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Faxanadu is an action role-playing platform video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System . The name was licensed by computer game developer Nihon Falcom ("Falcom") and was developed and released in Japan by Hudson Soft for the Famicom in 1987. Nintendo released the game in the United States and Europe as a first-party title under license from Hudson Soft.

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120-416: Faxanadu is a spin-off or side-story of Xanadu , which is the second installment of Falcom's long-running RPG series, Dragon Slayer . The title Faxanadu is a portmanteau formed from the names Famicom and Xanadu . The game uses side-scrolling and platforming gameplay, while employing role-playing elements with an expansive story and medieval setting. The player-controlled protagonist of Faxanadu

240-533: A cover of Carl Perkins ' rockabilly anthem " Blue Suede Shoes ". In February, Presley's " I Forgot to Remember to Forget ", a Sun recording released the previous August, reached the top of the Billboard country chart . Neal's contract was terminated and Parker became Presley's manager. RCA Victor released Presley's self-titled debut album on March 23. Joined by five previously unreleased Sun recordings, its seven recently recorded tracks included two country songs,

360-755: A jury-rigged echo effect that Sam Phillips dubbed "slapback". A single was pressed with "That's All Right" on the A-side and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" on the reverse. The trio played publicly for the first time at the Bon Air club on July 17, 1954. Later that month, they appeared at the Overton Park Shell , with Slim Whitman headlining. Here Elvis pioneered " Rubber Legs ", his signature dance movement. A combination of his strong response to rhythm and nervousness led Presley to shake his legs as he performed: His wide-cut pants emphasized his movements, causing young women in

480-473: A platformer -style side-scrolling view, including the ability to jump. The side-scrolling view is used during exploration and switches to the overhead view of its predecessor during battle, while certain rooms also use an overhead view. This gameplay is credited as a precursor to the development of the metroidvania genre. The game begins with the player directly in control of the protagonist, with little to no introduction. To progress, one must speak with

600-803: A rock band combined with a live orchestra and synthesizers . The main theme of the Xanadu franchise, "La Valse Pour Xanadu", has been featured in the PC-88 and PC-98 versions of Xanadu and remixed into several audio tracks in Xanadu Next . Xanadu was a pioneer in the game industry, and received critical praise from Japanese gaming magazines and a large fan base. As of 2005, according to Falcom, its 1985 sales record of over 400,000 copies sold in Japan has yet to be broken by any role-playing PC game released in that country. However, Tokihiro Naito of T&E Soft has said that

720-519: A 1946 blues number, Arthur Crudup's " That's All Right ". Moore recalled, "All of a sudden, Elvis just started singing this song, jumping around and acting the fool, and then Bill picked up his bass, and he started acting the fool, too, and I started playing with them." Phillips quickly began taping; this was the sound he had been looking for. Three days later, popular Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips (no relation to Sam Phillips) played "That's All Right" on his Red, Hot, and Blue show. Listener interest

840-499: A C in music in eighth grade. When his music teacher said he had no aptitude for singing, he brought in his guitar and sang a recent hit, "Keep Them Cold Icy Fingers Off Me". He was usually too shy to perform openly and was occasionally bullied by classmates for being a " mama's boy ". In 1950, Presley began practicing guitar under the tutelage of Lee Denson , a neighbor. They and three other boys, including two future rockabilly pioneers, brothers Dorsey and Johnny Burnette —formed

960-463: A Save command in the status menu. A Xanadu OVA was released in 1988 in conjunction with the MSX version of the game and a manga , titled Xanadu: The Legend of Dragon Slayer . The plot was expanded and altered, with the main character now having a name, Fieg (フィーグ), and several new cast members. The new plot elements included several science fiction themes. For example, Fieg is a 21st-century soldier from

1080-415: A better score of 8.5 out of 10 and called it a hidden gem. IGN went on to call it a better action RPG than Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest . Marcel van Duyn of Nintendo Life gave the game an 8 out of 10, saying it is a surprisingly fun game and an absolutely essential purchase for those who like RPGs, but he criticized the password system for western audiences, and

1200-474: A billion worldwide. He was commercially successful in many genres, including pop , country, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, adult contemporary , and gospel . He won three Grammy Awards , received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame . He holds several records, including the most RIAA -certified gold and platinum albums,

1320-453: A bouncy pop tune, and what would centrally define the evolving sound of rock and roll : "Blue Suede Shoes"—"an improvement over Perkins' in almost every way", according to critic Robert Hilburn —and three R&B numbers that had been part of Presley's stage repertoire, covers of Little Richard , Ray Charles , and The Drifters . As described by Hilburn, these were the most revealing of all. Unlike many white artists ... who watered down

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1440-664: A champagne party", a Newsweek critic wrote. Amid his Vegas tenure, Presley, who had acting ambitions, signed a seven-year contract with Paramount Pictures . He began a tour of the Midwest in mid-May, covering fifteen cities in as many days. He had attended several shows by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys in Vegas and was struck by their cover of " Hound Dog ", a hit in 1953 for blues singer Big Mama Thornton by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller . It became his new closing number. After

1560-676: A dance venue in Memphis. When Presley played, teenagers rushed from the pool to fill the club, then left again as the house western swing band resumed. Presley quickly grew more confident on stage. According to Moore, "His movement was a natural thing, but he was also very conscious of what got a reaction. He'd do something one time and then he would expand on it real quick." Amid these live performances, Presley returned to Sun studio for more recording sessions. Presley made what would be his only appearance on Nashville 's Grand Ole Opry on October 2; Opry manager Jim Denny told Phillips that his singer

