Artist:     Elvis Presley

Album:     Spectacular Singer Special, in detail

Label:     RCA Legacy

Release Date:     11.30.2018

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Elvis fans, rejoice! The ’68 TV special that relaunched Elvis Presley’s career and burned itself into our collective memories is back, and it’s bigger and better than ever. The size of an LP record and almost an inch thick, this spectacular package (5 CDs, 2 Blu-Ray discs and an 80-page book) reminds us exactly why he was called The King. At the time this TV Special was conceived, however, he was a King in exile: no hits, mediocre movies he hated, and he hadn’t performed in nearly 10 years. Elvis thought his reign was over.

The famous black leather outfit, however, ruled. The box set’s visuals, both in the oversize book and the taped rehearsals and performances bring back Elvis at his prime: loose, funny, sincere, trim, charismatic, devastatingly handsome and fully invested in his songs.  The book and the DVDs detail the elaborate planning—and the push and pull between NBC and Colonel Parker (NBC won the battles)—that went into the risky business of a Prime-Time personal performance after nearly a decade.

Almost a year in the making, with weeks of rehearsals and subsequent editing and overdubs culminating in an expensive show with Singer Sewing Machines as the sole sponsor. (Imagine that! Today it might be Apple.) The push-and-pull, daily decisions are set out clearly, with informal quotes from Director Steve Binder, writer Nik Cohen, Musical Director Billy Goldenberg, producers Jon Landau and Bones Howe, and wife Priscilla Presley, among others, which provide fascinating insights into the process. Bob Finkel, for example, cultivated a relationship with the Colonel by spending every afternoon by playing poker with him and deliberately losing, just to keep him out of the action.

The CDs include the original album plus bonus cuts (11 songs), and another 4 CDs of the finished shows and rehearsals for a staggering total of 104 songs. The two Blue-Ray discs include the specials and all known outtakes. If this sounds like a lot of Elvis, it is. If it sounds like too much Elvis, it is definitely not.

—Suzy Nelson