Command Performances: The Essential 60's Masters II

In the '60s Elvis made 27 movies, many interchangeable, but each had a built-in excuse for him to release a soundtrack. Individually they fail to advance the legend, but when the best of each is collected in one place, as here, the results are very rewarding. This two-CD set has 62 tracks, which makes it, for lack of a better word, essential. Much of it sounds fairly na(ve now, but that's only part of the inherent charm. The personality that Presley infuses into each track is incredible, and gives the listener an idea of why he earned the nickname "The King." --Scott Wilson