1680-531: A distance. The following year saw the release of Xanadu Scenario II , an early example of an expansion pack . The game spawned the Xanadu series, a spin-off from the Dragon Slayer franchise. Dragon Slayer laid the foundations for the action role-playing game genre, influencing future series like Ys . Xanadu was an early real-time action RPG with full-fledged character statistics , and it introduced several innovative gameplay mechanics, such as

1800-455: A local vocal quartet, the Songfellows, and another for the band of Eddie Bond . Phillips, meanwhile, was always on the lookout for someone who could bring to a broader audience the sound of the black musicians on whom Sun focused. In June, he acquired a demo recording by Jimmy Sweeney of a ballad, "Without You", that he thought might suit Presley. The teenaged singer came by the studio but

1920-532: A loose musical collective. During his junior year, Presley began to stand out among his classmates, largely because of his appearance: he grew his sideburns and styled his hair. He would head down to Beale Street , the heart of Memphis' thriving blues scene, and admire the wild, flashy clothes at Lansky Brothers . By his senior year, he was wearing those clothes. He competed in Humes' Annual "Minstrel" Show in 1953, singing and playing " Till I Waltz Again with You ",

2040-403: A minute to a basset hound wearing a top hat and bowtie. As described by television historian Jake Austen, "Allen thought Presley was talentless and absurd ... [he] set things up so that Presley would show his contrition". Allen later wrote that he found Presley's "strange, gangly, country-boy charisma, his hard-to-define cuteness, and his charming eccentricity intriguing" and worked him into

2160-481: A much larger set of songs. The soundtrack was composed by Takahito Abe and Yuzo Koshiro , who would compose the music for many of Falcom's later titles. Koshiro's compositions for the opening theme and several dungeons were taken from the demo tape he had first sent to Falcom at the age of 18. Revival Xanadu and Revival Xanadu II Remix , two loose remakes made by Falcom in the 1990s, feature their own unique soundtracks as well, composed by Falcom's sound team members at

2280-418: A national celebrity. Accompanying Presley's rise to fame, a cultural shift was taking place that he both helped inspire and came to symbolize. The historian Marty Jezer wrote that Presley began the "biggest pop craze" since Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra and brought rock and roll to mainstream culture: As Presley set the artistic pace, other artists followed. ... Presley, more than anyone else, gave

2400-399: A pair of bestselling singles, the ballads " It's Now or Never " and " Are You Lonesome Tonight? ", along with the rest of Elvis Is Back! The album features several songs described by Greil Marcus as full of Chicago blues "menace, driven by Presley's own super-miked acoustic guitar, brilliant playing by Scotty Moore, and demonic sax work from Boots Randolph . Elvis' singing wasn't sexy, it

2520-414: A pastor at the family's church. Presley recalled, "I took the guitar, and I watched people, and I learned to play a little bit. But I would never sing in public. I was very shy about it." In September 1946, Presley entered a new school, Milam, for sixth grade. The following year, he began singing and playing his guitar at school. He was often teased as a "trashy" kid who played hillbilly music . Presley

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2640-406: A player will possess upon resuming a game via password. Due to its use of statistics, reliance on story, thematic basis upon medieval fantasy , and provision of interactive NPCs , many observers have classified Faxanadu as a role-playing video game . Jun Chikuma composed the music for the game and was assisted by Hudson Soft's sound programmer, Toshiaki Takimoto. Chikuma, working with just

2760-455: A police guard because somebody'd always try to take a crack at him." The trio became a quartet when Hayride drummer Fontana joined as a full member. In mid-October, they played a few shows in support of Bill Haley , whose " Rock Around the Clock " track had been a number-one hit the previous year. Haley observed that Presley had a natural feel for rhythm, and advised him to sing fewer ballads. At

2880-516: A popular local television show. Pressed on whether he had learned anything from the criticism of him, Presley responded, "No, I haven't... I don't see how any type of music would have any bad influence on people when it's only music. ... how would rock 'n' roll music make anyone rebel against their parents?" The next day, Presley recorded "Hound Dog", " Any Way You Want Me " and " Don't Be Cruel ". The Jordanaires sang harmony, as they had on The Steve Allen Show ; they would work with Presley through

3000-440: A rapid pace until more food is found or bought, or the protagonist dies. In addition to purchasing them, items can be found in chests and in dungeon areas, or by entering a secret code name at the character creation area at the outset. The game autosaves right before a boss fight and, in some versions, after leaving a building. The player can manually save, which costs 100 gold. The Sega Saturn remake did away with this by adding

3120-794: A recent hit for Teresa Brewer . Presley recalled that the performance did much for his reputation: I wasn't popular in school ... I failed music—only thing I ever failed. And then they entered me in this talent show ... when I came onstage, I heard people kind of rumbling and whispering and so forth, 'cause nobody knew I even sang. It was amazing how popular I became in school after that. Presley, who could not read music , played by ear and frequented record stores that provided jukeboxes and listening booths. He knew all of Hank Snow 's songs, and he loved records by other country singers such as Roy Acuff , Ernest Tubb , Ted Daffan , Jimmie Rodgers , Jimmie Davis , and Bob Wills . The Southern gospel singer Jake Hess , one of his favorite performers,

3240-534: A recording session when an engine died and the plane almost went down over Arkansas . Twelve weeks after its original release, "Heartbreak Hotel" became Presley's first number-one pop hit. In late April, Presley began a two-week residency at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip . The shows were poorly received by the conservative, middle-aged hotel guests, "like a jug of corn liquor at

3360-532: A show in La Crosse, Wisconsin , an urgent message on the letterhead of the local Catholic diocese's newspaper was sent to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover . It warned that Presley is a definite danger to the security of the United States. ... [His] actions and motions were such as to rouse the sexual passions of teenaged youth. ... After the show, more than 1,000 teenagers tried to gang into Presley's room at

