A new Elvis Presley box set, celebrating his 90th birthday this year, is scheduled to arrive this summer. The collection will feature 89 tracks, just one shy of that birthday milestone, recorded during his final decade.
Sunset Boulevard will comb through Presley’s vault of recordings from the first half of the ’70s, when he and the TCB Band rehearsed for live performances in Los Angeles and laid down songs at the city’s RCA Studio C.
Of the 89 tracks found on the upcoming set, more than half have never been released in the U.S. The five-CD Sunset Boulevard is out on Aug. 1. You can hear an alternate version of 1972’s “Burning Love,” Presley’s last Top 10 hit now.
Following his 1968 comeback television special and the release of recordings made in Memphis in 1969, including his final No. 1, “Suspicious Minds,” Presley began performing regularly in Las Vegas, sparking a new wave of popularity before his 1977 death.
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In March 1972 and March 1975, Presley spent seven days recording material that became singles and appeared on albums such as 1973’s Separate Ways and 1975’s Today.
Among the songs recorded during the sessions are late-period classics “Burning Love” and “Always on My Mind,” both featured on Sunset Boulevard in master and alternate takes. Between the two Los Angeles sessions, Presley recorded at Memphis’ Stax Studios.
What’s on Elvis Presley’s ‘Sunset Boulevard’ Box Set?
The upcoming box set includes a disc of the newly mixed master versions of all 17 songs from the two Los Angeles sessions from the ’70s; a second CD features 17 outtakes and alternate recordings from the 1972 and 1975 sessions.
Like last year’s Memphis box, a collection of 1969 recordings, overdubs have been removed from the tracks, so only Presley’s vocals and the live band recordings are present.
The last three discs of Sunset Boulevard are filled with rehearsals Presley and the band performed in Los Angeles before concerts in 1970 and 1974.
The July 24, 1970, rehearsal spans one and a half CDs and includes songs that run through Presley’s career, from “That’s All Right” to “Love Me Tender” to “Don’t Cry Daddy.”
The final part of the set is taken from the rehearsal on Aug.16, 1974. It features newer songs from Presley’s repertoire, including “Promised Land,” “If You Talk in Your Sleep” and a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary.”
You can see the track listing for Sunset Boulevard below.
Elvis Presley, ‘Sunset Boulevard’ Track ListingDisc 1 – The Masters1. Burning Love2. Always On My Mind3. Where Do I Go From Here4. Separate Ways5. For The Good Times6. It’s A Matter Of Time7. Fool8. T-R-O-U-B-L-E9. And I Love You So10. Susan When She Tried11. Woman Without Love12. Shake A Hand13. Pieces Of My Life14. Fairytale15. I Can Help16. Bringin’ It Back17. Green, Green Grass Of Home
Disc 2 – Outtakes Highlights1. Separate Ways – Take 252. For The Good Times – Take 33. Where Do I Go From Here – Take 24. Burning Love – Take 25. Fool – Take 16. Always On My Mind – Take 27. It’s A Matter Of Time – Takes 1–38. It’s A Matter Of Time – Take 49. Fairytale – Take 210. Green, Green Grass Of Home – Takes 2 and 311. And I Love You So – Take 212. Susan When She Tried – Takes 1 and 213. T-R-O-U-B-L-E – Take 114. Tiger Man15. Shake A Hand – Take 216. Bringin’ It Back – Takes 2 and 317. Pieces Of My Life – Takes 2 and 3
Disc 3 – July 24, 1970 rehearsal1. That’s All Right2. I Got A Woman3. I Got A Woman4. The Wonder Of You5. I’ve Lost You6. The Next Step Is Love7. Stranger In The Crowd8. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’9. Something10. Don’t Cry Daddy11. Don’t Cry Daddy12. You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me13. Polk Salad Annie14. Bridge Over Troubled Water15. I Can’t Stop Loving You16. Just Pretend17. Sweet Caroline18. Love Me Tender19. Words20. Suspicious Minds21. I Just Can’t Help Believin’22. I Just Can’t Help Believin’
Disc 4 – July 24, 1970 rehearsal (continued)1. Tomorrow Never Comes2. Mary In The Morning3. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights4. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’5. Just Can’t Help Believin’6. Heart Of Rome7. Heart Of Rome8. Memories9. Johnny B. Goode10. Make The World Go Away11. Stranger In My Own Home Town12. I Washed My Hands in Muddy WaterAugust 16, 1974 rehearsal13. If You Love Me (Let Me Know)14. If You Love Me (Let Me Know)15. Promised Land16. Promised Land17. Down In The Alley18. Down In The Alley
Disc 5 – August 16, 1974 rehearsal (continued)1. It’s Midnight2. It’s Midnight3. Your Love’s Been A Long Time Coming4. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues5. Softly As I Leave You6. Softly As I Leave You7. I’m Leavin’8. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face9. Proud Mary10. If You Talk In Your Sleep11. If You Love Me (Let Me Know)12. If You Love Me (Let Me Know)13. The Twelfth Of Never14. Faded Love15. Just Pretend
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Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
