Customer Reviews

Elvis Inc.: The Fall and Rise of the Presley Empire

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

ELVIS INC. is one-stop shopping for anything to do with Elvis and money. All but the first chapter deal with events after Elvis' death. Especially good are the sections on the estate's lawsuit against manager Parker in the early 1980s, and on the stratospheric rise of Graceland after near-bankruptcy in the two years after Elvis died. There is more detail in this book on these subjects than I have seen anywhere else. Toward the end I did feel that the book loses a little focus, and is not quite as pertinent as the first half. As, O'Neal goes off on some tangents, such as the marriage of Lisa Marie to Michael Jackson. To be fair, though, more recent events are just not as salient. But O'Neal keeps it always interesting. And I love that pink cover - groovy, man!

As an Elvis fan, I have read a great number of books about Elvis and his life. What makes this book stand out from the others is the fact that the reader gets a good look at how Elvis Presley, the person has grown into Elvis Presley Enterprises, the money-maker. It is well known by now that Colonel Tom Parker hindered Elvis' career in many ways. Even though he helped Elvis make it to the top, Elvis had the sheer talent to make it with or without Parker. In this book, it is revealed how much Parker actually took from Elvis in the monetary sense. When Elvis died, his estate was nearly bankrupt due to his lavish spending and poor management of his money. But as you realize when you read this book, Elvis Presley Enterprises has gone to great lengths to make it the money machine it is today. O'Neal gives details on lawsuits EPE has won and lost and tells you of some of the future plans EPE has in store. There is also a chapter on Elvis' only heir, Lisa Marie and there is a detailed account of her inheritance as well as the "relationship" with Michael Jackson. I would recommend this book to anyone, Elvis fan or not. Every page had something interesting and new and I found it hard to put down.

Elvis fans, buy this book. You fill find out just what a business Elvis really was (before and after death) to people like Priscilla and Parker to name a few. Terrific book!