Elvis Aron Presley Box ahead of its time?

The June 1975 SB tapes sound OK to my ears. At that point RCA had in print material or complete shows from 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1977. That fact, coupled with the likelihood that Deary really didn't know what was in the archives in 1979-80 -- they were still cataloging tape then -- made the 1975 "Dallas show" a very decent choice.

Well, she must have at least known that there was unreleased multitrack live recordings from '72 (MSG) and '73 (Aloha) as she was there at the time. Also, I remember seing a photo in TMAHM of a tape containing August '69 live recording (marked opening night) that was mastered in 1979 or 1980. I wonder was it considered to be released at that time? It's pretty amazing that they didn't use that on silver or gold box sets.

But I do agree that Dallas show was a fine choice. I liked the show at time a lot and I never noticed any flaws in the sound department. Of course today the standard for sound quality has risen quite a bit due to techinal advances but in 1980 it was fine.

No offense is intended to those who knew Ms. Deary. However, the hubris of her attempt to take the production reins from Felton, who, for whatever his flaws, unlike Deary had actual experience making a pop record, has always rankled me as has the fact that her Legendary Performer Volumes were released with covers that could be confused with Elvis' current work. The comments I have read from her have betrayed a lack of knowledge of Elvis' cultural status and quite frankly EAP and LP aside, her product was consistently poor.

Look at the work that Geller did for the label in the ensuing years after her departure. Something like the two Rocker volumes, the care in assembling the material and the selection of the covers. Look that Geller went out and got Peter Guralnick to pen the notes on Reconsider Baby and The Complete Sun Sessions. Just look at the idea that Reconsider Baby was a blues album. Elvis' status as a blues singer was secret knowledge among Elvis' most diehard fans and knowledgeable critics but nobody in the rest of world had any clue? There's just a knowledge and passion for the music as well as an idea of what an LP should be and that it could say something that is not there in any package that Deary created.

Also it was on Geller's watch that one of the most important moves in posthumous Elvis history occurred, when RCA issued Elvis, Elvis Presley, Elvis' Christmas Album and Elvis' Golden Records in original mono sound instead of the reprocessed stereo in which they had been solely available for years (before Deary). Forget all the recent remasters. This was the sonic upgrade of all time. Those reprocessed stereo songs sounded horrible and that was how Elvis' 50s tracks sounded for almost two decades. Growing up with the reprocessed tracks, I accepted them. After listening to the original mono, it was like WTF when I went back and listened to the reprocessed stuff. RCA was the first major label to move "backwards" on a project like this (at least that's what the trades said at the time) and they've never looked back.

deleted by stan

Last edited by stan from tintane on Mon May 21, 2007 10:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I don't know about "ahead of it's time" or even what that means. If it is supposed to mean that it was the first multi-LP box set by a rock/pop artist, I don't think that it's true. The previous year (1979), "The Complete Buddy Holly" was released as a 5 or 6 LP set (I can't remember which). I don't know how commercially successful it was but it probably didn't do too much since it hasn't been released on CD.

I enjoyed (and still enjoy) everything Joan Deary had a hand in much more than I ever enjoyed anything Gellar did.

Joan Deary had a producer's credit on the original Gold Vol. 5, but I can tell you from conversations I had with her that the track selection was largely Gellar's.
Why aren't some of the Gold records that should have been there NOT there?? Because Gregg Gellar didn't like them.

Apparently Ernst doesn't either because Gold Vol 5 is still lacking. Try again, Ernst.

I don't know about "ahead of it's time" or even what that means. If it is supposed to mean that it was the first multi-LP box set by a rock/pop artist, I don't think that it's true. The previous year (1979), "The Complete Buddy Holly" was released as a 5 or 6 LP set (I can't remember which). I don't know how commercially successful it was but it probably didn't do too much since it hasn't been released on CD.

Of course EAP or the Buddy Holly box sets weren't the first multi-LP box sets by rock/pop artists. The Buddy Holly box set was superb as it brought together everything Holly had recorded (almost that is). The sound quality was also very good. However, apart from a few home recordings and other rarities the material had already been released previously. EAP had almost 100% unreleased and hard to find material in it but not really any new songs (just one actually). That's what made it special. The cd release of the Holly box set is long overdue. I believe there has been some legal problems that have hindred it's release on cd. They should include in it all the early material without the later overdubs and also the few home recordings that have only been available on bootlegs.

Perhaps you can enlighten me, Marko. Which pop/rock artist had a box prior to this (since you indicated that obviously others came before)? I think that the Dylan box from 1985 was the one that spawned the slew of boxes ever since as it was very successful. If I remember correctly, Springsteen came out with one shortly after that (a live set) and it went from there.

Perhaps you can enlighten me, Marko. Which pop/rock artist had a box prior to this (since you indicated that obviously others came before)? I think that the Dylan box from 1985 was the one that spawned the slew of boxes ever since as it was very successful. If I remember correctly, Springsteen came out with one shortly after that (a live set) and it went from there.

Just of the top of my head, The Beatles released a couple of box sets in the late 70's and early 80's. Also, Elvis himself had a box set released in '70 (Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits Vol 1) and in '75 by Reader's Digest. I'm sure there are others as well but you're certainly correct in that it wasn't as common back then. The cd era certainly changed that.

I enjoyed (and still enjoy) everything Joan Deary had a hand in much more than I ever enjoyed anything Gellar did.

All I can say is ... "wow."

Joan Deary had a producer's credit on the original Gold Vol. 5, but I can tell you from conversations I had with her that the track selection was largely Gellar's. Why aren't some of the Gold records that should have been there NOT there?? Because Gregg Gellar didn't like them.

