Go to main content

Full Details - Elvis Complete '68 Comeback Special 4 CD Set

June 06, 2008 | Music
Following are the full details including cover art and tracklisting of the 4 disc box set, "Elvis Complete '68 Comeback Special" which is due for release August 2, 2008. The set contains over 103 songs, a 36 page booklet with each disc housed in mini LP style wallets. The box is 'CD sized Box with text foil stamped lift off lid'.
Tracklisting "Elvis Complete '68 Comeback Special" 4 CD Box Set

Disc 1. The Original album plus bonus cuts

01) Trouble/Guitar Man
02) Lawdy, Miss Clawdy/Baby, What You Want Me To Do
03) Medley: Heartbreak Hotel/Hound Dog/All Shook Up/Can’t Help Falling In Love/Jailhouse Rock/Love Me Tender
04) Where Could I Go But To The Lord/Up Above My Head/Saved
05) Blue Christmas/One Night
06) Memories
07) Medley: Nothingville/Big Boss Man/Guitar Man/Little Egypt/Trouble/Guitar Man
08) If I Can Dream
09) It Hurts Me
10) Let Yourself Go
11) A Little Less Conversation
12) Memories (stereo Mix)

Disc 2 - First 'Sit down' show

1) Introductions
2) That's All Right
3) Heartbreak Hotel
4) Love Me
5) Baby What You Want Me To Do
6) Blue Suede Shoes
7) Baby What You Want Me To Do
8) Lawdy Miss Clawdy
9) Are You Lonesome Tonight?
10) When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
11) Blue Christmas
12) Trying To Get To You
13) One Night
14) Baby What You Want Me To Do
15) One Night
16) Memories

First 'Stand Up Show'

17) Heartbreak Hotel
18) One Night
19) Heartbreak Hotel
20) Hound Dog
21) All Shook Up
22) Can't Help Falling In Love
23) Jailhouse Rock
24) Don't Be Cruel
25) Blue Suede Shoes
26) Love Me Tender
27) Trouble/Guitar Man
28) Baby What You Want Me To Do
29) If I Can Dream

Disc 3 Second 'Sit down' show

1) Heartbreak Hotel
2) Baby What You Want Me To Do
3) Introductions
4) That's All Right
5) Are You Lonesome Tonight?
6) Baby What You Want Me To Do
7) Blue Suede Shoes
8) One Night
9) Love Me
10) Trying To Get To You
11) Lawdy Miss Clawdy
12) Santa Claus Is Back In Town
13) Blue Christmas
14) Tiger Man
15) When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
16) Memories

Second 'Stand Up' show

17) Heartbreak Hotel
18) Hound Dog
19) All Shook Up
20) Can't Help Falling In Love
21) Jailhouse Rock
22) Don't Be Cruel
23) Blue Suede Shoes
24) Love Me Tender
25) Trouble
26) Trouble
27) Trouble/Guitar Man
28) Trouble/Guitar Man
29) If I Can Dream

Disc 4 First rehearsal

1) I Got A Woman
2) Blue Moon/Young Love/Oh, Happy Day
3) When It Rains It Really Pours
4) Blue Christmas
5) Are You Lonesome Tonight?/That's My Desire
6) That's When Your Heartaches Begin
7) Peter Gun theme
8) Love Me
9) When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
10) Blue Christmas/Santa Claus Is Back In Town

Second rehearsal (substandard audio quality)

