"ELVIS: TODAY , TOMORROW & FOREVER" - Special 25th Anniversary Box Set

"ELVIS: TODAY , TOMORROW & FOREVER"
Special 25th Anniversary Box Set
BMG Heritage 07863-65115-2
Made in USA

DISC 1

1. Harbor Lights - alt. take 3 - 07/6-7/54
2. I Got A Woman - alt. take01/10/56
3. Shake, Rattle And Roll - alt. take 2 - 02/03/56
4. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You - alt. t. 13 - 04/14/56
5. Heartbreak Hotel - 05/16/56
6. Long Tall Sally - 05/16/56
7. I Was The One - 05/16/56
8. Money Honey - 05/16/56
9. I Got A Woman - 05/16/56
10. Blue Suede Shoes - 05/16/56
11. Hound Dog - 05/16/56
12. Rip It Up - alt. take 14 - 09/03/56
13. Don’t Forbid Me/You Belong To My Heart - 12/04/56
14. I Beg Of You - alt. take 5 - 01/13/57
15. (There’ll Be) Peace In The Valley(For Me) t1 - 01/13/57
16. Is It So Strange - alt.take 10 - 01/19/57
17. Got A Lot O’ Livin’ To Do - movie take 17 - 01/15-18/57
18. Loving You - alt. take 6 (movie farm scene v.) - 02/14/57
19. Treat Me Nice - alt. take 6 - 05/03/57
20. Young And Beautiful - alt. take 4&5 - 04/30/57
21. I Want To Be Free - alt take 3&4 - 05/03/57
22. Steadfast, Loyal And True - undubbed master - 02/11/58
23. Doncha’ Think It’s Time - alt. take 48 - 02/01/58
24. I Need Your Love Tonight - alt. take 4 - 06/10/58
25. I Got Stung - alt. take 16 - 06/11/58
26. The Fool - alt. take 1 - 11/14/59

DISC 2

1. Make Me Know It - alt. takes 17 & 18 - 03/20/60
2. Are You Lonesome Tonight? - alt. takes 1&2 - 04/03/60
3. G.I. Blues - alt. take 5 - 04/27/60
4. Pocketful Of Rainbows, alt. take 3 - 05/06/60
5. Flaming Star - alt. takes 4&1 ,(“Main” & “End” title) 10/7/60
6. Swing Down Sweet Chariot - alt. takes 2&3 - 10/31/60
7. Lonely Man - alt. take 1 - 11/07/60
8. There’s Always Me, alt. take 2 - 03/12/61
9. Can't Help Falling In Love - alt. take 26 - 03/22/61
10. I'm Yours - alt. take 5 - 06/25/61
11. Follow That Dream - alt. take 3 - 07/02/61
12. Anything That’s Part Of You - alt. take 8 - 10/15/61
13. King Of The Whole Wide World - alt. take 3 - 10/26/61
14. Gonna Get Back Home Somehow - alt. take 2 - 03/18/62
15. A Boy Like Me, A Girl Like You - alt. take 4 - 03/27/62
16. They Remind Me Too Much Of You - alt. take 4 - 09/22/62
17. Mexico - alt. take 2 - 01/22/63
18. Witchcraft - alt. take 3 - 05/26/63
19. Today, Tomorrow And Forever-alt. take2 (duet) 07/11/63
20. Ask Me - alt. take 2 - 01/12/64
21. Roustabout - alt. take 8 - 04/29 & 05/14, 1964
22. Puppet On A String - alt. take 10 - 06/10/64
23. My Desert Serenade - alt. take 7 - 02/25/65
24. Please Don’t Stop Loving Me - alt. take 10 - 05/13/65
25. This Is My Heaven - alt. take 7 - 08/02/65
26. Never Say Yes - alt. take 1&2 - 02/17/66
27. Hide Thou Me - ?/?/66

