Elvis 101: The 101 Essential Recordings.

Elvis Presley released over 700 songs while he was alive, across over 70 albums & nearly a quarter-century of time.

But what are the most essential?

This list, Elvis 101: The 101 Essential Recordings, whittles the artist down to his essence, 4 chronological playlists that are each around 70 minutes in length.

To get an accurate cross-section of his best & most influential material, I made an inventory of his 5 most major multi-disc collections of the CD age:

1. The Top Ten Hits [2 discs, 1987] *
2. ELV1S & 2nd To None [2 discs, 2002 & 2003] #
3. The Essential Elvis Presley: 3.0 [3 discs, 2007] +
4. Artist Of The Century [3 discs, 1999] @
5. Elvis 75: Good Rockin' Tonight [4 discs, 2009] %

Any song that appeared on at least 2 or more of the above compilations automatically made my list. (For the record, there are 17 that appear on all 5.) I also included all of the songs from each time there has been an attempt to make a definitive single-disc anthology of Elvis's music: 1994's The Essential Collection, 1999's Best Of Artist Of The Century, & 2009's Elvis 75. & then I added another half-dozen of my own choices, which should've made the above collections.

Finally, I made sure that all of Elvis's US Pop, Country, & R&B #1 hits were included, all of his US Top 10 Hits, platinum-selling singles, as well as every UK #1 hit.
 

From his first release in 1954 to the last single he would release in his lifetime in 1977--& at least 1 release from every year in between--here is Elvis 101: The Essential 101 Recordings.

 

Volume 1: King (1954-1957).

1. That's All Right: His first single, & as some like to tell it, the first rock & roll record, period. [single A-side, 1954] #+@%

2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky: The flipside of his first single, & it's own way, every bit as rocking & revolutionary. [single B-side, 1954] %

3. Good Rockin' Tonight: A manifesto for all that would follow. [single A-side, 1954] +@%

4. Baby, Let's Play House: His first nationally charting record, making #5 on the US country charts. [single A-side, 1955] +@%

5. Mystery Train: A country song hidden in a blues song hidden in a love song to a corpse, & for some, the finest recording of his life. [single A-side, 1955] +@%

6. I Forgot To Remember To Forget: His first national #1 single (on the Country charts) & the song that facilitated his jump from regional star to national sensation. [single B-side, 1955] #%

7. Trying To Get To You: What would have been his 6th Sun single & evidence the kid was ready for the big-time. [projected single A-side, 1955; LP Elvis Presley, 1956] @

8. Heartbreak Hotel: The song that put him over--#1 for 7 weeks in the US. [single A-side, 1956; #1 US, #2 UK] *#+@%

9. I Was The One: Already on the flipside of his first major single, all of Elvis's stylistics are present--a portrait of the artist as young man, in complete control. [single B-side, 1956; #19 US] +%

10. Blue Suede Shoes: One of his finest rockers that would've been a bigger hit, but he didn't want to overshadow his old Sun label-mate, Carl Perkins, who Elvis always believed cut the better version. [LP Elvis Presley & single A-side, 1956; #20 US, #9 UK] #+@% 

11. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You: A criminally neglected US #1 best-seller, despite what ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits may lead you to believe. [single A-side, 1956; #1 US, #14 UK] *#% 

12. My Baby Left Me: One of the hardest records of the 1950s, buried on a B-side, waiting for thrilling rediscovery. [single B-side, 1956; #31 US] @% 

13. Hound Dog: The hard rock half of his biggest & most famous single, a stateside #1 for a then record-breaking 11 weeks. [single A-side, 1956; #1 US, #2 UK] *#+@% 

14. Don't Be Cruel: The above single's smooth pop half; when Sam Phillips first heard it, he pulled his car off the road--this was the sound he always knew was out there. [single A-side, 1956; #1 US, #2 UK] *#+@%

15. Lawdy Miss Clawdy: Elvis's finest R&B cover, shrewdly revived in his comeback era. [single A-side, 1956] @% 

16. Love Me Tender: A rewrite of a Civil War ballad that was the title track of his first film, the first single to go gold based on advance orders alone, & his signature love song for years to come. [single A-side, 1956; #1 US, #11 UK] *#+@%

17. Love Me: An EP track that was so big, it was the first to chart as a single in US history. [LP Elvis & EP lead track; #2 US] *#@% 

18. Too Much: Gluttony as lust, lifted by internal rhymes. [single A-side, 1957; #1 US, #6 UK] *#% 

19. All Shook Up: A signature hit that invoked his recent performance on The Ed Sullivan Show (from the waist up) & #1 in the US for 9 weeks. [single A-side, 1957; #1 US, #1 UK] *#+@% 

20. (There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me): His first gospel release, & as some like to tell it, his finest. [EP lead track, 1957; #25 US] +% 

21. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear: The most subtle song about sleeping with girls EVER--& #1 in the US for 7 weeks. [single A-side, 1957; #1 US, #3 UK] *#+@%

22. Loving You: The title track of Elvis's 2nd film & 3rd LP; immortalized between "Hound Dog" & "All Shook Up" at the top of the original Elvis' Golden Records, still his finest compilation. [single B-side, 1957; #20 US] #


23. Mean Woman Blues: An instant classic that was often covered but never bettered. [LP Loving You, 1957] #%

24. Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do!: The irresistible opening song to first starring film & a knockout upbeat rocker. [LP Loving You, 1957] @

25. Jailhouse Rock: Springsteen said that hearing Elvis for the first time was like busting out of jail; this song takes the Boss at his word--& a US #1 for 7 weeks. [single A-side, 1957; #1 US, #1 UK] *#+@% 

26. Treat Me Nice: A plea to the ladies & a study in atmosphere. [single B-side, 1957; US #27] #@% 

27. (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care: Elvis's finest deep cut of 1950s, covered by none other than Buddy Holly in his brief career. [EP Jailhouse Rock, 1957] @

28. Blue Christmas: His finest Christmas recording, & in time, a rare platinum-seller that never made the mainstream pop charts. [LP Elvis' Christmas Album, 1957] % 

29. Don't: The last hit before he went into the Army--& in a quiet way, the end of an era. [single A-side, 1958; #1 US, #2 UK] *#@% 

30. I Beg Of You: The underrated Top 10 B-side to "Don't," which like its flip, was recorded the previous year. [single B-side, 1958; #8 US] *
 

Volume 2: Soldier (1958-1962).

31. Wear My Ring Around Your Neck: The first major single not to hit #1 in the US or UK (although it would top the charts in Canada); an early harbinger of the shlock that was to come? [single A-side, 1958; #3 US, #3 UK] *#% 

32. Hard Headed Woman: The history of sexism as hard rock. [single A-side, 1958; #1 US, #2 UK] *#%

33. King Creole: The title track of his finest film. [LP King Creole, 1958] #+%

34. Trouble: A raison d'etre for every role he would ever play--on camera & off.  [LP King Creole, 1958] #+@%

35. One Night: An answer record to The Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," even though it came first. [single A-side, 1958; US #4, UK #1] *#@%

36. I Got Stung: A Top 10 hit (thanks in part to its risque flip, "One Night") about love as an allergic reaction [single B-side; US #8] *#

37. (Now & Then There's) A Fool Such As I: The point at which style became the substance. [single A-side, 1959; #2 US, #1 UK] *#@%

38. I Need Your Love Tonight: A solid flipside that would've been any other singer's biggest hit. [single B-side, 1959; #4 US] *#%

39. A Big Hunk O' Love: One final blast of rock for the decade, & the song that would first associate "hunka" & "love" in the Elvis lexicon. [single A-side, 1959; #1 US, #4 UK] *#@%

40. Stuck On You: Back from the Army & ready to reconquer the world, one hit single at a time. [single A-side, 1960; #1 US, #3 UK] *#@%

41. Fame & Fortune: A solid ballad with a stunning vocal--rendered all the more bittersweet now that we know how the story will turn out. [single B-side, 1960; #17 US]

42. Girl Of My Best Friend: A fine, effortless vocal on a song that could've been a hit single in it's own right--& in the UK it was. [LP Elvis Is Back!, 1960; UK single A-side, 1960; #2 UK] @

43. Such A Night: A track so irresistible, it was carted out as a single during the doldrums of Beatlemania, where it made the Top 20 in both the US & UK. [LP Elvis Is Back!, 1960; #16 US, #13 UK] +@%

44. Reconsider Baby: Another way his post-Army music could've gone--hard blues full of conviction, with Elvis driving the band like a runaway train; one of his greatest performances, even though he lets "Boots" Randolph's saxophone steal the show. [LP Elvis Is Back!, 1960] +@%

45. It's Now Or Never: A rewrite of an Italian standard that became his best-selling single this side of "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel." [single A-side, 1960; #1 US, #1 UK] *#+@% 

