The msuic is a bit uneven, but still essnetial...

Though the cd contains 40% rockabilly, 30% r&b/r'n'r and 20% sappy ballads, it is a bit uneven, but still rollicking and essential. The ballads are very dated, however the R&B sides like Rip It Up are interesting but not as much so as when sung by Little Richard. The real gems here are the most essential version ever of Money Honey, a knockout version of I Got A Woman, every bit as gritty and wonderful as the Ray Charles hit! Although Bill Haley & Elvis can never match Big Joe Turner's soulfulness on Shake Rattle Roll, Elvis does it nicely. The cd overall makes a compelling listen and teh find of the cd is One Sided Love Affair. Great rockabilly and r&b. You need the Sun collections and Lousisiana Hayride collections first, but then get this and you'll be set!

Elvis rocks!

Finally there is an Elvis compilation album where there is a mix of famous and "not-so famous" songs. It gives fans and non fans a chance to hear more of Elvis than the cliche they hear onthe tv and radio all the time...peace yall and rock on!!

yeah that's right buddy...Elvis sings more than 'hounddog'...and much better in my opinion!

Excellent music, a bit of a superflous collection

This album collects most of what Elvis Presley committed to tape during his first full year as a recording artist with RCA.

"Elvis 56" is filled with classics like "Heartbreak Hotel", "Hound Dog", "Shake, Rattle & Roll", "Don't Be Cruel" and "Love Me", as well as several equally excellent, if somewhat lesser-known songs ("Paralyzed", "Any Way You Want Me", "One-Sided Love Affair", and covers of Lloyd Price's "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and Arthur Crudup's "So Glad You're Mine").

This is a very enjoyable collection filled with good pop hooks and some fine musicianship (would have been nice with some more insightful liner notes and recording information). The only problem is that most Elvis fans probably already have most or all of this music.
But if you don't, and just want a bit of 50s rock n' roll, rockabilly and pop to keep your fingers tapping on the steering wheel on your way home from work, "Elvis 56" is a really fine purchase, although it's by no means a definitive early Elvis Presley retrospective.

1956

This CD features 22 songs that Elvis Presley recorded in 1956. What more need be said? I guess I can add that the version I have has some great pictures of Elvis taken by Alfred Wertheimer. Seriously, these are the best pictures anyone ever took of Elvis. But the best thing about this CD is the music, which is magnificent. Elvis could almost do no wrong at this point, at least in a recording studio. I highly recommend this CD.

Helping To Jump-start Americans Towards Change!

Besides The Complete Sun Sessions, this is the best Elvis Presley compilation I've ever heard! By focusing on his most influential - and honest - work, it becomes apparent that his success exposed much of our people to - Ye Gods! - some of the multitude of talented black recording artists working at that time. By covering songs by Little Richard, Big Joe Turner, etc., Presley simultaneously validates and pays homage to these great talents, who still had to use "Coloreds Only" restrooms in 17 of our grand old 50 states! Rock & roll didn't create the civil rights movement, but it DID start people questioning policies that had been blandly accepted for generations as the staus quo. And Elvis Presley started that change.

This is the Elvis we should all remember, who rips through "Paralyzed", "My Baby Left Me" and "Ready Teddy" as if his very life depended on each performance. Sure, he made a lot of money off of these records, but nobody had taken these kinds of risks - at least before a WHITE audience - ever before. This was a golden moment in Elvis's life, and for our country as well. It reminds me that there actualy WAS a time when popular musicians created works that reflected their own convictions, and so reflected the lives of their audience back to them in some fashion.

And so, when I hear some dome-headed skater "dude" trying to sell me on

the significance of Blink 182, I just hand him a copy of this CD, ask him to listen to it, and be thankful that, 46 years ago, Elvis Presley had the talent - and the guts - to make this country a better place to live.

Elvis at his very best!

Bought this CD in Memphis during Elvis Week. It has totally blow me away. Not only are there some of the greatest rock n' roll songs ever recorded (Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, etc.) but there are some fantastic songs I'd never heard before (So Glad You're Mine, One-Sided Love Affair.) If this was released as an album in 1956 it would've been a blockbuster! Truly an awesome CD. My most favorite Elvis compilation!