Elvis: '68 Comeback - Special Edition

Product Information

With these extras we get to see him sing this “message song” time and again, hitting the same gruff notes over and over, leaving us in no doubt - this Elvis was taking care of business.

This is a new DVD compilation, featuring 15 performances from the 'stand up' and 'sit down' shows filmed for the 1968 broadcast, plus 3 original studio recordings that represent songs that appear in the new special. Though very minor detriments remain, they are not enough to mar one of the finest video refurbishings of '60s-era television material to surface to date, courtesy of producer-editor Ray Miller; hats off to him and his staff for a job well done. When it aired on December 3, 1968, the special was the week's highest-viewed television program, re-establishing Elvis as a driving force in popular music. Egged on by highly supportive audiences, Elvis' initial nervousness disappears within seconds as stellar versions of Blue Suede Shoes and Don't Be Cruel emerge among others. Looking impossibly sexy with an urgent raw edge to his voice only hinted at during his formative years, the boy who dared to rock during the dawn of that genre has matured into a man in complete control once more.

Despite being listed in the accompanying booklet the rather “amateurish” omission of the It Hurts Me part of the Guitar Man Production number, Graceland Enterprises have finally put together an Elvis DVD worthy of the format. With virtually no filler, one can't help but wonder why only 10-12 minutes from nearly two-hours of stellar material wound up in Binder's original cut of the television special. I also admired the non-censoring of those rare working moments when Presley's legendary temper came into play, not to the point of embarrassing anyone, but agitated with himself over not coming in on cue, missing a dance step and so on.

By the end of the first show, Belew had to carefully remove the sweat-soaked leather suit that was now stuck to Presley's skin. A large sign in red letters that read ELVIS was placed on a black background, and Presley performed the song with a hand-held microphone. Yes, the picture does seem to be quite “clean”, at least compared to VHS, but I was expecting a whole lot more. If you don’t see a personalisation section, you can always message the seller with your request too. We were in the piano room at the time, but there was just something weird that evening and I just sensed something had gone wrong.

I. Show, Hullabaloo) has seen a different side of the performer during preparations for his debut television special: a driven, passionate artist anxious to emerge from a comfort cocoon and recapture his artistic integrity left behind a half-decade earlier. The performance includes the tracks 'All Shook Up', 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' and 'Can't Help Falling in Love With You'.