There have been a lot of Sun compilations over the years; this three-CD, 74-song compilation strikes the medium ground between abridged single-disc highlights and overkill ten-album box sets. What this means is that you get virtually all the key sides of this vastly influential blues, country, and rockabilly label, including the biggest Sun hits cut by
Elvis,
Carl Perkins,
Jerry Lee Lewis,
Johnny Cash,
Charlie Rich, and
Roy Orbison. There's also a lot of the pioneering electric blues cut by label head
Sam Phillips before he made rockabilly Sun's focus, including sides by
Howlin' Wolf,
B.B. King,
Rufus Thomas,
Junior Parker, and
James Cotton. Then there are the interesting small hits and flops by minor rockabilly figures like
Warren Smith,
Billy Lee Riley,
Malcolm Yelvington,
Onie Wheeler, and
Carl Mann. There aren't any previously unreleased songs, so the Sun specialist most likely already has everything here; it's a better buy for the avid, knowledgeable fan who isn't a completist.
–
Richie Unterberger, Rovi