Studio Session for Sun Records, July 5-6, 1954

Studio :

Sun Studio, Memphis, Tennessee

Producer / Engineer :

Sam Phillips

Harbor Lights

July 5?

Take 01

xFS

"(breakdowns)"

UN

Take 02

M

2:36

"( instruments" tippex

EPA3 2742

Sunrise/Leg. Perf. vol.2 LP/50's Box 1

Take 03

Complete

2:29

_____________tippex

Today, Tomorrow and Forever

Take 04

xFS

"(breakdowns)"

UN

Take 05

Complete

2:20

"N.G."

UN

Take 06

FS

"(breakdown)"

UN

I Love You Because

July 5

Take 01

FS

0:20

Guitar intro

Sunrise/Complete Sun Sessions LP

Take 02

Complete

3:31

Sunrise/Complete Sun Sessions LP/Sun Sessions '87 CD

Take 03

Complete

3:33

Whistling intro

Complete Sun Sessions LP/Sun Sessions '87 CD

Take 04

FS

0:32

Complete Sun Sessions LP

Take 05

Complete

3:27

Complete Sun Sessions LP/Sun Sessions '87 CD

Spliced

M

2:44

Spliced from takes 3 and 5

G2WB 1086

Sunrise/50's Box 1

That’s All Right

U-128

July 5

Take 01

FS

0:05

Possibly take 1

OPA1 4849

Platinum/Sunrise/Golden Cel. 1

Take 02

FS

0:08

Possibly take 2

OPA1 4849

Platinum/Sunrise/Golden Cel. 1

Take 03

Complete

1:53

Possibly take 3

OPA1 4849

Platinum/Sunrise/Golden Cel. 1

Take NA

M

1:57

F2WB 8040

50's Box 1/Sunrise

Unknown Selection

July 5 or 6

Take NA

Unknown Selection

July 5 or 6

Take NA

Blue Moon of Kentucky

U-129

July 6

Take 01

Complete

2:02

Take 02

Complete

2:02

Take 03

Incomplete

1:07

"(Breakdown" slow version (could refer to take 3)

OPA1 4194

Good Rockin' Tonight LP(Bopcat 101,dry)/Bopcat 100 LP(echo)/Sunrise

Take 04

"(last part ng)"

Take NA

M

2:03

F2WB 8041

Sunrise/Great Country Songs/50's Box 1

Musicians:

Guitar :

Elvis Presley

Guitar :

Scotty Moore

Bass :

Bill Black


Notes:

The RCA master of I Love You Because was spliced from takes 3 and 5 on January 20, 1956 by producer Steve Sholes. Takes 3 and 5 are listed as tracks 2 and 4 of Sun Box #13. This list is reproduced on page 6 in the memory log of 'Legendary Performer' vol. 1. Take 1 must be on the same tape, but was probably ignored since it is a short false start.

Some versions of 'The Sun Sessions' CD contain take 3(whistling intro) instead of take 2(guitar intro) of I Love You Because as track 18. (Thanks to Jan Andersen for comparing)

Maybe the That's All Right outtakes are the first takes recorded since they are located directly after I Love You Because on the tape. But this is just a guess.

The released slow outtake of Blue Moon of Kentucky as released by RCA comes from a copy of the Good Rockin' Tonight LP (Bopcat 100) and not from the initially turned over Sun Box #14. The master was never turned over. RCA had to use a tape transfer of the SUN 78 RPM single.

The "Unknown Selections" have been subject to a lot of speculation. The songs Tennessee Saturday Night and Tiger Man are sometimes mentioned. The latter is supported by the fact that Elvis refered to it as "his second record" and similar on stage in Las Vegas in August 1970. It's not impossible that Tiger Man was one of the "Unknown Selections", but then Steve Sholes obviously couldn't be familiar with Rufus Thomas Jr.'s version on Sun single 188? Incredible that two songs in a row weren't recognized as well. Anyway, it's not very likely that a proposed second SINGLE would be recorded before the flipside of the first had been recorded.

 

 

Thanks to Johnny Savage for transcribing the Harbor Lights notes in the Legendary Performer vol.2 booklet.