By the 1970's, the psychedelia of the decade before had written Elvis out of pop culture, and he was now operating outside of rock 'n' roll instead of helping to shape it. Nonetheless, the King re-dedicated himself to his craft. Elvis was working hard, but no longer felt the need to prove his worth to a world that now looked past him; he just made music to please himself. There were the vices & forces that were both lifting him up and dragging him down (the Colonel, drugs, Priscilla, food, Vegas, money, the Memphis Mafia), and it was reflected in his music: sometimes his singing was inspired, and other times he sounded exhausted. RCA has managed to assemble his best accomplishments from that era for this box set. Throughout the dozens of songs here, he sounds relaxed yet in command. The uptempo songs are outweighed by the ballads, but Elvis seems comfortable and sounds natural at all times.

Discs 1 & 2 contain all his singles and B-sides; this is where his most recognizable material appears ("Always On My Mind", "Burning Love"). Discs 3 & 4 collect "studio highlights" that display the King both in sharp focus at and mischevious play. Disc 5 is a concert disc where Elvis makes his already-familiar material sound fresh for the audience, even if he occasionally sounds a bit tired. His version of "Never Been To Spain" is a great concert highlight (I've enjoyed disc 5 more than other reviewers). What is most amazing is how easily Elvis navigates himself through so many styles. Song after song we hear him simmering down into varied grooves. Old-school blues with "Steamroller Blues", glossy rockabilly on "Promised Land", easy folk with "I'm Leavin'", slow-burning drama on "Make the World Go Away", and even some funk(!) with "If You Could Talk In Your Sleep." Who else can take a common country standard like "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" and turn it into his own soulful meditation on aging? "Moody Blue" could only be described as country-disco, and yet the song works! Even when adapting known classics (Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and two Beatles tunes), he gives the song the energy and respect it deserves.

Rock critic/author Dave Marsh built his essay accompanying this seminal, revisionist Elvis Presley box set around a pithy, powerful phrase, "Elvis sang." Doing so recalled the Bible verse, "Jesus wept," (John 11:35), describing Jesus' reaction to Lazarus' death before restoring His friend's life. Comparing the King of Kings to the "King of Rock and Roll" plays into hero-worship kitsch, tainting Presley's central role in American history and culture. But they are each compassionate, empathetic reactions, understatements prefacing extraordinary permanent action.

"Walk A Mile In My Shoes," compiles the many highlights from Presley's last seven years in studio and on stage, 110 tracks on five CDs. Its music and photo choices emphasize Elvis at his early-70s' strongest, musically and physically; no Elvis fan asked to commit to this set need see more "fat Elvis" photos or hear painful, half-forgotten live renditions from his last tours. Here is the rewritten final act Presley and his fans deserved.

Elvis reunited generations' musical tastes as painstakingly and completely as he divided them his amazing first years. He reassembled American music's puzzle from jagged pieces of R&B (Sanford Clark's "The Fool," with its fat guitar intro, "Pledging My Love," "If You Talk In Your Sleep," Faye Adams' "Shake A Hand"), traditional blues ("Muddy Water," Got My Mojo Workin'"), C&W/countrypolitan ("For The Good Times," "Green Green Grass of Home," "He'll Have To Go") melodramatic folk and story songs ("Early Morning Rain," the still-astounding "American Trilogy" ), black and Southern gospel music (an assertive "Amazing Grace," a rousing "Talk About The Good Times") and even lounge lizard pop and semi-disco ("Rags To Riches," "It's Impossible," "Moody Blue").

Throughout the years and styles, Presley sang in front of the consistent, versatile, distinctive TCB band (featuring renowned guitarist, James Burton, and underrated bassist Jerry Scheff). Its tight sound, especially on hits like "Promised Land," and a scalding live "Polk Salad Annie," is made even more muscular by Dennis Ferrante's clear remastering, especially on the older live tracks.

