Great Country Songs [Remaster] (CD - 1996)

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Personnel: Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar).

Liner Note Author: Charles K. Wolfe.

Recording information: 07/19/1954-10/30/1976.

Directors: Klaus Schmalenbach; Michael Omansky.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Sherrill Nielsen; J.D. Sumner; The Voice; Kathy Westmoreland; The Imperials Quartet; The Jordanaires; The Stamps.

Arrangers: Don Tweedy; Glen D. Hardin; Glen Spreen; Cam Mullins; Mike Leech.

Great Country Songs compiles 24 of the finest country songs Elvis Presley recorded between 1955 and 1976, from "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" to "Guitar Man." Many familiar performances are available, as are five previously unreleased tracks designed to bait collectors, and the collection does a good job of establishing Elvis' credentials as a country singer, even if it isn't as effective as the blues collection, Reconsider Baby. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

In this era of MTV and multi-media rock stage shows, it's easy to forget that rock and roll was originally considered "hillbilly" music. Similarly, it would no doubt surprise many Elvis fans to discover that the king of rock and roll charted on the Billboard country charts--several times--six months before he hit the pop charts with "Heartbreak Hotel." And yet Elvis Presley, the original "Hillbilly Cat," never strayed too far from his country roots, as the 1996 anthology GREAT COUNTRY SONGS demonstrates.

This impressive collection includes 24 tracks from throughout Presley's career, from his 1955 country hit "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" to a 1976 cover of Jim Reeves' classic "He'll Have to Go" (which, incidentally, was Elvis' final studio recording). As an inducement to fans that already own most of these recordings, RCA has included five previously unreleased alternate takes amid the more familiar fare. The true value of this package, however, is that it gathers all Presley's most important country recordings on a single disc. As an added bonus, the backing tracks feature great support from such country legends as James Burton, Floyd Cramer, and Chet Atkins. minimize