46. A Mess Of Blues: The above single's flipside, which could've (& should've) been a bigger hit in its own right. [single B-side, 1960; #32 US] #@%

47. Wooden Heart: A rarity: A #1 UK single (for 6 weeks!) that was never issued as an A-side in the US. [LP G.I. Blues, 1960; #1 UK] #

48. Are You Lonesome Tonight?: The final third of his comeback trilogy (along with "Stuck On You" & "It's Now Or Never"), & in the speaking part, the best acting of his life. [single A-side, 1960; #1 US, #1 UK] *#+@%

49. Surrender: Picking up where "It's Now Or Never" left off, Elvis exercises his operatic tendencies a decade before they became a caricature. [single A-side, 1961; #1 US, #1 UK] *#@%

50. I Feel So Bad: As the first major A-side not to hit #1 in either the US or UK, a sign of the coming trouble in paradise? [single A-side, 1961; #5 US, #4 UK] *#+%

51. (Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame: Hot enough to be a hit in its own day, hip enough to be turned into a Smiths song in ours. [single A-side, 1961; #4 US, #1 UK] *#@%

52. Little Sister: Elvis tries to get the girl, despite being wary of her older sister. [single B-side, 1961; #5 US] *#+@%

53. Can't Help Falling In Love: The lead single of his best-selling album (Blue Hawaii) & rightfully the song with which he would close his sets in the later years--what else could ever follow it? [single A-side, 1961; #2 US, #1 UK] *#+@%

54. Rock-A-Hula Baby: Along with its flipside, "Can't Help Falling In Love," a microcosm of Elvis in the '60s, pop beauty on one side, movie junk on the other; "Rock-A-Hula Baby" wasn't the worst song Elvis ever recorded, but it was the biggest hit of his infamous 1960s hackwork. [single B-side, 1961; #23 US] # 

55. Good Luck Charm: Elvis tries to get the girl by invoking the superstitions of talismans. [single A-side, 1962; #1 US, #1 UK] *#@%

56. Follow That Dream: The theme song to Elvis's life. [EP lead track, 1962; #15 US] +

57. She's Not You: Elvis tries to get the girl by re-staging the plot of Vertigo. [single A-side, 1962; #5 US, #1 UK] *#@% 

58. Return To Sender: Elvis tries to get the girl by enlisting the U.S. Postal Service. [single A-side, 1962; #2 US, #1 UK] *#+@%

Volume 3: Phoenix (1963-1969).

59. (You're The) Devil In Disguise: Elvis tries to get the girl by entering a Paradiso-enshrined Inferno. [single A-side, 1963; #3 US, #1 UK] *#+@%

60. Bossa Nova Baby: Elvis tries to get the girl but all she wants to do is dance--also the final single he released before JFK was shot & his last US Top 10 of new material until his comeback later in the decade--coincidence? [single A-side, 1963; #8 US, #13 UK] *#+%

61. It Hurts Me: Elvis proves that a beautiful vocal & a solid bridge can go a long, long way. [single B-side, 1964; #29 US] @%


62. Viva Las Vegas: A telling celebration of the kitschy consumer culture that would consume him in a few short years. [single A-side, 1964; #29 US, #15 UK] #+%

63. Crying In The Chapel: Elvis's only pre-comeback US Top 10 once The Beatles arrived--& it was recorded in 1960. [single A-side, 1965; #3 US, #1 UK] *#%

64. Tomorrow Is A Long Time: Elvis's only real Dylan cover--& the cover that Dylan is said to have treasured the most--buried away as a bonus track at the end of a soundtrack. [LP Speedway, 1966] @%

65. Down In The Alley: The first indication that Elvis was getting ready to take rock seriously again, & it was good. [LP Speedway, 1966] @

66. How Great Thou Art: The greatest sacred performance of Elvis's life. [LP How Great Thou Art, 1967; #101 US] %

67. Big Boss Man: The single that marked Elvis's quiet return to meaningful rock music, before an official comeback vehicle was formed. [single A-side, 1967; #38 US] +@%

68. Guitar Man: The song that would become the theme of the official comeback vehicle. [single A-side, 1968; #43 US, #19 UK] +@%

69. U.S. Male: Along with "Big Boss Man" & "Guitar Man," the 3rd & weakest of his "pre-Comeback" singles--yet oddly, the biggest hit. [single A-side, 1968; #28 US, #15 UK]

70. A Little Less Conversation: A forgotten tune that was so hot it became a #1 single. In England. 30 years later. Through a remix. Yet I find the implied funk of the original all the more exciting. [single A-side, 1968; #69 US] +

71. If I Can Dream: The closing song of the comeback special & one of the finest performances of his life. [single A-side, 1968; #12 US, #11 UK] #+@%

72. Memories: The sentimental theme of the comeback special, which means it's the sentimental theme of his entire career. [LP ELVIS: NBC-TV Special, 1968; single A-side, 1969; #35 US] #+%

73. Tiger Man: A standout track from sit-down set of "The '68 Comeback Special," where Elvis truly reclaimed his rock & roll crown. [LP Elvis Sings Flaming Star, 1968] @

74. In The Ghetto: Keeping with the times, Elvis wanted to do a "message" song; keeping with himself, he did one that spoke out against poverty--although it missed the top of the main US & UK charts, it was snuck onto ELV1S thanks to a #1 in Cashbox. [single A-side, 1969; #3 US, #2 UK] *#+@%

75. Only The Strong Survive: Some motherly wisdom that formed the most recognizable track from the finest studio album he would ever make. [LP From Elvis In Memphis, 1969] +@%

76. Long Black Limousine: His greatest performance, period. (c/f my earlier Long Black Limousine post) [LP From Elvis In Memphis, 1969]

77. Suspicious Minds: His final US #1, driven by a love-fueled paranoia that wouldn't meet its match until Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." [single A-side, 1969; #1 US, #2 UK] *#+@%

78. Don't Cry Daddy: A tender performance of a country weeper, just before the production values turned the material more maudlin than meaningful. [single A-side, 1969; #6 US, #8 UK] *#+@%

79. Rubberneckin': One of the funkiest things Elvis ever cut--a worthy companion to the contemporary "A Little Less Conversation." [single B-side, 1969]

80. Stranger In My Own Home Town: Hard blues from a stranger in a strange land of the music he himself helped to create. [LP From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis, 1969] @%

81. Kentucky Rain: His greatest single miss the Top 10 (except for in Canada & Australia). [single A-side, 1970; #16 US, #21 UK] #+%

Volume 4: Icon (1970-1977).

82. The Wonder Of You: "Kentucky Rain" notwithstanding (it was a track from 1969 that wasn't released until early 1970), this was the beginning of Elvis's final decade--live, off-handed, passionate, overzealous, & powerful; many subsequent songs would try to meet this standard, but precious few would succeed. [single A-side, 1970; #9 US, #1 UK] *#+@

83. Polk Salad Annie: Never much of a hit or a radio staple, someone at RCA must love this one, as it makes not just every multi-disc anthology, but the one-disc summaries of them too; that said, it nicely captures Elvis on stage in his '70s prime, albeit without the focus or power of "The Wonder Of You." [LP On Stage, 1970; UK single A-side, 1973; #23 UK] +@%

84. I've Lost You: The first sign of the new, mature Elvis that would be revealed on his album That's The Way It Is later in the year, which featured dissolving marriages & babies crying at 6:00 AM; Elvis had grown up & his audience had too. [single A-side, 1970; #32 US, #9 UK] @

85. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me: Along with "I've Lost You," the beginning of the studio '70s--regal, overblown, & at its best (like here), a place where quality of songcraft is met by commitment of performance. [single A-side, 1970; #11 US, #9 UK] #+@

86. I Really Don't Want To Know: The lead single of his last great album, Elvis Country: I'm 10,000 Years Old, which would be released early the following year, & it served as an apt preview--a heartfelt rendering of a country song that brought it just to the edge of soul. [single A-side, 1970; #21 US]

87. I Just Can't Help Believin': Like "Polk Salad Annie," another song that somehow makes nearly every major Elvis compilation; I've always found it solid, but a bit dull & about a minute too long. [LP That's The Way It Is, 1970; UK single A-side, 1971; #6 UK] +@%

88. Faded Love: The most underrated song from his most underrated LP; or: A country song sung like blue-eyed soul, coaxed by horn charts. [LP Elvis Country: I'm 10,000 Years Old, 1971]

 89. Funny How Time Slips Away: Another standout from the underrated Elvis Country--& a performance so natural that it serves as a reminder why Elvis always returned to country music: It feels like home. [LP Elvis Country: I'm 10,000 Years Old, 1971] %

90. I'm Leavin': Elvis loved this song & believed it would be a huge hit; it wasn't, but it remains one of his most committed--& naked--performances of the decade. [single A-side, 1971; #36 US, #23 UK] %

