It almost defies belief that there could be an
Elvis Presley
rock & roll
comp that doesn't include anything from
Sun Records
, so that right there is a good sign that
RCA
's 2006 comp
Elvis Rock
-- part of a trilogy of three theme-based compilations that also includes
Elvis Country
and
Elvis Inspirational
-- may not deliver all that the title promises. And that's true: while it may have a good number of great rockers,
is also misguided, missing some of his hardest rockers at the expense of cuts like
"Dixieland Rock,"
an enjoyably silly cut from
King Creole
that doesn't have a patch on
"Good Rockin' Tonight,"
"Mystery Train,"
or
"That's All Right,"
which all should have been here. Despite this major flaw,
does contain a pretty good sampling of a bunch of terrific stuff -- it's hard to complain about any comp that has
"Hound Dog,"
"Blue Suede Shoes,"
"Jailhouse Rock,"
"I Got Stung,"
"Hard Headed Woman,"
so this winds up as pretty entertaining. Just don't think this is the absolute best
from
Elvis
, or that this will give you all that you need from the King -- think of it as a fun sampler, and you won't be disappointed. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine