Elvis Presley - Elv1s 30 #1 Hits
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Free Music Notes for Elv1s 30 #1 Hits
Free Music Review: The Most Significant Release In Elvis History!
Hit: 5 Stars
Once again another repackaging of Elvis songs. But what a package it is! Once again Elvis manages to leave the competition in the dust! Even if these songs are as familiar as the nose on your face, or if you are hearing them for the first time. These remastered versions of these great recordings are spectacular! But I am hesitant to give too much credit to the technical wizards of the 21st century who are bragging about the incredible sound they have been able to achieve here. Let's give credit where credit is due. Remember some of these recordings are 25 to nearly 50 years old. Mono recordings such as HEARTBREAK HOTEL & DON'T BE CRUEL, as well as early stereo recordings such as STUCK ON YOU & ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT? sound as fresh and vibrant as if Elvis was sing them in your own living room. So let's not forget what those great engineers and musicians who recorded these timeless tracks achieved all those years ago. Lets face it. If the source was'nt what it was, we would'nt be here today discusing it. I have heard other so called "remastered recordings" from alot of other artists and they don't compare. So who's the genius here? Well that's simple. Elvis was. He did not have a record producer.(such as the briliant George Martin who guided the Beatles) Elvis was the driving force behind all the recording sessions pretty much right from the start. Even in listening to early alternate takes of these songs you can hear an incredible sence of direction which comes from the source, Elvis himself. Subsiquent takes just draw out the best from the great musicians around him and create a sound that is still as fresh, revolutionary, and unmatched in popular music history. All the worldwide #1 Elvis songs are here. 31 to be exact. Including the recent remix of A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION which reached #1 around the world this year, and only goes to prove my point. Without the great source material there is nothing to remix! This is a great collection of songs which takes us on a musical journey through the most influential time in musical history, with the most influential artist in musical history. This can no longer be debated. John Lennon once said..."Before Elvis there was nothing". So now 25 years after Elvis.....well, there is still Elvis. So grab your favorite beverage, sit down, turn it up, and enjoy 31 of the greatest songs ever recorded.Free Music Review: The King.
Hit: 5 Stars
Elvis Presley stands as the most popular entertainer/singer of all time, his music changed the revolution of the planet, much like Beethoven, you can't really compare the two in style, but you can at the way they completely changed popular music for all time. Elvis remains now, more than ever, the most vital performer of the 20th century, this is because after he was unleashed onto the world, music forever was placed into the division of Before and After Elvis Presley. The Beatles, Jim Morrison and Chris Isaak, not to mention Tom Jones, Marilyn Manson and Sheryl Crowe are just a few of the countless upon countless performers that carry something of Elvis, no matter how large or small. "Elvis: 30 #1 Hits" is a delightful tribute to the King and is a must for any rock collection, not least for the fact that the songs, newly digitally mastered, stand as the best quality releases ever of these classics. "Heartbreak Hotel" still has a touch of danger that makes it into something of a thriller while "Hound Dog" is still explosive and dirty fun. "Love Me Tender" is still a classic ballad and "Jailhouse Rock" is an immortal number that truly displays Elvis' flare. "Can't Help Falling In Love" is timeless, wonderfully romantic with a beautiful touch of slide guitar as Elvis croons with a voice so deep and rich it rivals Sinatra's. Yes, Elvis is a better crooner than Sinatra? Why? I believe the importance of an artist relies on how the music stands the test of time. Consider how more teenagers today listen to The Doors than they ever will The Jefferson Airplane, Frank Sinatra, as good as he is, is seen by most teens today as something for their grandparents, pretty tinkly music that sounds nice, but isn't cool. Elvis Presley remains cool, a true icon, his songs aren't stuck as replicas of an era, they are as relevant and popular today as they were then. Songs like "Suspicious Minds" do not stay stuck in a time and place, they are outside of their time. "You're The Devil In Disguise" is a fun jam with a cool tropical feel but the show-stopper is "A Little Less Conversation," a remix that hit #1 in 13 countries and stands as a great dance track. Many styles in music have come and gone, but Elvis, the icon and singer remain. This is a collection that not only captures great popular music, but also the birth and essence of rock n' roll.Free Music Review: THE BEST SOUND OF A MOST SUPERB VOCALIST
Hit: 5 Stars
Elvis Presley along with Sam Cooke and Andy Williams are the three most superb popular vocalists of my lifetime. Elvis 30 #1 Hits is the very best opportunity now available for either the new or the long-term fan of Elvis Presley to hear Elvis sing as he truly sounded in the studio when he first recorded these songs! Since each of these songs have been remastered, even the die-hard fan of Elvis, like myself, who has heard and loved each of these songs many times before, will hear Elvis sing more clearly and more fully than ever before! Hearing Elvis so beautifully, superbly, clearly, and fully sing like this, along with his outstanding accompanying instrumentation and vocalists, on 30 of Elvis' most popular songs is an extremely wonderful listening experience! Elvis 30 #1 Hits is a most fittting tribute to the truly remarkable musical achievements of Elvis Presley. No other recording artist or band, including the Beatles, can rightfully compare to the fabulous, extensive, and enduring musical legacy of Elvis Presley! Yet an Elvis Presley who was consistently engaged in recording outstanding rhythm and blues music, free of his crippling addiction to prescription drugs, and managed by someone who was primarily focused upon making great music, not solely focused upon making easy money, would have produced a musical legacy that was at least twice as prolific and at least twice as remarkable as the formidable lasting legacy that Elvis actually did create. In the end, Elvis Presley did not highly enough appreciate his own life or his unmatched musical talent. Thus there is an element of sadness about Elvis' short life, because it could have been much more musically and socially productive. There may never again be another voice that is so completely right for rock music, rhythm and blues music, and slower romantic ballads. I most strongly recommend Elvis 30 #1 Hits to each and every person who admires musical achievement and who enjoys popular music. Elvis 30 #1 Hits epitomizes the MUST BUY CD. Upon first listening, Elvis 30 #1 Hits immediately became one of my most treasured compact discs. This cd will be played time after time, and will always continue to bring me, and every other Elvis fan, outstanding listening pleasure.
