Elvis Presley: The Sun Sessions

 

Genre: Rockabilly

Dates: 1954

This, cats and kittens, is the skinny Elvis, the hungry Elvis, the visionary Elvis—the Elvis whose ghost still haunts us. Nope, he didn't invent rock and roll, but he had a heart and mind so liberated he didn't see why a poor white kid couldn't sing everything he loved, as he does here: black blues, R&B, and vocal group ballads, white country, swing, bluegrass, and pop, black and white gospel. As such, he was an excellent American, and when, after crowding the audiences of those musics together (a public school of the turntable), he also vaulted from eating lard sandwiches for lunch to handing out Cadillacs to his help, he became the American Dream. You know the rest, as they say, but if you think that means his achievement doesn't count, you're in denial. None of the monster hits are here, but the monster hits don't get within shouting distance of the steaming "Mystery Train," the clarion "Good Rockin' Tonight," the scorching "Tryin' to Get to You," the salacious "Baby, Let's Play House," the ethereal "Blue Moon." As a special bonus for you scholars, the alternate takes capture the studio epiphany that changed the world.

Playlist:

1. That's All Right
2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
3. Good Rockin' Tonight
4. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
5. Milkcow Blues Boogie
6. You're A Heartbreaker
7. Baby, Let's Play House
8. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
9. Mystery Train
10. I Forgot To Remember To Forget
11. I Love You Because
12. Blue Moon
13. Tomorrow Night
14. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')
15. Just Because
16. Trying To Get To You
17. Harbor Lights
18. I Love You Because (take 2)
19. That's All Right
20. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
21. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
22. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (take 9)
23. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')
24. When It Rains, It Really Pours
25. I Love You Because (take 3)
26. I Love You Because (take 5)
27. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (take 7)
28. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (My Baby's Gone) (take 12)

Additional Resources:

Why Elvis Still Matters