Howlin' Wolf, Roscoe Gordon, Rufus Thomas, Little Milton and an assortment of black blues notables in the early days. Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnnie Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis and an assortment of white rockabilly notables in the mid to late 1950's. What do they have in common? Well, one thing, and make that a decisively important one thing, is that they passed through Mr. Sam Phillips' Sun Records recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee on the way to some kind of career. Amazing. With the possible exception of Chess Records in Chicago, a label that moreover concentrated on the blues no other studio can claim so much as the catalyst for what became rock and roll in the mid- 1950's, the youth of the present writer and of his Generation of `68.

That said, the impetus for this review of a compilation of Elvis's Sun Record sessions is a Public Broadcasting Station's American Masters series that highlighted the ten years existence of that recording studio. There the format included a generous round of ` talking heads' interspersed with some performances, in this case, to honor the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Sun Records (1950).

This documentary also included many of the old Sun artists who did not attain the stardom of those mentioned in the first paragraph yet who nevertheless had some interesting things to say about the meaning of the Sun Record experience. Those comments and those performances put into dramatic relief why Elvis was the "King", at least in those days. A common theme throughout, and I believe that this applies to Elvis as well, is that mainly the music got them the hell off the farms, out of the fields or out of those dead end transient jobs. And moreover they had fun and got paid for it. And met girls! How can you beat that? My take on this is that they were good old boys, Elvis included, who got more out of the Sun, if not financially then musically, than they had originally bargained for. And this entire trip down memory lane is presided over by the impresario himself, the late Sam Phillips.

As to the present compilation some comments are worth mentioning. As with all such compilations there is some unevenness in the quality of performance, even in the case of Elvis. Some of this is calculated with the use of alternative takes to beef up the size of the compilation. However, any way you cut it these Sun sessions and that studio played to Elvis's strengths musically. Starting with the classics It's All Right, Mama, Blue Moon of Kentucky and Good Rockin', Tonight and through such ballad covers as Blue Moon and Harbor Lights Elvis demonstrates his versatility in song style and that distinctive intonation that no one else in the Sun stable could duplicate (and they tried, believe me). Elvis fanatics will want this one just like every other thing that has been put out in his name. But the real reason to get it is to hear pure Elvis when the man, the moment and the environment all came together at a time when Rock and Roll was young.

Elvis Presley-The Sun Sessions *****


Considered by many to be the first sip from the primordial soup that is Rock N' Roll. The Sun Sessions is the first official recording of Elvis Presley. Though it was not released as a whole album until the mid 1970's The Sun Sessions is really the very first recording session of The King with the great Sam Phillips, and not to mention with the fantastic Scotty Moore on guitar.

Some say this was the first official rock recording, that factually is not the case but because it is The King we'll let it slide. Featuring such classic Elvis songs as 'Thats Alright' 'Blue Moon Of Kentucky' 'Good Rockin' Tonight' 'Baby Lets Play House' 'Blue Moon' and 'Mystery Train' this is a must in every collection, regardless if it is mainly covers, because they are some of the very best covers ever recorded!

While this technically isnt an actual album just a collection of singles really and their B-sides this can't be called Elvis first album, the would be his self titled record. But regardless this is a classic from the dawn of rock!

Recorded before RCA Records and "Heartbreak Hotel" made him a star, these songs show Elvis in his early, raw prime, reinterpreting old blues, R&B, pop, and country songs with the kind of hungry, restless urgency that simply defines rock 'n' roll. Listening to these songs, it's pretty damn obvious why they call this guy the King- he attacks the music with pure animal grace, filling up every note with a lifetime's worth of emotion, attitude, and sexuality. His drive and charisma are simply stunning- just listen to the smokey, eerie propulsion of "Mystery Train," or his haunting take on the ballad "Harbor Lights." Marvel at the wild, backwoods boogie of "Good Rockin' Tonight," or the wide-open-spaces-way-out-west country invocation that is "You're A Heartbreaker." There's also the seminal "That's Alright," a raw rockabilly basher if there ever was one (and, if you believe Rolling Stone, the world's very first rock 'n' roll performance). Equally wild is "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" and "Milkcow Blues Boogie" (which, by the way, rules). Elvis also excels at barroom country ("I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone," "Trying To Get To You") and atmospheric balladry ("Blue Moon," "I Love You Because"). One of the great early sessions of rock 'n' roll.

Can't really add anything about the music contained here that hasn't already been said in some of the other reviews. This is indeed where C&W, R&B and Rockabilly fused together to form the genre "that wouldn't last" - the quoted part from some of the suits at outlets like Columbia, Mercury, and Capitol who were slow to embrace R&R and ultimately paid a steep price as RCA Victor, eventually with Elvis in the fold, and smaller independents like Atlantic, Imperial, Cadence, Dot, Checker/Chess, and Specialty took the lead.

The sound quality is excellent as are the seven pages of fascinating background notes written in April 1987 by music historian Peter Guralnick and the complete discography of the contents.

As to the tracks, I especially liked the outtakes and the repartee among the artists, including the one where a laughing Elvis blames Carl Perkins for the gaff at the beginning of one song. You can also hear Sam Phillips scolding them and telling them to get it together. Priceless stuff and historical in every way possible.

I repeat, one of the most important albums ever made by a white man.