Elvis Presley - Complete 68 Comeback Special: 40th Anniversary Edition
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CD Details
Artist: Elvis PresleyEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Box set
CD Release Date: 2008-08-05
Music Label: RCA
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Medley: Trouble/Guitar Man
- Medley: Lawdy, Miss Clawdy/Baby, What You Want Me To Do/Heartbreak Hote
- Medley: Where Could I Go But To the Lord/Up Above My Head/Saved
- Medley: Blue Christmas/One Night
- Memories
- Medley: Nothingville/Big Boss Man/Guitar Man/Little Egypt/Trouble/Guita
- If I Can Dream
- It Hurts Me
- Let Yourself Go
- A Little Less Conversation
- Memories
- If I Can Dream
- That's All Right
- Heartbreak Hotel
- Love Me
- Baby, What You Want Me To Do
- Blue Suede Shoes
- Baby, What You Want Me To Do
- Lawdy Miss Clawdy
- Are You Lonesome Tonight?
- When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
- Blue Christmas
- Trying To Get To You
- One Night
- Baby, What You Want Me To Do
- One Night
- Memories
- Heartbreak Hotel
- Hound Dog
- All Shook Up
- Can't Help Falling In Love
- Jailhouse Rock
- Don't Be Cruel
- Blue Suede Shoes
- Love Me Tender
- Trouble
- Baby, What You Want Me To Do
- If I Can Dream
- Heartbreak Hotel
- Baby, What You Want Me To Do
- Introductions
- That's All Right
- Are You Lonesome Tonight?
- Baby, What You Want Me To Do
- Blue Suede Shoes
- One Night
- Love Me
- Trying To Get To You
- Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
- Santa Claus is Back In Town
- Blue Christmas
- Tiger Man
- When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
- Memories
- Heartbreak Hotel
- Hound Dog
- All Shook Up
- Can't Help Falling In Love
- Jailhouse Rock
- Don't Be Cruel
- Blue Suede Shoes
- Love Me Tender
- Medley: Trouble/Guitar Man
- Medley: Trouble/Guitar Man
- If I Can Dream
- I Got a Woman
- Medley: Blue Moon/Young Love/Oh, Happy Day
- When It Rains It Really Pours
- Blue Christmas
- Medley: Are You Lonesome Tonight?/That's My Desire
- That's When Your Heartaches Begin
- Peter Gunn Theme
- Love Me
- When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
- Medley: Blue Christmas/Santa Claus is Back In Town
- Danny Boy
- Baby, What You Want Me To Do
- Love Me
- Tiger Man
- Santa Claus is Back In Town
- Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
- One Night
- Blue Christmas
- Baby, What You Want Me To Do
- When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
- Blue Moon of Kentucky
Music reviews of Complete 68 Comeback Special: 40th Anniversary Edition
Music Review: A quality presentation fit for The King!
Rating: 5 Stars
When this was released it had been a fair while since Sony/BMG released a top-class Elvis product to the general public.
The Deluxe Version contains over 100 songs, a 32 page booklet & with each disc housed in stylish mini LP paper sleeves. The box is CD sized with text foil stamped lift-off lid.
The presentation is one of the best ever from BMG and both releases contain a delightful 32 page booklet of photos and memorabilia. The text by Harvey Kubernick nicely sets the scene and includes some interesting stories from Elvis' buddy Lance LeGault including,,,
"Elvis and I played a lot of music over the years," LeGault acknowledges. "He sang all the time. We didn't go to lunch breaks; we went to dressing rooms and jammed. Now, Elvis was very insecure when we started and I think that's why he called me up. Because Elvis had a charming insecurity. But then he warmed up and relaxed, which didn't take long. Look at the opening of that sit-down part - he had an acoustic guitar. And then he traded with Scotty and took the electric. And then it all became electric."
There is the thought that as serious Elvis fans, haven't we bought the entire musical content before? This is of course basically true and I admit that the 2000 BMG double CD 'Memories' is one of best "Comeback" compiles around.
However I disagree with the other reviewer here as on this set we not only get the ORIGINAL Album version (The 'Memories' set was a very different compilation) but there is something refreshing about the way this new set has been compiled. Once I started playing these CDs I was grabbed once again by how fresh and exciting this rock'n'roll renaissance still sounds even forty years later.
The second CD of the first Sit-Down and Stand-Up shows cleverly leads us from Elvis jamming with the boys on his very first release 'That's All Right' through a fabulous revitalisation of his classic songs all the way to the stunning 'If I Can Dream' which would be his newest single. It is still a fascinating musical journey.
