Customer Reviews

Essential Elvis Presley

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sure, there are more than a few Elvis anthologies out there and, yes, there is nothing on this set that isn't readily available on a few hundred other compilations, but this one is noteworthy in its own way, and a great collection as well. Focusing less on hits than on great performances, "Essential Elvis" gathers a handful of Sun sides, the best of his early RCA output and acclaimed sides from throughout his career. You get the best of Elvis' many hits as well as critically-acclaimed album tracks ("Reconsider Baby", "Trouble", the live "Polk Salad Annie"), and that, for once, is a unique concept in Elvis reissues. Everyone will have differing opinions on what should or shouldn't have been included, and tob sure sure some great tracks have been left out, but this is a whale of a great collection of "essential" Elvis.

If you were stranded on an island and could only take one Elvis cd with you this would be the perfect one.There is not a bad song on this cd and it is a good and pleasant listening mix of all of his music.You get the blues,rock,rockabilly,gospel,movies,and some live concert music.One of the best arrangements of songs of all the cds that have been released since his untimely death.If you grew up listening to Elvis music it will bring back so many memories and if you are just getting acquainted with his music you will be pleased and will build happy memories.Not a bad price.Buy it,play it once and you will not want to play anything else for a long time.You will be hooked.This cd brings to mind what all the fuss was about.

I looked all over for a CD set that would have darn near every hit of Elvis', and this seems to be it (better than the "official" "Elvis #1 Hits", as that one for some reason doesn't have "Viva Las Vegas" (!?)).But, get the 3.0 edition of this (golden cover, eco-friendly cardboard packaging), because that has a third disc with "Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear", among others.

This CD has essential songs in it, but of course there were several that were left off. "Hitstory" is still the recommended compilation. Actually "24 Karat HIts," but that CD is very rare and out of print. The first disc has only 20 songs and clocks in at less than an hour! It is also loud, so it does not seem natural, but this is DSD remastered by Vic Anesini and special thanks to Kevan Budd. I think they used their own remasters from their previous discs, combined them for this release, and tweaked the volume so they match. It's still a recommended purchase for completists.

This CD has all or most all of Elvis's hits from the early days to later days. The sound quality and mix was very good and up to modern standards.
Listening to it took me back to my youth when I remember Elvis performing Hound Dog on the Ed Sullivan show - If anyone is old enough to remember that on this website.

It takes a GIANT of an entertainer to create a two cd set that is filled with all fabulous songs. Elvis Presley stands so distinctively above all other popular music vocalists that such an all fabulous songs cd set is exactly what you find in The Essential Elvis Presley. If anything, The Essential Elvis Presley is an understatement of Elvis' unmatched and enduring musical legacy. It would have been possible to extend The Essential Elvis Presley to four song-packed cds and these four cds would have still contained all fabulous Elvis' songs. I own and am familiar with about 80 of Elvis' best cds and cd sets, so I know what I'm talking about. Elvis Presley still remains and probably will always be the KING of Rock N Roll, rhythm and blues music, and slower romantic ballads. The Essential Elvis Presley does a very thoughtful job of selecting 40 songs to include in this two cd set. I am especially pleased that the song selection included Fever, Steamroller Blues, Can't Help Falling In Love, Peace In The Valley, Reconsider Baby, and the original, not the remixed version of, A Little Less Conversation. I am disappointed that Any Way You Want Me, One Broken Heart For Sale. and Ask Me were not included. The remastered version of Reconsider Baby emerges on The Essential Elvis Presley as perhaps the best rhythm and blues song that Elvis ever recorded! The song selection also does an excellent job of sampling Elvis' songs across his entire singing career; from the beginning to the end of Elvis' singing career. All of the songs have been remastered so the sound quality of The Essential Elvis Presley is outstanding. It makes perfect sense that anyone who is an ultimate fan of Elvis Presley, as I am, should purchase, or more likely re-purchase, his/her favorite Elvis' music in remastered form, because one can then best hear and appreciate the greatest beauty of Elvis' fabulous music. The Essential Elvis Presley should be a MUST BUY cd for every true fan of Elvis Presley; it has my strongest positive recommendation.

John

This is a great collection of songs from probably the most famous and influential rock star of all time. It includes many hits, several groundbreaking recordings from his Sun days, and a few lesser known songs. While this is a great set of music, I can't help but ask why was this released? These songs have been released numerous times through the years and most avid Elvis fans already have them. Casual fans would probably appreciate the "Elvis 30 Number 1 Hits" CD better.

Don't get me wrong, this is another great collection of Elvis songs, but nothing that you can't already get on other collections. If you want an "essential" 2 CD Elvis set you can get both "Elvis 30 Number 1 Hits" and "2nd to None" for almost the same price that you can get this collection, and you would get 61 songs instead of just 40. Or if you wanted to spend a few more bucks, you could get the 3 CD "Hit Story" release.

Instead of coming out with "new" compilations every few months, I think BMG/RCA would do better by pushing some of the excellent releases they already have on the market and re-releasing some of his albums that are out of print domestically with some rare bonus tracks. Or why not release the next "Gold Records Volume 6" to catch the songs that were left off the first 5 volumes of that series? If they want to keep releasing compilations, they should at least include a remix of a song to try to attract the interest of potentially new and younger fans. Just re-releasing "new" collections of the same songs that have been released numerous times is not cutting it. They need to come up with a better marketing strategy for Elvis' outstanding library of music! It appears some of the poor management practices that hurt his career and legacy have continued after his passing!

You will not make a mistake buying this Elvis CD! This IS Elvis as you remembered him or as you want to know him now. What a star! What a voice! DO NOT buy a musacked CD where the cuts are sanitized because he was thought to be so outrageous. This, along with Elvis Live, just about does it and if I had to choose one... well it could be a toss-up but this one would cover a lot of ground. You can't go wrong with this one! No wonder, when I arrived by boat, from Cos, Greece, to the seaport of Kusadasi, Turkey and stepped off the ferry the seaside cafes were blaring Elvis. Trite but true he rocks for eternity!

Without question, Elvis has been the most anthologized artist in the nearly thirty years since his death. So how is this collection different from the others? The short answer is--nothing. If you're a die-hard fan, there's no reason to buy this. But that's not true for the casual fan who's looking for a comprehensive overview of perhaps the most influential performer of the 20th Century.

This mid-priced two-disc collection covers every aspects of Elvis's career, beginning with his first Sun single "That's All Right" through the 1977 single "Moody Blue," which topped the country chart just months before his death. In between are hits from every stage of his career--50's rock 'n' roll classics like "Hound Dog," movie hits like the million-seller "Viva Las Vegas" and comeback hits like "Suspicious Minds" (his first No. 1 in more than seven years!).

Sure, there are missing tracks (including nine No. 1's, like "(Let Me Be Your)Teddy Bear," "Stuck on You" and "Good Luck Charm"), but for the casual fan who only wants one anthology in their collection this works nicely. However, with a total playing time of less than two hours, it could have been more inclusive. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I'll not spend time reviewing the songs we all know them well. I'm here to answer the question as to why another greatest hits collection??

1. This is the Elvis entry in Sony's fine "Essential" series. Certainly
Elvis merits representation.

2. Not everyone owns the other hits collections mentioned in other
reviews. New fans "discover" Elvis all the time.