3480-400: A slow, grinding version accentuated with exaggerated body movements. His gyrations created a storm of controversy. Jack Gould of The New York Times wrote, Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability. ... His phrasing, if it can be called that, consists of the stereotyped variations that go with a beginner's aria in a bathtub. ... His one specialty is an accented movement of

3600-478: A year's worth of Saturday-night appearances. Trading in his old guitar for $ 8, he purchased a Martin instrument for $ 175 (equivalent to $ 2,000 in 2023) and his trio began playing in new locales, including Houston , Texas, and Texarkana , Arkansas. Presley made his first television appearance on the KSLA-TV broadcast of Louisiana Hayride . Soon after, he failed an audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on

3720-529: Is a wanderer who returns home. He has no name, but the Japanese version allows the player to choose one. The game begins when he approaches Eolis, his hometown, after an absence to find it in disrepair and virtually abandoned. Worse still, the town is under attack by Dwarves. The Elven king explains that the Elves' fountain water, their life source, has been stopped and all other remaining water has been poisoned and provides

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3840-567: Is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom and released in 1985 for the PC-8801 , X1 , PC-8001 , PC-9801 , FM-7 and MSX computers. Enhanced remakes were later released for the Sega Saturn , PC-9801 and Windows platforms. It is the second entry in the Dragon Slayer series, preceded by Dragon Slayer and followed by Dragon Slayer Jr: Romancia , which, as most games in

3960-526: Is done by walking directly into the enemy, but unlike with Ys , in Xanadu it doesn't matter which part of the target's body the player character runs into. The main view in Xanadu is a side-scrolling platformer view, though it is more in line with Sorcerian than a typical platformer such as Super Mario Bros. When engaging in a battle or entering a building, the view is changed to a top-down perspective . Each "layer" or stratum has its own complex network of buildings, caves and tunnels. To level up ,

4080-499: Is named Melvis and looks and sounds like Elvis Presley for his first appearance; the voice was changed in the latter episode. The Dwarf King is not featured in the series and is replaced by Queen Dwarfine. The game was released on the Wii 's Virtual Console in 2010 and 2011. The game has received critical acclaim. Weekly Famitsu scored it 29 out of 40. IGN reviewed the game in 2011, after its Wii virtual console release, giving it

4200-430: Is raised simply by using the item; for example, swords by attacking, armor by being hit, magic by casting the spell, and so on. In this sense, a highly developed dagger will be more effective than a brand new longsword . A highly developed sword will be far more useful than a maxed out dagger, so it is vital to upgrade equipment. Xanadu has a limited number of enemies in each area, to deter powerleveling . This requires

4320-471: The CBS television network. By early 1955, Presley's regular Hayride appearances, constant touring, and well-received record releases had made him a regional star. In January, Neal signed a formal management contract with Presley and brought him to the attention of Colonel Tom Parker , whom he considered the best promoter in the music business. Having successfully managed the top country star Eddy Arnold , Parker

4440-403: The Dragon Slayer series, have little relation with each other. Xanadu set a sales record for computer games in Japan, with over 400,000 copies sold there in 1985. It was one of the foundations of the role-playing genre, particularly the action role-playing subgenre, featuring real-time action combat combined with full-fledged character statistics , innovative gameplay systems such as

4560-450: The Karma meter and individual experience for equipped items, and platform game elements combined with the dungeon crawl gameplay of its predecessor. It also had towns to explore and introduced equipment that change the player character 's visible appearance, food that is consumed slowly over time and is essential for keeping the player character alive, and magic used to attack enemies from

4680-515: The PlayStation Vita and re-released in 2016 as an enhanced version titled Tokyo Xanadu eX+ for the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), known mononymously as Elvis , was an American singer and actor. Known as the " King of Rock and Roll ", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of

4800-589: The Xanadu series. It has a large set of follow-ups, despite itself being technically a sequel to Dragon Slayer . Beside Faxanadu , these include the action role-playing games The Legend of Xanadu (風の伝説ザナドゥ, Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu) and its sequel The Legend of Xanadu II , released in 1994 and 1995 respectively for the PC Engine CD , as well as Xanadu Next , released in 2005 for the Nokia N-Gage and Microsoft Windows , and Tokyo Xanadu , released in 2015 for

4920-418: The best-selling Christmas album ever in the United States , with eventual sales of over 20 million worldwide. After the session, Moore and Black—drawing only modest weekly salaries, sharing in none of Presley's massive financial success—resigned, though they were brought back on a per diem basis a few weeks later. On December 20, Presley received his draft notice, though he was granted a deferment to finish

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5040-597: The "bump" system, mostly in obscure PC-8801 titles. The game's influence also extended beyond action RPGs, with the way the game reworked the entire game system considered an influence on Final Fantasy , which would do the same for each of its installments, as its developer Square was previously the publisher for the MSX version of the original Dragon Slayer . Xanadu is also like Zelda II: The Adventure of Link , due to being an "RPG turned on its side" that allowed players to run, jump, collect, and explore. The game spawned

5160-490: The "comedy fabric" of his program. Just before the final rehearsal for the show, Presley told a reporter, "I don't want to do anything to make people dislike me. I think TV is important so I'm going to go along, but I won't be able to give the kind of show I do in a personal appearance." Presley would refer back to the Allen show as the most ridiculous performance of his career. Later that night, he appeared on Hy Gardner Calling ,

5280-430: The 1960s to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. Some of Presley's most famous films included Jailhouse Rock (1957), Blue Hawaii (1961), and Viva Las Vegas (1964). In 1968, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed NBC television comeback special Elvis , which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave

