Disc One (1953-1956)

In 1992, RCA released a five CD box set covering all of Elvis Presley's surviving masters from the 1950s. Because of the large number of recordings, I am writing a separate review for each CD.

The first CD covers his recordings from his first demo for Sun records in 1953, through his sessions with Sun in 1954 and 1955, and his early sessions with RCA in 1956. During this period, Elvis rose from obscurity to becoming the biggest selling artist in the country.

'My Happiness' is the A-side of his first Sun demo. Long thought to be lost, it surfaced a decade after Elvis' death, in the hands of a high school classmate. Elvis accompanies himself on guitar. It's just jangling, but it's his vocal that matters. He always put everything into his songs. His voice is higher than it would be later. Elvis had a great voice, whether he sang ballads, blues, gospel or rock and roll.

'That's All Right' is the A-side of his first Sun single. Sun producer Sam Phillips had turned him from a plaintive ballad singer into a country rocker. Elvis' sound is greatly helped by the bass and Scotty Moore's needle-and-pins guitar. But as always, it's Elvis' voice that is amazing.

'I Love You Because' may be the only song where he whistles. This take doesn't have the spoken passage found elsewhere. It may not be rock and roll, but it is a perfect ballad.

'Harbor Lights' was long lost, but showed up in Sun vaults during the mid-1970s. Scotty has a nice intro. Elvis' voice was really high when he was a teenager. But it was of such quality. Elvis puts nearly all singers to shame.

'Blue Moon of Kentucky' is a complete rearrangement of the bluegrass classic. This sonic marvel put Elvis on the Grand Ole Opry, quite an achievement for an artist in his first year of recording. It was at the Opry where he was reportedly told to go back to driving a truck.

'Blue Moon' is a slow version of the pop standard. Elvis has a really weird vocal trill between the verses, almost a yodel.

'Tomorrow Night' is a ballad, as are a surprising number of the Sun sessions. Lots of echo on these early recordings. How strange they must have sounded to contemporary ears, nothing fitting any genre of any era. It was a great simplification to call Elvis a rock and roller.

'I'll Never Let You Go', like many Sun songs, starts out in one tempo but ends in another. It begins very slow, with Elvis stretching words out without any affectation. The last verse is much faster.

'I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine' was Elvis' first national hit, breaking the top ten of the Country charts. By this time, he was a regional touring sensation with the 'Louisiana Hayride'. The lyrics are very risque for the 1950s.

'Just Because' is a goofy half-rocker, a complete rearrangement of the old standard. Scotty has a nifty guitar fill.

'Good Rockin' Tonight' is one of Elvis' all time greatest songs. The song has R&B origins and racy lyrics, but the arrangement is rockabilly. Scotty has one of his patented pins-and-needles guitar solos.

'Milkcow Blues Boogie' is a silly treatment of the rockabilly classic. It's perfect. 'You're a Heartbreaker' is mid-tempo, neither fast or slow. The song has country roots, but can't really be pinned down to a genre.

'Baby Let's Play House' is classic rockabilly. Elvis is charged up, and one can almost see him swiveling his hips onstage, with the teenage girls screaming.

'I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone' is country. Elvis' success on the country charts was causing Phillips to steer Elvis in that direction. Moore has a great guitar fill.

Many consider 'Mystery Train' to be Elvis' greatest song. But so many songs of his perfect, and this is 'just' one of them. Elvis has such commitment to his singing, which is so natural.

'I Forgot to Remember to Forget' was a blatant attempt at a country hit. It was his first #1 single, on the country charts. By now, Colonel Parker had become his manager, and was negotiating a blockbuster deal to sell his Sun recording contract to RCA.

'Trying to Get to You' would be a concert staple during the 1970s. The singing is very melodramatic during the bridge.

'When it Rains, it Really Pours' was from Elvis' final, aborted session with Sun. The guitar and drums sound like they were recorded in the other room. The song was never polished up, because of his pending deal with RCA. It's still great, and has a weird sound. The percussion is like a man walking heavy up a flight of stairs.

Elvis' first RCA session resulted in 'I Got a Woman', a Ray Charles song and future 1970s concert standard. Despite the R&B origins, it's pure rockabilly.

'Heartbreak Hotel' was an enormous hit, on the pop, country and R&B charts. The song made Elvis famous. The rhythm has a jazzy feel, for the first time. Moore's jangling guitar solo is strident. I bet a lot of people hated this song when they first it.

'Money Honey' gives the Drifters' R&B hit a rockabilly feel. The song's careless lyrics fit Elvis' uninhibited style.

'I'm Counting on You' is a plaintive country ballad, which Elvis again gives complete commitment. 'I Was the One' had great lyrics, with lots of melodramatic vocal hiccups and swoops from Elvis.

'Blue Suede Shoes' is finally true rock and roll. Elvis improves upon fellow Sun artist Carl Perkins' one big pop hit. The song, of course, would be the subject of Elvis parodies in later years.

'My Baby Left Me' is perfect, amazing rockabilly. Moore's guitar fill is great.

'One-Sided Love Affair', 'So Glad You're Mine', and 'I'm Gonna Sit Right Down' are lesser compositions, but Elvis' energy, inventive arrangements and silly vocal interpretations makes them much better than they deserve.

'Tutti Frutti' tackles the Little Richard standard. Little Richard gave it more intensity, but Elvis' version rocks as well.

The first CD has some of the best songs to be found anywhere, as well as the foundations of a rock and roll legend.

The breakdown by song:
94 My Happiness
100 That's All Right
100 I Love You Because
99 Harbor Lights
100 Blue Moon of Kentucky
100 Blue Moon
99 Tomorrow Night
99 I'll Never Let You Go
100 I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine
99 Just Because
100 Good Rockin' Tonight
100 Milkcow Blues Boogie
100 You're a Heartbreaker
100 Baby Let's Play House
100 I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
100 Mystery Train
99 I Forgot to Remember to Forget
99 Trying to Get to You
98 When It Rains, It Really Pours
97 I Got a Woman
100 Heartbreak Hotel
99 Money Honey
98 I'm Counting on You
99 I Was the One
98 Blue Suede Shoes
100 My Baby Left Me
96 One-Sided Love Affair
95 So Glad You're Mine
95 I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry
95 Tutti Frutti

Overall: 97/100, or A+