In 1996, RCA released Elvis 56, a single-disc compilation of 21 masters and one alternate take Presley recorded during 1956, the year he became a phenomenon. Fifteen years later, RCA/Legacy bested that set with
Young Man with the Beat: The Complete ’56 Elvis Presley Masters, a deluxe five-disc box encompassing two discs of studio recordings, a disc of live recordings, a disc of outtakes, and a disc of interviews. Arriving just a few years after quintuple-disc box The King of Rock & Roll: The Complete ‘50s Masters, the 1996 disc almost seemed unnecessary, as it covered the same ground only not as thoroughly, and Young Man with the Big Beat doesn’t quite escape that criticism, either, as it appears just a year after the gargantuan Complete Elvis Presley Masters box, but the intent of the two boxes is wildly different.
Where the 30-disc Complete Elvis Presley Masters boxed up his entire career, Young Man with the Big Beat puts a pivotal year under a microscope, examining it from every angle, and adds a gorgeous hardcover book and memorabilia replicas, in addition to the five discs of music. Music-wise, there is not too much new: only an unearthed performance at the Hirsch Youth Center in Shreveport, Louisiana from December, added to the end of the live disc which contains the least-heard music here. All the live cuts are of marginal audio quality -- they come from rough sources and there’s only so much cleaning to be done -- but there is electricity to the performances, including the cuts from the New Frontier Hotel in Vegas, and that kineticism is palpable throughout the set, including the disc of outtakes that all have been circulated before, whether on the King of Rock & Roll box or various hardcore, fan-targeted Follow That Dream compilations. Surprises aren’t really in store here, but delving so deeply into one area does reveal a few connective threads and mild revelations -- Elvis’ taste for corn was surfacing this early on, and by the end of the year, the wild hepcat of Sun already was somewhat tamed, showing a flair for cool-handed crooning -- and by offering so much pure rock & roll in one concentrated yet exhaustive setting, the set does manage to re-create a portion of the wild excitement Elvis sparked in 1956. So, Young Man with the Beat winds up existing in that netherworld between a hefty historical document and nostalgic time machine; it’s appealing on both fronts, but in order to find it rewarding, you need to already have some strong degree of devotion either to the King or to the year of his coronation.
CD1
01 - Blue Suede Shoes
02 - I'm Counting On You
03 - I Got A Woman
04 - One-Sided Love Affair
05 - I Love You Because
06 - Just Because
07 - Tutti Frutti
08 - Trying To Get To You
09 - I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)
10 - I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')
11 - Blue Moon
12 - Money Honey
13 - Heartbreak Hotel
14 - I Was The One
15 - My Baby Left Me
16 - Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
17 - Shake, Rattle And Roll
CD2
01 - Rip It Up
02 - Love Me
03 - When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
04 - Long Tall Sally
05 - First In Line
06 - Paralyzed
07 - So Glad You're Mine
08 - Old Shep
09 - Ready Teddy
10 - Anyplace Is Paradise
11 - How's The World Treating You
12 - How Do You Think I Feel
13 - I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
14 - Hound Dog
15 - Don't Be Cruel
16 - Any Way You Want Me (That's How I Will Be)
17 - Too Much
18 - Playing For Keeps
19 - Love Me Tender
20 - Let Me
21 - Poor Boy
22 - We're Gonna Move
CD3
01 - Heartbreak Hotel
02 - Long Tall Sally
03 - Blue Suede Shoes
04 - Money Honey
05 - Heartbreak Hotel
06 - Long Tall Sally
07 - I Was The One
08 - Money Honey
09 - I Got A Woman
10 - Blue Suede Shoes
11 - Hound Dog
12 - Heartbreak Hotel
13 - Long Tall Sally
14 - I Was The One
15 - Love Me Tender
16 - Don't Be Cruel
17 - Love Me
18 - I Got A Woman
19 - When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
20 - Paralyzed
21 - Hound Dog
CD4
01 - I Got A Woman
02 - Heartbreak Hotel
03 - I'm Counting On You
04 - I Was The One
05 - Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
06 - Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
07 - Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
08 - Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
09 - Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
10 - Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
11 - Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
12 - Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
13 - Shake, Rattle And Roll
14 - Shake, Rattle And Roll
15 - Shake, Rattle And Roll
16 - Shake, Rattle And Roll
17 - The Complete Warwick Hotel Interview
