MORE than 27 years after he was officially declared dead Elvis Presley is poised to make history by claiming the 1,000th British chart No 1.
Since his death in August 1977 Elvis has been sighted in any number of unlikely places, ranging from burger bars and supermarkets to funeral parlours and sheepdog trials.
He has been a priest, a policeman and a lorry driver. One fan even claimed to have spotted him returning a Dyson cleaner to the John Lewis department store in Welwyn Garden City.
Record company executives are now, however, plotting to resurrect him in the incarnation that won him fame, fortune and iconic status - as a pop star.
Sony BMG hopes that by releasing all of Elvis''s previous chart-toppers he will be able to claim the coveted 1,000th number-one slot early in the new year.
Band Aid 20 became the 997th No 1 with Do They Know It''s Christmas? and it has led the singles chart for four weeks.
The X Factor winner Steve Brookstein has been tipped as the 998th with his single Against All Odds, which has sold 40,000 copies so far, taking the No 2 position and with Band Aid sales expected to slow now Christmas is past.
Elvis''s 18 previous No 1s are being re-released over 17 consecutive weeks from January 3 to April 25, starting with All Shook Up and ending with A Little Less Conversation.
Strict chart rules mean All Shook Up is ineligible because it will come in a collectors'' box, so Jailhouse Rock will be released on the same day. The record label has described the attempt at claiming the 1,000th No 1 for Elvis as "the most ambitious singles release campaign in the history of the UK record industry". Gennaro Castaldo, an HMV spokesman, said: "With Band Aid 20 currently occupying the top spot, it''s difficult to predict precisely when the 1,000th No 1 will occur. However, there''s a possibility that it could fall to Elvis, which would be a fantastic and truly fitting way to celebrate the landmark.
"Sales of singles around this time of year tend to be at their lowest. So if Elvis fans are out in force to buy his reissued No 1s, there''s every chance this could happen." The 1,000th No 1 will be one of the last based on sales of singles in the shops alone. In the next few months the chart will be changed to incorporate internet downloads.
(Agencies)
“猫王”是否会成为第1000个英国流行乐坛排行榜冠军？
在官方正式宣布其死讯的27年多后，“猫王”埃尔维斯·普雷斯利将有可能开创历史，成为英国流行乐坛史上的第1000位排行榜冠军。
自从他1977年8月去世以来，埃尔维斯的肖像就出现在各种不可思议的地方，比如肉饼店、超市、殡仪馆，甚至牧羊犬选拔中心。
他曾经当过牧师、警察和卡车司机。他的一个乐迷甚至宣称曾在卫尔温花园城看到他正将一台戴森牌吸尘器归还给约翰·刘易斯百货店。
唱片公司的总监正策划以一个流行乐手的身份来重振埃尔维斯的声威，因为这一身份给他带来了名誉、财富和偶像地位。
索尼BMG公司希望通过发行埃尔维斯以前的所有荣登排行榜首的音乐专辑，使他在新年年初成为令人垂涎的第1000位排行榜冠军。
慈善音乐组合Band Aid 20 凭借一首《他们知道圣诞节到了吗？》成为第997位排行榜冠军，并雄踞单曲排行榜长达四周之久。
美国节目X Factor的获胜者史蒂夫·布鲁克斯坦被推为第998位排行榜冠军，其成名单曲《不计成败》现已卖出四万张，在排行榜上暂居第二，而圣诞节已经过去，预计Band Aid组合的销售势头将减缓。
埃尔维斯早先的18张冠军碟将在17周（1月3日到4月25日）的时间内再度发行，从《All Shook Up》开始，到《A Little Less Conversation》结束。
按照严格的排行榜规则，《All Shook Up》不能算合格的打榜专辑，因为它将成为珍藏版，为此，《Jailhouse Rock》将于同一天发行。在唱片封套上，为埃尔维斯争取第1000位冠军的尝试被描述为“英国唱片业历史上最有野心的单曲发行运动”。英国“主人之声”（His Master''s Voice）唱片行的发言人詹纳罗·卡塔多说：“因为现在占据榜首的是Band Aid 20，所以很难准确地预测第1000个排行榜冠军何时才会出现。不过，这个头衔将有可能落到埃尔维斯头上，并成为庆祝这一划时代事件的出色而且真正合适的方式。
“每年的这个时节，各大单曲的销量总是趋于历史最低点。因此，如果埃尔维斯的乐迷们能够大量购买重新发行的冠军碟，这很有可能发生。”英国乐坛上的第1000位排行榜冠军也将是最后一批仅根据单曲的店面销售情况进行排名的唱片之一。在接下来的几个月里，英国流行音乐排行榜将发生变化，与网络下载流量相结合。
（中国日报网站译）
Vocabulary:
chart: a listing of best-selling recorded music or other items（流行音乐排行榜，最畅销唱片目录单）
parlour: a room equipped and furnished for a special function or business（店堂，小店，为某一特定用途或事务而装备或装潢起来的房间）
coveted: 令人垂涎的，令人觊觎的
slot: an assigned place in a sequence or schedule（排列位置）
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