I was 20 when I wrote this review back in 1995 for The Elvis Beat #13, my official Elvis Presley Fan Club newsletter.

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Compiling a 5-CD 1970s boxed set apparently presented quite a challenge to RCA. Elvis released over 200 songs in the 1970s, including many live concert recordings.

Let’s take a step back. The predecessor set, the 5-CD ELVIS: From Nashville To Memphis – The Essential 60s Masters I, compiled all of his secular, non-soundtrack studio masters from that decade. His gospel music, movie tunes, television special, and live recordings were saved for future projects. This approach even allowed room for 19 previously unreleased tracks. A 2-CD “best of 1960s movie tunes” set, ELVIS: Command Performances – The Essential 60s Masters II, came out earlier this year.

Could an approach like this have worked for The Essential 70s Masters? The set could probably have compiled all of his secular studio masters from the 1970s onto 5 CDs. The gospel masters, after all, have already been released on last year’s 2-CD Elvis Presley: Peace In The Valley – His Greatest Sacred Performances. The live masters, already released as individual albums as part of the “Elvis In The 90s” series, could have been saved for future projects, such as a Command Performances-style 2-CD “best of 1970s live” sequel to The Essential 70s Masters – which, tellingly does not include a volume “I” indicator in its subtitle as the 1960s set did.

The problem? There would have been little to no room for previously unreleased tracks on such a set. What incentive would Elvis fans who were keeping up with the individual album re-releases of the “Elvis In The 90s” set have to buy such a boxed set? The liner notes and page of album cover stamps?

Since it appears RCA was committed to the 5-CD format, and we know Elvis fans wanted previously unreleased material, RCA decided to risk the wrath of the fans and do a 5-CD “best of 1970s” set.

The first two CDs of ELVIS: Walk A Mile In My Shoes – The Essential 70s Masters compile the A and B sides of his secular singles from the period. Elvis’ singles often had high-quality songs on both sides. In fact, it is nearly impossible to determine which song is the “A” or “B” side on many Elvis records without a reference.

Disc one opens with the moving “The Wonder Of You.” Not necessarily a perfect set-opener, though. “I’ve Lost You” is next, a rousing studio performance of one of his best songs. In fact, there is rarely any let up in the power of the first two CDs. Some of these singles are released on CD for the first time.

Elvis always resisted being labeled as a certain type of singer, and these singles demonstrate why. Elvis was not a rock singer. Elvis was not a country singer. Nor was he a pop or a gospel singer. Elvis was a singer. He simply sang everything that interested him. From rockers like “Burning Love” to country classics like “I Really Don’t Want To Know,” discs one and two seem to have it all. [. . . .]

For the most part, RCA’s selection of songs for the studio highlights of discs three and four was sound. Certainly no fan is going to agree with every song that was chosen, and every fan is going to think of a few they would have included instead. For me, the biggest omission is “Early Morning Rain.” As another example, I would have chosen “And I Love You So” from the Elvis Today album instead of “Susan When She Tried.”

Among the many standouts of discs three and four are “Just Pretend” and “Tomorrow Never Comes.” I should note that all of the songs from the excellent Elvis Country album are represented in this set, and without the “I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago” interludes.

On disc five, RCA provides an overview of some of Elvis’ concert recordings and rehearsals. Of special note is the brief poem “Men With Broken Hearts,” first seen in the fantastic 1992 video Elvis: The Lost Performances, and a short rendition of his 1950s classic “I Was The One,” both released by RCA for the first time in this set. However, I still think the set should have focused on studio recordings.

There are seven “new” songs included in this set that have not been released by Elvis before in any form. Although it should be noted that all of them are rehearsals or brief jams, many are nonetheless fun to hear. A couple, however, might leave you wondering what RCA was thinking.

The studio version of “My Way” is, by far, the best of the 26 previously unreleased tracks.

The Elvis portions of this set more than deliver, and then some. However, less care and attention seems to have been paid by RCA to this set than the previous ones. For instance, if you stack them side-by-side, the cover art for The Essential 70s Masters is lacking compared to the 1960s and, especially, 1950s volumes.

Why was this fuzzy, uninspired live shot chosen for The Essential 70s Masters set when there are tons of incredible photos of Elvis from that period that could have been used instead? Reportedly, one of the reasons this set was delayed was because the cover shot had to be retouched at the last minute. It should have been replaced.

Even the main title of the set, Walk A Mile In My Shoes, is an uninspired choice, but the 1960s set suffered from the same lack of creativity. The near-pointless “Heart & Soul” CD from February actually offered up a title that better sums up the 1970s than “Walk A Mile In My Shoes.” A set called ELVIS: Heart & Soul – The Essential 70s Masters would have been the better way to go.

But, hey, the public voted for the 1950s Elvis stamp, so who cares about the 1970s, right?

My criticisms aside, if you can only buy one Elvis boxed set, make it The Essential 70s Masters.

