Customer Reviews

Elvis 30 #1 Hits

5 star:		(303)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Any singer who had 31 hit songs in the top 100 would be considered successful. Any singer who had 31 hit songs in the top 40 would be phenomenal. Any singer who had 31 hit songs that reached number #1 could only be Elvis Presley. The purity of Elvis' voice and clarity of the music is evident from the first song, "Heartbreak Hotel," which was released in 1956. Every song sounds better than ever before, whether it's the acoustic guitar on "Love Me Tender" or the electric guitar and Dixieland band on "Hard Headed Woman." Only Elvis could follow the rocking "(You're The) Devil In Disguise" with the gospel song "Crying In The Chapel" and have both songs reach #1. The live version of "The Wonder Of You" included here differs slightly from the familiar version, but is equally great. The 2002 remix version of "A Little Less Conversation" brings Elvis into the 21st century and closes out this compilation. With this CD clocking in at nearly 80 minutes, you literally could not ask for more.

Here's my take on the latest entry in the Elvis greatest hits compilation sweepstakes. It is without question the best single-disc collection available. And I'm sure that RCA hopes this has the same kind of sales that the Beatles 2000 release "1" had. [That probably explains the spelling of his name--ELV1S--in the title.] And so far it's working--the album is No. 1 on Billboard's charts the first week of its release.

Is this this the ONLY Elvis you'll ever need? Depends. If you're a casual fan, probably. The serious fan will want it just to get the JXL radio edit remix of 1968's "A Little Less Conversation," whose late addition made it the 31st No. 1 hit of Elvis' career. [Also, do ALL copies include the 12-minute 1960 post-army interview CD that mine did?]

In addition, this updates RCA's 1987 18-track "The Number One Hits" by also including his British No. 1's. Elvis' last U.S. No. 1 was 1969's "Suspicious Minds." But "The Wonder of You" (1970), "Burning Love" (1972) and "Way Down" all hit the top spot in the U.K. In fact, "Way Down" (1976) spent five weeks at No. 1. The other big surprise was 1960's "Wooden Heart," taken from the movie G.I. Blues. [The song was not released as a single in the U.S.]

My only concern is that I hope it's not just old Elvis fans (like me) that are buying this disc. This is music that should transcend generations. And a quick peak at any given week's Billboard chart is evidence enough that today's artists could benefit from a little influence from the king of rock 'n' roll. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This is just brilliant music from the greatest recording artist of all time. The improved sound quality on these songs is incredible, so even if you already have every ELV1S album every released this is still worth buying. If you have never bought an ELV1S album then this is where to start. This album will appeal to anybody who is open to listening to good music. You will never get better value than this.

This album collects together just 31 of his most popular recordings. It covers 1956-1977 - the years in which he was ever-present in the UK and US charts. I've heard these songs nany times before but never in such clarity and power. It's a revelation to me that he had sung these songs so well in the studio (or live- there's a slightly different version of "The Wonder Of You" included). The engineering originally, was allgedly, not the best, according to Elvis. But now, Elvis, his musicians and backing vocalists are revealed, gleaming from beneath the mud of the neglect. The engineers on this project had consulted with some of the original musicians, and even Elvis' ex-wife, and produced a sound that is probably how it really sounded in the studio. Their hard work with the tracks and the the music itself on this CD deserves the accolades. And, as for the singer, well, his sincerity when it comes to interpreting virtually every song - his own or others -rings through like never before in these superb recordings.

The sound quality alone makes this cd worthwhile. They didn't just clean the sound up. Where possible, they made it sound so fresh that it could have been recorded in the best studio last month! You somehow get more a sense of Elvis with this cd, the crispness of the sound gets rid of that "oldies" sound that turns many people away at face value(not me, but to each his own). So if you'd like to hear what Elvis would sound like with today's equipment, here it is. Nothing has been added, nor taken away. It's just that each track of each song has been restored to brilliance with a lot of care. This cd rocks, I mean it's got the most successful songs Elvis ever put out. It sounds awesome and will put your subwoofer to the test. I'm listening to Jailhouse Rock right now and the clarity in which Elvis' voice comes through, along with the great bass response and crisp sound make it even more rockin'. I would recommend this to anyone. If you're curious about Elvis, this is a perfect introduction to 31 of his best hits. The remix of "A little less conversation" had it's success after this cd was just about completed and was added as a bonus track. And besides, 30 is a good round number, so what if it should be technically called 31 #1 hits. There could have been many other number one hits if they had gone into the R&B,country,or easy listening charts, but they stayed with scoring authorities like Billboard and Cashbox. I once calculated how many #1 Hits Elvis really had and it was over 40. But anyway, this is a great cd filled to the top with rock and roll that just doesn't make itself heard much these days with few notable exceptions like the Stray Cats and the Dempsey's. Find the roots of a rockstar right here and ROCK ON!

