Elvis 75 Good Rockin’ Tonight: A Review of the Definitive Career-Spanning Box Set

Jonh Luke9 hours ago

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Marking what would have been the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s 75th birthday, the Elvis 75 Good Rockin’ Tonight box set stands as a significant tribute. For many fans and casual listeners alike, the immediate question might be: why invest in Elvis 75 when so many compilations exist? This comprehensive 100-track release offers compelling reasons to revisit Elvis Presley’s enduring legacy through a meticulously curated and sonically enhanced collection.

Zeth Lundy captured the essence in his four-star review for The Providence Phoenix: “From the seminal Sun Records sessions and salad days at RCA to the post-washed-up artistic rebounds and the unadulterated thrill of the TCB band, Elvis 75 serves up Presley both trim and bloated, high and low, a man who was always successful even when he was desperately grasping for something new. Put all that enduring idolatry and marketing aside and it’s not even an argument as to whether the dude made four discs of killer music in his lifetime. Get this and you’ll never need to hem and haw over another Elvis comp again.” Let’s delve into why this assessment rings true.

Considering Elvis 75 Good Rockin’ Tonight in its entirety immediately reveals the wide variance in musical genres it encompasses. It masterfully blends 1950s Memphis rockabilly gems like “Good Rockin’ Tonight” with the glorious New Orleans-style rock ‘n’ roll of “King Creole” and the more pop-oriented New York rock ‘n’ roll exemplified by “A Big Hunk of Love.” One moment, Elvis delivers the pure pop sensibility of “Stuck On You,” and the next, he reaches deep, expressing the awful loneliness of painful experiences with the anguish-ridden bluesy soul of “Stranger In My Own Home Town.” The set keeps listeners engaged through a mix of pleasant film tunes, such as the reflective cocktail lounge smoothness of “I Need Someone To Lean On,” alongside a series of crowd-pleasing powerhouse ballads like the bombastic “An American Trilogy” and the emotionally potent “Hurt.”

Given this almost bewildering array of musical styles presented in the collection, the obvious question arises: who was Elvis the singer? Listening through Elvis 75 makes it clear he was a vocalist of eclectic tastes and stirring ability – a musical interpreter par excellence. For long-time fans, it’s no surprise how easily Elvis could navigate an emotional range most other singers only dream about. As an artist, Elvis traverses the searing heights and soulful depths that music has to offer. While his voice may have been erratic near the end, as “Unchained Melody” demonstrates, he was always capable of producing something special. The passion never left him; it just became harder to extract as his mind and body sadly deteriorated. Fans looking for comprehensive lists might also explore an every elvis song compilation to see the full scope of his recording career.

The four discs are structured chronologically to showcase this evolution. Disc 1 covers the rise to fame with 38 of Elvis’s seminal 50s recordings (1953-1957). The remainder of Disc 2 (1958-1962) and all of Disc 3 (1963-1969) offer 43 of the King’s best tracks from the swinging 60s, bookending his so-so Hollywood years with his famous comeback. Disc 4 (1970-1977) features 18 of Elvis’s stronger recordings from the 1970s, plus the globally popular remix of “A Little Less Conversation” by DJ Tom Holkenberg (Junkie XL) from 2002.

A visual representation of the Elvis 75 Good Rockin’ Tonight box set packaging, featuring an iconic image of the King.

Musical Highlights from the Set

The opening track on Disc 1, “My Happiness,” holds historical significance as Elvis’s first-ever recording, made in 1953 for his mother Gladys. On Elvis 75, this track is an aural delight, remarkably free of recording imperfections. Elvis’s voice is crystal clear, still developing into the tour de force it would become, yet vibrant and sincere. The mix on this track is excellent, offering a clear preview of the immense talent waiting to be unleashed.

It’s often noted that Elvis possessed the genius to make even ordinary songs compelling. This ability was a crucial part of his enduring attraction. While some recordings on Elvis 75 might not be musically strong on their own – tracks like “Bossa Nova Baby” and “Adam and Evil” could be forgettable in lesser hands – Elvis infuses them with a quality that makes them more than momentarily interesting. For those new to his vast catalog, Elvis 75 Good Rockin’ Tonight serves as a rewarding gateway, revealing Elvis’s multi-layered artistic canvas that includes rousing rock, sublime gospel, soothing ballads, mournful blues, refreshing pop, and bountiful soul – a potent, palpable mix. For listeners intrigued by the progression of his music, exploring elvis songs in chronological order after experiencing this set can offer even deeper insight.

Ernst Jorgensen, a key figure in managing the Elvis catalog, explained the rationale behind Elvis 75 Good Rockin’ Tonight: “We’re a little bit on a mission. We always try to see if we can get new devotees for our little project, get people to look beyond the 30 number-one hits. This box set is really what that’s all about. Maybe it’s even more about that than it is about getting a better sound. … it gives us the opportunity to put a package out that’s tempting because it has all the hits. And then fans go in … and find all these songs that are nowhere near as famous but that we think are aesthetically just as important and see if we can get people excited about the Elvis they didn’t know.”

The track listing is broad and, while it includes the expected hits from Sony compiles, the inclusion of recordings such as “It Hurts Me,” “Judy,” “Guitar Man,” “Big Boss Man,” “I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water,” “I’m Leavin’,” and “T.R.O.U.B.L.E.” is particularly welcome. Other “lost” gems include the King’s masterful control and exposition on Bob Dylan’s “Tomorrow Is A Long Time,” the delightful “jam feel” oozing from “Too Much Monkey Business,” and the pure pop pleasure of “Thrill of Your Love.” A pounding, “live” version of “Polk Salad Annie” powerfully reminds listeners of just how majestic Elvis was in concert, while the sublime “Promised Land” seems almost designed to show Chuck Berry and the world that, even at age 40, the King could still rock. Of course, all the major global hits are included, from “Heartbreak Hotel” and “It’s Now Or Never” to “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and “Suspicious Minds.” Truly, there is ‘something for everybody.’ Collections like elvis presley the 50 greatest hits songs offer another perspective on his most famous tracks.

A black and white photograph showing Elvis Presley performing with a microphone.

Interestingly, some of the 1960s recordings on the set do not seem as aurally clear as the 50s tracks. This could be due to various factors, including the original tapes used for remastering or the more ‘musically dense’ nature of 60s songs with greater use of instrumentation and track overlays. However, with the 50s material, there is a clear, uncluttered, powerful, and resonant sound, particularly on the iconic Sun recordings where Elvis’s vocal is complemented primarily by Scotty Moore’s lead guitar and Bill Black’s double bass. The clarity of sound on these early tracks is impressive and mirrors the quality found on the superb Elvis at Sun album. It is indeed true, as Mark Richardson noted in Pitchfork, that “Jailhouse Rock” features one of rock history’s greatest snare sounds, but it’s Elvis’s half-screamed phrasing that elevates it to a “world-changing anthem.”

Is the sound on Elvis 75 superior to earlier releases of its tracks? Listening to earlier versions of Elvis’s 1950s recordings, especially his Sun and pre-Sun tracks, was often impacted by more primitive remastering technology available decades ago. The sound on Elvis 75 is certainly superior to the still musically formidable Elvis Masters box sets from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Ernst Jorgensen commented on past remastering challenges: “There was a tendency earlier on in the early days of CDs where people put whatever master was there that included a certain track instead of going back and finding the originals. There was a sloppiness during a decade or two where business didn’t prioritize catalog releases. They didn’t go that extra mile to find the generation before.”

With Elvis 75 Good Rockin’ Tonight, this issue is significantly addressed. The state-of-the-art remastering technology available today noticeably enhances both the vocal and instrumentation, providing a rich listening experience. As suggested, putting on headphones, turning off the lights, and letting Elvis transport you is a truly immersive experience. Ernst further elaborated on the remastering process for Elvis 75: “If you had the ideal way to listen to this you’d have it in the recording studio with the actual analog tape playing back on the machine it was recorded on and the speakers it was recorded on. This is the constant struggle for us, to get closer and closer to that. With the new technology we can transfer the tape with a higher resolution. We can work with it in 24-bit, 32-bit environment, and make sure we get as close to the exact sound as the analog tape. … We’ve taken every one of Elvis’ 711 masters and tried to do a better job on them. On some the improvement will be more important than on others. It all depends on how well we did before. It’s interesting to do it. It’s a joy to do it. I think that most people, unless they sit there and A/B it versus what they had before, they’re just gonna say ‘Wow, this sounds great.’”

While a full A/B comparison of all 100 tracks is a massive undertaking, comparing a cross-section of recordings on Elvis 75 leaves no doubt that the sound quality is usually crystal clear, powerful, with great tonality and, importantly, a very strong balance between each track’s vocal and its backing. Vic Anesini is to be highly congratulated for a wonderful remastering effort that brightens the Elvis musical mosaic, breathing new life into tracks and re-invigorating others. Anesini’s work allows the jazz piano feel on “Heartbreak Hotel” to shine, lets the angst of “Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues” seep through, and brings a fresh vibrancy to sensational 50s tracks like “Paralyzed” and “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck.” The power and depth achieved showcase why this set is a standout. For fans interested in the romantic side of his work, exploring an elvis presley love songs list complements the comprehensive nature of this box set.

