Oh boy, another Elvis Presley release. According to Wikipedia, there have been 840 Elvis Presley releases:
Studio albums 24
EPs 38
Soundtrack albums 17
Live albums 8
Compilation albums 21
Budget albums 19
Box sets 81
Posthumous compilations 334
Remix albums 23
Follow That Dream albums/EPs 275
If we stick to original, non-compilation, material released during his lifetime, and ignore the EPs (most of that material is duplicated elsewhere), we get 49 records. Still a pretty good sized stack, although most of the soundtrack records were 1 or maybe 2 hits plus filler, so 32 without the soundtracks.
This set of five CDs includes one CD of songs recorded in 1972 and 1975 at RCA's Sunset Boulevard studio C in LA. The 1975 recordings were Presley's last studio recordings. The songs are remixed and stripped of overdubs, which gives them a more immediate sound than the previous releases of the material. The songs were originally released on Elvis (The Fool album) 1973 (two songs) and Today 1975 (all ten songs). The second CD is outtakes and alternate takes from the same sessions, also with the new mix applied.
The last three CDs consist of in-studio rehearsals for live tours recorded on July 24, 1970 and August 16, 1974. There's some good stuff there, but the recording isn't particularly great, and Presley is rehearsing. Sometimes he sounds fully invested, sometimes he's just walking through.
So why would anyone, other than the obsessed, need this release? No reason, really. But if you're streaming, the first CD is quite good. It's well worth a listen, and the stripped back mix removes a layer of muck that makes the songs sound better than the original releases. Presley was still a powerful singer even if not all the material was deserving of his voice, which is the common complaint for his 70s output.
As for actually purchasing this set, see "the obsessed" above. But the best of the first two CDs is also available on a 2 LP set, and that might make a nice gift for a vinyl-loving Elvis fan.
No comments:
Post a Comment