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100 of 106 found the following review helpful:
 The King Reclaims His ThroneSep 26, 2002
By Mike King
"Mike Vegas King"
Any singer who had 31 hit songs in the top 100 would be considered successful. Any singer who had 31 hit songs in the top 40 would be phenomenal. Any singer who had 31 hit songs that reached number #1 could only be Elvis Presley. The purity of Elvis' voice and clarity of the music is evident from the first song, "Heartbreak Hotel," which was released in 1956. Every song sounds better than ever before, whether it's the acoustic guitar on "Love Me Tender" or the electric guitar and Dixieland band on "Hard Headed Woman." Only Elvis could follow the rocking "(You're The) Devil In Disguise" with the gospel song "Crying In The Chapel" and have both songs reach #1. The live version of "The Wonder Of You" included here differs slightly from the familiar version, but is equally great. The 2002 remix version of "A Little Less Conversation" brings Elvis into the 21st century and closes out this compilation. With this CD clocking in at nearly 80 minutes, you literally could not ask for more.
93 of 99 found the following review helpful:
50,000,000 RCA Record Executives Can't Be WrongOct 06, 2002
By Steve Vrana
Here's my take on the latest entry in the Elvis greatest hits compilation sweepstakes. It is without question the best single-disc collection available. And I'm sure that RCA hopes this has the same kind of sales that the Beatles 2000 release "1" had. [That probably explains the spelling of his name--ELV1S--in the title.] And so far it's working--the album is No. 1 on Billboard's charts the first week of its release. Is this this the ONLY Elvis you'll ever need? Depends. If you're a casual fan, probably. The serious fan will want it just to get the JXL radio edit remix of 1968's "A Little Less Conversation," whose late addition made it the 31st No. 1 hit of Elvis' career. [Also, do ALL copies include the 12-minute 1960 post-army interview CD that mine did?] In addition, this updates RCA's 1987 18-track "The Number One Hits" by also including his British No. 1's. Elvis' last U.S. No. 1 was 1969's "Suspicious Minds." But "The Wonder of You" (1970), "Burning Love" (1972) and "Way Down" all hit the top spot in the U.K. In fact, "Way Down" (1976) spent five weeks at No. 1. The other big surprise was 1960's "Wooden Heart," taken from the movie G.I. Blues. [The song was not released as a single in the U.S.] My only concern is that I hope it's not just old Elvis fans (like me) that are buying this disc. This is music that should transcend generations. And a quick peak at any given week's Billboard chart is evidence enough that today's artists could benefit from a little influence from the king of rock 'n' roll. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
41 of 44 found the following review helpful:
31 of ELV1S Great HITSSep 24, 2002
This is just brilliant music from the greatest recording artist of all time. The improved sound quality on these songs is incredible, so even if you already have every ELV1S album every released this is still worth buying. If you have never bought an ELV1S album then this is where to start. This album will appeal to anybody who is open to listening to good music. You will never get better value than this.
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
30 NO1'sOct 04, 2002
This album collects together just 31 of his most popular recordings. It covers 1956-1977 - the years in which he was ever-present in the UK and US charts. I've heard these songs nany times before but never in such clarity and power. It's a revelation to me that he had sung these songs so well in the studio (or live- there's a slightly different version of "The Wonder Of You" included). The engineering originally, was allgedly, not the best, according to Elvis. But now, Elvis, his musicians and backing vocalists are revealed, gleaming from beneath the mud of the neglect. The engineers on this project had consulted with some of the original musicians, and even Elvis' ex-wife, and produced a sound that is probably how it really sounded in the studio. Their hard work with the tracks and the the music itself on this CD deserves the accolades. And, as for the singer, well, his sincerity when it comes to interpreting virtually every song - his own or others -rings through like never before in these superb recordings.
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
More of Elvis' visionSep 25, 2002
By D. McClure
"Magnum Opus"
The sound quality alone makes this cd worthwhile. They didn't just clean the sound up. Where possible, they made it sound so fresh that it could have been recorded in the best studio last month! You somehow get more a sense of Elvis with this cd, the crispness of the sound gets rid of that "oldies" sound that turns many people away at face value(not me, but to each his own). So if you'd like to hear what Elvis would sound like with today's equipment, here it is. Nothing has been added, nor taken away. It's just that each track of each song has been restored to brilliance with a lot of care. This cd rocks, I mean it's got the most successful songs Elvis ever put out. It sounds awesome and will put your subwoofer to the test. I'm listening to Jailhouse Rock right now and the clarity in which Elvis' voice comes through, along with the great bass response and crisp sound make it even more rockin'. I would recommend this to anyone. If you're curious about Elvis, this is a perfect introduction to 31 of his best hits. The remix of "A little less conversation" had it's success after this cd was just about completed and was added as a bonus track. And besides, 30 is a good round number, so what if it should be technically called 31 #1 hits. There could have been many other number one hits if they had gone into the R&B,country,or easy listening charts, but they stayed with scoring authorities like Billboard and Cashbox. I once calculated how many #1 Hits Elvis really had and it was over 40. But anyway, this is a great cd filled to the top with rock and roll that just doesn't make itself heard much these days with few notable exceptions like the Stray Cats and the Dempsey's. Find the roots of a rockstar right here and ROCK ON!
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