5400-541: The 1960s. A few days later, Presley made an outdoor concert appearance in Memphis, at which he announced, "You know, those people in New York are not gonna change me none. I'm gonna show you what the real Elvis is like tonight." In August, a judge in Jacksonville , Florida, ordered Presley to tame his act. Throughout the following performance, he largely kept still, except for wiggling his little finger suggestively in mockery of

5520-557: The 20th century . Presley's energized performances and interpretations of songs, and sexually provocative dance moves , combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations , brought both great success and initial controversy . Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi ; his family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee , when he was 13. His music career began there in 1954, at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips , who wanted to bring

5640-453: The Allen and Berle shows, Sullivan had opined that Presley "got some kind of device hanging down below the crotch of his pants—so when he moves his legs back and forth you can see the outline of his cock. ... I think it's a Coke bottle. ... We just can't have this on a Sunday night. This is a family show!" Sullivan publicly told TV Guide , "As for his gyrations, the whole thing can be controlled with camera shots." In fact, Presley

5760-474: The Country Disc Jockey Convention in early November, Presley was voted the year's most promising male artist. After three major labels made offers of up to $ 25,000, Parker and Phillips struck a deal with RCA Victor on November 21 to acquire Presley's Sun contract for an unprecedented $ 40,000. Presley, aged 20, was legally still a minor, so his father signed the contract. Parker arranged with

5880-475: The Falcom website, with accompanying music and an English translation. In its original PC-8801 release, Xanadu features music composed by Toshiya Takahashi. To promote the release of the game, Japanese heavy metal band Anthem released an LP with two image songs, titled "XANADU". The MSX versions of the game, which were released in 1987, have a different score. Xanadu Scenario II , an expansion pack , features

6000-453: The Karma morality system, individual experience for equipped items, a heavy emphasis on puzzle-solving , equipment that changes the player character 's visible appearance, food that is consumed slowly over time and is essential for keeping the player character alive, magic that can be used to attack enemies from a distance, and training facilities to improve various statistics. It also introduced

6120-476: The Valley ". At the end of the show, Sullivan declared Presley "a real decent, fine boy". Two days later, the Memphis draft board announced that Presley would be classified 1-A and would probably be drafted sometime that year. Each of the three Presley singles released in the first half of 1957 went to number one: " Too Much ", " All Shook Up ", and " (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear ". Already an international star, he

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6240-669: The album's cover image, "of Elvis having the time of his life on stage with a guitar in his hands played a crucial role in positioning the guitar ... as the instrument that best captured the style and spirit of this new music." On April 3, Presley made the first of two appearances on NBC 's The Milton Berle Show . His performance, on the deck of the USS Hancock in San Diego , California, prompted cheers and screams from an audience of sailors and their dates. A few days later, Presley and his band were flying to Nashville, Tennessee for

6360-447: The audience to start screaming. Moore recalled, "During the instrumental parts, he would back off from the mic and be playing and shaking, and the crowd would just go wild." Soon after, Moore and Black left their old band to play with Presley regularly, and disc jockey/promoter Bob Neal became the trio's manager. From August through October, they played frequently at the Eagle's Nest club,

6480-508: The auditorium. ... Indications of the harm Presley did just in La Crosse were the two high school girls ... whose abdomen and thigh had Presley's autograph. Presley's second Milton Berle Show appearance came on June 5 at NBC 's Hollywood studio, amid another hectic tour. Milton Berle persuaded Presley to leave his guitar backstage. During the performance, Presley abruptly halted an up-tempo rendition of "Hound Dog" and launched into

6600-531: The base, and bought an extra set of fatigues for everyone in his outfit. Presley was promoted to sergeant on February 11, 1960. While in Bad Nauheim , Presley, aged 24, met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu . They would marry after a seven-and-a-half-year courtship. In her autobiography, Priscilla said that Presley was concerned that his 24 months in the military would ruin his career. In Special Services , he would have been able to perform and remain in touch with

6720-451: The bestselling " Hard Headed Woman ", and " One Night " in 1958, and " (Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I " and the number-one " A Big Hunk o' Love " in 1959. RCA Victor also generated four albums compiling previously issued material during this period, most successfully Elvis' Golden Records (1958), which hit number three on the LP chart. Presley returned to the U.S. on March 2, 1960, and

6840-473: The bland clothes he had worn on the first two shows, he stepped out in the outlandish costume of a pasha , if not a harem girl. From the make-up over his eyes, the hair falling in his face, the overwhelmingly sexual cast of his mouth, he was playing Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik , with all stops out." To close, displaying his range and defying Sullivan's wishes, Presley sang a gentle black spiritual, " Peace in

6960-542: The body ... primarily identified with the repertoire of the blond bombshells of the burlesque runway. Ben Gross of the New York Daily News opined that popular music "has reached its lowest depths in the 'grunt and groin' antics of one Elvis Presley. ... Elvis, who rotates his pelvis ... gave an exhibition that was suggestive and vulgar, tinged with the kind of animalism that should be confined to dives and bordellos ". Ed Sullivan , whose variety show

7080-491: The country field", "but there was a curious blending of the two different musics in both". This blend of styles made it difficult for Presley's music to find radio airplay. According to Neal, many country-music disc jockeys would not play it because Presley sounded too much like a black artist and none of the R&;B stations would touch him because "he sounded too much like a hillbilly ." The blend came to be known as "rockabilly". At

7200-706: The final occasion on which Black was to perform with Presley. On March 24, 1958, Presley was drafted into the United States Army at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas. His arrival was a major media event. Hundreds of people descended on Presley as he stepped from the bus; photographers accompanied him into the installation. Presley announced that he was looking forward to his military service, saying that he did not want to be treated any differently from anyone else. Between March 28 and September 17, 1958, Presley completed basic and advanced training at Fort Hood , Texas, where he

7320-584: The first Hydlide (1984), an action-RPG like Xanadu , sold one-million copies across all computer formats when combining the sales - matching the Famicom version's sales of also one million copies in Japan. French magazine Joypad reviewed the PC-Engine version and gave it a 97% score. Xanadu is the only title Falcom has given a complete commemorative re-release in its original 1980s packaging. Though they had various degrees of success with older titles, Xanadu

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7440-452: The first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii . However, years of prescription drug abuse and unhealthy eating severely compromised his health, and Presley died unexpectedly in August 1977 at his Graceland estate at the age of 42. Presley is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sale estimates ranging from 500 million records to over

7560-612: The forthcoming film King Creole . A couple of weeks into the new year, " Don't ", another Leiber and Stoller tune, became Presley's tenth number-one seller. Recording sessions for the King Creole soundtrack were held in Hollywood in mid-January 1958. Leiber and Stoller provided three songs, but it would be the last time Presley and the duo worked closely together. As Stoller later recalled, Presley's manager and entourage sought to wall him off. A brief soundtrack session on February 11 marked

7680-565: The gritty edges of the original R&B versions of songs in the '50s, Presley reshaped them. He not only injected the tunes with his own vocal character but also made guitar, not piano, the lead instrument in all three cases. It became the first rock and roll album to top the Billboard chart, a position it held for ten weeks. While Presley was not an innovative guitarist like Moore or contemporary African American rockers Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry , cultural historian Gilbert B. Rodman argued that

7800-446: The hero can sustain from enemies is tracked by a life bar , and the magical power he can exert is tracked by a magic bar . These are listed on the top of the screen along with total experience, gold amount, time (for items with a timed duration), and the currently held item. When the hero defeats an enemy, it usually leaves behind gold or life-giving bread. The hero also gains a set amount of experience. Experience points help increase

7920-480: The hero through a screen-by-screen series of fields, towns, and dungeons. The hero can walk, jump, and climb ladders that are all typical characteristics of a platform game . Along the way, he may also purchase usable items with gold, equip and use bladed weapons against enemies, wear armor, and cast magic projectiles. In addition, he can access information regarding the game's events by speaking with townsfolk or by consulting other sources. The limits of physical damage

8040-422: The hero's rank. Occasionally, an enemy will also drop an item; some activate specific effects when touched, while others may be stored for later use. The game utilizes a password system. Passwords, or " mantras " as they are known in the game, can be obtained from church-dwelling Gurus . Gurus also bestow ranks to the hero when he meets certain experience totals; these determine the amounts of experience and gold

8160-578: The king, who gives the player the bare essentials and a small amount of cash to train. After selecting which attributes to raise, the player must navigate of the city and into the vast underground complex. Finding this exit is the first of many puzzles the player will encounter, though the game is not a puzzle game but a role-playing video game with puzzle game and adventure game elements. The protagonist can move left and right, climb down ladders, jump, cast equipped spells, enter doors, or use equipped items. Similar to Falcom 's own later Ys series, damage

8280-455: The look and feel. Ys featured a similar but quicker and more complex "bump" system for combat used in Ys I , II and IV , while some of the later Dragon Slayer games Romancia , Dragon Slayer IV and Sorcerian all had similar side-scrolling viewpoints. This bump system did not start with Xanadu , but with its predecessor, the original Dragon Slayer . Several smaller companies copied

8400-589: The man. He has a right to say what he wants to say. He is a great success and a fine actor, but I think he shouldn't have said it. ... This is a trend, just the same as he faced when he started years ago. Leiber and Stoller were again in the studio for the recording of Elvis' Christmas Album . Toward the end of the session, they wrote a song on the spot at Presley's request: " Santa Claus Is Back in Town ", an innuendo -laden blues. The holiday release stretched Presley's string of number-one albums to four and would become

8520-656: The most albums charted on the Billboard 200 , the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the UK Albums Chart , and the most number-one singles by any act on the UK Singles Chart . In 2018, Presley was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom . Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi , to Gladys Love ( née  Smith ) and Vernon Presley. Elvis' twin Jesse Garon

8640-417: The near future who is dropped into Xanadu after a bloody ambush. A soundtrack to the film was released on record , cassette , and compact disc shortly thereafter. The manga follows the plot of the film, and was drawn by Tsuzuki Kazuhiko (都築和彦), who also did work on Falcom 's Ys and Sorcerian titles. It was republished as a 17 part serial webcomic by Falcom for the release of Revival Xanadu on

8760-417: The order. The single pairing "Don't Be Cruel" with "Hound Dog" ruled the top of the charts for eleven weeks—a mark that would not be surpassed for thirty-six years. Recording sessions for Presley's second album took place in Hollywood in early September. Leiber and Stoller, the writers of "Hound Dog", contributed " Love Me ". Allen's show with Presley had, for the first time, beaten The Ed Sullivan Show in

8880-848: The owners of Hill & Range Publishing, Jean and Julian Aberbach , to create two entities, Elvis Presley Music and Gladys Music, to handle all the new material recorded by Presley. Songwriters were obliged to forgo one-third of their customary royalties in exchange for having Presley perform their compositions. By December, RCA had begun to heavily promote its new singer, and before month's end had reissued many of his Sun recordings. On January 10, 1956, Presley made his first recordings for RCA Victor in Nashville. Extending his by-now customary backup of Moore, Black, Fontana, and Hayride pianist Floyd Cramer —who had been performing at live club dates with Presley—RCA Victor enlisted guitarist Chet Atkins and three background singers, including Gordon Stoker of

