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During rock's early years, singles ruled the roost. Albums were mainly vehicles to spotlight a hit single, generally fleshed out by songs of lesser quality. Elvis Presley's earliest albums, however, were exceptions to the rule. Colonel Tom Parker probably figured if they put "the boy's" singles on the album, fans wouldn't buy the single...which meant less revenue. Whatever the case, Presley's debut has no "Heartbreak Hotel" or "I Was the One." What it does have is a definitive "Blue Suede Shoes," which eventually did become a single and which RCA pushed Presley to record after spying Carl Perkins's version on the charts and suddenly becoming afraid they'd signed the wrong artist! It also contains five of Presley's "regional" releases from Sun Records as well as his takes on several hard R&B gems of the day, including Ray Charles's "I've Got a Woman," Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," and a wonderful version of Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters' "Money Honey." Pretty great listening. Incidentally, the Clash mimicked the album's cover art on the front and back of London Calling. --Bill Holdship