Elvis At Sun

Personnel include: Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar, piano); Scotty Moore (guitar); Bill Black (double bass).

Liner Note Authors: Knox Phillips; Ernst Mikael Jorgensen. Recording information: Sun Studios, Memphis, Tennessee (1954 – 1955). Cited by many historians as the definitive documents of rock & roll’s earliest era, Elvis Presley’s Sun recordings are cultural milestones arguably as influential as any American music ever created. ELVIS AT SUN supplants THE SUN SESSIONS as the most comprehensive and well-researched single-disc collection of these historic tracks (the two-disc SUNRISE being the ultimate Sun motherlode). Pairing every extant original master tape with modern mastering techniques, the disc provides excellent-sounding versions of these cherished tracks. Ernst Mikael Jorgensen’s excellent liner notes detail a wealth of fascinating information, even going so far as to discuss contemporaneous lost recordings. Of course, the primary focus here is the music itself, which captures the raw energy and chemistry of Presley, bassist Bill Black, and guitarist Scotty Moore (along with visionary producer Sam Phillips) at its most exciting. From the revolutionary country/blues hybrid of “That’s All Right” (Elvis’s first rock recording) to the Dean Martin-meets-Hank Williams shuffle of “Trying to Get to You,” ELVIS AT SUN not only reveals the incredible rate at which Presley’s art developed, but gives the listener a close-up experience with one of music’s most pivotal periods. What the critics say… Q (p.130) – 4 stars out of 5 – “\[These tracks\] see Elvis and his accomplices finding their feet so quickly that they’re soon poised admirably close to the cutting-edge.“ Mojo (Publisher) (p.112) – 5 stars out of 5 – “\[A\] mutant blend of R&B, bluegrass, Dean Martin-style crooning, country and blues sung by a hugely talented teenager which defined rockabilly and laid the ground for every subsequent rock musician on the planet – it’s absolutely unbeatable.”