Search - Jerry Lee Lewis :: Definitive Collection

Does Jerry's career the justice it deserves

Soulboogiealex | Netherlands | 05/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jerry Lee Lewis compilations have often been lackluster affairs. The bulk of them focus on his years at Sun, while others are cheap and messy overviews of his country material. Seldom do these compilations justice to the performer Jerry Lee Lewis really was. In essence Jerry was a Southern man, a true country star. His songs are honest and raw tales about the ups and downs on the wild side, they don't call him the Killer for nothing.



Jerry started his career with some immensely successful rockabilly sides. He was the only true competitor to one Elvis Presley. Lewis could have gone in to history as the King of Rock & Roll if it weren't for his highly controversial marriage to 13 year old kin. Because R&R was marketed to kids radio stations refused to play his music once the scandal got out. This chain of events turned out to be a curse and a blessing at the same time. Although it slowed down his career it did push Jerry into country recordings. As it turned out this is were his true strength lied.



This taken into account the decision to include only a hand full of his Sun material is completely justified. It highlights only his biggest hits for the label before moving on to his Mercury of the sixties and seventies. The first of these selections "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out Of Me)" immediately illustrates this is a much more edgy and mature Lewis. Gone are the dance crazes of "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" and gone is the teen romance of "High School Confidential", only to be replaced by tales of a man struggling to get through his life. These are songs of a man who realizes life isn't as clear cut as it seems in High School. Titles as "She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left Of Me)" and "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" speak for itself on that matter.



One could argue that a single disc could never cover the essential Jerry Lee Lewis. Too much highlights of his career are missing. Yet for a single disc, with an insightful 16 page booklet, and Rhino's "All Killer No Filler" now out of print, this is the only compilation around that gives you an introduction to the man that does him justice. It's a Killer!"

A genuine 'Best Of' ... almost

Mr. A. Mc Rae | England | 05/03/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Music? Five stars without a doubt...marvellous, fantastic, prime-Killer cuts, the absolute top man....



But...Universal (zero stars, hence the average rating) have been at it again.... following on from the consistent (and unwelcome) party trick played by UK Spectrum in featuring 'wrong tracks' on their JLL collections, most recently in respect of the '1963-77' Mercury set "Many Sides Of JLL", which includes a 1989 (movie-soundtrack) recording of 'Crazy Arms', their US colleagues have shown that they are equally adept at screwing things up...



Hard on the heels of "Many Sides" comes, on Universal's US imprint Hip-O Records, a fine looking collection called "The Defintive Jerry Lee Lewis", featuring, as a sticky label proclaims, "His 24 Greatest Hits 1957-81", taking us through from 'Whole Lotta Shakin' (plus five other Sun tracks) and concluding with a couple of Elektra masters, sandwiching sixteen of Jerry Lee's biggest Mercury hits.



A good looking, 16 page booklet, fronted, mercifully, by a highly suitable circa 1970 photo, with extensive, well-written (if predictable, in terms of content), liner notes. So far so good, although strange that the chronological order of the recordings is compromised by 'inverting' "What's Made Milwaukee Famous" and "Another Place Another Time" - be that as it may, a minor blemish on what appears to be, indeed, a 'Definitive' collection; the sort of thing you'd happily pass on to a friend as an 'introduction' to JLL, to convey something of the scope and depth of his career to those who haven't got beyond 1958...



And then, just when you thought they'd cracked it..



You get to 1973 and, sandwiched between "Sometimes A Memory Ain't Enough" and "He Can't Fill My Shoes", is a 'boisterous' "Drinkin' Wine Spo-dee o'dee" (okay, again messing slightly with the chronology, but perhaps forgivable), originally released, as the booklet tells us, on

Mercury single 73374 and a #20 country, #41 pop hit. Well, sort of. What you actually get is a 1963 recording originally outed on the 1966 album 'Memphis Beat'.



Fantastic music; Jerry Lee in his prime, marred only by the serial-spoilers at Universal. One is always left with the impression that the attitude is 'just get it out; make a buck; why should we care?'

