This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Last year, I incurred the wrath of Elvis worshippers when I had the nerve — the nerve! — to suggest Elvis: 30 #1 Hits might be something less than the best album ever released in the history of the universe.
My insane reasoning? The fact that it skipped big chunks of Presley’s career and ignored great material in favour of overplayed tunes everyone knows. Needless to say, the fanatics would have none of it. But maybe, just maybe, all the King’s men heard my plea. Because here, a year later, is the inevitable sequel 2nd to None, a disc that addresses all my concerns. Not only does this 30-cut set have many of the chart-toppers missing from the first disc (like I Want You, I Need You, I Love You), it also offers a more intriguing romp through Elvis’s catalogue. You get early cuts like 1954’s That’s All Right. You get swell soundtrack fare like King Creole and Viva Las Vegas. You get overlooked gems like I Feel So Bad, Little Sister and Mean Woman Blues. You get later works like Kentucky Rain and Always On My Mind. You get that newly discovered version of I’m A Roustabout. And — perhaps best of all — you get that groovy Paul Oakenfold remix of the Change Of Habit classic Rubberneckin’. Put it all together and 2nd to None earns its title handily.
