Artist:     Elvis Presley

Album:     Today (Legacy Edition)

Label:     RCA/Legacy

Release Date:     8/17/2015

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Four decades ago, Elvis released Today. Now, the album has been re-released to include ten undubbed mixes from the original recording sessions at RCA’s Studio C in Hollywood. It would be the last studio album recorded during The King’s lifetime.

Chances are, if you purchase this album, you’re already a huge Elvis fan who knows this material. Having the additional tracks, though, is what makes this so special. There are many Legacy reissues of Elvis albums from the 1970s and just like the rest, Today allows fans to get to know him a little better.

With no social media, YouTube, or other ways to connect with his fans while he was alive, it’s hard to know Elvis as a person. The second disc on this reissue includes 22-tracks of live recordings from May and June in 1975. You’ll truly get to meet Elvis here. You can hear him laughing as he sings, likely because of the antics of the teenage girls in the audience. He pauses during songs to talk to them, to tell them to be careful, calling them honey and asking them not to climb on speakers, etc. so they don’t get hurt. At one point, he asks a girl what she wants and you can hear him whip his scarf off and hand it over. It’s very easy to tell how much fun he has on stage while listening to these tracks.

The booklet included inside this two-disc set is filled with reminders of just how celebrated Elvis was and still is. You’ll learn the history behind the Today recordings, see images of Elvis live on stage throughout the years and look at setlists, ticket stubs, letters and cassette tapes. If you can’t make it to Graceland, listening to these recordings with book in hand is a small, yet satisfying alternative.

– Brenda Hillegas