"Today, Tomorrow, and Forever" (RCA/BMG - 4 CD set)
This BMG's official collection for the 25th anniversary of Elvis' death, and whilst I have seen mixed reviews in both music magazines and on the internet, in my opinion it's a good set. This compilation spans Elvis recording career from 1954 - 1976 and the majority of it consists of previously unreleased material. There are a couple of acetates and home recordings included, but for the most part the sound quality is excellent. I received my copy after the faulty European pressings had been recalled and replaced, and to my ears it sounds fine.
The 1956 Little Rock recordings have been
issued before on both bootleg and budget releases, but I think the sound quality
on the new set is slightly better, and would guess that BMG have used a
different source tape. The 50's out takes are for the most part good in terms of
both performance and sound quality. Some of these are quite close to the
masters, but this is probably an indication of the young Elvis striving for
perfection in the studio, and they are no less interesting to listen to because
of this.
The farm version of "Loving You" features a different arrangement to
the master take, and I particularly like the alternate version of "Is It So
Strange". Take 2 of "Shake Rattle And Roll" would probably have
been my own personal favourite on this disc, had I not already heard a similar
arrangement on take 8, (from the '50's box) but I still love that extra verse
and piano solo.
Disc two is split between Nashville out takes and songs from the soundtrack
sessions, and whilst the quality of these songs is a little more varied than the
material Elvis cut in the '50's, there are certainly some gems amongst them.
"Are You Lonesome Tonight" is a great performance, particularly when
you consider this version consists of takes 1 & 2, and the likes of
"Follow That Dream", "King Of The Whole Wide World", and
"They Remind Me Too Much Of You" are a timely reminder that some of
the songs recorded for Elvis' 1960's movies were equally as good as the
material he was cutting in Nashville. The duet with Ann Margaret is
an obvious highlight, as is the under rated "Ask Me" from 1964. This
track was cut at the last non soundtrack session until May, 1966, but the home
recording of "Hide Though Me" featured at the end of this disc does
give the listener an insight into Elvis' intentions for his next studio album.
On to disc three and we hear Elvis during a transitional period. His movie
career is coming to an end and the first seeds of his comeback are being sown.
Many would cite the Burbank recordings as the turning point in Elvis' career,
but I think Elvis' 1967 versions of "Big Boss Man" and "We Call
On Him", which are both represented by good alternate versions on this set,
prove that he had already renewed his interest in recording quality material
again, some months before work actually started on the Special. "US
Male" from early 1968 is further proof of Elvis' artisitic intentions, and
at the risk of contradicting myself, if you listen to 1966's "Indescribably
Blue" you will find yourself wondering whether Elvis actually ever went
away. The special is also represented by a couple of out takes and the stereo
master of "Memories", and after a couple of out takes from the
legendary Memphis sessions, and a couple from Elvis' final movies this disc ends
with five excellent performances from Elvis' opening Las Vegas season in 1969. I
particularly like Elvis' introduction before his performance of Jimmy Reed's
"Baby What You Want Me To Do" which he describes as "the world's
oldest blues, man".
Disc four starts with three excellent performances from Elvis' February 1970 Las
Vegas season, and these are so close to the masters that I couldn't really say
which versions are better. "Walk A Mile in My Shoes" is my own
personal favourite. We then get three out takes from the productive June 1970
Nashville sessions, and this theme continues with further out takes from the
same studios recorded in 1971. I particularly liked the folk tinged "For
Lovin' Me" and the studio rehearsal of "A Thing Called Love".
Both Elvis' 1972 Hollywood session and the Aloha broadcast are represented, and
then we are given a number of out takes from the July & December Stax
sessions. Whilst in some cases the vocals on these out takes are not quite as
polished as the released master takes, hearing Elvis' and the band as they were
in the studio without the overdubs makes them worthy inclusions on the set.
James Burton is excellent on "Promised Land", and Elvis' vocal on
"You're Loves Been A Long Time Coming" is awesome. A strong
"Pieces Of My Life" follows, and the disc closes with three tracks
from the 1976 Graceland sessions. My own personal favourite being "For The
Heart".
In summing up a fitting tribute to Elvis on the 25th anniversary of his death.
Personally, I would have saved the acetates and home recordings for the
collectors FTD label in order to present the songs in the best possible sound,
but this is only a minor point, and it only applies to a handful of tracks. As
the set includes live performances from both 1969 and 1970, I think it would
have been nice to end the set with one of the better live performances from
1977, to show that Elvis was still capable of great performances
right up until the end, but again this is only a minor point.