In March 1972, Colonel Tom Parker struck a deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to make a documentary bout Elvis Presley's tour at the time, which had no name at the time, but would eventually be called Elvis on Tour. MGM wanted to include footage of Elvis in the studio rehearsing, which led Presley to recording in RCA Records' Studio C in Los Angeles, California to record 6 new songs and rehearse for his road trip.[1]
Sunset Boulevard's first disc contains Elvis' 1972 and 1975 recordings from Studio C in LA. the second, third and fourth discs consist of various 1970 and 1974 rehearsals.[3] Liner notes are written by Colin Escott.[4]
Writing for AllMusic, Mark Deming wrote that Ross-Spang's new mixes "find Presley in excellent voice and giving the songs genuine emotional commitment", noting that "it's easy to imagine that with a bit more care and imagination, Presley could have turned these recordings into one of the greatest breakup albums of all time [...] a mature but wounded portrait of a broken heart", he concludes by writing that "The studio masters and their accompanying outtakes make Sunset Boulevard a superior collection of late-period Presley, but think of the rehearsal recordings as a bonus that you needn't examine very often."[1]