Elvis Presley - Peace In The Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings
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Free Music Notes for Peace In The Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings
Free Music Review: Treasured Collection
Hit: 5 Stars
This three-disk collection of Elvis' complete gospel recordings is priceless to me. I have played it through many times and experience new delights each time. I just finished another play-through and decided I must add my applause along with the other fine reviews. Each disk stands on its own merits as does each individual selection. Disk One probably is my favorite, because it showcases Elvis' extraordinary voice. I am so awed by his range and how he makes each selection his very own with such deep sincerity and intimacy. Also, the back-up musicians are just right - not too intrusive upon Elvis' voice. HIS HAND IN MINE, IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE, KNOWN ONLY TO HIM, HE KNOWS JUST WHAT I NEED, IF WE NEVER MEET AGAIN, WE CALL ON HIM, YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE, and WHO AM I are just a very few of the beautiful songs which leave me so blessed. He was known for his very special renditions of CRYING IN THE CHAPEL and HOW GREAT THOU ART, which was a favorite during stage performances and for which he was awarded a Grammy in 1974. LIFE, which I had never heard before, is unforgettable.
Disk Two has many special selections like ONLY BELIEVE, HE TOUCHED ME, HE IS MY EVERYTHING, and an extra-special live version (1974) of HELP ME. I feel the back-up musicians became too predominate on some tracts which detracted from Elvis himself. His is the voice I prefer to hear unhindered. On the other hand there are some with Elvis improvising alone. There is also some quartet improvising - memorable is TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS/NEARER MY GOD TO THEE. The disk is a valuable part of the set and surely special.
The beginning of Disk Three requires and is well-worth undivided attention. Elvis joined in with Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis in the Sun Studios for some impromptu gospel improvising. This was dubbed the "Million Dollar Quartet" session and took place December 4, 1956 in Nashville. Johnny Cash was also present. Obviously Elvis was already well-versed and accomplished in gospel music. It is wonderful to have these lighter moments preserved, when Elvis was still the charming boy-next-door and in the early stages of his phenomenal rise to stardom. There are more recordings of the beautiful inspirational music Elvis gave us throughout his career. Included also is the gospel medley from his '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL, a memorable live version of HOW GREAT THOU ART from June 1977 (he passed away in August 1977), which proves Elvis could still belt out a song in his last days, and finally PEACE IN THE VALLEY from his Ed Sullivan appearance in January 1957, which has special significance to us older fans.
The booklet enclosed with the album gives background and a nice overview of why Elvis loved to sing gospel for personal inspiration and enjoyment as well as make recordings. I just wish Elvis had drawn on the power of God to help him overcome his personal weaknesses. He might still be singing live, but I am thankful for what he left us. If you are a gospel music fan and even if not, Elvis can touch your heart as few others can. This collection is priceless!!
Free Music Review: Elvis at his best
Hit: 5 Stars
Great, great, great! As you probably know, Elvis was deeply religious, and this is reflected in the especially heartfelt performances he gave of gospel songs, as you can clearly hear in this 3-CD set "Elvis: Peace in the Valley." He also gathered very talented backup singers to accompany him, including J.D. Sumner and the Stamps, the Jordanaires, and the Imperials, and they add greatly to the recordings. Heck, these performances are so beautiful that they always bring tears to my eyes, and I'm Agnostic! All four of Elvis's gospel albums are contained here complete - "Peace in the Valley," "His Hand in Mine," "How Great Thou Art," and "He Touched Me." Plus there's a lot of additional material too, from TV shows, movies, religious songs released as singles or on secular albums, home recordings, informal studio recordings, and concerts. After all, the subtitle of this is "the COMPLETE gospel recordings." Actually, a few of these songs probably should have been left out because of poor recording quality (mainly the home recordings), and a couple of songs where Elvis was kidding around on recordings he did not intend to be released. One could avoid these by getting the 2-CD set "Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Performances," but the problem with that idea is that you'd be missing out on some great recordings included on this 3-CD set. So I would recommend this 3-CD set as the best compromise. In fact, for my own listening I re-recorded CDs 2 and 3 of this, leaving out some of the marginal tracks, and adding some other inspirational songs that Elvis performed, such as "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "An American Trilogy," and "If I Can Dream." Too bad BMG didn't ask my opinion about this!
BMG did a great job of putting all this together. For one thing, they did well in remixing and editing these songs. If you bought the original CD release of the album "How Great Thou Art" as I did, that was mixed terribly and had an awful hollow sound to it. All that has been corrected here, and this CD set sounds great. Usually, the sound levels of the songs have been set well, with just 3 or 4 either too loud or too quiet. The packaging is very attractive too, and the booklet contains a very interesting essay on Elvis's connection to gospel music, as well as pages of data about the songs. It would have been helpful, though, if there were more information given on the origin of some of these recordings, such as mentioning what movie or TV show a song was taken from, or where the home recordings were made. Someone not very familiar with Elvis would be puzzled about where some of this came from.
