2007 Box Set??

[Rob V]

Hi,

Half way through May and still no word from Sony/BMG about a box set for the 30th Ann. Would be great if they could give us 'one' more.


Rob.

[deadringer]

Well it is pretty sure that there will be no box. Even if they will try to produce something, there's almost no time left... previous boxed sets were announced in advance too.... nothing now. So no box in 2007.

[midnightx]

Rob V, looks like the typical themed compilations will be issued as well as a "Las Vegas" package with a 2nd disc housing an unissued show from 1969.

[BigredG]

Looks like no flagship box set for the 30th Anniversary, which is real sad,

[Johanesson]

Without box set the anniversary won't be perfect. But maybe we'll get a box set from FTD...

[Thomas]

Better no box set at all than another "definitive" collection...

[Old Shep]

That´s the problem: - Everything´s goin´ down. Elvis Week, Graceland, BMG, less and less Elvis fans, more and more imposters, Elvis image will be ruined not so far from now. No box set is just a sympthome! It´s just the quick money! Tom Parker ist still sittin´ there in his office at RCA/BMG/Sony/what´s next?There they are thinking in one dimension: Elvis fans want just the hits, the hits, the hits, the hits, the hits...
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo...., Sony! We want rather cool box sets - WITHOUT ANOTHER MASTER OF HOUND DOG OR LOVE ME TENDER! Didn´t TTAF sell enough? What do they want?

O.S.

[rockinrebel]

Perhaps one of the reasons that Sony/BMG have not chosen to issue a box set is because we are nearing the bottom of the barrel as far as out takes are concerned.

Compiling a box set which features material that shows Elvis in a positive light, appeals to the casual buyer, and includes enough previously unissued performances to please the long term fan is no easy task when you consider how much material has been made available since the collectors label started.

Of course the general public are not familiar with the majority of the performances that have been issued via FTD, and there are still a number of hidden gems within the catalogue that have not had the exposure that they deserve, but if the set was to be compiled using material that is largely familiar to the serious collector, I think we would still hear complaints about the lack of previously unissued material, irrespective of how well the set may represent the Presley career.

I have to agree though that the mainstream releases that have been announced so far are disappointing, but it seems that all that we can expect now are compilations that explore the same themes and concepts over and over again.

[Matthew]

The have been many threads about this and the fact remains that in order to produce a boxset desireable to the fans it needs to comprise unreleased material - which is being released on FTD. 9 CD box sets have been released representing Elvis Presley:

The Complete 50s Masters
The Essential 60s Masters I
The Essential 70s Masters
Platinum
Elvis Aron Presley
A Golden Celebration
Live In Las Vegas
Today, Tomorrow, & Forever
Close Up

Much, much more than any other artist or group and all on the general market. In the meantime on the collectors label there is a new disc of material released every three months - essentially a 4CD box set worth of material every year since 1999/2000! What is the complaint here? The 25th anniversary was the big one and was covered very well.

I can’t see how another box set of unreleased material would be successful on the general market, what would the concept be – Elvis’ greatest movie leftover leftover leftovers 1965-68? The one commercial release I can see viable for a general release is the Elvis On Tour material – other than that you are left with previously released material to pick from.

The unreleased material concept once rare has now been done to death as far as the general market is concerned. And so you are left with previously released material.

[JeroenNL]

I can’t see how another box set of unreleased material would be successful

1. Silver Boxset

2. Gold Boxset

3. Platinum Boxset

Missing:

4. Diamond Boxset - to complete this series.

I feel Ernst has been holding back material for this boxset.

However, I first thought they would release a Diamond Boxset this year for the 30th Anniversary. I now get the feeling they will release it in 2010: the year Elvis turns 75... Giving SONY/BMG another great marketing oppertunity 3 years from now.

[Matthew]

4. Diamond Boxset - to complete this series.

Live In Las Vegas
Today, Tomorrow, & Forever
Close Up

[midnightx]

The one commercial release I can see viable for a general release is the Elvis On Tour material – other than that you are left with previously released material to pick from.

Don't forget about EIC...

[Justin]

Perhaps one of the reasons that Sony/BMG have not chosen to issue a box set is because we are nearing the bottom of the barrel as far as out takes are concerned.

A startling comment, isn't it? But definitely true. I often wondered in the past how many more years can BMG provide us with new material. It seemed, to me, like ten years ago we were being flooded with box sets at every corner, and now it's become barely a trickle. And then one day, no matter how many decades into the future, one, two or seven...there will be absolutely nothing left to release.

[Kylan]

That´s the problem: - Everything´s goin´ down. Elvis Week, Graceland, BMG, less and less Elvis fans, more and more imposters, Elvis image will be ruined not so far from now. No box set is just a sympthome! It´s just the quick money! Tom Parker ist still sittin´ there in his office at RCA/BMG/Sony/what´s next?There they are thinking in one dimension: Elvis fans want just the hits, the hits, the hits, the hits, the hits...
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo...., Sony! We want rather cool box sets - WITHOUT ANOTHER MASTER OF HOUND DOG OR LOVE ME TENDER! Didn´t TTAF sell enough? What do they want?

O.S.

i cant take it anymore.......... dude u need to get a serious grip on reality!!! pathetic!

[thenexte]

I can’t see how another box set of unreleased material would be successful

1. Silver Boxset

2. Gold Boxset

3. Platinum Boxset

Missing:

4. Diamond Boxset - to complete this series.

I feel Ernst has been holding back material for this boxset.

However, I first thought they would release a Diamond Boxset this year for the 30th Anniversary. I now get the feeling they will release it in 2010: the year Elvis turns 75... Giving SONY/BMG another great marketing oppertunity 3 years from now.

