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Various Artists - The Complete Sun Singles Vol. 1 (1955)

Track listing:
CD1
  1. Flat Tire Johnny London 2:33
  2. Drivin' Slow Johnny London 3:02
  3. Got My Application, Baby Handy Jackson 3:07
  4. Trouble Handy Jackson 3:02
  5. We All Gotta Go Sometime Joe Hill Louis 2:44
  6. She May Be Yours Joe Hill Louis 3:03
  7. Baker Shop Boogie Willie Nix 2:45
  8. Seems Like A Million Years Willie Nix 2:44
  9. Easy Jimmy & Walter 3:01
  10. Before Long Jimmy & Walter 2:59
  11. Bear Cat Rufus Thomas Jr. 2:54
  12. Walkin' In The Rain Rufus Thomas Jr. 2:25
  13. Heaven And Fire Dusty Brooks & His Tones 2:43
  14. Tears And Wine Dusty Brooks & His Tones 2:43
  15. Lonesome Old Jail D. A. Hunt 3:01
  16. Greyhound Blues D. A. Hunt 2:39
  17. Call Me Anything, But Call Me Big Memphis Marainey 3:03
  18. Baby, No, No! Big Memphis Marainey 2:43
  19. Take A Little Chance Jimmy De Berry 2:23
  20. Time Has Made A Change Jimmy De Berry 2:45
  21. Baby Please Prisonaires 2:30
  22. Just Walkin' In The Rain Prisonaires 2:47
  23. Feelin' Good Little Junior's Blue Flames 2:59
  24. Fussin' And Fightin' Blues Little Junior's Blue Flames 3:00
  25. Tiger Man Rufus Thomas Jr. 2:51
  26. Save That Money Rufus Thomas Jr. 2:46
  27. My God Is Good Prisonaires 2:31
  28. Softly And Tenderly Prisonaires 2:31
CD2
  1. Blues Waltz Ripley Cotton Choppers 2:55
  2. Silver Bells Ripley Cotton Choppers 2:18
  3. Prisoner's Prayer Prisonaires 2:42
  4. I Know Prisonaires 3:44
  5. Mystery Train Little Junior's Blue Flames 2:27
  6. Love My Baby Little Junior's Blue Flames 2:39
  7. Come Back Baby Doctor Ross 2:51
  8. Chicago Breakdown Doctor Ross 2:57
  9. Beggin' My Baby Little Milton 2:30
  10. Somebody Told Me Little Milton 3:01
  11. No Teasing Around Billy 3:02
  12. If Lovin' Is Believing Billy 2:14
  13. Wolf Call Boogie Hot Shot Love 2:39
  14. Harmonica Jam Hot Shot Love 2:38
  15. Boogie Blues Earl Peterson 2:36
  16. In The Dark Earl Peterson 2:36
  17. Troublesome Waters Howard Seratt 3:07
  18. I Must Be Saved Howard Seratt 2:59
  19. My Baby James Cotton 2:25
  20. Straighten Up Baby James Cotton 2:23
  21. If You Love Me Little Milton 2:34
  22. Alone And Blue Little Milton 3:10
  23. Gonna Dance All Night Hardrock Gunter 2:22
  24. Fallen Angel Hardrock Gunter 2:48
  25. Now She Cares No More Doug Poindexter 2:59
  26. My Kind Of Carrying On Doug Poindexter 2:03
  27. I'm Not Going Home Billy 3:13
  28. The Woodchuck Billy 3:06
CD3
  1. Bourbon Street Jump Raymond Hill 2:40
  2. The Snuggle Raymond Hill 3:01
  3. The Great Medical Menagerist Harmonica Frank 3:09
  4. Rockin' Chair Daddy Harmonica Frank 3:08
  5. Cotton Crop Blues James Cotton 3:00
  6. Hold Me In Your Arms James Cotton 2:49
  7. There Is Love In You Prisonaires 2:55
  8. What'll You Do Next Prisonaires 1:34
  9. Right Or Wrong Buddy Cunningham 2:50
  10. Why Do You Cry Buddy Cunningham 2:33
  11. That's All Right Elvis Presley 1:56
  12. Blue Moon Of Kentucky Elvis Presley 2:05
  13. Good Rockin' Tonite Elvis Presley 2:14
  14. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine Elvis Presley 2:31
  15. Drinkin' Wine Spodee O 2:52
  16. Just Rolling Along Malcom Yelvington 2:25
  17. The Boogie Disease Doctor Ross 2:36
  18. Jukebox Boogie Doctor Ross 2:37
  19. Look To Jesus The Jones Brothers 2:52
  20. Every Night The Jones Brothers 2:46
  21. Move Baby Move Billy 2:49
  22. When It Rains It Pours Billy 3:15
  23. Milkcow Blues Boogie Elvis Presley 2:40
  24. You're A Heartbreaker Elvis Presley 2:15
  25. Don't Believe Slim Rhodes 2:19
  26. Uncertain Love Slim Rhodes 2:16
  27. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone Elvis Presley 2:38
  28. Baby Lets Play House Elvis Presley 2:19
  29. I Feel So Worried Sammy Lewis 2:39
  30. So Long Baby Goodbye Sammy Lewis 2:07
CD4
  1. Red Hot Billy 2:29
  2. No Greater Love Billy 2:57
  3. Homesick For My Baby Little Milton 2:21
  4. Lookin' For My Baby Little Milton 2:57
  5. Cry! Cry! Cry! Johnny Cash 2:29
  6. Hey, Porter Johnny Cash 2:16
  7. Don't Do That! The Five Tinos 2:31
  8. Sitting By My Window The Five Tinos 3:29
  9. Mystery Train Elvis Presley 2:30
  10. I Forgot To Remember To Forget Elvis Presley 2:32
  11. Let The Jukebox Keep On Playing Carl Perkins 2:54
  12. Gone, Gone, Gone Carl Perkins 2:41
  13. The House Of Sin Slim Rhodes 2:45
  14. Are You Ashamed Of Me Slim Rhodes 2:37
  15. Ain't That Right Eddie Snow 2:39
  16. Bring Your Love Back Home Eddie Snow 3:16
  17. Just Love Me Baby Rosco Gordon 2:25
  18. Weeping Blues Rosco Gordon 3:14
  19. The Signifying Monkey Smokey Joe 3:19
  20. Listen To Me Baby Smokey Joe 2:32
  21. Movie Magg Carl Perkins 2:12
  22. Turn Around Carl Perkins 3:01
  23. Lonely Sweetheart Bill Taylor 3:05
  24. Split Personality Bill Taylor & Smokey Joe 2:24
  25. I've Been Deceived Charlie Feathers 2:45
  26. Peepin' Eyes Charlie Feathers 2:16
  27. Someday You Will Pay Miller Sisters 2:24
  28. You Didn't Think I Would Miller Sisters 2:49

Notes

includes both lossy and lossless

This is the first in a projected six-volume set chronicling the entire singles output of Sun Records, their subsidiaries Flip and Phillips International, run in strict chronological order. No alternate takes, no studio chitchat, no second-guessing decades after the fact -- just the simple history of some of the greatest American music that ever came from one man's vision, label owner and production genius Sam Phillips. Each box features four CDs, and this first volume brings us the first 52 Sun singles -- both A- and B-sides -- plus both sides of all the singles on Flip, Sam's short-lived 1955 subsidiary. It takes us from the humblest of humble beginnings -- when Sun was a raw blues label, cutting one early Memphis blues classic after another -- through the first recordings of Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins, leaving us poised near Sun's golden rockabilly age.

A great many record collectors got started because of their endless fascination with Sun. Seldom -- if ever -- has a label's minutiae been held to such scrutiny that even artists who only saw one or a handful of scant-selling releases have become cult heroes. And the first flowering of Elvis aside, that's really the big ticket here -- hearing the story of a unique, maverick label unfold before your very ears. It's easy to see within the first half-dozen singles on Disc One that Sam Phillips was gonna put out exactly what felt good to him. Maybe Phillips never mastered the art of the studio fade-out, but he could drill right into the heart and soul of an artist and capture mood and ambience on tape in a way that the Chess or Bihari brothers never could. For all the blues classics covered by Disc Two, the first white artists were also starting to appear on the little yellow label. Disc Three is where the whole ball game starts to change with the arrival of Elvis, but his first four singles aren't the only great stuff on this disc. Disc Four shows Phillips slowly moving away from the blues and heading his label into country music, with rockabilly still almost a sideline dalliance. Elvis' final Sun single is here, but many of the classics on this disc come from Sam applying his production expertise to a clutch of great country singles -- some of his best and most unaffected records came out of this batch.

Bottom line: this box is the first step to owning one of the great labels of all time, and some of the best blues, country and rock'n'roll you'll ever experience. There's also a 68-page bound booklet with label reproductions and photos galore, plus great notes from Sun researchers Hank Davis and Colin Escott. The price tag might seem a tad hefty to some, but compared to what the original 78s and 45s are going for -- all of them lovingly restored here when masters were missing, by the way -- this thing's a steal.