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.

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, 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 ", 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

Chart positions for LPs and EPs from Billboard Top Pop Albums chart; positions for singles from Billboard Pop Singles chart except as indicated.
TrackSong TitleWriterTimeRecordedRelease DateOriginal LP IssueCatalogueChart Peak
1.Harbor LightsJimmy Kennedy and Hugh Williams2:371954-07-051976-01-08'CPL1 1349#46
2.I Love You Because alternateLeon Payne3:291954-07-051987The Complete Sun SessionsRCA 6414-2
3.That's All RightArthur Crudup1:571954-07-051954-07-19For LP Fans OnlySun 209
4.Blue Moon of KentuckyBill Monroe2:041954-07-051954-07-19A Date With ElvisSun 209b
5.Blue MoonRichard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart2:441954-08-191956-03-23Elvis PresleyLPM 1254#1
6.Tomorrow NightSam Coslow and Will Grocz3:001954-09-101965-08-10Elvis for EveryoneLSP 3450#10
7.I'll Never Let You Go Jimmy Wakely2:251954-09-101956-03-23Elvis PresleyLPM 1254#1
8.Just BecauseSydney Robin, Bob Shelton, Joe Shelton2:331954-09-101956-03-23Elvis PresleyLPM 1254#1
9.Good Rockin' TonightRoy Brown2:131954-09-101954-09-25A Date With ElvisSun 210
10.I Don't Care If the Sun Don't ShineMack David2:201954-09-101954-09-25The Sun SessionsSun 210b
11.Milkcow Blues BoogieKokomo Arnold2:371954-11/12?1954-12-28A Date With ElvisSun 215
12.You're a HeartbreakerJack Sallee2:121954-11/12?1954-12-28For LP Fans OnlySun 215b#74
13.I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone Stan Kesler and William Taylor2:411955-03-051987The Complete Sun SessionsRCA 6414-2
14.I'm Left, You're Right, She's GoneStan Kesler and William Taylor2:371955-03-051955-04-10For LP Fans OnlySun 217b
15.Baby Let's Play HouseArthur Gunter2:171955-02-051955-04-10A Date With ElvisSun 217C&W #5
16.I Forgot to Remember to ForgetStan Kesler and Charlie Feathers2:301955-07-111955-08-06A Date With ElvisSun 223C&W #1
17.Mystery TrainJunior Parker and Sam Phillips2:291955-07-111955-08-06For LP Fans OnlySun 223b
18.Trying to Get to YouRose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton2:331955-07-111956-03-23Elvis PresleyLPM 1254#1
19.When It Rains It Really PoursWilliam Emerson2:001955-11-201992-06-23'RCA 66050-2#159

Chart performance