Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings [Box Set]

Disc 1
1	His Hand in Mine 3:16
2	I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs 1:51
3	In My Father's House 2:05
4	Milky White Way 2:15
5	Known Only to Him 2:07
6	I Believe in the Man in the Sky 2:12
7	Joshua Fit the Battle 2:39
8	He Knows Just What I Need 2:12
9	Swing Down Sweet Chariot 2:33
10	Mansion over the Hilltop 2:56
11	If We Never Meet Again 1:58
12	Working on the Building 1:53
13	Crying in the Chapel 2:26
14	How Great Thou Art 3:01
15	In the Garden 3:09
16	Somebody Bigger Than You and I 2:26
17	Farther Along 4:05
18	Stand by Me 2:29
19	Without Him 2:29
20	So High 1:57
21	Where Could I Go But to the Lord 3:38
22	By and By 1:50
23	If the Lord Wasn't Walking by My Side 1:38
24	Run On 2:22
25	Where No One Stands Alone 2:42
26	We Call on Him 2:33
27	You'll Never Walk Alone 2:44
28	Who Am I? 3:17
29	Life 3:09
Disc 2
1	Only Believe 2:49
2	He Touched Me 2:39
3	I've Got Confidence 2:21
4	Amazing Grace 3:35
5	Seeing Is Believing 2:54
6	He Is My Everything 2:40
7	Bosom of Abraham 1:36
8	An Evening Party 1:54
9	Lead Me, Guide Me 2:41
10	There Is No God But God 2:19
11	A Thing Called Love 2:25
12	I, John 2:16
13	Reach Out to Jesus 3:15
14	Miracle of the Rosary 1:51
15	Put Your Hand in the Hand 3:15
16	I Got a Feelin' in My Body 3:33
17	Help Me 2:29
18	If That Isn't Love 3:29
19	Help Me 2:37
20	Why Me Lord? Live 2:51
21	How Great Thou Art Live 3:37
22	Farther Along 1:19
23	Oh Happy Day 1:51
24	I, John 2:16
25	Bosom of Abraham 0:49
26	You Better Run 1:49
27	Lead Me, Guide Me 2:28
28	Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus/Nearer My God to Thee 3:42
Disc 3
1	When the Saints Go Marching In 1:23
2	Just a Little Talk With Jesus 4:01
3	Jesus Walked That Lonesome Valley 3:09
4	I Shall Not Be Moved 3:18
5	Peace in the Valley 1:32
6	Down by the Riverside 2:24
7	Farther Along 2:08
8	Blessed Jesus (Hold My Hand) 1:12
9	On the Jericho Road 0:48
10	I Just Can't Make It by Myself 1:09
11	I Hear a Sweet Voice Calling 0:44
12	When the Saints Go Marching In 2:20
13	Softly and Tenderly 2:34
14	Peace in the Valley 3:21
15	It Is No Secret (What God Can Do) 3:55
16	I Believe 2:05
17	Take My Hand, Precious Lord 3:18
18	I Asked the Lord 1:17
19	He 1:46
20	Oh, How I Love Jesus 2:00
21	Show Me Thy Ways, O Lord 2:32
22	Hide Thou Me 1:05
23	Down by the Riverside/When the Saints Go Marchin' In 1:55
24	Sing You Children 2:13
25	Swing Down Sweet Chariot 2:15
26	Let Us Pray 3:01
27	Gospel Medley 9:01
28	The Lord's Prayer 2:07
29	How Great Thou Art Live 3:18
30	Peace in the Valley 1:42

Barnes & Noble

In addition to being the king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley was also a devout Christian with a deep love for the gospel music with which he'd grown up. Throughout his career, he exercised his faith musically on an ongoing series of gospel recordings that showcased a lesser-known aspect of his immense talent. Indeed, Elvis never won a Grammy for his rock-'n'-roll work, but he won three for his gospel performances. Presley's gospel discs maintained a consistent level of integrity and commitment that generally stood apart from the artistic peaks and valleys of his secular career. Even during periods when he regularly sleepwalked through uninspired pop tunes and movie-soundtrack fodder, the artist invested his devotional recordings with the utmost passion. And, just as he brought rock 'n' roll into the modern age by R&B and country, Elvis applied a vibrant sense of fusion to his gospel work, drawing from both black and white gospel traditions to make music that's truly distinctive and consistently moving. This three-CD, 87-song collection does a fine job of collecting virtually all of Presley's gospel recordings, including some rare live versions and tracks from the fabled Million Dollar Quartet session (with Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins). The programming and sound quality are fine, and the packaging is simple but attractive. Peace in the Valley's only misstep is the lack of any sort of annotation or recording info. That omission is deeply unfortunate, since liner notes would have amplified the set's mission of shedding some much-needed light on this oft-neglected aspect of Presley's recording career. The music, however, is highly recommended, still resonating with a passion and honesty that will threaten to make a believer out of the most reprobate rock-'n'-roll heathen. Scott Schinder

All Music Guide

An expanded three-disc collection that attempts to trump a 1994 double-disc set (Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Songs) by offering virtually every single Elvis recording of a sacred song, Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings accomplishes the mission in its title, but at a hefty price that won't appeal to any but the most obsessive-compulsive fan. Obviously, it includes each track from his three gospel LPs -- 1960's His Hand in Mine, 1967's How Great Thou Art, and 1972's He Touched Me -- plus scattered alternate takes that are previously unreleased. The third disc is padded out with an array of Elvis' sacred recordings that are easily available elsewhere, like the 13 gospel tracks on the raw Million Dollar Quartet session recorded at Sun in 1956, the "Gospel Medley" from his 1968 TV Special, and a version of "(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley" originally aired on Ed Sullivan's television show. Though there's no doubt that Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings is a complete set, most Elvis fans will gain little from owning it. John Bush