91. An American Trilogy: The paradoxes of the Civil War resolved in a single medley: South ("Dixie"), North ("The Battle Hymn Of The Republic"), & slave ("All My Trials"). [single A-side, 1972; #66 US, #8 UK] #@%

92. Burning Love: His final truly signature hit; snuck onto the ELV1S CD because it reached #1 on Cashbox. [single A-side, 1972; #2 US, #7 UK] *#+@%

93. Separate Ways: As the first of several songs about a dissolved marriage with children in the middle ("You Gave Me A Mountain," "My Boy"), a rare peek into the elusive Elvis psyche as his marriage was crumbling; also the last gold single of his lifetime.  [single A-side, 1972; #20 US]

94. Always On My Mind: A stirring study in melody & regret that outdid its companion flip "Separate Ways"; released as the A-side in the UK, as it should've been here. [single B-side, 1972; #9 UK] #+@%

95. Steamroller Blues: From his "Aloha From Hawaii" concert comes the most unlikely single of them all--a James Taylor cover that climaxes with the singer comparing his love to a napalm bomb. [LP Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite, 1973; single A-side, #17 US, #15 UK] +%

96. Promised Land: His last classic recording & his first successful Chuck Berry cover. [single A-side, 1974; #14 US, #9 UK] #@%

97. T-R-O-U-B-L-E: A revival-rocker that should've been bigger--it may not have gotten a lot of airplay at the time, but it's been getting it ever since. [single A-side, 1975; #35 US, #31 UK] %

98. Hurt: The anguish of lost love met with an almost operatic delivery in his most celebrated late-period recordings. [single A-side, 1976; #28 US, #37 UK] +%

99. For The Heart: One of Elvis's last great performances, which is to say, a rocker that he sang like he meant it. [single B-side, 1976] @%

100. Moody Blue: The title track of his final album & the final US #1 in his lifetime (on the Country charts). [single A-side, 1976; #31 US, #6 UK] #+

101. Way Down: The last single Elvis released in his lifetime, sales (& significance) buttressed by his death. [single A-side, 1977; #18 US, #1 UK] #%

* * *

So there you have it--the 101 most essential Elvis recordings, as vetted by his most significant collections. Long live The King Of Rock & Roll.

Elvis Presley's "The Last Farewell": A Consideration.

 
I have been listening to nothing but Elvis Presley since last October, but out of all of the songs in his catalog (& I've listened to them all), I don't think I've listened to any as much as "The Last Farewell." According to my iTunes Library, I've heard it some 75 times, although that doesn't count times where I listened to part of it but got interrupted before it finished. I imagine the number is closer to 100.

I am not sure why that is.

There are songs that draw you in for obvious reasons--their melody, arrangement, instrumentation, etc.--but this is not one of those songs. It is a fair-to-poor Elvis song off of a fair-to-poor Elvis album, the cumbersomely-titled From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee, which was a polite way for his label RCA to name it He Is So Disillusioned, Unmotivated, & Depressed, We've Moved The Recording Equipment Into His House, But He Still Barely Uses It. Even Elvis-obsessed aficionados usually dismiss it along with the disappointing music at the end of his career; most treatises on Elvis fail to mention it at all.

When Elvis recorded "The Last Farewell" in February 1976, it was in his first night of recording sessions in the "Jungle Room" of Graceland. By that point, he was generally disinterested about anything relating to recording or producing music, but "The Last Farewell" seemed to be an exception.

Sometime in the summer of 1975, Elvis got a 45 of the song, originally written & recorded in 1971 by the English folksinger Roger Whittaker. Although the song was never much of a hit, it got some airplay some 4 years after its initial release, & was re-released. To date, it is one of the few songs to sell over 10 million copies worldwide.

"The Last Farewell" was not the greatest song ever written. It was maudlin & cliched, telling the tale of a nineteenth-century British maritime soldier returning home on a ship to England to fight in a war. Whittaker's vocal was competent, but not outstanding, & the production values were cheesy, even in the world of 1970s easy listening radio. Still, there was something unique that Elvis heard in it, & he listened to it over & over again, some 20 times a row, trying (& failing) to get his then-girlfriend Melissa Blackwood to appreciate it. "I just kind of like that song," Elvis told her.

He seemed anxious to cut his own version of it, & it was one of the first songs he tried in the Jungle Room. But, as Peter Guralnick described in the second volume of his definitive biography of Elvis, "the musicians were no more able to grasp its fascination than Melissa had been." They worked their way through the arrangement, largely basing it on Whittaker's original--the soaring strings & synthesizers, the dramatic musical flourishes, the small army of backing vocalists, only adding more of each, as though to mask the song with orchestration & flash.

For a man whose finest music sounds utterly timeless--say, "That's All Right," "Mystery Train," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "Suspicious Minds," & "Burning Love"--Elvis's cover of "The Last Farewell" is painfully dated. The production values sound like they were conceived in Rick Wakeman's head & the tone is much closer to adult contemporary pop than rock & roll. If not for Elvis's vocal, you'd think it was tailor-made for a Reprise-era Frank Sinatra.

Lyrically, it was one of the strangest things Elvis ever sang. The song is sung from the perspective of a British soldier heading back to his home in England in the nineteenth century; Elvis may have not always been the best match for his lyrical content (just check out "The Edge Of Reality" or "Raised On Rock"--or better yet, don't), but the idea of Elvis as a colonial-era British sailor is bizarre to the point of distraction. Indeed, hearing Elvis sing about returning "safe home again to England" where he "shall watch the English mist roll through the dell" is kind of ridiculous. & thrown into a musical score that sounds like it was written for a PBS Nova special, it is rendered even stranger.

Despite all of this, in the subdued, melancholy context of From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee, the song jumps out to the listener with its tender refrain:

For you are beautiful

I have loved you dearly

More dearly than the spoken word can tell.

& again:

For you are beautiful

I have loved you dearly

More dearly than the spoken word can tell.

When Roger Whittaker sang these lines, he did it solo, singing just behind the beat to give it a slight swing (or as much as a Roger Whittaker song can swing). Elvis, on the other hand, keeps the melody directly on the beat & sings with a small entourage--most noticeably his frequent co-harmonizer, Charlie Hodges. It is the one part of the sea-inspired song that actually sounds like a sea-shanty, & it is the part that will stick in your head long after the song has ended, more saccharine than sweet, more cloying than beautiful.

If you listen to it enough times, you might notice that it sounds oddly familiar, & indeed, I find that it sounds just like the refrain of James Taylor's "Carolina In My Mind," originally released a few years before Whittaker's "The Last Farewell":

Can't you see the sunshine?

Can't you just feel the moonshine?

Did Whittaker accidentally lift the melody from Taylor? Or come with it on his own? & did Elvis, who knew James Taylor from covering his "Steamroller Blues" as part of his Aloha From Hawaii concert, hear this familiarity as well? If one connects the dots, a song like the down-home celebration of "Carolina In My Mind" is far closer to the kind of music Elvis liked to cut: All-American, country music-tinged anthems, unabashed with no irony. Did Elvis hear this song about British naval history & catch a melody at its center that brought everything home to the good ol' USA? If so, the vessel he sails is rooted in Carolina.

Perhaps this is what Elvis heard when he listened to it endlessly & tried to get his friends & band-mates interested in it, even if he couldn't exactly articulate why. I just kind of like that song.

If nothing else, it was all worth it if only because it allowed him to sing these lines, which hide in plain sight at the center of the song:

I have no fear of death, it brings no sorrow

But how bitter will be this last farewell?

As with any song that Elvis liked, he put his stamp on the music, which is to say that he sung the words like he meant them. Just as the melody of the refrain raised questions about its meaning for Elvis, so too does the lyric of the verse. Was he drawn to "The Last Farewell" because it was a rare song that looked death in the face but didn't flinch? As he was spending his days in bed & gaining weight on a diet of deep-fried food & prescription drugs, was it a statement about his current living condition (or lack thereof)?

& for us, as listeners, to hear Elvis sing these words, buried at the heart of an otherwise forgettable song on an otherwise forgettable album, what does it mean? They sound brave, but also offhanded, & ultimately prescient.

Furthermore, they are directly followed by the refrain:

For you are beautiful
I have loved you dearly
More dearly than the spoken word can tell

The fact that Elvis often called his audiences "beautiful" in his 1970s concerts towards the end of his life only seems to reinforce the idea that he is singing directly to us, his audience. & in so doing, it is the only love of his life that has stayed true through his musical career.

The song itself ultimately becomes a last farewell--& with all of its messiness & imperfections, it's a bitter one.

Elvis At Sun: A Survey.

Elvis Presley was a recording artist at Sun Records for about a year & a half--from the summer of 1954 through the end of 1955. In that time, he released 10 sides over 5 singles, which have rightfully gone on to become ground zero for rock & roll music.

