A Bit Dated But Still A Lot to Like

There are enough Jerry Lee Lewis compilations that you need not slaver over this one. I was there just 90 miles from Sun Records to hear all of their artists from the beginning. You know the standard JLL songs, stuff not to be denied; they're history. Also herein you get Stick McGee's "Drinkin' Wine Spo-De-O-Dee", the original dating back to the 40s, Roy Orbison's "Down the Line" and my favorite version of Hank William Sr's "You Win Again" (just listen to Jerry Lee on his 88s on THAT song). There are two songs used in the movies ("High School Confidential" and 2 versions of "Breathless"); they were not the last movie tunes by Jerry Lee. His singing is quite stylized in an earnest attempt to make others' songs his own BUT.... Due to the age of the early tunes, many songs done RECENTLY (IN THE 50'S) have now been done to death and "Cold Cold Heart" sounds a hundred years old. They could have been left out for stuff like "What Made Milwaukee Famous" and a host of other country songs he recorded. Still, I think it deserves 4 stars. But keep your options open before you buy.

Excellent collection

It's a pity that Lewis isn't given more credit these days and it's a mystery why he's sort've forgotten. This CD will settle the score and prove conclusively that Jerry Lee could really rock! This is a marvelous collection and by far the best single-CD collection out there on Jerry's music. Most people listening to this music for the first time can never stop at just one CD, so this will serve as a fine introduction to some of the best music you'll ever hear. Though these songs are all more than 45 years old, they wear well and are timeless.

Most casual rock fans can name only a few Lewis tunes, "Whole Lotta Shakin'" and "Great Balls of Fire," but there is so much more than that. This collection includes several of his most haunting, beautiful slower tempo songs, as well as some awesome rockabilly.

Jerry Lee Lewis was a genuine innovator and talent. This compilation proves that. The sound quality is superb, I can't recommend this CD enough.

The place to start

For those of us who cannot afford the Box sets of Jerry Lee Lewis, this is a good place to start. It contains the early hits that JLL made when he burst upon the national scene in the 195os, and by and large it contains most of the Good sides he recorded for Sun Records. Sun records kept Jerry recording tunes throughout the fifties and early 1960s and did not release many of those sides until the 1970s or 1980s. Despite the fact that there were many great tracks there, it is a good thing that almost none of those recordings were released on this Sun Collection.



This is the stuff that broke big. Several of these songs were number one hits on the pop, country, and R&B charts at the time.

You get a lot of the youthful energy with spare production. You get just a lot of JLL here.



Jerry Lee Lewis is a serious artist. He has continued performing until today and like any serious artist he developed over time. I believe in the 1960s he was the best Rock and Roll performer ever, but unfortunately his music wasn't being picked up by many people and, sadly, Rock came to replace rock and role. Likewise, I think some of the sides he released in the 1970s which were more in a Southern groove were great music in and of themselves. Finally, his great country recordings of the late 1970s and early 1980s are among the finest recordings anyone has ever done in Country music. Finally, there are some real gems on some of the albums produced by Jimmy Burton that the Killer has released in the last 20 years.



One needs to have it all, or suffer the fact that our society is so backward as not to supply every citizen with all of the JLL that can be absorbed. However, this collection is a good place to start, a good place if you are interested in the history and development of rock and roll. Maybe you do just have to get it all!