11) Danny Boy
12) Baby What You Want Me To Do
13) Love Me
14) Tiger Man
15) Santa Claus Is Back In Town
16) Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
17) One Night
18) Blue Christmas
19) Baby What You Want Me To Do
20) When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
21) Blue Moon Of Kentucky
Source:Elvis Australia
dannyboy1 wrote on June 06, 2008
How can it be "complete" without the production number recordings? Still, I guess, not a bad concept. It's a shame they couldn't have spent 10 or 15 minutes on a new cover though.
Herman wrote on June 06, 2008
Looks good to me, but why not a 5 disc set with the long and complete "roadmedley" on in. I think it's good that there are no production numbers on this set.
Natha wrote on June 06, 2008
I recall vividly the time I was able to lay my hands on the bootleg albums of these Burbank sessions. They were (and still are!) so thrilling. It is great to have the full (?) collection in one box. Great to have in the car! I don't mind the layout; as it is a historical event a historical layout befits.
JerryNodak wrote on June 06, 2008
I've already got all this stuff. I'm not shelling out $60.00 bucks or so just to have it all in one fancy box with booklet.
Steve V wrote on June 06, 2008
This is great for folks that dont have all this material. For those that do, I must ask, why would you buy this? You play right into the hands of EPE's philosophy. Make the Elvis fan pay again for something they already have but we'll throw a booklet in to entice them. It must be nice to have money to burn when energy costs are at an all-time high.
Brian Quinn wrote on June 06, 2008
Fantastic release and great to have the tracks all in one Boxset.
Ruthie wrote on June 06, 2008
Although I am not a big fan of what EPE has become, I can understand the reasoning behind this material, and other Elvis music promotions. It is designed to reach a larger audience, mainly the new Elvis fans who are just discovering his music. I would buy this for someone just getting into Elvis music or encourage them to buy it. It is not all about us. IF we already have this music, we certainly don't have to buy it again!
James69 wrote on June 06, 2008
Ruthis & Steve V, this has nothing to do with EPE, this is a Sony/BMG release! Having said that, I will not get it, nothing new for me, although for the general public, it may be a nice item come Christmas.
Steve V wrote on June 06, 2008
For the new or casual fan that doesnt have this material, Id say buy a DVD player if you dont already have one and the get the 68 Comeback boxset. Much better to see the King in the sitdown/standup shows than just hear it.
Pedro Nuno wrote on June 06, 2008
Think it's a great release for everyone, including fans, as long as they want to spend some money. The price maybe the only obstacle, for a immediate buy, since there are the FTD releases, and you can’t have them all, so I prefer to buy the FTDs then to buy this one.
zahir wrote on June 06, 2008
Nice to have most of the stuff on one set. But why repeat the Deluxe Edition DVD Cover?Unfortunately this cover along with the Aloha Deluxe Edition DVD Cover are the worst ever covers for Elvis (and for 2 of the best Elvis DVD sets!). So very very childish and unimaginative, which does no justice to the material whatsoever.
John4126 wrote on June 07, 2008
Just who is this set aimed at? I can't see a 'casual' fan shelling out to buy this or someone who is content to have a couple of Elvis 'Greatest hits' types compilations in their collections. For the more serious fan, they will have already got all this through the regular BMG / FTD releases. They probably expect to shift a few units to the ever accomodating 'must have all' fan. You know the type - those who will happily buy those camden releases a few months back or part with cash for the 'Hits of the 70's'!! Anyways isn't about time we had a new digi pack of 30 number one's or a christmas cd!
circleG wrote on June 07, 2008
Why is 'It hurts me' and 'let yourself go' out of sequence from the soundtrack? because it wasn't in the original programme? who cares? How many people saw it in '68 and would actually mind anyway? Geez BMG can't you get anything right? You made the same dumb mistake on the DVD box set and then put it right on a version that barely resembled the original ! What was wrong with using the cover of the original album - that was awesome. Other than that it's a fantstic but way way way overdue box set that I hope will sell well but because of economic reasons it may not. I have most of this but I may shell out for it.
benny scott wrote on June 07, 2008
Hi circleG, concerning "it hurts me" and 'let yourself go" being put right by BMG "on a version that barely resembled the original" : wich version do you mean ? I'm really interested. Thanks in advance for the info i'm asking. Always El.
JerryNodak wrote on June 07, 2008
The "original" album would refer to the vinyl version released at the time of the Comeback Special in '68. I don't recall if the album was released just prior to or just after the original broadcast. Disc 1 tracks 1-8 are sequenced exactly as the original vinyl album was. As they should be if you're presenting the original album. BMG has got it RIGHT. "Let Yourself Go" and "It Hurts Me" were NOT included in the road medley in the original broadcast. The cd version of the special which came out years later was a total mess.
benny scott wrote on June 08, 2008