Over the years, various anthologies of Sun material have appeared--literally once every decade--each with its own merits. What follows is a survey of them, followed by a recommendation for a new one.

I did not bother ranking them on a 5-star scale because the material is excellent & they are all essentially different versions of the same story.

The Original: The Sun Sessions (RCA, 1976).

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. That's All Right

2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky

3. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine

4. Good Rockin' Tonight

5. Milkcow Blues Boogie

6. You're A Heartbreaker

7. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone

8. Baby, Let's Play House

Side B

1. Mystery Train

2. I Forgot To Remember To Forget

3. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darling)

4. I Love You Because

5. Trying To Get To You

6. Blue Moon

7. Just Because

8. I Love You Because [Alternate Take]

What's New?

The concept of putting (almost) all of Elvis's Sun recordings in a single place; "I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine" makes its album debut.

Accolades

#11 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All-Time (2004); #21 on VH1's 100 Greatest Albums Of Rock & Roll (2001).

Review

Despite the countless reissues RCA released while Elvis was alive, it appears that no one thought to put out a collection of his Sun material until 1976 (perhaps they were waiting for the Bicentennial?). As such, The Sun Sessions was the first time such a collection was assembled, & while it contained only one unreleased track--the alternate take of "I Love You Because" (although "I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine" had never appeared on LP before)--hearing all of the rest assembled in place was a revelation.

It may not have been perfect--I would like to know why "I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine" appears before its A-side "Good Rockin' Tonight" & "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" appears before its A-side "Baby, Let's Play House"--but it was first, & sometimes that's all it takes. Although there were more Sun recordings were in the ether ("Tomorrow Night," which had only appeared in a badly-overdubbed version on a compilation LP in 1965 & "Harbor Lights," which appeared on Elvis: A Legendary Performer, Volume 2 earlier in 1976), this was the basic canon, at least as it was known at this point in time.

& even with its flaws, its missing material, & its ugly cover, it was a crowning achievement.

When Rolling Stone issued their 500 Greatest Albums Of All-Time list in 2004 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the birth of rock & roll (Elvis's recording of "That's All Right" in 1954), The Sun Sessions LP appeared at #11 on the list. It beat out the likes of Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced, The Velvet Underground & Nico, The Beatles' Abbey Road, Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run, Michael Jackson's Thriller, & Nirvana's Nevermind, even though it had been out of print for nearly 3 decades. Subsequent revisions of the list would substitute the excellent 2-disc expansion Sunrise (see below), but like with so much else in rock, it appeared that the original was still the greatest.

The Classic: The Sun Sessions CD (RCA, 1987).

Tracklisting:

1. That's All Right

2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky

3. Good Rockin' Tonight

4. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine

5. Milkcow Blues Boogie

6. You're A Heartbreaker

7. Baby, Let's Play House

8. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone

9. Mystery Train

10. I Forgot To Remember To Forget

11. I Love You Because

12. Blue Moon

13. Tomorrow Night

14. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')

15. Just Because

16. Trying To Get To You

17. Harbor Lights [Take 4]

18. I Love You Because [Take 2]

19. That's All Right [Outtake]

20. Blue Moon Of Kentucky [Take 1]

21. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine [Outtake]

22. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 9]

23. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin') [Outtake]

24. When It Rains It Really Pours [Outtake]

25. I Love You Because [Take 3]

26. I Love You Because [Take 4]*

27. I Love You Because [Take 5]

28. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 7]

29. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 8]*

30. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 10]*

31. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 11]*

32. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 12]

33. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 13]*

(* = Not on CD version)

What's New?

The Sun masters are completed, as "Harbor Lights," "Tomorrow Night," "When It Rains It Really Poors" & the slow version of "I'm Left You're Right, She's Gone" & TONS of alternate takes!

Accolades

Included in Rolling Stone's 200 Essential Rock Albums (1997).

Review

A great collection that fixes the issues of its LP forerunner. First, the single sides appear in the proper order. Secondly, & more importantly, for the first time, all the Sun masters are gathered in one place. It also included all of the existing outtakes (almost!--see below), which what it lacked in programming (have you ever listened to endless takes of "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version)" back to back?), it made up for in historical importance.

With the CD still in its relative infancy, RCA decided to issue the complete set on double vinyl & a single long-playing cassette; hence the 5 songs above left off of the CD to keep it on a single disc. What this meant is that if you bought the LP or tape, you were getting the complete collection of Elvis's Sun recordings, which is to say every known take that existed up to that time. The CD nearly gave you the same thing, although only a completist would notice the difference.

Still, it was excellently executed & one of the first major CD collections to make ample use of a compact disc's 80-minute running time.


The Modern Classic: Sunrise (RCA, 1999).

Tracklisting:

Disc 1

1. That's All Right
2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
3. Good Rockin' Tonight
4. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
5. Milkcow Blues Boogie
6. You're A Heartbraker
7. Baby, Let's Play House
8. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
9. I Forgot To Remember To Forget
10. Mystery Train
11. I Love You Because
12. Harbor Lights
13. Blue Moon
14. Tomorrow Night
15. I'll Never Let You Go (Lil' Darlin')
16. Just Because
17. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version)
18. Trying To Get To You
19. When It Rains It Really Pours

Disc 2

1. My Happiness [Private Recording]
2. That's When Your Heartaches Begin [Private Recording]
3. I'll Never Stand In Your Way [Private Recording]
4. It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You [Private Recording]
5. I Love You Because [Alternate]
6. That's All Right [Alternate]
7. Blue Moon Of Kentucky [Alternate]
8. Blue Moon [Alternate]
9. I'll Never Let You Go (Lil' Darlin') [Alternate]
10. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine [Alternate]
11. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Alternate]
12. Fool Fool Fool [Demo]
13. Shake, Rattle & Roll [Demo]
14. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone [Live]
15. That's All Right [Live]
16. Money Honey [Live]
17. Tweedle Dee [Live]
18. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine [Live]
19. Hearts Of Stone [Live]

What's New?

Lots of stuff--the previously-unknown private recordings that Elvis made on his own dime, 2 demos from the period recorded at a Texas radio station that were first included in his boxed set of complete '50s masters, & live recordings from the Louisiana Hayride; Sunrise also marks the first time that "I'm Left, You're Right She's Gone (Slow Version)" is included among the masters & not the alternate takes.

Accolades

Time's 100 Essential Albums (2006); subsequent revisions of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All-Time (since The Sun Sessions LP is long out-of-print & Sunrise lives on in iTunes).

Review

A well-made & worthy reissue that nonetheless could have been even better. When Sunrise came out, it was marketed as the fuller, more complete version of The Sun Sessions CD, & everyone seemed to take it at its word. However, Sunrise had only one alternate take of each song, meaning that the initial meat of the set--the Sun Records recordings--was incomplete. Even more frustrating was the fact that all of the unused alternates could have easily fit on the second disc. These could have been included along with (or perhaps in place of) the Louisiana Hayride recordings, which are historically valuable but are so poor in audio quality that they likely were never going to be listened to more than once. I suspect the live recordings were included so that the CD could list more distinct song titles, even though they were not nearly as listenable as anything else on the disc. (Furthermore, if it was to show the range of Elvis's then-current setlist, it also fails, as it leaves off his Louisiana Hayride version of "Maybellene," which had previously been issued on his complete '50s boxed set).

All of which is to say that although this is the first official double-CD of Elvis's Sun material, it ends up being a bunt instead of a home run. I believe that the RCA powers-that-be should've either expanded it to include all of the alternate takes to make it as complete as the Sun Sessions double-LP & cassette incarnation or left off the live recordings & make one cherry-picked disc.

Another far subtle feature of Sunrise is that it is the first to place "I Forgot To Remember To Forget" as the A-side of his final single, as opposed to "Mystery Train." This was done because "I Forgot To Remember To Forget" was Elvis's first national #1 single (on the Country & Western charts), & thus was determined to be the lead single in hindsight. In reality, both sides were released against each other, both battled for more airplay, & in the end, both charted nationally ("Mystery Train" hit #10 on the Country & Western charts). However, given the blues-rocker-backed-by-country model of every other single, I believe that Sun Records producer Sam Phillips intended "Mystery Train" to be the hit side & that it should appear before "I Forgot To Remember To Forget," like it does on The Sun Sessions LP & CD. From this point on, however, the reverse would be accepted as the standard, which to me sounds out-of-sequence with the rest of the singles.

