The Perfect BMG / Sony mainstream release 1977 - 2025

[Sweet-Angeline]

Inspired by Bilbobaggins topic...Re: Bootlegs with offically unreleased STUDIO outtakes...made me think if there has ever been an absolutely perfect mainstream Elvis release in every way since his death?? Packaging, liner notes, contents and with no mistakes and nothing missing.

[Petri]

made me think if there has ever been an absolutely perfect mainstream Elvis release in every way since his death?? Packaging, liner notes, contents and with no mistakes and nothing missing.

Maybe the The King of Rock'n'Roll: The Complete 50's Masters box set, which was issued in 1992, is the closest to match your criterias.

[Sweet-Angeline]

made me think if there has ever been an absolutely perfect mainstream Elvis release in every way since his death?? Packaging, liner notes, contents and with no mistakes and nothing missing.

Maybe the The King of Rock'n'Roll: The Complete 50's Masters box set, which was issued in 1992, is the closest to match your criterias.

...and I would agree with that pick, and as with Bilbobaggins in his other post(bootlegs - three vinyl 'Essential Elvis' volumes today) I tend to think we would be reaching way back in time to meet the criteria I suggest but all of those were pretty damn close that`s for sure!!

[Bilbobaggins]

One of the releases I consider perfect is 'Platinum - A Life In Music'. It was, and still is, a perfect mix between hits, outtakes and rarities. It shows Elvis to the mainstream public in all his diversity and in the best possible way. The package was well designed with great liner notes. A release that was made with respect for the artist.

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[ClausH]

I think this one is perfect and my favourite.

[NinaFromCanadaEh]

some faves




this one was astonishinng

[NinaFromCanadaEh]

35 discs

I have played the whole thing 5 times now

[TCB-FAN]

Here's a couple that comes to mind from the early 2000's.....

[OnStage55]

For me, this 2009 mainstream release is the best, especially for new Elvis fans. I love it.

[JoeyCoco]

I think this one is perfect and my favourite.

Agreed.

The 1980 ''Elvis Aron Presley'' box set is considered an important release because it was one of the first major posthumous collections after his death. It included previously unreleased studio outtakes, live recordings, and interviews, making it valuable for collectors. The set also documented Elvis’ full career in a chronological way, functioning almost like an audio biography. It helped renew interest in his music during the early 1980s and became a sought-after collector’s item over time.

[Colin.Bee]

I think this one is perfect and my favourite.

Agreed.

The 1980 ''Elvis Aron Presley'' box set is considered an important release because it was one of the first major posthumous collections after his death. It included previously unreleased studio outtakes, live recordings, and interviews, making it valuable for collectors. The set also documented Elvis’ full career in a chronological way, functioning almost like an audio biography. It helped renew interest in his music during the early 1980s and became a sought-after collector’s item over time.

This was an amazing set at the time and still is. I don’t think we’d ever had anything before like it except maybe the first two Legendary Performers. Now we are truly spoiled with live concerts and outtakes. I remember in the week that it was released my wife (still my girlfriend back then) and I searching through a huge display of over 100 boxes trying to find the one with the lowest number (found one in the 800s ). We were there for ages and there was at least six other people doing the same thing. When we found one with a lower number we would pass the one we already hand in our hands on to one of the other searchers.

The two volumes of The 56 Sessions felt very special at the time too.

[rockinrebel]

As an introduction to Elvis' music, I think Artist Of The Century takes some beating. A great track listing which effortlessly mixes classic hits and deep cuts.

For a deeper dive, which also includes rarities, I would choose Platinum.

Also, Elvis At Sun is a wonderful single disc overview, with excellent audio throughout.

[Petri]

Packaging, liner notes, contents and with no mistakes and nothing missing.

I understood, that Sweet-Angeline meant an Elvis album, which had a combination of
- packaking
- liner notes
- contents
- no mistakes
- nothing missing
which together create a perfect compilation album.

Some previously mentioned albums in this section has not anykind liner notes.

Elvis Aron Presley box set has been always my favourite, and always will be too(!), but there is one mistake: Collectors' Gold from the Movie Years section has Tonight Is All Right for Love song, not slightly different Tonight Is So Right for Love song, which is listed to contenst. And that is Sweet-Angeline's mentioned "mistake" then!

And finally: Sweet-Angeline's "packaking" and "contents" things are always matters of opinion...

[martin018]

Always enjoyed the Platinum set.
Like others the Elvis Aron Presley box set was excellent in it’s day and the first two Essential Elvis albums.

[JoeyCoco]

Why Elvis – Live 1969 Is Essential Listening

When Elvis returned to the stage in 1969 after more than eight years away from live performance, it marked one of the most important turning points of his career. The box set Live 1969, which collects 11 concerts from his Las Vegas International Hotel residency, may appear repetitive on the surface, the setlists are similar, the pacing is consistent, and the arrangements remain largely unchanged. Yet this collection stands as one of the most essential releases in the Elvis catalogue.

Why? Because it captures the exact moment Elvis reclaimed his identity as a live performer, with power, confidence, humor, and astonishing musical presence.

First, the performances reveal a reborn Elvis. His voice in 1969 was rich, controlled, and dynamic, shaped by years of recording and personal experience. Unlike his older 1950s live recordings, here he isn’t a young phenomenon, he’s a grown artist in full command of his craft.

Second, the repeated setlists allow listeners to track subtle evolution. Across the shows, Elvis adjusts phrasing, experiments with vocal attack, and sometimes alters emotional delivery. The small differences, a joke here, a rearranged line there, a more intense ending, tell the story of a performer shaping a new live identity night after night.

