own a piece of the one true master tape

January 26, 2004 10:25 AM

Cutting up the King: This seems sacrilegious, even if the tapes are deteriorating. They're planning to cut up some of Elvis Presley's original master tapes from Sun Studio and sell them as collectibles. I suppose one could email the publicity contact if this bothered them. The snipping starts tomorrow.
posted by bendybendy (8 comments total)

Huh.
posted by Outlawyr at 11:18 AM on January 26, 2004

This seems sacrilegious

I hope you're joking. I have never understood Elvis worship. He was a second class, barely talented hack.

It's nice to see that lots of trailer homes will be sporting a new addition to their Elvis altars. Anyone who pays $495 for a useless piece of audio tape brings to mind two words...

Fool and Money.
posted by Blubble at 11:34 AM on January 26, 2004

"This is terrible, this idea."
on preview: Blubble, tell me, do you make a habit of pissing all over threads? Can you let me know when you start a thread about whatever music you listen to, so I can piss all over it?
posted by keswick at 11:36 AM on January 26, 2004

I haven't always enjoyed Elvis's singing, since he was well before my time. But, like Hank Williams, Louis Armstrong or Frank Sinatra, after giving him a chance, he just clicked one day. I still don't get Bing Crosby, Al Jolsen or Barbra Striesand. But all those singers are obviously cultural touchstones, I'd want to preserve any primary source material from them, regardless of what I thought of them as artists.
posted by bendybendy at 11:48 AM on January 26, 2004

elvis would be turning in his grave! that is, if he were really dead.
posted by mcsweetie at 12:42 PM on January 26, 2004

mcsweetie: elvis is everywhere, man.
posted by keswick at 12:47 PM on January 26, 2004

It seems unclear from the article whether these are in fact the original tapes.
posted by Outlawyr at 1:06 PM on January 26, 2004

Well... I have some original Elvis Sun 72rpm records that are worth a little bit...

This is a neat idea, I think... too often the cool stuff just rots away and only the well off ever get to hold it in their hands. I mean, the tapes are supposidly useless as master tape.

Elvis master tape may or may not be "cool stuff" to some... but then alot of people didn't think a chunk of the Berlin wall was worth anything... (ok, bad example, but the originiality of both are taken by faith... unless you were 'there')
posted by LoopSouth at 1:29 PM on January 26, 2004