At three discs, the 2011 set
Real Elvis: The Ultimate Elvis Collection
is indeed generous but it's not ultimate, as it essentially covers just the '50s and early '60s, offering nothing from his storied 1968 comeback or anything that came later. Of course, this is hardly bad music: this covers both the dawn of rock & roll at
Sun Records
, the dynamite singles that came later, then the avalanche of pop, rock, gospel, and movie tunes. Much of this is great but it's presented haphazardly, skipping from sound to sound and era to era, so it plays like a compilation stuck on eternal shuffle. Nevertheless, there's good music here and if it can be found at a good price, it's entertaining. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine