Don't Be Cruel/ Hound Dog

Now here's a record that doesn't turn up very often: It's a beautiful copy of Elvis Presley's third #1 hit for RCA Records, 61 years ago this fall. Oh, in case you're wondering... it's "Don't Be Cruel" that Dave Marsh thinks deserves a position at #130 in his listing of the 1001 greatest hits of rock'n'soul. Of course, both sides were big hits, yet this was a non-album single that didn't appear on LP until a later Greatest Hits compilation. Note: This 45 record comes in a Near Mint copy of the release's picture sleeve, with some light discoloration in the white areas but no ringwear or edge splits (see scan). This is the second release of the picture sleeve, which has "Hound Dog" showing as the A side; first releases show "Don't Be Cruel" on top. The 45 itself has EX labels and vinyl, with some initials and a small sticker on the labels and some scuffing on the vinyl. Fortunately, the audio sounds better than that... it's clean and Near Mint!