"

A lot of hits are here,but even more are missing

Josh horton | 10/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With so many Jerry Lee Lewis collections on the market,it isn't hard to find one.Finding all of his "greatest hits",however,is.The problem is that most of Jerry Lee's hits were recorded in the '60's & '70's,long after he had parted ways with Sam Phillips and sun records.Why is that a problem?Because about 90% of the cds out there only feature sun material,recorded between 1956 and 1963.It can get a little frustrating trying to find a cd that covers his entire career,and not just "Great balls of fire".



"The definitive collection" does just that,featuring 24 of the killer's biggest hits,it starts with 1957's "Whole lot of shakin' going on" and ends with 1981's "Thirty nine and holding".



But...



Just like every "best of" cd,this one has its own set of problems.



Jerry Lee Lewis has had over 65 hit singles and this cd only has 24 of them,obviously,this should have been a 2 cd set.



The hits included:



"Whole lot of shakin' going on" ( #1 in 1957)

"Great balls of fire" ( #1 in 1957)

"You win again" ( #4 in 1957)

"Breathless" ( #4 in 1958)

"High school confidential" ( #9 in 1958)

"What'd i say" ( #21 in 1961)

"What's made Milwaukee famous ( #2 in 1968)

"Another place,another time" ( #2 in 1968)

"She still comes around" ( #2 in 1968)

"To make love sweeter for you" ( #1 in 1969)

"Don't let me cross over" ( #9 in 1969)

"One has my name" ( #3 in 1969)

"She even woke me up to say goodbye" ( #2 in 1969)

"Once more with feeling" ( #2 in 1970)

"There must be more to love than this" ( #1 in 1970)

"Me and Bobby Mcgee" ( #1 in 1970)

"Would you take another chance on me" ( #1 in 1971)

"Chantilly Lace" ( #1 in 1972)

"Sometimes a memory ain't enough" ( #6 in 1973)

"Drinking wine spo-dee o'dee" ( #20 in 1973)

"He can't fill my shoes" ( #8 in 1974)

"Middle age crazy" ( #4 in 1977)

"Over the rainbow" ( #10 in 1980)

"Thirty nine and holding" ( #4 in 1981)



Glaring omissions:



"I"ll make it all up to you" ( #19 in 1958 )

"Fools like me" ( #9 in 1958)

"Invitation to your party" ( #6 in 1969)

"One minute past eternity" ( #2 in 1969)

"I can't seem to say goodbye" ( #7 in 1970)

"Waiting for a train" ( #7 in 1970)

"Touching home" ( #3 in 1971)

"When he walks on you" ( #10 in 1971)

"Think about it darlin' ( #1 in 1972)

"Lonely weekends" ( #10 in 1972)

"Who's gonna play this old piano" ( #14 in 1972)

"No more hanging on" ( #19 in 1973)

"Tell tale signs" ( #18 in 1974)

"i can still hear the music in the bathroom" ( #13 in 1975)

"Boogie woogie country man" ( #24 in 1975)

"Let's put it back together again" ( #5 in 1976)

"The closest thing to you" ( #27 in 1976)

"Come on in" ( #10 in 1978)

"I'll find it where i can" ( #10 in 1978)

"Rockin' my life away" ( #18 in 1979)

"I wish i was eighteen again" ( #18 in 1979)

"Who will the next fool be" ( #20 in 1979)

"When two worlds collide" ( #11 in 1980)

"I'd do it all again" ( #52 in 1982)

"My fingers do the talking" ( #44 in 1982)



"The definitive collection" doesn't quite live up to its title,but it is better than most and serves as proof that Jerry Lee Lewis' career didn't die in the fifties,it had only begun.



This cd includes a 16 page booklet,extensive liner notes,rare photos and has been digitally remastered for the ultimate sound!



All songs are the original recordings.



I know i'm not the only one who's been suckered by the "bargain bin" at the music store( where bootleg Jerry Lee Lewis live cds call home!)



reccomended"