Third, Live 1969 offers the first full portrait of Elvis working with the TCB Band, the musicians who would define his live sound throughout the 1970s. Their chemistry is raw, energetic, and unmistakably modern compared to his earlier work.

Finally, the set is historically important. These concerts are the blueprint for every Elvis performance that followed — from That’s the Way It Is to the 1970s arena tours.

In short, Live 1969 is not essential despite the repetition, it is essential because of it. It documents the rebirth of Elvis Presley as a live artist, not in a single moment, but across a series of electrifying, evolving performances. Together, they form one of the most revealing and important chapters in his musical legacy.

[AndrewJ]

For me, it's got to be Essential Elvis 5: Rhythm and Country. When this came out the Stax sessions had not really been covered by bootlegs much and the material was all unheard to me. The sound was very good and the cuts included were strong. It was a worthy follow-up to Essential 4; it just shades this release as the best due to the rarity of the material for me. I played Rhythm and Country over and over back in the late 90s.

[JoeyCoco]

For me, it's got to be Essential Elvis 5: Rhythm and Country. When this came out the Stax sessions had not really been covered by bootlegs much and the material was all unheard to me. The sound was very good and the cuts included were strong. It was a worthy follow-up to Essential 4; it just shades this release as the best due to the rarity of the material for me. I played Rhythm and Country over and over back in the late 90s.

Because you mentioned Essential 4, here’s a nice story about that release:

Essential Elvis Volume 4 vs. Circle G: When the Underground Moved Faster Than the Official Label

When Essential Elvis, Volume 4: A Hundred Years From Now was released by BMG in 1996, it marked a pivotal moment in the handling of Elvis Presley’s archival studio material. For the first time, a major label was presenting alternate takes and undubbed masters from Elvis’s 1970 Nashville sessions in an official, curated format aimed directly at collectors and serious fans—not just the general audience.

But the story behind the material and its availability is not as straightforward as a conventional label-produced release. By the time Essential Elvis Vol. 4 hit stores, a significant portion of this previously unheard material had already circulated amongst collectors—courtesy of a bootleg label named Circle G.

And remarkably, the tape that Circle G used didn’t originate from a lost warehouse find, a private estate, or a discarded acetate—it allegedly came from someone inside BMG itself.

⸻

The Bootleg Prelude: Circle G and the Early Leak

Circle G gained a sudden reputation in Elvis collector circles when they released There’s a Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On in 1995. The disc featured undubbed, unedited masters and alternate takes from Presley’s June 1970 Nashville marathon sessions—material that had never been commercially released.

Collectors immediately realized the significance: these weren’t audience recordings or rough acetates—these were professional session tapes.

The revelation became even more astonishing when it became known within fan networks that the source wasn’t unofficial at all. The tape in question had reportedly been supplied—quietly, off the record—by someone within BMG’s own archival or production chain. Whether it was an act of fan enthusiasm, frustration at unreleased material gathering dust, or a more deliberate leak remains unclear. But the effect was undeniable: a bootleg label had beaten the official corporation to the punch.

[Bilbobaggins]

For me, it's got to be Essential Elvis 5: Rhythm and Country. When this came out the Stax sessions had not really been covered by bootlegs much and the material was all unheard to me. The sound was very good and the cuts included were strong. It was a worthy follow-up to Essential 4; it just shades this release as the best due to the rarity of the material for me. I played Rhythm and Country over and over back in the late 90s.

Because you mentioned Essential 4, here’s a nice story about that release:

Essential Elvis Volume 4 vs. Circle G: When the Underground Moved Faster Than the Official Label

When Essential Elvis, Volume 4: A Hundred Years From Now was released by BMG in 1996, it marked a pivotal moment in the handling of Elvis Presley’s archival studio material. For the first time, a major label was presenting alternate takes and undubbed masters from Elvis’s 1970 Nashville sessions in an official, curated format aimed directly at collectors and serious fans—not just the general audience.

But the story behind the material and its availability is not as straightforward as a conventional label-produced release. By the time Essential Elvis Vol. 4 hit stores, a significant portion of this previously unheard material had already circulated amongst collectors—courtesy of a bootleg label named Circle G.

And remarkably, the tape that Circle G used didn’t originate from a lost warehouse find, a private estate, or a discarded acetate—it allegedly came from someone inside BMG itself.

⸻

The Bootleg Prelude: Circle G and the Early Leak

Circle G gained a sudden reputation in Elvis collector circles when they released There’s a Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On in 1995. The disc featured undubbed, unedited masters and alternate takes from Presley’s June 1970 Nashville marathon sessions—material that had never been commercially released.

Collectors immediately realized the significance: these weren’t audience recordings or rough acetates—these were professional session tapes.

The revelation became even more astonishing when it became known within fan networks that the source wasn’t unofficial at all. The tape in question had reportedly been supplied—quietly, off the record—by someone within BMG’s own archival or production chain. Whether it was an act of fan enthusiasm, frustration at unreleased material gathering dust, or a more deliberate leak remains unclear. But the effect was undeniable: a bootleg label had beaten the official corporation to the punch.

Yes, it was an astonishing and controversial release. It was really hot! So hot that there were dealers, who normally sold 'imports', refused to sell this release (openly that is...) to avoid repercussions from RCA/BMG. RCA/BMG were, at the same time, prepairing the release of their Essential 4 album originally containing, for the most part, the same material. If I remember correctly, they then decided to change some of the content on their final tracklist of Essential 4.

So... at the time... this was the perfect bootleg release. Although not in the eyes of RCA/ BMG!

[Sweet-Angeline]

...this release seems to me to be a very clear cut example of someone at BMG who could not be trusted

[Alexander72]

The perfect mainstream release? Back in the day this one struck me deep and if today I had to pick one Elvis album to be my absolute favorite, it would be this one... From 1988...

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