The King Of Rock: The Complete 50's Masters (Box Set) (CD)

"Before Elvis, there was nothing," John Lennon once said. An overstatement, of course, but Elvis Presley's ascendance to superstardom in the mid-1950s kicked off a musical and social revolution whose impact has yet to abate. After the charming young man from Tupelo, Mississippi was discovered by Sun Records honcho Sam Phillips, the wise studio owner took Presley under his wing, leading to the landmark recording of his first single, "That's All Right (Mama)." The rest, of course, is well-documented history, with Elvis going on to conquer the pop charts, the box office, and beyond. He truly was the King, and his blend of country, pop, and R&B became the cornerstone of rock & roll.

• Category:  Music  »  Rock & Pop  »  General Rock & Pop
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: June 23, 1992
• Label: RCA Records (USA)
• UPC: 078636605029
• WAPI (Tower ID): 106722247
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• Tower.com Sales Rank: #17129 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #6338 in Rock & Pop (See Top 100 Rock & Pop Bestsellers)
• #3985 in General Rock & Pop (See Top 100 General Rock & Pop Bestsellers)

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Rolling Stone (8/6/92, p.55) - 5 Stars - Classic - "...Presented with generally decent, challenging material throughout this era, his singing reaches masterful heights....the 1954 and '55 sessions are probably the most perfect recordings in rock & roll history....a box set fit for the King..."
Entertainment Weekly (7/24/92, p.58) - "...essential....a stunning revelation....suggests that [Elvis] mirrored all sides of our musical culture--and became an American icon because he gave all kinds of Americans exactly what they most wanted to hear..." - Rating: A+
Vibe (12/99, p.158) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century
Village Voice (3/2/93) - Ranked #3 reissue in the Village Voice's 1992 Jazz & Pop Critics Poll.

Full Title: The King Of Rock 'N' Roll: The Complete 50's Masters.

THE KING OF ROCK 'N' ROLL contains every Elvis Presley studio recording released during the 1950s, along with alternate takes and live recordings. It contains 140 tracks, 15 of them previously unreleased (mostly contained on Disc 5, "Rare And Rockin'") and several others never before released on compact disc. Also included in this numbered box set is a 92-page color booklet with many rare photos from the Graceland archives, and a '50s discography and sessionography; and a page of color stamps depicting Presley's '50s record covers.

Personnel includes: Elvis Presley (vocals, guitar, piano, bass); Gordon Stoker (vocals, piano); The Jordanaires, Ben Speer, Brock Speer (vocals); Scotty Moore, Chet Atkins, Hank Garland, Carl Perkins (guitar); Mahlon Clark (clarinet); Justin Gordon (saxophone); John Ed Buckner (trumpet); Elmer Schneider (trombone); Ray Siegel (tuba, acoustic bass); Floyd Cramer, Shorty Long, Marvin Hughes, Dudley Brooks, Mike Stoller, Jerry Lee Lewis (piano); Hoyt Hawkins (piano, organ, cymbals); Gordon Stoker (piano, bongos, background vocals); Clayton Perkins (acoustic bass); Neal Matthews (electric bass); D.J. Fontana, Bernie Mattinson (drums); Freddy Martin & His Orchestra.

Compilation producers: Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, Roger Semon.

Principally recorded at Sun Studios, Memphis, Tennessee; RCA Studios, Nashville, Tennessee; RCA Studios, New York; 20th Century Fox and Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California between 1953 and 1958. Includes liner notes by Peter Guralnick.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Anyone who doubts the genius of Elvis Presley should listen all the way through this five-disc set before passing final judgment on the King of Rock and Roll. Of the 139 tracks here, precious few do not give testimony to Presley's enormous gift and enthusiasm for a wide variety of music, including pop, rock and roll, country, gospel, and rhythm and blues. From the first Sun recordings (finally presented by RCA without the annoying overlay of additional reverb) to the rushed singles session Presley cadged while on Army leave in 1958, THE COMPLETE 50'S MASTERS radiates an energy, versatility, and awe-inspiring mastery rarely approached by his contemporaries--or any other pop singer, for that matter.

All the hits, b-sides, album tracks, Christmas songs, gospel, and early movie soundtrack material are here, along with a disc of alternate takes and rare live recordings. An informative and beautifully packaged 92-page booklet crammed with photographs completes one of the great box sets of the CD era.

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