I personally think the box set craze is over, there is no demand for such a market anymore and it's been saturated to death. In fact, it's quite telling that 2003's "Close Up" (which apperently did not sell well at all compared to its predecessor) was the first set that was assembled from four discs all slated to be released originally on the FTD label as separate releases.

[drjohncarpenter]

August 16, 2007 may be a "milestone" date, but it hardly seems worth celebrating the 30th anniversary of Elvis dying on the floor of his bathroom at the too-young age of 42.

That said, FTD will have a very significant 3 CD collection on the market in the near future.

Some of you may not have heard, but Ernst and Roger are working on a definitive, fully illustrated FTD book from the SUN Records era, covering Elvis' first two years as a professional, 1954-55. It should include most -- if not all -- the music he left behind on three discs, in best-ever fidelity.

The discs should be thrilling, the book even more so.

[Juan Luis]

August 16, 2007 may be a "milestone" date, but it hardly seems worth celebrating the 30th anniversary of Elvis dying on the floor of his bathroom at the too-young age of 42.

That said, FTD will have a very significant 3 CD collection on the market in the near future.

Some of you may not have heard, but Ernst and Roger are working on a definitive, fully illustrated FTD book from the SUN Records era, covering Elvis' first two years as a professional, 1954-55. It should include most -- if not all -- the music he left behind on three discs, in best-ever fidelity.

The discs should be thrilling, the book even more so.

YES.

[ronnyg]

DJC expressed my sentiment exactly...I never understood why people choose to celebrate the death date (not just in Elvis' case) instead of the birth date. I suppose in Elvis' case, it's more practical to attract visitors in August than in January.

Yoko Ono is not my favorite person but at least she has made a conscious effort to move the date that people commemorate John Lennon from Dec 8 (his death) to Oct 9 (his birth).

[midnightx]

Perhaps one of the reasons that Sony/BMG have not chosen to issue a box set is because we are nearing the bottom of the barrel as far as out takes are concerned.

A startling comment, isn't it? But definitely true. I often wondered in the past how many more years can BMG provide us with new material. It seemed, to me, like ten years ago we were being flooded with box sets at every corner, and now it's become barely a trickle. And then one day, no matter how many decades into the future, one, two or seven...there will be absolutely nothing left to release.

The "well" may be getting slightly dry, but there is enough outtakes, rehearsals and multi-track live shows still in the vaults that could compile a quality boxset. It probably doesn't make a lot of financial sense for BMG/Sony to issue another set similar to Close Up and TT&F. It seems as though the main avenue they have chosen for outtakes, etc. is on the FTD label.

[Matthew]

The "well" may be getting slightly dry, but there is enough outtakes, rehearsals and multi-track live shows still in the vaults that could compile a quality boxset.

Depends what you mean by quality. There have already been boxsets with multitrack On Tour material, TTWII material. What outtakes? There is no concept to exploit other than just throwing together a bunch of unreleased material for the sake of it.

[etp]

Depends what you mean by quality. There have already been boxsets with multitrack On Tour material, TTWII material. What outtakes? There is no concept to exploit other than just throwing together a bunch of unreleased material for the sake of it.

Exactly. I can't think of a special theme that would make a boxset really interesting to the public. The Vegas Boxset was a loser in my opinion. A live box set would be interesting but what should be on those 4 discs that would it promotable enough!? The On Tour shows - that wouldn't take it alone.

I think you have also to consider that there is a lot of Elvis boxsets around. In my record stores around town is the TT&F box available again (which is the worst sounding of them all, sadly).

Looking at other artists like Johnny Cash or Bruce Springsteen or The Beatles, I can only find boxsets that collect favorite albums together with a handful of "rareties" (as the companies promotes them).

So - to get back to the LIVE box set - you could maybe collect the favorite live albums like
* In Person (1969 show)
* On Stage (1970 shows)
* Madison Square Garden
* Memphis 74
and present them in a DSD-remastered and extended/complete/repaired version. Which would make sense esp. for the MSG-Show and the Memphis Concert. As the Memphis gig is already released on the FTD label (although shity in sound as hell), this box set is not to happen, I'm afraid.

[JerryNodak]

I like the sound on Memphis '74 as is.

[Marko]

That said, FTD will have a very significant 3 CD collection on the market in the near future.

Some of you may not have heard, but Ernst and Roger are working on a definitive, fully illustrated FTD book from the SUN Records era, covering Elvis' first two years as a professional, 1954-55. It should include most -- if not all -- the music he left behind on three discs, in best-ever fidelity.

The discs should be thrilling, the book even more so.

As Paul McCartney once sang, that would be something, that really would be something.

[Rob V]

[quote="Matthew"]The have been many threads about this and the fact remains that in order to produce a boxset desireable to the fans it needs to comprise unreleased material - which is being released on FTD. 9 CD box sets have been released representing Elvis Presley:

The Complete 50s Masters
The Essential 60s Masters I
The Essential 70s Masters
Platinum
Elvis Aron Presley
A Golden Celebration
Live In Las Vegas
Today, Tomorrow, & Forever
Close Up

.... what about 'Collectors Gold' 3CD?

[Rob V]

[quote="Matthew"]
Much, much more than any other artist or group and all on the general market. In the meantime on the collectors label there is a new disc of material released every three months - essentially a 4CD box set worth of material every year since 1999/2000! What is the complaint here? The 25th anniversary was the big one and was covered very well.


Matthew,

I wouldn't say much, much more. Artist's like Frank Sinatra, Miles Davies & Johnny Cash have 'alot' of box sets.