Elvis: Today,Tomorrow & Forever

Elvis Presley changed the world when he spontaneously kicked an obscure blues number called "That's All Right" into high gear, providing as likely a starting point for rock & roll as anyone will ever be able to pinpoint. Spontaneity became harder to come by as Presley's career progressed, which makes this four-disc assortment of outtakes, alternate takes, and live recordings such a treat. Dating from the 1954 date that produced "That's All Right" to February '76 Graceland sessions, Today, Tomorrow & Forever captures every phase in Elvis's career--frequently from lesser-explored vantage points. Here's the super-charged hep cat of the '50s charging through versions of "Heartbreak Hotel," "I Got a Woman," and "Hound Dog" before a rollicking Little Rock, Arkansas, audience. Here's the matinee idol trying to breathe life into increasingly moribund material. Finally, here's the comeback kid of the late '60s and the flailing Vegas attraction of the '70s. Indeed, late-period Presley benefits particularly well when it's stripped down to its alternate-take essence. Colin Escott's rewardingly frank liner notes ("Elvis had good reason to sleepwalk through 'The Love Machine,'" he notes of one mid-'60s soundtrack throwaway) and a generous assortment of vintage photos complete a package that will certainly appeal to aficionados and will win over more than its share of non-devotees. --Steven Stolder