This five-disc set was the first release in BMG's effort to present Elvis's recorded legacy in a manner befitting the most important musical artist of his time. The strategy was simple--showcase, in chronological order, remastered versions of the King's 1950s output, from his sessions with Sam Phillips at Sun Studios (where they arguably invented the very notion of rock & roll) through his 1958 Army induction. Not everything Elvis recorded in the '50s was great (just as not everything he recorded in Hollywood was rotten), but there are dozens of tracks here that, quite simply, can make a bad day seem all that much better. Which surely still makes him the king of something. Suffice it to say this is one box set that lives up to its title.

Track List:

Disc 1:
01. My Happiness
02. That's All Right
03. I Love You Because
04. Harbor Lights
05. Blue Moon of Kentucky
06. Blue Moon
07. Tomorrow Night
08. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')
09. I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine
10. Just Because
11. Good Rockin' Tonight
12. Milk Cow Blues
13. You're a Heartbreaker
14. Baby Let's Play House
15. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
16. Mystery Train
17. I Forgot to Remember to Forget
18. Trying to Get to You
19. When It Rains, It Really Pours
20. I Got a Woman
21. Heartbreak Hotel
22. Money Honey
23. I'm Counting on You
24. I Was the One
25. Blue Suede Shoes
26. My Baby Left Me
27. One-Sided Love Affair
28. So Glad You're Mine
29. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)
30. Tutti Frutti
Disc 2:
01. Lawdy Miss Clawdy
02. Shake, Rattle & Roll
03. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
04. Hound Dog
05. Don't Be Cruel
06. Any Way You Want Me (That's How I Will Be)
07. We're Gonna Move
08. Love Me Tender
09. Let Me
10. Playing for Keeps
11. Love Me
12. Paralyzed
13. How Do You Think I Feel
14. How's the World Treating You
15. When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again
16. Long Tall Sally
17. Old Shep
18. Too Much
19. Anyplace Is Paradise
20. Ready Teddy
21. First in Line
22. Rip It Up
23. I Believe
24. Tell Me Why
25. Got a Lot O' Livin' to Do!
26. All Shook Up
27. Mean Woman Blues
28. Peace in the Valley
29. Poor Boy
Disc 3:
01. That's When Your Heartaches Be
02. Take My Hand, Precious Lord
03. It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)
04. Blueberry Hill
05. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
06. Is It So Strange
07. Party
08. Lonesome Cowboy
09. Hot Dog
10. One Night of Sin
11. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear
12. Don't Leave Me Now
13. I Beg of You
14. One Night
15. True Love
16. I Need You So
17. Loving You
18. When It Rains, It Really Pours
19. Jailhouse Rock
20. Young and Beautiful
21. I Want to Be Free
22. (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care
23. Don't Leave Me Now
24. Blue Christmas
25. White Christmas
26. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
27. Silent Night
28. O Little Town of Bethlehem
29. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)
30. Santa Claus Is Back in Town
31. I'll Be Home for Christmas
Disc 4:
01. Treat Me Nice
02. My Wish Came True
03. Don't
04. Danny
05. Hard Headed Woman
06. Trouble
07. New Orleans
08. Crawfish
09. Dixieland Rock
10. Lover Doll
11. As Long as I Have You
12. King Creole
13. Young Dreams
14. Steadfast, Loyal and True
15. Doncha' Think It's Time
16. Your Cheatin' Heart
17. Wear My Ring Around Your Neck
18. I Need Your Love Tonight
19. A Big Hunk O' Love
20. Ain't That Loving You Baby
21. (Now and Then, There's) A Fool Such As I
22. I Got Stung
23. Interview With Elvis
24. Don't Ask Me Why
Disc 5:
01. That's When Your Heartaches Begin
02. Fool, Fool, Fool
03. Tweedle Dee
04. Maybellene
05. Shake, Rattle & Roll
06. Blue Moon of Kentucky
07. Blue Moon
08. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
09. Reconsider Baby
10. Lawdy Miss Clawdy
11. Shake, Rattle & Roll
12. I Want You, I Need You, I Love
13. Heartbreak Hotel
14. Long Tall Sally
15. Blue Suede Shoes
16. Money Honey
17. We're Gonna Move
18. Old Shep
19. Loving You [Slow Version]
20. Loving You [Uptempo Version]
21. Young and Beautiful
22. I Want to Be Free
23. King Creole
24. As Long as I Have You
25. Ain't That Loving You Baby [Fast Version]
26. I Beg of You
The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters is a box set five-disc compilation of the complete known studio master recordings by Elvis Presley during the decade of the 1950s, released in 1992, RCA 66050-2. It peaked at #159 on the album chart. In its initial format as a long box issue, it included a set of collectable stamps duplicating the record jackets from every LP, every single that had a picture sleeve, and most of the EP releases, on RCA Records.
The first four discs present the Elvis masters in chronological session order. Disc one commences with "My Happiness," a private test demo from the summer of 1953 at Sun Studio and the first recording ever made by Presley, and continues with the complete Sun Records masters through track 19. The remainder of disc one, and discs two through four, comprise the entirety of his output for RCA Records during the decade. Disc four ends with an interview by Presley prior to his departure overseas to serve in the army in 1958, released on the EP Elvis Sails. Included as well are the officially released recordings on RCA for each one of Elvis' four feature films of the 1950s: Love Me Tender, Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole.
The fifth disc compiles rare outtakes and unreleased recordings, starting off with the companion acetate to "My Happiness" in an early version of "That's When Your Heartaches Begin." Tracks two and five are more acetates recorded by the standard Presley trio of Elvis, Scotty Moore on guitar, and Bill Black on bass, at an unknown location in Lubbock, Texas, during January 1955, presumably around the time when Buddy Holly converted to rock and roll after seeing Presley in concert. Tracks three and four present live recordings from the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1955, again with the trio. Tracks thirteen through sixteen present live recordings from the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1956, with the trio plus drummer D.J. Fontana. An outtake from the Million Dollar Quartet sessions appears on track nine, with the following personnel: Presley, Carl Perkins on guitar, his brother Clayton on bass, Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, and W.S. Holland on drums. Although Johnny Cash is billed as the fourth of the headlining quartet and his presence is corroborated by anecdotal evidence, aural evidence of his participation on record is difficult to discern. The remainder of disc five contains alternate takes of released masters.
Collecting every master recording made in the 1950s, The King of Rock 'n' Roll encapsulates the era for which Presley remains most revered, that of the young international phenomenon at the forefront of the rock and roll explosion. RCA issued two similarly configured box set companions, one for the 1970s, and another for the 1960s, bypassing his film soundtrack work for his secular recordings made to be issued commercially.

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