To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, RCA has released "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" - a four-CD collection of previously unreleased material that chronicles virtually every aspect of his career. There are many gems in this box set: the exciting live tracks from Presley's 1956 concert in Little Rock; private recordings of "The Fool" and "Hide Thou Me"; revealing alternate takes from the 1960s and '70s (minus the instrumental overdubs); and more highlights of the King's 1969 Vegas triumph. Of course, there are a few ghastly numbers that should have remained in the RCA vaults, such as "My Desert Serenade" and "Life." However, some of the lesser-known movie tracks are worthy of revival: "Please Don't Stop Loving Me," "This Is My Heaven," "Long Legged Girl" and "Stay Away." By providing a chronological overview of his studio work, "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" gives Elvis Presley's recording legacy the respect it always deserved.

Five years ago, to celebrate the 20th anniversity of Elvis' death (and exactly WHY does BMG find it necessary to commemorate the DEATH of their greatest recording artist? $$$$), BMG released a four-CD set entitled Platinum: A Life in Music. It was a very nicely done 100 track collection of hits and unreleased tracks. Now, five years and many vault-scrapings later, we are treated to yet another 100 unreleased tracks which supposedly "celebrate" the 25th anniversery of Elvis' death ($$$$).

Surprisingly, most of the recordings hold up well. The obvious highlight is the 1956 live Little Rock recording on disc one. Also noteworthy are 1959 home recording of "The Fool" (recorded by Elvis some 11 years later for Elvis Country) and a spectacular 1969 live recording of "Funny How Time Slips Away".

Mostly, though, these alternate takes don't really sound that different from the released masters. In several cases, these takes are significantly inferior to the released versions. Examples include a plodding take of "The Next Step is Love" and a simply pathetic early take of "For the Heart", which gives credence to the popular argument that late-period Elvis was a doped-up has-been (This is NOT the case! Just listen to the Moody Blue and Promised Land CDs). And then there are the miserable-sounding (quality-wise) takes of "Doncha Think It's Time" and "Got a Lot of Livin' to Do" which add absolutely nothing to any understanding of Elvis' 50's material.

Finally, I would like to point out that, although this is at least 3rd "alternate" take that has been released in recent years, the recording of "In the Ghetto" presented here is at least as good as the original master.

Over all, this recording will go a long way towards pleasing hard-core fans (like myself). Everybody else, however, would probably be well advised to pass this one by.

The masters box sets are out there. This set is exactly what it purports to be. The versions that were not choosen as a master. The sound is great and the liner notes are interesting as well. I certainly don't want to keep buying releases with the same popular songs every year[s]or so.

It is said that the enjoyment of travel is the road to the destination. This collection is the road to the destination. It really disgusts me to read all the so called Elvis experts comment negatively about the Kings life.[eg. the 70s were a waste, his movies stunk] All of his stuff is good- 50s, 60s, 70s as well as most of his movies. The King was just a man trying to please his intelligent fans as well as a bunch of "Moody Blue"(read the lyrics if you don't know them)Monday Morning Quarterback type fans. It makes no difference that the King wrote no songs in the 70s, he embarassed those who think writing and singing the song is a mutually dependent proposition. I enjoyed these tracks and wish there was one or more discs of this material. The King is has a beautiful voice.

I am an admirer of Presley's work and I've got pretty good sized library of his music. However, with this set, the well is running dry. The first cd is easily the best. After that, you're left with 3 cd's of material that never saw the light of day after being recorded and you'll know why. At worst, and, sadly, at best, the tracks are listenable. They are mediocre. Elvis was, by most accounts, a perfectionist when it came to his music. That's why so many alternate takes were made before he was satisfied with a final version. With this set, you're not getting repackages of the same hits or really good alternate versions of songs that are sometimes even better than what was released originally. Instead, you get alternate takes that Elvis was unsatisfied with from the start and were never given a second listen until now. I'm afraid it's time to accept that the best of what Elvis did, what Elvis WANTED you to hear, is already out there. The '50's, '60's, & '70's Masters boxed sets and the Platinum collection are must-haves for any Presley fan. Unless something really incredible comes along, BMG is just beating a dead hound dog.

The cover shot from the '50s should win an award - it's Elvis at the studio mike in 1956 and it's a great representation of this four CD collection of Elvis the singer, musician, producer, arranger.

There's about two and a half CDs' worth of stuff begging revisitation, and here are the real standouts of these previously unreleased tracks: the '50s: Harbor Lights, with a superlative Scotty Moore guitar intro. and a solid closing note from Elvis; the live Long Tall Sally, I Was The One, I Got a Woman, classic arrangements well executed; Is It So Strange, vocally even better than the originally released cut; Doncha Think It's Time, with substandard sound still fabulous, often mentioned as one of the reference tracks for the original two issues. The '60s: Are You Lonesome Tonight?, a masterful take, much different from the well-known hit, but with another classic spoken bridge; Anything That's Part Of You, another perfectly performed ballad, one of his absolute best even in this originally unused form; A Boy Like Me, A Girl Like You, another amazing vocal - there's a touch of Paul Anka on this movie number, which incidentally is better mixed here than on the '62 album and thereafter - too bad Elvis' voice is too far back in some spots; Today, Tomorrow, And Forever, the very long-awaited Elvis/Ann-Margret duet version, not quite *there* but containing pieces of sound well beyond the expected - the classical harmony is impressive, although a bit heavy; Indescribably Blue, a new take on the slightly overblown 1966 attempt at reclaiming the Top 20 with a stirring ballad, Elvis' vocal is actually more powerful on this previously unissued try; My Babe, a bold and gritty live in 1969 workout. The '70s: See See Rider, this is perhaps one of three entries here which could have/should have seen the light of day at some point during Elvis' lifetime - there's no way to listen to this thing sitting down - alright Big El!; Your Love's Been A Long Time Coming, a lesser-discussed Presley beat ballad.

There's ofcourse alot of songs contained that can only be fully appreciated by deep fans, or those who enjoy comparing the outtake with the first commercial release. There are about ten tracks which wouldn't be missed by serious *or* casual fans.

But two and a half CDs worth of gems is still fine. Just one more thing, RCA/BMG - in the future please don't use use up so much time with studio Engineers' voices and with Elvis' own miscues. What's the point?