The Golden Era of Rock 'N' Roll: 1954-1963

Disc 1
1	(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock / Bill Haley 2:10
2	Gee / The Crows 2:12
3	Shake, Rattle & Roll / Big Joe Turner 2:59
4	Sincerely / The Moonglows 3:10
5	Maybellene / Chuck Berry 2:20
6	Earth Angel / The Penguins 2:57
7	Ain't That a Shame / Fats Domino 2:25
8	Only You (And You Alone) / The Platters 2:37
9	Bo Diddley / Bo Diddley 2:44
10	Tutti Frutti / Little Richard 2:24
11	Be-Bop-A-Lula / Gene Vincent 2:35
12	Why Do Fools Fall in Love / Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers 2:19
13	Let the Good Times Roll / Shirley & Lee 2:23
14	Blue Suede Shoes / Carl Perkins 2:16
15	The Train Kept A-Rollin' / Johnny Burnette 2:16
16	Stranded in the Jungle / The Cadets 3:05
17	Jim Dandy / LaVern Baker 2:12
18	In the Still of the Night / The Five Satins 3:03
19	Little Darlin' / The Diamonds 2:08
20	Bye Bye Love / The Everly Brothers 2:22
21	Susie-Q / Dale Hawkins 2:13
Disc 2
1	Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On / Jerry Lee Lewis 2:53
2	Mr. Lee / The Bobbettes 2:13
3	Chantilly Lace / The Big Bopper 2:23
4	Love Is Strange / Mickey & Sylvia 2:57
5	I'll Come Running Back to You / Sam Cooke 2:13
6	Peggy Sue / Buddy Holly 2:30
7	At the Hop / Danny & the Juniors 2:31
8	Come Go With Me / The Del Vikings 2:39
9	Rocking Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu / Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns 2:21
10	Tear Drops / Lee Andrews & the Hearts 2:23
11	Little Star / The Elegants 2:42
12	Book of Love / The Monotones 2:20
13	Tequila / The Champs 2:12
14	Believe What You Say / Rick Nelson 2:04
15	Summertime Blues / Eddie Cochran 1:58
16	Rebel Rouser / Duane Eddy 2:22
17	Yakety Yak / The Coasters 1:52
18	There Goes My Baby / The Drifters 2:12
19	Sea Cruise / Frankie Ford 2:42
20	I Only Have Eyes for You / The Flamingos 3:22
21	Lonely Teardrops / Jackie Wilson 2:43
Disc 3
1	What'd I Say / Ray Charles 6:27
2	Kansas City / Wilbert Harrison 2:26
3	Sleepwalk / Santo & Johnny 2:22
4	Since I Don't Have You / The Skyliners 2:41
5	La Bamba / Ritchie Valens 2:06
6	Walk, Don't Run / The Ventures 2:04
7	Only the Lonely / Roy Orbison 2:25
8	Sweet Nothin's / Brenda Lee 2:23
9	Finger Poppin' Time / Hank Ballard & the Midnighters 2:35
10	Will You Love Me Tomorrow? / The Shirelles 2:42
11	Runaround Sue / Dion 2:42
12	Runaway / Del Shannon 2:21
13	Peppermint Twist, Pt.1 / Joey Dee & the Starliters 1:59
14	Blue Moon / The Marcels 2:16
15	Quarter to Three / Gary "U.S." Bonds 2:30
16	Duke of Earl / Gene Chandler 2:26
17	Sherry / The Four Seasons 2:32
18	My Boyfriend's Back / The Angels 2:09
19	He's So Fine / The Chiffons 2:06
20	Surfin' U.S.A. / The Beach Boys 2:28

Barnes & Noble

Joining R&B, country, and pop styles, rock 'n' roll propelled itself into the American consciousness in 1954, with the powerful music of Elvis Presley and Bill Haley -- and Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle, and Roll." The decade to follow was rife with musical innovation, leading to such hits as Chuck Berry's "Maybellene," the Champs' "Tequila," the Coasters' "Yakety Yak," Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame," Jerry Lee Lewis's "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On," and Bo Diddley's eponymous song. This 62-song set is jam-packed with stellar tunes from rock's first decade, making it an essential addition to any library. Fans will also want to check out the companion set, The Roots of Rock 'N' Roll: 1946-1954.

All Music Guide

You'd need a wall full of early rock & roll records to get a truly definitive summary of the best sounds from the music's first decade. That qualification noted, this is about as good a sampling of the most important early rock & roll hits and performers as could be stuffed into a three-CD, 62-song set, and deserves the highest rating even if it can't tell the whole story. Other than Elvis Presley (perhaps not present due to licensing obstacles), it has definitive hits by all the major early rock & roll performers, including Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, Eddie Cochran, the Coasters, the Drifters, Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles, the Platters, Brenda Lee, and Roy Orbison. There's still room for a wealth of tracks by doo wop groups who had only one or two hits, from the Crows' "Gee" to the Marcels' "Blue Moon"; instrumental rock from Duane Eddy and the Ventures; rockabilly by Dale Hawkins and Johnny Burnette's Rock & Roll Trio (whose "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" is the only song on the whole set that wasn't a big hit); and New Orleans R&B-rock from Shirley & Lee and Frankie Ford. And there are classic hits by other performers who only got one big smash, like Mickey & Sylvia's "Love Is Strange" and Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City."

If you're inclined to nitpick, there are a few tiny flaws in this anthology's execution. Sam Cooke is represented by his relatively minor early hit "I'll Come Running Back to You," where "You Send Me" would have been the obviously better choice, though it might not have been available for licensing reasons. As on Hip-O's companion set, The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll: 1946-1954, the annotation is on the perfunctory side, failing to supply detailed background information on specific artists and tracks. And the early '60s are covered in far less depth than the mid- to late '50s, missing such vital innovators as the Impressions, James Brown, Phil Spector, and all the early Motown hitmakers, though it does at least sample classics of the girl group style; offer smashes by Dion, Del Shannon, and Gary "U.S." Bonds; and provide a glimpse of future trends with the Four Seasons and the Beach Boys. It's still a superb compilation, however, in which virtually every song is great and important. And you could still play it to someone who knows nothing about rock & roll, and after one listen, he or she would have a pretty good idea of how the music was born and evolved in its pre-Beatles days. Richie Unterberger