Search - Complete Sun Singles :: Vol. 1-from the Vaults

A great collection for Sun enthusiasts and novices.

S.D. Peters (hec8@erols.com) | Arlington, VA | 07/23/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Complete Sun Singles Volume 1" is the first of six CD sets which collect all the single masters ("A" and "B" sides) released under Sam C. Phillips' Sun and Phillips International record labels. Sun fans should hear every volume in the collection; there's no better way to follow the rise and fall of Phillips' recordings. But for anyone familiar with the handful of Sun/Phillips International hits like "Blue Suede Shoes," "I Walk The Line," "Great Balls of Fire," and "Raunchy," and an interest in hearing more, only a few of the volumes are essential listening.Volume 1 is essential. It covers Sun's Blues years (1952-1955), features Elvis Presley's five Sun releases, and showcases the roots of the musical amalgamation of Rhythm & Blues with Country & Western that first came together behind the walls of 706 Union Ave. in Memphis, Tennessee to create Rock and Roll. Also included are all the songs released on the short-lived Sun Records subsidiary, Fli! p. Although most listeners will be familiar with songs like Rufus Thomas' "Bear Cat (The Answer To Hound Dog)," Elvis' "That's All Right" and Johnny Cash's "Cry, Cry, Cry," they shouldn't overlook the great recordings of Joe Hill Louis, James Cotton, Doug Poindexter and Charlie Feathers, as well as the first two singles by Carl Perkins, that are also in this volume.The nature of "The Complete Sun Singles Collection" says it all: if it was released under the Sun or Phillips International label, it will be on one of the collection's six volumes. With that sort of criteria, the listener can expect to hear some songs which would otherwise have no place on any collection (take a listen to Buddy Cunningham's "Right Or Wrong" on Volume 1!), as well as others which ought to appear more frequently (Charlie Feathers' "I've Been Deceived"). Of the sets in "The Sun Singles Collection," Volume 1 stands out as one of the best, a thoroughly listenable collection for Su! n enthusiasts and novices alike."