A Good If Incomplete Retrospective Of Elvis' Later Years

The fifth volume in the "Golden Records" series does a very good job of compiling the best material from his later years, where he was able to rack up an impressive 20 top 40 singles, as well as some earlier work. Songs like "Suspicious Minds", "Burning Love", "Kentucky Rain", "Guitar Man" and "For The Heart" are some of the best singles Elvis ever released. Still, if you're a hardcore Elvis fan, you will realize that the following top 40 hits from this period are missing:

"The Wonder Of You" (# 9 in 1970)
"I've Lost You" (# 32 in 1970)
"I Really Don't Want To Know" (# 21 in 1970)
"Rags To Riches" (# 33 in 1971)
"I'm Leavin'" (# 36 in 1971)
"Until It's Time For You To Go" (# 40 in 1972)
"Separate Ways" (# 20 in 1972)
"Steamroller Blues" (# 17 in 1973)
"I've Got A Thing About You Baby" (# 39 in 1974)
"Promised Land" (# 14 in 1974)
"My Boy" (# 20 in 1975)
"Trouble" (# 35 in 1975)
"Hurt" (# 28 in 1976)
"My Way" (# 22 in 1977)

Still, this is an excellent cd of Elvis' later years and is good for all fans.

Elvis Resurrected

Glad they picked some pre-68 comeback special songs for this package, "US Male", "Guitar Man", "Clean Up..." are excellent and could have easily been overlooked. Could have used a little more Memphis-session songs, like "Don't Cry Daddy" and "Rubberneckin'". For a "B" side to be included, "AnyDay Now" or "You'll Think Of Me" would have been much better choices than the throwaway "Edge of Reality". For the "Fat Elvis on Stage" era, "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" is pretty typical lounge act stuff, "The Wonder of You" would have made a better selection. Otherwise, the last burst of good Elvis material is well represented (and cherry-picked) with "Way Down", "Moody Blue", and "For the Heart". Would have loved to have seen "I've Lost You", "I'm Leavin'", "I Really Don't Want to Know", "Promised Land", and "T-R-O-U-B-L-E". You can, of course, get these elsewhere, but I like the Volume 1-5 Gold Record series cause they are much easier to digest. Enough good songs left out for Volume 6, but I'm afraid the "30 #1's" and "2nd to None" series will overwhelm the market. At least until the Presley estate wants to make some more money.

Volume 5 is the best of Elvis' later singing career!

"Suspicious Minds" kicks this one off. The best on the whole album and the longest. 4 and a half minutes, thank you! "Burning Love" is high-energetic, and so is "Way Down", "Moody Blue", "Kentucky Rain", and that touching "In The Ghetto". Fantastic that this went from 10 songs to 16. But why stop at 16? The second volume originally had 10 and now it has 20. This one could have had 20. Either way you want to look at it, it's still an absolute must! My hopes are with that music fan from Rome, NY that maybe someday there'll be a Volume 6. That's a great idea because "Promised Land", "T-R-O-U-B-LE", and "Always On My Mind" are missing. Maybe there'll be Volume 6. RCA has got to do that. Anyway, the fifth volume is superb, and Elvis can still rock the house!