Roy Orbison
wasn't among the great
rockabilly
cats, as his voice was a little too rich and his performances a little too mannered to truly rock with abandon. Nevertheless, he did cut a pair of terrific
singles for
Sun
with
"Ooby Dooby"
and
"Domino."
He never quite reached those heights again while on
, as
Bear Family
's single-disc collection
The Sun Years 1956-58
illustrates. Containing every track he recorded for the label, including alternate takes and undubbed mixes, the collection suffers from too much similar-sounding material. Apart from the previously mentioned singles,
Orbison
only made a handful of songs that really rocked, and they tend to lose their impact when mixed in among the mediocre songs and minutely different alternate takes. For hardcore
collectors, the very comprehensiveness of
makes the disc necessary, but most fans -- especially those enamored with his grandiose, theatrical
ballads
-- will find that this collection is overkill. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine