Sunset Boulevard, a 5CD box set and 2LP vinyl edition of Elvis Presley’s 1970s recordings in Los Angeles, is to be released by RCA/Legacy in early August. Over half of the 89 tracks on the 5CD edition are previously unreleased.
The first CD is of 17 songs Presley recorded for 1973’s album Elvis (aka The Fool Album) and 1975’s Today. The second CD’s 17 tracks are outtakes from those sessions. Discs three to five consist of two rehearsals in Los Angeles for Presley’s Las Vegas residency. The 2LP edition comprises 24 songs taken from the first two CDs (studio masters on LP 1 and outtakes on LP 2).
The period saw Presley engage with contemporary songwriters. He tackled songs by Kris Kristofferson (‘For The Good Times’) and Paul Williams (‘Where Do I Go From Here’) for sessions on 1973’s Elvis (aka The Fool Album), while 1975’s album Today featured covers of Don McLean’s ‘And I Love You So’ and Billy Swan’s ‘I Can Help’.
The 5CD set of Sunset Boulevard includes studio master, outtakes & extensive rehearsals (click image to enlarge)
The songs of the first disc were recorded at RCA’s Studio C in Hollywood. This audio was remastered by producer Matt Ross-Spang, who first worked with Presley’s estate on 2016’s Way Down In The Jungle Room, a compilation of sessions from Presley’s ‘Jungle Room’ home studio at Graceland recorded in 1976.
The three CDs of rehearsals in Los Angeles are by Presley with his TCB band. They date from 24 July 1970 and 16 August 1974. These rehearsals are significant for featuring two songs which Presley never recorded in the studio: Johnny Mathis’ 1957 hit ‘The Twelfth Of Never’ and ‘Softly As I Leave You’, a 1962 single by Matt Monro.
With the two LA rehearsals spread across three CDs, CD4 consists of the second half of the 1970 performance and the first half of 1974’s.
Sunset Boulevard includes rare archive photographs, sleeve notes by early rock & roll specialist writer Colin Escott and an introduction by Jerry Schilling, the manager of the Beach Boys and Jerry Lee Lewis who was part of Presley’s “Memphis Mafia” inner circle.
Sunset Boulevard will be released on 1 August 2025, via RCA/Legacy Recordings.