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.
