ELVIS 75: Good Rockin Tonight 4-CD Box Set Collection Review

The King is turning 75! Here’s a hot new gift idea from Sony Music!

Title: Elvis 75-Good Rockin’ Tonight – Box Set
Release Date: December 8, 2009
Label: Sony Legacy

Description:

More than six decades have elapsed since the post-war stirrings that oozed from the primordial swamp of American southern hillbilly boogie, country and western, race music, and rhythm and blues – a gumbo stew that grabbed musicians and singers by the scruff of the neck, and led them kicking and screaming through the birth of rock and roll. There are Great Man Theories and Big Bang Theories that perennially try to pinpoint the fountainhead from which it all sprang loose. Yet it always come back to Memphis, and always come back to one man: The King Of Rock And Roll.

Elvis Aron Presley, born January 8, 1935, died August 16, 1977, age 42. In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Elvis’ birth – to be celebrated on January 8, 2010 – comes the first four-CD deluxe box set collection ever to provide the definitive overview of his entire recording career. ELVIS 75: GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT, produced by long-time Elvis chronicler and biographer Ernst Mikael Jørgensen and available through RCA/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

Elvis 75 appears in strict chronological order of recording over the course of Disc 1 (1953-1957), Disc 2 (1958-1962), Disc 3 (1963-1969), and Disc 4 (1970-1977). Songs range from the first demo acetate that Elvis made at the Memphis Recording Service of Sun Records as a gift for his mother in 1953 (“My Happiness”), to a sampling of Sun Records sides produced by Sam Phillips in 1954-55 (“That’s All Right,” “Blue Moon Of Kentucky,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” and more), through 21 and a half years of RCA tracks, from 1956 to 1977.

Adding to the historical impact of ELVIS 75: GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT is the 80-page full-color booklet included in the box set. In addition to rare photography and memorabilia, the booklet includes a 7,000-word biographical essay written by award-winning journalist Billy Altman.

Disc Tracks:

Disc 1
1. My Happiness
2. That’s All Right
3. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
4. Good Rockin’ Tonight
5. Baby Let’s Play House
6. Mystery Train
7. I Forgot To Remember To Forget
8. I Got A Woman
9. Heartbreak Hotel
10. I Was The One
11. Blue Suede Shoes
12. My Baby Left Me
13. One-Sided Love Affair
14. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)
15. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
16. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
17. Hound Dog
18. Don’t Be Cruel
19. Love Me Tender
20. Love Me
21. Paralyzed
22. Too Much
23. All Shook Up
24. Mean Woman Blues
25. (There’ll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)
26. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
27. One Night
28. Jailhouse Rock
29. Treat Me Nice
30. Blue Christmas
31. Don’t

Disc 2
1. Hard Headed Woman
2. Trouble
3. King Creole
4. Wear My Ring Around Your Neck
5. I Need Your Love Tonight
6. A Big Hunk O’ Love
7. (Now And Then There’s) A Fool Such As I
8. Stuck On You
9. A Mess Of Blues
10. It’s Now Or Never
11. Thrill Of Your Love
12. Such A Night
13. Are You Lonesome Tonight?
14. Reconsider Baby
15. Doin’ The Best I Can
16. Pocketful Of Rainbows
17. Surrender
18. Crying In The Chapel
19. I Feel So Bad
20. There’s Always Me
21. Judy
22. Can’t Help Falling In Love
23. (Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame
24. Little Sister
25. Good Luck Charm
26. Suspicion
27. She’s Not You
28. Return To Sender

Disc 3
1. Bossa Nova Baby
2. (You’re The) Devil In Disguise
3. (It’s A) Long Lonely Highway
4. I Need Somebody To Lean On
5. Viva Las Vegas
6. It Hurts Me
7. This Is My Heaven
8. Adam And Evil
9. How Great Thou Art
10. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
11. Guitar Man
12. Big Boss Man
13. Too Much Monkey Business
14. U.S. Male
15. If I Can Dream
16. Memories
17. Don’t Cry Daddy
18. In The Ghetto
19. Suspicious Minds
20. Stranger In My Own Home Town
21. Kentucky Rain
22. Only The Strong Survive

Disc 4
1. Polk Salad Annie
2. The Fool
3. Funny How Time Slips Away
4. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
5. I Just Can’t Help Believin’
6. I’m Leavin’
7. An American Trilogy
8. Burning Love
9. Always On My Mind
10. Steamroller Blues
11. Loving Arms
12. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues
13. Promised Land
14. T-R-O-U-B-L-E
15. For The Heart
16. Hurt
17. Way Down
18. Unchained Melody
19. A Little Less Conversation (JXL Radio Remix Edit)

My View
Part of the reason I love Elvis is because of the memories it brings me. My Great Grandma was an enthusiastic Elvis fan – to say the least. She had large framed Velvet Elvis hung prominently in her living room for as long as I can remember along with Elvis trinkets and paraphernalia of all sorts. It seemed whenever we stopped in for a visit and Elvis movie would be playing on the box. She was a sweet woman who lived into her 90’s and never stopped loving the King! The other reason I love Elvis is because I don’t know how anyone can resist that smooth soulful melody of his that they call a voice. I can vividly remember belting out Teddy Bear, Hound Dog, All Shook Up and so many more as a little girl. My family loved listening to “oldies” music! We had one of those long cabinet record players with piles of old records, stacked beside it – country, jazz, a little of everything. I still have the old Elvis Christmas record that I listen to on occasion.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is that this amazing set brings back some wonderful memories! Although I was born 2 years after Elvis’s death I grew up knowing him and loving his music. There are so many songs on here that I love along with many I’ve never heard before. I really like the fact that the discs go from his very beginning to the very end. What an amazing and sad story his life was! The songs are clear and pure the way they are meant to be. The included book is even better than I thought it would be! Measuring a nice 9 3/4″ x 5 3/4″, it’s full of interesting black & white and color photographs of both Elvis, his family and various posters/album/movie covers. A very nice feature is a list of all the tracks included on the CDs along with pertinent information for each song, very cool!

I have to say that I really do recommend this set for any Elvis fan in your life. It’s just beautiful both visually and audibly.

Buy It!
Elvis 17: Good Rockin’ Tonight can be purchased at Amazon and is currently priced at $43.99. Also available at ShopElvis.com. On January 5, 2010, RCA/Legacy will also be releasing a 26-track single CD titled ELVIS 75, featuring selections from the box set.

* FTC compliant disclosure: I was sent a copy of the Elvis: 75 CD collection from Sony Music only to facilitate my candid and honest review. All opinions are my own, yours may vary. Amazon affiliate links are included in this post. No other compensation was received. *