Tracklisting : That's All Right, I Forgot To Remember To Forget, Blue Suede Shoes, I Want You, I Need You, I Love You, Love Me, Mean Woman Blues, Loving You, Treat Me Nice, Wear My Ring Around Your Neck, King Creole, Trouble, I Got Stung, I Need Your Love Tonight, A Mess Of Blues, I Feel So Bad, Little Sister, Rock-a-Hula Baby, Bossa Nova Baby, Viva Las Vegas, If I Can Drea, Memories, Don't Cry Daddy, Kentucky Rain, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, An American Trilogy, Always On My Mind, Promised Land, Moody Blue Bonus Tracks: Rubberneckin' (Oakenfold Remix) I'm A Roustabout (Unreleased Song)
Elvis : 2nd To None - CD All 30 tracks on ELVIS 2ND TO NONE have been mixed and mastered from the original master tapes for optimum sound quality. This is the same process that drew across-the-board raves from critics, music aficionados and the original band members themselves for the 30 #1 HITS production. This year’s album will include such classics as That’s All Right, Viva Las Vegas, Blue Suede Shoes, I Want You, I Need You I Love You, Always on My Mind and Don’t Cry Daddy.   Review by Nigel Patterson For an Elvis fan, BMG's audio enhanced new offering is superb. From the rockabilly beat of That's All Right, Mama, the glorious country flavoured rock of I Forgot To Remember To Forget to the mesmerising blues sound of A Mess of Blues and the classic pop resonance of Kentucky Rain, this is a great album. This is a robust album for fans with many great recordings: a perfect rocker in King Creole, huge but often forgotten singles in I Got Stung and I Need Your Love Tonight, the beautifully sung Memories and Don't Cry Daddy and a sublime recording that deserved to be a #1 hit in 1975: Promised Land. Add to the mix some first rate film numbers: the toe tapping Bossa Nova Baby from Fun In Acapulco, Rock A Hula Baby from Blue Hawaii and the energetic Viva Las Vegas and it is hard to fault the track selection. Audiophiles will love Elvis 2nd To None. With a mix from Ray Bardini and a master completed by Vic Anesini at the Sony Studios in New York, the sound is clear and crisp. On the early tracks minor sound imperfections, not previously audible, become apparent because of the enhanced audio resolution. Both the vocal and instrumentation tracks exhibit noticeable improvement on a hi-fi system. The two bonus tracks are the recently discovered I'm A Roustabout and the the radio edit of Rubberneckin'. I'm A Roustabout is a pleasant, boppy mid 60s track that will appeal to core fans but is unlikely to grab the contemporary mainstream audience. The song would have fitted easily into the movie in 1964. Rubberneckin' has already started its slide down the charts and unfortunately is unlikely to act as much of a spur to sales of the album. The strength of Elvis 2nd To None is also its weakness for a mainstream audience. The album is another eclectic compilation showcasing Elvis' amazing musical talent. It offers a varied range of music genres: rock & roll, country, pop, blues, latino and ballad. Because of its musical diversity the album is not easily categorised and the mainstream audience used to consistently sounding album tracks may have difficulty accepting it. Similarly, with a track mix traversing the 50s, 60s and 70s it is hard to settle back in the groove as you can with most albums. Both of these factors will arguably act as a disincentive to high sales. The Cover & Booklet: Personally I prefer the 'silver' cover adopted by BMG Canada. The 'half face' cover looked interesting when published on the Internet but is less catching up-close. The 24 page booklet features some nice photos and a great thematic device! As usual, Peter Guarlnick's liner notes are perceptive and evocative, and should be read by all fans.