Interesting. Gregg Geller's name is nowhere on that LP. Howvever, what essential tracks are missing? The June 1970 recordings on 45 that went gold seem to be ignored, but perhaps the goal was to avoid the MOR direction Elvis took in the 1970s. The ten included were:

Suspicious Minds
Kentucky Rain
In The Ghetto
Clean Up Your Own Backyard
If I Can Dream
Burning Love
If You Talk In Your Sleep
For The Heart
Moody Blue
Way Down

Looks as close to "all killer, no filler" as can be.

Ronny G- in its ahead of its time I meant a boxed set release solely dedicated to rarities. The boxed set was a niche specialty at this time, many doo wop artists as well as Holly had their entire output released in the box form in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Although it only takes up two CDs today, when it was first released in 1970 50 Worldwide Gold Award Hits was a multi-LP boxed set.

And one of my earliest introductions to his hits, after "Golden Records" (Volume One)....

LTB, I guess you make some good points. I felt like I had come out of the desert when the Sun / Memphis '69 and other releases came out in the '80s.

I'm not really all that fond of Deary's releases, come to think of it, but I guess I just think that hindsight is 20/20 and she did what she could. The timing was right for Geller to do the blues album (etc.), but would it have been in '80 or '81? We'll never know.

I just know that from comments made here, as well as the audio-clip (do give it a listen!) and the notes to the Gold Box show that she was doing great behind the scenes work on those home recordings, right down to adding weights to records to make them play right. She was more than a Steve Sholes, I'll put it that way, and even he wasn't all bad.

Like Elvis' lowest moments of the '60s and even (gasp) "Colonel Parker" I accept that this is what happened during (or after) Elvis' career and it relates as much to Elvis (or his recordings) and the context they were made available in as much as any one "executive producer" or other actor was able to pull off.

I guess you've managed to make clear that she probably should have been "voted off the island" much sooner, but in time, having access to so much Presley material, I really can't get that worked up over it. I can get that way about decisions made during his career (no Betty Ford-like detox, "Queenie Waheenie," or "Burning Love and Other Hits From His Movies..") but what she put out at the end, well, learning how to package Elvis as an artist after 1977 was hardly self-evident. To this day, we still see that it's not always obvious.

Also, I would say that Elvis' depression and career decisions brought on the spectacle of him competing with Deary-sponsored projects like the "Legendary Performer" LPs. He might have benefited from analyzing why these releases struck a chord, unlike his mostly erratic and downbeat '70's original output.

The thing was Greg that the covers on the LP releases were very similar to the covers of Elvis' current releases creating the potential for much confusion. What's worse is that it was not indicative of the actual product which was primarily '50s and '60s songs.

I do not find legendary releases like others whatsover..It was same format as other artists series..Gellers rocker series was bad with Elvis looking like James Dean more than himself and someone that did not exist..Always On My Mind album with Aloha meets Vegas art!BAD.

I know what you mean about Rocker but then, Elvis did model himself after James Dean in the '50s, among others. Given how badly his image was by '84-85, I loved that record as an antidote for friends who didn't get why Elvis was once considered such a "bad-ass."

No offense is intended to those who knew Ms. Deary. However, the hubris of her attempt to take the production reins from Felton, who, for whatever his flaws, unlike Deary had actual experience making a pop record, has always rankled me as has the fact that her Legendary Performer Volumes were released with covers that could be confused with Elvis' current work. The comments I have read from her have betrayed a lack of knowledge of Elvis' cultural status and quite frankly EAP and LP aside, her product was consistently poor.

Look at the work that Geller did for the label in the ensuing years after her departure. Something like the two Rocker volumes, the care in assembling the material and the selection of the covers. Look that Geller went out and got Peter Guralnick to pen the notes on Reconsider Baby and The Complete Sun Sessions. Just look at the idea that Reconsider Baby was a blues album. Elvis' status as a blues singer was secret knowledge among Elvis' most diehard fans and knowledgeable critics but nobody in the rest of world had any clue? There's just a knowledge and passion for the music as well as an idea of what an LP should be and that it could say something that is not there in any package that Deary created.

Also it was on Geller's watch that one of the most important moves in posthumous Elvis history occurred, when RCA issued Elvis, Elvis Presley, Elvis' Christmas Album and Elvis' Golden Records in original mono sound instead of the reprocessed stereo in which they had been solely available for years (before Deary). Forget all the recent remasters. This was the sonic upgrade of all time. Those reprocessed stereo songs sounded horrible and that was how Elvis' 50s tracks sounded for almost two decades. Growing up with the reprocessed tracks, I accepted them. After listening to the original mono, it was like WTF when I went back and listened to the reprocessed stuff. RCA was the first major label to move "backwards" on a project like this (at least that's what the trades said at the time) and they've never looked back.

You're right about the Legendary covers. I guess coming off that deal with RCA in '73 (?), the door was opened for even a more confused catalog policy. But those LEGENDARY covers were pretty iconic. Volume 3 used a great '50s shot, after his death. I was blown away by "Danny" on that record...


You're so right about the sound. I was embarrassed to realize that I had grown up that echo-laden, "fake stereo" sound so when the Geller-restored mono Lps came out, I realized I had been listening to the wrong stuff.

Part of me has a weird nostalgia for that "electronically-reprocessed stereo" ....

I had no problem with stereo reprocessed cause in my room I had a small MONO record player!!! And THE STEREO SYSTEM in my house was off limits to kids!!

And they inadvertantly created a total audiophile as a result!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Elvis-Aron-Presley- ... dZViewItem

EAP box on ebay.