Makes one realize just how great an interpreter of songs Elvis

was. He never recorded one self-penned song, but with his interpretive capabilities he didn't have to. He put his own personal stamp on everything he did, from the sublime to

the ridiculous. This collection has much of the great ballads

he recorded, many rarely heard from early in his career with

a pure innocence and heartfelt simplicity that he lost shortly

thereafter. As he matured, he created a more mature, langerous

style, not unlike Patsy Cline, that was part pop, part country,

part blues. Finally, you get ballads near the end of his career,

as some thought he was entering a new, creative phase. In

the last stage of his career, he was still using outstanding

songwriters like Willie Nelson. Funny, when you think of it,

as much as Elvis is identified with Rock and Roll, he may have

been just as groundbreaking and capable as a ballader. Don't

forget, according to Elvis himself, his greatest influence was

Dean Martin. Therefore, the absolute core of Elvis was and always

This is a great collection of love songs by Elvis. A lot of these songs were big hits that are familiar to everybody, but it also includes some lesser known gems like "Young and Beautiful", "As Long As I Have You" and "The Girl of My Best Friend". From a collector's standpoint, this CD marked the first appearance of stereo versions of "Love Me Tender" and "I've Lost You", plus the first release of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" without dubbed applause. Elvis fans will love this CD.

Select Elvis singles chronologically through his career, from beginning to end. These songs resonate as close to Elvis's heart! If you've never understood what made Elvis great, listen to this CD. The legend is affirmed.

This is a tremendous album which shows clearly why Elvis was with little argument the greatest ballader of all time. One of my favorites is "Young and Beautiful", a lesser known track. When you listen to it you think you are sitting in a 50's night club. The more I listen to Elvis the more impressed I become at his vocal range and technique. The song "Always on My Mind" sounds simple enough but when you listen carefully you will hear Elvis hitting 7 notes in rapid succesion with words such as "time and blind". The speed of his vibrato is amazing. My wife hates Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" but she loves Elvis' version. In fact when you hear an Elvis remake i.e. Just Can't Stop Believing, Bridge Over Troubled Water etc. you can hardly recall who sang the original, so good is the King's version. I higly recommend this CD.

A wonderful cd for all music lovers. Of course Elvis is one of my favorites. So glad I could find such a good selection at Amazon and order several of Elvis cds with out having to a lot of places to find them.