Customer Reviews

Jerry Lee Lewis - 18 Original Sun Greatest Hits

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with the review above, anytime you have a chance to find (and grab) the original recordings from a legendary artists, take advantage of it. Rhino is a great company that has devoted its time to restoring and making available material from everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis to Captain Beefheart to Alex Chilton.

This compilation of 18 classic Jerry Lee Lewis songs is a treasure. And can I tell you, as a 28-year old listener who was born well after Lewis's heyday (I was born in 1971), that this man's music still sounds as vital today as it did over forty years ago? I find myself bouncing along not only with the obvious radio hits (Great Balls of Fire and Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On), but the lesser-known cuts as well (I love Big Blon' Baby). Lewis, along with Little Richard, paved the way for piano-playing rockers, and Lewis also straddled the line between rock and country; fans of both genres will find much to savor here. I wholeheartedly recommend this fine disc.

In this Cd,unlike so many Jerry Lee Lewis compilations,you get to hear the original Sun Records recordings of his best and most popular tunes.When you hear these songs,you begin to understand why his influence on later rock and roll artists is so strong.The Reckless intensity he displays here on such classics as "Whole lotta shakin' goin' on","Breathless",and on such wild and quirky versions of Ray Charles'"What'd I Say",and the old Hank Williams favorite,"Jambalaya",is rarely heard anywhere else in his long and storied career.If you want to find out what all the fuss was about,this Cd is a great place to start.

Wow, who would have thought that Jerry Lee Lewis would be the last surviving Sun Records legend? After the wild life he lead, it's somewhat of a miracle. Now, on to the review. Jerry Lee Lewis recorded a ton of great material at Sun Records. Much more than the mere 18 songs recorded here. However, all 18 songs here are great, so I won't complain about that. I might have selected different songs if it was up to me, but that's just personal preference. Jerry only had five real hits at Sun Records, so any other songs included are debatable. My one real complaint would have to be the lack of liner notes. But that won't stop me from recommending the CD.

As another reviewer has pointed out, I too was born long after Lewis's heyday. However, hearing his "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire" on various oldies stations got me hooked when I was a teenager. It is hard to describe. The man had....something. Was it extremely sophisticated, complicated music? Hell, no. But it didn't have to be. It was raw, passionate and true. You could tell this guy loved what he was doing. Plus, even if the music was relatively simplistic, well, so was all of rock and roll. And Lewis was good at it.

It has been pointed out that Lewis posed a "short-lived challenge" to Elvis Presley for the title of King of Rock and Roll. Lewis's shot at the real big time was basically wrecked when word got out that he'd married his 14-year-old cousin Myra Brown. It's a shame too - of course, I don't condone grown men marrying minors. Lewis screwed up there. However, as Albert Goldman pointed out in his controversial 1982 biography of Elvis, Lewis's downfall was ironic: Lewis was pilloried for marrying his 14-year-old cousin, while in the meantime 24-year-old Presley cohabitated with 15-year-old Priscilla at Graceland, and nobody seemed to consider this a problem.

Besides that obvious bit of unfairness, it's also pretty damn sad that Lewis's challenge to Presley was so short-lived...because in this reviewer's opinion, he was a hell of a lot better of a musician than Presley, for a whole host of reasons, but I'll stick to the main ones. Firstly, Lewis actually played an instrument, the piano, and played it well. This is in contrast to Presley, for whom the guitar was a prop rather than an instrument he truly knew how to play. Secondly, Lewis sang on key with breath control, which Presley did not do.

And for the fan who wants a good intro to Lewis's rock and country work, this disc will be a treat. As another reviewer has pointed out, certain key things unfortunately are missing, like "You Win Again."

But despite that, it's an entertaining disc that you'll find yourself playing again and again. In every song, Lewis's driving passion for his work is evident, and his love for the music will make you love it too. The old standbys "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin" are on there, as well as a rockin' "When the Saints Go Marchin' In," "Matchbox," "What'd I Say," and "Jambalaya". Also of interest is an early version of "Drinkin' Wine (Spo-dee-o-dee)" (although Lewis did a remake of this song in the early '70s that was bass-driven rather than piano-driven, and was actually better than the early one, but no matter). No doubt, this disc will entertain...and the sampling of songs definitely shows who the real "King of Rock and Roll" should've been.

I take a back seat to no one in my admiration for Jerry Lee Lewis. I saw him perform in Ottawa not long after the adverse publicity broke in England over his marriage to Myra Gale. In a building that would normally house 9,000 to 10,000 for such an event there were perhaps about 1,500, and I can still see him peeking out from behind the stage curtain from my vantage point just before he went on. But when he came on - WOW. What a performance. You'd think there were 18,000 in the joint. By far the best live R&R show I ever saw in those days - and I saw them all - from Elvis to Cash to Domino to Berry. None could compare.

