Brilliant '58 debut + additional EP

By the time of Lewis' album debut in 1958, he was well established as one of Rock 'n' Roll's original wild men. Hits like "Great Balls of Fire" and "Breathless" showed him to be a formidable piano player, a mesmerizing singer and a magnetic showman. His first long player collected a dozen sides, starting with a 1956 cover of Ray Price's "Crazy Arms" that was waxed in Lewis' audition session for Sun, and extending into 1958.



Lewis is authoritative on tracks he originated, such as the blazing "High School Confidential," as well as a series of covers. It's a testament to Lewis' iconic style that he can cover Elvis ("Don't Be Cruel"), Hank Williams ("Jambalaya"), Carl Perkins ("Matchbox") and Warren Smith ("Ubangi Stomp"), and barely give a hint of the originals. Lewis owned everything that rolled off his piano - even the trad "When the Saints Go Marching In" sounds like an original.



Varese's reissue augments the original album with a half-dozen cuts from the EP "The Great Ball of Fire." In addition to the signature hits "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" (a first take!) and "Breathless," he races up and down the keys for "Mean Woman Blues" and reworks Roy Orbison's "Go! Go! Go!" as "Down the Line."



Whether striking up the 88s or taking it down-tempo for a country tearjerker like "It All Depends (On Who Will Buy the Wine)," Lewis always sounded original. The breadth of material that Sun founder Sam Phillips picked makes this a fine single-disc overview of Lewis' seminal years at the label.