If Jerry Lee Lewis were in his prime in 2003, as opposed to the 50s and 60s, he would be one of the biggest stars in the music business going. To me, it's an absolute crime to see all the success that Johnny Cash achieved in the 90s while Jerry Lee did not. Nothing at all against Cash. He was one of the best ever. But so is Jerry Lee Lewis. If Johnny Cash can sell millions of records, why not ol' Jerry Lee?

I say this because this compilation of Jerry Lee Lewis' country hits (and misses) is every bit the equal of Cash's "Live At Folsom Prison", Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried", Elvis' comeback TV special in 1968, the Byrds' "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", or Dylan's "Nashville Skyline". This man's voice consistently puts the listener's goosebumps at strict attention, in a way that propels him beyond singers like Cash and Gram Parsons, to a level just a shade below the King himself.

Jerry Lee's recordings for Sun are tremendous, but these tracks represent the Killer on an entirely different level. For me, the first 12 songs are you-don't-need-to-hit-the-skip-button-once. His voice is at once lonely and plaintive, then turns nasty and whiskey-soaked on a dime. He hits high notes and falsettos in the middle of phrases without effort, and his piano work on many of these tracks is stellar.

Highlights include "Me & Bobbie McGee", "Another Place, Another Time", "What's Made Milwaukee Famous", "There Must Be More To Love Than This" and "The Hole He Said He'd Dig For Me". This is stellar country-rock, delivered by one of the very best in the business. It's time for another ambitious Rick Rubin-style producer to take a chance on the Killer. He's one of the last ones standing.

It is something of a crime that of all the music JLL recorded during his Mercury Smash years, only the country ballads charted and entered the memory of the broader cultural maintstream. Because the rock and roll he was doing when he was doing it then was among the better stuff anyone ever recorded (see his London Session Album for example).
Having said that I realize that those ballads Another Place, What Made Milwakee Famous, She Even Woke Me Up, Once More with Feeling, and Middle Age Crazy, are simply masterpieces. The range, maturity, and feeling he put into them will make them last forever.
The other cuts on this album include some great stuff, particularly if you are into the entire JLL experience, because he lets himself go and be himself in a lot of the less serious cuts, shows what can be done in mixing wildness, wisdom and yes Rock and Roll. Working Man's blues is a real work of art and gives you the idea that perhaps that Jimmie Burton who played the guitar on Haggard's version of the tune and on JLL's (and I am not sure probably produced the cut as he did several later JLL records) is the person this song really belongs to.
If you like this, you ought to find the complete Mercury recordings that include some of the greatest cuts of rock and roll, blues, and both hot and cold country amid JLL's typical wildness, vanity, and various not so bright ideas by Mercury.
Or if you want the real Lewis Experience, see if you can find the two live Albums he did for Smash: The Greatest In the years these records came out, there is no doubt that JLL was one of the greatest artists doing rock and roll, country, and blues.
This is JLL 30 years ago. That he is still out there rocking now that he is in his late sixties says something great (although it also speaks to his inability to get along with the IRS LOL)

although I'm pretty picky when it comes to Jerry Lee. Live is one thing, manic high energy works OK there. But not, for me, on an album that I'm going to listen to for a four or five hour trip.

But it's got "Another Place, Another Time" and "She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye."

A friend of mine in LA--good country singer--once tried to learn Another Place, Another Time. I don't know if he ever did, but we sure howled at his first attempts. Jerry Lee is SO stylized that trying to learn songs from his singing just ends up making you sound like you're doing bad Jerry Lee imitations. And every once in a while he sounds like that himself.

This set illustrates why Jerry Lee Lewis was,and still is,one of the top 10 country singers of all time and also why he is one of the most influential musicians in country music,period.Listen to this and one can hear the later music of Brookes and Dunn,Hank Jr.,Alan Jackson(in a "rockin' mood)and countless others. When you listen to most of these tracks ,images are evoked of wild nights,wild women,and one too many nights on the road! The first 10 or so cuts on this cd are from the late 1960's and early 70's when JLL was probably THE hottest thing going in country music. The overall breadth of material is played and sung as only the Killer could cut it; raw,lean,and mean,with more than a hint of regret,remorse,defiance,and some Jack Daniels and big cuban cigar smoke all rolled into some country that is not your standard issue fare! Most of these cuts were JLL originals,and were top 10 releases,many were top 5 and those that were not orginals were covers that Jerry Lee definitely makes his own,most notably,Me and Bobby McGee,written by Kris Kristofferson and sung in a huge way by Janis Joplin,then covered by the KILLER. That version went top 40 in the pop field and top 5 in the country charts. Buy this for an intro into country music,Killer Style,or as a BEST OF,country style,and remember,the Killer was KILLER before the term was even considered.Oh yeah,you gotta crank it,at least once!!!

The ballads on this disc are very good. Some of the
faster songs really aren't that good. The second half
of the disc really doesn't have that much to offer
besides "Middle Age Crazy".

Not a bad Cd but not one that a person can't live without