Twenty-five years after his death, the King of Rock 'n Roll is still fabulous. 30 #1 Hits is long overdue to old fans as well as to a new generation hard pressed to find 30 songs from a favorite band that doesn't include remixes.
In the summer of 2002 thousands of Elvis fans flocked to Graceland on the 25th anniversary of his death. Bad movies like 2000 Miles to Graceland banked on Elvismania to fill seats and Britney donned a classic Elvis jumpsuit for her show in Vegas. While Nicolas Cage's marriage to Lisa Marie brought back powerful images of him in a white Elvis jumpsuit from Honeymoon in Vegas, Disney's Lilo and Stitch revived the "Elvis in Hawaii" era. Elvis is obviously still a cultural influence and he cannot be held responsible for Kevin Costner's interpretation of his persona.
But all of that is secondary to his music. It's still relevant. After hearing this collection of songs, some so ingrained in our heads and others not as familiar, what's striking is how diverse his musical and emotional range is. It's truly refreshing in a time where so much is so highly marketed and so boring. Plus, it's just fun, at times kitschy music.
The standards of early rock and roll are here, of course: "Heartbreak Hotel", "Don't Be Cruel", "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock". And the romantic balladeer: "Love Me Tender", "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", "Can't Help Falling in Love". We know these songs by heart, love 'em or hate 'em.
Elvis had many faces. He was Pavarotti in "It's Now or Never" and the head of a gospel choir on "In The Ghetto". He's country boy desperate in "Suspicious Minds" and playful on "Stuck On You".
There are some goofy inclusions that even if they were number one don't really count. The simply odd, yep-that's-Elvis-singing-in-German "Wooden Heart", accordion and all, is one candidate for the "you had to be there" era. So is "The Wonder of You". His "Hunka Hunka Burning Love" conjures up not so nice images, quite frankly. Of course, if you take a close look at the liner notes, not all of the songs hit #1 in the U.S. This is not a problem of course, but the compilation could also have been called "Lots of Number One Hits in the U.K. That Americanos May or May Not Recognize". To be fair, Elvis hit number one on lots of different charts: pop, country & western, rhythm & blues in lots of different countries. But still.
There is something new and tempting to add to his repertoire. The remix of "A Little Less Conversation" is nothing short of brilliant and doesn't sound highly marketed, even if Nike was involved.
They could have also included "Viva Las Vegas" as an extra, just for fun, but they didn't. For that and another great Elvis song, "Rock-A-Hula Baby" (as well as the somewhat creepy but highly infectious "Kissin' Cousins"), check out Can't Help Falling in Love: The Hollywood Hits, a veritable treasure trove for the Elvis at heart.
Elvis Presley Elv1s 30 #1 Hits