Thanks Jerry for the info ! Another thing puzzles me . I'm almost sure that (a long time ago, and the DVD didn't even exist at the time) I saw a video-version where " it hurts me" was performed. Have to check my old VHS, years ago the '68 comeback was broadcast here in Belgium on local TV, and I recorderd it. Have to check also the VHS I bought a long time ago. Somebody knowing about a version where above-mentioned song could be seen and heard ? Always El.
circleG wrote on June 08, 2008
Jerry my point is those two songs were (or at least one) was taken out by the studio execs. They should never have been taken out or else why put them back in for the VHS version? The VHS version is the one everyone knows and loves or else why the backlash and backtracking when they were ommitted on the DVD box set? This new Cd release should have reflected the soundtrack of the VHS version. It is by far and away better than the original broadcast and 'special edition' DVD and truer to the vision that Binder and Elvis had .... in my opionion ... :)
circleG wrote on June 08, 2008
Benny "on a version that barely resembled the original" I was referring to the special edition DVD which was really a butchering as far as I'm concerned of the show and totally unnecessary. Godd luck with your hunt, I'd love to know if and where you find the version you remember.
JerryNodak wrote on June 08, 2008
The longer VHS vesrsion of the special may indeed be truer to Binder's vision (it is after all a directors cut.) As to Elvis'? Who knows. The fact still remains however, that the VHS version is NOT the original album. The only reason I would even remotely consider buying this box set is to finally have the original album on CD. But I expect that one day Ernst will release a 'classic' version of the original album with outtakes on FTD. I'll wait for that.
glynalone wrote on June 08, 2008
Jerry, long ago and far away the original album was officially released on CD. In Japan, way back in 1988 actually, (RCA R25P-1004). Being of an age that I remember the original 12" record and still think of it as the NBC Special, rather than the 68 Comeback, I prefer that version too. Plus it has a booklet with those wonderful Japanese lyrics..."of holy hand and wrapped bouquets"...sweet memories!
JerryNodak wrote on June 08, 2008
Yes, I know what you mean. I think of it as "Elvis-TV Special" as it was known back then as well. I don't think it came to be called "Comeback Special" until it was released on video. My first video copy was on Betamax. Now there's a blast from the past. I have the Japanese paper sleeve version of the special on CD. Is that the version you have? Only problem with that one is that all the tracks are in mono. Which of course was not the case with the original U.S. LP.
Herman wrote on June 08, 2008
JerryNodak, you said that "The cd version of the special which came out years later was a total mess". That's not true when you look at the first (Japanese) release of this cd in 1988. They released in 1988 the original album like they did in 1968 on cd, and that was a great one. You are right about the cd release in Europe but that was a few years later than the Japanese release. They had the "bonustracks" Let yourself go and It hurts me.
JerryNodak wrote on June 09, 2008
I was speaking of the initial CD release by RCA/BMG in the U.S.
Brian Quinn wrote on June 09, 2008
It is anticipated that the UK release of the '68 Box Set will retail at around £28.
benny scott wrote on June 09, 2008
Hi circleG, checked about the performance of "it hurts me" and "let yourself go" on video. Didn't buy the VHS of the '68 Comeback, bought the VHS of "On Tour" instead. But I remember having recorded the 68 Comeback myself from local TV -broadcasting, but on BETA!! As I got rid of all my Beta cassettes I can't trace it anymore. Too bad My stupid mistake not keeping the Beta's, and I'm 99,99% sure it must have been on that recording/ I KNOW I've seen it! Always El.
Greg Nolan wrote on June 10, 2008
To Steve V and to a lesser extent Jerry (taken to task on the two other '68 threads here): I think you are being too harsh about what is a nice -repackaging of what even casual music lovers know as one of the coolest moments of his career. Why protest and complain about a maintream boxset focusing on it? It's been ten years since the RCA set and the two FTDs ('68 Burbank and LET YOURSELF GO) have only limited exposure. For those of us who shelled out for them, it's a bit annoying but it is after all a mainstream release, something otherwise crowded with hit , love song and yule collections as the format draws to a close. More critics need to understand and note the brilliance of this set and I think many who rave over the likes of Johnny Cash will find this an eye-opener. John4126: What was so wrong with having the Camden titles reissued last year? I count myself as a committed fan who was happy to have the CD-versions of the records (and tapes) that first helped pull me in as a young fan. Collecting is inherently irrational so why criticise those who are effectively scratching their nostalgic selves? They were neat one-off releases that hurt no-one, especialy as they were in fact released during his lifetime at the very least. This '68 boxset release is not for everyone but I'm hopeful it's interesting enough for those of us who love and recognize the '68 special as the monumental moment in rock history that it is. **P.S. As a sidenote, in late '77 and I think '78, NBC re-broadcast their two Elvis TV-Specials ("Elvis" from '68 and "Aloha" from '73) with new segments featuring Ann-Margaret as the host. I watched it then and recently acquired a DVD of the same.) The '68 special here debuted in a full one and half-hour broadcast, and featured originally cut-out "It's Hurts Me / Let Yourself Go" segment as I recall, which finally made the recent single volume DVD issued by EPE. The complete boxset notoriously either did not include this edit or used different takes instead of it , to the chagrin of many. "Volume 3" of "A LEGENDARY PERFORMER" featured a nice spliced version of these two songs, minus some of that carny music / segment, as I recall.
