Elvis at Sun
Elvis at Sun is a compact disc compilation of Elvis Presley's studio recordings at Sun Studio from 1954 to 1955, released in June 2004, BMG Heritage 61205. This set features master recordings made by Presley and his accompanists, Scotty Moore and Bill Black, occasionally augmented by other musicians, prior to his arrival on RCA Records in 1956.
| Elvis at Sun | ||||
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | June 22, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | July 1954-November 1955 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll, rockabilly | |||
| Length | 47:40 | |||
| Label | RCA 61205-2 | |||
| Producer | Sam Phillips | |||
| Elvis Presley chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Contents
Tapes for at least two songs have been lost, Sun versions of "I Got A Woman" and "Satisfied;" the former would be recorded for Presley during his first RCA session. All of the studio commercial recordings were produced by Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Phillips released Presley's recording contract to RCA for the substantial sum, in 1955 dollars, of $35,000. This gave RCA the rights to all of Presley's masters recorded at Sun.
The disc contains a slightly different track list and running order than previous issues of the Sun material, such as the Sunrise double-disc, with the shorter version of "When It Rains It Really Pours" from the fifties box, and an alternate of "I Love You Because." It still presents all eighteen Sun titles from the singer's stay at the label.
"Elvis At Sun" also was released in the vinyl LP configuration.
Importance
The set includes "That's All Right (Mama)", one of candidates for being "the first rock and roll record". Elvis' entire period at Sun is one of the seminal events in the birth of rock and roll, specifically also the beginning of the subgenre known as rockabilly. In 2001, VH1 named its parent album the 21st greatest album of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 11 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Two tracks from the Presley's Sun sessions were included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll: "Mystery Train," and "That's All Right."
In 2002, given their importance in the development of American popular music, The Sun Sessions were chosen, by the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, to be kept as a bequeathal to posterity.
For more detailed information on the recording sessions, see Elvis Presley's Sun recordings.
Personnel
- Elvis Presley – vocal, guitar
- Scotty Moore – guitar
- Bill Black – bass
- Jimmie Lott – drums on track 8
- Johnny Bernero – drums on tracks 9, 18, 19
Track listing
Chart positions for LPs and EPs from Billboard Top Pop Albums chart; positions for singles from Billboard Pop Singles chart except as indicated.
| Track | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time | Recorded | Release Date | Original LP Issue | Catalogue | Chart Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Harbor Lights | Jimmy Kennedy and Hugh Williams | 2:37 | 1954-07-05 | 1976-01-08 | Elvis: A Legendary Performer Vol. 2 | CPL1 1349 | #46 |
| 2. | I Love You Because alternate | Leon Payne | 3:29 | 1954-07-05 | 1987 | The Complete Sun Sessions | RCA 6414-2 | |
| 3. | That's All Right | Arthur Crudup | 1:57 | 1954-07-05 | 1954-07-19 | For LP Fans Only | Sun 209 | |
| 4. | Blue Moon of Kentucky | Bill Monroe | 2:04 | 1954-07-05 | 1954-07-19 | A Date With Elvis | Sun 209b | |
| 5. | Blue Moon | Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart | 2:44 | 1954-08-19 | 1956-03-23 | Elvis Presley | LPM 1254 | #1 |
| 6. | Tomorrow Night | Sam Coslow and Will Grocz | 3:00 | 1954-09-10 | 1965-08-10 | Elvis for Everyone | LSP 3450 | #10 |
| 7. | I'll Never Let You Go (Lil' Darlin') | Jimmy Wakely | 2:25 | 1954-09-10 | 1956-03-23 | Elvis Presley | LPM 1254 | #1 |
| 8. | Just Because | Sydney Robin, Bob Shelton, Joe Shelton | 2:33 | 1954-09-10 | 1956-03-23 | Elvis Presley | LPM 1254 | #1 |
| 9. | Good Rockin' Tonight | Roy Brown | 2:13 | 1954-09-10 | 1954-09-25 | A Date With Elvis | Sun 210 | |
| 10. | I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine | Mack David | 2:20 | 1954-09-10 | 1954-09-25 | The Sun Sessions | Sun 210b | |
| 11. | Milkcow Blues Boogie | Kokomo Arnold | 2:37 | 1954-11/12? | 1954-12-28 | A Date With Elvis | Sun 215 | |
| 12. | You're a Heartbreaker | Jack Sallee | 2:12 | 1954-11/12? | 1954-12-28 | For LP Fans Only | Sun 215b | #74 |
| 13. | I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (slow version) | Stan Kesler and William Taylor | 2:41 | 1955-03-05 | 1987 | The Complete Sun Sessions | RCA 6414-2 | |
| 14. | I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone | Stan Kesler and William Taylor | 2:37 | 1955-03-05 | 1955-04-10 | For LP Fans Only | Sun 217b | |
| 15. | Baby Let's Play House | Arthur Gunter | 2:17 | 1955-02-05 | 1955-04-10 | A Date With Elvis | Sun 217 | C&W #5 |
| 16. | I Forgot to Remember to Forget | Stan Kesler and Charlie Feathers | 2:30 | 1955-07-11 | 1955-08-06 | A Date With Elvis | Sun 223 | C&W #1 |
| 17. | Mystery Train | Junior Parker and Sam Phillips | 2:29 | 1955-07-11 | 1955-08-06 | For LP Fans Only | Sun 223b | |
| 18. | Trying to Get to You | Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton | 2:33 | 1955-07-11 | 1956-03-23 | Elvis Presley | LPM 1254 | #1 |
| 19. | When It Rains It Really Pours | William Emerson | 2:00 | 1955-11-20 | 1992-06-23 | The Complete 50s Masters | RCA 66050-2 | #159 |
Chart performance
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 37 |
| Netherlands Top 100 Albums[2] | 88 |