RCA’s song selection: 7 out of 10
RCA’s art: 3 out of 10
Liner notes: 9 out of 10
Elvis’ music: 11 out of 10

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ELVIS: Walk A Mile In My Shoes – The Essential 70s Masters

DISC 1
THE SINGLES
1. THE WONDER OF YOU
2. I’VE LOST YOU
3. THE NEXT STEP IS LOVE
4. YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME
5. PATCH IT UP
6. I REALLY DON’T WANT TO KNOW
7. THERE GOES MY EVERYTHING
8. RAGS TO RICHES
9. WHERE DID THEY GO, LORD
10. LIFE
11. I’M LEAVIN’
12. HEART OF ROME
13. IT’S ONLY LOVE
14. THE SOUND OF YOUR CRY
15. I JUST CAN’T HELP BELIEVIN’
16. HOW THE WEB WAS WOVEN
17. UNTIL IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO GO
18. WE CAN MAKE THE MORNING
19. AN AMERICAN TRILOGY
20. THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE
21. BURNING LOVE
22. IT’S A MATTER OF TIME
23. SEPARATE WAYS

DISC 2
THE SINGLES
1. ALWAYS ON MY MIND
2. FOOL
3. STEAMROLLER BLUES
4. RAISED ON ROCK
5. FOR OL’ TIMES SAKE
6. I’VE GOT A THING ABOUT YOU BABY
7. TAKE GOOD CARE OF HER
8. IF YOU TALK IN YOUR SLEEP
9. PROMISED LAND
10. IT’S MIDNIGHT
11. MY BOY
12. LOVING ARMS
13. T-R-O-U-B-L-E
14. MR. SONGMAN
15. BRINGING IT BACK
16. PIECES OF MY LIFE
17. GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME
18. THINKING ABOUT YOU
19. HURT
20. FOR THE HEART
21. MOODY BLUE
22. SHE THINKS I STILL CARE
23. WAY DOWN
24. PLEDGING MY LOVE

DISC 3
STUDIO HIGHLIGHTS 1970-71
1. TWENTY DAYS AND TWENTY NIGHTS
2. I WAS BORN ABOUT TEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO
3. THE FOOL
4. A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW* (Informal)
5. LITTLE CABIN ON THE HILL
6. CINDY, CINDY
7. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
8. GOT MY MOJO WORKING/KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF IT
9. IT’S YOUR BABY, YOU ROCK IT
10. STRANGER IN THE CROWD
11. MARY IN THE MORNING
12. IT AIN’T NO BIG THING (BUT IT’S GROWING)
13. JUST PRETEND
14. FADED LOVE* (Original Unedited Version)
15. TOMORROW NEVER COMES* (Includes False Start)
16. MAKE THE WORLD GO AWAY
17. FUNNY HOW TIME SLIPS AWAY
18. I WASHED MY HANDS IN MUDDY WATER* (Long Version)
19. SNOWBIRD
20. WHOLE LOT-TA SHAKIN’ GOIN’ ON
21. AMAZING GRACE* (Alternate Take 2)
22. (THAT’S WHAT YOU GET) FOR LOVIN’ ME
23. LADY MADONNA* (Informal)

DISC 4
STUDIO HIGHLIGHTS 1971-76
1. MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY
2. I SHALL BE RELEASED* (Informal Recording)
3. DON’T THINK TWICE, IT’S ALL RIGHT* (Jam)
4. IT’S STILL HERE (Unedited Version)
5. I’LL TAKE YOU HOME AGAIN KATHLEEN (Undubbed Version)
6. I WILL BE TRUE
7. MY WAY* (Master)
8. FOR THE GOOD TIMES* (Master)
9. JUST A LITTLE BIT
10. IT’S DIFF’RENT NOW* (Rehearsal)
11. ARE YOU SINCERE
12. I GOT A FEELIN’ IN MY BODY
13. YOU ASKED ME TO
14. GOOD TIME CHARLIE’S GOT THE BLUES
15. TALK ABOUT THE GOOD TIMES
16. TIGER MAN* (Jam)
17. I CAN HELP
18. SUSAN WHEN SHE TRIED
19. SHAKE A HAND
20. SHE THINKS I STILL CARE* (Alternate Take 2B)
21. DANNY BOY
22. LOVE COMING DOWN
23. HE’LL HAVE TO GO

DISC 5
THE ELVIS PRESLEY SHOW
1. SEE SEE RIDER
2. MEN WITH BROKEN HEARTS* (Short Poem)
3. WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES
4. POLK SALAD ANNIE
5. LET IT BE ME (Je T’ Appartiens)
6. PROUD MARY
7. SOMETHING* (MASTER)
8. YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’
9. HEARTBREAK HOTEL*
10. I WAS THE ONE*
11. ONE NIGHT*
12. NEVER BEEN TO SPAIN* (Master)
13. YOU GAVE ME A MOUNTAIN* (Master)
14. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE
15. A BIG HUNK O’ LOVE* (Master)
16. IT’S OVER* (Master)
17. THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM (The Quest)
18. RECONSIDER BABY
19. I’LL REMEMBER YOU
20. I’M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY
21. SUSPICIOUS MINDS (Caught In A Trap)
22. UNCHAINED MELODY
23. THE TWELFTH OF NEVER* (Rehearsal)
24. SOFTLY AS I LEAVE YOU* (Rehearsal)
25. ALLA’ EN EL “RANCHO GRANDE”* (Informal)
26. FROGGY WENT A COURTIN’* (Informal)
27. STRANGER IN MY OWN HOME TOWN* (Jam)

*Previously Unreleased