Does the most recent outing by Memphis Recording Sessions, Elvis Live In The 50’s, live up to the image that MRS built over the years?
Design
I can easily answer the question above with a loud “YES” on the design department. The book, or is it a CD sleeve, has a beautiful design. Tasteful colours, decorate a well-designed layout, clear text fonts, in other words: not a single point of comment here. Even the CD-holder is great compared to a lot of other products. At least, after I managed to find out how the child lock works :D.
Content
The book (a sleeve of 170 pages can be called a book, can’t it?) starts with an introduction of Elvis’ body of live material in the 1950s (of which unfortunately not too much is recorded). Not too extensive, but informative enough, especially for the casual music lover, who is served well by this set too. After this introduction there’s an overview of the shows Elvis did from 1954-1957. A chapter for each year, decorated with memorabilia and live shots, one by one iconic.
The CDs bring nothing new for the collector, but it’s all there in good sound (as possible). From the Hayride recordings to Las Vegas, Little Rock and Tupelo. Even the tiny bits from Canada in 1957 are represented.
Conclusion
It’s been a while since my lower jaw dropped seeing a new product, but this one managed to do so. A beautiful package with Elvis live material while he was at his best. Not only fans, but also “general music lovers” might love this complete product!