Still, all that said, it is nice to have Elvis's 4 priceless private recordings assembled in one place for the first time. Until Sunrise, they were released bit by bit: "My Happiness" on The Great Performances CD, "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" on The Complete '50s Masters boxed set," & "I'll Never Stand In Your Way" on the Platinum: A Life In Music boxed set; "It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You" was issued here for the first time. It is also nice to have the versions of "Fool, Fool, Fool" & "Shake, Rattle, & Roll" that were cut at a Texas radio station during the Sun years (which first appeared on The Complete '50s Masters boxed set). Finally, it is nice to have it all live on in iTunes, even as CD versions of the album have grown scarce.


The Post-Modern Classic: Elvis At Sun (RCA, 2004).

Tracklisting:

1. Harbor Lights
2. I Love You Because [Alternate]
3. That's All Right
4. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
5. Blue Moon
6. Tomorrow Night
7. I'll Never Let You Go (Lil' Darlin')
8. Just Because
9. Good Rockin' Tonight
10. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
11. Milkcow Blues Boogie
12. You're A Heartbreaker
13. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version)
14. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
15. Baby, Let's Play House
16. I Forgot To Remember To Forget
17. Mystery Train
18. Trying To Get To You
19. When It Rains, It Really Pours

What's New?

The sound, which is mastered so that the records sound more direct than ever before. Some have been skeptical of this, the Elvis sessions website has staunchly defended it. "When It Rains, It Really Pours" appears in a 2-minute master without any of the studio dialogue from the earlier issues & for the first time, the songs are presented in the order in which they were recorded, as opposed to the previous versions that put Elvis's 10 single sides up front, followed by the songs not originally issued.

Accolades

Included in 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die (2008).

Review

Issued for the 50th anniversary of Elvis recording "That's All Right," Elvis At Sun was presumably to put a one-disc closer-to-budget-priced Sun collection on the market to provide an alternative to the 2-disc Sunrise. As such, it leaves off all of the private recordings, radio station demos, & live recordings for the 19 "modern" masters, soup to nuts, with no frills.

Almost.

For some unbeknownst reason, the producers included the alternate version of "I Love You Because" instead of the master. This was probably because the master version issued from RCA was a splice between 2 different takes. Still, I believe that they should have included the spliced RCA master & tack on the alternate version of "I Love You Because" at the end, a la the original Sun Sessions LP. This one song notwithstanding, Elvis At Sun is the closet to the original Sun Sessions LP than anything that had appeared since. It simply collects all the master recordings in one place.

As for the sound, it definitely is more immediate, but I've always chalked that up to the way in which CDs have been remastered. To my ears, The Sun Sessions CD now sounds like a CD from 1987--good but muffled; it needs to be turned up to fully appreciated. I also always found the Sunrise CD set to mastered a bit too quietly as well, especially when compared to the brightness of a collection like ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits, which was released  only 3 years later.

Elvis At Sun sounds to me less like a tampering with the original recordings than it does a more modernly-mastered recorded that puts the music more front-&-center than its predecessors. But in all such aesthetic cases, you ultimately just have to decide for yourself.


The Deluxe Treatment: A Boy From Tupelo: The Complete 1953-55 Recordings (FTD, 2012)

Tracklisting:

Disc 1: The MRS Acetates, The Sun Masters & The RCA Masters

1. My Happiness [Private Recording]
2. That's When Your Heartaches Begin [Private Recording]
3. I'll Never Stand In Your Way [Private Recording]
4. It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You [Private Recording]
5. Harbor Lights
6. I Love You Because
7. That's All Right
8. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
9. Blue Moon
10. Tomorrow Night
11. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')
12. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
13. Just Because
14. Good Rockin' Tonight
15. Milkcow Blues Boogie
16. You're A Heartbreaker
17. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version)
18. Baby, Let's Play House
19. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
20. I Forgot To Remember To Forget
21. Mystery Train
22. Tryin' To Get To You
23. When It Rains It Pours
24. That's All Right [RCA Single Version]
25. Blue Moon Of Kentucky [RCA Single Version]
26. I Love You Because [RCA LP Version]
27. Tomorrow Night [RCA LP Version]

Disc 2: The Sun Studio Sessions

1. Harbor Lights [Takes 1-2]
2. Harbor Lights [Take 3/M]
3. Harbor Lights [Take 4]
4. Harbor Lights [Take 5-6]
5. Harbor Lights [Take 7]
6. Harbor Lights [Take 8]
7. I Love You Because [Take 1]
8. I Love You Because [Take 2]
9. I Love You Because [Take 3]
10. I Love You Because [Take 4]
11. I Love You Because [Take 5]
12. That's All Right [Take 1-2]
13. That's All Right [Take 3]
14. Dialogue
15. Blue Moon Of Kentucky [Outtake]
16. Blue Moon [Take 1-3]
17. Blue Moon [Take 4]
18. Blue Moon [Take 5]
19. Blue Moon [Take 6-7]
20. Blue Moon [Take 8]
21. Blue Moon [Take 9/M]
22. Dialog Fragment [Before "Tomorrow Night"]
23. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin') [Incomplete Take]
24. Good Rockin' Tonight [Fragment From Vocal Slapback Tape]
25. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine [Takes 1-2]
26. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine [Take 3/M]
27. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 1]
28. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 2]
29. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 3]
30. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 4]
31. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 5/M]
32. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 6]
33. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Take 7]
34. How Do You Think I Feel [Guitar Slapback Tape, Rehearsal & Take 1]
35. How Do You Think I Feel [Guitar Slapback Tape, Rehearsals]
36. When It Rains It Pours [Take 1]
37. When It Rains It Pours [Take 2]
38. When It Rains It Pours [Take 3-4]
39. When It Rains It Pours [Take 5/M]
40. When It Rains It Pours [Take 6-7]
41. When It Rains It Pours [Take 8]

Disc 3: Live & Radio Performances

1. That's All Right [Live]
2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky [Live]
3. Shake, Rattle & Roll [Demo]
4. Fool, Fool, Fool [Demo]
5. Hearts Of Stone [Live]
6. That's All Right [Live]
7. Tweedlee Dee [Live]
8. Shake, Rattle & Roll [Live]
9. KSIJ Radio Commercial With DJ Tom Perryman
10. Money Honey [Live]
11. Blue Moon Of Kentucky [Live]
12. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine [Live]
13. That's All Right [Live]
14. Tweedlee Dee [Live]
15. Money Honey [Live]
16. Hearts Of Stone [Live]
17. Shake, Rattle & Roll [Live]
18. Little Mama [Live]
19. You're A Heartbreaker [Live]
20. Good Rockin' Tonight [Live]
21. Baby, Let's Play House [Live]
22. Blue Moon Of Kentucky [Live]
23. I Got A Woman [Live]
24. That's All Right [Live]
25. Tweedlee Dee [Live]
26. Interview With Mae Boren Axton [Live]
27. That's All Right [Live]
28. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone [Live]
29. Baby, Let's Play House [Live]
30. Maybellene [Live]
31. That's All Right [Live]
32. Interview With Bob Neal

What's New?

Lots of stuff--including every extant master (regular & overdubbed), alternate take, & live recording. Completely new are some of the takes of "Harbor Lights," "Blue Moon," "When It Rains It Pours," & some of the dialogue fragments; the outtake versions of "How Do You Think I Feel" (on which you can only hear Scotty Moore's electric guitar, not Elvis); & some of the live recordings, including the recently-discovered live recording "Little Mama." Also, & of course, no collection had gathered all of this material so exhaustively.

Accolades

Tons of glowing reviews from the Elvis blogs, almost all of which lament the fact that it was a limited-time release that has since gone out of print.

Review

An anthology fit for a King. Elvis fans are such a rabid force that the Elvis powers-that-be created Follow That Dream (FTD) Records, which has been tasked with reissuing collector's editions of Elvis's recordings.

While most chronicle obscure movie soundtracks or periods of recording, the A Boy From Tupelo set is the rare FTD that deserves to be issued on the main RCA label. At the very least, the first 2 discs should be put out as a "Complete Sun Studio Sessions" set.

It fixes all the problems of the previous collections with its completeness. For example, on a song like "I Love You Because," the set includes the spliced version from Elvis's first RCA album, along with the 5 takes that survive from the original recording session. No piece is too small--such as the recently-discovered 10-second clip from the slapback fragment of "Good Rockin' Tonight." With entire masters missing long ago (such as for songs like "Milkcow Blues Boogie" & "You're A Heartbreaker," which were mastered from 78 records), this is a testament to everything we have--until something new is discovered.

Pretty much the only critique that can be made is that it was a limited-release set that is now woefully out-of-print. Besides that, there is nothing missing because this set literally has everything.


The Recommendation: Sunrise: Elvis Presley's Sun Sessions.

