILHOUSE ROCK star's UK number one singles are being re-released in successive weeks, in a bid by SONY/BMG to cash in before the 50-year copyright protection on sound recordings expires on his earlier hits across much of Europe. Hoards of Presley fans have complained the singles are unobtainable - since only 20,000 copies of each song are being released, in a ploy to ensure each CD is sold out by the time the next song hits the shops, maximising the chance of securing the Number one spot. But Sony/BMG have apologised to fans, and are making amends, by dispatching all of Presley's songs. A spokesman for the label says, "In reaction to fans' comments and stock availability, the company has decided to make all Elvis singles available in non-limited, non-numbered editions." By Anna Burdett (News & Star, January 27, 2005) CARLISLE has gone Elvis mad and fans have been queuing outside music shops to snap-up his latest limited edition singles. Virgin Megastores in The Lanes sold out of the single It's Now or Never in ten minutes and every shop in the city was similarly inundated by fans on Monday when it was released. Jayne Boothman, manager at Music Zone in Scotch Street, said she had never seen such a massive reaction to a single. Eighteen Elvis singles - including Blue Suede Shoes and Jailhouse Rock - are being released by Sony BMG to coincide with what would have been his 70th birthday. At HMV in The Lanes, fans queued outside and were limited to one copy each because of the demand. Assistant manager Simon Altringham said: "We have had to stop taking people's orders for the CD. We sell them for £3.99 but people could pretty much make up their own figure if they sell them on." Speculators nationwide have been snapping up the singles, five of which have already been released, and are selling them for up to £50 on the internet site eBay. ... West Cumbrian Elvis fan George Mattinson, of Dearham, said the record company was engineering the shortage in a bid to get a high chart entry, as fans have to rush out and buy the singles on the first week of release to ensure they get a copy. "They are only releasing so many copies of each single so the average person on the street struggles to get hold of it," he said. (contactmusic.com, January 26, 2005) ELVIS PRESLEY'S record label have been accused of rigging the British singles chart, so his re-released hits all hit the number one spot. All 18 of the late rock legend's UK number one singles are being re-released in successive weeks, in a bid by SONY/BMG to cash in before the 50-year copyright protection on sound recordings expires on his earlier hits across much of Europe. But fans of The King are complaining the singles are unobtainable - as only 20,000 copies of each song is being released. Some record stores are only receiving two copies of each song in a ploy to ensure each CD is sold out by the time the next song hits the shops, maximising the chance of securing the Number one spot. Sony/BMG have pledged to make more copies available, but a secret document sent to record shops yesterday (25JAN05) reportedly tells retailers not to expect any more. By Paul Newham (Crewe Chronicle, January 26, 2005) DISGRUNTLED Elvis fans in South Cheshire are getting all shook up over the latest limited edition releases from the King's back catalogue. The re-issue of 18 singles to mark the 70th birthday of pop's greatest performer was originally hailed as a fitting tribute. But many fans are now accusing record company SonyBMG of cynical marketing tactics as they struggle to track down the exclusive discs. The problem stems from the first single in the series, All Shook Up, which is only available in a box costing £9.99 with room for the other 17 as they are released. But Sony's strict limit on the numbers distributed means many collectors have already run out of luck keeping up with the series. This has led some fans to claim that the record company is cashing in on its hold of Elvis' back catalogue before its 50-year copyright expires. Crewe fans Alan Young, 44, of Newfield Drive and 16-year-old Simon Bishop of Ridgway Street, both bought the original box at the Virgin Megastore on Market Street, Crewe but saw their dreams of a full set shattered when fourth single A Fool Such As I sold out within minutes of its release on Monday, January 17. Mr Young, who has collected Elvis memorabilia for the past 30 years, said: 'I think it is a complete rip-off. there is all this hype about the singles but the shops can't reserve them for people who bought the box because they are getting so few in. 'Why I should have to miss work to fight my way to the front of a queue at half eight in the morning?' A similar problem faced Coppen-hall High pupil Simon, when the release date clashed with school. He said: 'I asked staff in Virgin what time to get there before they sold out. 'They said 10.30am so I sent my sister while I was at school. 'She got there at 10am and but by then they had already gone.' But Virgin section manager Simon Urch said the store is as frustrated by the situation as the fans. He said: 'We are only getting about 15 to 20 copies of each single. Demand is so far outstripping supply that we can't reserve copies for people, and we are having to enforce a one-per-customer policy.' A statement on SonyBMG's website apologised to fans and announced there would be an extra pressing of 5,000 copies of each single. Mr Urch confirmed these were not numbered as part of the limited edition series. He said: 'We got a handful of extra copies of One Night in and they disappeared straight away, even though they weren't numbered. The problem is we have no idea if we will be getting any extra copies of the subsequent singles so we cannot keep our customers informed.' By Beth Carney (Business Week Online, January 25, 2005) The King has been riding high on the singles charts in recent weeks. Canny marketing helped, but so did the list's sliding fortunes. The top pop singer in Britain these days is an unlikely sensation. After all, he hasn't made a record in 27 years. Elvis Presley, however, has always been exceptional. Now, the king of rock and roll is making a surprise comeback on the British pop charts, thanks to a well-packaged rerelease of 18 of his hits by Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Elvis has been at the top of the charts for the past several