Steve V wrote on June 10, 2008
Greg - as Ive stated on the other topic on this, you cannot compare this to the Johnny Cash Amercian recordings. That was all new material that enabled Cash to regain popularity to a new & hipper audience. This is 40 years old and the people who are aware of it & may have interest will not shell out big money for this set. Most of them wont care at all about the rehearsals. I still feel this is aimed only at the hardcore collector and theres nothing wrong with that. Im just not willing to pay 50.00 (or more) for stuff I already have. Those days are over for me.
Greg Nolan wrote on June 10, 2008
I think these recordings compare favorably (easily, of course) with *anything* Johnny Cash recorded (and yes, I like him and have a good deal of his work) and yet it's Cash who has more of a "substance" and coolness factor among many music lovers. I see expanded versions of Cash's "prison" albums and boxsets of Frank Sinatra's Vegas years, and many other boxsets still get released, albeit to a dwinding CD- buyer. This isn't about you - your're just one fan- but for newer fans and those who really love the '68 shows as some of his most raw and vital music, this is a landmark release. I throw hundreds of dollars towards quality Elvis releases each year (like many here) and have no problem doing the same here - assuming this is the fine set it promises to be. As with the Sun book/ CD (I've bought so many incarnations of it going back to the '70s), I'm totally on board. Yep. That's me: "Elvis fan." Guilty as charged. Not , you may note, a boneheaded Elvis fan, but I like to think of myself as an avid ollector of his best work and releases from both RCA and FTD and the best import labels. It's a good time to be an active fan.
Greg Nolan wrote on June 10, 2008
P.S. That's "collector" - not "ollector" ! Sorry, gang. It's too bad we cannot edit and preview posts here to reduce such gaffes!
Jamie wrote on June 11, 2008
Hello, I'm a little surprised by the format of this set. Discs 2 and 3 (ie, the complete Sitting Down and Standing Up shows) are essential. But isn't disc 1 misconceived? The original album is obsolete - the applause dubbed on the end of the Trouble/Guitar Man opener always was a bodge job, and the Road Medley now seems naked without the insertions of Let Yourself Go and, to a lesser extent, It Hurts Me. Blue Christmas is a poor choice over Tiger Man, though it may have been more seasonal in December 1968. Much of the original album will be duplicated by the recordings on Discs 2 and 3. And even with the bonus tracks on Disc 1, it falls well short of the 80 minutes capacity of a CD. Surely, it would have been better to have dedicated Disc 1 to the big production numbers and included out-takes. Regarding Disc 4, I hope the informal nature and poor sound balance of the recordings is reflected in the overall price.
Ton Bruins wrote on June 16, 2008
Any un-released stuff in this one ??
Greg Nolan wrote on June 17, 2008
Good question, Ton. I still hold out hope that a gem or two will make the final cut, although I think they've cleaned out most of the rare material with the releases on FTD of "Burbank '68" and more recently "Let Yourself Go," plus the '98 two-CD set on RCA/ BMG and other random cuts over the years. Jamie, did you own the original "Elvis" (NBC TV-Special) album? Like it or not, it is totally worthy of the honor of "going first" - in the somewhat more expanded version shown. I don't have a problem with showcasing it as such. As Ton hints, I would like a little more of a pull for us long-time (suffering?) fans! I'm sure it's going to be a beauty but a nugget or two is going to help ease the pain of forking over the dollars again.
Jamie wrote on June 18, 2008
Hi Greg, yes I owned the original soundtrack LP and the bodged CD version that came out c. 1990. You're right, the old album was terrific. However, I feel that now that we are familiar with the fantastic VHS release of the mid-1980s, 'Trying To Get To You', 'Tiger Man', the lengthy unplugged version of 'Baby, What You Want Me To Do' etc have become essential highlights of the '68 Special sessions. 'Let Yourself Go' was omitted for social rather than artistic reasons and should be included with 'It Hurts Me' within the Road Medley; I don't think either works of that context. I would have been happier had Disc 1 contained an expanded version of the original LP. But better still would have be to locate the big production numbers on Disc 1 and fill its capacity up with Western Recorders out-takes and the Burbank ‘If I Can Dream’ out-takes. We would have had some new material on CD and the new box set would avoid duplication. The single CD version urgently needs to be upgraded anyway, and could be reassembled from the base material used in this box set and re-released in its own right.
Coronel Parker wrote on June 18, 2008
Is a SACD?