Complete 68 Comeback Special: 40th Anniversary Edition [Box set]

Elvis Presley | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 5, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B001AX60KU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,698 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

During a career of invention and re-invention the'68 Comeback Special is perhaps THE pivotal performance of Elvis' career. He was back from the movie career that had kept him away from the live arena throughout most of the 60's and what's more he looked and sounded amazing. To celebrate the 40th anniversary we are releasing the Complete '68 Comeback Special, a box set that features the whole story from the rehearsals to the finished show, outtakes and rarely heard gems. Deluxe Edition - 4 disc box set including over 103 songs, CD sized Box with text foil stamped lift off lid. Each disc is housed in mini LP style wallets with a 36 page booklet. This album contains 8 previously unreleased tracks.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Another good idea shot to hell by RCA/BMG!..., August 8, 2008

By 

Michael Slater (Massapequa Park, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete 68 Comeback Special: 40th Anniversary Edition (Audio CD)

RCA/BMG have taken yet another potentially great idea for a new release and screwed it up again! Will it never end?! The title "Complete '68 Comeback Special" is a LIE in itself. This set is NOT COMPLETE! The big blunder is the fact that disc 1 is called "The Original Album", which is the LAST thing they should have included here! I enjoyed it when it was first released, but I think that most serious Elvis fans have learned since then that there were MANY things wrong with this LP! A lot of what should be in true stereo were only included in flat mono sound, including "Memories" and "If I Can Dream" and the opening of the Gospel Medley ("Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child") was completely cut from the album. The instrumental breaks on this medley were shortened as well. A few years back, RCA released the 2-disc set "Memories-The'68 Comeback Special", and although this was far from complete, it DID include the entire Gospel Medley completely un-cut! Why then did they go back to releasing the cut version on this set which claims to be complete?! You would think a set like this would by now be the definitive version, but it's not! I really believe the label does these things purposely to get as much money out of the poor Elvis fan as they can! Even the huge DVD set of this show had a mistake in it. The "It Hurts Me" sequence was only included in separate pieces (the way it was filmed) and not in its' entirety! A 4-disc set!...and I also had to go out and buy the single disc version, which came out later, just to have this entire song sequence, which is one of my favorites! If you're a casual Elvis fan, then these things probably won't mean anything to you...but if you're a die-hard fan like me, then you'll still be longing for RCA/BMG to get something right so we won't have to keep buying it over and over!

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT BUY SONY/BMG ELVIS--BUY FTD RECORDS...., March 30, 2010

By 

New-York City Historian "Chris Belena" (Brooklyn, NYC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete 68 Comeback Special: 40th Anniversary Edition (Audio CD)

Sony/BMG purchased RCA years ago and since then they have destroyed the entire Elvis catalog and saturated the market with multiple compilations --How many times do we need to have "Hound Dog"?????-- instead or reissuing Elvis' original catalog in a fine remastered way with eco packaging and original artwork--as is the latest trend and one that is quite appealing. But, what else would you expect from a foreign company? (Sony/BMG is a German company).

However, SONY/BMG does not hold the rights to everything that Elvis recorded. In fact, Graceland has formed FTD (Follow That Dream records) and they issue top-quality cds for the true Elvis fan. Hard to get performances well worth the money--a few dollars more than the standard cd.

So, if you really want Elvis' music as it should be, you can find the original studio releases and then go to [...] and purchase great cds from Graceland! Say NO to Sony/BMG!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quality presentation fit for The King!, March 17, 2010

By 

Piers Beagley "Piers - from the ElvisInfoNet" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete 68 Comeback Special: 40th Anniversary Edition (Audio CD)

When this was released it had been a fair while since Sony/BMG released a top-class Elvis product to the general public.

The Deluxe Version contains over 100 songs, a 32 page booklet & with each disc housed in stylish mini LP paper sleeves. The box is CD sized with text foil stamped lift-off lid.

The presentation is one of the best ever from BMG and both releases contain a delightful 32 page booklet of photos and memorabilia. The text by Harvey Kubernick nicely sets the scene and includes some interesting stories from Elvis' buddy Lance LeGault including,,,

"Elvis and I played a lot of music over the years," LeGault acknowledges. "He sang all the time. We didn't go to lunch breaks; we went to dressing rooms and jammed. Now, Elvis was very insecure when we started and I think that's why he called me up. Because Elvis had a charming insecurity. But then he warmed up and relaxed, which didn't take long. Look at the opening of that sit-down part - he had an acoustic guitar. And then he traded with Scotty and took the electric. And then it all became electric."

