| Alec Empire vs. Elvis Presley | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||
| Genre | Digital hardcore | |||
| Length | 31:07 | |||
| Label | El Turco Loco | |||
| Producer | Alec Empire | |||
| Alec Empire chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| NME | (8/10) [1] |
Alec Empire vs. Elvis Presley is a recording by Alec Empire which incorporates Elvis Presley samples.
Empire recorded vs. Elvis in 1998 after returning home to Berlin from a tour of the United States with his band Atari Teenage Riot. As a method of escape from the digital hardcore sound he became interested in Presley, watching all of his movies. Inspired, he collected two hours' worth of samples and mixed them in his own particular style, the result of which caused his girlfriend at the time to leave him. [2]
Originally intended for release on his DHR Limited label, [3] Empire ran into problems when attempting to release the album as the Elvis samples were used without permission from the Presley Foundation. Concerned at the prospect of legal action Empire decided not to release vs. Elvis on DHR, and instead pressed a few copies for friends and DJs. In a record store in New York in 1999, Empire to his surprise discovered a vinyl copy of the recording that had been pressed by El Turco Loco ("The Mad Turk"), an obscure label owned by former Matador Records artist Khan. [4]
The album is long out of print, but copies have occasionally been sold on eBay, as well as exchanged in MP3 format on p2p networks. Since the release is a bootleg, the track listing of the recording seems to in the incorrect order (i.e. the song "Last Message From The Soul" seems to be an introduction track) and back cover claims to be "recorded in the highest quality" but the sound is very poor. This recording also marks the end of Alec Empire's usuage of the popular drum sample the Amen break, as he stated in interviews that it had been done to death and was using similar fashion to Presley's death on this album.
The album has been made available for purchase as a digital download in the Hellish Vortex Online Shop. [5]
A video was made for the track "You Ain't Nothing" by Empire's friend and collaborator Philipp "Virus" Reichenheim ( link ).
| # | Title | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Jailhouse Cock Rocks the Most" | 3:32 | Samples "Jailhouse Rock" |
| 2 | "You Ain't Nothing" | 3:00 | Samples "Hound Dog" |
| 3 | "Something For The Pain" | 4:16 | Samples "Maybellene" |
| 4 | "Take Away" | 2:59 | Samples "They Remind Me Too Much of You" |
| 5 | "Come On, Fight You Punk!" | 2:38 | Samples "Long Tall Sally" |
| 6 | "I am Going Insane Without Your Love" | 3:26 | |
| 7 | "He's Dead, That's the Way It Is" | 3:35 | Samples the trailer for the documentary Elvis: That's the Way It Is |
| 8 | "Last Message From The Soul" | 2:00 | Interlude, samples music from the Game Boy Camera photography menu |
| 9 | "Fuck the Majors" | 0:46 | Interlude, samples the film Jailhouse Rock |
| 10 | "Blue Moon" | 3:56 | Samples "Blue Moon of Kentucky" |
Atari Teenage Riot is a German band formed in Berlin in 1992. The name is taken from a Portuguese Joe song entitled "Teenage Riot" from the album Teen-age Riot, with the word 'Atari' added as an Atari ST computer was used to create compositions. Highly political, they fuse left-wing, anarchist, anti-fascist views with punk vocals and a techno sound called digital hardcore, which is a term band member Alec Empire used as the name of his record label.
Alec Empire is a German experimental electronic musician who is best known as a founding member of the band Atari Teenage Riot, as well as a prolific and distinguished solo artist, producer and DJ. He has released many albums, EPs and singles, some under aliases, and remixed over seventy tracks for various artists including Björk. He was also the driving force behind the creation of the digital hardcore genre, and founded the record labels Digital Hardcore Recordings and Eat Your Heart Out Records.
Moody Blue is the twenty-fourth and final studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records in July 1977, four weeks before his death. The album was a mixture of live and studio work, and included the four tracks from Presley's final studio recording sessions in October 1976 and two tracks left over from the previous Graceland session in February 1976. "Moody Blue" was a previously published hit song recorded at the earlier Graceland session and held over for this album. Also recorded at the February session was "She Thinks I Still Care". "Way Down" became a hit after Presley's death less than one month after this album's release. The album was certified Gold and Platinum on September 12, 1977 and 2x Platinum on March 27, 1992 by the RIAA.
50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong: Elvis' Gold Records, Volume 2 is the fourth compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, issued by RCA Victor in November 1959. It is a compilation of hit singles released in 1958 and 1959 by Presley, from recording sessions going back as far as February 1957.
"Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about the session was published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar under the title "Million Dollar Quartet". The recording was first released in Europe in 1981 as The Million Dollar Quartet with 17 tracks. A few years later more tracks were discovered and released as The Complete Million Dollar Session. In 1990, the recordings were released in the United States as Elvis Presley - The Million Dollar Quartet. This session is considered a seminal moment in rock and roll.