Yet within his music's refuge, Presley communicated the loneliness, isolation, and fear that removed him from his own life years before taking him from ours. It came through clearly in his two-sided 1972 hit "Always On My Mind/Separate Ways," but is present throughout cover songs like "It's Still Here," the heartbreaking "I'm Leavin'," 1975's melodramatic but still powerful hit, "My Boy," his live "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (tempered by a punch line about his jumpsuit) and, for that matter, every heartbroken ballad here. As his upbringing demanded and untimely death proved, Elvis Presley sang his sorrow more effectively than he could otherwise express it.

While not as essential musically or historically as RCA's model box set "The Complete 50s Sessions," "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" is nothing if not reassuring. Its statistics, essay, and photos will not convert pop culture ghouls and cynics who've mocked or piggybacked the jump-suited figure on its cover. But those who enjoyed Elvis' music until the end of his life and beyond needed reminding that their affection wasn't just from force of habit or cult of personality. It was for the music, and they deserved the vindication this remarkable, highly recommended set provides.

Even the Amazon.com comments had to mention the stereotypical myth of Elvis as the drug addicted, addled, fat, past his prime crooner. Fact is, Elvis was at his physical and artistic peak between 1969 and 1975. It was only the last 2 or 3 years of his life that Elvis got heavy, and the drugs went out of control. Even during that sad period, his voice continued to grow richer, his range growing as well. Bono characterized Elvis at the end of his life as an "opera singer," which is only a slight exaggeration, as is evident in tracks like "Hurt." The purists aren't going to like this, but Elvis' voice in the 50's was immature, and the sound quality sucked. In the 60's came the horrific movie songs from the horrific movies. So, in the 70's, Elvis' voice was at its peak, the sound was much improved, and for the most part, the songs were awesome--even if most are covers. Most of Elvis' covers are better than the original artist's performance. Elvis was at his very best in the 70's. You can't do better than this box set. It is the best of Elvis' best years.

Towards the end of his life, Elvis was showing signs of burnout and depression, even then, he could still rise to the occassion and belt out a great performance. This is the most comprehensive collection of his 1970's recordings available. It starts off with the classic "The Wonder Of You" and takes you right through all of the singles released before his pre-mature death, several great album cuts and alternate recordings, and a sample of his live show on the last CD. His outstanding performances on "Hurt" and "Moody Blue" show what he was capable of in the months before his death. Makes you think of what might have been...

If you already own the 50's and 60's box sets, naturally this one is a must-have. There are many great tracks, especially those recorded in the early 70's before Elvis got tired of recording albums and started to lose some of the passion in his voice. I had always heard people bad-mouth Elvis's 70's music, but after hearing this collection for the first time I couldn't understand why. Maybe those were the people who only heard the hits. But even the hits like "Burning Love", "Always on my Mind", "I've Lost You", and "Promised Land" were great. There are several B-sides that should've been singles like "Stranger in the Crowd", "You Asked Me To" and "Mary in the Morning". I could've done without the live tracks on disc number five. Live recordings always seem like filler to me. Instead of calling them "live" songs, they should call them "songs that you've already heard but less polished and with people screaming in the background". No thanks. Elvis was supposedly bored with the music business during these last years of his life and the live tracks support that belief. Oh well, there are still tons of great songs here. But this collection is not as complete as the 50's and 60's sets. There are many songs that didn't make it like "Three Corn Patches", "Never Again", "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", and tons more that would have been nice to hear instead of the live stuff. As much as I love this set, I can't help but feel sad thinking about "what might have been". There could've and should've been an 80's and 90's box set. There is no doubt in my mind Elvis would have continued his popularity all these years like Frank Sinatra did. What a shame. This set has a great booklet as well. Beware of other Box Sets other than the "Essential 50's, 60's and 70's". These are the best for your money. The other sets include many "alternate takes". There's a reason why those "alternate takes" were never released. Think about it. To summarize, this collection could have been better, but not by much.