This music documentary in the Classic Albums series looks at the King's 1956 official debut album on RCA Victor. The legendary Sun Sessions weren't issued in album form until well after the fact which backs up that claim. The song selections plus 40 minutes of bonus interview material on the 2002-released DVD combines performance footage (the early TV shows are not to be missed), photos, and more to describe Presley's early days when he combined country, blues, and R&B to forge a unique, galvanizing style. The Bonus Material includes the chapters For The Record, The Early Years, The Sun Recordings, On The Road, and RCA Buys Elvis' Contract.

Sun producer Sam Phillips, author Peter Guralnick, Presley's musicians, and others are on hand to provide insight and background. But in the end, of course, it comes down to the music--and when you're talking about the likes of "Blue Suede Shoes," "Tutti Frutti," "Money Honey," and "Heartbreak Hotel" (a single that actually wasn't on the album), "classic" hardly begins to cover it. -- Review by Sam Graham

The first Elvis album spent ten weeks at number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in 1956, the first rock and roll album ever to make it to the top of the charts, and the first million-selling album of that genre. In 2003 and 2012, Elvis Presley was ranked number 56 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Elvis Presley Track listing
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Recording date
1. "Blue Suede Shoes" Carl Perkins January 30, 1956
2. "I'm Counting on You" Don Robertson January 11, 1956
3. "I Got a Woman" Ray Charles Renald Richard January 10, 1956
4. "One-Sided Love Affair" Bill Campbell January 30, 1956
5. "I Love You Because" Leon Payne July 5, 1954
6. "Just Because" Bob Shelton Joe Shelton Sydney Robin September 10, 1954
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Recording date
1. "Tutti Frutti" Dorothy LaBostrieRichard Wayne Penniman January 31, 1956
2. "Tryin' to Get to You" Rose Marie McCoyCharles Singleton July 11, 1955
3. "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)" Howard BiggsJoe Thomas January 31, 1956
4. "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')" Jimmy Wakely September 10, 1954
5. "Blue Moon" Richard RodgersLorenz Hart August 19, 1954
6. "Money Honey" Jesse Stone January 10, 1956