Elvis Presley Platinum: A Life In Music CD

This 4-CD box set contains a 48-page book and consists mostly of previously-unreleased alternate takes of Presley's hits.

Recorded between 1954 and 1970. Includes liner notes by Colin Escott.

You probably think you've heard all there is to hear from The King, what with countless Elvis retrospectives, anthologies and reissues flooding the market. While PLATINUM is far from the first Elvis box, it's unique in that it's composed largely of previously unreleased material. Four discs cover every phase of Presley's career, from young Memphis hip-shaker to middle-aged Vegas hip-shaker, adding a fresh perspective to each period.

It's both an education and a kick to hear alternate versions of songs as ingrained in the public consciousness as "That's All Right," and others from Elvis' legendary Sun sessions. Obscure delights like 1969's "Power Of My Love" update one of rock & roll's most stellar legacies. Off-the-cuff recordings and live TV performances contribute further to this set, which proves that even the most zealous Elvis fan hasn't heard the whole story yet.

4 CD's;100+Tracks,70 Unrelease *** Avail.Through 12/97 Only *

Personnel includes: Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, Bill Black, D.J. Fontana, Chet Atkins, Floyd Kramer, Shorty Long, Marvin Hughes, Hilmer "Tiny" Timbrell, Dudley Brooks, Bob Moore, Hank Garland, Buddy Harman, Boots Randolph, Ray Siegel, Al Casey, Hal Blaine, Jerry Reed, Charlie Hodge, Tommy Tedesco, Reggie Young, Bobby Emmons, Mike Leech, James Burton, John Wilkinson, Jerry Carrigan, Glen Spreen, Emory Gordy, Tommy Hensley, Johnny Christopher, Bobby Ogdin, The Bobby Morris Orchestra, The Joe Guercio Orchestra, Ben & Brock Speer, The Jordanaires, The Imperials Quartet, June Page, Dolores Edgin, The Blossoms, The Sweet Inspirations, Ginger Holladay, Temple Riser, Kathy Westmoreland, J.D. Summer and The Stamps, Myrna Smith.

Compilation producers: Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, Roger Semon.

Engineers include: Sam Phillips, Thorne Nogar, Bill Porter.Rolling Stone (8/21/97, p.108) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...an amazing and revelatory journey encompassing explosive rock & roll, hard-edged country, slow-boiling R&B, sentimental pop, soul-baring spirituals, a haunting stab at folk...and a single tenderhearted Christmas entry..."
Entertainment Weekly (7/18/97, pp.81-82) - "...PLATINUM is full of blues shouts, gospel meditations, rockabilly shuffles--all of which fry with a kind of fatback jubilation that Elvis never got to explore in his movie ditties..." - Rating: B
NME (Magazine) (8/2/97, p.38) - "...His legend may be sullied and omnipresent, his music distorted and overly familiar and his life parodied and documented to a suffocating degree, but this compilation at least reminds you why he was the King and why his music meant so much..."