I agree with this. When the 60's set was released, I remember being disappointed that it didn't contain songs like If I Can Dream and Can't Help Falling In Love. But after dissecting the set and realizing what Ernst and friends were going for, it made perfect sense and it makes for one of best Elvis sets to date. The only real problem I see with a 5 disc, 70's secular masters set is that it really doesn't leave much room, if any, for outtakes and alternates.ekenee wrote:
And furthermore it was not made for the casual music consumer.
No casual music consumer shells out the cash for an elaborate 5 disc set with a booklet.
That is for Elvis fans.
If all you wanted to do was give us the best of the 70's for a casual fan then a one or two disc set would suffice.
So to sum it up, as far as studio masters are concerned, with the 50's, you're pretty much covered with King of Rock 'N' Roll. A total of 5 CD's, no duplication, in one neat package.
60's are covered with:
From Nashville to Memphis (5CD)
Peace In The Valley (3CD) (covers 70's Gospel as well)
GI Blues
Blue Hawaii
Double Features (10CD)
Memories (2CD)
A total of 22 CD's with ZERO duplication.
70's you have to get:
Walk A Mile In My Shoes (5CD)
If Everyday Was Like Christmas
Love Letters
Now
Elvis(1973)
Raised On rock
Promised Land (Bonus Tracks--Good Times)
Today
Moody Blue (Bonus Tracks--From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee)
A total of 13 (15 if you can't find the bonus editions of PL and MB) CD's with considerable duplication.
This is why I would have favored a complete secular masters set for the 70's. It would have eliminated all the duplication, and me from having to track down all those 70's albums on CD after they were out of print! This also would have brought the complete studio master CD count down from 40 to 33, making it a less sloppy and overall more attractive package.