Search - Elvis Presley :: Blue Suede Shoes Collection

Reconsider, Baby

08/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The 2 mammoth 30CD box sets released by RCA ('The Collection' aka 'The Red Suede Collection', and 'The Blue Suede Shoes Collection') have been harshly criticized by some Elvis fans as unnecessary and just another in a very long line of "cashing in" projects by his record label. And while that is probably true - repackaging old material for a quick profit is something that has never been beneath RCA (or the Colonel, or Elvis, for that matter) - let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. First of all, RCA should get a little credit for the many worthy Elvis projects and box sets released in the past few years. Sure, they were money makers but most of them were put together in a first class manner - unlike much of the stuff released during Elvis's lifetime. 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."

Not Not-Worthy!

03/31/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"... these big box sets are not for the casual fan. The price tags are pretty steep but you get a big hunka Elvis for the money. And it's true that some of these CDs are hard to find for some reason, especially the interview and essential series CDs. Also, I like the big poster (in the red box) and the suede cases themselves, but I'm a die-hard fan and collector of all-things (well, a-lot-of-things) Elvis."

Why postpone the inevitable?

D.C. Hanoy | 01/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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. . ."