Customer Reviews

Elvis at Sun

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3 star:		(1)
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Hi folks, I just wanted to let you know that the track "I Love You Because" in this CD is the original version as recorded at Sun Studios. The famous master take which has been the subject of controversy here at amazon is the version released by RCA after Elvis left the Sun label. RCA edited the song by making a split of takes 2 and 4, leaving out the spoken part. Hence, if you want the RCA version, buy the remastered Elvis Presley (1956) album. Don't be fooled by people who haven't really purchased this CD and haven't taken their time to read the great booklet that brings all this information. This IS indeed the ultimate Elvis Sun Sessions masters album. Top quality!!!

To commemorate 50 years since the young Elvis Presley stepped into Sun Records to make his initial recordings (and indeed, the birth of Rock and Roll), RCA has released yet another compilation of The King's historic Sun sessions.
There has already been countless questionable reviews on "Elvis at Sun" which state this collection isn't comprehensive enough or is missing key tracks. While this collection doesn't offer every note recorded during Elvis's priceless Sun sessions, it does offer an excellent sampling of this piece of musical history.
The sound quality and remastering done to the original session tapes is outstanding and gives the music an overall restored clarity. Just listen for those percussive slaps on Bill Black's bass and you'll see what I mean.
Overall, this is a great CD which display Elvis's budding talents in their best quality yet. Sure, there may be a few tracks missing but the outer label says 'most comprehensive' not 'most complete'.
Fantastic Historic Elvis and A Must For Any Fan of The King!!

We could mope about RCA's money machine al we want to. We could complain that this is the Nth re-release of Elvis' Sun recordings. Bitch about how this is probably not the end of it. Yes, this is reissue one-million and one. And yes, there are probably going to be others. Let's just focus on the music.

The Sun recordings were truly Elvis' greatest recordings ever. They earned him his legendary status while he was alive. His later RCA works pales in comparison. It was at RCA where Elvis would soon be grinded in the commercial machine until he would (almost) be no better than Pat Boone. Sure he recorded some great sides at RCA, but it takes a lot digging in the enormous amount of movie fluff and comeback albums to discover them. Elvis often sounded bored and tiresome after he arrived at RCA.

Here we get Elvis at his most impressive. At times the music is oozing with pure sexual energy. At others it is moving and melancholic. Always it's committed, raw and full of energy. The fact that he managed to accomplish this with very little instrumentation is stellar. Some fifteen years down the road rock 'n roll would need towers of amplifiers to create the same exiting buzz.

Aside from the obviously legendary tracks, the sound on this disc is unbelievable. Every single one of them sounds like they have been recorded yesterday. Although the crisp sound does strip it of some of its romance and nostalgia, you could suddenly imagine That's All Right Mama shooting up the charts once more. Making this truly the "definite" definite Sun recording. No matter what RCA will decide to fire at us in the future. Stick with this one!

The remastered sound on this album is truly a godsend, giving rock n roll conisieurs a much more vivid, amplified Elvis, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black and bringing the music to justice before a jury of Elvis fans desperate for a thorough remastering. This album is as close as one can come to experiencing the King like he was sitting on the end of his bed and playing in your living room with the bop power of Bill Black and Scotty Moore's fretboard scaling storming right behind like a couple horses keeping pace. The alternate take of I Love You Because is actually a plus, as the original can be found remastered on the 1956 Elvis Presley album release, his first with RCA. Get this album over the over-stocked Sunrise and feel the power of this amazing group of musicians, and you will understand why these recording are so seminal and immediate to the core of rock n roll and global music of the last 100 years.

This is by far the best release of Sun material around, surpassing all previous efforts by the mere quality of the sound restoration. Other releases might have been more complete, but listening to "Elvis at Sun" proves more revelatory than all, even fifty years after date.
Groundbreaking, visionary, indispensable.

I own this CD. I have listened to this CD. By just looking at a tracklisting, you cannot realize what has been done sound-wise to this material. The results of the careful and painstaking restoration are amazing. Never been a fan of "Harbor Lights"? You will love it now. I will let others go into detailed song-by-song reviews, but I just couldn't stand seeing the reviews written by those who do not own this particular CD.
If you are a fan of music, buy this disc.

Sam Phillips leaves the earth, and we get another generation closer to the master tapes, courtesy of his son Knox. "Sunrise" was disappointing - same sound quality as the 50's box - so this more than makes up for it. And yes, it IS unforgivable for BMG/RCA to not include the master take of "I Love You Because". Still, this is a must have.

"Elvis at Sun" addresses more than a collector's fascination. The first two tracks make those of us most familiar with Elvis' later work do a double-take to listen closely to see if it's really Elvis. Then when "That's All Right" picks up the pace, Elvis' sound starts to shine through. There are three things I really like about this package in addition to the music. First, when you listen to the whole disc, you hear Elvis grow in confidence as a singer. Second, the liner notes are very helpful telling the songs' origins. Lastly, RCA has done a great technical job making this disc sound fresh with excellent sound quality 50 years later.

In addition to "That's All Right," "Good Rockin' Tonight" and "Mystery Train" are two of the strongest classic rock & roll tracks. My very favorite is the Presley whoop & holler on Elvis' 4th single, "Baby, Let's Play House," "This is one thing baby I want you to know; come back baby & let's play house & we can act like we did before." "Elvis At Sun" is a great set. Its sound quality and of course Elvis the legend warrant repeated listening. Enjoy!

This collection is a rock and roll timepiece! It contains songs recorded by Elvis for Sun Records in 1954 and 1955. The early recordings before he hit the big time. Each is a classic! Included are his first hits like "Blue Moon of Kentucky", and songs that made the Country Singles chart in 1955, "Baby Let's Play House", "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone", and "Mystery Train". Also included is an alternate take of "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone". This is CD is a must not just for Elvis fans but any student of Rock and Roll. These songs are the bricks that make-up the foundation of R&R!

The recent "Sunrise" CD has the same contents plus many rare live cuts from that golden era, so this issue has value in it's crystalline sound - I've never heard the blues ballad "Tomorrow Night" (for the first time I haven't missed the overdubbed version; if Elvis had stayed at Sun, this could have been a hit in the "I Walk The Line" vein) or the almost-there blues "When It Rains, It Really Pours" as stunningly *real* before. The technology does bring out some sounds which could have originally stayed shelf a bit longer - i.e. "Just Because" (I assume Presley wasn't *too* thrilled with its' appearance on his first album); "I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine" (a pleasant tune with instrumental fluffs and a too-delicate vocal from Big El); - but the overall package is remarkable. And check the liners by Knox Phillips!
[I guess the search party for good ol' "Uncle Penn" has nearly given up!...JK].