John
Free Music Review: A review after actually listening to the CD
Hit: 5 Stars
Here are my thoughts, based on listening to the CD (which should be the criteria for reviewing a CD, I would think):This CD deserves to be in your collection right next to the Beatles 1 CD. While some may complain about the track list, this is a wonderful 1-CD survey of Elvis from 1956 to 1977 (most of the tracks are from the 1956-1963).
I owned very few Beatles CD's before 1 was released, so I found it a great compilation, and I still regularly listen to it. Same goes for Elvis, so this is a great summary of a career that many seem to make fun of for some reason. Block the image of Elvis impersonators out of your mind and focus on the nearly 80 minutes of music on this CD.
The sound quality is great. There was only so much you could do with the 50's mono recordings, but they sound as clear as they will ever sound. The multi-track recordings sound wonderful. I hadn't heard some of these songs before, so I can't say if the versions here have louder horns, a softer bass line, etc., but they are all sonically superb. It almost sounds like some of the later songs were recorded yesterday!
The CD booklet is well done, with Elvis photos, and a short paragraph describing each song, along with production information and US/UK chart information (and also an explanation for how the songs were chosen).
I think the list of songs themselves serves as the best review and incentive to purchase Elvis 30 #1 Hits:
01 Heartbreak Hotel
02 Don't Be Cruel
03 Hound Dog
04 Love Me Tender
05 Too Much
06 All Shook Up
07 Teddy Bear
08 Jailhouse Rock
09 Don't
10 Hard-Headed Woman
11 One Night
12 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 Remix) (Bonus Track) (a superb last-minute #1 addition)
Free Music Review: Nearly perfect Elvis compilation
Hit: 5 Stars
"30 #1 Hits" is probably the best Elvis Presley compilation yet released. I can say that with confidence even having not heard all of the other Elvis compilations. For 2 reasons: 1) Remastering and 2) Value. 1) This collection was remastered and remixed with 2002 audio technology, so it's obviously going to be the best sounding of the lot. And it is, believe me. Just put on the disc and listen to the first track, Heartbreak Hotel. The music BOOMS from the speakers with astounding richness and clarity. The first five seconds alone of Heartbreak Hotel had my jaw on the floor. This is not even SACD or DVD-A, but regular old Compact Disc. Commendable job. Very good song notes and information too.
2) The CD is JAM-PACKED with music. In earlier years, particularly in the early days of CD, record labels did not take full advantage of the storage capacities of CDs, so you'll probably find some Elvis collections that run around 45 minutes, 55 minutes, 1 hour, etc. "30 #1 Hits", however is stuffed with a full 79 minutes of music (79:36 according to my CD player). This is without the inflated price tag of so many Elvis box-set collections which run more than three or four times the price of this CD.
Quality and value are there. I just have a few small quibbles with the song selection. Most of these songs are indespensible. Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, Love Me Tender, Don't Be Cruel, All Shook Up, Jailhouse Rock, Return To Sender, You're The Devil In Disguise, etc these songs belong in any rock and roll collection. However, I would have dropped Wooden Heart (completely out of place among Elvis classics) in favor of the not-included holiday classic, Blue Christmas. And Crying In The Chapel should be dropped in favor of the classic, classic Blue Suede Shoes. And, finally, the dance-pop (?!) remix of A Little Less Conversation, should definitely have been dropped altogether or replaced with the original 1968 recording.
These changes might, however, conflict with the motif of presenting 30 #1 hits, but big deal! Just change the album title! Why leave out certified, tried and true classic songs just because they weren't #1 hits? But, alas, that's the only fault of this fine collection. An ideal choice for newcomers to The King.