I was also surprised by my realisation of just how many "old" movies songs Elvis used in this TV Special. In this Beatles/Byrds era Elvis could have been taking a chance using some of these old "corny" songs like 'Little Egypt', 'Let Yourself Go' even 'Can't Help Falling In Love' and 'Love Me Tender' which might have sounded way out of date. Remember that none of us had ever heard Elvis sings ANY of these songs LIVE since the fifties!
However the new Billy Goldenburg arrangements and the power of Elvis' vocal push these and every song into something full of soul and passion. It's a real revitalisation, a new breath of life. Did his vocal for Love Me Tender or Can't Help Falling In Love ever sound better?
My only negative is that unfortunately BMG decided to use the original Master Tape of the TV-Special, and despite the work of their best sound engineer Vic Anesini it does sound terribly rough at times. But this is to be expected since the tape was always a poor quality Master and, as on previous releases, you can even hear the tape creases go by. Reading the JAT '68 At 40 Retrospective' book one perhaps can understand why, since the wily Colonel made sure that RCA never truly paid for the Steve Binder/Bones Howe produced tapes. Maybe it is karma at work!
In any case it is after all the original album sequencing that we all have a nostalgic fondness for and the audio quality is not something that the general public will baulk at. The original album is also now bolstered by the bonus stereo tracks, plus the new releases of the "A Legendary Performer Vol.3" versions of 'It Hurts Me' and 'Let Yourself Go' - and mah boy, mah boy, do they sound great!
Noting a positive audio improvement, the sound on the other 3 discs has been upgraded to a better quality than on previous releases. Noticeable is the improvement on the tracks from the very first FTD release 'Burbank '68` which was mastered too loud and had clipping and distortion on the audio peaks.
The third CD features both second shows and because of this both Elvis and the band have relaxed more into the live situation and Elvis messes around a bit more. He even fluffs `Heartbreak Hotel' at the start! However he feels inspired enough to try out the gorgeous `Santa Claus Is Back In Town' "My favourite Christmas song of all the ones I have ever recorded" even if he has forgotten the lyrics. Similarly 'When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again' gets a proper work-out at the second show.
It's particularly nice to enjoy the full second Stand-Up show (several tracks were edited out on the 'Burbank '68 ' release) with the fun of Elvis trying to conquer the `Trouble/Guitar Man' playback. Left standing alone he has to entertain the audience, "They're gonna' put me away for a while" as he sings `MacArthur Park' and `Tip-Toe Through The Tulips'. "It's getting embarrassing standing out here Steve. I've got to do something."
The rehearsals CD is not one that one would play often but there are still plenty of revelations as Elvis and his friends laugh and kick around some ideas a few days before the actual Studio recordings.
Tracks like 'Blue Moon/Young Love' ("I tell you there are 500 songs with that same chord") 'When It Rains, It Really Pours' ("Goddamn that's high!"), 'That's My Desire' and Elvis' delight in 'Love Me' and 'When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again' (how strange that they never made it onto the TV Special LP) are just some of the really enjoyable moments.
In the end this is a "General Public" release providing the best of all four shows plus rehearsals and as such is one of BMG's best releases in years.
I realise that if, like myself, you have bought every individual FTD and BMG release (i.e. Tiger Man, Memories and FTDs 'Burbank '68' & Let Yourself Go) then you will have all the content - but of course not all the songs in their correct context. However the whole package is something too good to miss out on not to "Let Yourself Go" and enjoy this wonderful celebration one more time. It is, after all, only slightly more expensive than one FTD digi-pack release.
Overall Verdict: An essential celebration of Elvis at his best. Personally I was happy to pay the $15 extra for the Deluxe edition with its printed CD slip-cases. All in all, great value and hours of musical entertainment from Elvis at his best.
A quality presentation fit for The King!
For full review and images go to the Elvis Information Network website [...]
Description of Complete 68 Comeback Special: 40th Anniversary Edition
During a career of invention and re-invention the'68 Comeback Special is perhaps THE pivotal performance of Elvis' career. He was back from the movie career that had kept him away from the live arena throughout most of the 60's and what's more he looked and sounded amazing. To celebrate the 40th anniversary we are releasing the Complete '68 Comeback Special, a box set that features the whole story from the rehearsals to the finished show, outtakes and rarely heard gems. Deluxe Edition - 4 disc box set including over 103 songs, CD sized Box with text foil stamped lift off lid. Each disc is housed in mini LP style wallets with a 36 page booklet. This album contains 8 previously unreleased tracks.Pop CDs
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