2nd to None

Capitalizing on the international success of "Elvis 30 #1 Hits," RCA has released a follow-up disc that compiles the Top 10 singles and hidden gems from Presley's prolific catalog. In many ways, "Elvis: 2nd to None" is a marked improvement over the previous CD - it covers more musical ground and displays a wider range of Presley's vocal talents. Along with the 1950s hits, you get some of Elvis' best tracks from the 1960s: "A Mess of Blues," "I Feel So Bad," "Little Sister," "Viva Las Vegas," "If I Can Dream" and "Kentucky Rain." The 1970s are represented by classic recordings such as "American Trilogy," "Promised Land" and "Moody Blue." In the final analysis, "2nd to None" proves that Presley's chart-toppers did not necessarily represent his finest work and, as a result, many superior tracks were lost in the shuffle. A case in point is "I'm a Roustabout," the recently discovered song intended for The King's 1964 film. Too bad "stick it in his ear" was considered an objectionable lyric by producer Hal Wallis, because "I'm a Roustabout" would have been the smash hit Elvis needed during the advent of Beatlemania. It's a classic rocker that Presley performs with gusto - far better than most of his movie tunes during the mid-1960s. Once again, RCA has succeeded in revitalizing Elvis Presley's music for future generations, with a few revelatory surprises along the way.

This follow-up to 2002's "Elv1s 30 #1 Hits," which has sold more than nine million copies, is just fabulous. Out of the 30 tracks on here, it features six #1 hits, "I'm A Roustabout" (a "lost" song from 1964), "That's All Right" (Elvis' first recording from 1954) and a Paul Oakenfold remix of "Rubberneckin," which has been used for Toyota commercials lately. It's a great remix and it gives a hip and fresh sound to Elvis and it proves that his music still sounds just as good today as it did years ago.

Some of the highlights on "Elvis 2nd To None," just to name a few, are "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You," "Mean Woman Blues," "Memories," "Kentucky Rain," "Promised Land," "Don't Cry Daddy," "A Mess of Blues," "Bossa Nova Baby" (it has a fun, Spanish feel to it), "Viva Las Vegas," "Moody Blue" and the outstanding and powerful "If I Can Dream." His amazing vocals just shine throughout this album.

I had been anticipating the release of this CD and it was well worth the wait. Elvis Presley was the greatest entertainer of the 20th century. As this album says, he is second to none.

I highly recommend this record to both the new fans of The King and the ones who have been life-long fans. You won't be disappointed!

When I heard BMG's dazzling 2002 compilation "Elvis: 30 #1 Hits" I was simply flabbergasted!! The audio quality on that disc was stunning and was far superior to other Elvis Presley collections I owned that had been released in the late 1980's.

And so I immediately did two things. First, I disposed of my older Elvis CD's and immediately ordered "2nd To None". Since this compilation was released in 2003 I thought I had every right to expect a comparable remastering job to "30 #1 Hits." After all, the same note that stated "Mixed and mastered from original master tapes for optimal sound quality" appeared on both covers. Unfortunately, I would be remiss if I did not invoke that old saying "buyer beware". And I am here to tell you that I found this collection to be a huge disappointment.

Certainly it goes without saying that the material included on "2nd To None" is no match for the tunes that appeared on "30 #1 Hits". That collection included the absolute cream of the crop from Elvis' long and wildly successful career. But as Larry King might like to say the 30 tunes included on "2nd to None" "ain't chopped liver". In fact, several of my favorite Elvis tunes appear on this disc including "Little Sister", "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" and his 1968 comeback hit "If I Can Dream". Also featured are several of his chart hits from the 1970's like "Memories", "Don't Cry Daddy" and "Kentucky Rain". And while one might quibble about the inclusion of 2 or 3 songs in this collection it is for the most part another nice mix of Presley classics spanning the decades.

But my problem is not with the music. My problem is with the extremely mediocre remastering job done on this disc. I found the sound quality on "2nd To None" to be vastly inferior to what I had heard on "30 #1 Hits". I must say I was bitterly disappointed. I don't pretend to be an audiophile and frankly I am not generally all that fussy. But the reason I picked up this disc is that I expected the same kind of sound quality that so impressed me on "30 #1 Hits". Instead I wound up with a collection that sounded about the same as those 1988 collections I had tossed away. I just don't get it. In fact, I really wish I never had. You have been forwarned!!!