Elvis' Golden Records

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Released in 1958, <i>Elvis’ Golden Records</i> brings together some of the most inescapable singles from Elvis Presley’s first decade as a recording artist—tunes that are known around the planet. Considered by many to be the first formal greatest-hits album, <i>Elvis’ Golden Records</i> includes several chart-topping hits—including “Don’t Be Cruel” and “All Shook Up”—alongside several crucial B-side. Together, the 14 tracks collected here are proof positive of just how dominant a force Presley had become in the two short years since he’d broken American popular culture, and begun refashioning it in his own image. It all makes for a rewarding front-to-back listen, with familiar classics alongside ever-so-slightly less familiar tune, including the sprawling “Any Way You Want Me (That’s How I Will Be)” and the sultry boogie-woogie “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear.” The collection was released three days before Presley was drafted—in a highly publicized fashion, naturally—marking a two-year pause in his prolific recording career. The song, though, don’t sound like the music of anyone well-suited to following orders: Whether on the seductive “Heartbreak Hotel,” the lusty “Hound Dog,” or the fiery “Jailhouse Rock,” Presley was pushing towards edgy rock ’n’ roll music that drove teens into a frenzy, and made parents tear their hair out. .

via Apple Music

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