Elvis Presley "Close Up" box

No, this is not any kind of Elvis poll.

I have been listening to the new 4 CD Elvis box "Close Up", making my way through the whole thing twice. I am leaving town for a couple of days for the holiday and can't get very many detailed thoughts into a post yet. However, I want to quickly mention that this 89-song box of unreleased material is probably very worthwhile for the diehard Elvis fan. It is a follow-up/companion set to last year's Today, Tomorrow, and Forever box, which I was absolutely thrilled with and was justly lauded (I think I recall it being selected Reissue of the Year in a few places, including Rolling Stone, not that that means a whole lot, but...).

While T,T&F cherry-picked unreleased material from almost every phase/session of Elvis' career, causing it to follow a really interesting and useful arc, this box concentrates on four distinct periods. (To save time, I clipboarded sections of the initial press release at the bottom, hence the overly enthusiastic language and descriptions.) I have to say that hearing the 50's material in stereo (really binaural) is pretty-mindblowing. With (for example) Elvis' voice and piano entirely in one speaker and the Jordanaires in the other, they leap right out at you as if they are in the room. Of course it's not natural, and these in no way supplant the originals, but it makes for a fresh listen. The 1972 concert (in stereo) is energetic, with Elvis in good voice and a very enthusiastic crowd, well, um, enthusing. Nothing really special about the setlist (although Burning Love is being played before it was released, I think), but it flows nicely and apparently is complete.

The movie and Nashville sessions exceeded my (somewhat) low expectations that are natural for some of the material. There are false starts, chatter, etc., throughout (especially on the movie stuff), so if that type of thing bothers you, this may not be for you. I find these type of alternate takes fascinating, lending a real insight into what it was like in the studio. Elvis often sounds unguarded, pure, and commited to the musicmaking process. Sound quality throughout to these ears is stellar in its unvarnished nature and the resulting immediacy. All in all, I wouldn't consider any of this stuff barrel scraping or unworthy of release, although it is of course aimed only at true diehards, and only those who probably have already picked up stuff like the Platinum Box or T,T&F.

Sorry about the lack of detail, I might post more later, but there is a lot of material here and more listening to do before I could pick out favorites or exceptionally worthy selections. I look forward to any thoughts....

By the way, Elvis IS the King.



Excerpts from the press release announcing the box
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DISC 1: UNRELEASED STEREO MASTERS FROM THE 1950s
A full disc of stereo masters released for the first time in stereo and never before heard outtakes, a rarity for any ‘50s recordings. Highlights include songs from Loving You, Jailhouse Rock and additional cuts from his January 1957 sessions at Radio Recorders.

DISC 2: UNRELEASED MOVIE GEMS
A closer look at Elvis’ first 4 post-army movies (1960-1961), featuring all previously unreleased outtakes. Centered around Elvis’ two biggest box office successes, G.I. Blues and Blue Hawaii, it also features great songs from Flaming Star and Wild in the Country.

DISC 3: THE MAGIC OF NASHVILLE
A travel through Elvis’ ‘60s Nashville sessions at RCA’s famous Studio B. Includes previously unreleased outtakes from almost every studio session. The CD opens with Make Me Know It, his first recorded post-army song, and concludes with U.S. Male, the last song recorded with the incredible Nashville A-team. Other key tracks include Surrender, His Latest Flame, The Girl of My Best Friend, and Kiss Me Quick.

DISC 4: LIVE IN TEXAS 1972
A complete unreleased live concert recorded in San Antonio, Texas on April 18, 1972. Taped in the heart of Elvis Country , this show captures his legendary stage show at a time when Elvis was at his absolute peak as a live performer. Songs include Burning Love (which had yet to be released on record at the time of this concert), Proud Mary, Polk Salad Annie, How Great Thou Art, An American Trilogy, Suspicious Minds, and You Gave Me A Mountain.


