Customer Reviews

The King's Record Collection: The Original Versions Of Songs Later Recorded By Elvis Presley, Volume 1

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This CD contains the original versions of song later covered by Elvis Presley. It shows that Elvis had great taste in music. All of the songs included here are really excellent. It shows the wide range of music Elvis liked. It includes blues, country, r & b, rockabilly and pop. The only complaint that I can make about this CD is that they could have included a lot more songs. For example, they could have included the original versions of "Milkcow Blues", "My Baby Left Me", "Love Me", "Old Shep" and "Peace in the Valley". Other than that, I highly recommend it.

Any way you come at this one, it's good value. As plain music, it's a terrific selection of the music around at that time(early '50s), both varied, from the stunning country jump of the Shelton Brothers' "Just Because" to the honk of Big Joe Turner on "Shake Rattle And Roll" (fatty Haley orta be ashamed),and yet at the same time strangely cohesive as a disk to listen to. I play just cause I like it all the time. But the real fascination comes in hearing where Elvis took these songs. Sometimes I play "Sunrise", with Elvis' versions of these songs as recorded at Sun, straight after, and you hear what he took, and what he had. You come away understanding what magic there was in the combination of Elvis, Scotty Moore, Bill Black and Sam Phillips. But you can also sense that the breakout that Elvis made was built on a huge underswell of outstanding music that just had to find a bigger audience.

Here's a novel concept - a 14-track compilation of the original versions of tunes Elvis made popular. In a nod to his catholic tastes, this volume brings together artists as diverse as Bill Monroe ("Blue Moon of Kentucky"), the Shelton Brothers ("Just Because"), the Drifters ("Money Honey"), Leon Payne ("I Love You Because"), Little Junior Parker ("Mystery Train"), Smiley Lewis ("One Night"), Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup ("That's All Right") and Arthur Gunter ("Baby, Let's Play House"). The songs are sequenced chronologically and stop just prior to his induction into the U.S. Army in 1958. A fascinating look at the source material behind Elvis' rise to fame. - Cub Koda, AMG

When listening to this c.d one realises Elvis was a natural genius.I wonder if i would enjoy the songs as much if I hadn't listened to Elvis'versions first.Many people argue that Elvis didn't write his own songs.But the point is what he did with these songs creating different music styles.The originals are also very good and worth having in your collection to compare & gage where music was before the Hillbilly Cat.

I admire Elvis and this is the BEST! It has some of his best songs. Also, this CD easily shows why Elvis will always be the king. You can observe that it is a mixture of his unsurpassed talent. Elvis the very definitive of pure rock and roll. This collection of songs demonstrate just how timeless this man is. Elvis was always a leader and a trendsetter. He is often imitated but never equaled. As you listen to these great tunes and you will realize that Elvis is just as much with us today as in years gone by and he will be with us for always.