The Tracklisting:

That's All Right
2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
3. Good Rockin' Tonight
4. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
5. Milkcow Blues Boogie
6. You're A Heartbraker
7. Baby, Let's Play House
8. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
9. Mystery Train
10. I Forgot To Remember To Forget
11. I Love You Because
12. Harbor Lights
13. Blue Moon
14. Tomorrow Night
15. I'll Never Let You Go (Lil' Darlin')
16. Just Because
17. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version)
18. Trying To Get To You
19. When It Rains It Pours [Edit]
20. My Happiness [Private Recording]
21. That's When Your Heartaches Begin [Private Recording]
22. I'll Never Stand In Your Way [Private Recording]
23. It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You [Private Recording]
24. I Love You Because [Alternate]
25. That's All Right [Alternate]
26. Blue Moon Of Kentucky [Alternate]
27. Blue Moon [Alternate]
28. I'll Never Let You Go (Lil' Darlin') [Alternate]
29. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine [Alternate]
30. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version) [Alternate]
31. Fool Fool Fool [Demo]
32. Shake, Rattle & Roll [Demo]

Review

I recently discovered that if you take Sunrise, leave off the live recordings at the end, & use the edited "master" version of "When It Rains It Pours" that was issued on Elvis At Sun, it all fits onto a single disc. Therefore, I propose to do just that, fitting all of Elvis's masters--& a sampling of alternate takes--onto one CD.

I like the Sunrise model of putting the 10 single sides upfront first (with "Mystery Train" appearing before "I Forgot To Remember To Forget"), followed by all of his other masters in chronological order, which in turn are followed by the private recordings & alternate takes that provide a sort of alternative history of the music. I also like Sunrise's cover, which I would also keep.

One thing I would change is the sound quality. Even as an iTunes download, Sunrise sounds kind of low & muffled & would benefit from a remaster to make it more along the lines of Elvis At Sun.

So basically, if you take the essence of Sunrise, edit it around a little, & make it sound like Elvis At Sun, you have a definitive single-disc set.

Until they figure out a new way to release A Boy From Tupelo on a larger scale--or simply discover new hereto-unknown pieces of the puzzle.

The Elvis Anthology Problem.

The Elvis Anthology Problem is simple: There are too many great songs to fit onto a single disc.

Not that that's stopped anyone from trying--roughly once every decade.

What follows is a survey of Elvis's classic single-disc compilations, followed by a recommendation for a new one that I believe solves The Elvis Anthology Problem.

I also ranked the anthologies on the classic Rolling Stone/allmusic.com 5-star scale:

***** = Classic

**** = Great

*** = Good
** = Fair
* = Poor

Elvis' Golden Records [RCA, 1958] *****

The Concept: The archetypal "Greatest Hits Collection," capturing Elvis's most famous material before entering the Army.

The Tracklist:

Side A

1. Hound Dog

2. Loving You

3. All Shook Up

4. Heartbreak Hotel

5. Jailhouse Rock

6. Love Me

7. Too Much

Side B

1. Don't Be Cruel

2. That's When Your Heartaches Begin

3. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear

4. Love Me Tender

5. Treat Me Nice

6. Any Way You Want Me (That's How I Will Be)

7. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You

The Verdict: It largely succeeds in its goal. Prior to entering the Army, Elvis released 8 major singles for RCA, all of which were essential building blocks for rock & roll:

"Heartbreak Hotel"/"I Was The One"

"I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"/"My Baby Left Me"

"Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel"

"Love Me Tender"/"Any Way You Want Me"

"Too Much"/"Playing For Keeps"

 "All Shook Up"/"That's When Your Heartaches Begin"

"(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear"/"Loving You"

"Jailhouse Rock"/"Treat Me Nice"

One side of each hit #1 on the US Pop charts with the exception of "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel," where both sides hit #1.

A ninth single that was released just before he went into the Army--"Don't"/"I Beg Of You" in early 1958--was left off, presumably because it had yet to go golden. Also left off are the sides RCA created by reissuing the 12 tracks of his first album as 6 singles in the post-"Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel" mad rush for Presley product. Finally, RCA omitted are both sides of an additional single released at the same time as the 6 album singles, "Shake, Rattle, & Roll"/"Lawdy Miss Clawdy," which was his only non-holiday single to EVER miss the charts in America in his lifetime from that point going forward. (All put together, it was the poorest release of singles until 1967, when Columbia Records released 5 Moby Grape singles simultaneously, killing the chances for any of them to hit.)

Of the 16 eligible sides above, RCA chose 13 of them to make an album, adding a 14th song--"Love Me"--that had previously been issued on an LP after it hit the Top 10 as the lead song an EP. Of the 3 songs that were left off--"I Was The One," "My Baby Left Me," & "Playing For Keeps"--only the latter deserved to be left off, especially when you consider that "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" made the cut, which is easily weaker than any of those sides. From a modern perspective, the most glaring exception was "Blue Suede Shoes," which is now considered among Elvis's signature songs. However, Elvis held back releasing the song as single so that his old Sun label-mate Carl Perkins could have a bigger hit with it; by the end of the year, Perkins' version hit #2 while Elvis's stalled at #20. (Still, that's a bigger hit than some of the material that did make the album, including "That's When Your Heartaches Begin.")

All that said, Elvis' Golden Records holds together well because of its killer material spread out over an excellent running order. Even though Elvis would have other hits--"Can't Help Falling In Love," "Suspicious Minds," "Burning Love," & many more--these are the ones that crystallized his career--as well as rock & roll as mainstream music. For those who agree with John Lennon that Elvis died when he went into the Army, this is the definitive collection. But most want a fuller picture.

Elvis: A Legendary Performer, Volume 1 [RCA, 1974] ****

The Concept: The Elvis Presley Story, in hits, history, & rarities.

The Tracklist:

Side A

1. That's All Right

2. I Love You Because [Take 2]

3. Heartbreak Hotel

4. Interview

5. Don't Be Cruel

6. Love Me [Live]

7. Trying To Get To You [Live]

Side B

1. Love Me Tender

2. Peace In The Valley

3. Elvis's Farewell To Fans 

4. (Now & Then There's) A Fool Such As I

5. Tonight's All Right For Love

6. Are You Lonesome Tonight [Live]

7. Can't Help Falling In Love

The Verdict: Although there would be 3 more volumes of "Golden Hits" in Elvis's lifetime, each covered a new span of time, except for the embarrassing fourth volume, which reached back to material from the third volume to fill its sides. The second & third volumes have their merits, but without the core pre-Army period represented, none can be considered a definitive stand-alone disc.

The first disc to try & capture the whole of Elvis's scope was A Legendary Performer, which appeared in the mid-'70s. By that point, Elvis had gotten back from the Army, lost his way in Hollywood, reemerged in "The '68 Comeback Special," & scored what would be his final monster hit, "Burning Love." It was also the first collection to ever mix his Sun & RCA material.

The collection begins with his first Sun hit, followed by a previously-unissued from his first professional recording session. It then goes to his national breakout hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," an interview clip where he assigns his success to luck, & then "Don't Be Cruel," which would become the biggest-selling single of its time. There's the title cut from his first film ("Love Me Tender"), his first gospel recording ("Peace In The Valley"), & then a clip from his farewell to fans before entering the Army. "(Now & Then There's) A Fool Such As I" captures his post-Army caricatured style, "Tonight's All Right For Love" is a bum movie track from his first post-Army film that had never been issued in the U.S., & "Can't Help Falling In Love" was the hit version of the song with which he closed his concerts.

The 3 live songs throughout (all then-previously unreleased) were taken from the legendary "sit-down" shows of "The '68 Comeback Special," finding him full of swagger, good humor, & hard-rocking defiance when he wanted to be. The remake of the old Sun recording that was originally issued on his first album, "Trying To Get To You," packed the most punch, as he seemed to be not just singing to a girl, but to his audience.

Rock historian Greil Marcus has famously championed this now out-of-print set, explaining: "On this album, Elvis's career makes sense, it has shape. You can hear the artist grow, the god fail, the King return, the main endure & change." Based on my vinyl copy, I would have to agree, although I would want to add "Suspicious Minds" & "Burning Love" to the running order, just to see it through the post-comeback recordings & the 1970s.

Using the original Legendary Performer as a template, RCA could issue a killer expanded version on CD--& given all the stuff they have reissued over the years, it's kind of shocking that they haven't.

Pure Gold [RCA Camden, 1975] **

The Concept: One budget collection worth of pure gold from The King Of Rock & Roll.

The Tracklist:

Side A

1. Kentucky Rain
2. Fever
3. It's Impossible
4. Jailhouse Rock
5. Don't Be Cruel

Side B

1. I Got A Woman
2. All Shook Up
3. Loving You
4. In The Ghetto
5. Love Me Tender

The Verdict: Someone once claimed that all of Elvis's most important music could be summed up on a 45-minute album. If that's the case, Pure Gold could be an interesting test case. Unlike other budget collections that spanned a time period or theme, Pure Gold is seemingly an attempt at just that, a collection of Elvis's very best songs.