Intelligence and Sacrifice is a 2001 album by German recording artist Alec Empire. While by no means his first solo album, it was his first full album since the demise of his former band Atari Teenage Riot, and he regarded it as a new beginning, stating that it "feels like this is my first real album". This recording consists of two CDs, each with a significantly different sound. CD 1 is somewhat consistent with the ATR formula while the second disc is entirely electronic with negligible use of vocals.
Elvis is the second studio album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor on October 19, 1956 in mono. Recording sessions took place on September 1, September 2, and September 3 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, with one track left over from the sessions for Presley's debut album at the RCA Victor recording studios on January 30 in New York. It spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart that year, making Presley the first recording artist to have both albums go straight to number one in the same year. It would go on to spend 5 weeks at #1 in total. It was certified Gold on February 17, 1960, and Platinum on August 10, 2011, by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Futurist is an album by Alec Empire, released in 2005. It is the follow-up to 2001's Intelligence and Sacrifice and is notable for the fact that the use of electronics for which Empire is famed is reduced in favour of guitars and drum beats, giving the album more of a punk/metal sound than its predecessor.
Live CBGB's NYC 1998 is a live album by the German digital hardcore pioneer Alec Empire and the Japanese noise artist Merzbow. It was recorded on November 4, 1998, at the Digital Hardcore Festival at CBGB's in New York City and was released by Digital Hardcore Recordings in 2003.
Elvis' Christmas Album is the third studio album and first Christmas album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley on RCA Victor, LOC -1035, a deluxe limited edition, released October 15, 1957, and recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. It has been reissued in numerous different formats since its first release. It spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, and was the first of two Christmas-themed albums Presley would record, the other being Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas, released in 1971. The publication Music Vendor listed Elvis' Christmas Album on their singles charts for two weeks in December 1957 – January 1958, with a peak position of No. 49.
The following is a list of known recordings by or involving Alec Empire, excluding his work with Atari Teenage Riot.
Elvis' Gold Records Volume 4 is a greatest hits album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, issued by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3921, in January 1968, with recording sessions taking place over an eight-year span at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, and at RCA Studios and Radio Recorders in Hollywood. It is a compilation of hit singles released between 1961 and 1967, peaking at number 33 on the Billboard 200. It was certified Gold on March 27, 1992 by the Recording Industry Association of America.
That's the Way It Is is the twelfth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Records, LSP 4445, in November 1970. It consists of eight studio tracks recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, and four live in-concert tracks recorded at The International Hotel in Las Vegas. It accompanied the theatrical release of the documentary film Elvis: That's the Way It Is, although it is not generally considered a soundtrack album. The album peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 and at number eight on the country chart. It was certified Gold on June 28, 1973 by the Recording Industry Association of America and up-graded to Platinum, for sales of a million copies on March 8, 2018.
From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee is the twenty-third studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records in May, 1976. It became Presley's fourth album to reach #1 on the Billboard country music album sales chart within the last four years.
Miss Black America is the sixth solo studio album by German producer Alec Empire, originally released through his Digital Hardcore Recordings label as a part of its DHR Limited series of single pressing albums. Recorded throughout August 1998 in between sessions for Atari Teenage Riots 60 Second Wipeout, the album was produced in response to the political climate of Germany at the time.
The Golden Foretaste of Heaven is an album by Alec Empire, released in Japan on November 28, 2007, and in Europe on January 18, 2008. It is his first on his newly established Eat Your Heart Out label. Unlike his previous, rock-oriented efforts post-Atari Teenage Riot this album is completely electronic.
The On Fire EP is an EP by Alec Empire, released on December 7, 2007, from his album The Golden Foretaste of Heaven. It contains the title track, several remixes and all tracks from the single "Robot L.O.V.E.", previously issued on vinyl. Initially planned as a four-track digital download only release, it was also released as a ten track limited edition CD mounted on blue plexi-glass and sealed in a silver see-through plastic bag.
Speedway is the seventeenth soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3989, in mid 1968. It serves as the soundtrack album for the 1968 film Speedway starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Hollywood, California, on June 20 and 21, 1967. It peaked at number 82 on the Billboard 200.
Elvis is a live album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records in December 1968. It was recorded from his 1968 Elvis special in Burbank, California at Western Recorders on June 20, 21, 22 and 23, 1968, and at NBC Studios (Burbank) on June 27 and 29, 1968. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200. It was certified Gold on July 22, 1969 and Platinum on July 15, 1999 by the RIAA.
Elvis' Greatest Shit is a bootleg recording of Elvis Presley, released in July 1982. It assembles a number of studio recordings—including some film scores—and outtakes intended to represent the worst recordings Presley made in his career.
