Sam Phillips’s Sun Records will forever be best known as the label for which Elvis Presley made his timeless first recordings. But Sun earned its legendary status by also recording any number of other blues and rock & roll greats, including Howlin’ Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash. This 112-minute, 2001 documentary from PBS’s American Masters series features plenty of reminiscences by Sun old-timers (including the ever-voluble Phillips, who was not, apparently, universally lo (more…)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect
Sun Records was the beginning and high-point of Elvis’ career (in my personal opinion), the beginning of Johnny Cash’s career and probably the high-point of his studio career,…
5.0 out of 5 stars
Additional song(s) …
I originally bought the CD but some of the TV show’s performances were missing, like the Ben Folds Five number where he really ripped into it. So, I got the DVD. cool.
For a documentary this one’s pretty long. But I never looked at my watch. I’d lean forward to hear better. I loved ‘Good Rockin’ Tonight’! In addition to the priceless conversations between Rufus Thomas, Sam Phillips, Scotty Moore, Sonny Burgess, Billy Lee Riley, etc., the old songs covered by current artists is great. Among others, Paul McCartney sings ‘That’s All Right, Mama” with Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana playing behind him, for cryin’ out loud!
Kudos.
I saw this last year on American Masters and I loved it. I just ordered it. Just to see Billy Lee Riley and Sonny Burgess perform was enough to add this to my collection. Paul McCartney playing with Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana was as close as we will ever get to the Beatles jamming with Elvis. This was fun and informative…. kudos to the filmakers.
THIS IS A GREAT DVD OVERALL. THE INTERVIEWS AND
CONVERSATIONS OF PAST “SUN RECORDS” STARS AND SAM PHILLIPS ARE VERY INTERESTING BUT WHERE WAS JERRY LEE LEWIS FOR THESE
SESSIONS? I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY WITH “REVIEWER” BILL TAYLOR THAT “MATCHBOX TWENTY’S” TREATMENT OF CHARLIE RICH’S “LONELY WEEKENDS” WAS EMBARRASSING TO SAY THE LEAST – SHOULD HAVE JUST
LET JERRY LEE LEWIS DO IT! HOWEVER, ZUCCHERO DID DO A PRETTY
GOOD VERSION OF RICH’S “WHO WILL THE NEXT FOOL BE?” AND THEN THEY LEFT IT OFF THE “CD” EDITION OF THE MUSIC AND USED ANOTHER
SINGER! I WOULD RECOMMEND THE “A & E” BIOGRAPHY OF SAM PHILLIPS FOR THOSE WHO LIKED THIS – AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION WRITTEN BY
PREMIER ROCK CRITIC “PETER GURALNICK.”
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Rockin’ Tonight, Sun Records
Good history of the Label. Some good interveiws. Unfortunately, Sam Phillips is a Blowhard!!Would have liked to have seen more original footage from the early years, maybe more…
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice Tribute To The Pioneer Rockers, But Phillips Is A Little Much
This was a real mixtures of highs and lows, as far as I was concerned. Seeing and hearing rock legends like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins back in the 1950s was…
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rock The House
Howlin’ Wolf, Roscoe Gordon, Rufus Jones and an assortment of black blues notables in the early days.
3.0 out of 5 stars
For country music’s fans.
This DVD is a documentary with interviews and the videos of the CD’s songs.
Very interesting, I suggest it to the Sun Records’s fans.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Rockin Tonight
Excellent DVD with a collection of vintage performers
talking and perfoming the hits that made them famous.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real hoot!
The DVD: $9.99. Shipping: $3.00 Seeing Sam Phillips: Priceless!
Viewers will have mixed feelings seeing contemporary rockers covering Sun Records classics but I…
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Sun King.
I have the Sun hits CDs so the music in this documentary was always recognizable to me, but if one isn’t familiar with these songs then the movie is even better.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Memphis: Birth of Blues&Rock&Roll
Love this show.A must have for anyone who loves music&History.
Watch this dvd and then go to Sun Studio to feel the energy in person.