Elvis' Golden Records

by Elvis Presley

Overview

This was rock & roll's first greatest-hits album, and it set the standard for all others to follow. As originally conceived, it was a 14-song collection of most of the King's biggest hits up to that time, released on the eve of his start of military service -- a dearth of material being in the offing, it seemed only logical to assemble these hits. Each of the 14 songs had earned a Gold record award for a million sales, a record unequaled at that time by anyone else in rock & roll. The album wasn't intended as a history lesson, so "Hound Dog" and "Loving You" precede "Heartbreak Hotel" -- the 1997 remastering also tampers with the concept a bit, adding six bonus tracks. Elvis' singing never sounded richer or more expressive, and one can fully appreciate in vivid detail the delicate nuances of his phrasing on songs like "Too Much." On the downside, the remastering has made the sound so clean on some of the harder songs that some of the raw, "dirty" ambience that characterized this stuff on the radio and the original 45s is lacking. Still, Scotty Moore's groundbreaking lead guitar part on "Hound Dog" and the Jordanaires' backup singing never came through more sharply or cleanly, and the all-important rhythm section is almost upfront in the mix. Those who own the first Elvis box from RCA, covering the '50s masters may hesitate to pick up this or the other parts of this latest remastered series, but the sound has been upgraded one more level, and Elvis' Golden Records does give a bite-sized glimpse of where Elvis had come from and where he was going (for better or worse) musically on the eve of heading into the Army. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	10/27/2017
Label:	Friday Music
UPC:	0829421170778
Rank:	125039

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Elvis Presley   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
The Jordanaires   Guest Artist,Vocals

Technical Credits

Claude Demetrius   Composer
Cliff Owens   Composer
Ernst Mikael Jorgensen   Compilation Producer
Lou Kosloff   Composer
Elvis Presley   Composer
Marian Conaty   Mastering
Lee Rosenberg   Composer
Vera Matson   Composer
Jerry Leiber   Composer
Kal Mann   Composer
Mike Stoller   Composer
Aaron Schroeder   Composer
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup   Composer
Arthur Neal Gunter   Composer
Anne Fulchino   Liner Notes
Bernie Lowe   Composer
Bill Peppers   Composer
Tommy Durden   Composer
Hal Blair   Composer
William Raskin   Composer
Jimmy Rogers   Composer
Billy Hill   Composer
Colin Escott   Liner Notes
Carl Perkins   Composer
Fred Fisher   Composer
Mae Boren Axton   Composer
Roger Semon   Compilation Producer
Otis Blackwell   Composer
Dalita Keumurian   Project Manager
Michael Omansky   Executive Producer
George Mysels   Composer
Bernard Weinman   Composer
Klaus Schmalenbach   Executive Producer
George "Funky" Brown   Composer