Perhaps the most impressive major label debut of all time. Sure, Elvis had been making waves for a year or so with the sides he cut at Sun, 'That's Alright Mama' and 'Mystery Train' for two examples. But outside of influencing his peers, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis' recordings for Sun were heard by only those 'in the know'. When RCA put out 'Heart Break Hotel' it sent shock waves around the world. The atmospherics were maximised by using the stairwell of the studio as a ad hoc echo chamber.
As Lennon famously said "Before Elvis there was nothing".
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