This 1998 production of the Hip-O reissue label is pretty much exactly "as advertised." This is a collection of "originals" which were later "covered" by Elvis Presley. Volume 1 goes up to his induction into the military in 1958, and Volume 2 contains songs recorded thereafter. They appear to now be out of print.
While the narrative liner notes are interesting, there is one glaring omission - the original recordings by the original artists are on the discs, but original label, record number, and release date information is sketchy at best in the "documentation."
As is reasonably well-known Elvis took his earlier material from several sources - hillbilly/bluegrass (a/k/a "white blues"), "negro" boogie and blues, and, to a lesser degree, mainstream "pop." All of these genres are represented in this collection.
Later material contains "covers" of approximately contemporaneous "rock and roll" - the "pop" of its time in the late 50s and beyond. So "The King" wasn't always "original...
...but "The King" was always "The King."
Lousy documentation, good music. Learn by listening.
Volume 1 -
1. That's All Right - Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky - Bill Monroe
3. I Love You Because - Leon Payne
4. Good Rockin' Tonight - Wynonie Harris
5. Just Because - Shelton Brothers
6. Baby Let's Play House - Arthur Gunter
7. Mystery Train - Little Junior Parker
8. Money Honey - Drifters
9. Lawdy Miss Clawdy - Lloyd Price
10. Shake, Rattle And Roll - Joe Turner
11. Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
12. Hound Dog - Big Mama Thornton
13. That's When Your Heartaches Begin - Ink Spots
14. One Night - Smiley Lewis
Volume 2 -
1. (Now And Then There's) A Fool Such As I - Hank Snow
2. Such A Night - Drifters
3. Fever - Little Willie John
4. Reconsider Baby - Lowell Fulson
5. Crying In The Chapel - Orioles
6. I Feel So Bad - Chuck Willis
7. Love Letters - Ketty Lester
8. Big Boss Man - Jimmy Reed
9. Guitar Man - Jerry Reed
10. You Don't Know Me - Eddy Arnold
11. High Heel Sneakers - Tommy Tucker
12. The Wonder Of You - Ray Peterson
13. There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
14. The Promised Land - Chuck Berry
