Customer Reviews

Million Dollar Quartet

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This is a remarkable recording, offering not only a glimpse of the real Elvis Presley but standing as a musical artifact of the birth of rock and roll. I should point out that the Million Dollar Quartet is a bit of a misnomer; although Johnny Cash was present at one point, the couple of songs he supposedly sung on have never been found. What we have is an incredible jam session featuring Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins (plus an assortment of lesser known musicians). The date was December 4, 1956; the place was the legendary Sun Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis Presley was already a superstar, Carl Perkins was struggling to reproduce the success he had found with Blue Suede Shoes a year earlier, and Jerry Lee Lewis was basically unknown, having just cut his first tracks a couple of weeks earlier. They start singing some gospel songs, but the session picks up steam from there and continues through a great variety of musical songs and styles, all of which offer first-hand insight into the advent of rockabilly music and its metamorphosis into good ol' rock and roll.

Elvis dominates this session, but Jerry Lee Lewis is also prominent throughout, which is pretty amazing considering the fact that he was still on the verge of success. Carl Perkins remains in the background, taking the lead only on the short song Keeper of the Key. Elvis' tremendous gospel singing comes through loud and clear on such staples as Just a Little Walk With Jesus, Peace in the Valley, and Down By the Riverside, and Jerry Lee's strong backup on these songs surprised me with its uniqueness and power. Soon the guys shift to bluegrass, giving us snippets of several Bill Monroe classics. Then the real fun begins. Elvis explains how the song Don't Forbid Me sat in his house for months without his knowing about it; although it was written for him, Pat Boone ended up recording it. When he sings a part of it for the guys, all of us fans can only think what could have been because it is a great song. Then the guys do some Chuck Berry songs, repeatedly coming back to the truly entertaining Brown Eyed Handsome Man. Jerry Lee just loves the line about Venus losing both of her arms while wrestling to win herself a brown eyed handsome man. The greatest part of this session, to my mind, is Elvis' imitation of an imitation of his Don't Be Cruel. He talk about seeing a member of Ward's Dominoes perform the song in Las Vegas; he was so impressed that he went back four straight nights just to hear it. That singer was Jackie Wilson, and Elvis' imitation of Jackie's imitation of his own song is really something special. Toward the end of the session, the magic seems to evaporate somewhat, with Jerry Lee Lewis taking the lead on several songs. His End of the Road is classic Jerry Lee singing and piano-playing. Unfortunately, when Jerry Lee sings Crazy Arms, he is too far away from the microphone to be heard clearly, but that is not to be unexpected in a jam session such as this. Throughout the session, there is almost constant chatter among the musicians and those gathered around listening to them.

This CD is basically a time capsule left to future generations containing primary source material on the birth of rock and roll. Elvis fans will absolutely love it, but anyone interested in the music of that era should find much insight and enjoyment of their own in listening to it. Few of these songs are complete; most of the time, the guys constantly move back and forth from one song to another, sometimes having trouble remembering all the words (which is not a bad thing); all told, this CD features almost one hour and seven minutes of musical magic. The sound quality is not all that bad, especially considering when the session took place; it's pretty amazing that this would ever have been recorded in the first place. Sometimes the music gods smile down on all of us and grant us a miraculous gift, and this may well be one of the greatest gifts of them all. Early on, you can hear Jerry Lee Lewis say, "Boy, this is fun!"--my sentiments exactly.

As everyone knows, it's not really a quartet because Johnny Cash wasn't caught on tape. But Elvis, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis were -- and this was the first time Elvis met Jerry Lee, who was at the time just the pianist on Carl's session. At this point in time, Elvis was already recording for RCA -- so it was quite a treat to have him drop by the Sun Studios.

One of the highlights of the tape is Elvis telling the others about seeing one of Wards Dominoes (in fact it was Jackie Wilson) imitating him in Las Vegas. Elvis then imitates Jackie Wilson imitating him! Elvis also sings a version of Paralized (a song he had already recorded) in the style of Wilson -- and it is much better than the real recording!

How great to hear young Elvis with his contemporaries, just singing for the sake of jamming.

You can't ask for more.

It doesn't matter what you may think of Elvis, this album is the holy grail of modern music. Elvis sings everything from r&b to spiritual. Jerry Lee is great on the piano and holds his own against Carl, and Johnny. But, it's Elvis who steals the show. Carl is the only other star at this impromptu session (Jerry Lee, and Johnny Cash are relative unknowns, outside of the south at this point of recording.) Elvis who had just returned to Memphis stops in to Sun Records to say hello to Sam (Phillips) and Carl, during their recording session. Jerry Lee (who had only been signed with Sun for only 2 weeks at this point) is oviously awed by Elvis and his fame, he hangs on Elvis's every word. Johnny Cash is called in after the jam session had already started, by Sam Phillips. Cash comes in towards the end of the session. Over all this is THE MUST HAVE album if there ever was one. If you are a fan of rock music, YOU MUST HAVE THIS ALBUM. AM I MAKING MY SELF CLEAR? Until someone digs up the 65' Elvis & The Beatles jam session this CD will remain the holy grail of rock & roll. AMEN!!!!

