The release of this album, seen in its proper historical context, is
an indicator of just how bright Elvis Presley's star shone in the late
'50s. His first hits collection was issued in March 1958, on the eve of
his going into the Army; his second was the first "volume two"
greatest-hits album ever issued on a rock & roll star, appearing weeks
ahead of his leaving the Army in March 1960. Anyone who buys the notion
that Elvis was "tamed" during his first years at RCA will find
revelation in "A Big Hunk of Love," "I Need Your Love Tonight,"
and "I Got Stung," some of the greatest pieces of hard rock
& roll that the King ever cut -- and all were recorded in the midst
of Elvis' stay in the Army, in a hastily arranged session in Nashville
during June 1958. By this time, his voice was becoming one of the finest
instruments in rock & roll, his idolization of Dean Martin and other
popular singers paying off with a degree of control and articulation that
his rivals could only envy, and it's all laid out here on what are still
some pretty hard-rocking sides. The remastered edition not only improves
the sound significantly, but adds eight songs to the original ten. The
notes are thorough, although they reveal the stretching that the producers
were engaged in by citing British releases as the justification for inclusion.
But the quality of the music is undeniable.
(Bruce Eder, All Music
Guide)
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