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!


Despite No New Thrills, Gospel Box Set Appeals To Fans   October 10, 2000
Kevin Morin (Seattle, WA USA)
59 out of 59 found this review helpful

"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.


Holy Smokes! This'll get your blood pumping   December 6, 2000
E. Lambeth (Paso Robles, CA USA)
44 out of 45 found this review helpful

This collection of Elvis' gospel is a round trip of everything you love about Elvis, and everything you didn't know about Elvis that you're about to love. Imagine loving the songs that you know of Elvis, and then hearing some of these for the first time. Here's an entirely new collection of songs that you may have never known, but you're about to love...many, even more than the ones you love the most. I'll start with my favorite of his: Run On. Wow, what a powerful, jamming song. Teaches you about fearing God behind the backdrop of an absolutely awesome tune that you just wanna CRANK! If the Lord Wasn't Walkin' By My Side....Joshua Fit the Battle....So High...How Great Thou Art...Holy Smokes, Elvis. How Great THOU Art when you sang that tribute to God. I'm moved by this music, and in several different ways. Here's the long and short of it. If you want a little Elvis gospel, don't sell yourself short by getting a 1 CD collection. 11 or 13 songs won't cut it. It's a waste of money. Get this CD collection. So it's $30 more. Big deal. You won't miss the money, but after listening to this collection for a while, you'd be thinking about how much you'd hate yourself had you not shelled out the money to buy this CD collection.

Buy it as a gift for every Elvis fan who loves Jesus. You'll be the hero of the day.

5 stars doesn't do it justice.


The Ultimate Elvis Collection - The COMPLETE Gospel Set!   September 12, 2000
29 out of 30 found this review helpful

This new offering from BMG is one of the most extensive they have released since the Complete 50s Masters. In one single box we get all of the gospel music recorded by Elvis Presley. That means all the great masters such as How Great Thou Art, Milky White Way, He Touched Me, Bosom of Abraham, I Believe, Peace in the Valley, and all the other well known and much loved songs. But that is only one part of this box's appeal. This set also contains concert recordings, music from Elvis' TV Specials and appearances (including Peace in the Valley performed on the Ed Sullivan Show and How Great Thou Art from the 1977 Elvis in Concert Special), backstage [informal] recordings, and home recordings. Some of Elvis' best work on this set is not the finished masters but the "behind the scenes" recordings such as Show Me Thy Ways Oh Lord. Elvis' dedication to this song (and all the home recordings), although not done originally as something for the public, is astonishing. This is also true of the 1950s recordings at Sun (after Elvis was on RCA)with Jerry Lee Lewis and other Sun stars. This is a truly amazing set that all Elvis fans and gospel fans are going to love. You truly miss out if you settle for Amazing Grace (2 cd set) or any of the single gospel CDs. Those are all great - but this is the ultimate gathering of all aspects of Elvis' love and passion for gospel music.


Wonderful, but not complete   February 19, 2001
Elvis Gospel (Wolverhampton, West Midlands England)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful

What a wonderful gift to lovers of Elvis's Gospel music! Most of the titles have already been released on other collections, but it is great to have all of these together with excellent liner notes too. Elvis had a wonderful voice which is at it's best when he sings Gospel, as this was the music he loved most. If you have not heard Elvis singing Gospel before, then buy it as it's currently the best overview you will get on CD of his Gospel music.(I trust that you already know of the two volume video "He Touched Me - The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley). If you already enjoy Elvis' Gospel music, then you are going to buy it anyway! I was delighted to see the song "Life" in the collection as it is the Gospel story in a nutshell. Although the album subtitle claims it to be, the set is not the complete Gospel recordings, as it does not contain "Bridge Over Troubled Water" which Paul Simon originaly wrote as a "humble little gospel hymn". Jesus, of course being the bridge over troubled water. Elvis was called to be an evangelist so it is wonderful to see all these songs which tell of the "Good News" now being released. Elvis is no longer with us, but the Holy Spirit is!