The Complete Elvis Presley Masters

CROWN JEWEL OF ELVIS' 75th BIRTHDAY CAMPAIGN

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Aug 02, 2010, 12:00 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Legacy Recordings -- At last, the ultimate tribute to the ultimate artist. For Elvis Presley's 75th birthday, the definitive collection of all his master recordings is being made available in stunning fashion.

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The Complete Elvis Presley Masters is the crown jewel in RCA/Legacy's 2010 "Elvis 75" campaign. This limited edition, individually-numbered deluxe set contains 30 CDs with all 711 master recordings released during Elvis' lifetime, sequenced in strict chronological order. Also included are 103 rarities: additional masters, alternate takes, session outtakes, demos, rehearsal jams, home recordings, live performances and radio recordings. This triumph of musicology is the definitive document – a magnificent audio chronicle of the inspiration, pain and genius that make Elvis the world's most enduring musical and cultural icon.

Available exclusively at CompleteElvis.com, The Complete Elvis Presley Masters will be available for pre-orders starting August 2, in advance of the October 19th delivery date. Only 1,000 numbered sets will be available for sale worldwide in this limited edition first run.

Complementing the music is a beautifully designed 240-page hardbound reference book produced exclusively for this collection. A magnificent volume in its own right, this silk-screened, silver-gilded edition printed on archival paper is the ultimate reference work on the music of Elvis Presley. The discography was painstakingly researched by compilation producer Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, the respected director of RCA's Elvis catalog for over two decades and author of Elvis Presley: A Life In Music (St. Martin's Press, 1998), and co-written by him with award-winning author Peter Guralnick.

Jorgensen and Guralnick's extensive historical entries cover every song selection from the perspective of a scholar and a fan, with enlightening background stories and historical context, along with release dates, chart positions and other info. The discography includes recording dates and locations, full musician credits, technical notes and a song index. In addition, the book reproduces the artwork for every 45 rpm single, EP and LP release. The book is full of rare and classic photographs from throughout Elvis' life and recording career, beginning with the cover photo by legendary Williams 'Popsie' Randolph from Elvis' first official RCA photo session at RCA Studios in New York, on December 1, 1955.

Anchoring the book is a brand-new 6,000-word essay by Guralnick, noted biographer of Elvis Presley. Guralnick's two volumes – Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley (Little, Brown, 1994) and Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley (Little, Brown, 1999) – are widely acknowledged as the definitive biographical studies of Elvis' life. In addition to writing the foreword to Jorgensen's Elvis Presley: A Life In Music, Guralnick also collaborated with him on another great reference work, Elvis Day by Day: The Definitive Record of His Life and Music (Random House, 1999).

Years in the making, The Complete Elvis Presley Masters has been compiled from the original analog master tapes where available, using 24-bit technology for greater sonic resolution and dynamics. Each track has been carefully restored to achieve the best sound reproduction without compromising the audio quality of the original master. The only exceptions are found on the rarities discs, which "derive from a variety of sources," as Jorgensen writes. "First priority has been given to vividness of performance, historical significance and rarity of repertoire."

The Complete Elvis Presley Masters is the newest release in RCA/Legacy's "Elvis 75" campaign, which commemorates the 75th anniversary of Elvis' birth, celebrated on January 8, 2010.

CompleteElvis.com

SOURCE Legacy Recordings