"This box set could/should have come out while Orion (Jimy Ellis) was still with us. It presents many previously unreleased songs, some new duets not on his previous "Duets" & "Trio" lps from 1979 or so and much much more for the avid Orion fan. But if you aren't a fan yet, you surely should be after you hear this set. I understand that it made it all the way to number one best seller on Bear Familys' charts and it's easy to see why. If you've ever been a fan of Elvis Presley, you will most certainly love Ellis' vocal abilities. He is amazingly similar to Presley in sound, one of the reasons why he was unable to find greater success on his own. But I think you'll agree, his sound is truly magic. AAA+++"
He Was As Great As The King!
J. F. Nesmith | Claremont, CA United States | 06/29/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Orion's, aka Jimmy Ellis, singing was indistinguishable from that of the great Elvis Presley. Although Orion covered a few of the King's songs, most of his material was pure Orion. If you loved Elvis, then you must buy, grab, or purloin any Jimmy Ellis/Orion recording you come across. He was simply wonderful!"
The Mask of Orion
Deborah F. Brown | Nesbit, Mississippi USA | 07/11/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This collection of songs by Orion (Jimmy Ellis) is excellent for anyone who loves the music of Elvis. Jimmy Ellis had a talent and a voice that was his own. In a "Natural" style that sounded so close to Presley, even Nipper the RCA dog had to use both ears! The face of the man was covered by a mask (the idea of promoter Singleton) but his talent shines thru. A tragic career of managment problems, and an early death can not stop the great music legacy found in this 4 CD set."
Missing some key tracks
Smiley | Back home | 11/24/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This 4-CD Orion box set is missing a number of key cuts. Orion had 13 hits on the country charts during his days at Sun (two of which were anonymous overdubbed duets with Jerry Lee Lewis), and five of them are not included on this box set. Granted, most of these were very minor hits, and some people might not care, but I collect chart hits and would have liked to have them all, especially when shelling out $100 for a box set. Overall, the choice of repertoire on the box set is very odd. Many Sun cuts are omitted in favor of the Elvis cover jobs Ellis did for the Boblo label, which aren't as interesting as his performances of songs Elvis didn't record. And if you're going to include Boblo recordings, why not include some of his unique singles for that label, such as the song "I'm Not Trying To Be Like Elvis"? I also would have liked to see Ellis' early Dradco single, his MCA single, and his 1973 Sun single on here, but they're not. What you get are a hodge-podge of Sun and Boblo cuts, in no particular order, with an apparent emphasis on previously unreleased recordings rather than the commercially released sides. The biography is unusually brief for a Bear Family box set, and doesn't have much to say about Ellis' early life -- it mainly focuses on Shelby Singleton. I enjoy this set, but wish it had been organized chronologically. I also would have preferred having Orion's complete Sun recordings over this mish-mash, but it's a small miracle that an Orion box set exists at all."