Customer Reviews
Exciting Elvis - By: P. Ross, 26 Oct 2008 
This 4 set CD is superb! Pleased to hear the TV recordings from 1968 - a good mix to suit everyone's taste, I particularly like his rendition of 'Where could I go but to the Lord' vocals are excellent & you can feel the atmosphere of the session he really puts everything into the songs & has the girls screaming with delight. I can't add anything further other than - buy it, it is brilliant to say the least.
The resurrection of a King! - By: jayhikkss, 07 Sep 2008 Once the revolutionary icon of American music from the fifties, Elvis Presley had, by 1968, almost become obsolete. The changing trendsin popular music (think: British invasion, "psychedelic" music...) was a contributing factor. But Elvis mostly suffered from the greedy mismanagement of the infamous "Colonel" Parker who made him appearin movies that went from bad to worse. This,in turn, cut him from live performance.
The decision to record a TV Christmas show proved to be a cornerstonein Elvis' career. Witness to informal jamming sessions where the musicians would be sittingin Elvis' room, the TV producer persuaded Elvis (despite Parker's objections) to film similar sessionsin order to intersperse them with the more polished shootage.
The original album LP included both types of material but leaned heavily on the latter cuts. Some of the informal material was sporadically released through the ensuing years.
Elvis delivered an incredible performance throughout the television special. His vocals were loose & gutsy showing, for the first timein about ten years that Elvis could still deliver. The musicians, including studio pros as well as his earliest bandmates, Scotty Moore & D.J. Fontana, are top-notch. Bones Howe's sound recording is excellent, as usual. By the way, this TV special let everybody see that, while no virtuoso, Elvis definitely knew his way around a guitar.
This "40th anniversary" 4-CD box set collects the original LP & bonus tracks on the first disc. The second & third CD present Elvis' complete performances of both the 'informal" & "polished" shows. The fourth disc includes earlier, very loose rehearsals for the TV special. A lavish, well-documented booklet is included.
Of course, a 4-CD set comprising material from a single show - with much song duplication - could prove too much of a good thing for anyone but the true fans.
Considering the price, it represents nonetheless pretty good value for money. Those intense, spirited & moving performances, mixing rock, country, blues, soul, pop & everything in-between prove to be an unexpected resurrection as well as a formidable testament to the King's talents.
"The Complete '68 Comeback Special" also constitutes the definitive, if belated, blueprint for what was to be the rest of Elvis' career.
Elvis Tiger Man unplugged - By: Mr. N. Thompson, 19 Aug 2008 This 4 cd set represents most of what is available from the '68 TV Special live & studio recordings. It is great to have it allin one box set as earlier releases were rather fragmented. I don't think there is much unreleased material on this & certainly there is no indication of any unreleased material at allin the comprehensive booklet which accompanies the set. Having said that some of the dialogue did appear "new" to me. Elvis does a grand rocking job throughout & as we all know was lean, mean & vocall fired up throughout. Buy it & enjoy the best ever Unplugged set ever!