What makes it so fascinating is how close it is to succeeding in its apparent goal. It is one of very few collections of Elvis's lifetime to span every decade he recorded in, & seemingly begin to tell a complete story. Yet, for every spot-on choice ("Jailhouse Rock," "Don't Be Cruel," "All Shook Up," "Love Me Tender") there's another excellent but off-the-mark choice ("I Got A Woman," "Fever") & one that is simply off-the-mark altogether ("It's Impossible," perhaps included as a comment on trying to make a 10-song collection of Elvis's pure gold?). If half of these songs were replaced with more appropriate fare--say, "Can't Help Falling In Love," "Suspicious Minds," & "Burning Love"--we'd be onto something. But as it is now, it is like so many other Elvis budget collections: Half-baked & poorly executed, with a tacky cover.

Still, the compilers get points for bravely putting a real slice of pure gold up top that would've been on few people's shortlist in 1975: "Kentucky Rain." Despite this, Pure Gold is a testament to what might have been, as opposed to a success in & of itself.


The Number One Hits [RCA, 1987] ***

The Concept: Every #1 Hit by The King Of Rock & Roll!

The Tracklist:

1. Heartbreak Hotel

2. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You

3. Hound Dog

4. Don't Be Cruel

5. Love Me Tender

6. Too Much

7. All Shook Up

8. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear

9. Jailhouse Rock

10. Don't

11. Hard Headed Woman

12. A Big Hunk O' Love

13. Stuck On You

14. It's Now Or Never

15. Are You Lonesome Tonight?

16. Surrender

17. Good Luck Charm

18. Suspicious Minds

The Verdict: To mark the 10th anniversary of Elvis's death, RCA Records did their first serious reissues of his material, which is to say that it marked the first time that they issued CD collections that could rival anything on vinyl. They updated the legendary Sun Sessions LP set as The Sun Sessions CD, marking the first time that every single Elvis Sun master appeared on a single disc, along with nearly all the existing outtakes. They issued his post-"Comeback" 1969 recordings as The Memphis Record, collecting the complete From Elvis In Memphis, along with major sides & highlights from the follow-up album that also came from the same sessions. & to cover the entire scope of the RCA years, they issued the stellar 2-disc Top Ten Hits, which simply contained all every U.S. song to make the Top 10. The set made itself. Elvis had 38 Top 10 U.S. hits, with 19 from the '50s & 19 from the '60s & '70s. Even with no Sun material, it remains the definitive place to collect his hits.

For those who didn't want to shell out the big bucks for the Top Ten Hits double CD, RCA issued The Number One Hits, which in theory should've assembled itself as successfully as the Top Ten Hits. Only it didn't.

The set begins admirably, near-flawlessly, losing its way where Elvis did: In the Hollywood years after his post-Army hits. Case in point: No "Can't Help Falling In Love"?! No "Return To Sender"?! No "Burning Love"?! No, sorry, they all peaked at #2. Then how did they get on the more familiar modern #1 hits CD?! Different criteria, as we shall soon see.

As for the original Number One Hits discussed here, it remains little more than a historical curiosity of the first CD age.

Elvis: The Great Performances [RCA, 1990] ****

The Concept: A soundtrack to the video of the same name, as well as the place to release the then-recently-discovered 1953 performance of "My Happiness," Elvis's earliest recording.

The Tracklist:

1. My Happiness
2. That's All Right
3. Shake, Rattle & Roll/Flip, Flop & Fly [Live]
4. Heartbreak Hotel
5. Blue Suede Shoes
6. Ready Teddy [Live]
7. Don't Be Cruel
8. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
9. Got A Lot Of Livin' To Do!
10. Jailhouse Rock
11. Treat Me Nice
12. King Creole
13. Trouble
14. Fame & Fortune
15. Return To Sender
16. Always On My Mind
17. An American Trilogy [Live]
18. If I Can Dream
19. Unchained Melody
20. Memories

The Verdict: A Legendary Performer for the CD age. For the first (& perhaps only) time, RCA released a single CD of hits & history that told the whole story of Elvis, from the debut of his earliest recording in 1953 (the fascinating "My Happiness") to the last great stage performance before his death in 1977 (an undubbed "Unchained Melody"). Along the way, we get Sun ("That's All Right"), early TV exposure ("Shake, Rattle & Roll" from his first TV appearance), the iconic '50s tracks ("Heartbreak Hotel," "Don't Be Cruel," "Jailhouse Rock"), a taste of The King live at his peak (a ferocious "Ready Teddy" that scorches the studio version), the Army-era releases ("Trouble"), the post-Army return to form (the criminally underrated & almost always forgotten B-side "Fame & Fortune," which is as fine as anything on Elvis Is Back!), Hollywood ("Return To Sender"), Comeback ("If I Can Dream"), his most celebrated '70s recording ("Always On My Mind"), & a choice cut from the Aloha In Hawaii concert (a version of "An American Trilogy" that for my money trumps the original). & then, just for sentimental value, they end the whole thing with the theme of "The '68 Comeback Special," "Memories."

All that is missing from A Legendary Performer are the sit-down performances from "The '68 Comeback Special," but with some choice '70s material included, The Great Performances is its own masterful overview.

Now long out-of-print, & like A Legendary Performer, a remastered & expanded version would be a welcome addition to Elvis's catalog.

& it even includes "Blue Suede Shoes."

The Essential Collection [RCA/BMG, 1994] ****

The Concept: The first single-disc collection to capture the potential (read: length) of the CD age.

The Tracklist:

1. Heartbreak Hotel

2. Blue Suede Shoes

3. Hound Dog

4. Don't Be Cruel

5. Love Me Tender

6. All Shook Up

7. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear

8. Jailhouse Rock

9. King Creole

10. The Girl Of My Best Friend

11. It's Now Or Never

12. Are You Lonesome Tonight?

13. Wooden Heart

14. (Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame

15. Can't Help Falling In Love

16. Good Luck Charm

17. She's Not You

18. Return To Sender

19. (You're The) Devil In Disguise

20. Crying In The Chapel

21. In The Ghetto

22. Suspicious Minds

23. The Wonder Of You

24. I Just Can't Help Believin'

25. An American Trilogy

26. Burning Love

27. Always On My Mind

28. Moody Blue

The Verdict: A near-great miss, marred by the lack of any Sun material & a song list that contains a few songs that are classic, but not necessarily worthy of a single-disc anthology ("King Creole," "She's Not You"), plus some genuine head-scratchers ("The Girl Of My Best Friend" & "Wooden Heart"). The answer seems to lie in the fact that this was distributed by BMG, a British label. In England, all of these songs were big hits, with "King Creole" & "The Girl Of My Best Friend" both reaching #2 & "She's Not You" & "Wooden Heart" both reaching #1. (Even more mind-staggering is that the latter stayed at #1 for 6 weeks, marking a rare time that an American song was atop the UK charts that never charted on its native soil.)

Still, The Essential Collection gets a lot of things right: It is the first includes "Blue Suede Shoes" among the early hits, it contains "Burning Love," & rescues the soon-to-be-considered-essential "Always On My Mind" from bargain-bin obscurity (especially in the U.S., where it was only issued as a non-hit B-side). Such tracks would soon be the cornerstones of Elvis single-disc compilations.

For this one though, it has since gone long out-of-print; like The Number One Hits it has been eclipsed by a similarly-titled, better-selling collection (in this case, the double-disc The Essential Elvis Presley).

The Best Of The Artist Of The Century [RCA, 2000] ***

The Concept: A one-disc overview of The Greatest Artist Of The 20th Century, culled from a larger 3-disc boxed set.

The Tracklist:

1. That's All Right

2. Baby, Let's Play House

3. Heartbreak Hotel

4. Hound Dog

5. Don't Be Cruel

6. All Shook Up

7. One Night

8. Jailhouse Rock

9. Trouble

10. It's Now Or Never

11. Are You Lonesome Tonight?

12. Reconsider Baby

13. Can't Help Falling In Love

14. Little Sister

15. Return To Sender

16. (You're The) Devil In Disguise

17. It Hurts Me

18. Big Boss Man

19. In The Ghetto

20. Suspicious Minds

21. Only The Strong Survive

22. Polk Salad Annie

23. An American Trilogy

24. Burning Love

25. Always On My Mind

The Verdict: Overall, a very strong set that functions better than the fuller 3-disc version. Nearly all of the essentials are here--"Blue Suede Shoes" is the only glaring exception--& it brings in the Sun material for the first time in the CD era. I would've liked to see hits like "Stuck On You" & "Good Luck Charm" as well as Elvis classics like "Viva Las Vegas" & "If I Can Dream" for a little color, especially over the likes of "Trouble," "Little Sister," & "It Hurts Me," all of which are great but not single-disc great. I also would've chosen "Guitar Man" over Big Boss Man" to represent his pre-Comeback hits. Finally, I think it could've benefited from even more Sun material, but as it is, "That's All Right" & "Baby, Let's Play House" are hard to argue with. This set also marks the late-period resurgence of "Polk Salad Annie" as one of Elvis's essential songs, although I've never really heard it as such. Still, this is the kind of album that plays very well through, with the missing elements unrealized until after it's over.

ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits [RCA, 2002] ****1/2

The Concept: All of Elvis's #1 hits (for real this time)!

The Tracklist:

1. Heartbreak Hotel

2. Don't Be Cruel

3. Hound Dog

4. Love Me Tender

5. Too Much

6. All Shook Up

7. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear

8. Jailhouse Rock

9. Don't

10. Hard Headed Woman

11. One Night

12. (Now & Then There's) A Fool Such As I

13. A Big Hunk O' Love

14. Stuck On You

15. It's Now Or Never

16. Are You Lonesome Tonight?

17. Wooden Heart

18. Surrender

19. (Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame

20. Can't Help Falling In Love

21. Good Luck Charm

22. She's Not You

23. Return To Sender

24. (You're The) Devil In Disguise

25. Crying In The Chapel

26. In The Ghetto

27. Suspicious Minds

28. The Wonder Of You

29. Burning Love

30. Way Down

31. A Little Less Conversation (JXL Radio Edit Remix)

The Verdict: A stone-cold classic for 99% of the people out there, but another near-miss for me.

Coming on the heels of The Beatles' epic (both in music & sales) 1, which collected 27 of The Beatles's #1 US & UK singles (well, technically "Something" only hit #4 in the US because of the ability for the opposite sides of a single to chart, or you'd have to include "Strawberry Fields Forever," the flip of the US #1 "Penny Lane" that was left off, but I digress), which led the Elvis camp to get defensive: "Well, Elvis had more #1 hits than The Beatles, if we're including US & UK charts!" The result is Elvis's biggest modern collection, & his first #1 US Album since Aloha From Hawaii back in 1973.

But from the moment this hit the stores, I had a major issue with it: Where is "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You," which is the only song from 1987's The Number One Hits to not be included here?

The answer, it seems, originates with the Billboard Charts. Until 1958, Billboard had 3 singles charts: Top Sellers In Stores, Most Played By Jockeys, & Top 100 Pop Singles. In August of that year, Billboard consolidated these lists into a single Popular Singles chart. Retroactively, the Top 100 Pop Singles became the default chart in the modern age. "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You," Elvis's second single of 1956, hit #1 on the Top Sellers In Store chart, but only #3 on the Top 100 Pop Singles chart. The original Number One Hits compilation seemed to treat the 3 pre-1958 Billboard charts equally--that is, a #1 on any of those charts is a #1, period. By the time 30 #1 Hits was released, only the Top 100 Pop Singles was considered a "real" #1. This, combined with the relatively low critical opinion of "I Want You, I Need You, I Want You," allowed the song to slip by unnoticed.

& yet, "Too Much" & "Hard Headed Woman" are included on the disc as American #1s, but the Top 100 Pop singles had them ranked at #2 each. However, both were #1 on the Top Sellers chart (like "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"), as well as "Hard Headed Woman" hitting #1 for Airplay.

All of which to say that "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" should've been included on the album. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the song--I think it's great & one of his truly essential performances--& the fact that it made to #1 on the Top Sellers should allow it to be on this collection. In fact, I'd include it long before "A Little Less Conversation" (which technically isn't a true Elvis song).

Furthermore, it wouldn't be the only corner cut to get a song onto the CD. "Burning Love" was never a #1 hit in the US or the UK--but it hit #1 on the now-defunct Billboard rival Cashbox, so the producers of this set decided close enough. It's a corner I don't mind cutting because "Burning Love" is a great song & should be included on a major anthology such as this. (Ironically, the song was kept from the top spot in the US by another '50s rocker's comeback hit, Chuck Berry's dreadful one-joke novelty "My Ding-A-Ling.")

Finally, while we're on the subject of perfecting this set, I'd also switch the order such that "Hound Dog" appears before "Don't Be Cruel." So there you go--take off the rexmixed "A Little Less Conversation," pop in "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" as the second cut, & follow it with "Hound Dog" & "Don't Be Cruel." Leave the rest & you'd have a CD that I could wholeheartedly endorse like every seems to do the current imperfect version.

Elvis 75 [RCA/Legacy, 2010] ****

The Concept: A single-disc career overview, culled from the 4-disc Elvis 75: Good Rockin' Tonight boxed set, which features all sides of his career (i.e., rock, blues, country, gospel, live, etc.).

The Tracklist:

1. That's All Right

2. I Forgot To Remember To Forget

3. Heartbreak Hotel

4. Blue Suede Shoes

5. Hound Dog

6. Don't Be Cruel

7. Love Me Tender

8. Love Me

9. All Shook Up

10. Jailhouse Rock

11. Trouble

12. It's Now Or Never

13. Are You Lonesome Tonight?

14. Little Sister

15. Can't Help Falling In Love

16. Viva Las Vegas

17. How Great Thou Art

18. Guitar Man

19. If I Can Dream

20. In The Ghetto

21. Suspicious Minds

22. Polk Salad Annie

23. An American Trilogy

24. Burning Love

25. Always On My Mind

The Verdict: Much like The Best Of The Artist Of The Century, Elvis 75 serves its purpose well, especially in its efforts to portray the artist from all sides. Hence a song like "How Great Thou Art" is here, for while it was never a hit, it is generally considered Elvis's finest gospel performance. Songs like "Blue Suede Shoes," "Viva Las Vegas," & "If I Can Dream" are all welcome editions, even among the stubborn "Polk Salad Annie." (I know, this was probably justified by the want of a "live" track, but I'd go with "The Wonder Of You," which couldn't have made this set because it was astonishingly left off of the main boxed set; that said, "If I Can Dream" was also recorded in front of a live audience).

So those are the anthologies. This is my recommendation to solve The Elvis Anthology Problem:

Elvis 80: The Definitive Collection *****

Concept: The definitive single-disc anthology of Elvis Presley to celebrate his 80th year.

1. That's All Right

2. Good Rockin' Tonight

3. Baby, Let's Play House

4. Mystery Train

5. Heartbreak Hotel

6. Blue Suede Shoes

7. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You

8. Hound Dog

9. Don't Be Cruel

10. Love Me Tender

11. All Shook Up

12. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear

13. Jailhouse Rock

14. One Night

15. Stuck On You

16. It's Now Or Never

17. Are You Lonesome Tonight?

18. Can't Help Falling In Love

19. Good Luck Charm

20. Return To Sender

21. Crying In The Chapel

22. Guitar Man

23. If I Can Dream

24. In The Ghetto

25. Suspicious Minds

26. Kentucky Rain

27. The Wonder Of You

28. Burning Love

29. Always On My Mind

30. Promised Land

Verdict: It's perfect (obviously).

Here's why:

1. It has more Sun recordings than any of the others. Elvis's Sun sides stand as nearly as influential as his early RCA sides, yet, few of the RCA collections (begrudgingly?) include them. Here, I went for his 4 essential Sun A-sides: "That's All Right," "Good Rockin' Tonight," "Baby, Let's Play House," & "Mystery Train."

2. It has more classic hits than the other "overview" collections. If you're making an anthology of someone like Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen, hits can become a relative term, as their biggest chart hits don't always line up with their definitive material. Elvis is a rare exception. Because he was first, virtually every major Elvis hit was a great & important record. Most collections leave off singles like "Stuck On You" & "Good Luck Charm," even though they are both not only major hits but some of the best Elvis songs of their time.

3. If you play your cards right, the hits do cover the range. Elvis 75 sought to show all sides of Elvis, but using the hits above, you can get that without including distracting fare like "Polk Salad Annie." This collection has rock ("Jailhouse Rock"), country ("Always On My Mind"), blues ("Hound Dog"), gospel ("Crying In The Chapel"), & live ("The Wonder Of You"), without any pandering.

4. The scope is kept intact. Like the old Legendary Performer LP, this album paints a complete picture of Elvis's career: The revolutionary Sun sides ("That's All Right"), the early RCA hits ("Heartbreak Hotel"), the post-Army resurgence ("It's Now Or Never"), the Hollywood decline ("Return To Sender"), the great comeback ("If I Can Dream"), the revelatory post-Comeback sessions ("Suspicious Minds"), the early Vegas era ("The Wonder Of You"), the final smash ("Burning Love"), & brings it all home with one last song ("Promised Land") that was his final truly essential recording.

So there you have it. The next time RCA (or whatever conglomerate they're now associated with) needs a perfect tracklist for a perfect Elvis album, look no further than here.

Just be sure to give me some credit--& an advance promo copy.

Thankyouverymuch.