This CD is unbelievable, a great collection of hits with greatly improved sound. It also includes his lastest smash "A little less conversation" which went no.1 in 18 countries. Folks Elvis's voice was great before but on this CD he sounds like he's singing in your living room, you will no be disappointed. When you hear Suspicious Minds it will send a chill down your back it's so great.

This is the best single CD Elvis greatest hits collection available. It includes Elvis' biggest hits from the US and UK. All the songs on this set hit number 1 in either the US or UK or both, including the remix of his classic "A Little Less Conversation" which went to number 1 in the UK (and stayed there for 4 weeks) and several other countries in 2002. This set spans almost his entire career from his first international hit in 1956, "Heartbreak Hotel", right on through the last single to be released before his death in 1977, "Way Down". In between you get classics like "Don't Be Cruel", "Hound Dog", "All Shook Up", "Jailhouse Rock", "Can't Help Falling in Love", "In the Ghetto", "Suspicious Minds", and "Burning Love"! Just about every song is a classic. If you buy only one Elvis CD, this should be it. Highly recommended!

RCA/BMG finally is "taking care of business" with the legacy of ELV1S. The new cd ELV1S 30 #1s has been remastered and the songs have never sounded better. From Heartbreak Hotel to the newest worldwide hit " A Little Less Conversation" this new ELV1S cd is a pure pleasure to listen to. This compilation of number ones shows why ELV1S is still the king and always will be. The cd has ELV1S singing everything from rock and roll to ballads to light opera (Its Now or Never). Nobody has such a range of talent like ELV1S. This cd deserves to be a number one worldwide hit!!

Is this merely the latest in a long line of Elvis rehashes? Yes and no. Almost all of the 90's Elvis Compilations were based on a theme (country songs, soundtracks, etc) and possessed at least one gimmick, usually in the form of at least one previously unheard alternate take. The theme for this release? All of Elvis' #1 hits from England and the U.S. The gimmick? All of the tracks have been remastered and remixed from the original studio masters for the first time for "modernized" sound quality.

Various filters and compression techniques have been utilized to make the tracks sound brand new. While there is a clarity to the sound that hasn't been there before, it's not so stunning that you need to chunk all of your other Elvis CDs into the trash can. The "Masters" box sets of the 90's, after all, also possess stunning sound quality without the "modernization" of the sound.

For anybody who already has all of these tracks, this compilation may not really be worth the cash. For everybody else, this will probably be a good introduction to the music of the King. Now, let's talk about the DVD-Audio version...

First of all, why in the world are the tracks presented in reverse chronological order??? It's just a little bit jarring to hear "Crying in the Chapel" and "Devil in Disguise" immediately after "Suspicious Minds" and "In the Ghetto". The "bonus" tracks are hardly worth the effort. But the big deal is the sound. Most of the tracks simply do not benefit much from the 5.1 mix due to the fact that most of these tracks were recorded in either mono or on 3-track setups. Naturally, though, the later tracks (the first 6 tracks on the DVD-Audio release)benefit greatly from the new mixes. "Suspicious Minds" and "In the Ghetto" in particular sound stunning in 5.1.

In the end, however, this DVD-Audio, which has NO special features by the way, is simply not worth the hefty price tag.

Another Elvis Greatest Hits? Yes, but not just another. Credit must be given to the incredible job the production team have done as these well-known and well-loved tracks sound fresher than ever before. This is particularly true of Don't Be Cruel, Return To Sender and She's Not You. Elvis' voice has never sounded clearer on any disc and it's an absolute joy to hear his vocals in such clarity, even on songs which are so well known.
Mention must also be made of two alternate takes (not listed as such on the CD case): A Fool Such As I features Hank Garland and not Scotty Moore on the instrumental break, while a slightly re-worded The Wonder Of You is included, from Las Vegas in February 1970, a different show than the "original" version.
I own dozens of Elvis albums, many featuring these songs, and I did initially hesitate about buying this; having decided to add it to my collection, I'm glad I did, and so will you be.