Search - Elvis Presley :: Elvis at Sun

The definitive Elvis album

RockinRobin411 | 01/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those of you who want to get Elvis 56 or his self-titled album, I have to say, what's wrong with you? I usually am positive about just about anything, but I have to say that after Elvis left Sun Records, he kept getting worse and worse. However, this album was done before he was signed to RCA.



Sun Records' later stuff was more country-based, and the earlier stuff was far more blues-based. This was what lead to the later stuff, but it's primarily in the middle. I can't give Elvis all of the recognition. This album is definitely much more of a group project.



Sam Phillips was the one who signed Elvis, and produced the tunes. Sam Phillips wanted someone who would do a blend of country and blues, and this is what the album was. An interesting fact, however, is that Sam Phillips believed that Howlin' Wolf had the most beautiful voice he'd ever heard, and it also took about a year before Sam Phillips felt convinced to sign Elvis. This is all according to only one source that I checked.



I have to say that Elvis had more of a Bing Crosby-type voice than anything else, but his voice worked with the blend of country and blues. Sam Phillips is definitely not your typical producer taking the edge out of peoples music. Sam Phillips is one of the only producers who really brings out what the artists had, but that was also due to the fact that he signed blues and country artists.



I would say that Scotty Moore deserves just as much recognition as Elvis. It was actually the chemistry between Scotty Moore's guitar playing and Elvis Presley's singing that made all of this music what it was and still is.



Again, I have to recommend this album, and say that anything after the Sun Records years is good pop, if you want something cheesy, but Sam Phillips is one of the best producers ever. I would put Sam Phillips up there with George Martin, Rick Rubin, Phil Specter, Jimmy Page, and Bob Rock.



In comparison to Elvis 56, the album that I wrote my worst review ever on, I should comment that Elvis at Sun is both much better, in my opinion, and also much more affordable than Elvis 56. The only reason that I got Elvis 56 was because my mom was looking for an Elvis Sun Records album and couldn't find it, so she got Elvis 56 instead."

Essential Elvis

2 cents | B.F.N. United Snakes | 07/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Go back to the beginning if you want to understand the greatness of Elvis as a singer and performer. This is it here. These are the first songs a teenage truck driver named Elvis recorded in Memphis with Sun Records owner Sam Phillips. Whatever the exact date and place of the birth rock 'n' roll music (somewhat debated by historians), these recordings mark the beginning of Elvis's career and of rock 'n' roll as the popular culture phenomenon that changed the world forever. And to younger readers- go back to this Elvis. Get past the popular obsession with 1970s Vegas Elvis -no offense to fans- but aside from the '68 comeback special the 1950s Elvis is where it's at... The Elvis in these recordings made little white kids throughout the world feel like they was bustin' outta jail. Many went on to their own storied careers in music and they never would have if it weren't for Elvis. This music freed their imaginations to new possibilities.

"

Great, not perfect.

William Lynd | Poestenkill, NY United States | 11/01/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been huge fan of Elvis' Sun music ever since I first purchased an LP of it back in the 70's. RCA has frustratingly released it every 5 or ten years and it still needs the definitive release in my opinion. For a while "The Sun Sessions" CD was good, but that lacked a few tracks that the LP version had. "Sunrise" was great when it came out and I was pretty happy with that, but glad to know the sound was improved with this release. My small complaint with this release is they left off the full version of "When It Rains.." The Sunrise CD set included the intro false take and it's awesome to hear the conversation and the restart of the song - I think it would have been nice to have that on this CD. A smaller complaint is the order. I understand the chonological aproach, but every great Sun collection starts with "That's All Right". "Harbor Lights" is nice, but too slow song for starting off such an important CD. Last minor complaint - "Sunrise" separated the two versions of "I'm Left...". It's just slightly annoying hearing the same song twice in a row."