Out of a possible 10 - Rate the Complete Elvis Masters Box?

#913559

I don`t mind starting off - 9.5 ::rocks

#913564

You can't give it a ten because of the omission of the My Boy outtakes on the "rarities" discs.

#913566

I have to admit that was a good one midnightx!

#913572

midnightx wrote:You can't give it a ten because of the omission of the My Boy outtakes on the "rarities" discs.

Just for that statement alone, I'd give it a +1000 out of 10.

#913575

On a reasonable human standard, I'd give it a 10.

On an obsessive Elvis freak standard, I'd give it a 9.5

To an obsessive Elvis freak, that 0.5 point counts for a lot, though, as every imperfection cuts like a knife.

#913582

elvissessions wrote:On a reasonable human standard, I'd give it a 10.

On an obsessive Elvis freak standard, I'd give it a 9.5

To an obsessive Elvis freak, that 0.5 point counts for a lot, though, as every imperfection cuts like a knife.

I'd agree with this. I wouldn't say it is perfect. The book slightly underwhelmed me. And although it is a very sleek, minimalistic yet classy overall design that I will cherish for many years to come; one cannot help feeling there could have been more put into it. I've no real qualms about the actual music content. I think they did as good a job as possible in the tracklisting and what was given. And the stunning remasters and vintage mixes are just as good as they will ever be. I just feel the overall package was lacking something slightly. The essay in the book was too short and sweet. There wasn't enough critical overview I think, I know it's a massive task, but with the time and effort gone into making it, I think they should have held it off for just another year and put a bit more into it. I know Ernst covered a lot in his A Life In Music book, but I do think a lot of that kind of stuff should have gone with this product. Some real detail into the sessions, the individual songs, the arrangements, the albums, the cover arts, the publishing, the live concerts, the rehearsals etc. Elvis' personal life is so often discussed, and really researched and analyzed to a staggering degree in multiple high class books. I just think something extra special and real in-depth about everything to do with his recording career could have been thrown into this. Something just way out there, to a scope and degree never done so before. The staggering amount of recorded material, and the quality of it, on the 30 Discs deserves it.

I think multiple books if you like, might have been the way forward. Maybe even more pictures. Even input from songwriters who wrote for Elvis. People who played in his bands. The people who produced the sessions. I don't know, I just feel there was a real chance for something special to have been done in a critical sense in regards to his music. I may just be rambling on and repeating myself, but they are my thoughts.

Overall, for what it is, it cannot be faulted. The book itself is still an amazing thing to just even look at. Just the mere quality and beauty of it is enough. Maybe I felt underwhelmed because the design is so understated and minimalistic. I guess with Elvis, one expects everything to be a bit over the top. Maybe it was a conscious decision, a kind of artistic way of just saying, let the music do the talking. The actual case that houses the CDs, or 'private music vault', as they call it, is absolutely gorgeous. Opening that hand made wooden 'vault' up still gives me a childish excitement now.

Overall, one knew what they were purchasing as it was fully presented and shown on the website. It's a stunning document of an amazing career and a product quite frankly every other artist could only dream of. It is the ultimate collection and will remain so. Nothing can top it simply because of the sheer scale of the product. And gripes about the 'extras' aside, because that's all there is, the real focus of the release, the music, is spot on.

#913584

I think what I was trying to say in that almost incomprehensible, tired and rather long-winded post was that, rather crudely put, I think there should have just been a lot more stuff to dig into. More stuff to look at, to marvel at, to read, to just admire and keep you entertained for many hours to come - besides from the content found on the discs.

But hey, don't get me wrong, I still wouldn't trade it for the world.

Matthew · #913590

My opinions largely echo those of elvissessions and Good Time Charlie. The written content of the book was somewhat underwhelming against the focus of the box-set. I more sessions focused approach getting to the nitty gritty of the music making would have been more fitting.

As for the audio content, it almost hits the bullseye, almost. A couple of audio errors are irritations (You Don't Know Me and Promised Land) and I'm still of the opinion those errors should have been fixed at Sony's cost but otherwise it is a stellar presentation.

So I also give it a 9.5.

#913591

9.5 for sound quality, 9 for content. The set pretty much ignores mono masters post-1960 (and certainly the quad masters from 1969 though 1976, but no penalty there from me) which I would have liked to have seen included. Still, an amazing set, and I love Vic's work here.

#913594

Matthew wrote:My opinions largely echo those of elvissessions and Good Time Charlie. The written content of the book was somewhat underwhelming against the focus of the box-set. I more sessions focused approach getting to the nitty gritty of the music making would have been more fitting.

As for the audio content, it almost hits the bullseye, almost. A couple of audio errors are irritations (You Don't Know Me and Promised Land) and I'm still of the opinion those errors should have been fixed at Sony's cost but otherwise it is a stellar presentation.

So I also give it a 9.5.

What's wrong with Promised Land? (I don't have the set)

Matthew · #913599

monkboughtlunch wrote:What's wrong with Promised Land? (I don't have the set)

The first cowbell strike is missing. It is the same error that appeared on the Franklin Mint version. The error was caught and fixed and appears on "Elvis 75 - Good Rockin' Tonight" but the repair didn't make it onto "Complete Masters" unfortunately and no one caught it despite the efforts to fix it before release. Even though it was released later the "Complete Masters" set was finished before "Elvis 75".

