The Top Ten Hits - Presley, Elvis (CD 1987)

No, he wasn't a songwriter, and no, he really wasn't much of a guitar player--but the fact remains that Elvis Presley is pretty much widely regarded as the catalyst for the music form that we all came to know as rock 'n roll. Before Elvis came along, any form of music with any kind of suggestive beat was performed by black folks, mostly blues players. In fact, the term "rock n' roll" was a common black slang term for sexual intercourse. In the 1950's, most white people were afraid of what they didn't understand, so when the sullenly handsome Elvis had a minor hit with Arthur Crudup's rhythm and blues song That's All Right Mama, a new form of music was launched and legitimized, at least as far as white America was concerned.

Sam Phillips, owner of the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, once remarked that the early success of Elvis could be attributed to the fact that he was a white man who sounded like a black man. This is precisely the reason why the style of music that Elvis performed early in his career planted the seed for a burgeoning genre--it can be seriously argued that his influences are still being felt today. I for one believe that.

Elvis was a versatile singer--not only could he perform songs like That's All Right Mama, he could do almost any style, including gospel, show music, country and blues. His forte', however, was rock 'n roll, the genre that he largely got off the ground.

Elvis-The Top Ten Hits is a good compilation of some of his finest work as a rock 'n roller. Most of the songs on this double CD date from the 1950's and 1960's, with only two tracks from the "fat Elvis" days of the 1970's. I personally prefer the early work of Elvis--I think that it's more elemental, and the recording techniques of the early days give the music a charm that is irresistable.

Highlights Of Disc One

Heartbreak Hotel was Elvis' first No. 1 hit, and it blends some of the country influences that Elvis was exposed to with some exquisite blues stylings. Hound Dog and Don't Be Cruel are semi-"doo-wop" songs that were all the rage in the 1950's. Love Me Tender is really a standout track--it's one of the most sensous recordings I've ever heard, thanks in part to the primitive recording techniques employed at Sun Studios. It's remarkable because you can hear Elvis breathing between phrases and you can hear the guitar player's fingers slide on the acoustic guitar, which is the only musical instrumentation accompanying Elvis on the song.

Songs like All Shook Up, One Night, and A Big Hunk O' Love have covert sexual innuendoes, but this was acceptable--Elvis was a nice, handsome white boy who most mothers, not to mention daughters, openly lusted after. Jailhouse Rock portrayed Elvis as a "bad boy", although everyone knew that it was all just good fun.

Highlights Of Disc Two

It's Now Or Never has as its' theme a sort of sexual urgency that very few people other than Elvis could sing about and get away with in 1960. Are You Lonesome Tonight? remains one of his classic songs, although I like the version that was recorded live in Las Vegas where Elvis shows his sense of humor and really (on purpose!) butchers the song. Can't Help Falling In Love is another Elvis song for the ages, and it demonstrates his ability to sing a beautiful ballad. Return To Sender and Good Luck Charm revisit the 50's "doo-wop" style and show the listener just how endearing Elvis could be as a vocalist.

Crying In The Chapel is more or less a gospel song, although it became a No. 3 hit on the pop charts. During his career, Elvis recorded albums of only gospel music, but as far as I know this is the only song of this style that ever became a hit.

In The Ghetto, Suspicious Minds, and Burning Love were all big hits for Elvis, but they were all recorded after 1969, and they really can't be classified as the same type of music as his earlier, more primitive work.

By my count, this two CD collection has a total of thirty eight tracks--each and every one was a Top Ten hit, and all stand as a testament to the greatness of this legendary performer. My favorite band, The Beatles, covered the songs of a lot of other artists early in their career, but they never attempted to cover a song recorded by Elvis Presley--I think that by their silence, The Beatles made a very profound statement.

The little booklet contained in the CD case was a little disappointing--there's no information about Elvis the artist, only a list of the tracks, the recording date of each, chart debut, and peak chart position. Still, that is pretty good data for a geek like me who likes that sort of thing.

If you like Elvis, especially his earliest stuff, you should own this collection. If you've never heard a lot of this music, I think that you will appreciate its' significance, especially considering it in the context of the attitudes and social mores of the 1950's.