Sun Collection - ELVIS PRESLEY****

That's Alright/Blue Moon Of Kentucky/I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine/Good Rockin' Tonight/Milk Cow Blues Boogie/You're A Heartbreaker/I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone/Baby Let's Play House/Mystery Train/I Forgot To Remember To Forget/I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darling)/I Love You Because (1st Version)/Tryin' To Get To Know You/Blue Moon/Just Because/I Love You Because (2nd Version)

Before he became an international star Elvis Presley was a recording artist for the Memphis based Sun Records, beginning in 1954. He came to the attention of RCA Records who bought up his contract in 1955 for the then considerable sum of $40,000. It turned out to be the bargain of the century. (US:76 UK:16)

“This is Elvis when he was young, raw, and ready to take on the world with nothing but his incredible voice. Listening to this, one gets a sense of the excitement that these songs must have generated when heard for the first time back in the mid-50s. This is brilliant stuff, and makes for an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding listen.”

“This album shows Elvis in his purest, most unadulterated form. If you want to hear him when he first made an impact, then this would be near the top of the list.”

“As Elvis' first ever recordings the historical value is obvious. That it has some very listenable tracks is another reason to buy. Elvis' early country influence is obvious here in songs such as Blue Moon Of Kentucky. My favourite track is Mystery Train a song that has grown in stature over the years.”

“This is where rock was born. Maybe blues and gospel artists had paved the way, but this is where everything truly came together. One must wonder if he had any idea of the cultural icon and beloved pop figure he would soon become.”

“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.”

“The tracks 19 year old Presley recorded at Sun Studios were mostly blues and country songs he had listened to while growing up in Tupelo and Memphis. But when you compare his versions with the originals, they are different. Elvis revamped and energised the tracks, they sound completely new and turbo-charged.”

“Hearing Elvis in the studio transforming the songs into what he wanted, and changing music into what it will become, is fascinating.”