Elvis Presley Golden Hits

'Elvis Golden Records Vol. 3' is a new 2-CD release in the Follow That Dream (FTD labels classic album series. It features a 7" digipack with 12-page booklet. By the time Elvis' Golden Records Vol. 3 was released in August 1963, no one in rock 'n' roll up to that point, other than Elvis, had ever legitimately earned a second 'greatest hits' volume, much less a third. It also embodied the best commercial examples of Presley's new post-Army maturity, as both vocalist and musician, and the songs featured on this album achieved an unparalleled level of global chart success by any artist between 1960 and 1963.

What we have here is an excellent compilation of 90 tracks from the first years of Elvis’s success. The majority of the hits are on the first two discs, with the third being, in the main, a collection of his finest religious recordings from the period. All the early hits are here; “Heartbreak Hotel”, “All Shook Up”, Jailhouse Rock”, “Love Me, Tender”, “Hound Dog”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight” and many more. Some of his best early performances, such as “That’s All Right” and “Mystery Train” are also included, as are some of the film songs, such as “GI Blues”, “Wooden Heart”, “Loving You” and many others.

Elvis Presley - The Real … Elvis - The Ultimate Elvis Presley Collection (3CD) 2011
MP3 320 CBR kbps | Tracks: 90 | 03:33:48 | 493 Mb
Genre: Rock & Roll | Label: Sony Music

What we have here is an excellent compilation of 90 tracks from the first years of Elvis’s success. The majority of the hits are on the first two discs, with the third being, in the main, a collection of his finest religious recordings from the period. All the early hits are here; “Heartbreak Hotel”, “All Shook Up”, Jailhouse Rock”, “Love Me, Tender”, “Hound Dog”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight” and many more. Some of his best early performances, such as “That’s All Right” and “Mystery Train” are also included, as are some of the film songs, such as “GI Blues”, “Wooden Heart”, “Loving You” and many others.

Follow That Dream (FTD) have released 'Elvis Gold Records Vol. 4' as a Special Edition 2 CD set in their Classic Album Series, and our order is on the way to us now. It was 10 years after the release of Elvis' Golden Records in 1958, that RCA Victor released Elvis' Gold Records Volume 4. It contained seven 'B' sides and only five 'A' sides. Whether at the behest of Colonel Tom Parker, or RCA, the philosophy of not including tracks that already featured on existing albums weakened what could have been a more powerful and hit-laden compilation.

Elvis Presley doesn't really need more compilations - either single discs or box sets - in his catalog, but RCA's 1999 triple-disc set Artist of the Century does wind up filling a need, of sorts. Over the course of 75 tracks, nearly all of Elvis' most popular songs are presented in their original hit versions. Given the number of hits he had, plus the high quality of his recordings in the late '50s and late '60s, there are inevitably big songs missing, but many of his very biggest are here, and the first two discs, in particular, are quite strong (the late-'60s/'70s selections slip somewhat, lacking such necessary items as "Kentucky Rain" and "Moody Blue"). So, this winds up being good one-stop shopping for those who just want one fairly comprehensive Elvis set in their library - although you should be forewarned that "fairly" is the key word in that statement, since this will not contain all the hits or necessary recordings.

The Legendary Performer series – there were four on Elvis – collected hits, non-hits, and previously unreleased studio and live recordings with snippets of interviews. While their importance has been diminished by the various collections that have been released since, many of which robbed the "rare" tracks from here, the albums are essential as albums nonetheless. Each one was issued with a booklet that included rare photos, old posters, session notes and Elvis memorabilia with captions that were generally a bit fannish. Should the reader take the four volumes and painstakingly transfer the material to tape in its correct chronology, he or she would have a more rational overview of Presley's career than the label has yet compiled.