A photo of Elvis Presley performing live on stage during his ’68 Comeback Special.

As “The Phantom” noted, “Powerful, searching and at times angst ridden, the 100 tracks on the set pulsate through your body like emotionally charged nuclear bombs ready to explode. In their own way, each song does explode and in so doing they excite, enrich and illuminate our appreciation for the artist known as Elvis Aaron Presley.” The tracks appear in strict chronological order of recording dates across the four discs. This approach offers a sense of how both Elvis and his music evolved over nearly 25 years. While historically logical for understanding his progression, the casual listener might find this chronological arrangement somewhat awkward due to the significant jumps in musical styles. For them, grouping songs by genre within their respective decades might have provided a more balanced listening flow.

It’s also important to remember the intended audience. While collectors are certainly drawn to such sets, the release is also targeted at the general buyer. However, realistically, it’s unlikely that younger, YouTube-watching, downloading music listeners will heavily invest in a physical box set. Ernst Jorgensen addressed misconceptions about the typical Elvis fan: “When I came in the late ‘80s there was market research done at RCA… They went out and defined who the Elvis customer was – a woman between 35 and 55, a housewife, married to a blue-collar worker, living in the south, not willing to pay more than $8 for an Elvis item. One of the first things we did was a box set called ‘The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ and sold it for $80 dollars, which was 10 times what the market research said we should do. And it sold 400,000 boxes in America. The one thing we learned from that was the perception of who likes Elvis is utterly wrong.”

Close-up photo of the cover artwork for an Elvis Presley album titled “Rock My Soul”.

The Booklet

As is standard with Sony’s four-CD Elvis box sets, the accompanying 80-page booklet is impressive. Great visuals complement an excellent essay by noted critic Billy Altman, an award-winning cultural journalist whose work has appeared in numerous prestigious publications. Altman’s essay is insightful, incisive, and features clever narrative: “While the prospects of a musical career seemed at best remote – the day after graduation, he began working at a machinist shop for the princely sum of thirty-three dollars a week – Elvis kept dreaming.”

In approximately 30 pages of tightly constructed narrative, Altman provides a cogent examination of the Elvis story, from his humble beginnings in Tupelo to his incredible highs and ultimate fate. Altman writes with strength and compassion, impressively identifying essential elements and themes – from Elvis the ‘dreamer’ to Elvis the central and pivotal ‘figurehead’ of rock ‘n’ roll – evoking fundamental imagery that solidifies his music and underscores his greatness and importance. As Shawn Perry of vintagerock.com noted, “Elvis 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight, an arching four-CD set of 100 remastered songs comprising the singer’s entire career, making it all the more definitive… provides an insightful, well-rounded overview of an unrivaled international phenomenon.”

The often-ignored issue of marketing Elvis is addressed when Altman insightfully observes: “Presley needed to keep the (as the title of his Greatest Hits package proclaimed) 50,000,000 Elvis Fans who couldn’t be wrong on his side by shifting his music more towards adult tastes.” Keeping with the underlying musical premise of his essay, Altman’s account of Elvis’s final years is brief, sharp, and incisive: “By 1976, Elvis was, by all accounts, retreating further and further from day-to-day reality, spiralling ever-downward in a prescription drug-filled fog of loneliness and despair.” Throughout his expressive prose, Altman maintains the right balance to highlight the musical genius within the context of Elvis’s rise and fall.

If there is a minor criticism of the booklet’s narrative, it’s the noticeable omission of Elvis’s Hollywood years (likely deliberate) before Altman resumes his story with the famous ’68 Comeback. It’s evident Altman’s focus is on highlighting the critically acknowledged seminal artistry of the King. The many visuals in the booklet mix sepia tone and full color images and also present the Elvis story in approximate chronological order. Each of the 100 tracks is detailed with composer(s), recording date, and a list of musicians. The discussion is interspersed with artwork from many of Elvis’s hit singles. A detailed Photo Legend is also included. For fans seeking classic hits, elvis presley greatest hits mp3 download free is a related search, although this box set offers high-quality, comprehensive coverage.

Cover artwork for an Elvis Presley album titled “Suspicious Minds”.

