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

Elvis Presley is mostly a joke among people my age, and I've gotta say, I've joined in on my share of them....the lip curl, the rhinestones, the sideburns....the gut...I never really saw the appeal until I picked up this CD set.

I was in the used CD store, had some credit from trading stuff in, and saw this CD case....tacky gold cover, cheesy picture of Young Elvis. I picked it up and rolled my eyes simultaneously, and started looking at the songs on the back. To my surprise and chagrine, I knew about half of the 38 songs on these discs. And LIKED them. So, I bought the CDs and went on my way.

Good, good, good investment. I've come to appreciate Elvis since then, as corny as it may sound for someone of my generation....

Elvis represented a huge shift in music, and with good cause. He took what had primarily been considered "black" culture and music, changed it a little bit, refined the style of Bill Haley and some others, and hit it big. Elvis was one of the first "crossover" rock and rollers who was able to make his way into middle-class, mainstream acceptance. He was basically a country boy, but his musical style includes country, blues, rock and roll, and even gospel.

Looking at him now, you need to overcome his iconic status, and see him for what the audiences of the day saw him for; he was a real departure from the famous crooners that preceded him, like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby...they'd always perform in suits and ties and seemed richer than most of their audiences. Elvis was decidedly from a lower class background, and sounded poor--didn't New Yorkify his accent or demeanor, was always pretty simple. But the man could sing, and he had fun doing it for a long time.

This is a 2-CD Set, which includes all of Elvis' songs that made it into the Top Ten on the charts (38 songs total).

I have so many favorites on this 2-CD Set...here are some of them:

DISC One:

1. Heartbreak Hotel...such an elementary song, not complicated musically, but has ties to deep emotion that tugs at the heartstrings. Everyone's been to Heartbreak Hotel.

3. Hound Dog...is this song really about a dog? Is there more to it than that? Is it about drugs or naughtiness or something? If it really is about a dog, this song ROCKS. If there's a hidden meaning, I probably don't want to know about it. The vocals, the guitar...this song rocks either way.

4. Don't Be Cruel...A song devoted to someone who obviously already was cruel, but it's a nice song.

5. Love Me Tender...one of Elvis' first ballads, and probably my favorite, it's only real competition is Are You Lonesome Tonight. It's up there with U2's With or Without You and Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For in my book, and for me that's saying a lot. Elvis was able to soak words with emotion and then wring them out so you get every drop...can't think of any modern artists who can do it in the same way he did it. Maybe we're all just too cynical.

8. All Shook Up...any man who can sing "I'm itching like a man on a fuzzy tree" has my vote for the next President of the United States. Song about first love and desperation, and I love it.

10. Jailhouse Rock...I've never seen an Elvis Movie. Is that the next step to Graceland? I'll have to rent this someday. Any recommendations? I love the song, has a lot of energy and passion in it. Nice. Prison songs are always fun.

DISC Two:

1. Stuck On You....what would appear to be a song about a guy who needs a restraining order, it's surprisingly catchy...

2. It's Now Or Never...someday, when I'm a lounge lizard, I'll be singing this with Elvis behind me on a big screen, and I'll just weep because it's so beautiful. Totally cheesy song, but I love it.

3. Are You Lonesome Tonight?....Not if you've got Elvis, baby. Beautiful voice, both in the singing, and in that classic voiceover, "someone said that the world's a stage..." Could it be SHAKESPEARE???? Geez. But when he continues "But I'd rathah go awn hearin your laaies than go on livin without you...." it's sweet SWEET BACON. With a little cheese.

8. Can't Help Falling In Love....When I was talking before about my favorite Elvis Ballads, THIS one is my number one favorite. Really. No cheese in it, no rhinestones, just a simple song about love. It's his best.

11. Return to Sender....a silly story song, that may be emotional for some, but I think it's just fun and has a little kick.

15. In The Ghetto....this one just cracks me up because it's so fraught with emotion and love and it's all very Diana Ross' Love Child kinda thing, but it just doesn't work. For me. But I love it because it makes me laugh.

16. Suspicious Minds....I really really really like this song. One of his later ones, probably from the 1970s, it has enough of a disco beat and background singers to beef it up, but it's all about the King.

19. Burning Love....by the time he gets to the closing verse, that he's just a Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love, if you don't love Elvis on some level then you're just not human.

With all of these songs, there are about ten more that I also like, and listen to often....and then there are about ten that I CAN'T STAND and have to skip every time I listen to the CD. And then a few that I'm indifferent about.

All in all, this set made me realize that I REALLY DO like Elvis, and I've even got a little retroactive mourning going on that we lost The King at such a young age.

The only songs of his not on this set that I wish were on it are "Viva Las Vegas" and "Blue Christmas".

Long Live The King!