This is one of the luckiest finds I've ever made. It provides a glimpse into the soul of some of the most significant artists (true artists, at that!)as well as into the core of an entire genre of American music. It's like having a peek at the cradle. It's extremely fun as well as fascinating, and the sound quality is much better than I had imagined.

Imagine that you'd never heard of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, or Johnny Cash. If you heard them for the very first time, just think of what you'd hear ... especially if you heard them before they were touched by other influences -- good and bad.

If you're at all interested in the roots of what and who entertains us,and if you'd like to have laughs WITH some of the most important people who have brought us to where we are, buy this cd.

Maybe it should have been titled "The Million Dollar Trio", considering that Johnny Cash is inaudible throughout the released session, but his presence had to elevate the proceedings which already included most of the solo prime movers of the day. Elvis Presley, happy to be "home" and full of energy; Carl Perkins & band, well-established with one of the first R & R Classics under his belt, "Blue Suede Shoes"; and ofcourse, the Ferriday Fireball, Jerry Lee, determined to show Elvis, Sam, and the rest that he was no... "session player". As far the music, well, there are stretches where a line or note emerges only to be tossed aside in favor of the next idea. There are really only about ten complete performances on the two CDs and the packaging can be misleading to the uninitiated. But amongst those ten or so are a series of Presley renditions which must be heard - his own version of the tune, "Don't Forbid Me", which wound up with Pat Boone [who is referred to here with the utmost respect, not as the guy who was not on the team, so-to-speak]; "Is It So Strange?' and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", and two cuts of "Paralyzed" done in the style of relatively unknown Dominoes star Jackie Wilson [as another reviewer pointed out, Elvis doin' Jackie doin' Elvis]. Here we have the beginning of the kind of mutual admiration society of El-Jackie. (Fans remember Elvis' "tribute" to Jackie in '62 on the sound stage of "Girls! Girls! Girls!", doing "Return To Sender"). Also, we have "Peace in the Valley" with Elvis as leader, a prelude to the Ed Sullivan performance about a month later. Yes, Elvis walked in the studio with that confidence which took him from flatbed trucks to Hollywood. I don't mean to discount the contribution of Carl or Jerry Lee here, but I'm sure their fans realize that this event centered around Elvis.

On December 4, 1956, Elvis Presley dropped by a Carl Perkins recording session at Sun Records. Jerry Lee Lewis was present, playing piano at the session. A call was made to Johnny Cash to stop by, thus creating a photo opportunity of four Sun Records future legends posed together. A reporter later dubbed the group "The Million Dollar Quartet". With all these musicians present, it was natural that a jam session would break out. Eventually, someone thought to turn on the tape machine, but Johnny Cash had apparently gone home by then. (At least he isn't audible on the tapes.) Anyway, Elvis, Carl and Jerry Lee (and a few other people) jammed for a good long while. They started off singing gospel songs, then broke into country standards, recent hit songs and whatever else they thought of. Elvis tends to dominate the proceedings, although Jerry Lee puts his two cents in when he can. The recording isn't perfect, with people sometimes being too far away from the mic, but it's well recorded all things considered. It's actually a very enjoyable recording, hearing these legends sing together, tell stories, and relate to each other. Fans of Elvis should get this CD.

I'm not normally ecstatic about much but this gem has to be heard by all true Elvis fans or for that matter by anyone who has an interest in the roots of rock n roll. Highlights include the Jackie Wilson impersonation-Elvis impersonating Jackie Wilson impersonating him and Elvis and Carl Perkins marvellous rendition of Chuck Berry's Brown Eyed Handsome Man. It's obvious that they both were true admirers of Chuck Berry if you listen carefully to the way they perform this ditty. I could go on but I will leave you to discover the rest yourself. Buy, borrow, beg or get hold of this album somehow!

If you call yourself an Elvis fan and don't have this CD inyour collection, you should be kicked in the head. What on earthcould be better than Elvis and Jerry Lee, the King and the Killer, taking turns singing lead and back-up for one another? If you don't have this, GET IT. If you've got it, PLAY IT MORE to hear just how truely great these guys really were. The sound quality is top notch, recorded in the hallowed Sun studio, and don't let the abbreviated duration of the songs scare you off; each one is a rare treat and a gem no matter if it's only a few seconds or a full take.

A must for every Elvis Presley fan and everyone who has an interest in the roots of American Rock n roll.

I bought this to hear Elvis sing Faron Young's song, "Is It so Strange." What a piece of history to hear Elvis talk about the song. Listening to this CD I wished I could hear the whole session. I wished I could be in the room and watch these young singers relax and enjoy themselves. It made me regret that hymns are no longer a common part of growing up, and it showed how gospel formed the roots of these men's careers.