There is the thought that as serious Elvis fans, haven't we bought the entire musical content before? This is of course basically true and I admit that the 2000 BMG double CD 'Memories' is one of best "Comeback" compiles around.

However I disagree with the other reviewer here as on this set we not only get the ORIGINAL Album version (The 'Memories' set was a very different compilation) but there is something refreshing about the way this new set has been compiled. Once I started playing these CDs I was grabbed once again by how fresh and exciting this rock'n'roll renaissance still sounds even forty years later.

The second CD of the first Sit-Down and Stand-Up shows cleverly leads us from Elvis jamming with the boys on his very first release 'That's All Right' through a fabulous revitalisation of his classic songs all the way to the stunning 'If I Can Dream' which would be his newest single. It is still a fascinating musical journey.

I was also surprised by my realisation of just how many "old" movies songs Elvis used in this TV Special. In this Beatles/Byrds era Elvis could have been taking a chance using some of these old "corny" songs like 'Little Egypt', 'Let Yourself Go' even 'Can't Help Falling In Love' and 'Love Me Tender' which might have sounded way out of date. Remember that none of us had ever heard Elvis sings ANY of these songs LIVE since the fifties!

However the new Billy Goldenburg arrangements and the power of Elvis' vocal push these and every song into something full of soul and passion. It's a real revitalisation, a new breath of life. Did his vocal for Love Me Tender or Can't Help Falling In Love ever sound better?

My only negative is that unfortunately BMG decided to use the original Master Tape of the TV-Special, and despite the work of their best sound engineer Vic Anesini it does sound terribly rough at times. But this is to be expected since the tape was always a poor quality Master and, as on previous releases, you can even hear the tape creases go by. Reading the JAT '68 At 40 Retrospective' book one perhaps can understand why, since the wily Colonel made sure that RCA never truly paid for the Steve Binder/Bones Howe produced tapes. Maybe it is karma at work!

In any case it is after all the original album sequencing that we all have a nostalgic fondness for and the audio quality is not something that the general public will baulk at. The original album is also now bolstered by the bonus stereo tracks, plus the new releases of the "A Legendary Performer Vol.3" versions of 'It Hurts Me' and 'Let Yourself Go' - and mah boy, mah boy, do they sound great!

Noting a positive audio improvement, the sound on the other 3 discs has been upgraded to a better quality than on previous releases. Noticeable is the improvement on the tracks from the very first FTD release 'Burbank '68` which was mastered too loud and had clipping and distortion on the audio peaks.

The third CD features both second shows and because of this both Elvis and the band have relaxed more into the live situation and Elvis messes around a bit more. He even fluffs `Heartbreak Hotel' at the start! However he feels inspired enough to try out the gorgeous `Santa Claus Is Back In Town' "My favourite Christmas song of all the ones I have ever recorded" even if he has forgotten the lyrics. Similarly 'When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again' gets a proper work-out at the second show.

It's particularly nice to enjoy the full second Stand-Up show (several tracks were edited out on the 'Burbank '68 ' release) with the fun of Elvis trying to conquer the `Trouble/Guitar Man' playback. Left standing alone he has to entertain the audience, "They're gonna' put me away for a while" as he sings `MacArthur Park' and `Tip-Toe Through The Tulips'. "It's getting embarrassing standing out here Steve. I've got to do something."

The rehearsals CD is not one that one would play often but there are still plenty of revelations as Elvis and his friends laugh and kick around some ideas a few days before the actual Studio recordings.

Tracks like 'Blue Moon/Young Love' ("I tell you there are 500 songs with that same chord") 'When It Rains, It Really Pours' ("Goddamn that's high!"), 'That's My Desire' and Elvis' delight in 'Love Me' and 'When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again' (how strange that they never made it onto the TV Special LP) are just some of the really enjoyable moments.

In the end this is a "General Public" release providing the best of all four shows plus rehearsals and as such is one of BMG's best releases in years.

I realise that if, like myself, you have bought every individual FTD and BMG release (i.e. Tiger Man, Memories and FTDs 'Burbank '68' & Let Yourself Go) then you will have all the content - but of course not all the songs in their correct context. However the whole package is something too good to miss out on not to "Let Yourself Go" and enjoy this wonderful celebration one more time. It is, after all, only slightly more expensive than one FTD digi-pack release.

Overall Verdict: An essential celebration of Elvis at his best. Personally I was happy to pay the $15 extra for the Deluxe edition with its printed CD slip-cases. All in all, great value and hours of musical entertainment from Elvis at his best.

A quality presentation fit for The King!

For full review and images go to the Elvis Information Network website [...]