"Actor: Jerry Leiber"

• Elvis Presley - Elvis In Hollywood | DVD | (21/04/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  This 1987 documentary is distinguished by both its smart narrative premise and wonderful performance footage of Elvis Presley at the dawn of his remarkable career. With the King's melodramatic life already a familiar subject for film and print biographies, producer-directors Alan and Susan Raymond instead shaped this hour-long profile around the year that saw the charismatic Memphis singer's eruption as a pop sensation. By taking that selective path, and focusing tightly on Presley's crucial transition to a major record deal, national media exposure and the first decisive steps in his subsequent movie career, Elvis '56 achieves a unique cohesion while legitimately celebrating a remarkable period of growth.With the Band's Levon Helm narrating in his salty Arkansas drawl, the story effectively conveys Elvis' Southern perspective, while evocative use of Alfred Wertheimer's celebrated black-and-white still portraits sustains a visual style carrying over to the programme's real high points: early stage and television appearances by Presley and his original trio, later augmented into a quartet. Among the highlights are historic slots on Milton Berle's and Steve Allen's variety shows: we see the joyous physicality that made the Berle performance a topic of outrage (and, of course, a swoon-worthy moment for female fans), as well as Allen's glib solution to censors' worries, forcing a static, tail-coated Presley to sing "Hound Dog" to a basset hound. --Sam Sutherland

• Tribute To Lieber And Stoller | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Like champagne and caviar legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller are a perfect pairing. As one of the most prolific song-writing teams of the 50’s and 60’s Leiber & Stoller have composed some of the greatest hits in Rock ‘n’ Roll history including Jail House Rock and Hound Dog to the enduring charmers Love Potion No 9 Poison Ivy and Stand By Me. Tribute To Leiber & Stoller features an eclectic array of unforgettable tunes performed by the gamut of exciting talent including Ben E King Elkie Brooks Tom Jones Dave Gilmour and M People’s Heather Small. Tribute To Leiber & Stoller is a fitting homage to a partnership that has and will be influential to millions of music lovers around the world! Tracklist: Intro (Jailhouse Rock). Tom Jones Intro (On Broadway). Chris Rea Charlie Brown. Kenny Lynch Searchin'. Magnets Ruby Baby. Jonathon Wilkes I Keep Forgetting. Leo Sayer Love Potion No.9. Victoria Owen Neighbourhood. Paulette Ivory Poison Ivy. Jelayiu Some Cats Know. Melanie Stace Framed. Mark Lamarr Love Me. Steve Harley Smokey Joes's Caf''. Band and Vocal Treat Me Nice. Oliver Darley Pearl's A Singer. Elkie Brooks Saved. Sam Brown I'm A Woman. Jane Monheit Loving You. Corkie Hale That Is Rock And Roll. Edwin Starr On Broadway. Chris Rea Young Blood. Paul Carrack Is That All There Is? Sally Kellerman Don't. David Gilmour I Who Have Nothing. Heather Small Stand By Me. Ben E. King You Ain't Saying It. Lincoln Briney Trouble. John Altman Bossa Nova Baby. Michael Patto Fools Fall In Love. Ruby Turner Jailhouse Rock. Tom Jones Kansas City. Leiber & Stoller.