Track Listing For
ELVIS: CLOSE UP

DISC ONE
STEREO MASTERS AND OUTTAKES

1. (There’ll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me) - take 9 MASTER
2. I Beg Of You - take 11
3. That’s When Your Heartaches Begin - take 2
4. It’s No Secret - take 13 MASTER
5. Blueberry Hill - take 9 MASTER
6. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You - take 15 MASTER
7. Is It So Strange - take 12 MASTER
8. Loving You - Fast version, take 5
9. Loving You - Fast version, take 15
10. Jailhouse Rock - MASTER
11. Treat Me Nice - 1st version, take 19
12. Young And Beautiful - Master, takes 21-22
13. Young And Beautiful - solo, MASTER, take 3
14. Young And Beautiful - nightclub, MASTER, take 7
15. I Want To Be Free - movie version take 12
16. I Want To Be Free - record version, MASTER, take 11
17. Treat Me Nice - second version, take 13
18. Don’t Leave Me Now - 2016-2
19. Don’t Leave Me Now - 2017-21
20. (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care - 2015, ake 1

DISC TWO
UNRELEASED MOVIE GEMS

1. G.I. Blues - take 6
2. Doin’ The Best I Can - takes 10, 11, 12
3. Wooden Heart - take 1
4. Pocketful Of Rainbows - takes 15, 16
5. Shoppin’ Around - takes 4, 5
6. Frankfort Special - takes 4, 5
7. Big Boots - Fast, M10-X, take 1
8. Tonight’s All Right For Love - takes 14, 15
9. Summer Kisses, Winter Tears - take 2
10. Flaming Star - take 2
11. Lonely Man - solo, take 3
12. In My Way - take 2
13. Forget Me Never - take 1
14. Wild In The Country - takes 1 & 14
15. Lonely Man - take 1
16. I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell - takes 14, 15, 16
17. Aloha Oe - take 1
18. Hawaiian Sunset - take 3
19. Ku-U-I-PO - takes 6, 7
20. No More - take 11
21. Slicin’ Sand - takes 6 & 7
22. Steppin’ Out Of Line - take 15
23. Almost Almost True - take 3
24. Moonlight Swim - take 4 (edited)
25. Can’t Help Falling In Love - takes 14, 15, 16

DISC THREE
THE MAGIC OF NASHVILLE

1. Make Me Know It - take 1
2. Soldier Boy - take 10
3. It Feels So Right - take 1
4. The Girl Of My Best Friend - take 9
5. Surrender - takes 5 & 6
6. Working On The Building - take 4
7. Starting Today - take 1
8. Kiss Me Quick - take 4
9. That’s Someone You Never Forget - take 7
10. (Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame - take 12
11. I Met Her Today - take 16
12. Night Rider - take 1
13. Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello - take 4
14. Echoes Of Love - take 8
15. Ask Me - take 7
16. Stand By Me - take 10
17. Somebody Bigger Than You And I - take 15
18. Without Him - take 8
19. Mine - takes 8,9
20. Singing Tree - take 4 (first version)
21. U.S. Male - take 10

DISC FOUR
LIVE IN TEXAS 1972

1. Also Sprach Zarathustra
2. See See Rider
3. Proud Mary
4. Never Been To Spain
5. You Gave Me A Mountain
6. Until It’s Time For You To Go
7. Polk Salad Annie
8. Love Me
9. All Shook Up
10. Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel
11. Heartbreak Hotel
12. Hound Dog
13. How Great Thou Art
14. I Can’t Stop Loving You
15. Love Me Tender
16. Suspicious Minds
17. Introductions
18. For The Good Times
19. Burning Love
20. An American Trilogy
21. Funny How Time Slips Away
22. Can’t Help Falling In Love
23. Closing Vamp

 

Thanks for sharing your comments. I plan on picking this up when the Columbia House record club has it for half price (or less) in a few months. That's the only way I can keep up with all the Elvis boxes.


I wish they had included more from his early 1969 studio recordings but there is quite a bit out there already. All I want is every take of "Kentucky Rain" and "Suspicious Minds". Is that too much to ask?

 

I wish they'd sell disc one separately. I'm less interested in the contents of the other three.

 

Picked this one up today and will give it a spin tonight. I did notice that Vic Anesini was responsible for the mastering of disc 1 - 3 at Sony Studios in New York. I wonder if there is DSD technology in the mastering chain? I have a feeling BMG might be starting to archive their stuff to this format now so it can't be long now before we see some Elvis SACDs I would think.

