Carl Perkins - Back On Top

BACK TO THE TOP contains songs Perkins recorded for Columbia between 1968 and 1972 and songs recorded for Mercury from 1973 to 1975.

Back on Top might be a slight overstatement in regards to Carl Perkins' late-'60s return to Columbia. He did not quite tear up the charts but he did have a considerable comeback, especially in terms of quality, creating music that arguably surpassed his Sun recordings in depth and range, even if it didn't produce any songs as iconic as "Blue Suede Shoes" or "Matchbox." This resurgence -- partially fueled by having been Johnny Cash's wingman -- on Columbia and his subsequent short stint at Mercury is documented on Bear Family's four-disc box set Back on Top, its title a play on the name of his 1969 album On Top, which peaked at 42. All his master recordings from On Top until 1973's excellent My Kind of Country are here -- including his NRBQ-supported 1970 set Boppin' the Blues -- along with a disc that's billed as demos, but these aren't stripped-down guitar-and-voice things from Carl; they're full-fledged band records, raw and vigorous, not so much an addendum to the rest of this box but a complete unreleased album that helps illustrate how Perkins was flourishing during this time.

Perkins music during these five years built upon his Sun rockabilly, taking him further into country -- both honky tonk and melodic pop -- touching on folk and blues, plus a little bit of gospel and lots of lean rock & roll. Not surprisingly given his affiliation with the Man in Black, it's not far removed from Cash's records from this time, but Perkins' music is looser and not as hokey as some of Johnny's LPs from this period -- there aren't any kitschy Americana albums or songs for children -- and there's something charming about Perkins' casual, almost off-hand delivery. The wiry rockabilly cat is long gone, he's easing into his middle age, his voice getting a little rounder and warmer, which suits the rich tapestry of American music he plays here. He continually revisited his Sun songs, which may have been part of a contractual obligation, but these versions weren't tossed-off rip-offs of the originals, or self-conscious reworkings: they were full-blooded revisions representing where Perkins was at then, whether it's how "Dixie Fried" turned into a rowdy honky tonk shuffle or how he turned "All Mama's Children" turned into something a little funky with the assistance of NRBQ. These new versions -- fuller than the bare-bones Sun classics -- give a good indication of how rich this period was for Perkins, and they fit nicely between his own versions of his originals like "Daddy Sang Bass," covers of country hits like "Honky Tonky Song," and plenty of other country, folk, and rock & roll gems, plus a lot of terrific finger-picking from this peerless guitarist. All in all, it's as convincing an argument for Carl Perkins' greatness as any of his other sets, possibly more so as it captures him at the peak of his artistic maturity.

DISC 1:http://rapidgator.net/file/417bc3b9a07973f1ae0e034f3e270d44/Back_On_Top1-2.rar.html
1. Constantly
2. Restless
3. 1143
4. Little Cowboy Suit
5. Blue Suede Shoes
6. Match Box
7. Honey Don't
8. Turn Around
9. Daddy Sang Bass
10. That's Right
11. Boppin' the Blues
12. Your True Love
13. Folsom Prison Blues
14. Mean Woman Blues
15. Take It or Leave It
16. Walk With Your Neighbor
17. For Your Love
18. Four Letter Word
19. Soul Beat
20. Baby, What You Want Me to Do?
21. Superfool
22. Champaign, Illinois
23. Riverboat Annie
24. Lion in the Jungle, A
25. Power of My Soul
26. Brown Eyed Handsome Man
27. C.C. Rider
28. I'm Gonna Set My Foot Down
29. Boppin' the Blues
30. Sorry Charlie

DISC 2:
1. Allergic to Love
2. Turn Around
3. All Mama's Children
4. Step Aside
5. Just Coastin'
6. My Son, My Sun
7. State of Confusion
8. Big City Sleeps, The
9. True Love Is Greater Than Friendship
10. What Ever Little Boy Ought to Know
11. Just as Long
12. I'll Fly Away
13. Me Without You
14. Always Be Mine
15. Red Headed Woman
16. Take Me Back to Memphis
17. About All I Can Give Is My Love
18. You Won't Have to Say You Love Me
19. Cotton Top
20. High on Love
21. Always Be Mine
22. Let Me Be the One You Love
23. Baby's Gone
24. So Warm
25. Trip, The
26. I Still Miss Someone
27. Last Letter, The
28. Someday

DISC 3:http://rapidgator.net/file/104602986b404921bbc05efe58f3320f/Back_On_Top3-4.rar.html
1. Help Me Dream
2. Bless the Children
3. You Tore My Heaven All to Hell
4. One More Loser Going Home
5. Goin' to Memphis
6. Lord I Sinned Again Last Night
7. Just as Long
8. Dixiefried
9. Honky Tonk Song
10. Love Sweet Love
11. Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town
12. Never Look Back
13. Sunday Dinner
14. Sing My Song
15. I Want to Be Your Man
16. You'll Always Be a Lady to Me
17. Rise and Shine
18. Mean, Mean Martha
19. Low Class
20. I Ain't Mad
21. E.P. Express, The
22. Big Bad Blues
23. Restless
24. Honey Don't
25. Turn Around
26. That's Right
27. Walk With Your Neighbor
28. For Your Love
29. Four Letter Word

CD DISC 4:
1. Cotton Top
2. Good Times Are Just Around the Corner
3. Born Equal
4. Stetp It up and Go
5. Big City Sleeps, The
6. Bottoms Up
7. Poor Boy Blues
8. When You're a Man Own Your Own
9. Take a Good Look at Me
10. Restless
11. Bottom of the Bottle, The
12. Sorry Charlie
13. Rise and Shine
14. Wild Card
15. So Wrong
16. Lord's Fishing Hole, The
17. Goin' to Memphis