weeks. His 1958 hit Jailhouse Rock, came in at No. 1 two weeks ago, one day after what would have been his 70th birthday. His 1959 song One Night won the top slot last Sunday, earning extra attention for being the British singles chart's 1,000th hit since the rankings began in 1952. Last week's single, A Fool Such as I, was shut out of the top slot by 18-year-old American singer Ciara Harris' hot new R&B track Goodies, but the 45-year-old love song still managed to place second. "COOL, ICONIC" ELVIS. Considering that the chart-topping songs have been available in various forms for years, the success of the singles is a marketing triumph for Sony BMG. It's releasing each of Presley's 18 No. 1 British hits in chronological order over 18 consecutive weeks to honor the star's 70th birthday. As part of the campaign, Sony BMG has packaged each single in a case bearing the same artwork found on the original release. Along with the CDs, which sell for the equivalent of $7.50, fans can also buy a special collector's box for about $20 and a limited number of vinyl 45s for about $9. In contrast, the 2002 compilation album, Elv1s, which contains all but one of the songs included in the current promotion, sells for about $15. Key to the promotion's appeal is highlighting the "cool, iconic" Elvis image from the '50s and '60s, rather than the overweight, Vegas-era Elvis, said Darren Henderson, vice-president of marketing for Sony BMG, who's in charge of the campaign. SADDER STORY. "It has been done very, very well," said Gennaro Castaldo, head of public relations for HMV stores, Britain's biggest music retailer, where some outlets have a waiting list for the singles. Castaldo notes that hard-core Presley fans, mainstream listeners, and collectors with an eye on resale value have all been drawn to the set. Already, the singles are being offered for $20 to $100 on eBay. "There's a lot of people out there that have kind of bought into it," he said. When One Night became the British charts' 1,000th hit, it attracted another burst of attention that has fueled interest. In response to demand, Sony BMG this week expanded the limited-edition run from about 25,000 units to about 35,000 units. But behind the flattering attention for Presley and Sony BMG is a less upbeat story about the decline of the singles chart's relevance. Jailhouse Rock hit the top position after selling only 21,272 copies -- the lowest figure for a No. 1 hit since the beginning of the listings. CHANGING MUSIC. Although January is historically a weak month for record sales, the numbers also point to a broader drop-off in the singles market. According to the British Phonographic Industry's figures on trade deliveries to retail stores, 80.1 million singles were sold in Britain in 1999, but by 2003 the number had fallen to 36.1 million. The pop charts hold a special place in the culture of Britain, a nation of serious music fans. According to the BPI, British music buyers purchase an average of 7.3 CDs a year -- more than anywhere else in the world. The recent decline of British singles is partly due to musical trends, according to HMV's Castaldo. The mid-1990s were a heyday for pop singles in Britain, thanks to the rise of boy bands, popular Britpop groups such as Oasis and Blur, and the massive phenomenon of the Spice Girls. The dance music and guitar bands that followed were less oriented to singles. DOWNLOADS GO UP. But more importantly, the economic incentive of buying a CD single has decreased in the past few years. The growth of discount supermarket chains has pushed down the average price of a full CD, so that 60% cost $18 or less. "When you're comparing that to a single that costs [$7.50], it's not a difficult decision to make," said BPI spokesperson Matt Phillips. Although industry groups also blame the sales decline of singles on the rise of illegal downloading, it's now the legal download market that's poised to reinvigorate the charts. Last year, a number of legal download services, including Apple's (AAPL ) iTunes, Sony (SNE ) Connect, and Napster, launched in Britain. The number of legal downloads grew from about 14,000 songs a week at the beginning of the year to 312,000 in the last week of December. That same week, the sale of legal downloads, which cost about $1.50 each, eclipsed the sale of physical singles in Britain for the first time. The Official UK Charts Company, which compiles the charts from sales data gleaned from retailers, started a download listing in September and later this year plans to incorporate download sales into the singles charts. STREET CRED. Exactly how the introduction of download sales will affect the charts is up for debate. According to Forrester Research analyst Paul Jackson, the typical download buyer is relatively young compared to the average music buyer. Yet music downloaders must be old enough to have a credit card and are generally affluent or tech-savvy enough to have a portable listening device and a broadband connection. The singles charts, meanwhile, are now driven by under-16s, said Simon Dornan, a spokesman for retailer Virgin Megastores. With the exception of the Elvis phenomenon, the British singles charts tend to feature more recent releases, with lots of turnover, while the download charts include slightly older songs that are still being played on the radio. By eliminating the constant turnover and broadening the base, Dornan said, "downloading could give some credibility to the chart that it's lost." Whether Presley would make it into a singles chart that includes downloads is a question. His singles have been notably absent from the current download best-sellers, which is dominated by the likes of Gwen Stefani, Eminem, and Jennifer Lopez. But Presley did have a 2002 hit in Britain with a dance version of his relatively unknown vintage B-side A Little Less Conversation after it was remixed by Dutch deejay JXL (also known as Tom Holkenborg). A Little Less Conversation, due out in April, will be the final release in the series of 18 hits coming out this year. "Elvis is one of the biggest artists of all time. Even before the reissues, he's been on the charts for more weeks than anyone else,'' said Darren Haynes, brand manager for Official UK Charts. In other words: Don't count out the King. Go to earlier articles |
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