''Wear My Ring Around Your Neck'' (1958)
This concise, unpolished pop gem, with furious playing by the usual back-up band suspects, finds Elvis prefiguring the energy of the early Beatles, complete with electric guitar chords at the intro, rhythmic backing vocals, and a frenetic bass line. And Elvis' throaty vocals are suitably playful for a song that boasts the chorus, ''Won't you wear my ring around your neck/ To tell the world I'm yours, by heck.'' Even Max Martin could never come up with that one.

''Can't Help Falling in Love'' (1961)
Much of Elvis' '60s music was dire soundtrack fodder for his increasingly execrable movies, but this ballad (from ''Blue Hawaii,'' a movie that also spawned the unfortunate ''Rock-A-Hula Baby'') is a keeper. The full-lunged croon Presley attempts here is already edging towards the indigestible cheese of his Vegas years, but it's still seductive. A wedding song for the ages.

''Viva Las Vegas'' (1963)
As fun is it gets. An insane south-of-the-border beat propels this ode to the town that, ironically enough, would later witness Presley's degeneration into disengagement and obesity. Elvis' vocal commitment here is charmingly at odds with the rinky-dink backing, and the song was never much of a hit. But it's since been covered by artists ranging from ZZ Top to the Dead Kennedys, and now sounds like an oddball classic.

''In the Ghetto'' (1968)
Elvis Presley, protest singer? This acoustic-guitar and string-driven inner-city tale from the comeback album ''Elvis in Memphis'' is uniquely topical for The King, but also showcases one of his gentlest but most emotional vocal performances. His trembling, empathetic vibrato on lines like ''if there's one thing that she don't need/ It's another hungry mouth to feed/ In the ghetto,'' builds to a forceful cry: ''Take a look at you and me/ Are we too blind to see?''

''Suspicious Minds'' (1969)
Along with other late-period masterpieces like ''Kentucky Rain'' and ''Burning Love,'' the horn-fattened soul of ''Suspicious Minds'' easily matches Presley's '50s prime. He finds yet another new vocal sound here, eschewing old mannerisms in favor of a more modern R&B fervor. Plus, few songs have ever attempted anything as crazy as the ending of ''Suspicious Minds,'' which fades out, only to fade all the way back in for more repetitions of the chorus. Elvis is said to have personally insisted on that glorious gimmick.

Where to find the music
The 3-CD set ''Artist of the Century'' includes all of these songs except ''Viva Las Vegas,'' which can be found on ''Can't Help Falling In Love: The Hollywood Hits.'' For those who want more Elvis, check out these two essential albums: ''The Complete Sun Sessions'' and ''Elvis in Memphis.''

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