The Sun Sessions LP from 1976-some questions

[jurasic1968]

I t was discussed before about this great LP. I read that it charted at number 76 in the US Bilboard 200 in 1976, it was number 2 in the US Country Albums and number 16 in the UK Albums Chart. My question is: does anyone know in how many copies this LP was sold from 1976 on? And another: I read on wikipedia that the LP was released one year before in the UK (1975). Why?

[jetblack]

RCA UK released 'The Sun Collection' in July 1975 where it peaked at Number #18 on a eight week run. After Elvis' death it re-entered the UK chart on a five week run where it peaked at Number #16 in September 1977.

Elvis is presented with UK copy of album - FTD's "Dinner At Eight," (12/13/75) dinner show:-


Andy

[Buddy]

It was also released in Germany in 1975 on the Camden label.....

509344_300.jpg

509344_1_300.jpg

[jurasic1968]

Thanks. So Western Germany and UK released this LP one year before than US did (RCA).

[bajo]

I remember picking up The Sun Collection album released over here in EU before The Sun Sessions appeared in the US. I still think the UK/EU edition has a better cover! And it was so nice to have the tracks finally collected on an LP!

[jurasic1968]

Agree with the cover. The one with the stars was absolutely bad, in my opinion.

[jetblack]

Buddy has listed the wrong cover for the 1975 German Camden LP, using the later NL variation (sorry Bud).

Here is the 1975 cover:-

HY1001 Grman 1975 LP Sun.jpg

Andy

[ck1]

Thanks Jetblack that's a great clip!

I often wondered whether Elvis was really aware of his 50s legacy in later years.
It's great to know that he actually saw this seminal LP, even though I'm surprised that clearly RCA had never provided it to him.

[jurasic1968]

In February 1970 in the Houston press conference Elvis said that those Sun records sounds funny to him after 15 years. Maybe in 1976 he changed his mind.

[bajo]

My copy of HY1001 actually have the back-cover Buddy attached! I have sold it, so I can't really recall if it was the UK version or EU copy! But it is RCA Starcall HY1001.(Best Buy sticker)

[emjel]

RCA US decided to release it because they saw that it was quite a success in the UK. However, the album titles were different - in the UK it was "The Sun Collection" whereas in the US, it was called "The Sun Sessions" and had an inferior front sleeve with what looked like the head of Elvis from the '68 special on a body that looked like he had just been stuck on a horse for days. The US did however retain the UK sleeve notes from Roy Carr. Interestingly, the UK used "The Sun Sessions" wording on the reverse of the sleeve as its sub heading for the sleeve liner notes about the recording sessions.

The UK release was issued within a new RCA budget series of albums called "Starcall" and was the first in that series HY1001. The other Elvis release in the series was "Pictures of Elvis" which had the HY1023 and which was only a UK release with that number although the album was released in Germany on the International Label with a unique number. A few years later it was re-released on the International Label

[jurasic1968]

Interesting. Thanks a lot, emjel.

[emjel]

My copy of HY1001 actually have the back-cover Buddy attached! I have sold it, so I can't really recall if it was the UK version or EU copy! But it is RCA Starcall HY1001.(Best Buy sticker)

I believe RCA Germany wanted ads on their release. It may have cost more to use Roy Carr's original liner notes.

[jurasic1968]

Agree, Greystoke.

[brian]

I t was discussed before about this great LP. I read that it charted at number 76 in the US Bilboard 200 in 1976, it was number 2 in the US Country Albums and number 16 in the UK Albums Chart. My question is: does anyone know in how many copies this LP was sold from 1976 on?

Well, The Sun sessions LP was a hit on the country charts in the United States. Typically hit country albums in those days sold around 250,000 to 300,000 copies in their original chart runs. When it was released that's about what it sold in the United States.

[Buddy]

Buddy has listed the wrong cover for the 1975 German Camden LP, using the later NL variation (sorry Bud).

Here is the 1975 cover:-



Andy

Thanx you are right. My fault.

[jurasic1968]

Thanks, brian. Not bad at all regarding the 300,000 sold copies of this LP. After all, the songs were more than 20 years old. Elvis recorded these songs in 1954 and 1955.

[Buddy]

RCA US decided to release it because they saw that it was quite a success in the UK. However, the album titles were different - in the UK it was "The Sun Collection" whereas in the US, it was called "The Sun Sessions" and had an inferior front sleeve with what looked like the head of Elvis from the '68 special on a body that looked like he had just been stuck on a horse for days. The US did however retain the UK sleeve notes from Roy Carr. Interestingly, the UK used "The Sun Sessions" wording on the reverse of the sleeve as its sub heading for the sleeve liner notes about the recording sessions.

The UK release was issued within a new RCA budget series of albums called "Starcall" and was the first in that series HY1001. The other Elvis release in the series was "Pictures of Elvis" which had the HY1023 and which was only a UK release with that number although the album was released in Germany on the International Label with a unique number. A few years later it was re-released on the International Label

I guess thats the german version of it....