Having said that, I find this 18-selection CD from Rhino a bit of a misnomer in labelling itself as "18 Original Greatest Hits" for the Sun label.

Missing are: You Win Again - the flip of Great Balls Of Fire and a # 95 on its own early in 1958; Fools LIke Me, the flip of High School Confidential and a # 11 R&B in 1958; both sides of the 1958 double-sided hit Break-Up [# 52]/I'll Make It All Up To You [# 85]; I'll Sail My Ship Alone [# 93 in 1959]; and Sweet Little 16 [# 95 in 1962].

The above six would have been better choices for this album - labeled as it is - than relative obscurities like Matchbox, When The Saints Go Marching In, All Night Long, Big Legged Woman, and Put Me Down.

Also, there are neither liner notes nor discography to at least provide information as to when the non-hits included were recorded and where they appeared for the first time. Typical of the CDs that first hit the market back in 1984.

There are many, many better choices available now.

When I was a little kid, I remember watching Jerry Lee Lewis on some TV show or other and finding him a little scary. All that manic energy. He looked dangerous. When I got a little older, I decided that was a good thing.

Of course, coming of age in the age of psychedelia, I might have found Jerry Lee a little passe--but one of the good things about that era was that there really was an appreciation of what went down before. The best 60s groups were always quick to credit their artistic forefathers. Certainly that was the case with the Beatles and the Stones. The Beatles, like Jerry Lee here, did a version of "Matchbox" in their day, certainly a nod toward the greats of the previous decade.

Jerry Lee is known primarily for a handful of hard driving, piano based rockers like "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shankin'..." Aficionados (and knowlegeable dilettantes) know that he had a lot more up his sleeve than that. OK, so he couldn't turn in a masterful ballad, but there's still enough variety in the uptempo numbers to satisfy any discriminating rock'n'roll fan. What can you say about a collection that includes a rollicking "When The Saints Go Marchin' In" and then turns around and offers up a frankly salacious "Big Legged Woman" for your listening pleasure. Call it your basic Southern dichotomy--that largely unself-concsious blend of the sacred and the profane. Stylistically it provides textbook example after example of rock's links to the blues and C&W. It's all part of the gumbo, and it's all pretty darn tasty.

Elvis? Pfft. The only reason why he is considored the King of Rock 'n' Roll is because he never was involved with a scandal where he married his thirteen year old cousin and most of all because Col. Tom Parker gave him that title. If there is any justice at all in the world, Jerry Lee Lewis will be recognized as the true king of rock 'n' roll. Elvis never had the charisma or the menace of Jerry Lee Lewis. Sure Elvis had some great tunes, but Jerry Lee never had any really bad tunes (and he never sold his soul to Vegas). Jerry Lee Lewis reigns supreme above all other so called "Rock 'n' Rollers", and his songs still rock harder than most other music that gets passed for rock nowadays. If you don't like it, you honestly don't like rock 'n' roll. The best place to get acquainted with Jerry Lee is by far this compilation from Rhino, as it contains all his most popular songs (and a few equally great lesser known ones) made during the peak of his recorded output, when he was at the great Sun Records. Another essential compilation from Rhino, if you like this, be sure to pick up his "Live at the Star Club" album (the greatest live album there is) and his debut.

This is a marvelous collection if you're only sampling Jerry Lee Lewis' music. It contains his greatest early hits, but still omits some of his best music, so beware. Most people listening to Jerry's 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 40 years old, they wear well and are timeless.

Most casual rock fans can name only a few Lewis tunes: Great Balls of Fire and Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On, but there is so much more than that. This collection includes some of his most haunting, beautiful ballads or slower tempo pieces.

He was a genuine innovator and talent. This compilation proves that.

To an extent I'm disappointed. If all the tracks were originally recorded at Sun which I doubt, surely Rhino would make more of an effort with sleeve details. Instead all you get is a flimsy bit of paper with nothing on it. He is a great performer, I saw him live at Birmingham Town Hall, England with Brenda Lee top of the bill.

Because there are so many compilations out there of Jerry Lee's Sun recordings, and this CD has only 18 songs on it, I'll say this is a fantastic introduction to his classic material. He recorded an enormous amount of material for the Sun label, but this is still a must-have, especially for anyone who doesn't have any of his songs.
You could say that Jerry Lee is the real king of rock'n'roll, certainly one of the founding fathers, and much wilder than Elvis. But really, who cares who the "King" of rock'n'roll is anyway? Yes, Elvis was great and historically important, but so were so many others (many of whom were much more musically talented) including Jerry Lee. The real wild man of Sun Records is still rocking after all these years-a true survivor!