Notes: One of the best-loved and most influential record label of all-time, Sun Records was the birthplace of rock & roll. Owner Sam Phillips had a rather desperate slogan: "We record anything. Anywhere. Anytime!" but from early on was true to his boast. Even before Elvis, Sun had released Jackie Brenston's "Rocket 88"--now widely taken as the very first rock & roll record.

Elvis Presley first came to Sun in 1953 to record an acetate as a gift for his mother. It was at 706 Union Street, Memphis on the evening of 6 July 1954, while Elvis was goofing around between takes, that he first fused black rhythm & blues with white country & western. The resulting spontaneous combustion was immediately seized upon by Phillips, who slammed it onto tape-thus inadvertently, but unforgettably, firing a revolution.

Although Elvis was off the label by the end of 1955, those five Sun singles formed the foundations of rock & roll--and nowadays the phenomenon of Elvis Presley invariably overshadows the story of Sun. But before Sun Records' best-known artist came on the scene, Phillips had already given studio time to Howlin' Wolf, B.B.King, Rufus Thomas and Sleepy John Estes. And in the wake of Elvis, even more greats came to record for the label--Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich. And such is the studio's enduring lustre, that in 1987 U2 came to Sun to record tracks for their album Rattle & Hum.

Until recently the full history of Sun Records had been obscured by years of contractual wranglings; but in 1994 the Presley estate agreed to license his tracks and now, thanks to this comprehensive three CD box-set, a clear picture of Phillips' achievements has finally emerged. As well as all the rock & roll standards such as "Great Balls of Fire", "Mystery Train", " Blue Suede Shoes" and "Get Rhythm", space is also found for Sun's unforgettable one-offs--the Prisonaires' "Just Walkin' In the Rain", Warren Smith's "Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache" and Billy Riley's "Flying Saucer Rock & Roll". All in all, The Sun Records Collection is a worthy testament to a little label. - Patrick Humphries