DISC 3

1. Love Letters - alt. take 2 - 05/26/66
2. If The Lord Wasn't Walking By My Side - (4) - 05/27/66
3. Come What May - alt. take 3&4 - 05/28/66
4. Indescribably Blue - alt. take 1- 06/10/66 & 06/12/66
5. Long Legged Girl - alt. master - 06/28/66
6. The Love Machine - alt. take 3 - 09/29/66
7. You Don’t Know Me - movie version take 3 - 02/21/67
8. Big Boss Man - alt. take 9 - 09/10/67
9. We Call On Him - alt. take 8 - 09/11/67
10. Stay Away - alt. take 14 - 01/16/68
11. U.S. Male - alt. take 7 - 01/16/68
12. Wonderful World - alt. take 15 - 03/07/68
13. Guitar Man - alt. take 1 (Open. ver.–‘68 TV) - 06/22/68
14. Where Could I Go But To The Lord - a.t 4 - 06/21/68
15. Memories (stereo master) - 06/23-24/68
16. Almost - alt. take 6 - 10/23/68
17. In The Ghetto - alt take 20 - 01/20/69
18. True Love Travels On A Gravel Road-a.t2 - 02/17/1969
19. Let Us Pray - alternate master - 03/05 & 06/69
20. Baby What You Want Me To Do-08/22/69 Mid. Show
21. Funny How Time Slips Away - 08/22/69 Midnight Show
22. Runaway - 08/22/69 Midnight Show
23. My Babe - 08/22/69 Midnight Show
24. What’d I Say - 08/22/69 Midnight Show

DISC 4

1. See See Rider - 02/19/70 Dinner Show
2. Polk Salad Annie - 02/17/70 Midnight Show
3. Walk A Mile In My Shoes - 02/17/70 Midnight Show
4. The Next Step Is Love - alt. take 6 - 06/07/70
5. Life - alt. take 2 - 06/06/70
6. Snowbird - alt. take 2 - 09/22/70
7. (That’s What You Get) For Lovin’ Me - a.t 9&10 - 03/15/71
8. Until It’s Time For You To Go - alt. take 5 - 05/17/71
9. Fools Rush In - alt. take 9 - 05/18/71
10. A Thing Called Love – rehearsal - 05/19/71
11. I'll Be Home On Christmas Day - alt take 9 - 05/16/71
12. Where Do I Go From Here - alt. take 5 - 03/27/72
13. No More - alt. take 1 - 01/14/73
14. Take Good Care Of Her - alt. take 3 - 07/21/73
15. I Miss You - alt. take 1 - 09/23/73
16. I Got A Feeling In My Body - alt. take 4 - 12/10/73
17. If You Talk In Your Sleep - alt. take 5 - 12/11/73
18. Promised Land - alt. take 2 - 12/15/73
19. Your Love's Been A Long Time Coming-a.t.10 - 12/15/73
20. Pieces of My Life - alt. take 1 - 3/12/75
21. For The Heart - alt. take 4 - 02/05/76
22. She Thinks I Still Care - alt. take 10 - 02/02-03/76
23. Hurt - alt. take 5 - 02/05/76

August 16, 1977...a day that will forever be etched in the minds of millions of people around the world. For, it was 25 years ago on this day that the world lost the greatest entertainer of all-time. 2002 marks the 25th anniversary of the passing of Elvis Presley, and to help commemorate the silver anniversary of Elvis' passing, RCA Records has assembled a special 4-CD package spanning the entire career of "The King Of Rock N' Roll"!

Naturally, a monumental anniversary such as the 25th anniversary of Elvis' passing deserves a monumental release. For, not only are we commemorating the life and career of Elvis Presley which ended on that fateful day in 1977, but we are also commemorating the success of the Elvis phenomenon that has continued to grow and reach new audiences, even today 25 years after his passing. These commemorations are the driving force behind one of the major marketing releases for the 25th anniversary of Elvis' passing..."Today, Tomorrow & Forever". And, while "monumental" might be too strong of a word to use in describing the latest offering from the good folks at RCA, the words "excellent" and "essential" are much more appropriate for this new package!

The new 4-CD package "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" contains 100 PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS, spanning the entire spectrum of Elvis' career! From Sun Records in 1954 to the Jungle Room Sessions of 1976, this set has it all! Virtually every recording session throughout Elvis' career is represented in this package by at least 1 recording. And, in the case of long-lost recordings, such as the 1956 recording sessions which yielded "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel", the producers of "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" became creative and decided to present fans with a previously unheard concert from 1956 to make up for these shortcomings. Overall, "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" gives die-hard fans and collectors a real treat with a mountain of previously unheard material, while treating the casual fans to a nice retrospective of The King's career!