9000-447: The performance, crowds in Nashville and St. Louis burned him in effigy . His first motion picture, Love Me Tender , was released on November 21. Though he was not top-billed, the film's original title— The Reno Brothers —was changed to capitalize on his latest number-one record: "Love Me Tender" had hit the top of the charts earlier that month. To further take advantage of Presley's popularity, four musical numbers were added to what

9120-399: The player must visit temples, where a minister will grant a level up to the protagonist provided the player has enough experience points . Otherwise, the minister will let the player know how much is needed to go up a level. There are two types of levels: fighting and magic. Fighting experience is raised through combat, and magic though spell use. The two systems go hand in hand and are used at

9240-424: The player to think ahead about how he handles the enemies, how to get the most experience out of them, and to keep Karma from getting too high. This is a factor that must be juggled with weapon experience; if the player defeats all enemies using a dagger, then upgrades to a sword and proceeds to fight the area's boss, the player will be at a disadvantage and should have either kept the highly developed dagger, or bought

9360-584: The popular Jordanaires quartet. The session produced the moody " Heartbreak Hotel ", released as a single on January 27. Parker brought Presley to national television, booking him on CBS's Stage Show for six appearances over two months. The program, produced in New York City, was hosted on alternate weeks by big band leaders and brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey . After his first appearance on January 28, Presley stayed in town to record at RCA Victor's New York studio. The sessions yielded eight songs, including

9480-543: The protagonist with 1500 gold, the game's currency, to prepare for his journey to uncover the cause. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Elves and Dwarves lived in harmony among the World Tree until The Evil One emerged from a fallen meteorite . The Evil One then transformed the Dwarves into monsters against their will and made them hostile towards the Elves. The Dwarf King, Grieve, swallowed his magical sword before he

9600-493: The public, but Parker had convinced him that to gain popular respect, he should serve as a regular soldier. Media reports echoed Presley's concerns about his career, but RCA Victor producer Steve Sholes and Freddy Bienstock of Hill and Range had carefully prepared: armed with a substantial amount of unreleased material, they kept up a regular stream of successful releases. Between his induction and discharge, Presley had ten top-40 hits, including " Wear My Ring Around Your Neck ",

9720-403: The ratings. Sullivan booked Presley for three appearances for an unprecedented $ 50,000. The first, on September 9, 1956, was seen by approximately 60 million viewers—a record 82.6 percent of the television audience. Actor Charles Laughton hosted the show, filling in while Sullivan was recovering from a car accident. According to legend, Presley was shot only from the waist up. Watching clips of

9840-509: The record as a birthday gift for his mother, or that he was merely interested in what he "sounded like". Biographer Peter Guralnick argued that Presley chose Sun in the hope of being discovered. In January 1954, Presley cut a second acetate at Sun—"I'll Never Stand in Your Way" and "It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You"—but again nothing came of it. Not long after, he failed an audition for

9960-460: The record industry's largest company, Presley had accounted for over fifty percent of the label's singles sales. Presley made his third and final Ed Sullivan Show appearance on January 6, 1957—on this occasion indeed shot only down to the waist. Some commentators have claimed that Parker orchestrated an appearance of censorship to generate publicity. In any event, as critic Greil Marcus describes, Presley "did not tie himself down. Leaving behind

10080-506: The rest of his career. Presley's first RCA Victor single, " Heartbreak Hotel ", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the US. Within a year, RCA Victor would sell ten million Presley singles. With a series of successful television appearances and chart-topping records, Presley became the leading figure of the newly popular rock and roll ; though his performative style and promotion of

10200-548: The role-playing game Ultima III: Exodus . During the presentation of the game, several digitized pictures from the manual of Ultima III appeared in various shops in the game. Upon seeing this, Garriott and Origin ended the meeting and decided to sue Falcom; the lawsuit was settled out of court and the artwork in the game was changed to what appears now. Xanadu received the following expansions and re-releases: The influence of Xanadu has been felt in many games developed by Falcom, and other development houses which have copied

10320-517: The same time. Each enemy killed is either good or bad, even though all enemies will attack the player character. If the player kills too many good enemies, the Karma statistic will rise, at which point the temples will refuse to level up the player. This can be remedied by drinking a black poison bottle; these cannot be carried nor bought, and must be found within dungeons, and will remove half the protagonist's hit points. All equippable items, such as swords and armor, have their own experience levels. This

10440-565: The session was captured on tape. The results, none officially released for twenty-five years, became known as the " Million Dollar Quartet " recordings. The year ended with a front-page story in The Wall Street Journal reporting that Presley merchandise had brought in $ 22 million on top of his record sales, and Billboard ' s declaration that he had placed more songs in the top 100 than any other artist since records were first charted. In his first full year at RCA Victor, then

10560-517: The somewhat stumbling rhythm" showed "the unmistakable emotion and the equally unmistakable valuing of emotion over technique." Assessing the musical and cultural impact of Presley's recordings from "That's All Right" through Elvis , rock critic Dave Marsh wrote that "these records, more than any others, contain the seeds of what rock & roll was, has been and most likely what it may foreseeably become." Presley returned to The Ed Sullivan Show , hosted this time by its namesake, on October 28. After

10680-458: The sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on guitar and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black , was a pioneer of rockabilly , an uptempo, backbeat -driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues . In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker , who managed him for

10800-406: The swooning and screaming of teenage girls in the 1940s, decried rock and roll as "brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious. ... It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people. It smells phoney and false. It is sung, played and written, for the most part, by cretinous goons. ... This rancid-smelling aphrodisiac I deplore." Asked for a response, Presley said: I admire

