Cover: picture sleeve front and back.
Disc: (7/1960)1 Black label, dog on top.
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-25S / L2WW-0085-6S (machine stamped) (Hollywood pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-26S / L2WW-0085-5S (machine stamped) (Hollywood pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-26S / L2WW-0085-6S (machine stamped) (Hollywood pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-27S / L2WW-0085-6S (machine stamped) (Hollywood pressing)2
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-28S / L2WW-0085-6S (machine stamped) (Hollywood pressing)3
Disc: (7/1960) Black label, dog on top.
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-3S / L2WW-0085-9S (Rockaway pressing)(Without piano track. See note below.)4
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-4S / L2WW-0085-9S (Rockaway pressing)(Without piano track. See note below.)5
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-10S A5 / L2WW-0085-1S A1 (Indianapolis pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-11S A4 / L2WW-0085-2S B7 (Indianapolis pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-11S D6 / L2WW-0085-1S A6 (Indianapolis pressing)6
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-14S ?? / L2WW-0085-1S A2 (Indianapolis pressing)7
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-20S A1 / L2WW-0085-3S D2 (Rockaway pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-20S B1 / L2WW-0085-9S B2 (Rockaway pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-20S B2 / L2WW-0085-9S A2 (Rockaway pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-21S / L2WW-0085-3S A2 (Rockaway pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-21S / L2WW-0085-3S D3 (Rockaway pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-21S A1 / L2WW-0085-4S D2 (Rockaway pressing)8
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-21S A3 / L2WW-0085-4S D4 (Rockaway pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-22S A1 / L2WW-0085-9S A2 (Rockaway pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-22S A2 / L2WW-0085-9S A2 (Rockaway pressing)
Matrix numbers: L2WW-0100-23S / L2WW-0085-3S A2 (Rockaway pressing)
It’s Now or Never had no piano on the master.9 A rare variation of this single exists where this version of It’s Now or Never was pressed without the piano track. Presleyana V identifies this variation as having a Hollywood pressing label, however, a couple of eBay auctions have confirmed that it is a Rockaway pressing. This is confirmed by the visual identification of the matrix number on the record or the item description and the label of other Rockaway labels.
This two sided hit single debuted on the Top 40 chart with It’s Now Or Never peaking at number one for five weeks. Nearly a week later, A Mess of Blues debuted on the charts and peaked at number 32.10 An interesting point to this is on page 45 of the July 11, 1960 edition of Billboard magazine. Billboard reviews A Mess of Blues as the hit side and It’s Now or Never as the flip side. It is written “Elvis handles a fine blues with his usual feeling on the top side and comes thru with a great reading of a familiar melody on the other. Both sides are potent.”11
This was also released in stereo It's Now Or Never / A Mess Of Blues in 1960.
Re-released by RCA Records on 45 RPM as It's Now Or Never / A Mess Of Blues on the Gold Standard Series label.
Promotional Material
This is a store banner used to promote Elvis’ Latest Hit! “It’s Now or Never” on RCA Victor.12
- Date from Elvis Presley Taking Care Of Business. “BiogrDiscography.” 4 February 2011. ↩
- eBay reference 355191544716 (December 27, 2023) ↩
- eBay reference 304915266518 (December 27, 2023) ↩
- eBay reference 360386602031 (August 20, 2011) ↩
- Jerry Osborne, Presleyana V (Port Townsend: Osborne Enterprises, 2002), p. 54. ↩
- eBay reference 221265822064 (November 4, 2013) ↩
- eBay reference 155699917365 (December 27, 2023) ↩
- Matrix numbers from the collection of Roberto. ↩
- “An Audio Review in the Spirit of Steve Sholes: ELVIS 30 #1 Hits.” Master & Session (www.elvisrecordings.com). 22 August, 2011. ↩
- Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. New York: Billboard, 1996. pp. 481,482. ↩
- Details provided by drjohncarpenter of FECC. ↩
- Image from the collection of Christian (of France). ↩