The first disc of "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" spans the first years of Elvis' career from 1954-1959, and starts off with a previously unheard performance of "Harbor Lights", the song Elvis was working on recording at Sun Studios back in 1954, just moments before he recorded his first single "That's All Right". As most fans know, recording tape back in the 1950's was very expensive, and often, it was recorded over once a master recording was established. Needless to say, outtakes from the first decade of Elvis' career are very rare and the producers of the new box set have assembled a nice collection of 50's studio outtakes for the fans, including great alternate performances of "I Got A Woman", "Shake, Rattle & Roll", "I Beg Of You", "Rip It Up", "I Got Stung" and "Doncha' Think It's Time". The aforementioned live performance from 1956 also makes it's official debut on this disc, with concert performances of "Hound Dog", "Blue Suede Shoes", "Heartbreak Hotel" and others. While listening to Elvis perform on stage in 1956, it's amazing to listen to the incredibly wild audience reaction and to try and visualize what it must have been like to see Elvis perform live during the 1950's. A couple of unofficial recordings, one from the infamous "Million Dollar Quartet" sessions in 1956, and a home recording from Elvis while he was stationed in Germany in 1959, round out the highlights of disc one!

Disc two picks up with Elvis' first recording sessions upon his Army discharge in 1960 and concludes with another private home recording from 1966. In between, we get to hear an outstanding version of Elvis' smash single "Are You Lonesome Tonight", as well as other classic songs including "Can't Help Falling In Love", "Anything That's Part Of You", "Gonna Get Back Home Somehow" and "Ask Me". Fans are also treated to some outtakes from Elvis' movie soundtracks, including the much anticipated duet between Elvis and Ann-Margret on "Today, Tomorrow & Forever". Movie classics such as "G.I. Blues", "Follow That Dream", "King Of The Whole Wide World", "Roustabout", and "Puppet On A String" are highlighted throughout the second disc of this fascinating set!

Disc three picks right up in 1966, where disc two leaves off, with a beautiful alternate performance of "Love Letters". The alternate master recordings of "Long Legged Girl (With The Short Dress On)" and "Let Us Pray", as well as alternates of "The Love Machine", "Wonderful World", and "Almost" continue the look at Elvis' movie career on disc three. This third CD also contains some of the brilliant music that Elvis made during his "comeback" period of the late 1960's, including alternate studio recordings of "Big Boss Man", "U.S. Male", "In The Ghetto" and "True Love Travels On A Gravel Road". And, rounding out disc three are some alternate recordings from Elvis' 1968 television special as well as some live recordings from Elvis' return to the concert stage in 1969.

And, finally, disc four brings fans a look at perhaps the most misunderstood period of Elvis' career, the 1970's. While Elvis' personal life in the 70's is a main topic of debate amongst fans and non-fans around the world, this final disc of "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" proves that even during these final few years of Elvis' life, he was still dedicated to making great music! Disc four kicks off with 3 live recordings from Elvis' Las Vegas engagement in February, 1970 and winds up with 3 recordings from one of Elvis' final recording sessions in the Jungle Room at Graceland in February, 1976. Alternate performances of "Life", "Snowbird", "(That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me", "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day", "I Miss You", "If You Talk In Your Sleep", "Promised Land", "Pieces Of My Life" and "Hurt" provide fans with an intimate look into the personal side of Elvis Presley during the 1970's. A great way to close out this fabulous box set!

It is obvious that a lot of time, love and care went into the creation of "Today, Tomorrow & Forever". From the song selection, to the 42-page booklet which accompanies the box set containing tons of great photos and excellent liner notes featuring a story on EACH SONG included in the set, written by Colin Escott, this is a set that RCA can truly be proud of. The sound quality throughout the set varies, depending on the source tapes that the songs are coming from, but for the most part, the remastering job done by the RCA team is first rate. We were a bit disappointed in the sound quality of the 1956 concert included on this set, especially knowing that this specific concert has been making the rounds for years on the import CD circuit in much better sound quality. We were a little confused why a better source tape for this historic 1956 concert was not used, but aside from this slight imperfection, the remainder of the set is in excellent sound quality! The front cover shot for "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" is a rarely seen publicity photo from 1955, which we think was a perfect choice to adorn the front of this magnificent set! The back cover is a plain black color, with the track listings in white print. The 4 CD's in the set are each a different color, with Elvis' name and the title of the box set printed in white print. Overall, a very nice packaging and remastering job from the good folks at RCA!

As we stated at the beginning of this review, "monumental" might be too strong of a word to use in describing the latest offering from RCA, "Today, Tomorrow & Forever". But, we feel that this set is essential for those wishing to hear some rare alternate performances, as well as for those looking for a nice overview of Elvis' career. "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" is a well planned, well assembled set for everyone to enjoy, and is a very fitting tribute to the life, music and legacy of Elvis Aron Presley on the 25th anniversary of his passing.

Review by Mike Hermenet, USA