A Decade In Love: Sun Records Curated By Record Store Day – Volume 10 (2023) Vinyl Review

One feature of Record Store Day I’ve come to count on is a fresh installment of the Sun Records compilation series. Titled Sun Records Curated By Record Store Day, this series features some great music, the songs chosen by people who work in record stores, each record having a theme. In 2021, that theme was Having A Party! and last year it was The Sam Phillips Years. This year saw the release of the tenth volume in the series, and to mark the occasion, the theme chosen was A Decade In Love. Yes, all love songs, by artists like Carl Perkins, The Ad Libs, Howlin’ Wolf and Johnny Cash. And unlike last year’s entry in this series, this record is presented on silver vinyl.

Side A

The record opens with Carl Perkins’ “Your True Love,” a song showing that love songs can still rock. There is even a cool, though short, guitar lead in the second half. “Love was made, I don’t boast/When he made you, he made the most/You’ve got that certain touch/And to me, baby, you mean so much.” This is a fun tune. And shouldn’t love make you happy like it does here? A love that makes you sing and dance is the kind of love I wish for everyone. We then go into the country realm with “Love Love Love” by Webb Pierce, and things are less certain. As he sings at the beginning, “Sometimes I cry/When you don’t call/I’m beginning to think/You don’t love me at all.” But soon he’s singing of a wedding, so perhaps things are fine. Or is it all in his head? I don’t know, but I dig that work on fiddle. “Life’s just too short/To fuss and fight/If you’ll trust in me/Well, I’ll treat you right.”

We move to a professing of love in Hank Locklin’s “Let Me Be The One.” A love that seems to exist in hope. “Oh, please let me be the one/Let me be the one to sit with you/And when you want some loving/I’ll know just what to do/Lots of, lots of hugging/And a kiss or two.” Oh, is that all? He pleads his case in this song. And what does the steel guitar have to say about it? Things then get seriously fun again with “Ask Anybody” from The Ad Libs. This is a delicious, soulful number in which the backing vocalists urge us to ask a variety of people to back up the claim of love: “Ask the butcher/Ask the baker/Ask the candlestick maker/Mailman/Police/Ask my nephew/And my niece.” And at the end of the list is “And anyone I might have missed,” which is delightful. Also delightful is the saxophone. This is one of my personal tracks on this record.

Warren Smith’s “Do I Love You” finds the man being asked if he loves the woman in question. Well, certainly! And he finds plenty of ways of saying that his love is self-evident, such as “Do I love you, baby/Does a cat have a tail?” And the sax backs him up. This track features a cool rockabilly vocal performance. The album then goes back to country with Patti Page’s “Most People Get Married.” This is another fun, light number in which she expresses her own desire to get married. And why not? “I want to get married/And I only want to do it to you/When you light up like a flame/Each time your baby calls/And the way he says your name/Has got you climbing walls.” This version includes the delicious backing vocal work, almost like country doo-wop, which is not present in other versions that Patti Page released.

Side B

The second side opens with the Jesters’ version of “My Babe,” a song written by Willie Dixon. By the way, also released on Record Store Day was Dixon’s Catalyst, which includes this song. Anyway, this rhythm always makes me smile. This is a totally fun rendition, singing the praises of his babe. And the guitar adds its own thoughts on the subject. The album goes deeper into the blues with Howlin’ Wolf’s “I’ve Got A Woman.” This is a different woman from the previous song, presumably, but another whose better qualities are praised here, particularly the way she cares for her man: “She keeps me clean/Oh boy, she treats me kind/She don’t want me to worry/Always wants to pacify my mind.” This is another of my favorite tracks.

“Eternally” is a beautiful, soulful number from Jo Jo Benson, featuring an excellent and passionate vocal performance. “I want you to love and hold me/My darling, darling, darling, oh darling/Eternally/Now listen to me/You give me all the love I need/Oh, yes you do/The way you kiss me/My darling, darling, darling, darling/It’s heavenly.” Oh yes, and when he sings these words, it’s like the heavens open up above him, and the gods smile on this couple. This is another of the record’s highlights. That’s followed by Clarence Murray’s “Baby You Got It,” with a groove to get you on your feet. He sings about the type of love this woman has, and there is plenty of joy here. “And if there’s anything that makes the world go round/And life worth living for/Baby, you got it/Baby, you got it/And if there’s anything that makes you feel so good/You want to come back for more/Baby, you got it.”

Things slow down a bit for “Yes My Goodness Yes” by Willie Hobbs. Again, he’s being asked by the woman if he loves her. Oh, it’s clear, isn’t it? There is no lie in this music. It is passionate and soulful and sexy. “I say I don’t think, no, I don’t think, girl, I could live without you/Guess what? I ain’t going to try.” Linda Martell’s “The Wedding Cake” is a song for those of us who are in love but don’t have the money to do everything we’d like for that special person. Here she sings, “Don’t think you failed me ‘cause you can’t afford that dishwasher to make my life more fun.” This song is about a relationship, a marriage, not just those early moments. Sure, there might be work needed, and some sad moments, but love is the most important thing. This compilation concludes with Johnny Cash’s “I Walk The Line.” What needs to be said about this classic number? “Yes, I’ll admit that I’m a fool for you/Because you’re mine/I walk the line.”

Record Track List

Side A

1. Your True Love – Carl Perkins
2. Love Love Love – Webb Pierce
3. Let Me Be The One – Hank Locklin
4. Ask Anybody – The Ad Libs
5. Do I Love You – Warren Smith
6. Most People Get Married – Patti Page

Side B

1. My Babe – The Jesters
2. I’ve Got A Woman – Howlin’ Wolf
3. Eternally – Jo Jo Benson
4. Baby You Got It – Clarence Murray
5. Yes My Goodness Yes – Willie Hobbs
6. The Wedding Cake – Linda Martell
7. I Walk The Line – Johnny Cash

A Decade In Love: Sun Records Curated By Record Store Day – Volume 10 was released on April 22, 2023 through Org Music. It is limited to 3,000 copies.