#913605

Matthew wrote:
monkboughtlunch wrote:What's wrong with Promised Land? (I don't have the set)
The first cowbell strike is missing. It is the same error that appeared on the Franklin Mint version. The error was caught and fixed and appears on "Elvis 75 - Good Rockin' Tonight" but the repair didn't make it onto "Complete Masters" unfortunately and no one caught it despite the efforts to fix it before release. Even though it was released later the "Complete Masters" set was finished before "Elvis 75".

Will Sony not issue a replacement disc?

Matthew · #913616

monkboughtlunch wrote:
Matthew wrote:
monkboughtlunch wrote:What's wrong with Promised Land? (I don't have the set)
The first cowbell strike is missing. It is the same error that appeared on the Franklin Mint version. The error was caught and fixed and appears on "Elvis 75 - Good Rockin' Tonight" but the repair didn't make it onto "Complete Masters" unfortunately and no one caught it despite the efforts to fix it before release. Even though it was released later the "Complete Masters" set was finished before "Elvis 75".
Will Sony not issue a replacement disc?

I do not believe this will happen now, especially after so long. It would essentially mean creating a new disc 25 glass master, pressing however many discs and mailing them out to people.

#913642

The Best Box Set Of All Time!

#913654

Sold mine! I honestly couldn't hear an improvment in sound quality,apart from the sun tracks,and hopefully we'll have these in the upcoming ftd release.I still enjoy the 90s box sets,excellent sound,nice artwork,and cds in plastic cases.
I honestly dont see the point of owning the masters set if you already have the aforementioned 90s box sets along with the silver,gold,platinum,close up,today,tommorow and forever,live in las vegas sets.......plus the ongoing ftd re-releases of classic albums. Having said all the above i guess buying the complete masters if your a new fan is a cheaper way to go,but having said that,when i look back over the past 40 years of collecting Elvis half the fun has been the building of a large collection.

#913664

draig goch wrote:Sold mine! I honestly couldn't hear an improvment in sound quality,apart from the sun tracks,and hopefully we'll have these in the upcoming ftd release.I still enjoy the 90s box sets,excellent sound,nice artwork,and cds in plastic cases.
I honestly dont see the point of owning the masters set if you already have the aforementioned 90s box sets along with the silver,gold,platinum,close up,today,tommorow and forever,live in las vegas sets.......plus the ongoing ftd re-releases of classic albums. Having said all the above i guess buying the complete masters if your a new fan is a cheaper way to go,but having said that,when i look back over the past 40 years of collecting Elvis half the fun has been the building of a large collection.

Very well said. Also ive heard more people saying the soundquality isn't that ''good'' as said. A good decision, not to waste money on a product, the content you already have for years.

Matthew · #913666

There is obvious discernible improvement over the noise-reduced 50s and 60s sets, and the 70s set featuring largely remixed material. If one can't hear it, more power to you. Anyone who hasn't heard the set should not comment on its sound.

#913670

Oh yes. Ive heard the set. No big improvement at all. The big hype around this set, didnt ''catch'' me.

#913678

elvissessions wrote:On a reasonable human standard, I'd give it a 10.

On an obsessive Elvis freak standard, I'd give it a 9.5

To an obsessive Elvis freak, that 0.5 point counts for a lot, though, as every imperfection cuts like a knife.

Obsessive Elvis Freak...Love it!!

#913680

I don't know if I can rate this set fairly as I haven't really listened to much of it.

It's lovely to look at, but I find it too much of a chore to get to a particular tracks. Lift the box off the shelf, place it flat to open it, lift out the book to access the cds, look at the index to find what I'm looking for, and then dig out the specific CD. And then you have to do all that in reverse when you're finished.

It's much easier to just grab a cd off the rack.

Beautiful set, but it sits on the shelf more than gets 'used'. But then again, as a collector, a lot of my stuff sits on a shelf most of the time!

#913690

KevinK wrote:I don't know if I can rate this set fairly as I haven't really listened to much of it.

It's lovely to look at, but I find it too much of a chore to get to a particular tracks. Lift the box off the shelf, place it flat to open it, lift out the book to access the cds, look at the index to find what I'm looking for, and then dig out the specific CD. And then you have to do all that in reverse when you're finished.

It's much easier to just grab a cd off the rack.

Beautiful set, but it sits on the shelf more than gets 'used'. But then again, as a collector, a lot of my stuff sits on a shelf most of the time!

Easy solution - burn it to disc and keep the burned CDs on the rack for easy retrieval.

Matthew · #913691

nevermind wrote:Oh yes. Ive heard the set. No big improvement at all. The big hype around this set, didnt ''catch'' me.

Those of us that care about good audio can enjoy it, and those that don't give a rats about good audio don't have to worry! But let me tell you, illegal mp3 downloads don't do it justice.

#913713

Matthew wrote:
nevermind wrote:Oh yes. Ive heard the set. No big improvement at all. The big hype around this set, didnt ''catch'' me.
Those of us that care about good audio can enjoy it, and those that don't give a rats about good audio don't have to worry! But let me tell you, illegal mp3 downloads don't do it justice.

But i do enjoy good audio! And the complete masters is good audio? however to my ears it wasn't superior to the 90s box sets and ftd releases and thats why i sold my set.I also wasn't keen on the way the cd's were stored i much prefer plastic cd cases,and also the way the cd's are stored in the final curtain/ttwii complete works box sets,which by the way have far more attractive packaging than the sony masters!

#913798

It is pretty amazing that some people can not hear the improvement. I don't have either one of the big sets. Maybe in the future I will make the purchase. But many of the remasters are out on smaller packages. For me it is a no brainer and I can not really debate it. The remasters are the best sound quality ever for Elvis recordings.

#913807

For Elvis CD Collectors