Elvis-Presley-PICTURES-OF-ELVIS-LP.jpg

[emjel]

RCA US decided to release it because they saw that it was quite a success in the UK. However, the album titles were different - in the UK it was "The Sun Collection" whereas in the US, it was called "The Sun Sessions" and had an inferior front sleeve with what looked like the head of Elvis from the '68 special on a body that looked like he had just been stuck on a horse for days. The US did however retain the UK sleeve notes from Roy Carr. Interestingly, the UK used "The Sun Sessions" wording on the reverse of the sleeve as its sub heading for the sleeve liner notes about the recording sessions.

The UK release was issued within a new RCA budget series of albums called "Starcall" and was the first in that series HY1001. The other Elvis release in the series was "Pictures of Elvis" which had the HY1023 and which was only a UK release with that number although the album was released in Germany on the International Label with a unique number. A few years later it was re-released on the International Label

I guess thats the german version of it....

From what I know, this was released in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). It was another appalling sleeve.

[jurasic1968]

Wow! East Germany? As far as I know, Elvis Presley's music was not available in the communist countries of the Eastern Europe. In Romania was not.

[Christopher]

RCA US decided to release it because they saw that it was quite a success in the UK. However, the album titles were different - in the UK it was "The Sun Collection" whereas in the US, it was called "The Sun Sessions" and had an inferior front sleeve with what looked like the head of Elvis from the '68 special on a body that looked like he had just been stuck on a horse for days. The US did however retain the UK sleeve notes from Roy Carr. Interestingly, the UK used "The Sun Sessions" wording on the reverse of the sleeve as its sub heading for the sleeve liner notes about the recording sessions.

The UK release was issued within a new RCA budget series of albums called "Starcall" and was the first in that series HY1001. The other Elvis release in the series was "Pictures of Elvis" which had the HY1023 and which was only a UK release with that number although the album was released in Germany on the International Label with a unique number. A few years later it was re-released on the International Label

I guess thats the german version of it....

From what I know, this was released in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). It was another appalling sleeve.

most appalling and silly, i agree.
but i doubt this one was made/released in the g.d.r (in germany we say d.d.r) - where have you got that information from?
i doubt it, because i remember having seen this lp in western german record shops in the 80s quite often.
there was only one (or very very few) elvis longplayer(s) released in eastern germany on the ddr label "amiga", as far as i know.

[Buddy]

RCA US decided to release it because they saw that it was quite a success in the UK. However, the album titles were different - in the UK it was "The Sun Collection" whereas in the US, it was called "The Sun Sessions" and had an inferior front sleeve with what looked like the head of Elvis from the '68 special on a body that looked like he had just been stuck on a horse for days. The US did however retain the UK sleeve notes from Roy Carr. Interestingly, the UK used "The Sun Sessions" wording on the reverse of the sleeve as its sub heading for the sleeve liner notes about the recording sessions.

The UK release was issued within a new RCA budget series of albums called "Starcall" and was the first in that series HY1001. The other Elvis release in the series was "Pictures of Elvis" which had the HY1023 and which was only a UK release with that number although the album was released in Germany on the International Label with a unique number. A few years later it was re-released on the International Label

I guess thats the german version of it....

From what I know, this was released in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). It was another appalling sleeve.

No no this was definitly a West Germany album. I try to find the back cover were you can see it.

As far as I know Elvis was available in Fast Germany very late (I guess in the late 80s) on a Amiga label

[rockinrebel]

If memory is correct the first UK Starcall pressing of the Sun Collection featured advertisements for other (non Elvis) albums on the back cover.
Later pressings were then issued with Roy Carr's excellent sleeve notes.
There were further variations after this, as the album was also issued on the orange label, and a later pressing included Harbor Lights from the 1976 album A Legendary Performer Vol.2, with a hype sticker on the sleeve advertising the additional track.

[elvis-fan]

I read on wikipedia that the LP was released one year before in the UK (1975). Why?

Maybe because RCA in the U.S. had much bigger priorities like releasing this gem instead:
.

.
No wait... it's because Parker was an idiot... yeah that's it...

[emjel]

If memory is correct the first UK Starcall pressing of the Sun Collection featured advertisements for other (non Elvis) albums on the back cover.
Later pressings were then issued with Roy Carr's excellent sleeve notes.
There were further variations after this, as the album was also issued on the orange label, and a later pressing included Harbor Lights from the 1976 album A Legendary Performer Vol.2, with a hype sticker on the sleeve advertising the additional track.

Yes the initial sleeve run carried adverts for other albums in the Starcall series but I don’t think they were around for that long before the sleeve notes version appeared. The re-issue from 1979 had a new catalogue number and no reference was made to the Starcall series on the sleeve - it was initially released on the regular styled orange RCA label with a new NL catalogue number and then a black label and finally the "Elvis" blue label a couple of years later.

In 1983, and as you state, a new updated album with the track Harbour Lights was released and with a brand new catalogue number, black label and was pressed in Germany for the whole of Europe. Ironically, within a couple of months, it would be out of date as a previously unreleased Sun recording of When It Rains.... was put out on Legendary Performer Vol 4.