Customer Reviews

Great Performances

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This is one of my favorite Elvis collections. It mixes some big hits alongside many enjoyable albeit less successful songs, many of which are Elvis staples not to be found on greatest hits collections. There are early Elvis recordings, Elvis movie favorites, and selections from his later years all coming together to convey the magic of the King's entire music career. The real claim to fame for this particular CD is the inclusion of My Happiness, billed as Elvis' very first recording, newly discovered after 37 years. The sound quality is obviously less than pristine, but it's pure Elvis. Two other early recordings featured here are That's All Right and Shake, Rattle & Roll/Flip Flop & Fly. Top ten hits include Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Be Cruel, Teddy Bear, Jailhouse Rock, Treat Me Nice, and Return to Sender. It's always great to hear Elvis' version of Blue Suede Shoes. I think of Ready Teddy as a Buddy Holly song, and it was interesting to hear Elvis sing it. King Creole and Trouble have that Elvis rebellious air to them, while Got a Lot of Living To Do should have been a top ten hit. Always on My Mind and American Trilogy showcase Elvis' country music roots. The version of Unchained Melodies is interesting; Elvis' voice is not in top form, and the song seems to be a real struggle for him, but he imbues the song with all kinds of passion. My two favorite tracks here are Fame and Fortune and If I Can Dream; both are just as good as many of Elvis' biggest hits. Finally, Memories is a truly appropriate way to close the album-it offers a poignant reminder of Elvis' unique magic and eternal importance.

Exelente compilacion que muesta las diferentes etapas de Elvis desde sus inicios.
Con canciones como Fame and Fortune y Always on my Mind que te hacen sentir la verdadera esencia de EL REY.

It has some great stuff at the beginning (you can still hear the truck driver in his voice) but the "American Trilogy" cut always gives me some trouble. I mean, Uncle Sam was responsible for him getting addicted to the pep pills that killed him. Anyway, I'm a fan and it's worth owning this CD.

The first two songs on this cd, Elvis did sing in a session at RCA but at Sun Studios. My Happiness, and That's All Right. But are on this cd anyway. But is that a good thing? The cd is 51 minutes long.

Most of the songs Elvis did early on in the 50's. Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel are this cd. How can you pick up an Elvis Presley cd without these two songs? There is aslo a song that rarely appears on an Elvis Presley cd named Blue Suede Shoes.

Aslo on this cd is, If I Can Dream, Memories, Teddy Bear, Trouble, Jailhouse Rock and Ready Teddy. The last song on this cd is Memories. You might wondor why Rca aslo added My Happiness and That's All Right on this cd. Elvis aslo sings a song from Jailhouse Rock, called Treat Me Nice. If you like Elvis. Here is a cd you might like.

The liner notes promote this as anthology of great performances that was years in the making. If so, the mountain labored to bring forth a mouse. There are better collections. The songs are actually from the soundtracks of Elvis videos, so selections were undoubtedly dictated by other considerations than importance or sonic quality--such as the availability of accompanying video footage. Annoyingly for a putative career retrospective, no background about most of the recordings is supplied.

Elvis was surely the greatest star of 50s rock. His voice throbs with primitive energy on the up-tempo numbers, and he is also adept at ballads. He has an impressive array of vocal mannerisms. While his talent is showcased by the best numbers, such as "That's All Right" and "Don't Be Cruel", these songs can be found on many compilations.

The worst tracks are really bad. Some seem to be taken from Elvis's "Comeback" TV special, an exciting event which nevertheless found him in uneven form. "If I Can Dream" comes off well, but hearing Elvis stumble through "Always On My Mind" is painful, reminding us that his ability to phrase was worse than that of most of his listeners. Willie Nelson could do better while high--and probably has. "American Trilogy" features that overblown operatic warble that sounds like a bad Nelson Eddy imitation.

I plan to sell this CD for $1.00 at the used music store. While it is not worthless, its best tracks are on better collections.

Elvis is dead. Let's keep it that way.