SHAZAM

The Classic Elvis compilation from the budget label Camden is a fair choice for record buyers wishing to sum up the "King of Rock 'N' Roll" in just 16 tracks. The disc benefits not only from solid sound, but also a very good track listing for its brief running time; it focuses on Presley at his most unhinged, with a parade of late-'50s hits like "Blue Suede Shoes," "Hound Dog," "That's All Right," and an assortment of covers that reveal his heavy R&B influences (Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman," Little Richard's "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," Little Willie John's "Fever"). The collection ranges only as far as the early '60s ("It's Now or Never," "Return to Sender"), and ends with one of Presley's most neglected classics, the Sun side "Mystery Train." ~ John Bush, Rovi