Original Sun Greatest Hits

Carl Perkins

Rhino Records, 1986

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Perkins

REVIEW BY: Eric E5S16

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/21/1998

It was a sad feeling this January 19th day, when veteran Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Famer Carl Perkins passed away. His presence in rock 'n roll was inspired by many. This compilation features the ORIGINALS of tunes that were remade and famous for other rock acts.

First of all, "Blue Suede Shoes" may have been one of the many songs that made Elvis Presley famous, but Perkins' original version is way better, and is considered one of the greatest songs ever recorded in the early days of rock.

The Beatles performed "Honey Don't" and "Everybody's Tryin' To Be My Baby" on the my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Beatles' 65 LP, and they also did Perkins' version of "Matchbox" on Something New. These three original tunes are here in the Sun compilation, and, like "Blue Suede Shoes", I'd have to say Perkins had Elvis and The Beatles beat in which versions were better.

The remaining 13 tunes are exceptionaly great. It brings out the rockabilly cat in all of us who enjoy the early years of rock, when rock was rebellious. These songs have the great rockabilly/boogie woogie sound, and some have the "pumpin'" boogie sound that Jerry Lee Lewis featured in many of his early hits. Also, two songs can be compared to Hank Williams Sr. and The Everly Brothers.

One thing also to consider, is that the Sun Record label became a huge history maker in the area of music. Oh yeah, you're saying that's where Elvis got his start. True, but other future Rock 'n' Roll Hall Famers came out of that same Memphis Recording studio: Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison. These five talents started the great sounds we call rock 'n' roll and country & western. Elvis was the one that put Sun on the map, as we discovered afterward the other talents to come out of the Sun studios.

Hey, let's face it, this is true rockabilly, hillbilly, and country & western. Today's country has lost this kind of sound that Perkins and many others produced. Probably the only group that came close to this sound and stuck to it, was The Stray Cats in the Eighties.

Throughout his entire life, Carl Perkins was always performing. He performed with Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, played guitar on Paul McCartney's Tug Of War album, cowrote and played guitar on The Judds' "Let Me Tell You About Love." He was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987.

Thanks, Mr. Perkins, for your music. As he sings in "All Mama's Children": "All your children wanna rock, mama, all your children wanna roll." Yep, Carl Perkins DID rock, and yep, Carl Perkins DID roll. Raise a glass to the best damn "cat" who ever lived. We'll miss you, your music will live on forever.

Rating: A

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© 1998 Eric E5S16 and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Rhino Records, and is used for informational purposes only.