10920-479: The sword early on so as to level it up with the finite number of encounters in the area. Every area generally has at least one boss, although it is not always required to fight them. Enemies will drop various items, but most commonly will drop money or food. Money is used for upgrading equipment and buying items. The protagonist slowly eats his supply of food as time passes in the game. This slowly heals hit points as well. If food runs out, hit points begin dropping at

11040-503: The then-marginalized sound of African Americans led to him being widely considered a threat to the moral well-being of white American youth. In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender . Drafted into military service in 1958 , he relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. Presley held few concerts, however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of

11160-578: The time, Presley was billed as "The King of Western Bop", "The Hillbilly Cat", and "The Memphis Flash". Presley renewed Neal's management contract in August 1955, simultaneously appointing Parker as his special adviser. The group maintained an extensive touring schedule. Neal recalled, "It was almost frightening, the reaction that came to Elvis from the teenaged boys. So many of them, through some sort of jealousy, would practically hate him. There were occasions in some towns in Texas when we'd have to be sure to have

11280-495: The time. Aside from Xanadu Next and Legend of Xanadu , no Xanadu titles have received a full, independent original soundtrack on compact disc, but a soundtrack was released for both Xanadu and Xanadu Scenario II on a 12" vinyl record album, titled Xanadu Anthem . Selections from Xanadu ' s music can be heard in various Falcom albums, and in 1987 "All Over Xanadu" was released, featuring arranged versions of Xanadu and Scenario II ' s soundtrack being played by

11400-546: The tone generator of the NES which had only three channels, used her background in jazz technique to create melodic movements and express chord progression. The team gave her full freedom "from general directions to sound-making details", and Jun said that in these good circumstances she was able to work quite freely. Faxanadu was released in Japan on the Famicom on November 16, 1987. It was released in North America in August 1989 and

11520-641: The two concerts he performed in September at the Mississippi–Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, fifty National Guardsmen were added to the police detail to prevent a ruckus. Elvis , Presley's second RCA Victor album, was released in October and quickly rose to number one. The album includes "Old Shep", which he sang at the talent show in 1945, and which now marked the first time he played piano on an RCA Victor session. According to Guralnick, "the halting chords and

11640-449: The young a belief in themselves as a distinct and somehow unified generation—the first in America ever to feel the power of an integrated youth culture. The audience response at Presley's live shows became increasingly fevered. Moore recalled, "He'd start out, 'You ain't nothin' but a Hound Dog,' and they'd just go to pieces. They'd always react the same way. There'd be a riot every time." At

11760-454: Was honorably discharged three days later. The train that carried him from New Jersey to Tennessee was mobbed all the way, and Presley was called upon to appear at scheduled stops to please his fans. On the night of March 20, he entered RCA's Nashville studio to cut tracks for a new album along with a single, " Stuck on You ", which was rushed into release and swiftly became a number-one hit. Another Nashville session two weeks later yielded

11880-494: Was "not bad" but did not suit the program. In November 1954, Presley performed on Louisiana Hayride —the Opry ' s chief, and more adventurous, rival. The show was broadcast to 198 radio stations in 28 states. His nervous first set drew a muted reaction. A more composed and energetic second set inspired an enthusiastic response. Soon after the show, the Hayride engaged Presley for

12000-503: Was Falcom's breakthrough that brought them into the spotlight. Origin Systems founder and Ultima series creator Richard Garriott flew into Tokyo to have a meeting with Nihon Falcom about having Origin release Xanadu in the US, as well as having Falcom help with releasing a port of Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar in Japan. Xanadu contained artwork directly lifted from the manuals of

12120-465: Was a devotee of Mississippi Slim 's radio show. He was described as "crazy about music" by Slim's younger brother, one of Presley's classmates. Slim showed Presley chord techniques. When his protégé was 12, Slim scheduled him for two on-air performances. Presley was overcome by stage fright the first time but performed the following week. In November 1948, the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee . Enrolled at L. C. Humes High School , Presley received

12240-743: Was a significant influence on his ballad -singing style. Presley was a regular audience member at the monthly All-Night Singings downtown, where many of the white gospel groups that performed reflected the influence of African American spirituals . Presley listened to regional radio stations, such as WDIA , that played what were then called "race records": spirituals, blues, and the modern, backbeat -heavy rhythm and blues . Like some of his peers, he may have attended blues venues only on nights designated for exclusively white audiences . Many of his future recordings were inspired by local African-American musicians such as Arthur Crudup and Rufus Thomas . B.B. King recalled that he had known Presley before he

12360-546: Was attracting fans even where his music was not officially released: The New York Times reported that pressings of his music on discarded X-ray plates were commanding high prices in Leningrad . Presley purchased his 18-room mansion, Graceland , on March 19, 1957. Before the purchase, Elvis recorded Loving You —the soundtrack to his second film , which was released in July. It was his third straight number-one album. The title track

12480-411: Was delivered 35 minutes before, stillborn . Presley became close to both parents, especially his mother. The family attended an Assembly of God church, where he found his initial musical inspiration. Vernon moved from one odd job to the next, and the family often relied on neighbors and government food assistance. In 1938, they lost their home after Vernon was found guilty of altering a check and

12600-416: Was devastated and never the same; their relationship had remained extremely close—even into his adulthood, they would use baby talk with each other and Presley would address her with pet names. On October 1, 1958, Presley was assigned to the 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32d Armor , 3d Armored Division , at Ray Barracks , West Germany, where he served as an armor intelligence specialist. On November 27, he

