Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Since From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential 60's Masters gave up the ghost of being a complete overview of Elvis Presley's '60s recordings, the compilers of the companion five-disc box set Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential 70's Masters -- the third and final installment in RCA's justifiably acclaimed Elvis box set reissue series -- decided to throw even the illusion of comprehensiveness out the window and just serve up five discs and 120 tracks of highlights. Instead of adhering to a strict chronological sequencing, which the two previous boxes did, this is divided into two discs of singles, two discs of studio highlights, then one disc that attempts to present the ultimate Elvis Presley live show by culling peaks from several gigs throughout of the decade. This is a sharp move, since there is simply too much recorded material from the '70s to be presented either completely or chronologically, and his high points are easier to digest broken down in this fashion. Truth be told, he didn't have too many outright classics during this time -- just "Burning Love," "Always on My Mind," "Raised on Rock," "Promised Land," and "Moody Blue," along with 1971's excellent album Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) -- but it was a far more consistent era than the '60s, and it was more adventurous in terms of material and production, never sounding like pandering, which the early '60s could on occasion.

This is more evident on the studio highlights than on the singles discs, particularly because those two discs delve into records like Elvis Country, but the end result is a set that is far more consistent and entertaining than From Nashville to Memphis, even if it doesn't sustain the delirious heights of his late-'60s comeback. If the fifth, final live disc is the kind of thing that you listen to only once or twice, it still crackles with energy, and the two studio highlights discs prove that Presley was still a sensitive, inventive interpreter of strong material, and the productions have a rich, robust diversity that keeps this interesting and enjoyable. To say that the '70s recordings are more consistent than the '60s is true, but it does give the impression that Elvis was as consistently brilliant as he was a decade earlier. That's simply not the case -- the best of the '60s recordings overshadows the best cuts here without effort -- but this does have a diversity of material and sound (even if it sometimes borders on the splashy excess of Vegas) that not only keeps it interesting, it proves that, when pressed, Elvis was still restless and inventive. Maybe the music here isn't as outright classic as those on the previous box sets, but it captures its era just as well, and provides the final piece of musical narrative while serving up some terrific music. And if the final chapter of the most iconic figure in American popular music is not essential to a library, then you don't truly care for American popular music.

Track List:
DISC 1: THE SINGLES:
1. Wonder Of You, The
2. I've Lost You
3. Next Step Is Love, The
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. Sound Of Your Cry, The
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. American Trilogy, An
20. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, The
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. Fool, The
4. Hundred Years From Now, A - (previously unreleased, informal recording)
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 - (previously unreleased, original unedited version)
15. Tomorrow Never Comes - (previously unreleased, with false start)
16. Make The World Go Away
17. Funny How Time Slips Away
18. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water - (previously unreleased, long version)
19. Snowbird
20. Whole Lot-ta Shakin' Goin' On
21. Amazing Grace - (previously unreleased, alternate take 2)
22. For Lovin' Me, (That's What You Get)
23. Lady Madonna - (previously unreleased, informal recording)
DISC 4: STUDIO HIGHLIGHTS 1971-76:
1. Merry Christmas Baby
2. I Shall Be Released - (previously unreleased, informal recording)
3. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right - (previously unreleased, jam edit)
4. It's Still Here - (original unedited version)
5. I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen - (original undubbed version)
6. I Will Be True
7. My Way - (previously unreleased, master)
8. For The Good Times - (previously unreleased, master)
9. Just A Little Bit
10. It's Diff'rent Now - (previously unreleased, 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 - (previously unreleased, jam)
17. I Can Help
18. Susan When She Tried
19. Shake A Hand
20. She Thinks I Still Care - (previously unreleased, 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 - (previously unreleased, 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 - (previously unreleased, master)
8. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling
9. Heartbreak Hotel - (previously unreleased)
10. I Was The One - (previously unreleased)
11. One Night - (previously unreleased)
12. Never Been To Spain - (previously unreleased, master)
13. You Gave Me A Mountain - (previously unreleased, master)
14. It's Impossible
15. Big Hunk O' Love, A - (previously unreleased, master)
16. It's Over - (previously unreleased, master)
17. Impossible Dream, The (The Quest)
18. Reconsider Baby
19. I'll Remember You
20. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
21. Suspicious Minds
22. Unchained Melody
23. Twelfth Of Never, The - (previously unreleased, rehearsal)
24. Softly As I Leave You - (previously unreleased, rehearsal)
25. Alla' En El "Rancho Grande" - (previously unreleased, informal rehearsal)
26. Froggy Went A Courtin' - (previously unreleased, informal rehearsal)
27. Stranger In My Own Home Town - (previously unreleased, informal rehearsal)


yes, it's another co-release with my buddy huddel

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