VA - Sun Records: The 50th Anniversary Collection [2CD Box Set] (2002)

While best known as the label that launched the careers of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, Memphis-based Sun Records also released literally hundreds of singles that represented some of the best -- and some of the weirdest -- rockabilly, blues, and R&B ever recorded. Sam Phillips's recording studio was a bastion of both creativity and integration, a place where Johnny Cash (represented here with early versions of "I Walk the Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues") could record side by side with Rufus Thomas (whose lascivious "Tiger Man" is prototypical of his down-and-dirty style). This anniversary set collects 44 tunes from Sun's vaults, ranging from the out-of-control (like Billy Lee Riley's legendary rockabilly rave-up "Flying Saucers Rock and Roll") to the in-the-groove (like future country legend Charlie Rich's aching "Lonely Weekends" and "Who Will the Next Fool Be?"). Sun's big names are all represented here -- Elvis by the seminal "Mystery Train" and "That's Alright Mama"; Carl Perkins, the Killer, and Roy Orbison by a pair of tunes apiece -- but some of the most interesting material comes from the fringes. Bill Justis' appropriately named instrumental "Raunchy" remains a cult favorite, with an instantly recognizable chord progression that has been borrowed by countless rockers in the decades since its release. Likewise, rockabilly ravers such as Gene Simmons (no relation to the long-tongued Kiss dude) and Sonny Burgess (who's still on the road with his high-energy show) spit and snarl with as much venom as any latter-day bunch of attitude-mongers. There's nary a low point on this set, and even if certain tracks don't move your hips, most clock in at around two minutes, making the waiting period for the next shimmy brief enough for even the weakest attention span.