Elvis Presley would have turned 75 on January 8, 2010. In celebration of that event the RCA label, through their Legacy Series, has issued a four-CD, 100-track box set.
Elvis 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight may not contain any huge surprises nor has it unearthed any new material that had been hidden away, but what it does do it does well. It gathers all of his number one hits, some other well known material, live performances, and a few cuts that do not surface very often, assembling them in chronological order to present a nice history of his music. Everything has been digitally remastered which has given it a crystal-clear sound. In addition there is an 80-page booklet which includes a 7,000-word essay by Billy Altman, rare photos, and copious information on every track.
In the mid-fifties Elvis combined country rockabilly with black southern rhythm & blues, which coalesced into rock ‘n’ roll. When you add in his personal charisma you have an artist who emerged as a cultural phenomenon and changed the course of American music. From 1955-1977 he would record over 700 tracks and solidify his reputation as The King of Rock ‘N’ Roll.
Disc one covers his rise to fame; 1953-1957. The set begins with his 1953 recording of “My Happiness” which was a present for his mother and well worth its $4.00 investment. His mid-fifties Sun material quickly follows as songs such as “That’s All Right,” “Baby Let’s Play House,” “Blue Moon Of Kentucky,” and “Mystery Train” would jump start his career in the south and pave his way to being signed by the RCA label. By 1957 “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “All Shook Up,” “Hound Dog,” “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear,” “Too Much,” “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You,” and “Don’t” had all topped the singles charts in the United States and made him a star.
Disc two is the strongest from beginning to end as it culls the best of his 1958-1962 material. Tracks such as “Stuck On You,” “It’s Now Or Never,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” and “Return To Sender” are interspersed with some lesser known material including “Thrill Of Your Love,” “Doin’ The Best I Can,” “I Feel So Bad,” and “Pocketful Of Rainbows.”
Disc three, 1963-1969, wisely avoids most of his soundtrack material and concentrates on the series of strong singles that he issued during this period of his career. “Guitar Man,” “U.S. Male,” “Don’t Cry Daddy,” and “Kentucky Rain” may not have reached the top of the charts but they remain some of the best songs in his catalogue. “Viva Las Vegas,” “How Great Thou Art” and perennial favorites “In The Ghetto” and “Suspicious Minds” serve to enhance this disc.
The fourth disc, 1970-1977, is the weakest as it presents material from the last part of his career, which is hit or miss. The live material just does not measure up and while “Way Down,” “Burning Love,” and “Promised Land” may be listenable, overall this is the disc I will return too least often.
Elvis 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight may not be for everyone but it is a fine addition to the Elvis Presley legacy. If you have avoided his box sets in the past or are a fan who must have everything then this is a must purchase.
(December 9, 2009: This review replaces a previous review which was removed on request of the author).
Cd's aren't going out of fashion that fast buddy.
Right you are KTemple ! Always El .
At first glance it looks good! But, I must admit that seeing Adam And Evil on there somehow made me curious. I would have thought that Memphis Tennessee would have been a more natural choice if moving away from the hits formula in between. Other than that it is almost as expected!
I have earlier pointed out that I think that this is a good boxset. I appreciate songs that normally are not to be found on these kind of boxsets, like I need somebody to lean on, good time charlie, long lonely highway etc. I like that. But the timing is not right. Let me tell you what I´m talking about.
Elvis should have been 75 years in january, right. So it´s a big event. Elvis could really use some media attention right now. Check out the attention that Michael Jackson and The Beatles have got right now. Obviously, Jackson got the attention because of his death, but "This is it" was also a big thing. The Beatles, obviously got the attention because of that impressing release a few months ago and "The Beatles rockband". And now, Elvis turns 75, and what is happening. Yes, maybe a new boxset but that won´t put Elvis back in the limelight once again. I don´t think there will be a better time in the future to finally release On tour. That is what we´re all waiting for. I´m dissapointed, because I am concerned that Elvis more and more will be forgotten if this goes on. We have got to keep Elvis alive somehow.
Well, it's like this. If you have the "King of Rock and Roll 50's" Box Set, the From "Nashville To Memphis 60's" Box Set and it's companion "Command Performances 60's Masters" 2 (The Movie Year's 2 disc set), and the "Walk A Mile In My Shoes 70's" Box Set, you'll pretty much have everything that's on this Box Set. Need I say more!!!!
"Need I say more?" Yes. That the sound on this set will be miles ahead of the sound on all those other sets mentioned. They were all released loooooong ago.
Will NOT buy this expensive pack ! They should have been more successful to issue Early 2010 for the 75th Anniv one 4CDs pack with 100 STUDIO hits and one box of 4CDs with his 100 Movie Hits (carrying great tunes never before released for the wider public, like TT&F duet with Ann
Margret) ! Such 2 Boxes (at a reasonable price) should be selling platinum in one month after their release. Better alternative than the Franklin Mint outrageously expensive box !
Same problem as with the Walk a mile Boxes of the 60s and 70s....too many sosngs missing; but in this case, we're talking about "million-sellers/hits""...for the wider audience worldwide...Too bad
some little (they call it on Madison ave NY) manager overlooks hits by Elvis....Unforgiveable !!
We need a REMAKE or addition to those Masters Boxes and will not buy this incomplete 75yrs Box.
Marketing mistakes all over, again and again folks. Why doesn't Sony bring in a Quality Manager for all future Elvis releases (both on FTD as on mainlabel) ???
Well, well, well with only 10 days gone into 2010 and Elvis has done it again, as the Elvis75 cd collection roars into the Uk top 10 albums chart at number 8. Excuse the punt, but is this another 'record'?
So what is going on? "Elvis 75" is a four CD set with 100 songs released by Sony. Same name "Elvis 75" is a three CD set with 75 songs also released by Sony. Both have the same picture on the front. Can someone explain? Does Elvis stuff sell so well and so easily that the marketing is left to chimpanzees? (Sorry chimps, low blow).
