J.A.T. Publishing has taken you on Elvis’ final tours in 1977… we went further back to show you The King being beamed via satellite in 1973… we followed Elvis on his electrifying tours of 1970…we witnessed his 1969 triumph in Las Vegas…and marveled at the 1968 comeback. Now J.A.T. Publishing proudly travels back to 1957 to present Elvis In Gold!
Elvis In Gold is a hardcover photo journal focusing on Elvis’ gold lamé tuxedo. Over 100 glorious back and white images (many never before made public) illustrate Elvis wearing his golden outfit or jacket on stage and in the studio. From the iconic photo session that gave us the best LP cover of Elvis’ career, to Presley’s three masterful 1957 tours. From the Mississippi-Alabama fair in 1957, to Honolulu in 1961, Elvis In Gold takes you to the era where Elvis changed our culture forever.
Along with photos of Elvis at his most vibrant and handsome, you get the stories behind the gold. Find out how and when Elvis got his suit. Discover the ways in which the gold suit image was successfully marketed. Take a look at every single concert Elvis wore his suit or jacket at. Elvis In Gold has it all.
The imagery of the young Elvis is inexorably tied to his gold lamé suit. It didn’t just symbolize the fifties it WAS the fifties. As the first publication to celebrate this epitome of an unforgettable era, this book is a must for anyone that lo
ElvisNews review
Joe Tunzi’s JAT Publishing released the book “Elvis In Gold”; will it get a “Gold” status among fans?
Design
It appears Joe Tunzi finally chose for hard cover books; just like his last few titles this book comes in that format too. That gives the the book an instant “deluxe” appeal.
When you use a color in the title of your book it is nice to use that in the design too. But besides the image on the front and back cover there are only three colors to be found inside the book; black, white and a mixture of both. Personally I think a touch of gold in the design and the use of color images would have added a lot to the book. Even the trailer for the book on YouTube contained color images. That said the quality of the images is good. You can clearly see the eye-shade Elvis is wearing during his Los Angeles performance on October 28, 1957.
Content
The book is mainly a picture book with pretty much all images of Elvis wearing the complete or parts of his iconic 1957 Gold Lame suit. Mike Eder – who provided the text for more Tunzi releases - has a nice style and sums up the history and background information on the suit and use in several tours pretty well.
But besides the text the images should carry the book, and unfortunately they don’t. The collection is complete, even images of Elvis only wearing the shoes that belong to the suit are included, but because the images are black and white only the book is kind-of grey. Or should I say it has a touch of silver instead of gold? Even the images I know exist in color are printed black and white.
That said the images by itself contain some gems. It shows Elvis on top of the world including his first and last tour outside the USA to Canada (with The Colonel). Also nice to see is Elvis wearing a lot of eyeshade in Los Angels in 1957.
Conclusion
I was looking forward to this release as the images of Elvis in this suit are so iconic. Besides the cover of his first album - which was copied quite a lot - the use of this suit on the classic “50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong - Golden Records Vol. 2” album is probably even better known outside the Elvis fan world. Unfortunately the book lacks the touch of gold that the iconic suit – and main theme of the book – holds.
The book is mainly a picture book with pretty much all images of Elvis wearing the complete or parts of his iconic 1957 Gold Lame suit. Mike Eder – who provided the text for more Tunzi releases - has a nice style and sums up the history and background information on the suit and use in several tours pretty well.