Elvis' Golden Records (Mono Remastered) Elvis Presley

• 1 Hound Dog 02:14
• 2 Loving You 02:12
• 3 All Shook Up 02:00
• 4 Heartbreak Hotel 02:11
• 5 Jailhouse Rock 02:30
• 6 Love Me 02:43
• 7 Too Much 02:33
• 8 Don't Be Cruel 02:02
• 9 That's When Your Heartaches Begin 03:20
• 10 (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear 01:48
• 11 Love Me Tender (From the 20th Century-Fox CinemaScope Production, "Love Me Tender") 02:41
• 12 Treat Me Nice 02:10
• 13 Any Way You Want Me (That's How I Will Be) 02:13
• 14 I Want You, I Need You, I Love You 02:40
• Total Runtime 33:17

Info for Elvis' Golden Records (Mono Remastered)

With Elvis scheduled to go into the army for two years as of March 24, and Colonel Parker still adamantly refusing to make any concessions to the record company’s need for a recording schedule – any kind of schedule – during his time in service, RCA put together a Greatest Hits package consisting of the A-sides of his first eight RCA singles together with six B-sides. It was a dramatic reversal of the Colonel’s one ironclad, if somewhat inexplicable, rule to date: never allow a hit single to appear on a non-soundtrack album. Initial sales of 150,000 (comparable to sales of the Christmas album) seemed to bear out the wisdom of the previous policy. But the album has sold more than six million copies domestically over the years – and it continues to sell.

"Have we got the lot?" The King of Rock’n’Roll certainly didn't need to ask whether his entourage had collected together all their favourite hits. They had gathered them all together - a collection of "Golden Records", rather like a selection box of favourite chocolates, greedily swallowed down and enjoyed to the full. And how they loved them all - whether 'complete works' collectors or fans. To this very day, this collection from 1958 is quite set apart from the normal 'best of' collections. It shines out like a precious jewel among mere pebbles.

"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, AMG)

Elvis Presley, guitar, vocals
Scotty Moore, guitar
Chet Atkins, guitar
Tiny Timbrell, guitar
Bill Black, bass
D.J. Fontana, drums
Floyd Cramer, piano, organ
Shorty Long, piano, organ
Dudley Brooks, piano, organ
Gordon Stoker, piano, organ
Hoyt Hawkins, piano, organ
George Fields, harmonica
The Jordanaires, backing vocals

Digitally remastered

Elvis Presley
was an American actor and singer, born on January 8, 1935, in Mississippi. He played a key role in popularizing rockabilly and later rock ‘n’ roll, and is considered one of the greatest icons of all time. The King, who died on August 16, 1977, remains the second-biggest album seller in music history.

A talented and precocious artist

Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo and showed a passion for music even as a child. At the age of ten, he took part in his first singing competition dressed as a cowboy and came fifth at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. On his 11th birthday, his family decided to give him his first guitar as a gift. Two of his uncles took the opportunity to give him guitar lessons, while his mother helped him improve his singing.

In 1946, Elvis Presley met Mississippi Slim, a local musician and radio host who helped him perfect his guitar chords. Seeing that Elvis had talent, Mississippi Slim decided to have him perform on his show, giving him his first public performance even though he wasn't even 12 years old! In 1953, after finishing school, he made the final decision to pursue a career in music.

A determined teenager

True to his dream of becoming a musician, Elvis Presley decided to visit the various record companies in Memphis to record his first single. When he arrived at Sun Records, he paid four dollars of his own money for his first recording! At the age of 18, he sang two cover versions: My Happiness and That's When Your Heartaches Begin.

The beginning of a great career

Elvis Presley then recorded several singles with Scotty Moore and Bill Black, who would later become his musicians. On July 5, 1954, in the middle of recording, Elvis Presley began to accompany his songs with body movements that Sam Philips found overwhelming. Considering these gestures to be a real revolution, the producer of Sun Records decided to launch the trio on the road to success.

The three men performed countless times and embarked on a local tour that lasted until 1955 to make themselves known to a wider audience. The success was huge. Elvis Presley's footwork was considered scandalous, but it attracted young audiences. Elvis Presley's sound, a mixture of blues and country music, was heard throughout the southwestern United States and soon became rockabilly. The group then signed with RCA Records, which created the “Elvis Presley Music” label specifically to record the phenomenon's first studio albums.

By 1958, Elvis Presley had become increasingly popular thanks to his albums Elvis Presley (1956) and Elvis (1956) and his film soundtracks: Loving You (1957) and the incredible King Creole (1958). After his appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956, he became a national star. That evening, 60 million Americans watched Elvis's rendition of Love Me Tender, and over a million copies of the single were pre-ordered after the show.

The King: the birth of a legend

In 1956, Elvis Presley wanted to try his hand at other things and signed a contract with Paramount Pictures to become an actor. Despite mixed reviews, the first films in which Elvis starred were real commercial successes thanks to his fame. He then made several more films, such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1956) and King Creole (1958), before having to complete his military service from 1958 to 1960.

Despite his absence, his producers released the albums For LP Fans Only (1959) and A Date with Elvis (1959), featuring songs recorded years earlier.

In 1960, after returning from the army, he released the albums Something for Everybody (1961) and Pot Luck (1962), before signing an acting contract with Hollywood. The production company was eager to give him the leading roles in the films for which he was to write the soundtrack. He then starred in The Sheriff of These Ladies (1962), The Man for Everything (1964), and Tickle Me (1965).

At the top of the sales charts, despite a career break!

Although he put his music career on hold from 1960 to 1968, Elvis Presley managed to get ten original movie soundtracks to the top of the singles sales charts! These include Girls! Girls! Girls (1962) and Fun in Acapulco (1963).

The year 1968 is also considered symbolic of the King's return to his roots. In the show entitled Elvis, he is celebrated by the audience. The following year, he releases his first album in nine years: From Elvis in Memphis (1969). This album, which features more soul and less rock ‘n’ roll, demonstrates the King's ability to adapt to the musical trends of the time.

Elvis is determined to return to the stage with concerts and signs a contract for 57 dates over several years at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. At the first of these concerts on July 31, 1969, the audience is captivated by his performance and gives him three standing ovations.

In parallel with the contract with the hotel in Las Vegas, Elvis resumes his tours of the USA and releases seven albums between 1970 and 1973, including Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) (1971) and Raised on Rock (1973). In the same year, he decided to give the first concert ever to be broadcast via satellite around the world. This took his career to global dimensions. In his white suit with the eagle on the back, Elvis became The King forever and released a double album: Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite (1973).

Due to excessive medication use, he died of a heart attack on August 16, 1977, in Memphis, the city where it all began.

Elvis Presley's awards:

Elvis Presley received an impressive number of awards throughout his career. In 2010, the total number of albums and singles he sold was estimated at over 600 million! His album Elvis' Christmas Album (1957), for example, went platinum nine times. In total, he received 144 awards for his singles and albums during his career, which spanned just over 20 years.

Elvis is also the American singer who has appeared most frequently in the charts of best-selling singles in the US. He placed 38 singles in the Top 10, 18 at No. 1 and 114 in the Top 40! He also spent more than 80 weeks at the top of the singles bestseller list during his career.

His musical awards include three Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance in 1968, 1973, and 1975, as well as a Grammy Award in 1971 for his life's work. Today, he has a star on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard and belongs to three major music institutions: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

On the evening of Elvis Presley's death, US President Jimmy Carter summed up the singer's life in a now famous sentence: “Elvis may be gone, but his legend will live on forever.”

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