Rhino Home Video puts a positive spin on the otherwise mournful 25th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley (Aug. 16) with its impressive three-disc set Elvis: The Great Performances. Two of the discs, Center Stage and The Man and the Music, were released on VHS by Buena Vista back in 1990 and the third, Elvis: From the Waist Up, is a 1997 broadcast special narrated by U2's Bono. The documentaries have been transferred superbly, with historic black-and-white footage boasting a silvery glow and colors holding firm, even in clips from the King's cheesy color-saturated movies. The 5.1 soundtrack does the music proud, with a crackle-free presentation and excellent separation. While the "Song Selection" menu isn't full motion, the menu page is pretty nifty, featuring a colorful, stylized 45-rpm disc and a rockin' instrumental sound bite. Each disc has new "Trivia Tracks," an optional function that provides whimsical annotation, some of which is only tangentially related to Elvis but is entertaining nonetheless. The quad-fold box itself is a delight, coming covered in a suede-like fabric--blue, of course. The only quibbles are the woefully brief "Selected Discography" and "Selected Filmography" text pages; granted, the discography could run for hours, but these two pages simply list several greatest hits albums, and the filmography concentrates on the camp Hal Wallis features. That's nothing to get all shook up about, however, and collectors will find this box to be a jewel in the King's crown. --Buzz McClain