ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits

Compilation, production and releases

ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits was compiled by Ernst Mikael Jorgensen and Roger Semon using chart data from the pop singles charts in Billboard, Cashbox, New Musical Express, and Record Retailer. Not all of Elvis' number ones are included as it is only a one-disc set.

The compilation was produced and mixed in stereo and 5.1 by David Bendeth with remastering by Ted Jensen on the first thirteen songs and George Marino on the last sixteen songs. The songs were engineered by Ray Bardani, and were transferred from master tapes by Brent Spear. The 18 recordings recorded in stereo (1960 and later) were digitally remixed from the original multitrack recordings.

In 2003, it became the first, and so far, only Elvis album to be issued in the newly created DVD audio-only disc format. The stereo tracks (1960 and later) were remixed into 5.1 surround sound for the first time and the 13 tracks recorded in mono (before 1960) were remastered and presented in a simulated 5.1 format. The songs were presented in reverse order, with "A Little Less Conversation" as track 1, and "Heartbreak Hotel" as track 31. There are also bonus tracks which are sections of three songs ("It's Now or Never", "Crying in the Chapel", and "Burning Love"), giving an A:B comparison of the original master and the remaster. A 2003 reissue of the album featured a bonus disc with outtakes and rehearsals of several songs. A Wal-Mart release had a bonus disc with Elvis' post-army interview, while a Japanese release had a bonus disc with three versions of "A Little Less Conversation".

Commercial reception

In the first week following the album's release, it topped the record charts in 17 territories. The album was Presley's first album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was his first number one since 1973. The album helped Elvis to have the longest span of number one album on the 200. The album has sold over three million copies in Europe alone and has shipped over double that amount.

Critical reception

ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits received mostly favorable reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic felt that even though the album was very good, that it still lacked a lot of good material and that several factors were working against it, such as the number of hits Elvis had and the songs that didn't make it to No. 1. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly felt that the album did succeed in its purpose, but not all of the songs on the collection had enough "quality". Darryl Sterdan of Jam! CANOE predicted that the album would not do as well as the Beatles' 1 because almost all of the songs can be found on other collections and it is missing several definitive songs. Robert Christgau gave the album his highest rating out of all of Elvis' albums that he's reviewed and felt that the album showed that his life was "a continuous whole". Parke Puterbaugh, on his Rolling Stone review of the album, gave the album five out of five stars and felt that the recordings had improved sound quality.

2003 deluxe bonus disc

1. "Heartbreak Hotel" (rehearsal)
2. "All Shook Up" (rehearsal)
3. "Teddy Bear, Don't Be Cruel" (rehearsal)
4. "A Big Hunk o'Love" (take 2)
5. "Stuck on You" (take 1)
6. "It's Now or Never" (takes 2 & 3)
7. "Surrender" (take 2)
8. "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" (rehearsal & take 2)
9. "She's Not You" (take 2 & wp take 4)
10. "(You're The) Devil in Disguise" (take 2 & 3)
11. "In the Ghetto" (take 1)
12. "Burning Love" (take 2)
13. "Way Down" (take 2)
14. "In the Ghetto" (vocal only outtake)
15. "A Little Less Conversation" (JXL 12" Extended Remix)

WalMart bonus disc

1. The Elvis Post Army Interview

Japan bonus disc

1. "A Little Less Conversation" (Original)
2. "A Little Less Conversation" (JXL 12" Extended Remix)
3. "A Little Less Conversation - JXL Mix" (Video) (CD-rom content)