Putting these minor reservations in perspective, "Elvis: Peace in the Valley" is a fine, beautiful, and attractive CD collection that will bring much enjoyment to people of all religious persuasions.
Free Music Review: Despite No New Thrills, Gospel Box Set Appeals To Fans
Hit: 5 Stars
"Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings" is the latest offering from the revolutionary Elvis producers Ernst Jorgensen and Roger Semon. This 3-CD box set differs from many other recent Elvis releases spearheaded by Jorgensen and Semon for one reason: it features all previously released material.The kicker? Even the most avid Elvis CD collectors don't seem to mind.
This immaculate, comprehensive set needs no previously unreleased tracks to entice Elvis CD junkies like me. Likewise, the listener needs not be an Elvis Presley fan - or even a fan of traditional gospel music - to enjoy this collection.
The music, digitally remastered from the original master tapes to produce the cleanest, crispest sound to date, captures Elvis at his emotional and spiritual best. This set proves that gospel provided an anchor for Elvis's musical repertoire from day one, right up to the end. The consistency in vocal conviction from the "Million Dollar Quartet" sessions (recorded by a young Elvis on the brink of superstardom) to the live version of "How Great Thou Art" (recorded at one of Elvis's final concert performances) is both startling and revealing. It is indeed difficult to listen to these tracks and not feel swept away by the utterly convincing candor that carries Elvis's voice through every note.
From the tender, humble testimony of "Known Only To Him" to the gritty, almost fierce testimonial of "I, John," Elvis manages to bridge a decade in his career with equally moving performances. Such consistency is rare, but given Elvis's unmatched vocal talent, this should come as little surprise.
Listen to relax, listen to energize, listen to sing along. Despite the historial and musical significance of these recordings, which is indeed difficult to underestimate (for without gospel, Elvis-brand rock may not have existed) - their universal appeal is easy to explain: it is simply wonderful music.
Free Music Review: Definitive gospel set from Elvis worth singing about
Hit: 5 Stars
Finally, the folks at BMG produced an Elvis reissue worth celebrating! PEACE IN THE VALLEY is, without a doubt, the best collection of Elvis Presley's gospel recordings.If you think Elvis' favourite kind of music was either rock or country, you'd be wrong. Gospel was Elvis' first musical love, as revealed in the two-part TV documentary, HE TOUCHED ME: THE GOSPEL MUSIC OF ELVIS PRESLEY. PEACE IN THE VALLEY includes all the songs from his three gospel albums (HIS HAND IN MINE, HOW GREAT THOU ART, and HE TOUCHED ME), the PEACE IN THE VALLEY EP, and gospel highlights from the '74 Memphis concert, TV specials and movies thrown in for good measure. It also includes some informal recordings from the '56 Million Dollar Quartet sessions with Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.
Elvis arranged many of these songs in the traditional way, but makes them lively by throwing a modern, rock-inflected beat to them. And the sound quality is much crisper and clearer than on the two-CD AMAZING GRACE collection released in '94. The liner notes in PEACE IN THE VALLEY's booklet are also well-written, and without the sloppy edits found in the AMAZING GRACE booklet (e.g. the HE TOUCHED ME album wasn't just nominated for a Grammy for Best Gospel Album in 1972, it actually WON -- hello!)
When the King of Rock 'n' Roll sings the praises of another King (i.e. Jesus), you know you're going to be moved and entertained, even if you're not religious. You don't have to be religious to appreciate the good music heard here. Kudos to BMG for a job well done!
Free Music Review: They Don't Call It "Complete" For Nothing!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a great CD that should be heard by everyone. Any fan of good music, especially good gospel music, will enjoy it tremendously. Elvis really seemed to pour his heart into his gospel work. "How Great Thou Art", "I Believe", "Somebody Bigger Than You and I", "He Touched Me", "Reach Out To Jesus", "Where No One Stands Alone", "Swing Down Sweet Chariot", "I, John", and "Bosom of Abraham" are all great songs and stand out among the collection. The only surprises are that the songs are not arranged in chronological order, and that any conversation Elvis happened to be having with his entourage and might have touched a few keys on the piano, and sung a few lines of an old gospel song and happened to be caught on tape is included in this collection. But then again, if these weren't included, it wouldn't be complete then, would it? But on the plus side, these informal jam sessions also show Elvis sang gospel in his spare time quite a bit, and had great fun singing them whenever he wanted. There are some that stand out among these jam sessions:"Just a Little Talk With Jesus", "I Shall Not Be Moved" and "Oh How I Love Jesus". All the songs on this collection are worth listening to, and will leave you stunned with the thought that Elvis was quite an accomplished singer, no matter what he sang. Gospel music was closest to his heart, and he always put himself into these songs. The ultimate gospel collection to have.