12720-481: Was grateful the Virtual Console release eliminates that feature. Retro Gamer listed the game as the 16th best game for the NES, saying it is a "forgotten gem" of the system's library. IGN listed the game as the 36th best NES game, calling it one of the best and least-known Nintendo-published adventures. Xanadu (video game) Xanadu ( ザナドゥ , Zanadu ) , also known as Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II ,

12840-457: Was jailed for eight months. In September 1941, Presley entered first grade at East Tupelo Consolidated, where his teachers regarded him as "average". His first public performance was a singing contest at the Mississippi–Alabama Fair and Dairy Show on October 3, 1945, when he was 10; he sang "Old Shep" and recalled placing fifth. A few months later, Presley received his first guitar for his birthday; he received guitar lessons from two uncles and

12960-436: Was originally a straight acting role. The film was panned by critics but did very well at the box office. Presley would receive top billing on every subsequent film he made. On December 4, Presley dropped into Sun Records, where Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis were recording, and had an impromptu jam session along with Johnny Cash . Though Phillips no longer had the right to release any Presley material, he made sure that

13080-502: Was popular when they both used to frequent Beale Street. By the time he graduated high school in June 1953, Presley had singled out music as his future. In August 1953, Presley checked into Memphis Recording Service , the company run by Sam Phillips before he started Sun Records . He aimed to pay for studio time to record a two-sided acetate disc : " My Happiness " and " That's When Your Heartaches Begin ". He later claimed that he intended

13200-581: Was promoted to private first class and on June 1, 1959, to specialist fourth class . While on maneuvers, Presley was introduced to amphetamines and became "practically evangelical about their benefits", not only for energy but for "strength" and weight loss. Karate became a lifelong interest: he studied with Jürgen Seydel , and later included it in his live performances. Fellow soldiers have attested to Presley's wish to be seen as an able, ordinary soldier despite his fame, and to his generosity. He donated his Army pay to charity, purchased television sets for

13320-535: Was published by Nintendo. The November/December 1989 edition of Nintendo Power , Faxanadu debuted on the magazine's "Top 30" list at #6. It gradually fell from the list in subsequent issues. The game world is featured in two episodes of Season 2 (1990–1991) of the Nintendo-based, Saturday morning cartoon series, Captain N: The Game Master . They are "The Feud of Faxanadu" and "Germ Wars". The Elven King

13440-416: Was shown head-to-toe. Though the camerawork was relatively discreet during his debut, with leg-concealing closeups when he danced, the studio audience reacted with screams. Presley's performance of his forthcoming single, the ballad " Love Me Tender ", prompted a record-shattering million advance orders. More than any other single event, it was this first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that made Presley

13560-400: Was such that Phillips played the record repeatedly during the remaining two hours of his show. Interviewing Presley on-air, Phillips asked him what high school he attended to clarify his color for the many callers who had assumed that he was black. During the next few days, the trio recorded a bluegrass song, Bill Monroe 's " Blue Moon of Kentucky ", again in a distinctive style and employing

13680-450: Was temporarily assigned to Company A, 2d Medium Tank Battalion, 37th Armor . During the two weeks' leave between his basic and advanced training in early June, he recorded five songs in Nashville. In early August, Presley's mother was diagnosed with hepatitis , and her condition rapidly worsened. Presley was granted emergency leave to visit her and arrived in Memphis on August 12. Two days later, she died of heart failure at age 46. Presley

13800-603: Was the Jailhouse Rock EP . Presley undertook three brief tours during the year, continuing to generate a crazed audience response. A Detroit newspaper suggested that "the trouble with going to see Elvis Presley is that you're liable to get killed". Villanova students pelted the singer with eggs in Philadelphia , and in Vancouver the crowd rioted after the show ended, destroying the stage. Frank Sinatra, who had inspired

13920-512: Was the nation's most popular, declared Presley "unfit for family viewing". To Presley's displeasure, he soon found himself being referred to as "Elvis the Pelvis", which he called "childish". The Berle shows drew such high ratings that Presley was booked for a July 1 appearance on NBC's The Steve Allen Show in New York. Allen , no fan of rock and roll, introduced a "new Elvis" in a white bowtie and black tails. Presley sang "Hound Dog" for less than

14040-434: Was transformed, hiding it in his own body to prevent The Evil One from acquiring it. It is only with this sword that The Evil One can be destroyed. His journey takes him to four overworld areas: the tree's buttress, the inside of the trunk, the tree's branches and finally the Dwarves' mountain stronghold. Faxanadu is a side scrolling action role playing game , sometimes classified as a metroidvania . The player guides

14160-444: Was unable to do it justice. Despite this, Phillips asked Presley to sing other numbers and was sufficiently affected by what he heard to invite two local musicians, guitarist Winfield "Scotty" Moore and upright bass player Bill Black , to work with Presley for a recording session. The session, held the evening of July 5, proved entirely unfruitful until late in the night. As they were about to abort and go home, Presley launched into

14280-427: Was working with the new number-one country singer, Hank Snow . Parker booked Presley on Snow's February tour. By August, Sun had released ten sides credited to "Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill"; the latest recordings included a drummer. Some of the songs, like "That's All Right", were in what one Memphis journalist described as the "R&B idiom of negro field jazz"; others, like "Blue Moon of Kentucky", were "more in

14400-524: Was written by Leiber and Stoller, who were then retained to write four of the six songs recorded at the sessions for Jailhouse Rock , Presley's next film. The songwriting team effectively produced the Jailhouse sessions and developed a close working relationship with Presley, who came to regard them as his "good-luck charm". "He was fast," said Leiber. "Any demo you gave him he knew by heart in ten minutes." The title track became another number-one hit , as

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