Blue Suede Shoes Collection

Neither 30CD box contains anything new other than the 2 interview CDs (w/Elvis, M/M Presley, & The Colonel) both of which are interesting and somewhat rare (there are also a couple of keepsakes: a nice poster, a first-day issue Elvis envelope & stamp, and the suede boxes themselves). The CDs included in each box, however, are some of his best, including several that are now either out-of-print or very hard-to-find. For the red box that means the expanded versions of the first six movies (when his soundtracks actually kicked), the expanded 'Elvis Is Back!' (always one of his best, now remarkably improved with the addition of the 6 tracks from the 3 singles recorded at the same time as the album), 'Back In Memphis' (part 2 of the excellent American Studios sessions), the single disc version of 'That's The Way It Is', and 'Today' (one of his best studio efforts in the 70's). For the blue box, the main draws after the interview CD are the hard-to-find 'A Hundred Years From Now' and 'Such A Night', volumes 4 and 6, respectively, in the great 'Essential Elvis' series of alternate takes and unreleased recordings. Volume 6 is the best in the series so far.

So, both of the 30CD box sets have more to offer than is apparent at first glance, although the price tag is pretty hefty. But unless RCA decides to reissue some of these titles in the future, this may be the only place to find them.

Why postpone the inevitable?
Review Date: 2003-01-13 Rating: 10 out of 10

Any Elvis fan will tell you that once you get started, you'll have to have it all, or at least as much as you can. This extra special set allows you to get everything you need at once, as well as some special extras that you just can't find anywhere else. Be the first on your block. . .