I like The Climb, but apart from that agree that it's a really well-sequenced set. Same with the two volumes for G.I. Blues. From a scholarly perspective, I understand why people prefer everything in chronological song and take order, to hear the development of a particular number, but it's definitely not my preferred way of digging into a recording session.
I’m very tempted to get the Aloha from Hawaii set. It would be the first FTD I’ve purchased in a couple of years, I think. Who has the best prices once shipping is factored in, for US customers? I would hold off if I knew that a mainstream release was for sure coming.
Shop Graceland has it in stock for $65 (you’d need to put in your address for shipping options) - I doubt you will find it for less all-in. Shop Elvis would be another contender but they don’t seem to have it in stock.
I whined about this very set's price more than a few times upthread, then after looking literally everywhere else, I went with Shop Graceland. $80.and change, arrived in a very sturdy box, mint condition and the remix ? Gorgeous ! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
If it helps the set came out digitally and can be streamed and purchased for download in all the usual places (Apple Music, Qobuz, etc.). I think you can also buy the tracks you don’t have individually. The mixing and mastering is identical to the Classic Album Trilogy though. I have been keeping up with the Sessions releases. I just ordered the “Aloha” set a couple days ago (not technically part of the series but hey it’s in the same format) and am waiting for “Devil In Disguise” to ship but I won’t lie that I’ve lost a bit of the passion for the series I held at the start. This is because I tend to prefer the movie sessions and other recording sessions that stand to benefit from being reissued/remixed in better quality. Much as I adore the Bill Porter era they really have been front loading the range with those sessions instead of opting for more variety and places where the format can shine. The last sessions announcement and release that truly excited me was “Kid Galahad” which was checks notes over 2 years ago. The new mixes were definitive IMO and the outtakes were fun. That said I did greatly enjoy the “His Hand In Mine” release and I’ve always loved those sessions to begin with.
I don't like using iTunes to import CDs to Mac, too many glitches. I recommend using XLD to import on Mac, you can set it to automatically add the files to iTunes.
I'm still debating on whether to buy Devil in Disguise. I never got the previous FTD set chronicling those sessions, mainly because I'm not much of a fan of them. The "Lost Album" and the sessions overall, imo, are a significant step down from Pot Luck and Something For Everybody, which themselves were a step down (Pot Luck not as much imo) from Elvis Is Back. I may try to pick it up later, but I'm not really in a rush, and if I miss it... can't say I'll be crushed at the notion.
If you're not that much of a fan of the sessions, then I wouldn't bother. No point buying something to collect dust. Put the money towards the On Tour set instead which, judging by your avatar, I'd wager you're more a fan of. I didn't buy this one, but only because all but one false start is available in stunning sound quality on the Elvis Sings Memphis Tenneesse FTD.
That said, if Something For Everybody does get reissued, then there's a part of me that's gonna want to buy His Hand In Mine and Devil In Disguise to avoid gaps in the Nashville sets. Something tells me FTD bank on this sort of mindset.
So what's the story of the Fort Worth '74 and Las Vegas 1973 sets? Those seem to have come and gone pretty quickly. Did they only print a few copies of each of those?
I seem to recall, though I could be mistaken, that these releases more or less coincided with the 'great FTD warehouse fire' and as such may have fallen into a peculiar situation of scarcity because of that?
In a semi-related FTD question: Is there anyone who makes the poly outer sleeve to fit the 8" FTD sets? Going through the vendors that make and sell these on the interest (Bags Unlimited etc), all I can find are the standard 7" 45 RPM and 10" LP sizes.
I hope it somehow includes the March sessions re-mixed in a similar fashion as the two recent Nashville sets. Although recorded well, the mixes of this material have been a bit thin and soft. More live goodies not on the Legacy set will make this a perfect companion.
I’d also be fine with the studio sessions getting their own Sessions release. It would be a fine way for the Sessions range to officially enter the 70s.
Apart for "Viva Las Vegas" & "Aloha From Hawaii" I've not had any interest in buying the FTD Sessions releases. However, one possible future release that would interest me is a remixed and nicely remastered sessions set for the "On Stage February 1970" recordings.
I don’t believe Aloha was part of the ‘Sessions’ series; it would be tough to do a live album that way and technically a series of concerts that build up to an album release aren’t sessions.