Search - Carl Perkins :: Honky Tonk Gal: Rare & Unissued Sun Masters

Though not essential listening for more casual fans, this collection makes a worthy companion to the Original Sun Greatest Hits. In addition to alternate versions of all-time classics and lesser-known gems, we get to hear a handful of tunes that never made it out of the studio for one reason or another. Of special note are alternate versions of "Turn Around" and "Let the Jukebox Keep Playing," plus the obscure "What You Doin' When You Cryin'": all three are honky-tonk songs that were left off the aforementioned Rhino collection and all feature Perkins's emotion-drenched, Hank-inspired singing atop fiddle and steel arrangements. They prove definitively why Sam Phillips thought Perkins could have been a major star in country music. --Marc Greilsamer