Thom

 

Let's see: On CD that's COLLECTOR'S GOLD; ELVIS ARON PRESLEY; A GOLDEN CELEBRATION; PLATINUM; TODAY TOMORROW & FOREVER; and CLOSE UP. There were six volumes of the ESSENTIALS series, and there are at least 26 volumes in the FTD series.

So that's 57 discs of previously unreleased material on CD, before we even start counting things like HOME RECORDINGS or the extras on some of the anthologies like SUSPICIOUS MINDS or SUNRISE.

 

You forgot the "LIVE IN LAS VEGAS" box set although not everything in this set is previously unreleased.

 

I think us Elvis fans are pretty lucky, in this regard.

 

There's also the unreleased live and rehearsal material on the That's the Way It Is 3-Cd set.

 

DSD

 

I am listening to my copy Close Up right now. The sound quality is excellent (especially for RCA). I kinda dig the stereo versions of the 1950s tunes.

 

I think the availability of alternative takes is one of the best by-products of artists (like Elvis or Dylan) who used the studio to basically record live performances, as opposed to the building-block approach of overdubbing (e.g. the Beatles). So many of the alternates have intrinsic merit to them - they are performances with different feeling, phrasing, or general vibe - they are no less valid than the final master released version, they are just different.

 

That's very good news.
Dan C

 

By the way, I just find the Close Up box at Costco for $44.99, the cheapest I have seen it.

 

Have you ever heard "The Memphis Record"? It was released on CD in 1988.

 

I thought The Memphis Record was all remixes?

 

Yeah, it is. AWFUL remixes, in my opinion, too.

 

BMG does indeed use DSD for archiving now, in fact four previously released Elvis titles were just reissued at the beginning of the year on redbook CD (all of them "DSD remastered").

Amazingly enough, as a company BMG seems to favor DVD-A as a surround format as opposed to SACD, although they do have released SACD's to the Asian market (where DVD-A is virtually dead).

Some people on different Elvis forums have reported that the studio outtakes on "Close Up" have a sound quality that is unmatched by any previous BMG box sets, perhaps this is really a result of using DSD for the mastering process.

Personally I would really like to see a reissue of Elvis' early SUN recordings on SACD. Some of the DSD transfers that SONY has done on 1920's Louis Armstrong 78's simply sound stunning on SACD!
-wolf

 

I have to catch up on the Elvis forums, but the sound quality on Close Up is indeed very often of the jaw-dropping variety. It has made me want to A/B to the other Elvis boxes, even though there is of course no overlap of material.

 

I have to agree with this. Vic Anesini has done a superb job here. Makes me wonder what a hi-rez release would have sounded like.

Thom

 

I have the new DSD remasterd "Elvis 56" and I am not impressed. In my opinion, the Zounds recordings (The Best of Elvis II - Devil in Disguise) of some of the same material is superior.

However, I am impressed with the Elvis Close Up sound.

 

The more I listen to this box set the more impressed I am with it. Soundwise, it is the best I have heard Elvis. Up Close is right. It seems there is very little digital processing/noise reduction or limiting/compression going on here and the tracks breathe with great dynamics. This box set is essential listening if only for the marvelous quality of Elvis' voice!

Thom

 

This could probably be explained by the fact that BMG has recently started to use DSD technology for archival of all of their tape material and is now using outside help for mixing and mastering of their projects.

I believe getting the sound right has always been a huge problem for BMG on Elvis' material (a lot of mid-80's releases were quite shoddy), but with DSD we seem to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...
-wolf

 

Shucks, I'm going to have to get this set now. It's a bit harder than normal as I'm in the middle of moving and could do without this added expense!!!

CM and the gang here are tough because they are usually right when it comes to the music I really like. So, NOW, another expensive Elvis.

Oh well, ya gotta do what ya gotta do........

I hope I can find Costco in the dark!!!!

Bill

 

By the way, last year's Elvis box set "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" showed up on bmgmusic.com a couple of weeks after its release - for $22.79 (and it's still on there for that same price).
-wolf

 

A question for you, Elvis-philes..

I've never had anything by the man and it does feel as a hole of sorts in my collection. What would you recommend as a starter?

Something that covered the different periods of his career would be interesting, all the way from the start to his Fat Elvis™ days.

Thanks in advance, regards

Damián