The King of Rock: The Complete 50's Masters [Box] - Presley, Elvis (CD 1992)

My first reaction to Elvis was irritation as his single release of Blue Suede Shoes knocked both Carl Perkins original recording of it and my friend Gene Vincent s single off the charts. But since this was the fifties, I was a teenager, and was active at a top-40 radio station (as an engineer and occasional DJ) I grew to love the music of Elvis. I actually got to meet him in Nashville in the spring of 1957. He was at a casual gathering of people at the home studio of Chet Atkins, then Vice-president at the Nashville branch of RCA. I got to watch as Carl Perkins teased this shy young man about stealing his song. Did I get an autograph? Nope. He wasn t really that popular yet, but he was getting there.

So when the boxed set of the definitive work of Elvis was released I was an early purchaser. I actually happened on it at Graceland during a tour there right after it was released. This set of five remastered CDs sits in the first positions of my CD jukebox and it is played often. Sometimes it is played in sequence, following the growth of Elvis s career as the songs on this set are in chronological order on the first four CDs.

Accompanying the boxed set is a great brochure with lots of information on the songs. This brochure even more, however, is an excellent treatment of the growth of Elvis during his formative years as the King. In addition to several pages of narrative and lots of illustrations and pictures, there is a complete sessionography and a complete discography. All you wanted to know about Elvis and his music is contained in this brochure. It is worth the price alone, even without the music.

But it is the music we who ushered in Rock-n-roll with Rock Around the Clock (from the movie Blackboard Jungle) in 1954 remember about Elvis of the fifties. On this five disc set is every scrap of music that RCA could get hold of. Most of it is from earlier releases but a few cuts are first hears in this collection. The first CD begins with the Sun years. It is here that you can listen to what made the sound of Elvis so special that by the time he moved to RCA most of his singles were hitting the charts on both sides, something very rare.

His first recordings were of the blues ballad variety mostly. His voice was unique and Sam Phillips of Sun records used his engineering skills to get it all on the vinyls he mastered. From his first recording of That s All Right with Blue Moon of Kentucky on the flip side, his records hit the airwaves and climbed the charts. He was first labeled as a country singer who crossed over to the rock genre. That label didn t last long. With the added slickness of the recording sessions at RCA also came the added muscle of their advertising. I still have a not for sale copy of the release of his first album from RCA titled simply Elvis. Although I still believe the version of Blue Suede Shoes as recorded by Gene Vincent is the best cover of this Carl Perkins song, it is well done on this album. Half of the songs on his first album hit the charts, an amazing accomplishment for a young singer. I had to play the records softly at home as my parents weren t impressed. That is until they heard Old Shep. We all had tears as Elvis belted out his pain and love for his lost companion. I still get a lump in my throat when that song comes on as I let the jukebox play.

Since payola was alive and well in the radio industry during Elvis s early years, I had every recording he made up until about 1958, all with not for sale on them. Unfortunately a girlfriend borrowed my 45 collection and failed to return it with the engagement ring a few years later. I hope she held on to it. It would be valuable by now. These recordings are as near the original as RCA could get. Some of the songs were released in more than one version from more than one recording session. They are all there for you to hear. All the soundtracks from those early B movies are there as well. These are from the soundtrack sessions including Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole. From King Creole comes my second favorite song, Crawfish.

Elvis tried out to join a Gospel group between the time he made his demo at Sun Records and his return to actually record for Sam Phillips. As soon as he got enough confidence to demand it, while at RCA, he recorded a few gospel songs. One of the EP records that went with the girlfriend was those four songs, now captured in this CD set. Peace in the Valley was the title song and my favorite. Again, his voice said to everyone that he felt the words of the music. I hope he did.

This set is the definitive record of the young Elvis who first recorded and paid $4.00 at Sun Records and who returned when Sam Phillips remembered his unique voice, He had said while waiting very nervously to make his first recording just after graduation from high school I don t sound like nobody. He was right.