The Box

The four discs and the substantial booklet are housed in a sturdy and durable fold-out box. The cover artwork, featuring an iconic Elvis image, is striking and well-chosen. The use of gold color to mark the “75” and the crown above “Elvis 75” is a strategically symbolic touch, emphasizing the significance of the milestone and his title.

Reflections

Disc 1 is widely considered artistically the strongest, and this argument has considerable merit. It can be difficult to compare recordings across different eras, as expecting the same level of obvious musical accomplishment over a three-decade span is unrealistic; the artist, the music, and consumer tastes evolve. This comparison is even more challenging with Elvis, given his propensity to move between genres even within a single recording session, his creatively barren Hollywood period in the 60s, and his physical and emotional decline throughout the 70s. What afflicted Elvis most after the 50s wasn’t necessarily a lack of desire for musical creativity on his part, but a difficult mix of flimsy, contractually obligated Hollywood songs and a sad physical and emotional decline, resulting in an inconsistent recording output. Yet, even within this inconsistency, he produced sublime recordings – a testament to his musical genius that makes one wonder what might have been had he remained healthy.

Could Elvis 75 Good Rockin’ Tonight have been improved? The audio sound is highly impressive, and the 80-page booklet is noticeably classy with excellent visuals and the strong essay by rock ‘n’ roll expert Billy Altman. (The foreword was written by Sony’s top Elvis team, Roger Semon and set producer Ernst Jorgensen). However, Elvis 75 does raise the question of how much further Sony can push the audio quality of its Elvis catalog. As the Sony Japan SHM-CD (high fidelity) format releases have demonstrated, DSD remastering presented on SHM-CDs definitely adds another dimension to listening pleasure. Hopefully, this advanced mastering technology will become a larger part of future Elvis album releases. In its current format, the track selection on Elvis 75 will likely generate the most debate. Pragmatically, any poll on desired track listings would yield countless different combinations, given the subjective nature of such compilations. The reality is that Sony could never have pleased every single fan.

Compact disc cover artwork featuring a collection of songs, possibly a budget compilation.

Verdict

Elvis 75 Good Rockin’ Tonight is an impressive four-CD box set with an accompanying booklet, serving as a fitting commemoration of what would have been Elvis’s 75th birthday. It is aurally stunning, emotionally satisfying, and narratively illuminating – a superb collection. The set contains an embarrassment of musical riches: a blistering amalgam of potent rock ‘n’ roll, deeply expressed gospel, delightful pop, poignant ballads, and scorching blues. Pump up the volume, adjust your equalizer, and enjoy the King in high-quality sound. Just remember to savor the moment. Highly recommended.

The 13 Key Tracks from “Elvis 75 Good Rockin’ Tonight”

Music reviewer Robert Hilburn highlighted these 13 tracks in the LA Times as those that best illustrate Presley’s artistic progression within the box set:

“That’s All Right” (Recorded 1954, Memphis): The moment Presley and Sam Phillips defined rock ‘n’ roll’s sound and youthful attitude. A revolutionary piece of music.
“Baby, Let’s Play House” (1955, Memphis): Presley heightens the sexual pulse and youthful insistence, crucial building blocks for early rock.
“Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel” (1956, New York): Both sides of a double A-side single that went to No. 1. “Hound Dog” showed rock’s energy could reach a mass audience; “Don’t Be Cruel” showcased his playful charm.
“One Night” (1957, Hollywood): Reached back to his roots for sexual tension and energy, reworking an R&B hit with steamy, urgent vocals.
“Blue Christmas” (1957, Hollywood): Transformed a country hit into a powerful expression of heartache using sentimental currents.
“How Great Thou Art” (1966, Nashville): Perhaps his most captivating vocal in gospel, a chilling declaration of faith.
“If I Can Dream” (1968, Hollywood): A rare and mature step into social commentary.
“Suspicious Minds” (1969, Memphis): An explosive track where Presley seems to shed the constraints of movie tunes, reclaiming his artistic power.
“Stranger in My Own Home Town” (1969, Memphis): Recorded shortly after “Suspicious Minds,” a bluesy personal statement about his struggle to regain identity.
“An American Trilogy” (1972, Las Vegas): Tackled a complex arrangement linking 19th-century tunes, celebrating healing and stepping into new territory.
“Burning Love” (1972, Hollywood): Proved, almost 20 years after “That’s All Right,” that he could still convey rock’s initial energy and innocence.
“Always on My Mind” (1972, Hollywood): Delivered with such heartfelt emotion that it became a deeply personal message.